The Oak Tree And The Shotgun.

Chapter 11

Jackie's POV

"Oh my God Jackie! What are you doing? Please stop hurting yourself. Just open this up please. Let me help you. Please!" A girl knocked and tried to open the door.

I didn't care. I just cried. I just kept cutting.

Then the door swung open and she grabbed my hand, taking the blade from it and tossing it away.

I still wasn't able to breathe. She wrapped her arms around me and petted my hair.

"Shhh, breathe. It's ok. You'll be ok. Just... breathe." Her voice calmed me. Made be feel safe. Made it feel ok to cry. And I did I cried non stop.

My pants and underwear was still collected at my ankles but she didn't care.

"Let it out love. I'm here." She petted me till I calmed down then she pulled away and closed the door.

"Would you like me to help you ?" She looked down at me cutely.

She had a face filled with freckles, apologetic green eyes and flaming orange hair. She had a red and white first aid kit sling bag over her body.

"Please. I promise I won't tell anyone what happened if you promise to never do it again. But please just let me help you. What's a medical student for anyways?"  She looked down at me.

She had a full figure and even though she looked tall from my angle she was actually short. I nodded and she helped me up slowly then sat me down on the toilet seat.

"There you go. You know, periods are quite nasty, you shouldn't be that afraid of it unless it's your first time and you didn't know even though you should know at this age. I'm not going to judge though I just want to help." She went down on her knees in front of me and opened her bag, getting out gloves, a bottle reading "Chlorhexidine 1% in water" and gauzes.

"If I was you I wouldn't worry about the accident, or the kids in class or Mr. Benjamin. They're all being nice about it. Is this the your first period?" She watched me as she dipped the liquid onto the gauze and cleaned the line of blood that had been dripping on the floor.

I shrugged. I didn't know what to say. This was the nicest someone's been towards me other than how moma used to be.

"Ok then. The blade you used. What did you use it to cut before now just and was it rusted?" She took out another gauze and put the liquid on.

"It looked like it hadn't been used. It wasn't rusted." I didn't dare look at her. I was so embarrassed.

"That is super great. Now this might burn and hurt but I have to sanitize your leg so I can destroy germs and clean your wound ok?" She said and I nodded, balling my hands tightly into fists and biting on my teeth in preparation.

She then placed it on my wound and I groaned and twisted my face in pain.

She dabbed it all then she took another and wiped it all till it was completely clean and all you could see was a thigh with cuts on.

"You ok?" She watched me pleadingly.

I nodded.

"Oo, that's going to leave a bunch of horrible marks love. Why'd you hurt yourself like that?"

I looked down, closing my eyes.

"Ok, that's fine. As long as you tell at least someone because I don't think you done it because of your period. Then again, you could always use tissue oil to better the marks in future." She smiled and took out 3 orange patches from a packet that read "Inadine sheets" and a big white patche that read "Tegaderm Patches".

She put 3 patches over my thigh and then covered them with the white patch. The sides he stuck to my skin.

"There. I'll give you 9 more Indadine sheets and 3 more Tegaderm patches. You need to change it twice or thrice before it gets better. That's 2 or 3 days. So.. yeah."

She packed away everything and threw the disposable things away before coming to me and handing me the patches as she promised. She was smiling from ear to ear.

I was thinking about how much I envied her smile. How much I wished i had her happiness, that maybe I could swap lives.. no. I would hate for someone else to go through what i have to go through everyday. And I guess the grass isn't greener on the other side.

I bet the grass growing in my neighbors yard is greener. Apple green. Bottle green. All types of good green.

Fingers snapped in front of my eyes.

"Jackie. You still here?" She asked and I nodded.

"Sorry." I opened my mouth.

"That's ok. Here are the replacements for your leg and here is about 3 sanitary towels. Wait here. I'll be back with bottoms for you. Give me.. 2 minutes." She smiled, waved and closed the door before she ran off.

I could've left. I would've if I didn't need what she'd promised to get me so i waited. And when she still didn't come back after two minutes I panicked.

But it wasn't long after two minutes when she arrived.

"Hey Jackie, this isn't quite your style but it's all I have right now." She tossed a clean pair of heart pants underwear,  a dress and stockings with intricate patterns on over the cubicle.

"I'll be waiting just here in case you need assistance. You get dressed." And I got dressed.

The dress was pearl brown with lacey long sleeves and a cute collar with tiny pink pearls in the corners. The stockings was brown with flowering patterns all over. I liked the dress but I felt hideous and naked so I wrapped my yellow and blue hoodie over it and slipped into my black converse and cleaned up before coming out.

"You look uneven. Loosen up. That hoodie doesn't suit this outfit and neither does the shoes." She watched me. She had a pair of takkie heels in her hands and plain pumps in the other.

"These will look super cute but these are more suited for the weather. I have a raincoat if you want." I started to wonder where she kept all the clothing.

"No thank you. You've done more than enough." She handed me the pearl pink takkie heels and watched me put them on.

"I could do so much more. It's not a problem I love to help wherever I can. Please." She begged.

"I really shouldn't." I looked down at my feet.

"Sometimes it's ok to take advantage when you're in need of it Jax. especially when it's not minded and being given to you without a cost." She smiled.

"I.. Uhm.." damnit I almost asked her name.

"It's Grace. My name." Quite an ironic name might I add.

"Oh. Thank you Grace. I really appreciate what you're doing for me. I don't deserve it." She swatted me. It hurt but I didn't show it.

"Oh com'mon don't be silly. You haven't done anything horrible to me or my family. You deserve it and you don't owe me anything in return. Now. What do you say we put all of this in a plastic bag and go get your rain coat.

She walked to me and tugged jacket off my shoulder and in a quick motion I pulled it back and watched her.

"Don't worry. If you're hiding something I can't see it through the lace." She smiled.

"I won't ask you anything i promise." And I felt like crying again.

I didn't understand how she was being so nice or why she was being so nice. No one ever was.

"No. I'll keep this on thank you." I put my clothing in a packet and put the packet in my bag before I slung the heavy thing over my shoulder.

"Ok that's not a problem. I'm going to check on you tomorrow ok?." She places her hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently.

I nodded.

"Don't hide." She smiled and left.