Attached By String

15. Bleeding Out

| Elsie Taylor |

A pained cry tore from my lips, as I used my fingers to bite down on, while I wrapped my other arm around the ribs that were throbbing. I didn't know what it meant, but it felt fitting, to the pain that was within me. The same pain that I thought I had been maintaining so well, but right now, I don't think I could hold it in any longer. 

After Ollie had showed and promised that he would get me a baby blanket, which I had never had, we had settled in Henry's bed, as Henry had gone to get lunch ready, which I had never eaten, as I had just fallen straight back asleep. But now, sleep was so far gone, as I saw the sun only just spilling in through the windows. 

I was so scared, as the room was very dark, and I don't think I could see everything in the room. Biting down even harder on my hand, I let another cry slip past my lips, as the person beside me stirred. I knew the person wasn't Ollie, as I had already discovered that from the dark blonde curls were not there, covering my face like they had done before. 

"El?" someone said, causing me to jump, my cries stopping momentarily, before they came back even faster. Tears were running down my face, as I felt the trickling down my back start again. That had been why I had woken up in the first place, firstly thinking that I needed to go to the toilet because I had wet the bed, but my pants and the sheets weren't wet. My shirt was wet. 

I thought that I had wet the bed, but I hadn't done that in years. I didn't know why my shirt was wet. "Elsie, what's wrong?" I knew that voice, and my stomach dropped. This was the second time that this person had been awake because I couldn't keep my mouth shut and deal with my problems on my own. 

Ever since I had started to live with these people, who I had been told were my brothers, but it didn't really make sense to me, they had cared for me, even though I knew they didn't have too. They were going out of there way to be nice to me. I had known that some of my friends had had siblings, like brothers and sisters, but I had never had any, and I was sure that I didn't have any. 

"El, come here baby" and with that, my cries just became harder, especially when a hand landed on my back, trying to pull me closer. "El, do you need to go to the toilet" I shook my head, cause I knew that I didn't. I knew that his hand would have felt the wetness of my shirt, and that just made my cry even harder, if that was even possible. 

I had already figured out that I did not need to go to the toilet, and that was not why my shirt was wet. What I didn't know, was why my shirt had gotten so wet, just on the back and not the front. Nothing was making sense anymore. Everything was so confusing. "Come on Els, talk to me" but I just shook my head, right as a lamp was turned on, calming me down a little. 

I was getting a little freaked out over how dark the room had become. "How about we have a look at why your shirt is so wet and get you a new one, yeah?" he spoke, taking the blankets off him, and moving it from around my waist. I just nodded, as he gently picked me up from under the armpits. 

As soon as I was settled on his hip, I reached under his shirt, and grabbed the chain that I knew was there. My tears slowed down as I ran my fingers along the cold metal, that was slightly warm from his skin. "There's my Elsie" he muttered, as we walked into the bathroom, flicking on the light as Henry walked past and placed me down on the countertop. 

It was a lot brighter in here, making me shield my eyes for a bit, before I was wiping the tears away, and laughing at the way that Henry had found a really big train shirt, that must have been Ollie's or one of the others boys shirts from when they were younger. There was no way that that shirt was going to fit me, but rather drown me in the fabric. 

I didn't mind, only when the pain in my back continued to get worse. I cried out, right as the old shirt was being pulled over whatever had made my shirt wet. I grabbed onto Henry's hands, making him let go, but he didn't stop, until I started to scream a little. "Okay, okay, it's almost off, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry" and with that, the scorching on my back finally started to settle, as the shirt was gone. 

My sobs and screams had turned into small hiccups, as my cheeks were now wet again. "What's going on?" someone was now standing in the doorway, wiping their eyes like I had just done beforehand. "I though Jack was watching one of his horror movies, but clearly not" the same man muttered, making Henry chuckle a little, but the two of them were staring at where I knew my back was being shown from the mirror behind me. 

"Turn her around, Hen" another person appeared, tears welling in their eyes. Before I knew it, I was covering my face, when I was turned to face the mirror, as the rest of them could see my back. I knew something had been written into my back, but I didn't know what, or how to spell it, but it was years old, and I was sure that couldn't have been why my back was so sore. 

"It's been ripped open. I don't get how, though. It's looks years old" someone muttered, and all I wanted to do was, be covered back up by the warm sheets of Henry's bed. I didn't want to be sitting here, while everyone started at me, like I was some art piece. Maybe it was something pretty on my back, but it hurt. "hurt" was all I could get out above a whisper. 

"Does it hurt, El?" Henry asked again, and I just nodded my head, as he then turned me back around. "Jack, can you grab some cream from the cabinet over there" I was then lifted into Henry's arms, as I reattached myself to his front, hiding my face in his warm neck. I grabbed onto his chain once again, fiddling with it. 

"Shh, shh, your okay, I've got you" and with that, I felt the cold cream being placed on my back, as I dug my hands into Henry, trying my hardest to move out of his hold and get away from the pain in my back. I tried, but the soothing words that Henry was whispering made me want to stay, even though I wanted to get out of it. Even though the words meant nothing much to me, the feeling of his arms holding me tight meant more than anything. 

"All done" the person behind us murmured, as I then took note that the other man that had first come in, was now gone. I looked around, wondering if he was still here but he wasn't. "I got Beau to get you some warm milk cause I know you like it" and with that, I was moved to sit up slightly so the shirt could come back over my head, and for once in a while, my back was not in really bad pain. It felt nice, to have a shirt on, for once. 

I just nodded, before I rested my head back down on Henry's shoulder, and someone said something about how cute it was, but I wasn't bothered to open my eyes. I only opened them a fraction when Henry started walking, and then something was placed at my mouth. I perked up when it was the warm bottle of milk, and I sat up, sipping on the milk that was being held by who I think is Beau, who was sitting next to Henry and I, back in bed. 

I wish life could have always been this simple. Waking up crying and someone just immediately being there to help me. No one had ever done that. No one had made me warm milk because they knew that I wanted it whenever I wanted to go back to sleep, not thinking about how I wouldn't be able to sleep without it, because I went from having it every night, to suddenly being told I was too old for it. This was new, and for some reason, I was starting to like it. 

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thoughts? xx