Rescue ▶▶A Hunter Hayes Faniction◀◀

FOURTEEN

Haley and I explain our situation to Lynette and Hunter. We tell them what we haven’t told anyone before; that our dad takes out his anger on us and punishes us physically. We told them about his harsh words. About him making us stay up for hours to clean the house or help out with a house party or meeting. Haley stops talking and listens as I tell them how I got put in the condition I am in presently.

I explain that Dad has Haley and I cook him dinner every night, which is the reason why we never stayed for dinner at their house. But when we did stay for dinner, Dad got angry and I hid Haley in the closet. And then he hit me. And then shoved me and kicked me and threw me down the stairs.

Hunter excuses himself from the room when I tell them about the physical damage Dad inflicted on my body. Lynette watches him leave, and as soon as he’s gone, she asks, “Haley, how did you get that bruise on your face?”

Haley touches her bruise tenderly. “I saw my ripped up pictures and started to cry. Dad heard me and he punched me.” Her voice cracks. I take her hand in mine and squeeze it. “I guess it knocked me out or something.” She suddenly takes both of her hands and covers her face, her shoulders shaking as she sobs. I immediately rub soothing circles on her back. “And then I woke up and walked out of our room and saw Emrie at the bottom of the stairs. There was so much blood.” She sniffs. “I thought he killed you.”

Lynette inhales sharply. “Oh, dear.”

I turn so I can hug Haley, but a dull pain in my ribs stops me from doing so. I let out a small huff of air in pain, trying to hold back a moan.

Haley turns to me. Her face is red, tears running down her wet face, her eyes bloodshot, and snot dripping out of her nose. Lynette reaches over and snatches a tissue from the coffee table and hands it to me. I wipe away her tears and then hand her the tissue for her to wipe her nose with.

“I’m sorry for scaring you,” I tell her, tears springing up to my own eyes. I hug Haley and she hugs me back, despite the pain in my middle. After a few seconds of agony, I accidentally let out a small cry of pain. Haley recoils away from me like I’ve burnt her.

“Sorry,” she says immediately.

Lynette kneels closer. “Did something happen to your stomach, dear?”

I nod. “He kicked me… but only once.”

“He shouldn’t have kicked you at all,” Lynette says in a low voice. Her face softens. “Do you mind if I take a look?” With a look of approval, Lynette carefully pulls the hem of my shirt up slightly, just enough to see a purple and yellow bruise covering my ribs. She lets it back down. “Why don’t you two want us to call 911? Emrie, you could be seriously hurt. A rib can be cracked or broken. Maybe even worse.”

I let out a long and painful breath as I close my eyes. “I don’t want Dad to go to jail or anything. He’s all the family we have left.”

I open my eyes and see that Lynette’s are full of tears. “Honey, he’s not your family. Leo, Hunter, and I are.”

Hunter walks in upon hearing the mention of his name. His eyes keep darting to me, despite his efforts to stop looking at me. “So what’s going on now?”

Lynette pats Haley’s hand in a comforting manner. “We’re taking the girls to the hospital and calling the cops.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Haley and I share a hospital room. Haley didn’t tell the whole truth back at Hunter’s place; apparently, Dad threw things at her and she had some various things stuck in her skin that could causes serious infections. Thankfully that’s all she had.

Me, on the other hand, I have a cracked rib, a minor concussion, a sprained wrist, and I lost a lot of blood. I didn’t even notice that my wrist hurt until when they were examining me and the doctors moved my wrist.

Haley and I are staying the night at the hospital, but we’re supposed to be let out tomorrow morning. Leo got off work early and came, so Lynette, Hunter, and Leo are all here. While the police talked with Leo and Lynette outside the hospital room, Hunter played a song for Haley and I with the acoustic guitar he brought. Haley sang along with him. I closed my eyes and listened to their silky voices.

However, Hunter was then asked some questions, and then our turn came. Haley told the whole truth to the police officers. I told them the truth, too. With our stories, they said that they’re going to go to our house to arrest him. The statement put a large weight on my shoulders once he said it.

My dad in jail. Because of me.

Leo and Lynette disappeared somewhere when it started to get dark outside, and Haley is asleep, so Hunter and I are basically alone in the hospital room. He’s perched on the arm of the couch in the corner of the room, his eyes glued on me. He doesn’t even try to look another way.

“What’re you thinking about?” I ask quietly.

Hunter crosses his legs. “You,” he says honestly.

My face flushes red. “Me?”

“Yeah.” He stands and shoves his hands in his jean pockets. “I can’t imagine anyone ever hurting you. I mean, I know that there are some rude kids at school, but this… you’re in the hospital because of something your own father did to you.” He sounds like he’s telling this to himself.

“I know,” I tell him as my eyes fall to my hands in my lap as I lie limply in my hospital bed.

Hunter bites his lip. “How long has this been going on? Your dad physically and emotionally abusing you?”

I sigh. “I don’t know.”

Hunter nods. He looks down at the tiles on the floor, then at me again. I catch the moonlight reflecting off tears in his eyes from the sky outside the window. “I just don’t understand.”

“Hunter…” I trail off, not knowing what to say.

“Why does a person like you and a person like Haley get beat?”

“Hunter,” I say to make him stop. “Please. Let’s not talk about it anymore, I’m exhausted.”

He and I lock eyes for a few seconds. Finally, he says, “Okay, sorry. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Hunter.”