𝑾𝑬 𝑨𝑹𝑬 𝑾𝑯𝑶 𝑾𝑬 𝑨𝑹𝑬 | ¹✓

1 | the protecting mother

Samuel Blake was laying on the couch in the living room, his stomach not feeling well, he was staring at the ceiling, until his mother Christine walked in and saw him, "Sweetie, you doing okay?" She asked him, he turned and looked at her, "No, my stomach hurts." He said, swallowing.

Christine walked up to her oldest and placed her hand on his forehead, "you don't feel hot, Sam." She told him, "did you eat something yet?" She asked him, "Yeah," he lied, he hadn't eaten that day and it was already the afternoon.

"mm, how about you just rest? Try to see if your stomach feels any better okay?" Sam nodded, "and if you need any, you can take some medicine to help."

"okay, thanks mom." Sam said smiling softly, "you're welcome, baby." She whispered as she leaned down and kissed his forehead, then walking out of the living room and into the kitchen, "Cody, come here! Let's take your medicine!" She called out, pulling out a syringe needle and a small bottle of liquid from one of the upper cabinets, she took the cap off the bottle and stuck the needle inside it, taking some of the liquid medicine, by the time she was done, she turned and saw Cody, her youngest that was three years old, "Lift up your sleeve so we can take it." She told him, he swallowed and lifted up his left shirt sleeve, holding his arm out for her.

"now it's gonna sting, okay?" She explained, bending down and gently holding his arm in front of him, "okay.." he said a little scared, he closed his eyes as she was about to give him his shot, afterwards she looked at him, "you can open your eyes, Code," she said, which he did, and he looked up at her, "That hurt, mommy." He told her, "I said it would, Didn't I? Here you go," she said, handing him a cookie.

Cody took his cookie and began to take a few bites out of it, "Thank you," he said with a mouth full of his cookie, Christine just smiled, "You're welcome-" she was interrupted by the sound of someone throwing up, she went past Cody, leaving him in the kitchen, she went in the downstairs bathroom and saw Sam throwing up, she went behind him and began to rub his back, "You okay?" She asked, Sam just gave her a thumbs up.

afterwards, Christine went and grabbed a cloth and wet it with cold water from the sink, she walked back over to Sam who was sitting down on the floor, she gave him the wet cloth, and he wiped his mouth with it, "I'll get the medicine," she told him walking out, him watching her leave.

________________

a couple hours later, Sam was upstairs in his bedroom, changing his clothes, he changed out of his jeans into pajama pants, he took his shirt off and tossed it on the floor, he was exhausted, so he just climbed in bed and grabbed his phone, turning it on and going onto spotify, playing a song he liked; Romantic Homicide.

He put his ear buds in and connected them to his phone, he listened to the song as a tear shed down his cheek, he just closed his eyes, softly singing along, sniffling a bit.

suddenly, he heard a truck outside, he took out his earbuds, setting his phone down on his bed, he sat up and looked out his window, "Shit," he whispered as he saw his father Ryan, drive up onto their drive way.

Sam ran out of his room and stopped at the stairs that went down to the rest of the house, he stood still, listening, he checked his wristwatch, reading that it was 6:45 pm.

he suddenly heard the front door open and slammed shut, he swallowed and looked down, preparing himself for something to happen.

he felt a hand grab his, he looked and saw Cody, "Go into your room, Code." He told, "But I want to stay with you."

Sam bent down to be at Cody's height, looking at him, "go to Ava's room, stay with her in there, okay?" Cody didn't say anything, just listened, "Do not come out of there, until I say so." He said firmly, "You're scaring me.." Cody mumbled, Sam turned back to look over his shoulder, seeing their father was about to come upstairs, Sam quickly stood and grabbed Cody's hand, pulling him over into Ava's room.

Sam looked at her, "lock the door." He mouthed out, Which she nodded and held Cody's hand, Sam then left the room and heard the door lock, he turned around to go back to his room but he was pushed onto the wall, meeting his father's eyes, "Get off me." He told Ryan, but he didn't listen, "Do you want to get hit, boy?"

Sam glanced over to his mother who was behind Ryan, "Ryan, Stop-" but Sam stopped her by speaking, "I'm fine mom," he looked at Ryan, "I'm not a fucking asshole like you," he said to him, he then felt a hand grab on his chin, "You do not cuss at me young man, or you will get it." He warned, "what? You gonna push me down on the floor and beat the shit out of me?! What kind of father are you?!" Sam shouted at him, not caring about what he would do to him, as long as he didn't hurt his siblings or mother.

Ryan stared at Sam for a second before just pushing his back harder into the wall, making him groan from pain, "Ryan! Quit!" Christine shouted at her husband, but he still didn't listen, he punched Sam in the nose, making him bleed, "Stop! Or I'll call the police again!" She screamed at him, and he suddenly stopped abusing Sam, looking at him, "Don't you dare hurt her or I'll kill you." Sam threatened him, Ryan turned and looked at christine, walking up to her, "really? Then go ahead, call them." He said to her, grabbing her wrists in his hands, tightly, "Ryan, let me go." She told him, "you don't tell me what to do." He said, making his grip on her wrists even tighter to where his knuckles were white.

Christine shed a tear from the pain, "please." She whispered, Ryan just stared into her eyes, not in a loving way but in a dark way, "Hey fucker!" Ryan turned to look at Sam but got hit in the face with a wooden chair, making him fall onto the floor, knocked out.

Christine went over and grabbed Sam's hand, leading him to Ava's room, she gave a secret knock and Ava opened it, "Let's go. We're leaving." Christine told them as Sam picked up Cody who was starting to cry, Christine went and grabbed Ava's hand, and they all left out of the room quickly, they went downstairs and went outside, but Sam had to grab Cody's medicine kit first.

Christine went to her car and unlocked it, she got in the driver's seat, Ava, Sam, and Cody sitting in the backseat, putting on their seatbelts, Sam buckling Cody in his car seat, then Christine turned the car on and put it in reverse, pulling out of their driveway, she just drove out of their neighborhood and onto the main road.

the ride was silent besides Christine's crying and Cody's sniffles, Suddenly Sam heard Christine dialing someone on her phone, "who are you calling?" He asked softly, "Aunt Jude." Christine replied, putting her phone on her lap, waiting for her sister to pick up and answer, "hello?" the voice answered, through Christine's phone.

"hey, can we come by and stay for awhile? Ryan did it again.." Christine asked her sister, Between her sniffles and crying, "Yeah of course," Jude, Christine's sister said into the phone, "thank you so much." Christine said as she turned on her left car signal, then turning left, "you're welcome, See you in a bit. Be safe." Jude said, before hanging up the phone.

Christine just sighed, "Mom,"

"What is it, bud?" She asked Sam, looking at the road ahead, "Cody's zoning out." Sam answered, Christine turned around to see Cody zoning out, she looked back at the road, "damn it. Alright just a second." She said, she saw Jude's house and pulled into her driveway, stopping the car and taking her seatbelt off, getting out of the car in a rush.

Christine went to the backseat, opening the right side door, she saw Cody was about to have a Seizure, she went and unbuckled him from his car seat, as she did that, Cody's body began shaking, Christine watched him until Jude came out of her house, walking over, "Cody's having a seizure, I think Ryan triggered it," Christine told her.

"I'll get the kids inside while you give him the shot." Jude said, walking to the other side of the car, taking the two kids inside the house as Christine gave Cody his shot.