Mute || ✔️

Chapter 7- Christian

Chapter 7- Christian

            "Look, I said I was sorry. I didn’t mean for her faint!" Ben tried to get me to talk again. But I still ignored him as I leaned against the wall, staring at Dr. Wicks’ door, waiting for her to come and tell me about Tara’s condition.

             After I had come back from the bathroom to see Ben looking guilty with my limp best friend in his arms, I quickly snatched her away from him and practically ran all the way to Dr. Wicks’ office. Now the guys (including Ben) and I all crowded Dr. Wicks’ waiting room.

            "I thought she was Abigail!" Ben tried another attempt to defend himself. Yet, I still didn’t look at him. It was the only thing I could do that would keep my brooding temper at bay. It was the only thing stopping me from taking a fist to his eye.

            Don’t get me wrong, Ben was one of my best mates, but he had a tendency to stick his foot in his mouth. Like last year when we had all first met Ben, he thought Sammy and I were gay. He made us cupcakes. Although his heart was in the right place, it had happened all because, he was putting his foot in his mouth again, and dropping the word ‘Gay,’ like it was a bad thing. And well Sammy, was going through some stuff with his sexuality at the time, and I finally said something to him about it, he just assumed that we were…together.

            "She could’ve told me to put her down, you know! This isn’t my entire fault. But she just squirmed around."

My hands curled into fists as my jaw clenched. In the back of my mind, I knew it wasn’t his fault and that I should explain about Tara’s condition; Ben didn’t know she was mute, but my anger was overclouding my judgment at the moment. Luckily, I didn’t have to because Kat’s voice interjected for me. It was quiet. “Ben, she’s mute…her squirming was her way of telling you to put her down.”

“What?” I saw from the corner of my eye, he had turned to look at me. I could only nod. Ben went quiet then, no longer having anything else to say.

            Dr. Wicks came out a few minutes later. She looked around for a moment, before her eyes locked on me.

“She awake, but a bit disoriented. My conclusion is that she had an anxiety attack.”

“What caused it?” Sammy chimed in. Dr. Wicks’ brows creased. “I believe she began to panic which led to her stress levels increasing.  Then, when it became too much for her, her body did the only thing it could, it shut down and I believe that’s why she blacked out…”

            “Can I see her?” I asked, because I knew that seeing if she was alright was the one way to soothe my anger at Ben.

The doctor turned to me. “You’re the one who brought her in right? You might be who she seems to be looking for.”

"Huh?"

Dr. Wicks sighed, "Like I said, she's disoriented. Every so often, she'll look up and look like she's looking for someone, but whenever I'd go to ask who she's looking for, she cowers back, almost as if she was a frightened dog.  Yes, you can see her. But only one at a time. I want to wait another hour and a half until she is less disoriented."

I didn't have to be told twice. Pushing the door open, I walked in...

            I saw her before she saw me. Dr. Wicks had been right; Tara did look like a frightened dog cowering away from the world. The closer I seemed to get, the harder she coiled into herself.

"Training Bra," I said, my anger finally melting away, and I watched all the tension leave her body. Looking up, she stretched her arms out to me and made a gripping motion. She used to do that when we were kids and she was scared: too scared to use her voice. I remember the first time she ever did it. 

***

It was the first time I ever met her Aunt Ruby from Aunt Maryanne's side. I can't even remember why we had gone over there in the first place, because Tara had told me that they never, and I mean never went over there. But we had; Mom or Aunt Maryanne always made sure to stay by our sides at all times, which we found weird at the time, but  all the same, Tara and I had been joined at hip, so we didn't think of it too much because we just figured our respective moms wanted to be like us.

Something happened though, Mom had gone to the bathroom and Aunt Maryanne had been called for something. She had looked us, for a moment, before telling us to stay right where we were until Mom got back. Then she walked off (rather hesitantly) leaving us to play together, tucked into a little corner by the book case.

But then I had to go to bathroom and Mom wasn’t back yet, Aunt Maryanne had wanted us to stay together though. Try telling that to my ten ounce bladder. I had tried to convince Tara to come wait outside the bathroom for me, but she had said that one of us should be there if one of our moms came back-to make sure they wouldn’t be worried. Reluctantly, I agreed. But I also made her pinky promise that she would stay right there. That might not seem like much, but at the time, it was a fairly big deal to us.

            When I got of the bathroom a minute or two later, all I could hear was yelling…and then Tara’s name. Alarmed, I ran as fast as my newly eight year old legs could carry me. As I walked into living room, my eyes immediately found Tara’s teary eyed ones from where she was in Mom’s protective hold while Aunt Maryanne was arguing with her sister, Aunt Ruby. Ruby’s stepson-Ritchie, who was older than us and bigger than me was smirking pretty smugly in Tara’s direction, while the adults continued to fight. I looked back at Tara, trying to figure out what he was smirking at. Then I noticed that Tara’s pretty new blue dress was torn in half at the bottom-showing the bottom of her underwear, the strand of fabric hanging precariously by its seam. She had a fairly large bruise on her arm too. I was frozen in anger and in fear. Anger, because Tara had gotten hurt and I wasn’t there to protect her, and fear because I didn’t know what could have happened in two minutes to make Tara as upset as she seemed.

            She stretched her arms out toward me and made that gripping motion as she started to squirm in my Mother’s arms. Mom placed her on the ground slowly and Tara’s seven year old self bolted toward me, her arms coiling around me tightly as her face pressed against my face. Sobs came shortly after. I wound my small arms around her waist and pressed my face into her hair. “Shh, Princess. It’s okay.” I said, “I’m here.”

***

I sat down edge of hospital bed and repeated my actions from all those years ago. Making sure to wrap my arms so tightly around Tara so that she knows she’s safe. She isn’t crying, but trembling. I tighten my hold on her even more, trying to stop her shaking. At first, I worry I’m hurting her, but she hasn’t tried to pull away yet, so I continue to hold her. Stroking her hair back, I looked down at her as my mind continued to repay that specific memory over and over again. Now that I think of it, she was as closed up now as she had been that day.

“It’s okay, Training Bra,” I said, “I’m here now. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” But my thoughts continued to swarm. Was her mother’s side of the family to blame for how jumpy she was now? I didn’t know, but I’d be sure to mention my theory to Drew later…

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Hi, Guys! Long time no see right? I'm sorry guys, but school had started back for me and I got swept up in all the choas. I'll try to get better. But can I ask you for a favor? I have another Dance Academy Fanfiction on here. It's post season three fic called Life Goes On and it isn't do very well, but I think that's just because no one really knows about it and I think it's some of my best work yet. So would you mind checking it out?

The first person who reads and comments on Life Goes On will get the next chapter of Mute dedicated to him. Thanks Guys, until next time. ~Goodgir21