I woke up the next morning to the sound of a beeping alarm clock and Benedict gently shaking me by my shoulder. "Babe, wake up. We have school" His voice was light and comforting. I slowly pulled myself up and sat on the edge of the bed stretching. "Good nights sleep?"
"The best I have had in ages."
"Good, we need to get up and go to school." I pulled myself out of bed and Benedict handed me my crutches. I walked over to the bags that Benedict brought last night. They were full of things from my drawers and wardrobe, all neatly folded into the numerous bags. "I'll leave you to get changed. I'll be downstairs." He said pulling his tie tight and walking out of the door. I pulled on a white, long sleeved top and a pair of sweats, anything else would not go over the cast on my leg. I pulled on one converse as my other foot was covered with the cast. I pulled on a Superdry hoody over my top and hobbled downstairs. Benedict rushed over to me, noticing that I was half way down the stairs, and picked me up. "You should have called me to come and get you, I would have carried you down."
"Well I can walk."
"No. Not on those crutches you can't. I don't want you falling down the stairs." He said sitting me on one of the tall chairs on the other side of the kitchen counter. "Toast?"
"Yeh please. Oh and I need to learn how to walk on these things. Please Ben, you can't keep running around for me, you can't protect me from everything, all of the time."
"No you're right. but I can try. I will always be here for you and I will protect you from all harm. I feel so protective over you."
"And I love you protecting me." I held my arms out for him to come over to me. He walked over to me and wrapped me in his arms. "I just need to learn to walk on these crutches. Okay how about we make a deal?"
"Okay what would that be?"
"You let me walk everywhere. and if we have to walk down or up any stairs you carry me. so as you would put it, I wont fall and hurt myself anymore and you get to feel protective over me. Deal?"
"Okay. deal." He walked back over to the counter and handed me a mug of tea. "Come on we have ten minutes until we have to leave."
Ten minutes later we walked out to his car and drove to school. I asked Benedict to drop me off at the south school bus bay and he would drive back up to north school and park there. I was met at the bus bay by Nat, Shannon and Chloe. I got out and was instantly pulled into a hug by my friends. "Oh my god we have missed you. We were so worried. What happened to you? Do you know how hard it has been in English without you? Plus without Mr Cumberbatch there we have had the most annoying substitute teacher." Natalie said releasing me from the embrace.
"Nat I was only gone for three days and so was Ben- I mean Mr Cumberbatch."
"Who? And how did you know that Mr Cumberbatch had been gone for three days?"
"Mr Cumberbatch. I told you that he had taken me in after what happened on Monday. I sent you all a text." I was faced with three blank faces. "Oh shit, I must not have hit send. Crap! I am so sorry." Tears had already started to form in my eyes.
"Okay. Calm down." Chloe's voice was soft and soothing, "Tell us what happened."
I wiped my eyes and started my story. "Well you know what my mum's boyfriend did to us." They all just nodded in response. "I got home late after my detention with Mr Cumberbatch, he was upstairs beating mum. I knew he would then come for me. Don't ask me how I got it but I dialled Mr Cumberbatch's number and hid the phone in my pocket. He made me go upstairs while he was in his study I had seconds to talk to Mr Cumberbatch, I told him to come and get me. When mum's boyfriend returned he had a baseball bat. That is what caused all this." I said indicating the full leg cast and all of the bruises over my body. "Mr Cumberbatch arrived and knocked him out. He went to check on my mum and found her lying dead on the floor her head smashed and her neck broken. He took me to the hospital where I was put straight into surgery to have the bones in my leg reconstructed, 50 stiches all over my body 30 of which were on my leg, 20 pins and 2 metal plates in my leg. Anyway when I woke up I was met by an officer who said that they had mum's boyfriend in custody and that he would be going to jail for a long time. The doctors informed me that Mr Cumberbatch had not left my bedside the whole time except from when I was in surgery. He has practically adopted me now, so I am now living with Mr Cumberbatch. That's about it. I got out of hospital yesterday and here I am." They all looked shocked. I heard someone walking down the road behind me I turned round to see Benedict walking towards us.
"Are you okay Beth? I can tell you've been crying."
"Yeh, sir. I'm fine, just telling everyone what happened."
"May I speak with you for a second, Beth?"
"Yeh. sure." We walked a couple of yards away from my friends.
"Do they know about US?"
"No, I only told them that I am living with you. I said you have basically adopted me."
"Good. no one can know. not until you leave school anyway. Go back to your friends. Have fun." he stroked the side of my face with his thumb wiping the tears, that still clung to my face, away. I was so lucky to be able to call him mine and that I was his, even if no one knew it.
Sorry that I haven't updated recently but I have been so up tight, revision for exams and all that but I have updated now and another part should be on its way soon. xxxxxxxxxxx
