You saved me Maddie

Pain.

Maddies face darkened.
"My dad" I said "he isn't a nice man, but he wasn't the only one. His friends used to-"
Something clogged up my throat. Shame.
"What about your mom?" Maddie asked, moving the chair closer.
"She's my stepmom and she's never sober" I said, pulling my cover further up my bruised torso.
"So who takes care of you?" I heard her concern in her voice.
"I do" I shrugged.
Maddies eyes softened.
"Will I have to go back after I'm healed?" I didn't want to.
Maddie shook her head.
"No" her voice firm.
"But where then?" My voice cracked.
"I don't know" she sighed.
I felt all of the blood in my face vanish. Why would she know? She barely knew me.
"Hey listen" Maddie shifted in her seat "I have a deck of cards with me. Do you want to play go fish?"
I raised my eyebrows in confusion.
"You- you don't know how to play go fish?" She shifted in her seat again.
I shook my head, my knotted red hair slamming against my back. Maddie stood up.
"Then I'll teach you" she said and sat down on my bed.
She taught me more than one card game. I didn't know if she was there with me to make me feel better or to get more information out of me, but nevertheless she promised me that she would come back the next day to keep me company. And she did. The first person in my life to really care.
When a nurse grabbed my attention by knocking in the open door I thought she was in for another check up, but to my surprise Maddie stood next to her, smiling.
"Hi" she smiled.
I felt a grin from ear to ear spreading across my face.
"How about today I teach you turn ten" she asked.
"Are you scared that I will beat you in the other ones you taught me yesterday?" I joked.
She giggled and nodded, her curled hair bouncing against her shoulders.
"How are you today?" She asked as she was putting her bag on a chair.
"My ribs hurt less, I guess" I said.
"Okay, well that's good" Maddie said, walking over and sitting on my bed, pulling my table between us and started to mix the card deck.
"Hold on" I reached for the light switch to turn the light on but my hand caught on one of my bandaids on my face. The wound started bleeding.
"I'm sorry" I said, putting my hand against my face, feeling the blood trickle down my knuckles.
"It's okay" Maddie said as she stood up.
She walked over to the paper dispenser and pulled our a few paper towels and handed them to me.
"I'll get a nurse" she said and walked out to of my room.
She came back with a nurse a few minutes later. The nurse patched me up.
"Good as new" she said before walking out.
"I used to be a nurse" Maddie said distantly as she wiped blood of my hand with a wet paper towel.
"Did you work here?" I asked her.
Maddie shook her head.
"No it was back in Pennsylvania" her tone grew distant.
"I'm sorry if I asked, I know questions isn't oka-" but Maddie interrupted me with a wave.
"No no it's okay, who told you questions isn't okay?" Her tone suddenly caring and sharp.
I didn't answer. I didn't know what to answer. Everyone always told me questions was bad. Questions was a reason to get beaten up. Maddie just knew by looking at my face. Her soft expression melting away all my walls.
"Honey, what really happened?"
I took a deep breath. This was going to be a long story. I let out a big sigh, and everything spilled out.