72Disclaimer : I own nothing besides my characters and the plot
JOSIE
I stared at Lash's sleeping form attempting to hold back tears but it was a futile effort. He and his brother had been through so much at the hands of people who were supposed to love them. Neither of them would admit to it happening but I knew it was. Lash is sticking to his 'I tripped and fell' story but I will not rest until Nat and Jake are behind bars where they should be.
"How's he doing?" asked Steve quietly as he and Will walked up.
"He's sleeping, but every few minutes he'll twitch or whimper. He's even being tortured when he's supposed to be away from reality Steve." I say, wiping at my eyes furiously.
"What Nat and Jake have done to him.. I'm amazed he can sleep at all." he said sadly.
"He mumbles every couple minutes. He says 'Please don't'. He begs them. He begs and they keep hurting him." I say, my voice thick with emotion.
"Why won't he admit they're hurting him? Won't it hold better in court if he and his brother just say they're being abused?" Will asked.
"It's not that easy for him to just say it. I remember when Royal Pain tried taking over your school, he didn't seem the type to admit weakness." Steve said.
"He's not, but he has to know that admitting it will help him." Will reasoned. I was about to say something when Lash let out a strangled scream and his back arched up off the bed.
"No! Dad please no! I'm sorry, I'll do better next time I swear! I'll be good Dad please!" he whimpered and flung his arms around, attempting to protect himself.
"Lash! Lash wake up!" I said, running to the bed and gripping his wrists, trying to keep him from injuring himself. "Lash!"
His eyes flew open and I recognized the look on his face. I reached for the waste basket next to the desk and held it to him as he emptied his stomach. I rubbed his back and smoothed his sweat drenched hair from his forehead. The retching turned into dry sobs and I nodded to Steve and Will, who were hovering by the bed, letting them know that I'd take care of him. Steve led Will out and closed the door behind him while I turned Lash to face me and hugged him close. He let his guard down more by hugging back, burying his face in my neck and breathing heavily, all the while mumbling whispered apologies. I whispered soothing words, similar to how I did to Will when he was younger and he had nightmares but this was worse. This was so much worse.
AN: I'm sorry it's short, I just wanted to get a chapter up. The next few chapters will be the group's take on what happened the night his father came and Lash himself. It's only so I can familiarize myself with the story again and things will start picking up once more. The next chapter will be up in a couple of days at the earliest.
Thank you to the new readers and the ones who've been here since it started and the ones in between, I love you guys(:
xoxo
Scorching Roses