Safe Place to Fall

6

Grayson 

Theo has been avoiding me for weeks. Every time I see her she starts walking the other way, she has been skipping classes too. She never came to dinner at my house, I had a feeling she wouldn't be able to after the interaction with her step dad. She hasn’t come for her swimming lessons for two weeks now.. Something is very wrong. I have been trying to track down her friend Hanna all day to try and see if she knows anything. 

I finally see her across the library and I b-line towards her. 

“Hey Hanna,” I say as I come up to her.

“Oh hey Grayson..” She looks uncomfortable. 

“Any idea where Theo is?” I ask causally

“She went home sick” She answers quickly, too quickly.

“Is she okay?” 

“She’s sick..” She repeats, slower this time. 

I nod knowingly at her 

“Listen I have to go.. See you around Grayson” She grabs her books and heads to the exit. I give her a head start before I follow her. She is going to the forest line, I see Theo is the clearing sitting on the grass by a tree. Hanna hands Theo some papers, probably her homework. She gives Theo a hug before she heads back to the school. 

What is going on here, I wonder. 

I decide to go see Theo and find out what she is avoiding me for. I get closer to her and hear her crying, she is cradling her arm to her chest. 

“Theo?” I ask as I come up beside her, she jumps and instantly lowers her arm into her lap. 

“What do you want Grayson?” She sniffles as she turns to me, her eyes are bloodshot and swollen.

“Where have you been lately?” I sit down beside her looking her over. She looks really rough.

“I’ve been busy..” 

“Don’t lie to me. Something is going on and I want to know what” I say to her, I don’t like being so stern with her but I don’t like the idea of her holding back from me.  

“It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with Grayson. Please just leave me alone okay?” She gets up and goes to walk away from me, I grab her arm to stop her. When I do I hear a small popping noise and she starts to scream in agony. I drop my hand immediately and jump to my feet. She is crying so intently, I didn’t mean to hurt her. I didn’t even grab her very hard. My dad would kill me if I laid a hand on a woman. 

“Theo...What is it?” I ask in a panic. I want to stop her tears from coming, but I don’t know how. 

“M-my arm!” She screams and she holds her arm back to her chest once more. 

“Let me look okay?” I say as I gingerly take her arm and push up her sleeve. Her entire arm is black and blue. It looks broken. 

“Oh my god.. What happened to you?” I demand more harshly than I intended. 

“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. I’m going to get you some help okay?” I say as I start to walk her quickly towards the parking lot. 

“No hospitals.. I can’t” She whispers quietly. She looks like she is going to pass out any second. I quickly scoop her up into my arms. She doesn’t argue with me, she feels even lighter than the last time I held her. I place her as gently as I can into my truck and speed off to my house. My dad will know what to do. I park and carry her inside, setting her on the couch. 

“Dad!” I yell into the quiet house. I hear him in the office upstairs, “What are you doing home Grayson?” He calls back 

“I need your help. It’s really important. Grab your medic bag and come down!” I shout back as I grab a glass of water for Theo. She sips it gingerly as her face continues to wither in pain. A minute later my dad comes into the room with his medical bag in tow. 

“Is this her?” He asks, I nod at him. 

“Alright sweetie.. What hurts?” He kneels in front of her. She gestures to her arm. 

“Do you have another shirt under this one?” He asks looking at her heavy shirt. 

“No” She shakes her head.

“Grayson, grab her one of your shirts” He orders, I run up to my room and pull one out of my drawers. I run back to the living room and hand it over to her. 

“Do you need help with it?” I ask. She hesitates for a moment before nodding. 

“Close your eyes though?” She asks,  I give her a weak smile and Dad leaves the room for a minute to give her some privacy. I close my eyes and help her pull her shirt off, then the new one on. She cries out when we move her arm. 

“Alright Dad” I say after she has a clean shirt on. 

“Alright.. Let’s see what we are dealing with shall we?” He comes back to her and looks her over before giving me a sad look. 

“This is going to hurt Theo” He says as he picks her arm up. 

“You can squeeze my hand if you want” I offer my hand to her. She looks at it while Dad starts to move her arm around. Her other hand launches out and grabs hold of me. She squeezes so tightly I didn’t think she possessed the strength. 

“I’m going to give you a sedative” Dad says 

“Are you a Doctor?” 

“I used to be an Army Medic in the field for 25 years” He says to her. She seems satisfied with that and nods once. 

“It’s definitely broken. Seems to be healing, but it wasn’t set after she broke it.. So..” 

“You have to rebreak it for it to set?” I ask, horrified. 

He nods. 

“We will wait for the sedative to kick in.. I don’t want outdo it while she’s awake” 

I nod in agreement. 

“Theo.. you’re going to be okay” I whisper to her as I move her hair out of her face. She is laying there with her eyes drooping. I think the sedative is working now. 

“Dad.. Is she going to be okay?” I ask him seriously. 

“We will talk about it once she is resting.. For now I need you to help me. Hold her still for me okay?” He moves over to sit beside her, lifting her arm. I hold her shoulders down from the other side. He makes a small movement but I can hear the bones snapping. Theo cries out and squirms a bit but I keep her steady. 

“I know Sweetheart. I’m sorry… but the worst is over” Dad whispers gently to her. 

Her eyes shut once more and she is out, passed out or from the sedative, I can’t tell. 

Dad wraps her arm up and looks at me afterwards. 

“Get her to your room, put her in bed. You and I have somewhere to go” He says, his face hard. 

I pick Theo up and carry her to my room, tucking her into my bed. She is out cold, but I still write her a note just in case she wakes up. 

I walk back into the living room and see Dad putting his pistol into the back of his pants. 

“Where are we going Dad?” I ask nervously. I think I have an idea already. 

“You are taking me to her home”  He goes to get into his truck but I shake my head. 

“She just lives two blocks over” I point in the direction. He follows me. 

“What are you going to say?” I ask as I slow my pace slightly.

“I’m not 100% sure yet,” He admits. 

“This is it,” I say after a minute. He takes a deep breath and walks up the steps, with me behind him. He rings the doorbell. Once, Twice, Six times before someone finally comes to the door. 

The same short fat man I met a few weeks ago answers, looking more haggard than last time. 

“What the hell do you want?” He slurs, squinting over my dad at me “Wait a second. I know you… I thought I told you to stay the hell away or else” He burps 

“You threatened my son?” My dad steps forward. 

“So you beat little girls and threaten young men as well?” 

“What the hell are you going on about?” He asks stupidly. 

“Listen here you fat fu.ck. You ever touch Theo, or my son for that matter, ever again and I will end your life. Do not test me.. Theo will be staying with us for a while. Don’t like it? Come at me. I dare you” My dad uses his Military voice on him, Tony slinks back from him. 

“You can keep that sl.ut. She’s no use to me. Better to have her out of the picture. She should have died in that car crash years ago” 

Dad lashes out and punches Tony right in the nose. He goes down hard. 

“One more word” He warns. 

Tony just lays on the ground holding his face. 

“We will be back in a few days to get Theo’s things. Her mother may visit as long as one of us is present. From this moment on you are not permitted to be alone with Theo, for her safety” Dad turns to leave and Tony decides it is a good idea to try and stop him, Dad spins around pulling his pistol on him. 

“I told you not to test me Sir. I will shoot you and not lose a blink of sleep at night. If going to jail means that child will be safe from a monster like you I’m okay with that” Dad snarls at him. He waits for a moment before lowering his gun and we leave the house. 

“Did you really mean it? She can stay with us?” I ask on our way back home. 

“She’s not going back there, I don’t see any other options right now” He says 

“I will let her stay in my room, I’ll set up a cot in the office” 

“I’ll start on dinner” Dad says as we get inside, 

“I’m going to check on Theo” 

“She’s probably still sleeping. That sedative will have her out for a while” 

I nod and go up anyways. I just want to be sure. I open the door and she is in the same spot I left her. She has a sheet of sweat over her face, I grab a damp cloth and wipe it away. I want to do something, so I pick up my acoustic and start playing for her. I sit in the computer chair beside her and strum away. The music draws dad upstairs too, he listens for a while standing at the door. 

“Poor kid… I saw this kinda stuff in the army, some of the breaks I would treat were bad like hers. But that was grown men, not little girls. She must have a high pain tolerance” He shakes his head sadly as he looks at Theo. He looks concerned for a moment before disappearing and coming back. He takes her temperature, 

“She’s burning up. She has a fever” He sighs “Go get some cold cloths” 

I do as he asks and come back with a bunch of damp cool cloths. He starts to place them on her forehead, in her elbows and behind her neck. 

“We need to sit with her to make sure the fever doesn’t spike.. You want the first watch?” He says as he pulls her blanket back up. 

I nod and get comfy beside her in my chair. I hold her hand, more for my own peace of mind than anything. 

After a few hours I start to nod off, Theo whimpers in her sleep. I bolt up in my chair and look her over, she looks like she is in pain again. I take the cool cloth and wipe her forehead. There is still a scab where she once had a large gash. It looks like it’s going to scar. 

Every time I see that mark on her face it reminds me how precious she is and how much she needs to be protected. Dad comes in a little while later and takes over, but I don’t leave the room. I put a pillow on the floor and lay down.

“You really like this girl don’t you?” Dad seems amused by me as I watch her closely. 

“I’ve never felt this way before. I don’t know how to explain it. I feel like I need to be there for her. I am drawn to her for some reason” I've only known her for a few months but I feel like undeniable pull to her. 

“She will be okay” He assures me once more.