Mute

Chapter 2 : Mark and Stormie's house

Chapter 2

Later...    

Riker POV

When we got to my new house, it was still snowing out. The foster center lady rang the doorbell. I started shaking, waiting for someone to answer the door. I'm super cold. And my finger still really hurts. I still can't move it and I'm getting really worried.

Finally, a man opened the door. I could hear a lot of noise coming from inside. It sounds like they have lots of kids, which makes me nervous.

The man let us inside and brought us to his kitchen. We all sat down at the table and his wife joined us. I set my journal on the table. I felt super jittery, not knowing what was going to happen. And I was still really cold.

"Ok, so this is Riker. He unfortunately doesn't have any possessions except for his journal, which he's brought. I know we already told you about his previous parents and foster family. But I need to tell you one more thing. He doesn't talk. And I would encourage you not to push him to do it. This is something we see sometimes with abused kids. If he wants to talk, he'll do it in his own time. Thank you for taking him last minute. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call."

The man showed the foster center lady out. I was still sitting in my spot, trying not to cry. I was so incredibly anxious.

"Stormie, come here. It looks like something happened to the back of his head."

Both of them walked behind me. One of them touched the back of my head where I hit it on the floor earlier.

"Riker, did something happen to your head? You're bleeding," the woman said.

I nodded slightly.

"Come here, honey."

She held her hand out to me. But I was holding my finger really tight with my other hand.

She slowly reached out and took my hand.

"Did something happen to your hand? Your finger is swollen and bruised," she said, looking at it.

I nodded and started crying again.

"It's ok. We'll get you fixed up and feeling better again, ok?"

She put her hand on my back and helped me up. She took me upstairs to the bathroom and made me sit on the floor.

"Alright. Let me look at your head first."

She moved some of my hair super gently.

"Ok, Riker. I'm going to clean it. I'm just going to use some soap and water. It shouldn't sting or anything."

She started gently cleaning the back of my head with a wet washcloth. It didn't hurt too bad. It was mostly just sore.

"Alright, now let me see your finger."

She sat down in front of me and gently took my hand.

"I know you don't talk, so how about we play 20 questions. Do you know that game?"

I nodded.

"Alright. I'll ask you yes or no questions. And you can nod your head yes or no until I find out what happened, alright?"

I nodded. I can't believe she's not mad I don't speak. That was immediately something I got in trouble for at my other foster home.

"Ok, when did you hurt your finger? Was it tonight?"

I nodded.

"Ok. Is it just your finger that hurts?"

I nodded again.

"Ok. Can you move it?"

I tried to move it again, but I couldn't. And it still hurt really bad.

"Ok. I think it might be broken. I'm going to splint it against your other finger to keep it straight so it can heal."

She got out a first aid kit and got out medical tape. She gently taped my pointer against my middle finger so they were straight.

"Alright, just try to be careful until it heals. I can give you some ice for it too. Does it hurt a lot?"

I nodded.

"Alright. I'll get you some ice. It's only about 8:00, but are you tired? Do you want to go to bed?"

I nodded.

"Ok. I'll show you to the guest bedroom. I think we're going to have you room with Rocky, but we haven't had a chance to get your bed in there yet. You can meet all of the kids tomorrow. I don't want to overwhelm you tonight. You've already been through a lot."

She put her arm around me and led me down the hall to a bedroom. She turned the light on. There was a bed and a desk in here. It was a pretty small room.

"Let me get you some clothes to wear for bed so you don't have to sleep in jeans. I'll be right back."

I walked over and sat down on the bed. I put my journal down on my pillow.

"Alright, here are some pjs you can wear tonight. These are Rocky's. You two are about the same size. We can get you some new clothes later this week, but I wanted you to have something comfortable to wear," she said, handing the clothes to me.

I looked up at her.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

I nodded.

"Ok. I'll let you get changed. If you need anything, I'll be downstairs for a while. Try to get some sleep. I'll introduce you to everyone tomorrow."

She handed me an ice pack for my finger and then left. I got up and shut the door so I could get changed. I changed into the pjs and I was finally starting to warm up. I opened the door again so I could hear what was going on. It sounded like video games downstairs.

I left the light on and got into bed. It was really comfy. At home, sometimes I would get punished and I wasn't allowed to sleep in my bed. I had to sleep on the basement floor. It was cold and hard and scary because it was dark.

I slid my journal underneath my pillow and laid down, putting the ice pack on my finger. I curled up and pulled the blankets up higher. I know everyone here has seemed nice so far, but I'm paranoid something bad will happen tonight. I don't know if I'll be able to sleep.