Tales of Another Broken Home

[9]- Saved by the camera

The nurse checked me over once again.

"You have a concussion and your right arm may be broken" she explained "Your father has agreed to take you to the hospital after the meeting to get you checked out".

I sighed. A meeting? A concussion? And I might have a broken arm. Thanks alot Helena.

I got up and walked over to the office. Billie and Adrienne hadn't arrived yet, but Helena's parents had. "You see Dad! That's the girl that punched and kicked me" Helena whined. "What? I didn't punch and kick you" I said.

"Then explain her lip" her father growled, pointing towards her cut lip. I wasn't in the mood for another argument. I walked into the room where Jakob was sitting.

"How are you feeling?" he whispered.

"Pretty bad" I whispered back "Head hurts like mad and the nurse thinks I broke my arm"

"Shit, Dad's gonna be pissed at Helena"

"Mr and Mrs. Armstrong, come through here" the princible ordered. Billie and Adrienne walked through the doors. Billie looked frustrated and Adrienne looks worried.

"How are you feeling?" Billie asked me, kneeling down to my height on the chair.

"Not very good." I replied "Sorry you had to come in"

"Don't be sorry Dakota" Adrienne said "Its not your fault."

Adrienne and Billie sat down on the chairs next to Jakob and I.

"So, Mr and Mrs Armstrong. Today as you may of heard your child has been involved in a fight with another student. Helena Rentino." Mr Gryles, the Princible said "Now. Helena and Dakota have told different stories, so Dakota do you care to explain"

"Well, today in English" I started "Helena sat b-behind me" Billie and Adrienne started at eachother. "Don't worry. Stuttering is common in a strike to the head."

"Well today in english, Helena sat behind me and started t-to make fun of my broth- my brother, Tyler. Then she made fun of B-Billie and I got mad I guess"

"What did you do?" Mr Gryles asked.

"I kicked her desk" I admitted "I didn't mean for it to cut her lip though. I didn't even realise I had"

"Then at break" Jakob contunued "Dakota went to go get her iPod from her locker"

"Then thats when she grabbed me" I said "She p-pulled me up from my collar and then she got a b-bat" I paused "That's all I remember." Adrienne had watery eyes, and Billie looked upset.

"Now, Helena has said the opposite to that story" Mr Gryles said "So we have to find a way to resolve the issue"

"What about CCTV footage? We have it here right?" Jakob suggested

"Yes, if you were in the right place we could see if it was captured on camera". He grabbed a small laptop from his desk and set it up. It had the camera's logo on the front. He started to look through the footage. "Ah, found it" he said "Mr and Mrs Rentino and Helena please come in". Helena and her parents walked into the room to watch the footage. Billie gave a look at Helena's parents who mirrored the look back at him.

Mr. Gryles played the footage. I looked down at my lap, I didnt know where else to look. I heard Billie gasp. "C'mon Dakota, we're taking you to the hospital" Adrienne said pulling me up and walking me out the door. "Can we resolve this later?" Billie asked as he got up and followed Jakob out the door.

We all got in the car. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys" I said quietly "It's my fault".

"It's not your fault" Billie said "Helena deserved it"

"We don't need to go to the hospital, I'm fine"

"You have a concussion Dakota. Your head is bleeding and your arm is swollen" Adrienne said. I forgot that I had a rag pressed up against my forhead where the cut was.

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When we arrived at the hospital, we all waited to be called in the the doctor's room. "Roderick, Dakota" the doctor said. We all got up and walked toward the room.

"Now what seems to be the problem?" he asked

"My daughter was struck with a baseball bat to the head and arm" Adrienne said, sounding concerned.

"Well, first we are going to have to have a MRI scan to make sure that there isnt any bleeding in the brain."

Billie and Adrienne looked concerned. They've only known that I existed for a week and they already treat me as if I am their own kid. I was wheeled down the hospital's corridors into a small room. They took and MRI of my brain to make sure that I hadn't suffered any major head injuries.

After the MRI scan, Billie, Adrienne, Jakob and I waited in a room for the results.

"You have a concussion" the nurse said "You should be fine in a few days, but you may have a few symptoms during the time that your brain is trying to recover"

"What type of symptoms?" Billie asked

"Well they can range from headaches, tiredness and memory loss from around the time of the fight." she explained "But she may have more severe symptoms such as difficulty staying awake or remembering small things like names"

"How long will it last?" Adrienne asked the nurse

"A concussion can last anywhere from a few days or weeks"

"What about my arm?" I asked, pointing to my swollen arm.

"Well, we will take an x-ray to make sure it isn't broken or fractured" she said as she stood up "Come with me"

The nurse said that Billie, Adrienne and Jakob couldn't come to the room while my arm was been x-rayed. I sat down on the chair and the nurse placed my arm on the table. "Keep it as still as you can" she said. The machine started up with beep's following after. A flash lit up the room. "All done." she smiled "Now go back to the room and we will have your results soon".

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"Your wrist is broken in two places, but it should be able to heal on its own with the help of a cast" the Doctor explained "It should take about 4-6 weeks to full recover"

"Can I still play guitar?" I asked

"I wouldn't recommened it" he said "But when you come for your next check up in 2 weeks, it may be healed enough to take the cast off". I looked a Billie and he looked back. He could tell that I was upset more about not been able to play the guitar than actually having a broken arm and a concussion.

I got a cast on my wrist. I chose black. Don't ask why, but I just felt like it.

"I'm sorry that this happened Dakota" Billie said on the way home from the hospital.

"It's fine" I said "I've had a broken arm and a concussion before"

"Well, hopefully they will expell Helena" Adrienne interuptted "I don't want to hear anything else from her, she and her brother have caused enough harm to my kids". We pulled up onto the drive way of the house and we all hopped out. Joey was waiting for us outside. "Hey. I heard what happened" he exclaimed "How is Dakota?" he asked.

"I'm feeling sore, but I'm sure i'll get better" I smiled. Positivity was a foriegn feeling, but I'm sure it would make me feel a bit better. That night I found it hard to get to sleep. Was this the same thing Tyler would of seen when he was killed? A bat to his head? Life sucks at times.