The Grey Truth

The Grey Truth: Chapter Seven

Chapter Six Recap: Grell had seen what caused the scars they saw, and William had heard of what caused the scars they didn't. After seeing the skills possessed by the young recruit, the pair thought she could handle what they had planned. A confrontation with her greatest fear. A meeting, locked alone, between Josephine and her parents. Will and Grell had their backs turned from the three for a moment, not even three minutes, when they turned back to the window, they rushed to get into the room, fumbling with the lock. One thing was going through William's mind. 'What have I done...?'

((A/N: Once again, this chapter is a bit stronger, mostly towards the beginning, and then it lightens up a bit. This chapter does depict physical harm being inflicted. You have been warned.))

Josephine was backed against the wall of the room, cornered by her father, and held there, helpless by her mother. The recruit's scythe lay at the other end of the room, having been knocked from her hand while trying desperately to defend herself. The girl struggled against the grip of her parents. All the girl could feel was the pain. She couldn't think, she couldn't see. Her glasses had been knocked from her face and skittered across the floor, nearly to the other end of the room.

"Get it open, Sutcliff!" William shouted as the two reapers attempted to enter the room and separate the three people inside.

"I'm trying, I'm trying! The lock won't budge!" Grell replied, putting nearly all his strength into trying to get the door open.

Finally, the pair were able to undo the lock and enter the room. As they attempted to separate everyone, the struggle only increased, worrying Will and Grell that Josephine was being injured more than she already was. But it was the only way to get to the girl from the way that her parents had surrounded her. Two guards from the prison also came in and assisted in getting the Grey's under control. After prying the couple off of their daughter, Will and Grell were finally able to assess the damage. And there seemed to be a lot of it.

The girl before them was battered and bloodied, the academy uniform that had been neatly pressed was now wrinkled and torn at some of the seams. The recruit was on the floor, slumped against the wall. Though the most prominent injury was to her left arm, which was bent at an angle that could only mean that one of the bones was broken.

The pair of instructors did what they could, and then brought the girl to the closest medical facility, the hospital down at the very end of the road where Josephine worked. William was the one to carry the battered girl in his arms, while Grell offered up his jacket to shield the girl from the rain, which was now coming down even more heavily.

Just as the three came into the building, it was obvious that this hospital was rarely busy, and this was a very slow time, because two nurses rushed over at the sight of the battered girl in William's arms after Grell had taken back his long red coat. Everything went by in a flash, the next thing any of the three knew, Josephine was in one of the white-painted rooms, with her left arm elevated by her side. She was sore, and couldn't see much of anything. She simply lay there, looking up at the white ceiling until she heard the door open. Walking into the room were her instructors, William and Grell, led by one of the doctors, as well as her boss from hospital dispatch.

The girl looked over, squinting, until William pulled something out of one of his pockets and slipped something over her eyes, her glasses. Now, she could see the worried faced of Grell and her boss, while William and the doctor attempted to keep a calm look about them. Though the girl knew that even William was nervous of what would be the outcome of these injuries. No one spoke for some time, allowing Josephine to take in her current state. After some time, the doctor spoke.

"Well, Miss, it seems that you were injured fairly badly. Though, the most prominent injury, as you may have noticed, is your left arm, which was broken in whatever incident occurred," the doctor told his young patient.