When Bad Gets Worse

Chapter 4

Jayce was looking past the doctor at this moment, not even listening to his words. Why is he here? What kind of thug stabs you and then takes you to a hospital? An idea suddenly popped up in his eyes as he spoke for the first time since the doctor walked into the room. "I'm having a bit of trouble remembering what happened and why I'm here." Jayce said, seeming to be a little embarrassed. The doctor laughed a little, almost seemed to be surprised that Jayce was able to speak. He then looked through his clipboard for a few seconds, mumbling the contents to himself for a while, until he finally found what he was looking for. "Ah, here it is. You suffered a few contusions in the rib area and several other places." He mumbles again through the paper, looking for relevant information. "The only notable injury here is the stab wound to the lower back." The doctor then took a lecturing tone, "Really, you got more than a little lucky. That stab wound was only a few centimeters away from your kidney. It would've been much more serious in that case. Anyway, we stitched you up when you arrived so as long as you don't do anything too strenuous on your back it should heal nicely..." He kept going and going, telling Jayce that he has a prescription for antibiotics to prevent infection and that he should keep the wound covered most of the time. He also scheduled a few days in the next few weeks to check on the healing process. Jayce nodded to everything. Of course, he wasn't planning on picking up the prescription nor was he intending to come back to the hospital.

As soon as Jayce heard the click of the door closing, he laid back and spread himself out on the uncomfortable bed. He stared at the ceiling for a while. "How much time has passed.. since I've last been at a hospital? Reminds me of how much I hate them." Jayce flipped to his non-injured side tenderly and had just closed his eyes to sleep, he was surprised that despite being unconscious for a while, he felt extremely fatigued. Not long after, the sound of the door opening once again caused Jayce's eyes to snap open and lazily glance towards it. Sitting up again, he was thinking that maybe the doctor forgot to tell him something but it was an entirely different person.

Present

Getting home in a not-so-great mood, with the events at school and having to ride home on a public bus, Madelyn climbed the stairs that led to her bedroom with a disgruntled countenance, skipping a step with every stride. She quickly shut her door and locked it, not wanting to be bothered. She dropped her bag on the floor and flopped onto the bed face first, spreading her body into a 'X' letting out most of her built up frustration into her pillow until she needed to catch her breath. Madelyn just couldn't believe this guy. Everywhere she goes, she can never be rid of him. After school, Brandon offered her a ride home, which of course, she rejected. Erika just had to be right, didn't she?

A deep sigh was heard, muffled, as it was through the pillow as Madelyn slowly flipped her body over, lying on her back. She pans her head left and right, looking for where she had laid her cell phone down. Her room wasn't all that decorated, for a girl. She had a few posters of her favorite rock band, Loner's Lament, and just a few pictures of her and some friends at amusement parks and hang out spots taped to the edges of her vanity.

Unlocking her phone, she saw an unread text from her mom.

"Hey Maddie, I'll be out for most of the day so could you make sure to cook something for your sister to eat," Reluctantly, she got out of bed.

She decided that she'd start preparing the food now since Ellie would be dropped off by the school bus soon.

Going through the steps in a well-practiced manner, her mind drifts away. Her mom wasn't always the irresponsible mess that she is currently. Madelyn's father and mother were high school sweethearts. Perhaps they rushed into life too early. They got married at a young age and had Madelyn shortly after. It was only after Ellie was born that they started arguing more often. Madelyn remembers coming home from school and hearing their petty arguments before she even opened the door at times. Eventually they both decided together that they needed a break from each other. Her father visits every other week or so. By no means did she have bad feelings towards him, she felt he always treated her mom reasonably well. She was also a daddy's girl and was often doted upon by him, which would earn her a playful teasing from her mother.

This thought process was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. It snapped Madelyn out of her reverie. A little girl makes her way to the kitchen and hugs her sister.

"Mom's going to be late again?" she asked. The little girl was also accustomed to her mother coming home late at night, sometimes hungover.

  Ellie Greene was 7 years old. A happy-go-lucky girl with bright hazel eyes and the same auburn hair as her older sister. They have a very close relationship with each other and often times Madelyn finds herself rambling on while styling Ellie's unruly hair or in between breaks while helping her with homework. It helps her organize everything in her mind and from being too overwhelmed. 

Madelyn nodded and flashed Ellie a grin, "Yeah, the usual. I'll finish here soon and then I can help you with your homework, ok?" Ellie gave Madelyn a quick hug and skipped her way upstairs.

Standing in front of the door Jayce seems to find himself more and more often lately, he knocks, three times hard and twice soft. He can barely make out the tiny movement from the window shades. Shortly after, the sound of a chain being removed and two deadbolt locks entered his ears before the door was opened. There was a smiling man who greeted him. Jayce only knows him by the name 'Ralph.' He is clearly older than Jayce, probably eighteen or nineteen. Ralph is a lanky fellow with a goatee. Jayce was introduced to him shortly after his mothers' drinking and pill popping had become a problem.

"Finished already? You're a hard worker," Ralph said teasingly and held an open hand towards Jayce. Rolling his eyes, Jayce handed him a stack of cash. Having done this transaction a few times, he was used to Ralphs snarky attitude. Ralph is a person who puts money over everything. He had heard stories of people getting beaten up badly, or had even gone missing when they borrowed money from him and didn't pay it back by the deadline they had established. Jayce could tell by the manner of which he was humming to himself as he counts, confirming the amount. Ralph seemed to be in a good mood, perhaps because he was pleased with his speed and efficiency.

After doing some mental math he closes the door, gesturing for Jayce to wait right there for a few moments. When he returned, He came with a few baggies and a scale. Jayce nodded when he was ready and watched as they were put on the scale, one by one. Afterward, Ralph gave Jayce the bundle of baggies, whom then opened his school bag and accepted them all. One thing Jayce could say about Ralph was that he built an extremely lucrative business for himself. He was always honest and kept with his end of the bargain. He had never been shortchanged by him. It made him quite popular. It's ironic because many people know of Ralph, but only from the stories of others. He was intelligent, and had a small circle of dealers with whom he would actually show his face. After all, although he raked in a lot of money, it wasn't the safest or most orthodox method.

"I kinda need money at the moment, so I'll probably be back sooner than you think," Jayce said with an awkward look. This only make Ralphs smile even wider as he replied. "No worries, no worries, I'll make sure I have enough for when you come back." Jayce started heading out as soon as he heard his answer. His relationship with Ralph was purely business. Even though they seemed friendly, Jayce knew it was a bad idea to interact with him for longer than what was absolutely necessary.