Trouble |The Outsiders|

23. Lies

|Febuary 1966| 

Each breath he took sent a new shock wave of pain through his body, specifically his ribs and lungs. The heavy rain falling from the sky like bullets didn't help much, either. Wincing with every step he took, Danny bit down on his lip and stomped down the dark street, slowly growing closer to Abigail's front door.

Two weeks had officially passed since the day Angela held Abigail's hair back in the bathroom, neither of the girls had said a word to anyone. Coincidentally, Abigail hadn't seen much of Will, either. Work kept her busy for the most part, so did occasionally helping Danny with homework over the phone, or making sure Curly and Angela didn't blow the house up when Tim went out for a meeting. Work also provided her with the opportunity to think of other people, instead of the Curtis gang. It seemed like Dally was back in their good books, but he still came by every few days for dinner.

Abigail had just finished her shift at the Dingo and slid into her pyjamas when there was a knock at her door, followed by a loud clap of thunder. Abigail crossed the floor quickly and ran her fingers over the deadbolt until the door swung open and Danny stood on the other side, his shoulders heaving with each ragged breath he took. His sister's arms were the only thing keeping Danny from hitting the ground as he slumped forward, barely conscious.

"Keep your eyes open for me Danny, okay?" Abigail whispered frantically as she pulled him inside. "You're safe now, I'm right here."

Once Danny was laying on the couch, one arm thrown over his chest and his face contorted in pain, she dashed into the kitchen and ran a cloth under warm water. The first thing she did was ignore Danny's groans of protest as she pulled off his leather jacket and pushed his hair back.

His face was an easel covered in purple bruises and bloody scars. His eyes were closed and his lips pushed together as he struggled not to cry out when Abigail brushed the cloth against his sensitive skin as gently as she could. Once the wounds were cleaned the best she could, Abigail let her hands cover Danny's, running her thumb over his knuckles soothingly. "You gotta tell me what happened, kid."

"No I don't," he mumbled back. His heart wasn't pounding as hard as it was previously, which was a relief, he could even breathe a little easier. With a sad sigh, Abigail stood up from her spot on the couch and made her way upstairs. "I'm getting you a shirt," she called. "You'll freeze if you stay in that shirt any longer."

She came back a moment later, a red sweatshirt was thrown over her arm. "Take your shirt off."

"No," Danny groaned again. "Just leave it alone, Abi. It's not a big deal."

Rolling her eyes, Abigail stepped in front of her brother. "Tell me what happened to your face."

"It isn't a big deal! Just forget about it!"

She threw the sweatshirt at him roughly, a small smirk on her lips when he opened his eyes. "You came to my house at nearly ten o'clock at night all beat up! How am I supposed to ignore that?" Abigail walked around the coffee table and sat next to Danny on the couch. The past few weeks had been a nightmare for her, but she imagined they couldn't have been easy for Danny, either. "I'm sorry I haven't been around to see you," she whispered.

"I came home late, Eddy thought I was with you," Danny explained as he pulled his shirt off. "He didn't believe me when I said I wasn't and said he'd come over here and..."

He pulled the sweatshirt over his head and raked his fingers through his soaked hair. "I stopped him, though. I'm alright."

Abigail sighed as she tucked her hair behind her ear and folded Danny's t-shirt in her lap. "You don't have to keep protecting me," she said calmly. "You're my sister," he responded. "I'm always gonna try and protect you."