I couldn't help myself! I really wanted to post this next chapter, but ended up crying at the end. So... this should be fun... I'm sorry in advance you guys.

Before Jack opened his eyes, he heard a steady beeping. He soon realized it's the sound of a heart monitor. He could feel IVs hooked up to him, and could smell the sickly clean that only of a hospital.

He should know the scent well. Jack had spent hours in a hospital with his mother during her labor, only for her to give birth to a stillborn child. Jack Kelly would've had a little brother… But both he and his mom were taken from him before Jack could even walk to the supermarket alone.

Not long after, he was back in the hospital, watching the light leave his father's eyes. The cancer in him had spread too much for him to be treated. If only he hadn't smoked as much as he did. Jack vowed from then on never to touch a cigarette for as long as he lived.

He was put into the foster care system not long after, and given to this nice family, with a boy his age named David, and in no time they were partners in crime. As eight year old boys, the two would get into all sorts of trouble, but good things can't last.

He had to be sent away. He didn't want to be, but he had to. The Jacobs were expecting another child, and three seemed to be a crowd. Jack didn't want to leave David behind, but he would do what the state told him to. He would never trust the state again.

Not after they sent him to live with Snyder.

By age 10, Jack had been sent to live with Warren Snyder. At first, it seemed Snyder was just drunk a lot, but then it became apparent that he was abusive, and made many death threats. Jack had received twelve before his thirteenth birthday. The only 'gifts' he ever got were going to bed an evening without a beating because Snyder had passed out from too much whiskey.

Opening his eyes, Jack blearily stared at the pristine white wall across from his bed, and it registered that he had bandages wrapped around his midsection. Remembering the events that had taken place, Jack winced at the memory. Snyder had tried to kill him for talking to Katherine, and the rest was black.

"J-Jack?" A hoarse whisper came from beside his bed, "Oh my god, you're okay."

Struggling to turn, Jack saw a mane of auburn curls, followed by bloodshot hazel eyes. There was the pretty girl, Katherine, who he had met the other day. She looked like a mess, with big black bags under her eyes, and dry, cracked lips. By the looks of it, she hadn't eaten, drank, or slept in a few days.

"Katherine? Wha-whatcha doin' here?" He found his voice and coughed, "Wha-?"

She shushed him, and eased him back to a comfortable position, "I needed to make sure you were alright. I-I needed to see you were okay." Katherine stroked his hair, before retracting her hand, "Oh, I'm sorry." She had turned red, and Jack smiled to the best of his ability.

"It's fine. It- it reminds me of what my mom used to do."

Then, shyly, Katherine moved her hand back, running her hands through his hair. "You need to sleep," She soothed, "You need your rest."

Sleep sounded nice… A long, quiet nap… But first, he had to know something.

"What happened to Snyder?"

"Who's Snyder?"

Jack grimaced, "The guy who did this to me. Warren Snyder. He's my foster father."

Katherine grabbed a pen and paper, and jotted down the name, "Do you have any information on his possible location as of two days ago?"

"Who's this little reporter?" He tried to smirk, but it turned to a stab of pain.

"Well, I'll have ya' know that I publish in my school paper," Katherine looked very triumphant.

"Yeah, okay, Plumber," Jack said.

"Well… I write for the school paper, haven't been published yet… but I will!"

There was a knock on the door. "Excuse me, may I speak to Jack alone?"

Katherine nodded, giving Jack a half hearted smile and leaving the hospital room.

"Hello, Jack," the woman in the suit jacket said. "I'm Detective Hannah LaMointe and I'd like to ask you a few questions if that is okay with you."

Jack shrugged, "Sure, I guess."

"Great," Hannah pulled up a chair next to Jack's bed. "So, Jack, do you know who did this to you?" Jack nodded. "Can you tell me who?"

"My foster dad, Warren Snyder."

"Can you tell me what he looks like?"

Jack thought for a second, "Graying hair, brown eyes, about 6 foot 2, and has a scar on his left cheek."

"That great, Jack." Hannah jotted some notes down. "Now, can you tell me exactly what happened to you Friday afternoon?"

"I was in the living room finishing my homework, and Katherine knocks on my door. She was returning a sketchbook I had dropped in the lobby, and I had a talk with her. Um… he kinda pulled me back inside and thought that I had told Katherine about… about…"

"About what, Jack?"

"About this," Jack gestured to his bruised face, "He thought I had told Katherine what he did."

"So you mean to say this has happened before?" Jack nodded. "What sort of things has he done?"

"Usually just has a belt or a bottle, but when he gets really angry he…" Jack stopped. He couldn't say it.

Hannah seemed to understand, "Alright, Jack, the doctors are going to have to run a few tests. I'll be back in a bit."

Jack waited until Hannah closed the door behind him to begin crying.

Katherine saw Hannah leaving, and she jumped up from her chair in the waiting room.

"Is he-?"

Hannah gave Katherine a sad expression, "Miss Katherine. I must inform you Jack is a… special circumstance. We'll have to run some unique tests on him, because of his… situation. You can be with him until the doctors come in."

She slowly pushed the door open, to then hear quiet crying noises coming from his hospital bed. Standing in the doorway, Katherine watched Jack Kelly sob into his pillow, his body racked with tears. She could see it was painful to cry, but he couldn't stop. Backing away, Katherine spun on her heel and ran into the long corridor. She stopped by the nurses lab, hand covering her mouth.

From the room came Hannah's voice, "-And I think we'll have to run a SAFE kit-"

"What's a SAFE kit?" Katherine asked before she could stop herself. The nurse Hannah had been talking to stiffened up. When no one answered, Katherine asked again. "What's a SAFE kit?"

"I'm very sorry, Katherine," Hannah looked genuinely upset. "A SAFE kit stands for sexual assault forensic evidence kit. We have reason to believe that Jack's foster father did more than Jack has told us. We need to run it on him before we can continue the case."

"You mean… Jack might have been… He was… Oh my god!" Katherine sat down. She barely knew Jack, but this had to be too much for him, for anyone, to handle. Why him? She wondered. What on earth could he have done to deserve that?

"Katherine," Hannah gently sat down next to her, "I take it you've known Jack for awhile?"

Katherine shook her head. "I met him two days ago. I… I just don't understand why anyone would do that to him."

"You only met him two days ago?" Hannah repeated. Katherine nodded. "You seem to care an awful lot about someone you met two days ago."

"Well-"

"Katherine!" A booming voice echoed through the halls. Katherine looked up and sighed, knowing who the loud voice belonged to. "What are you doing here?"

"I drove here, Dad," Mr. Pulitzer looked at Katherine with anger flashing in his eyes. Katherine stood up definitely. "I told Mom that I was going to visit Jack again."

"You've been here for way too long already," Mr. Pulitzer shifted his gaze to Hannah, his normally stoney face becoming even colder. "Detective LaMointe, I didn't know you were taking this case."

"Counselor," Hannah replied just as curtly. "I didn't know you had such a lovely daughter. She must take after her mother."

Katherine couldn't hide the laugh that escaped from her. Pulitzer scowled at Hannah, taking Katherine's shoulders and guiding her away. "Come on, Katherine."

"Wait," Katherine rolled out of her father's grasp. "At least let me say good bye to Jack."

"You still have homework to finish Katherine," Mr. Pulitzer warned.

"I don't think saying good bye is going to waste any more time, don't you think counselor?" Hannah girlishly batted her eyelashes at Pulitzer, voice sickly sweet.

Katherine smiled, heading back to Jack's room.

Jack's conversation with Katherine was short lived before she was ushered away from the bed by her father. Her last wave to him was solemn, as if she knew something that Jack didn't.

Hannah had the doctors run a "safe kit" on him. She had asked Jack for his permission to do it, and although he didn't know what it was, he went along with it. It hadn't hurt, but it was sort of uncomfortable. He had no idea what to expect when Hannah entered his room once more, holding a piece of paper.

"Jack," She sat down at the chair next to his bed. "I'm going to ask you a question, and I need you to answer me honestly. Can you do that for me?"

Jack was getting nervous, "What's going on?"

"Jack, the test we ran on you came back with some upsetting results. But I have to ask you, did Snyder ever take advantage of you?"

"Whaddaya' mean, Miss Hannah?" He said slowly, wrapping his arms around himself like he could shield himself from Hannah's questions.

"You know what I mean, Jack." Jack looked up at her with tear brimmed eyes. He did know what she meant.

"I… I tried… But he… he…" He curled himself into a ball, ignoring the pain from his aching muscles. Jack cradled himself in his arms, rocking back and forth and crying.

That was all Hannah needed to know.

And that would be why I am sorry. That was legit painful to write, I'm crying right now. Sorry if you are too. Anyways, next chapter of either this or IGM will be up in the next few days, so I will see you then! Adios, mis amigos!