Running From Lions
032
They carried on shouting distracting everyone’s attention accept mine, I was used to arguments and I just blocked them out of my mind.
I noticed Jonah kept scratching at his arms and head, his eyes were strange when I brought myself to look in them and he seemed preoccupied but not like normal.
Normally his eyes were wild and he had things under control, he didn’t look bothered but he looked scared as if he wasn’t really sure what was happening to him. He started to breathe quicker and then I noticed his hands shaking as he wiggled his fingers strangely.
“Jonah,” I said and he just looked at me shaking his head.
He scratched at his throat.
“Jonah,” I said and Jack looked around, Jonah’s eyes widened.
“What?” Jack asked me.
“There’s something wrong, Jonah,” I said but he didn’t even look at me this time.
Jack let my hand go before walking towards Jonah who was scaring me more now than he ever had before.
“Sit down,” Jack said trying to make him move but he just stood there.
“Jonah,” I said but nobody heard us over my parents arguing and I heard The Gaskarth’s now arguing as well, I jumped as Jonah grabbed my hand in his own. His hand was freezing and shaking.
“Rory,” he said as he breathed heavily.
“Jack,” I said and he nodded trying to move him and then he closed his eyes and I felt sick.
Something was wrong with him and he knew it, everything about him showed he was scared.
His hand stopped moving and then started to shake again, I felt up his arm pushing his hoodie up to see his arms and Jack’s eyes widened.
His skin was pale with red cuts that looked fresh, dark pink scars covered his arm from old cuts, there was bruises on his skin and then the further up his arm I saw other marks.
Track marks.
My hand caught one and his eyes flew open as he clenched his fist, he grabbed at his stomach leaning forward.
“Mom,” I said but nobody listened.
“Mom,” I repeated louder but nothing and I started to cry.
“Dad,” I said but nothing they just ignored me, I looked at them all.
“Shut up!” I said but nobody listened.
I looked back at Jack who was now practically holding Jonah up.
“Shut the fuck up!” he shouted and everyone looked at him.
“There’s something wrong with Jonah,” I said and my dad laughed.
“Your telling me Rory,” he said not getting it.
I saw Alex grab Jonah trying to get his hand form mine but he just kept hold of me.
“No really. There’s something wrong,” I said.
“He’s a disgrace,” Mrs Gaskarth said.
“How dare you talk about my son like that!” my mom shouted at her and they started arguing again before my mom stormed out the room.
Xavier pushed past everyone and ran outside grabbing someone and they nodded walking off and he looked back in the room.
“Sit down,” Jack said trying to pull a chair towards them and hold Jonah up, Jonah pulled his hand from mine before just giving up and almost falling over.
Jack moved under his weight before I screamed and everyone looked around.
“Rory what’s up?” my dad asked jumping to my side.
“Jonah,” I cried looking as they got him in the chair.
Alex tried to get him to speak but he wasn’t even moving anymore, Jack’s hand instinctively went to Jonah’s neck before sighing and undoing his hoodie to reveal red marks on his top.
We all recognized them as bloodstains and he pulled up his top to reveal cuts all over his stomach and I felt sick, I put my hand to my mouth as someone walked in the door and ran over to Jonah.
Jack moved over to me as I cried.
“What’s wrong with him?” I asked through tears.
Everyone just stared unsure of what to do.
“Jack, what’s wrong?” I asked and he shook his head.
They moved him and I heard them say something about taking him somewhere and I shook my head.
"No, Jonah please,” I cried and Jack squeezed my hand.
“Rory it’ll be fine, calm down,” he said but I shook my head.
“Rory he put you here,” dad reminded and I just looked at him.
“What so that means we just stop caring about him? He’s my brother dad! He’s a mess I know but he’s still my brother. What’s wrong with him?” I asked and a nurse looked at me.
“We’re not sure, we need to do tests on him. Is there anything he’s allergic to?” they asked.
“No,” dad answered and I looked at them as if they were crazy.
“He’s allergic to penicillin,” I said and the nurse nodded.
“We need to move him down the corridor,” she said and I looked at dad.
“I want nothing to do with him,” dad said sitting down and I started to cry harder.
“Can I…” I started.
“No you can’t,” Jack cut me off.
“Jonah,” I said hoping he’d answer but nothing and Jack made me look at him.
“Look you stay with Alex and Xavier and I’ll go with him okay?” he asked and I nodded.
“If I need to know anything I’ll come ask you okay? I love you Rory,” he said kissing me before walking off after them.
“He’ll be okay,” Alex said as he held my hand and I shook my head.
“Rory,” dad said and I looked at him.
“Leave me alone!” I snapped at him.
“Rory, don’t be like this,” he said and I shook my head.
“He’s your son! You can’t just abandon him, yeah he’s messed up more than anyone but he’s a good person! He’s still Jonah dad he’s just not very well,” I said crying and he shook his head.
“I mean it Rory, I want nothing to do with him anymore, I’ve had enough of him,” he said and I shook my head.
"Rory
”No dad, your right this is all your fault! If anything happens to him I’ll never forgive you!” I snapped before a doctor walked in to check me over.
“When can I get out of bed?” I asked and he looked at me.
“You had your operation over 4 hours ago so not long now, maybe another hour but your not going anywhere fast. Walking could pull at your stitches,” he said and I nodded.
He left and dad went to talk to me and I just glared at him, he sat back down keeping quiet.
Mom never came back and neither did Jack and I never knew what to do, was Jack not being here a good thing or a bad thing?
Was everything okay and he was talking to Jonah or was everything going wrong and he didn’t want to leave him in case something went even more wrong?
I noticed Jonah kept scratching at his arms and head, his eyes were strange when I brought myself to look in them and he seemed preoccupied but not like normal.
Normally his eyes were wild and he had things under control, he didn’t look bothered but he looked scared as if he wasn’t really sure what was happening to him. He started to breathe quicker and then I noticed his hands shaking as he wiggled his fingers strangely.
“Jonah,” I said and he just looked at me shaking his head.
He scratched at his throat.
“Jonah,” I said and Jack looked around, Jonah’s eyes widened.
“What?” Jack asked me.
“There’s something wrong, Jonah,” I said but he didn’t even look at me this time.
Jack let my hand go before walking towards Jonah who was scaring me more now than he ever had before.
“Sit down,” Jack said trying to make him move but he just stood there.
“Jonah,” I said but nobody heard us over my parents arguing and I heard The Gaskarth’s now arguing as well, I jumped as Jonah grabbed my hand in his own. His hand was freezing and shaking.
“Rory,” he said as he breathed heavily.
“Jack,” I said and he nodded trying to move him and then he closed his eyes and I felt sick.
Something was wrong with him and he knew it, everything about him showed he was scared.
His hand stopped moving and then started to shake again, I felt up his arm pushing his hoodie up to see his arms and Jack’s eyes widened.
His skin was pale with red cuts that looked fresh, dark pink scars covered his arm from old cuts, there was bruises on his skin and then the further up his arm I saw other marks.
Track marks.
My hand caught one and his eyes flew open as he clenched his fist, he grabbed at his stomach leaning forward.
“Mom,” I said but nobody listened.
“Mom,” I repeated louder but nothing and I started to cry.
“Dad,” I said but nothing they just ignored me, I looked at them all.
“Shut up!” I said but nobody listened.
I looked back at Jack who was now practically holding Jonah up.
“Shut the fuck up!” he shouted and everyone looked at him.
“There’s something wrong with Jonah,” I said and my dad laughed.
“Your telling me Rory,” he said not getting it.
I saw Alex grab Jonah trying to get his hand form mine but he just kept hold of me.
“No really. There’s something wrong,” I said.
“He’s a disgrace,” Mrs Gaskarth said.
“How dare you talk about my son like that!” my mom shouted at her and they started arguing again before my mom stormed out the room.
Xavier pushed past everyone and ran outside grabbing someone and they nodded walking off and he looked back in the room.
“Sit down,” Jack said trying to pull a chair towards them and hold Jonah up, Jonah pulled his hand from mine before just giving up and almost falling over.
Jack moved under his weight before I screamed and everyone looked around.
“Rory what’s up?” my dad asked jumping to my side.
“Jonah,” I cried looking as they got him in the chair.
Alex tried to get him to speak but he wasn’t even moving anymore, Jack’s hand instinctively went to Jonah’s neck before sighing and undoing his hoodie to reveal red marks on his top.
We all recognized them as bloodstains and he pulled up his top to reveal cuts all over his stomach and I felt sick, I put my hand to my mouth as someone walked in the door and ran over to Jonah.
Jack moved over to me as I cried.
“What’s wrong with him?” I asked through tears.
Everyone just stared unsure of what to do.
“Jack, what’s wrong?” I asked and he shook his head.
They moved him and I heard them say something about taking him somewhere and I shook my head.
"No, Jonah please,” I cried and Jack squeezed my hand.
“Rory it’ll be fine, calm down,” he said but I shook my head.
“Rory he put you here,” dad reminded and I just looked at him.
“What so that means we just stop caring about him? He’s my brother dad! He’s a mess I know but he’s still my brother. What’s wrong with him?” I asked and a nurse looked at me.
“We’re not sure, we need to do tests on him. Is there anything he’s allergic to?” they asked.
“No,” dad answered and I looked at them as if they were crazy.
“He’s allergic to penicillin,” I said and the nurse nodded.
“We need to move him down the corridor,” she said and I looked at dad.
“I want nothing to do with him,” dad said sitting down and I started to cry harder.
“Can I…” I started.
“No you can’t,” Jack cut me off.
“Jonah,” I said hoping he’d answer but nothing and Jack made me look at him.
“Look you stay with Alex and Xavier and I’ll go with him okay?” he asked and I nodded.
“If I need to know anything I’ll come ask you okay? I love you Rory,” he said kissing me before walking off after them.
“He’ll be okay,” Alex said as he held my hand and I shook my head.
“Rory,” dad said and I looked at him.
“Leave me alone!” I snapped at him.
“Rory, don’t be like this,” he said and I shook my head.
“He’s your son! You can’t just abandon him, yeah he’s messed up more than anyone but he’s a good person! He’s still Jonah dad he’s just not very well,” I said crying and he shook his head.
“I mean it Rory, I want nothing to do with him anymore, I’ve had enough of him,” he said and I shook my head.
"Rory
”No dad, your right this is all your fault! If anything happens to him I’ll never forgive you!” I snapped before a doctor walked in to check me over.
“When can I get out of bed?” I asked and he looked at me.
“You had your operation over 4 hours ago so not long now, maybe another hour but your not going anywhere fast. Walking could pull at your stitches,” he said and I nodded.
He left and dad went to talk to me and I just glared at him, he sat back down keeping quiet.
Mom never came back and neither did Jack and I never knew what to do, was Jack not being here a good thing or a bad thing?
Was everything okay and he was talking to Jonah or was everything going wrong and he didn’t want to leave him in case something went even more wrong?