Quiet as Kept

B-R-O-K-E-N

Hearing Devale scream from the hallway makes Crystal and her family jump. Attempting to get out of bed to check on Devale, crystals foot barely swings off the side of the hospital bed before she's roughly pushed back into a laying position by her dad.

Crystal
Dad, I need to go check on Devale.

Crystals dad
sternly) Baby girl you can't please lay down.

Crystal
But dad I need to.

Crystals dad
Listen to me baby girl please.

Crystal
But dad something's wrong.

Crystals dad
I get that Crystal but let me check on him. You need to be resting trying to get better.

Crystal
Dad I'm fine.

Crystal's dad
LOOK at me you have a child upstairs who needs you, so you need to keep your ass in this bed! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?

Crystal
But dad

Crystals dad
NO, BUT DAD SHIT CRYSTAL WE ALMOST LOST YOU! DO YOU GET THAT? THAT LITTLE BABY UPSTAIRS WAS ALMOST MOTHERLESS!

Crystal
Dad I just

Crystals dad
NOOOO ...voice cracking-You just came back to us, and I'll be damned if we lose you because of that joker out there. Now I will go check on his sorry ass and bring him back, but you will sit in this Damn bed and wait until I do so, and I mean it!

Crystal
Okay I'm sorry.

Crystal's dad
Don't be sorry just get better we all need you!

Crystal
-Dad- I'm sorry I'm just

Crystals dad
Okay, now let me see what happened?

Crystal
Please just bring him back to the room

Crystals Dad
Baby girl I got you and got this -turning heading out into the hallway.

Crystals Dad finds Devale sitting slumped on the floor crying into his hands. Pissed because he knows it's some bullshit yet again with this man. Initially crystals dad liked Devale. He often voiced they appeared too close, but he was always assured by Crystal there wasn't any funny business. And then crystal came home pregnant and depressed the joy he once saw in his baby girl was gone. She would come home all the time and he knew something was wrong when her visits happened less and less. Finally needing peace Crystal decided to just pop up on her parents and in tears nonetheless at 3am in the morning. In his kitchen well the other side of the wall is where he found out just how close Crystal and Devale were. And the pregnancy news. He also learned just how much of a jack ass Devale was and for that he wanted to snap his neck. But he also heard all the love Crystal said she experienced with Devale. And all the love she still had left for him. He listened just a while longer to his wife and daughters' conversation in his kitchen before deciding to go back up to his room because he was confused. On one hand he wanted to hurt Devale but that would hurt Crystal in the process. Then on the other he wanted to talk to him force him to "MAN-UP", but he knew that wouldn't help either, because a forced man is never a given man and vice versa. Instead, he chose to go to his room after hearing his wife get Crystal to laugh through the tears and drop to his knees in prayer. Now sitting before him was the man his daughter loved. A man who lived his daughter the same way she loved him if not more and he was broken. Walking over to him he placed a hand on Devale's shoulder causing him to look up....

Crystals dad
Devale what's wrong?

Devale
voice cracking) Dad I'm fine.

Crystals dad
No, you aren't what's wrong?