Don't Be Afraid | Jonathan Crane

Chapter Four - A Bit of Midnight Torment

Chapter Four – A Bit of Midnight Torment

"Try and sit still, would you? Squirming isn't going to make it sting any less."

Nora whimpered almost inaudibly at Jonathan's words, forcing herself to storm squirming as he dabbed her cuts with a soft cloth.

"There, you're all done." Jonathan sighed, finishing the last cuts on her arms. She had some particularly nasty bruises and cuts on her chest and back, so Jonathan had dealt with those first.

After he had cleaned and bandaged the bigger injuries, he helped her dress in her now clean nightgown before cleaning up the smaller scratches that adorned her arms, legs, neck, and face.

Unexpected of a small child, Nora was rather well behaved through all of it.

"Okay. Now that you've washed up, and your cuts have been cleaned, it's probably beneficial for you to eat something before bed. Are you hungry?" Jonathan questioned, searching through the cupboards. "I don't have a lot... do you like grilled cheese sandwiches?"

Jonathan turned to look at Nora for a response, watching as she nodded her head from where she had been placed on the kitchen counter while she was being bandaged.

Glad that he could make something the girl liked, Jonathan got out all the necessities for their dinner and began to cook, unaware of how intently Nora was watching him.

Since it was quick to make, it wasn't long before Jonathan set two plates down on the table and moved Nora off the counter and into a chair. He poured two glasses of milk, as that was really all he had, and placed one in front of Nora before he sat down.

Eager for this evening to end so he could get some most needed sleep, Jonathan quietly began eating his sandwich. It took a few moments for him to realize Nora hadn't touched hers.

Looking over at her, Jonathan set his sandwich done and surveyed her, trying to come up with an explanation for why she wasn't eating. He knew he couldn't just ask her as she wouldn't respond. After a moment, Jonathan had a slight theory.

"You're allowed to eat now."

At the sound of Jonathan giving his permission, Nora picked up her food and began to eat, not paying Jonathan any more attention as he watched with a slightly sad expression.

Shaking his head, Jonathan returned to his food and, once they were both finished, cleaned up the plates and glasses while Nora watched silently from her seat. Once everything was tidy, Jonathan turned to face Nora.

"Do you need anything before you go to sleep?" He questioned her, watching as she shook her head. Jonathan nodded before leaving the room. "Follow me."

Nora did so obediently, following Jonathan into the spare bedroom and watching as he pulled back the covers on the bed and turned to her.

"This is where you'll be sleeping. You know where the washroom is if you need to use it in the night. I will leave the light on since you probably can't reach it. My room is at the end of the hall... if you need anything that's where I will be."

The small girl nodded at his words, walking cautiously over to the bed and climbing into it, pulling the blankets securely around herself.

"Alright, well... goodnight." Jonathan spoke, before turning and leaving the room, turning off the light.

Sighing, he pulled the door almost closed, before heading towards his room, making sure to flick on the light in the washroom as he passed.

Entering his bedroom, Jonathan closed it almost completely before changing out of his work clothes and into a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt, before turning off the light and walking over to his bed. Setting his glasses down on the bedside table, Jonathan settled down and closed his eyes.