Butterfly Kisses

Part 3

I exit the hospital and feel the chilly night air hit me like a bucket of ice. I was at the hospital for nearly 5 hours today. I cherished every second. All 18,000 of them. Tomorrow it's Monday, back to school and work which means less time to see Benny. I pull my cardigan closer to my body and take the short 7 minute walk from the hospital to home. Home use to be a gorgeous modern 3 bedroom house with lots of space. Now it's a run down 3 bedroom flat. Closer to the hospital. We had to sell our old house to get money to pay for Benny's treatment. Mum is constantly working to get more money to help not only Benny but to pay for our living expenses as well. I work nearly every night too just trying to make it easier for mum. I want to leave school but she refuses to let me. I turn a corner, walk down the street and reach home. The rusty front gate screams as it opens. The unsightly overgrown lawn begs for attention but we just don't have the time to maintain it. I pull my keys from my pocket and go to put them in the lock when I realize the door is already slightly ajar. I slowly push it open wincing as it creaks. My gut twisting, I take a step inside and hear glass crack beneath my shoes. I freeze on the spot. I look down to see the photo frame holding a photo of mum, Benny and I completely smashed. I somehow gather up the courage I didn't even know I had to take another step. The house is completely dark aside from a glow the moon has through our thin, tattered curtains. I turn a corner and expect to see a dark kitchen but instead nothing could prepare me for the dark figure that lunged towards me, arms outstretched.

The large dark figure hits me full force gripping his arms around my stomach and chest, pining my elbows to my side. I try to scream but the sound is lost in the hand covering my mouth. I struggle and twist in his grip but he jostles me around and holds on tighter.

"Stop squirming and I won't hurt you" a deep voice says sending chills down my spine.

I freeze, finally realizing the full extent of danger I'm in, when I hear a click and something cold and hard press against my temple. It's over. All I can do is stand here and wait for the blow. Minutes, seconds even, could be all the time I have left. My heavy breathing feels constricted by the masked mans arms. His grip tightening even though I'm not struggling.

"Where's the money?" He asks

"I.. I don't have any" I stutter

"Jewelry, watches, anything I don't care. Tell me where it is" he says gripping even harder than I thought possible. I yelp in pain

"Look at this house!" I yell pleadingly.

"Do you honestly think we have anything of value!" I say desperately trying to get him to believe me. He seems to ponder the thought but before anything is said he pushes me with so much force I stumble and slam my hips into the kitchen counter that was in front of us. I cry out and slump down into the counter top eventually slipping to the floor unable to move from the crippling surges of pain that's flowing through my body.

Oh no, the money... My money. I try to stand up but the pain in my hips is just to much to bare. I work as a waitress in the local cafe. I get paid cash in hand and with tips. I never saw the need for bank accounts so I kept the money at home. Hidden in a small locked box on the top of my closet, right at the back. I pull myself up, ignoring the pain and hobble to my bedroom. The whole house is trashed. It looks like the guy had gone through everything. I feel sick to the stomach when I realize that my money is probably gone. I get to my room and see that the plush toys normally placed nicely on the top of my wardrobe are now strewn across the room. I panic, forgetting about the roaring pain in my hips, I rush to the wardrobe feeling the top for any signs of a wooden box. Nothing. It's gone. All that money. Hundreds of dollars gone like that. I slump to the floor giving up. I can't believe it. I pull out my phone and see that it's around 9 o'clock. Mum won't be home until 10. The pain in my hips still throbbing, I lay myself back and hit my head "shit" I mutter and reach to move whatever I hit. A small box. My heart stops. I lurch forward wincing at my hips and see that it's my small wooden box full of money. Still locked and secure. I shake it and hear movement. The old carved wooden box mustn't of looked expensive enough for the guy. I bring the box to my chest and hug it. Thank god.

------------------------------------------

"Erica"

"Erica!" The screams reach my ears and I open my eyes groggily. I must have fallen asleep.

"Erica!!" Mum screams frantic.

"In here" I yell back. Voice cracking slightly. She rushed to the door and looks at me.

"What the hell happened! Are you ok!?" She yells even though she's 2 meters away from me. She turns on the lights and reaches down to help me up, I wince at the pain that's still throbbing like mad.

"Oh my god are you ok?" She says when she sees my face scrunched in pain.

"Yeah. Just a bad bruise" I answer to scared to see what it looks like.

"How'd you get it?" She asks looking scared to know the answer.

"The guy that did this" I gesture to the wreck of a house "was still here when I got back. And he threw me into the kitchen counter to get away" "let me see" she says.

"No mum it's fine, don't worry it's just a small bruise"

"Erica" she says in her motherly tone.

I sigh and lift up my shirt and adjust my pants a little lower. I don't look down though. I'm afraid seeing how bad it looks might increase the pain. But the horrified look on mums face spikes my curiosity and I can't help but look down. My entire hip area and lower stomach looks like a painful rainbow with deep purple and blue and pink scattered throughout the area.

"I'll get some ice" mum says and leaves the room before I can respond. I sigh and move slowly to lay on my bed. I roll up my shirt and take off my pants and wait for the ice pack.

"Here you go darling" mum says and places the ice pack gently on my bruises.

"Thanks mum. But I just want to sleep now"

Mum smiles and kisses my forehead. "Goodnight sweety"

"Night mum"

The moment she leaves my eyes shut and sleep takes over.