Work Text:
Chapter one
The feeling of a cool hand rubbing my back causes me to take in a shuddering breath as I realize it’s just Mrs.Matthews,Amy,and I try to relax,I’m safe now. It’s been a rough night to say the least,things got bad at home,things got nasty,I got hurt. Dad got drunk,because of Mom leaving us,again,and when he’s drunk,he get’s violent,and everything and anything can set him off. I didn’t do anything this time,other than dropping a glass,but he started yelling at me,originally for the broken glass,which then led to him carrying on about how I was good for nothing,and that’s why Mom left again,lots of hurtful things. He hit me,gave me a black eye,grabbed my wrist hard when I tried to get away,threw a piece of broken glass at me,shoved me to the ground. He eventually got tired,or the alcohol caught up to him,either way,he passed out,and I made my escape,I couldn’t be there,I wasn’t safe. I managed to grab some clothes,stuffed them into a dufflebag,and I got out.
I started walking,to anywhere safe,I finally made it to a gas station,and to a pay phone. I had enough change to call the Matthews,the only place I know that I’m safe,that I know they’ll take me in. Corey answered,I was shaking,the tears hadn’t hit yet,he was able to get out of me what was going on,and he got his mom. I talked to Amy,told her what was going on,and she decided to of course come get me right away. She had Allan call the police,so they could meet up with us at the gas station when she got there. She just got here a bit ago,just her,she had Corey stay at home,I know that had to be a battle,but she knew it just wasn’t safe. Now we’re sitting on the curb,waiting for the officer to finish up,so we can get out of here. She talked to me,about what happened,wrote down her information,and I finally broke down,everything hitting me at once.
Now she’s holding me,hugging me,comforting,being a Mom when I need it the most. “Shh baby,I got you Shawn,I promise you’re safe now honey”she says softly kissing my head,knowing how scared I am. Talking to the officer wasn’t easy,I know it means Dad will get arrested,again,meaning that things will be up in the air again,at least last time Mom was there. “When can we go home,what’s going to happen to me “I murmur tearfully,I just want to be where it’s safe and warm,it’s cold out here tonight. “Soon sweetheart,I promise,we’ll get you warm and safe,we’ll get you taken care of,and just take it day by day,you’ll always have a place with us”she says softly,knowing I’m afraid of being abandoned. We sit in quiet for a a little bit,then the officer comes back over to us,I’m sure to let us go. “I think we’re all good for tonight,you can go home and rest,I’ll be in touch tomorrow”she says gently,trying to be comforting as I nod. At this point I let Amy help me stand,and she wraps an arm around my waist,holding me close,and I take to the contact,feeling safe.
She guides me to the car,and helps me get into the passenger seat,and buckles me in,making sure I’m comfortable. Then she gets in the driver’s seat,and we take off into the cold night. I’m in and out of sleep for most of the ride back to the house,exhausted from everything. The next thing I know we’re back at their house,and she’s waking me gently,so we can go inside. “Easy honey,it’s time to go inside Shawn,I got you”she murmurs softly placing a warm hand on my cheek,getting me to look at her. I nod,too tired to say much,and I let her help me stand,wrapping an arm around me. We go inside,and almost everyone is awake,except for Morgan,it’s late,so she’s already in bed.
I let her guide me to the couch,where Core and Eric are sitting,as soon as I'm seated,Corey’s hugging me,comforting,and I accept it,knowing he’s safe and I need it. Once he lets go I lay back against the couch with a heavy sigh,and I feel someone wrap an arm around my shoulders,Eric,being an older brother,trying to protect me,it’s just us now,the parents went to the kitchen,to maybe get me an icepack,I'm not sure. “He really did a number on you didn’t he Shawny, what happened”he asks gently rubbing my hand,we’re more gentle with each other than we let on.
“H-he really did Core, he was drunk,I was trying to be quiet,stay out of the w-way,but he asked me for a drink,and I dropped a glass in the process,I-it just got nasty,he threw me around,beat me up”I murmur shakily,it’s just way too much,but I know he has to ask, I wasn’t able to say much before outside of that I needed help.
“I’m sorry that happened to you guy,you’re safe here I promise”he says softly as I find myself lay against him more as he rubs my shoulder,and I feel Core rubbing my arm. I know I'm safe here, but it’s still hard,letting my guard down,letting everyone take care of me. “I am too Shawny,he’s right,you’re safe here”he says gently. We sit in quiet for a little bit,then Amy and Allan come back, he comes over to me with a ice pack,while she sets the first aid kit on the table.
“Here you go kiddo,this should help with your eye”he says gently as I let him place it against my cheek,under my eye,and guide my hand so I can hold it. At this point she sits on the edge of the table and opens the first aid kit,so we can clean me up a bit. “Let’s get you cleaned up honey so we can get you to bed,I know you have to be tired”she says squeezing my knee,knowing just how done I am right about now.
“I’m sorry about all of this”I murmur softly as I let her grab my arm gently,so she can clean the cut from the glass. “It’s alright honey I promise,what matters is that your safe,we’ll start figuring things out in the morning”she says as I wince,it stings,she just put rubbing alchol on it I think. She’s done before I know it,and we’re free to go to bed. I let them help me stand on shaky legs,and we all head upstairs for the night. Allan stays behind me just in case I get a little wobbly,and before I know it we’re at their bedroom.
We go in,and I manage to get changed alright on my own,somewhat,Cory has to help a little bit because my hands are shaky. I’m not sure how my bag got up here,but I'm glad I don’t have to worry about it. Once I'm done we get into bed,I end up kind of curled against him seeking comfort,and she comes back in to bid everyone goodnight. She comes to us first,tucking us in,giving kisses,all the mom stuff.”Try to get some sleep guys,we’re just down the hall if you need anything”she says softly. She goes to Eric next,who is already almost asleep,does the same,then it’s just us again after she shuts off the lamp. It doesn’t take long for me to fall asleep,it almost never does when I sleep here,I always feel safe.