the bad couple

chapter 8

"do you want me to call your mum?" leia asks as I lie in the hospital bed waiting for the X-ray to come back.
"i can do it, my phones in my jeans pocket on the chair" I had to change into a hospital gown, so if you looked at me from behind you could see my ass.
"here" she says handing me the phone, I dial her number and she picks up on the second ring.
"mum?" I ask.
"yes, is everything ok?" she asks, i can tell she was just laughing, you can hear how her voice is still wobbling.
"erm... I'm in the hospital, but I'm ok"I add reassuringly.
"was it your dad?"she asks, her tine growing serious.
"yeah" I mutter.
"I'll be right there"
"ok, but I'm ok"
"ok, love you"
"love you too" she hangs up and i lay back in the bed, i turn over and reach for the water.
"lie down, here" leia picks up the drink and brings it to my lips while holding me down on the bed.
"thanks"
"where's mark?"
"he had an exam"
"ok" I stare at the ceiling, waiting for the doctors, even though my mum will probably show up first.
"how are you feeling?" leia asks.
"still kinda hurts" I admit.
"I'll go ask for some pain killers" she tells me dissappearing, seven she comes back in she has two white pills in a hand.
"here" she says giving me the pills and holding up the water.
"thanks" we sit I'm silence for a while before I break the silence.
"leia, why did it freak you out so much when you saw me and my dad?"
"erm... Because he's your dad and he was hitting you, it looked really bad"
"I get that, but it freaked you out more than usual, you looked scared and shocked and sort of lost"
"i-i guess, i don't"
"leia, you can tell me"
"I... I was abused as a kid" she mutters looking down, i barely hear her.
"Eh-what?"
"please don't make me say it again" she pleas, i can hear the hurt in her voice.
"leia, I'm so sor-"
"please don't say your so sorry or anything like that"
"I don't know what to say"
"it's done now, but I'm safe and they're locked up"
"your parents?"
"yeah..."
"fuck, that's why it always upset you when I brought them up?"
"yeah"
"shit, I'm an ass"
"don't feel bad, no one would guess it"
"you didn't have to tell me"
"if we are gonna be friends i had to"
"I still feel bad"
"you don't have to, they got life and I'm okay now"
"okay" we sit in silence and after a few minutes my mum comes in.
"oh my god, callum" she exclaims hugging me.
"hi mum" I grunt as she's pretty much lying on my ribs.
"what happened!"
"he's on the drugs again, he tried to hit Emily because she said she was leaving him so I stopped him and it kinda got out of hand"
"you are never seeing him again!"
"I don't want to mum, not until he's clean"
"I'm so sorry, leia?" she asks noticing leia sitting on the chair.
"hi Janet"
"what are you doing here?"
"me and my boyfriend, mark, found him and his dad, we got there before the police and mark got callums dad off of him, we drove him here, but mark had an exam so he had to leave"
"how did you found him?"
"at lunch today callum forgot his wallet so we were bringing it back to him"
"thank you so much leia, i know this is all sort of awkward considering the circumstances with school, but thank you so much"
"it's no problem"
"so are you two ok now or are you still trying to kill eachother?"
"were working on it" leia answers.
"cals!" Amy and max come screaming into me and jump on my rib, i let out a loud grunt.
"Amy, max, come off quickly, callum are you ok? What's wrong"
"I might have broken my ribs" I choke out, leia springs up and offers me water and after I get a drink i lay back down.
"broken your ribs!?" my mum screams.
"calm down, it's not too sore, and the police have dad anyway"
"why do the police have daddy?" Amy asks.
"he's not well and he hurt me and Emily, but he'd gonna get help, we won't see him until he does"
"why did he hurt you and Emily?"
"he wasn't thinking properly, but we're ok"
"drugs?" max mouths to me, i nod and he shakes his head.
"do you two want to go to the shop to see if there's any toys or sweets?" leia offers.
"is that ok leia?" my mum asks.
"yes" she answers leading them out.
"are you ok?" my mum asks taking a seat.
"i guess, I'm waiting for the X-rays to come back"
"I can't believe he would do this to his own son"
"mum, he's an addict, he needs help"
"he won't accept it"
"I know" we stay silent for a few minutes.
"so you and leia, are friends now?"
"sort of, we got on well at lunch and she helped clean me up after the police got dad, she noticed the bruise on my ribs and said it looked broken"
"how does she know what broken ribs look like?"
"she broke ribs before" I say, realising it was probably her parents.
"maybe you two wouldn't be the best of friends, she doesn't seem like she wants to stay at the school, she's very bad behaved, even worse than you, she has no respect and her own parents aren't there for her"
"mum, i used to agree with you, but she really has been through alot and she is a good person"
"you barely know her and how has she been through alot?"
"it's not for me to say but-"
"callum, you need to tell me"
"I can't mum" the doctor comes in saving me from further questions.
"callum and I'm guessing this is your mother?"
"yes, Janet"
"okay, well, callum has three broken ribs, which should heal within a few weeks, two months tops, he's also bruised the actual shoulder blade, apart from that it's just a few bruises and cuts, your ribs and shoulder will heal fully and you should be able to go home in a few days and we'll give you painkillers and antibiotics"
"okay thank you" I dismiss, he smiles and leaves me and my mum.
"you know you can press charges callum"
"mum, he needs help, ok?"
"he broke your ribs and shoulder blade, that's inexcusable callum"
"I don't know if i want to see him anymore, i need to think about it, but I won't press charges"
"fine" she huffy in her chair but I know shes not mad at me.