Beloved
Farewell Aidan
For the next few days, Melodie allowed herself to get comfortable. When the weekend came, all six beds were full and Aidan and I were forced to sleep downstairs on the sofas. Davey was 'discharged'. The lounge felt more like a mental home.
"Frankie, we got a new person." were the words that I awoke to on Sunday morning.
"What? Another one?" I yawned.
"He's knocked out and bleeding. His mom threw him out of their car...We need to get him stitched up fast, or else we're gonna have to take him to the hospital...Remember what happened to Jamie when we took her to the hospital?" he asked.
"All too well...Alright, I'll turn on the light."
I got up and followed my word. The new kid looked about twelve, and his chest had a giant gash in it. I hurried to fetch the supplies for Aidan before he could open his mouth again.
He pushed two tables together and layed the boy down. This was probably the worst injury I had seen so far, next to Jamie's head wound. I was actually scared. I stared nervously at Aidan, watching him pull on the gloves and take the stitching needle in his hand. There was so much blood, I couldn't bare to watch.
"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" he demanded.
"I can't watch this!" I answered.
"You're gonna have to. I need you down here." he shot.
"Aidan-"
"Dude, this is your safe-house too."
That ended the arguement. I walked over to him and looked over his shoulder. He told me to get some gloves on and put pressure on the gash. I obeyed.
An hour later, the wound was still bleeding. It seemed to me like it was worse. Aidan was freaking out, panicking, exactly like he had when Jamie went in.
"Damnit...This isn't working. Shit!" he hissed. "Start the car and put some towels down in the back seat."
"Okay. Take the stitches out, remember?" I said.
"We don't have time." he protested.
"You have to do it or else you could get in trouble!" I argued.
"He'll bleed to death if I take them out. Right now, they're the only things keeping him alive! Now start the fuckin' car!"
He tossed me the keys and I ran outside to start the car. I turned the heater on, ran back inside, grabbed some towels, and sprinted back to the car. Aidan held the boy in his arms and walked out of the lounge. I helped him get him settled into the back seat.
"I can take it from here." he told me. "Go tell the others what's going on and then get your ass in the car."
I raced into the lounge, leaped over the steps, and screamed at the teens to wake up. The six troubled souls groaned and whined at me. Melodie, who had now been there the longest out of the six, wanted to know what was happening.
"SHUT UP. Yes, I know it's early, but there is an emergancy." I shouted.
"A fire?"
"Oh my God a fire!"
"No!" I screamed. "I mean, no, there is no fire, but there is a little boy Aidan and I need to take to the hospital. Can we trust you here?" I asked.
They grunted.
"Alright...We'll be back-"
"Wait, Frankie, I want to come." Melodie said.
"What?"
"I. Want. To. Come."
"Um...Okay, whatever. Hurry up."
And we darted out of the building.
*
Melodie and I sat next to each other in the waiting room. There was an eiree silence. The tension was unbelievable. I kept thinking back to what happened last time we had to bring someone to the emergancy room...We almost got arrested and the safe-house was in danger of being shut down.
I heard footsteps in the distance and raised my head. It was Aidan. He looked absoutlely exhausted. I tapped Mel on the shoulder, and she looked over. She gasped and reached for my hand. I blinked.
"Is he okay?" I asked Aidan when he joined us.
I felt Melodie tighten her grip.
Aidan nodded.
"Oh thank God..." I sighed.
I leaned my head back and found myself caught in a tight hug from the person sitting next to me. I hugged back. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought she had a crush on me, too. I smiled.
"There's one thing, though." Aidan spoke.
We both looked up.
"...I'm going to jail." he sighed. "The safe-house is being shut down."
"What the Hell? Why?" I demanded, but I knew the answer.
"I'm not a certified doctor, nor am I a therapist, or our 'patients' legal guardian, and the attict of our lounge is not a proper area for a home." he said.
"What about me? Shouldn't I be charged too?"
"...I covered for you. You're just a victim here, Frankie."
"What? No...No! They can't take you away!"
Before I could stop myself, I had thrown my arms all the way around him. I was sobbing uncontrolably. They couldn't take him away from me; they couldn't take him away from the kids at the shelter. We needed him.
"Frankie." he began, trying to conceal his teary voice. "Frankie, you have to find somewhere for the kids to stay..."
"How?" I cried.
He reached in his pocket and handed me a key. "In the trunk of the car there is a safe. There's about sixty grand in there. I want you to take that money and build your own home for the beaten and the broken."
"Where...Where'd all the money come from?" I gasped.
"My mom gave me fifty grand to start my buisness. Seeing as I got the cafe` through my friend, I didn't need to use it, and the ten grand is just money I've saved." he explained, sniffling. "Listen, I love you. I love all of you guys. I just want you to have a nice, certified save place."
A police officer walked up and put cuffs around Aidan's wrists.
"No!" I shouted.
I lunged forward and grabbed onto his shoulder.
"Let go, Frankie." he told me. "Just...Do what I said, okay?"
Melodie pulled me away from him and we watched the cop lead him out of the hospital. We held each other and cried our eyes out. We were on our own.
-
Melodie and I did what he had instructed. By the time I turned twenty, we had opened the new shelter/home. It was called 'Marsceneo's Home for the Beloved', and our first patients were the five from the old home plus the little boy Aidan saved.
The new place was like a first-class resort compared the lounge. There were two floors, a kitchen on each of them, a girls' dorm, a boys' dorm, six bathrooms, a pool, a hot tub, a music room, a recreational center, and several 'lounge' areas, and, on the opening day, I proposed to Melodie. She said yes.
About seven years after we opened up, Aidan died in jail. It killed us inside. We worked together and tried our hardest to help the thousands of kids that came to us get back on their feet and work things out with their families, as well as Aidan had.
"Frankie, we got a new person." were the words that I awoke to on Sunday morning.
"What? Another one?" I yawned.
"He's knocked out and bleeding. His mom threw him out of their car...We need to get him stitched up fast, or else we're gonna have to take him to the hospital...Remember what happened to Jamie when we took her to the hospital?" he asked.
"All too well...Alright, I'll turn on the light."
I got up and followed my word. The new kid looked about twelve, and his chest had a giant gash in it. I hurried to fetch the supplies for Aidan before he could open his mouth again.
He pushed two tables together and layed the boy down. This was probably the worst injury I had seen so far, next to Jamie's head wound. I was actually scared. I stared nervously at Aidan, watching him pull on the gloves and take the stitching needle in his hand. There was so much blood, I couldn't bare to watch.
"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" he demanded.
"I can't watch this!" I answered.
"You're gonna have to. I need you down here." he shot.
"Aidan-"
"Dude, this is your safe-house too."
That ended the arguement. I walked over to him and looked over his shoulder. He told me to get some gloves on and put pressure on the gash. I obeyed.
An hour later, the wound was still bleeding. It seemed to me like it was worse. Aidan was freaking out, panicking, exactly like he had when Jamie went in.
"Damnit...This isn't working. Shit!" he hissed. "Start the car and put some towels down in the back seat."
"Okay. Take the stitches out, remember?" I said.
"We don't have time." he protested.
"You have to do it or else you could get in trouble!" I argued.
"He'll bleed to death if I take them out. Right now, they're the only things keeping him alive! Now start the fuckin' car!"
He tossed me the keys and I ran outside to start the car. I turned the heater on, ran back inside, grabbed some towels, and sprinted back to the car. Aidan held the boy in his arms and walked out of the lounge. I helped him get him settled into the back seat.
"I can take it from here." he told me. "Go tell the others what's going on and then get your ass in the car."
I raced into the lounge, leaped over the steps, and screamed at the teens to wake up. The six troubled souls groaned and whined at me. Melodie, who had now been there the longest out of the six, wanted to know what was happening.
"SHUT UP. Yes, I know it's early, but there is an emergancy." I shouted.
"A fire?"
"Oh my God a fire!"
"No!" I screamed. "I mean, no, there is no fire, but there is a little boy Aidan and I need to take to the hospital. Can we trust you here?" I asked.
They grunted.
"Alright...We'll be back-"
"Wait, Frankie, I want to come." Melodie said.
"What?"
"I. Want. To. Come."
"Um...Okay, whatever. Hurry up."
And we darted out of the building.
*
Melodie and I sat next to each other in the waiting room. There was an eiree silence. The tension was unbelievable. I kept thinking back to what happened last time we had to bring someone to the emergancy room...We almost got arrested and the safe-house was in danger of being shut down.
I heard footsteps in the distance and raised my head. It was Aidan. He looked absoutlely exhausted. I tapped Mel on the shoulder, and she looked over. She gasped and reached for my hand. I blinked.
"Is he okay?" I asked Aidan when he joined us.
I felt Melodie tighten her grip.
Aidan nodded.
"Oh thank God..." I sighed.
I leaned my head back and found myself caught in a tight hug from the person sitting next to me. I hugged back. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought she had a crush on me, too. I smiled.
"There's one thing, though." Aidan spoke.
We both looked up.
"...I'm going to jail." he sighed. "The safe-house is being shut down."
"What the Hell? Why?" I demanded, but I knew the answer.
"I'm not a certified doctor, nor am I a therapist, or our 'patients' legal guardian, and the attict of our lounge is not a proper area for a home." he said.
"What about me? Shouldn't I be charged too?"
"...I covered for you. You're just a victim here, Frankie."
"What? No...No! They can't take you away!"
Before I could stop myself, I had thrown my arms all the way around him. I was sobbing uncontrolably. They couldn't take him away from me; they couldn't take him away from the kids at the shelter. We needed him.
"Frankie." he began, trying to conceal his teary voice. "Frankie, you have to find somewhere for the kids to stay..."
"How?" I cried.
He reached in his pocket and handed me a key. "In the trunk of the car there is a safe. There's about sixty grand in there. I want you to take that money and build your own home for the beaten and the broken."
"Where...Where'd all the money come from?" I gasped.
"My mom gave me fifty grand to start my buisness. Seeing as I got the cafe` through my friend, I didn't need to use it, and the ten grand is just money I've saved." he explained, sniffling. "Listen, I love you. I love all of you guys. I just want you to have a nice, certified save place."
A police officer walked up and put cuffs around Aidan's wrists.
"No!" I shouted.
I lunged forward and grabbed onto his shoulder.
"Let go, Frankie." he told me. "Just...Do what I said, okay?"
Melodie pulled me away from him and we watched the cop lead him out of the hospital. We held each other and cried our eyes out. We were on our own.
-
Melodie and I did what he had instructed. By the time I turned twenty, we had opened the new shelter/home. It was called 'Marsceneo's Home for the Beloved', and our first patients were the five from the old home plus the little boy Aidan saved.
The new place was like a first-class resort compared the lounge. There were two floors, a kitchen on each of them, a girls' dorm, a boys' dorm, six bathrooms, a pool, a hot tub, a music room, a recreational center, and several 'lounge' areas, and, on the opening day, I proposed to Melodie. She said yes.
About seven years after we opened up, Aidan died in jail. It killed us inside. We worked together and tried our hardest to help the thousands of kids that came to us get back on their feet and work things out with their families, as well as Aidan had.