Chapter 17: Friendship.
The copper-red haired girl quickly approached to her friend, knelt down beside him and gently touched his swollen and bleeding face. Her voice trembled as she wiped the tears from the boy's face with her thumbs. While Finn (who just seeing his friend's worried face) could not help but pour tear after tear again, until each one turned into a cry of pain.
Fern quickly leaned down next to him with a face full of concern.
"Who did this to you, Finn?" Fern asked, feeling a knot in the pit of his stomach at having to see the boy he loved in such a situation.
Finn opened his eyes barely, his disoriented pupils focusing on them with effort.
"Phoebe...Fern..." he muttered in a weak voice, his face contorting into a painful grimace "I'm sorry... I tried to..."
"Don't speak, Finn. You're hurt" Fern said. Having Phoebe close enough, Finn sat up as best he could, seeking the girl's warm arms, snuggling against her, sinking his face into her chest as he sobbed uncontrollably. Phoebe's arms wrapped around the teenager's trembling body with as much care and tenderness as possible. The only thing that could be heard at that moment were sobs full of sadness that flooded the somber atmosphere. Fern, on his side, watched the scene with a broken heart. Although he knew that Phoebe was the person Finn needed at that moment, he could not help but feel an immense desire to protect him, to take him in his arms and make sure he would never suffer again. For what seemed like long seconds, both friends remained immersed in that comforting cuddle, Phoebe gently stroking the blond boy's back as a way to soothe him from whatever had happened, but the worry was still lingering in the air, and the question of what had happened and who had done it hovered in the back of their minds. Fern finally broke the silence "Phoebe, we need to get him somewhere safe. This can't stay like this" he said firmly; however, his voice trembled a little as he spoke.
The girl nodded without stopping hugging her friend.
"I know but... I can't leave him alone here" she murmured in a soft but determined voice.
"Leave it to me" Fern reassured her, getting up from his place and extended his hand to Finn with determination "I'm going to help you, Finn, let's get out of here together"
The blond boy, still trembling, looked up at Fern, nodding weakly before accepting his assistance. Between the two of them, they managed to get him up slowly, his legs wobbling under the weight of his aching body. Phoebe stood by his side, firm and ready to hold him up if necessary.
The three of them began to walk slowly to a safer place, the silence broken by Finn's trembling voice. "Thank you..." he whispered barely a whisper, his words full of gratitude and vulnerability.
Phoebe and Fern exchanged a look of understanding, both knowing they would do everything they could to protect him, to make sure he would never again feel so lonely and helpless as he did at that moment. As they walked with difficulty carrying Finn supported between them, the worry gave them no rest, the parking area reserved for the bands was not far away and it was their only way out to get help as soon as possible.
As they arrived, Marceline's silhouette and her bandmates appeared a few meters away, she was loading instruments and equipment into the old van. The dark-haired young woman, with her characteristic carefree attitude was giving directions to the others, when, at that, her eyes caught Phoebe's figure approaching them.
"Well, if it isn't the star of the night!" Marceline exclaimed sarcastically as she crossed her arms and walked towards her, her expression showing a mixture of annoyance and disappointment "what happened, Phoebe? did you get bored of us? or did you just decide that you would look better without the band?"
The copper-red haired girl barely had the energy to stand while holding Finn, but that did not stop her from raising her hazel gaze towards Marceline, reflecting her exhaustion and the little patience she was carrying at the moment.
"Marcy, I don't have time for this" she said firmly interrupting the beginning of the claim "save your sermon for later, now I need your help" Marceline frowned clearly confused by the girl's attitude, before she could answer, Phoebe made a slight gesture with her head pointing behind her "it's Finn" her gaze strayed for a moment towards the injured boy that Fern was holding carefully.
Marceline turned her gaze away and her expression changed completely when she saw the state Finn was in: his face was swollen, there were traces of blood on his clothes and his wobbly body could barely be held up by Fern.
"What the hell happened to him?" the long dark-haired young woman asked, hinting at the concern that now dominated her attitude.
"We don't have time to explain everything here" Phoebe said quickly "please, I need you to take us to my home, I've to take care of him before he gets worse"
Marceline did not hesitate any longer. She nodded with a determined movement and turned to her bandmates.
"Hey, help me clear out the back of the van" she commanded with authority, making it clear that she would accept no objections. Within minutes, Marceline and the others had made room in the van. Fern and Phoebe helped Finn carefully into the van, making sure he was as comfortable as possible. Marceline, meanwhile, climbed into the driver's seat, starting the engine with an air of urgency "all right, get in. I'll take you right now" she added, looking at Phoebe in the rearview mirror "but you'd better explain to me what's going on down the road"
The girl nodded, taking a seat next to Finn and making sure he always had his head resting on her shoulder.
"Thank you, Marcy. I'll explain everything later" she replied genuinely grateful.
As the van pulled away from the parking lot and the festival, the band was left behind exchanging puzzled glances. Marceline was not one to leave an issue unresolved, but this time she knew that helping her partner was paramount. The ride was silent for a moment, interrupted only by Phoebe's directions to her home, though weak and sore, Finn managed to whisper a faint "thank you" before falling into a light doze, confident that he was in good hands.
Fern, sitting next to them, did not look away from the boy, clearly affected by his condition.
"Can someone tell me what the hell happened?" Marceline asked from the driver's seat, breaking the silence.
Phoebe leaned forward slightly, not letting go of Finn.
"We found him like this in the parking lot. He was beaten, but he hasn't told us who it was. He could barely speak..." her voice trembled at last, and Fern put a hand on her shoulder to calm her.
"Was he alone?" Marceline insisted, her gaze fixed on the road but clearly focused on the conversation.
"We don't even know how long he was there before we found him."
The young woman snorted, tightening her grip on the steering wheel slightly.
"And you didn't see anyone strange nearby?" she asked, unable to hide her anger at the situation.
"No" Phoebe said tiredly.
Then she added in a lower tone "honestly, all I want right now is to make sure he's all right"
Marceline nodded, realizing that now was not the time for more questions.
After a long time driving, the van stopped in front of a spacious and elegantly designed house, with an immaculate front garden that contrasted with the shadows of the night. Marceline turned off the engine and looked at the three teenagers in the rearview mirror.
"Let me help you get him down" she said quickly jumping out of the vehicle.
Carefully Phoebe and Fern lowered Finn, and Marceline helped them hold him. The blond boy could barely walk leaning between the three of them, his breathing was weak and ragged. Phoebe took the keys out of one of the pockets of her backpack and opened the main door, the house was in darkness but the light from outside illuminated enough to reveal a spacious and well decorated space, with modern design furniture and details that indicated a certain luxury.
Fern could not help but let out a nervous laugh as he looked around.
"Whoa, Phoebe. Your house is... something else, is your dad a mafioso or something like that? Because this looks like something out of a gangster movie."
"Shut up, Fern" Phoebe said rolling her eyes as she turned on the lights, she took a deep breath wanting to keep her composure "take Finn to the couch, I'll get a blanket" Fern agreed and with Marceline's help placed Finn carefully on the sofa in the living room, Phoebe disappeared for a moment coming back with a blanket which she spread over her friend "I'll go get the first aid kit. Fern, you stay here and make sure he doesn't move too much. Marceline if you want to stay, great, good for you, and if not, I understand if you want to leave"
"Are you kidding?" the long dark haired young woman replied as she sat on the armrest of the couch "I'm not leaving until I make sure this dingus is okay"
Phoebe said no more, and simply went to the kitchen, where she began to brew some tea. As the water boiled, her mind kept going over what had happened. Who could have done something so cruel? and more importantly, why?
Meanwhile, in the living room, Fern looked at Finn with concern sitting on the edge of the couch.
"Why didn't you say anything?" he muttered under his breath, more to himself than to the blond boy next to him, who barely seemed conscious. Marceline watched them both silently with her arms crossed and a frown on her face.
Phoebe came back minutes later with a cup of tea, the first aid kit and a couple of clean towels.
"Okay, let's make this all quick" she said, placing the items on the coffee table "Fern, pass me the cotton, disinfectant and ointment. Marceline, can you hold his head while I clean the wounds" they both nodded and together they began to tend Finn. Phoebe worked carefully, cleaning the dried blood from his face and applying disinfectant on the cuts, bruises in the area of his stomach and his ribs were showing purple and reddish tones, the girl looked at her friend with sadness while she put just a little bit of ointment on those affected areas, when she felt the contact of the cold emulsion, Finn shivered slightly because of the pain he still felt in his body while he remained leaning on the sofa. No one exchanged any words other than Phoebe's simple commands, but her concern was noticeable even though she was trying her best to make her friend as comfortable as possible "I know it's not much, but I'm doing what I can, Finn"
After a few minutes, his breathing seemed calmer, and his eyes slowly began to open.
"Thank you..." the boy murmured, his voice barely audible.
Phoebe smiled softly.
"You don't have to thank me for anything. Just rest, okay?" Fern and Marceline exchanged glances. It was obvious that the situation was not going to be solved so easily, but for now, the important thing was that Finn was safe. The girl remembered the tea on the coffee table and held out the cup "here. It's Cinnamon tea, it might not be as good as the one my mom made but it's something"
Finn nodded slightly, taking the cup with trembling hands. As he took a small sip, a flash of relief crossed his face. Although the road ahead was uncertain, at least, at that moment, he had his friends with him. After a moment of calm, Finn seemed to have regained some of his consciousness, his breathing had stabilized and although he still looked weak, he was able to stay awake.
Marceline got up from the armrest of the couch, stretching.
"Well, he seems to be feeling a little better now" she said looking at Finn and then at her other two bandmates "I'm going back to the festival to pick up the others, they're probably wondering what happened."
Phoebe smiled, grateful for the young woman's help.
"Thanks for the ride. Be careful on the way back."
"Sure, sure" Marceline raised a nonchalant hand as she headed for the door "keep me posted on how that idiot is doing" she added with one last glance at Finn before leaving.
The sound of the front door closing left an eerie silence in the room, Phoebe turned to Finn who was now resting against the sofa cushions with his eyes half closed.
"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.
"Like I've been hit by a truck" the teenager muttered with a tired smile. Phoebe let out a soft laugh but the worry was still present in her eyes, she was not an expert in first aid like Finn's mom, Minerva, but she did her best; at that, something came to her mind.
"Wait here for a moment. I think there's some cold gel in the fridge to reduce swelling, I'll go get it."
As she started to get up, Finn weakly raised a hand to stop her.
"Wait, Phoebe" he hesitated for the first time, his voice sounded so fragile that if it were not for the total silence of the house, it would not be possible to hear him "no... don't go, don't leave me here alone... please"
Phoebe froze for a moment, shocked at how vulnerable Finn looked. She sighed and sat down next to him again, gently squeezing his hand.
I just wanted to feel someone's protection by my side, that experience would come back in nightmare form that night, I know. What should have been the best day of my life turned into yet another tragedy.
"It's okay, I won't leave. Fern" she said, turning her gaze to the boy with the blond hair with the green-tinged tips "can you go get it? It's in the fridge by the door, it should be there"
"Yeah, sure" Fern said with a quick nod and got up "I'll be back soon"
As Fern left the room, Phoebe took out her friend's phone and started looking for Minerva's number. They needed to let her know where they were and what had happened. Her finger trembled slightly as she dialed the number, concern for Finn still weighing on her mind.
"Come on, answer it..." she murmured softly, bringing the phone to her ear.
Finn looked at Phoebe silently, still clutching her hand. Although the pain was still present, something about his friend's closeness gave him a sense of security he had not felt the whole night.
At that moment, Fern came back with the cold gel in his hand.
"What do I do with this?" he asked, shaking the container lightly.
Phoebe motioned for him to put it down on the table.
"Thank you. Now just... wait a minute. I'm trying to get in touch with his mom."
Fern nodded, standing near the couch, looking at Finn with a mixture of curiosity and pity. Despite the tension of the evening, there was something reassuring about seeing Finn in the company of someone who cared so much about him. Phoebe waited, pressing the phone tightly to her ear as she listened for the dial tone. After a few seconds that seemed like forever, a familiar voice finally answered on the other end.
"Finn! what's wrong? Is everything all right?" Minerva asked in a warm but worried voice.
"Minerva... it's me, Phoebe. Yeah, well, no... actually, it's not all right" the girl answered trying to keep calm while checking on Finn, who was still resting on the sofa "I've to tell you something, it's about Finn..."
A tense silence filled the line for a moment before Minerva spoke again:
"What happened to him? Is he with you?" the short blond haired woman asked now with a firmer tone.
"Yes, he is with me at my house. But... he's hurt, someone beat him up. I found him at the festival and he was in very bad shape" she answered, pursing her lips as she heard Minerva's slight gasp on the other side "he's conscious but he has bruises and some cuts. I cleaned his wounds and put some ointment on him, but I think he will need to be checked by a professional"
"What?!" Minerva exclaimed visibly upset "who hit him? why didn't you call me before?"
"I don't know. He hasn't told me yet" Phoebe replied quickly "I'm sorry, I was trying to stabilize him first. I didn't want to scare you more than necessary."
Minerva sighed on the other end of the line, though her concern was evident.
"Thank you for taking care of him, Phoebe. I'm grateful he's not alone. Can you stay with him until I get there? I'm leaving the hospital right now."
Phoebe nodded, though Minerva could not see her.
"Of course. I'll keep an eye on him. Do you think you could make it in half an hour?"
"Less, I'll do my best to be there as soon as I can" the woman assured her. Then she added, calmer but still firm voice "Phoebe, promise me you won't leave him alone"
The copper-red haired girl squeezed Finn's hand, still holding it weakly, and answered with determination.
"I won't. I promise."
"Good. Keep the phone close in case you need anything else. Thank you, Phoebe" Minerva said, before hanging up.
Phoebe slowly put the phone down, letting out a long sigh.
"Is his mom coming?" Fern asked, watching her from his position next to the sofa.
"Yes, she's on her way" Phoebe replied as she looked at Finn, who seemed to have fallen asleep from exhaustion "now we just have to make sure he's as comfortable as possible until she gets here"
Fern nodded and plopped down on a nearby sofa, staring at the cold gel he had brought with him as he thought about what had happened that evening. Phoebe, for her part, gently stroked Finn's hand, whispering soothing words to him even though he could no longer hear them.
The van drove slowly through the empty streets, the sound of the engine echoing in the silence of the night. Marceline, behind the wheel, watched the road with a frown, while her bandmates settled into the back seats (which were not many). The tense atmosphere was broken when she finally spoke.
"Guys, I don't know if I can stop thinking about what happened with Finn" she said in a deep, anguished, worried tone of voice. She paused at an intersection, shooting a quick glance at her friends and bandmates "I saw him and... I don't know, I can't believe something like that happened"
Wendy, sitting in the passenger seat, sighed, hugging her legs.
"How could something like that happen?" she asked, her tone of voice full of sorrow, "Finn is one of the nicest guys I know, why would anyone do something like that to him?"
"The worst thing is that we don't know who did it or why they did it" Georgy said thoughtfully looking out the window "all we can do is wait for him to recover, but I feel helpless"
The van slid down a less lighted street while the others thought about what happened, finally, Wendy broke the silence with a flash thought.
"Guys, I just thought of something, what if we organized something for him?" she said trying to hide her excitement, everyone looked at her confused, she smiled "like, I don't know... a surprise sleepover? that's it! you know, to cheer him up when he recovers, Finn would love it!"
"A sleepover?" Booboo asked who was a little further back in the seat, leaning forward, arching an incredulous and curious eyebrow "but do you have any idea when that might be? Or when he's going to feel better after all this? Because, you know, we can't just wait for the wounds to magically heal"
"Yeah, sure" Wendy said quickly agreeing "but we could make it a surprise, when Finn is recovered enough, we can all drop as a surprise at his house and give him some fun when he's not so focused on the wounds and the pain.
Maybe, we could even do something he enjoys, like watching his favorite movies or playing video games together. He'll recover whenever he's able to"
Georgy, who had been deep in thought, rubbed his chin.
"That sounds great, Wendy. But, uh... do any of you know where Finn lives?" he asked with a hint of insecurity in his voice. Everyone stood silently looking around, as if someone had the answer.
After a couple of awkward moments of silence, Booboo shook his head.
"No idea, I only know that he lives near the place where the festival was organized, but I have no idea where exactly" he admitted with a small nervous smile "and if we better organize the sleepover for a day when he is free? I don't know if he'd like us to bother him while he's busy with school and all that boring stuff"
"You're right" said Marceline, smiling slightly and thinking about the proposal "it would be best when he's more relaxed without so much stress from school. Besides, we can always bring him something fun and distract him, maybe we can call him before, ask him what day would be good for him"
"Exactly!" Wendy exclaimed with a twinkle in her eyes "we'll do it right, so when he recovers, we can really surprise him and give him something to think about other than pain"
Marceline smiled as she turned the van towards downtown. The atmosphere had changed a bit, shifting away from worry to focus on something positive for Finn.
"Okay, guys. We'll plan for it, but first, we need to make sure our friend is feeling better. Let's stay on top of things and get this done for him, okay?"
Everyone nodded in unison, the mood in the van was much lighter now.
"Sure, let's do it" Georgy replied with a smile.
And so, as the van continued its ride, everyone in the band began to think of ways to make the surprise as much fun as possible, hoping that soon, their friend would be well enough to enjoy a good time.
Hours passed, and exhaustion finally overcame Phoebe and Fern, both had fallen asleep in the living room with Finn lounging on the sofa, still weak but stable. The house was in complete silence, illuminated only by a lamp in a corner of the living room; however, the lights of a car that stopped in front of the house forced them to wake up.
The copper-red haired girl blinked still drowsy and quickly sat up to see the lights. For a moment her heart skipped a beat at the thought that it might be her father or her brothers, but on closer inspection she recognized the car.
"It's Minerva" she murmured, nudging Fern's shoulder gently to wake him up as well. The boy rubbed his eyes and stood up just as the front door burst open. Minerva rushed in, her expression full of worry and not even stopping to close the door behind her.
"Finn! where's Finn?" the woman asked, looking around forlornly until her eyes fell on the sofa.
Phoebe took a step towards her, trying to calm her down.
"He's in there, Ms. Campbell. He's stable, but..." she began to explain, but Minerva was already at her side, crouching beside her son.
"Finn, sweetie. I'm here now" she whispered, placing a trembling hand on her son's forehead. Finn opened his eyes weakly and, when he saw her, let out a sigh of relief.
"Mom..." he murmured in a barely audible tone. Minerva hugged him carefully, avoiding his wounds, and could not hold back the tears that gathered in her eyes.
"For Glob's sake, Finn, but what did they do to you, my little bear?" she asked in a broken voice, looking at Phoebe and Fern as if she expected them to have all the answers.
"It was a group of kids at the festival..." Phoebe began to explain in a serious tone "we found him after he was attacked, and we brought him here because we didn't know if he would make it to the hospital without getting worse..."
Minerva nodded, still clearly affected but grateful that they had taken care of her son.
"Thank you..." she said softly, looking at both of them sincerely before turning her attention back to Finn "thank you both. Now I'm going to take him to the hospital for a full check-up"
Phoebe and Fern exchanged glances, feeling a sense of relief and exhaustion.
"If you need anything else, please call us" Phoebe said genuinely concerned.
"I will" Minerva replied helping Finn carefully to sit up.
After that, the woman with short blonde hair took care of carrying Finn to the car, Phoebe and Fern stood in the doorway watching them drive away. The tension in the air began to dissipate, but they knew that night would be remembered for a long time.
On the way to the hospital, the car was silent except for the engine noise and the city lights flickering through the windows. Minerva kept both hands firmly gripped on the steering wheel but her gaze occasionally drifted to her son, who was resting in the passenger seat.
"Finn..." she spoke in a soft but trembling voice.
"Yes, Mom?" he barely opened his eyes, turning his head toward her.
Minerva took a deep breath, searching for the right words to transmit to the boy.
"Why didn't you call me when this happened? Why did you have to deal with all this alone?"
Finn lowered his gaze, playing with the hem of his shirt.
"I didn't want to worry you... you've got too much on your plate as it is, and I thought I could handle it myself."
Minerva squeezed the steering wheel harder, frustrated but trying to remain calm.
"You're my son, Finn. Nothing is more important to me than you. No matter what's going on, I always want you to call me. Always" Finn felt a lump in his throat, but before he could answer, Minerva continued "I feel like I have no idea what's wrong with you lately. I don't know what you're thinking, what you're feeling... and that scares me" her voice cracked slightly but she took a breath and continued "I need to keep an eye on what's going on in your life, Finn. No matter how horrible it is. I want to be there to help you, so you don't have to go through this alone"
Finn bit his bruised lip, his eyes shining from the tears he was futilely trying to hold back.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to take you away... I just thought it would be better this way."
Minerva reached out one of her hands and briefly took his tenderly.
"You don't need to carry everything by yourself, sweetheart. I'm here for that, always.
Suddenly, Finn felt the words Fern had told him that day when he had been so close to commit the stupid decision to take his own life by jumping onto the train tracks come back to his mind:
"You don't have to face it by yourself."
Finn nodded letting out a smile through his tears.
"Thanks, Mom."
For a few moments, they both remained silent but this time it was not an awkward silence, but one filled with comprehension. Minerva, with her heart a little calmer, gave him a brief smile before bringing her attention back to the road.
By the time they reached the hospital, Finn felt lighter, not only because of the relief of being with his mother, but because, for the first time in a long time, he felt he could share some of his burden with someone.