Fixing Me ∞ Hood

Chapter 11 - Thoughts

"I'm sorry," I muttered as we walked into the house. "It's all my fault."

That's the first thing I've spoken since getting into the car, I've been too anxious. 

Beau told me that he was sent to watch me — he's acting different, almost like a mentally ill person. Telling me that I had promised that everything would be okay, and now it's not so I need to pay for lying. 

I have no idea what he meant, but I'm scared for what's to come. 

"Oh honey, you couldn't have known that he'd come me what he'd do. It's not your fault." Joy said with a shaky voice. 

I don't think she has quite processed what happened to her son, but I can tell she's quite worried about him. If she's trying to act tough, her voice is failing her; shaking and unable to keep the same pitch — as do the tears glistening in her eyes. 

I feel terrible. None of this would have happened if I hadn't have even been there, if I hadn't have even come here in the first place. 

"It's still my fault." I mumbled. 

I heard a grunt to my left and turned to see Calum rubbing his neck and rolling his shoulders back while grimacing. With split and bruised knuckles, bruised jaw, split lip, swelling neck and sore muscles, I can only imagine the amount of pain he's going through. 

"Cal, honey, why don't you... Come with me... I can just—" Her voice broke as she started sobbing; slowly, then harder. 

"Mum." Calum sighed, limping towards Joy. 

He lifted his arms as far as he could and wrapped them around his mother, cringing, but still squeezing and comforting her as much as he could. 

"I'm fine, mum. I'll be okay." He assured quietly, his voice sounding strained. 

I find it quite sweet — Calum's relationship with Joy — but when they pulled away from each other Joy shook her head, making tears slip from her eyes, and covered her mouth with her hand to try to stop her sobs. 

"Mum, I'll be fine, okay? I'll be fine in a few days, I promise."

Joy nodded but a sob still escaped her mouth due to the shock of what happened to her son, especially because she could only stand there and watch.

"Joy," I said quietly, getting her attention. "Why don't you go and sit down? I'll take care of Calum."

"Are you— are you sure?" She asked quietly through sobs. 

I nodded politely. "I've done it many times before, it's fine. Just sit down and relax, I'll clean him up."

She nodded gratefully before quickly disappearing upstairs. 

Calum sighed when I turned around to face him, "I know you're just going to yell at me so don't even bother, I'll clean myself up."

I shook my head while rolling my eyes and gently grabbed his wrist so that I could pull him into the kitchen, where I stopped at the island bench and gestured to one of the seats, "Sit."

I turned my back to see if there is any ice in the freezer and heard the chair scrape along the floor, and with a grunt from Calum he sat down. 

With the little ice I found in the freezer, I placed the cubes into a piece of paper towel and handed it to him. 

"Here, put this on your knuckles, it'll numb them for you." I said gently as I placed the makeshift ice pack into his bruised and split knuckles slowly. 

He winced but held the ice pack there and gave me a small smile. "Thanks."

Grabbing bags of frozen peas and other vegetables, I placed one gently to his bruised — and already swelling — jaw and made sure the it reached all the way over to his split lip as well.