Little Shelby Girl

Part 11. Relief

Vive's POV

I open my eyes and look into the fire place, which is off at the moment. I can't move. The only thing I feel is the sore pain everywhere. As I lay here trying to process everything that has happened last night. My father, my brothers, Polly...

I'm having a hard time breathing I notice. It's because I lay in a very, very uncomfortable position right now. Where's everyone and what time is it? I try to lift my head, but that's a bad idea. I sigh as I accept the fact that I have to lay completely still to not be in an extreme pain.

"Pol?" I try.

"Hey, you awake?" God she scared me. Apparently, she was lying just far enough so I couldn't see her. She comes near me putting her hand on the side of my head. "I'm here, how'd you feel?" You almost slept through the whole day."

"What time is it?" My throat is so dry, I can hardly form any words. "It's five p.m." she responds.

Crazy, I though it was early in the morning. I'm quietly staring at the fire pit. I'm in pain, but I try to ignore it a little.

"How does your back feel?" Polly asks. It's on fucking fire.

"Numb."

Polly nods "I need to clean the wounds on your back and put new ice on it, alright?" I want her to leave. I don't know why, but I just don't want her to be with me now.

"Pol, sorry, can you get Tommy to do it, please?" Still speaking into the fire place. I can't see her face expression but the silence betrays her thoughts.

"Yes, I'll get you Tommy." I hear her walking to Tommy's working room. "She's awake and she asks for you" She says.

A minute later, I hear footsteps coming my way. Tommy comes near me kneeling in front of my face, sitting on his knees next to the bed. I don't know why, but seeing him makes me start crying. I don't know if it's relieve or fear. His eyes looking into mine makes me feel safe, but also brings me back to yesterday. He gives me a reassuring smile.

"There you are, how are you love..." Him seeing the tears welling up in my eyes gives the answer.

"Shh, don't cry love.. " He looks at me with a sad face, stroking my cheek with one hand, grabbing my hand with the other.

"I'm here, we're all here." He says. I try to nod, but still can't really move.

"Help me..." I try to say between my tears.

"What do you want me to do?" He says softly.

I want you to save me, protect me, take over my pain, helping me to forget yesterday and don't ever leave me.

"My back, I need to sit up, this hurts." I say. He nods. "Then we'll get you up eh."

Tommy's POV

Of course I know helping her sit up straight is not the only thing she wants me to help her with. She looks completely chattered by everything that has happened yesterday. Besides Finns death, yesterday has been the absolute worst day of my life.

I nod at her question, "then we'll get you up eh". Before I help her sitting up I need to remove the blanket Polly has put on her back. "I'll remove this first okay?" When I pull up the blanket she moans. Some parts are dried up on the wounds which makes this again, a painful job.

"Good girl." I now pick her arm and shoulder and help her sit up. She looks a bit dizzy, so I still hold her while she sits. "That's it, how does that feel? Better?" She gives me a small nod.

"How bad is it?" She asks, referring to her wounds. I sigh as I look at her, "it's bad Vive, not gonna lie to you. You have a lot of stitches." She nods, giving me straight face. "Did you kill him?" she continues. A thirteen year old, asking me this question as if she asks for a cookie. It's ridiculous how fast she'd grown up. It's definitely not what I wanted for her.

"Arthur did." I say. She looks at me in disbelief, tears welling up again. "Oh, thank you god, thank you god" she whispers as she starts to cry again. Out of relief. Relief that she can finally let go of the fear for her own father. Probably expected a different answer.

She bends her head forward, leaning on my shoulder. I hold her head while I sigh in the air and close my eyes for a second.

"Are there more things I don't know Vive?" She now looks up at me and shakes her head. "My body told it all didn't it?" I nod. Her body did tell it all. Her nightmares, her sometimes weird and inexplicable behaviour towards us.

"I'll help you get cleaned alright? Can you stay in this position by yourself?" Her hands grabbing to the side of the bed.

"I think I can." She says. I slowly let go of her shoulders, not letting her out of my sight. I fill a bucket with warm water and get alcohol to clean the cuts. I move behind her and carefully press a cloth to the wounds with water and alcohol, one bye one. I try to tell her about the horse I want to buy her to distract her a little from the pain the cleaning comes with. The way she bites her teeth and hisses by every touch, I see it's not really helping.

"Just breath in and breath out, easy easy." She does as I tell her. "Good, in and out. Almost done." I continue as I finish the last spot on her back. The wounds are swollen, but they look 'calm'.

"Alright, that's it. How does your head and stomach feel?" I give a questioned look.

"I can handle it." She says looking down at the blue, grey spot on her side. I smile at her. "Of course you can. You're the strongest of us all aren't ya."

I remove the bucket from her bed so she can lay in it again. I help her until she's comfortable enough and I get myself a spot besides her bed. "Can you stay?" she asks me.

I give her a small nod. Of course I'll stay. Never leaving the girl again in my life.

"Where's John and Arthur?"

"I don't know" I respond, lying because I know Arthur's drinking his head off in The Garrison and John's at his house watching the kids. Mentally not ready yet to visit her.

"They mad at me?" She says. 

I'm confused by the question. "And why would that be?"

She shrugs as she watched away from me "don't know, because they don't want to see me apparantly"

I shake my head grabbing her chin softly, "eh, look at me, yesterday we nearly lost you. Arthur and John, they're still shocked about the whole situation. Tomorrow they will visit you alright? They're definitely not mad at you."

I know they're both mad as hell. Not at her, but at themselves, just like me. Even though she didn't really tell us about our fathers ruthlessness... we all should have seen it when she was standing there, peeing her fucking pants by him only speaking to her. It's unforgivable.

I'm being distracted by my own thought when I notice Vive already fell asleep.