Freaks: Year Two

I'm Bad

Referenced abuse.

Jasper could barely breathe.

He was in the passenger seat of the car as his mum drove to the hospital. His mind was racing. He had only gotten the half explained version from his mum as her version had come from Toby and Francis combined, but it had been enough. In fact Jasper thought it was more than enough to understand the situation. He felt like if he heard anymore he would be sick.

How could he have let this happen? If he had just been there he would have been able to stop it, if he had just stayed with them this wouldn't have happened. Not his little brothers, why couldn't it be him? Why did he leave...

He looked over to his mother. Jasper wondered if she was worried and panicked as he was. He wondered if she felt sick to her stomach. He wondered if she felt any guilt for not being there. He wondered...

"Where...where are Toby and Francis right now?"

"In the waiting room," she answered.

"You...you left them there?!" Jasper asked. "Alone!? What if you get called in and it is only them, I can't believe you left them alone!"

"Toby can handle Francis."

"That isn't the point, mum," Jasper said, a mixture of annoyed and furious. "The point is that you left them in the waiting room of the hospital alone!"

"Well, someone needs to bring you," his mother spat out. "Stop getting all mouthy."

"You didn't even know I was coming!'

"I knew you would," his mother said. "You're not one to leave them...sometimes."

Jasper crossed his arms, fuming, now glaring at the windshield. "What did you even tell the doctors?" he asked. "About the injuries?"

"Ethan isn't too bad, only bruised ribs, could be broken–"

"Oh, only!" Jasper snapped out.

His mother gave him a harsh look. "Stop it. Edgar has some broken bones."

Jasper felt sick.

"What did you tell them?"

"That they got hit by a car."

Jasper looked over, aghast. "They really believed that?"

"They did, so get off my bloody case! Social Services isn't coming to take any of you away, I can promise that and before you ask, no I don't know where your father is."

"Rotting out somewhere I hope," Jasper grumbled and his mum hit him in the side of the head. "Hey!"

"Don't talk about him like that," his mother said. "Calm down."

"MUM, HE PUT ETHAN AND EDGAR IN THE FUCKING HOSPITAL AND YOU ARE TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN?!" Jasper shouted and his mother pressed on the brakes, stopping the car in the middle of the road. "Don't do this right now. Drive. Are you even sober?!"

"Stop screaming and being snappy in the fucking car and I will drive."

There were cars honking and Jasper felt quite on edge that they would get in an actual car accident and how would get to his brothers then? "Fine," he said, now quiet. "Please drive."

She started to drive again and Jasper looked out the window, pinching at his skin subconsciously as they drove to the hospital. He briefly wondered how much and what his mum had been smoking because she surely wasn't sober with stopping the car in the middle of the road like that. After a while, his mother spoke again.