The Campus Demon {Nanowrimo 2020}

Chapter 22

Becca jerked her head to the side as the glass door creaked open, she was about wiping a sheen of sweat from Michael's forehead with her folded handkerchief. She sat back in the hard chair, biting her lower lip and looking downwards at the metal wheel of the hospital bed. Someone stood behind her, placing a placating hand on her shoulder. Becca mentally counted from one to ten before inclining her head to stare at Fikkie's stormy grey eyes.

His face held the faintest hint of a smile as he rounded the corner and sat beside her, rubbing his palm on his jeans as if in apprehension. "Did the doctor come yet?" He asked. He leaned forward, eyeing his brother's almost lifeless form. He threw Becks a quick glance as she tried to find her voice. The jagged marks she'd seen on Michael's face kept playing in her mind.

"No, he didn't," Beck confirmed, "But if not, I'd have texted you." Fikkie gave a curt nod, bowing his head.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, his deep voice barely above a whisper. "You shouldn't have to find out about my family that way, it was terrible of me to have kept it away from you."

"Yes," Becks responded, brows creasing. "I've put up with shit from you, told you everything there is to know about me but the one thing that's important to you, you kept it away from me. How believable is that?" She slapped her forehead in frustration, tears clouding her eyes.

"I'm very sorry, Beck, I should have spoken up sooner. But the horrid memory, I'd have to live with it for the rest of my life. Don't you think that's enough pressure on me?" Fikkie blew out a tense breath, scratching the light stubble on his chin. He flexed his stiff fingers, his chest tightening.

"Whatever happened to your parents?" Becks inquired. She knew she was being insensitive to her boyfriend's feelings but she needed to know. It was her right. Her tongue flicked over her lips as she drew in a deep shaky breath.

"Alright, alright. So, here's the long story. My parents decided to carry me along on a road trip to Bayelsa. We packed a few of our belongings in the car trunk and then got in, I was very excited, seeing as my parents had managed to agree on one thing. You see, my dad mostly had heavy arguments with my mum. Our home was chaotic."

Fikkie clenched his fist, his eyes darting here and there. Becks placed a hand over his as a form of reassurance, rubbing slow circles to ease his rapid heartbeat.

"My father used to beat me quite a number of times. Not as if I did something in particular he hated. He was always bitter, angry, at my mum, my younger brother and everybody else. At some point, he started coming home drunk to stupor, there were lots of insults to go around. I felt unwanted, wasn't so close to my mum either. Because she worked hard to clean up my dad's mess."

Becks linked hands with Fikkie, he turned to face her, his face contorted in anguish. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me the full story," she pleaded softly.

"No, you wanted it so you're going to hear it," he said, his voice coming out a bit harsh. He waved a hand in front of his face, chuckling darkly. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine," Becks said. "I appreciate you telling, it's a step to gaining your freedom."

"So, this trip actually meant a lot to me. And my brother of course. My dad had actually stopped drinking a week before. An eight year old me thought, 'hey look, things were eventually going to be better'. But barely, we started the journey. Mum was laughing, for the first time in a while, her hand was flying out the open windows. I inhaled the sweet scent of rose flowers planted along the side of the road, smiling to myself. What could possibly go wrong, right?"

Fikkie pressed his lips into a thin line, Becks noticed that his hold on her grew stronger. She trusted him right there and then, he was and would be the only guy she'd ever fallen head over heels in love with. "We made a pit stop at a convenience store to get some snacks. My dad was in the front seat, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel while I looked at mum as she hurried across the road into the store. She turned to glance at me and then, headed in."

"We waited for a while, Dad, an asleep Michael,  and I. Until finally, she got out, skimping happily. She waved at little me, and I did same. Dad grunted. She made to cross with a black nylon in her grasp. I noticed it too late. A big train that was on high speed ran her over, crushing what was left of her. I could never forgive myself for what happened. Then, three years later, dad finally remarried this control seeking freak that pretended like she gave a shit about me."

"She already had a daughter then, Smiler, was her name. She was nine, I remember. My younger brother used to play with her a lot, they'd go for walks most at times. But I could see that my step mum didn't actually like that. She hated us for some weird reason. Now, that's the story. I've been wanting to tell you for a while but I never gathered enough courage to." Fikkie's shoulders slumped, a storm was brewing in his head.

Becks continued to rub his back, pulling him closer to her. She felt his pain, having lost a close aunt at a young age, death was an eventual bitch. "I don't want to lose Michael, he's all I've got." Fikkie sobbed, sniffing to hold in the moist, threatening to drip from his nose. They stayed that way for what seemed like forever, basking in each other's warmth until someone cleared his throat. Becks jolted apart from Fikkie, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Doctor James looked up from the report card he was holding, smiling brightly. "Sorry for stealing your moment but ummm, I'll need to talk to you for a sec," he directed at Fikkie politely. Fikkie frowned, gulping.

"Is there any problem, doc?" He asked, rasping.

"Not exactly, mind if I see you in my office?" He enquired after doing a few check ups on Michael.

"Sure," Fikkie agreed, slipping his hand into his pocket. Before he left, he placed a soft kiss on Beck's cheek, mumbling a quick, "I'll be right back."

Becks smiled understandably, watching him disappear behind closed doors. She fished in her purse for her phone, figuring she'd be waiting for quite sometime. Her brows shot up when she slid a thumb across the lock screen, seeing several missed calls from an unknown number. She went through the call log, debating on whether to call back. Deciding against it, she closed the app, looking around the almost empty ward for want of something to keep her busy.

The sun was now an orange ball of fire that had nearly sunk below the horizon, casting dark hues on the earth. Becks wandered to the open windows, enjoying the feel of the light breeze on her skin. She inhaled deeply, soaking up the dreamy moment, the here and now.