The Ties of Family (RotG Fanfic)

Chapter 61

She was quite the sight. Jamie had remained oblivious to Sophie's protests and called their mother, who came rushing in almost immediately only to rush out again in disgust. Sophie was almost unrecognizable beneath the blood and bruises that adorned her face, even after the doctors patched her up.

Jamie and Mrs. Bennett cagily approached Sophie, as the doctors finished their job, afraid she might snap at them or send them away. However, she looked weak and defeated, lying almost motionless but awake.

"Are you her mother?" asked an approaching doctor, causing Jamie and Mrs. Bennett to avert their attention.

"Yes," Mrs. Bennett responded, her voice quivering slightly. She glanced over her shoulder at her daughter. "There aren't any serious injuries or permanent damages, are there?" Jamie crossed his fingers behind his back.

The doctor glanced down at the clipboard and exhaled deeply. Jamie uncrossed his fingers. "She has a mild concussion, but that will cease over time. Some damage had been done to both her eardrums, nothing too severe, but her left eye runs the risk of being permanently damaged."

Mrs. Bennett was silent. "Runs the risk?" Jamie asked.

"There's still hope."

'Hope'. For the first time in his life, Jamie wasn't interested in hearing the word. He didn't want his sister to have just a glimmer of hope; he wanted her to have the certainty that she wouldn't go blind. The subject of hope also reminded him of the guardian associated with it, and Jamie couldn't imagine Bunny's reaction should he see Sophie in her current state. Easter was that weekend. How much could Sophie heal in a week?

#

Mrs. Bennett stood outside the door, a bundle of nerves though she had nothing to be nervous about. Jamie stood next to her, having agreed to accompany his mother to the house. He rapped on the door and waited.

"Do you think we're doing the right thing?" Mrs. Bennett asked her son. Her face was drained of colour, though not from anxiety. She was still shaken from the events of the previous night and her eyes were red from continuous sobbing at her daughter's side, much to the latter's dislike.

"It's the only thing we can do," Jamie responded, in a low voice, lest anyone approaching the door on the inside could hear them and decide not to let them in. After what seemed like an eternity, Jamie was about to knock again when the door swung open inwards. A severe-looking, middle-aged lady stood in the doorway, glancing at both of them expectantly.

"Mrs. Bennett?" the lady's pursed lips widened into a smile of recognition. Jamie realised with a pang that Anna's mother and his were friends. He frowned slightly, hoping they weren't best friends, as it could make things a lot harder. "Is there anything you need?"

Jamie looked past the woman, into the hall and up the stairs, at the top of which, he spied three faces trying to sneak a peek at the unexpected visitors, one of which was familiar. He felt an uncommon rage boiling inside of him and hurriedly tried to calm himself, lest he might do something horrible.

"Um..." Mrs. Bennett seemed lost for words, averting her gaze, not meeting the other woman's eyes, as though she had committed a heinous crime and was trying to apologise for it. "Let's get to the point. It's just that..." She trailed off.

"Your daughter Anna and a few of her friends beat up my sister last night at a party she was throwing here," Jamie decided to step in. As those words left his mouth, he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, the three faces disappearing and footsteps hurrying up the stairs. Afraid they might escape the house by some means, he quickly added, "And you might want to stop them right now."