Ulterior Motives

Chapter 28 Everybody Hurts

Natsuki's POV:

   Sayori pushed herself up into a sitting position, her eyes were wide and rapidly filling with tears. She deserved to know, she was my best friend, I stumbled forward.

  "Natsuki what happened?" She whimpered helping me to sit on her bed. I had spent the whole week in the closet, I was malnourished, in pain and weak. My papa opened  the door and slammed it on my leg. He was in a rage, my mom had sent him divorce papers. You'd think after leaving eleven years ago,  she'd have served them a long time ago. My papa just sat over me,  punching, slapping,  kicking,  choking.  He was blinded by his rage. I didn't blame him. I thought of leaving him all the time...I wanted to be with Yuri...I deserved everything I got.

As I sat here, with Sayori,  breathing erratically and trying to keep smiling but my fat lip was making it unpleasant, I realized that I needed to come clean.
   "My papa wasn't too happy with me...this week." I whisper, still I had ran out on him, the minute my papa had stopped beating me, I ran. I went to Yuri's, but nobody  was home. So I knew I had to find Sayori. Sayori's hand covers mine.
   "I'm so sorry nat, but I'm here for you. You need to be looked at Natsuki,  you could have broken ribs." She encouraged, I was grateful for my friend, she hid her shock for me. She didn't want to freak me out.

   "I can't...they'll know..." I rasped, it was really hard to see Sayori through my swollen eye.
   "Natsuki your dad needs help, you can't keep covering for him, look at what he did to you.  Your face is so swollen I can't even tell if it's you talking to me unless I hear your voice.
    "I don't want to go alone." I whimper feeling small. Sayori straightens up,  before she crawls over to me and wraps her arms around my shaking frame.
   "You're not alone, you said you were sorry, well I'm sorry too, I'm sorry I never noticed what he was doing to you." Her voice trembles and I sob.

  "He always has hurt me, ever since my mom left, but it was never this bad, I don't know what I'm doing wrong." I confide sobbing into my hands, which burns my bruised and torn flesh. Everything just hurts.

  "Hey Sayo, Yuri and I brought over some movies and snacks. " Monika's voice drifted from behind the curtain. Sayori's eyes widened
  "Don't come in here-" I took her hand shaking my head.
   "It's alright Sayori, Yuri already knows. " I explained and her eyes soften.  The curtain is thrown back immediately and my concerned girlfriend drops all the videos she was previously carrying and practically materializes in front of me.

   "Holy shit!" Monika rasps, her expression is unreadable but she looks confused and concerned all rolled into one.
   "Suki, Suki look at me," Yuri's expression is clear. She's pissed. She kneels in front of me and gently moves my face to examine my wounds.
"Yuri should I go get your mom...or Sayori's mom...ones a doctor...the others a nurse.. Natsuki..?" Monika's trying to be useful,  she's not use to sitting around.  I look to Sayori who nods.
    "I don't care which..." I mutter falling into Yuri's embrace. She looks unsure where to put her hands. "I'm sorry I lied...papa locked the closet all week...couldn't come see you. " I confess and her arms encircle me protectively. Monika hobbles away with a click click click of her crutches.

   "Natsuki,  I can't believe this..." Sayori is shaking and I've never seen my kindhearted friend so angry. "Has he done this before?" She questioned and I sighed turning in Yuri's arms to look at her sadly.
     "I'm sorry Sayori,  but he's always locked me in the closet.  Since mom left." I admitted sadly as Yuri kissed my forehead.
      "Yuri what's going on?" Lily stopped in her tracks as I looked over at her.

  "I guess I shouldn't be walking around at night by myself." I lied with a smile. Yuri and Sayori frowned at me.
    "Oh my gosh, um let me get you a room.  We'll see the damage,  do you want me to call Reo's cousin,  he's a police officer..." I shook my head wincing as my vision became blurry and my head pounded.
   "I don't want to press charges, but can you fix me up?" I rasp and she nods as Yuri helps me to my feet and we follow after her mom. Well I hobble, even worse than Monika.  Yuri kept glancing at me in concern as I lagged,  becoming more and more slow.

   "Suki you're too injured, I'm gonna help you okay?" She whispered before I felt her hook her arm under my knees and pick me up. But I was too out of it to be embarrassed.

  When I wake up Yuri's mom is gone, and Yuri's sitting in a chair in the corner of the small room, clutching a knife. I push myself into a sitting position.
   "Y-yuri what are you doing?" Everything is stinging and my left arm is wrapped tightly and I'm pretty sure a couple ribs are broken but I'll ask about me later.  I'm more concerned for my girlfriend.
    "Natsuki!" The knife clatters against the floor as she drops it in shock. I cringe when my bruised arm scrapes against the weird examination table I'm laying on.

  "I didn't mean to scare you. " I murmur, still a bit groggy as I stare at the knife for a minute. Wait was there blood on the knife? I look up at my girlfriend who's avoiding my gaze. I look at her arms. My eyes widen, there's so much blood, it's dripping down her arms, staining her sleeves.  "Yuri why are you bleeding? Did you, did you...hurt yourself?" I whimper and she looks down at her clasped hands.
   "I'm sorry Natsuki,  I haven't done this in so long...the last time I actually cut was freshman year, my dad found me...I just...everything is so out of control...its all my fault you're getting hurt..I don't know how to help you...I feel so worthless..." I swing my legs around and stumble from the table. Yuri looks stricken.
   "You're doing this because of me?" I whimper and she shakes her head immediately.
    "No Suki, no...I'm doing it because of me, I just...I feel...so helpless....like everything is out of my control ...this is the only thing I have control over right now..." she reasoned and I shook my head.
   "Yuri,  you can't do that to yourself!" I feel my lips trembling and Yuri looks down at me intently. "Please don't do this to yourself. " I'm sobbing all over and Yuri goes to wrap her arms around me when there's a bang. I turn towards the noise, a very pale Lily stands in the doorway shaking.

"Mom it's not what you think..." Yuri exclaims and before I can help, yuri's mom faints. Like her eyes flutter and she goes down.

  "I thought your mom was a doctor!?" I exclaimed, feeling frantic. Yuri is rinsing her arms in the sink and wrapping them with gauze she found in a drawer.
   "Well maybe it's different when it's me... you know seeing me all bloody..." Yuri reasons as I dab Yuri's mom's forehead.

   "What's going on?" She slurs as her eyes blink open.  Yuri and I share a look.
  "Ummm..."

To Be Continued  .....