All That I've Got
Sweet Sacrifice
I'd ridden home with the Winters' as they were afraid of waking up Carys, the guys all promising to come back later when she woke up.
"I'll get that," Mrs. Winters said as she hurried off into the kitchen to get the ringing phone, odd that they were getting a call just as we walked in the door, isn't it?
"I'll put her in her room," I whispered to Carys' father, his nod giving me the okay to go upstairs. Her door had already been left cracked open so I didn't have trouble getting inside, but I did when I tried to lay her down. She gripped onto my shirt, leaning against my chest when I tried again to put her down. "You want me to stay, don't you?"
This time when I lied down with her, she curled up next to me and buried her face into my chest, my arms wrapping protectively around her as I craned my neck so that I was whispering in her ear.
"Sleep tight Carys."
If only the two of us weren't completly oblivious as to what was going on downstairs.
***
Two Hours Later
"Frank?"
"Sorry, she wouldn't go back to sleep unless I lied down with her, I sort of dozed off," I explained as I came downstairs, seeing Carys's parents waiting at the bottom of the stairs, Mrs. Winters looking troubled about something. "What's wrong?"
"The police department called and a judge accepted our case. The courtdate will be next Thursday...," Mrs. Winters choked, unable to finish.
"They want Carys to tesitify."
"I can think of two really good reasons why that isn't such a hot idea," I said in shock, both of her parents nodding. "What did Dr. Scott say?"
"We called him right after the message from the police, he said it'd be a very risky decision on our part. Carys could permanently loose her voice if she talked, and all of the pressure from having so many eyes on her...could send her into a relapse. But she's our only true witness, she's seen what goes on behind closed doors, and she knows things that the police don't," her father answered.
"But what about Jake? I thought that was the whole point of him admitting himself there in the first place!" I asked confusedly, sitting on the last step of the staircase and looking up at them.
Mrs. Winters burst into tears at that moment, and my eyes widened as Carys' father wrapped his arms around his wife. I was already thinking the worst, Jake could be de-
"An ambulance was called by a cellphone from inside the asylum, Jake's in the hospital, and...the doctor's aren't giving him long to live."
"How long?"
I had to ask, the guy was practically my brother growing up, I at least had to see him if he only had days to live. And what about Carys, he couldn't leave her behind like that-
"Maybe a month after the courtdate, the hospital doesn't want to give us any false hope."
He had it so smoothly, Mr. Winters. His first child, his only son, was dying in a hospital bed, and he wasn't shedding a tear. No, but I knew Mr. Winters better than his outside actions. He was tore inside, he just had to be strong for his wife. False hope, Jake wasn't going to live to get married or give them grandkids, to watch his sister graduate from high school, if she ever went back. False hope was all we had. But false hope didn't put an end to what the asylum was practically getting away with, we had to finish what Jake started, we had to shut that hell house down.
***
"They want you to testify Car," I said calmly, hoping her response would be anything but shock. I already couldn't handle what I had to tell her about Jake...
She was sat on the foot of my bed and I was right across from her, taking a deep breath as she pulled the notepad from her pocket. She hesistated before writing her response down quickly, handing it to me.
I won't be able to talk, so you'd have to help me Frank.
"Carys, you are amazing," I said smiling, leaning forward and hugging her tightly. "But I've got to tell you something really important, please just listen?"
She nodded as I pulled away, my fingers tapping against the back of my guitar that lay in my lap. I moved it back onto it's stand besides my bed, making myself focus back on her waiting eyes. Get it out Frank, you owe her this much.
"Jake, he..," I started, gulping down the lump in my throat. It was only a few words to say, I could do this. "He's not doing so well Car, he's not doing good at all. They gave him more drugs than anyone there, even you, it got into his system really badly...they don't think he'll be alive by the time we start school."
That was it, her expression was nothing but blank when I'd uttered those last words. She shook her head after awhile, wait, she believed me didn't she? She knew I wouldn't lie to her about something like this, she had to. But no, it was for a whole different reason. She'd known all along that Jake was never coming out of that asylum, that's why she'd made the last of when we left her at the hospital. One last look at his face, his smile, her brother. I knew all of this simply from the few tears that spilt from her blue orbs.
I just held her then, having no comforting words to say this time. I couldn't say it would be alright, he was her brother for crying out loud, he was supposed to live on for her and see her grow. He wasn't supposed to die right before he got out of college and graduate, it wasn't right. It wasn't going to be alright, but I at least was going to be there to salvage what could be fixed. I was keeping that promise for sure.
"I'll get that," Mrs. Winters said as she hurried off into the kitchen to get the ringing phone, odd that they were getting a call just as we walked in the door, isn't it?
"I'll put her in her room," I whispered to Carys' father, his nod giving me the okay to go upstairs. Her door had already been left cracked open so I didn't have trouble getting inside, but I did when I tried to lay her down. She gripped onto my shirt, leaning against my chest when I tried again to put her down. "You want me to stay, don't you?"
This time when I lied down with her, she curled up next to me and buried her face into my chest, my arms wrapping protectively around her as I craned my neck so that I was whispering in her ear.
"Sleep tight Carys."
If only the two of us weren't completly oblivious as to what was going on downstairs.
***
Two Hours Later
"Frank?"
"Sorry, she wouldn't go back to sleep unless I lied down with her, I sort of dozed off," I explained as I came downstairs, seeing Carys's parents waiting at the bottom of the stairs, Mrs. Winters looking troubled about something. "What's wrong?"
"The police department called and a judge accepted our case. The courtdate will be next Thursday...," Mrs. Winters choked, unable to finish.
"They want Carys to tesitify."
"I can think of two really good reasons why that isn't such a hot idea," I said in shock, both of her parents nodding. "What did Dr. Scott say?"
"We called him right after the message from the police, he said it'd be a very risky decision on our part. Carys could permanently loose her voice if she talked, and all of the pressure from having so many eyes on her...could send her into a relapse. But she's our only true witness, she's seen what goes on behind closed doors, and she knows things that the police don't," her father answered.
"But what about Jake? I thought that was the whole point of him admitting himself there in the first place!" I asked confusedly, sitting on the last step of the staircase and looking up at them.
Mrs. Winters burst into tears at that moment, and my eyes widened as Carys' father wrapped his arms around his wife. I was already thinking the worst, Jake could be de-
"An ambulance was called by a cellphone from inside the asylum, Jake's in the hospital, and...the doctor's aren't giving him long to live."
"How long?"
I had to ask, the guy was practically my brother growing up, I at least had to see him if he only had days to live. And what about Carys, he couldn't leave her behind like that-
"Maybe a month after the courtdate, the hospital doesn't want to give us any false hope."
He had it so smoothly, Mr. Winters. His first child, his only son, was dying in a hospital bed, and he wasn't shedding a tear. No, but I knew Mr. Winters better than his outside actions. He was tore inside, he just had to be strong for his wife. False hope, Jake wasn't going to live to get married or give them grandkids, to watch his sister graduate from high school, if she ever went back. False hope was all we had. But false hope didn't put an end to what the asylum was practically getting away with, we had to finish what Jake started, we had to shut that hell house down.
***
"They want you to testify Car," I said calmly, hoping her response would be anything but shock. I already couldn't handle what I had to tell her about Jake...
She was sat on the foot of my bed and I was right across from her, taking a deep breath as she pulled the notepad from her pocket. She hesistated before writing her response down quickly, handing it to me.
I won't be able to talk, so you'd have to help me Frank.
"Carys, you are amazing," I said smiling, leaning forward and hugging her tightly. "But I've got to tell you something really important, please just listen?"
She nodded as I pulled away, my fingers tapping against the back of my guitar that lay in my lap. I moved it back onto it's stand besides my bed, making myself focus back on her waiting eyes. Get it out Frank, you owe her this much.
"Jake, he..," I started, gulping down the lump in my throat. It was only a few words to say, I could do this. "He's not doing so well Car, he's not doing good at all. They gave him more drugs than anyone there, even you, it got into his system really badly...they don't think he'll be alive by the time we start school."
That was it, her expression was nothing but blank when I'd uttered those last words. She shook her head after awhile, wait, she believed me didn't she? She knew I wouldn't lie to her about something like this, she had to. But no, it was for a whole different reason. She'd known all along that Jake was never coming out of that asylum, that's why she'd made the last of when we left her at the hospital. One last look at his face, his smile, her brother. I knew all of this simply from the few tears that spilt from her blue orbs.
I just held her then, having no comforting words to say this time. I couldn't say it would be alright, he was her brother for crying out loud, he was supposed to live on for her and see her grow. He wasn't supposed to die right before he got out of college and graduate, it wasn't right. It wasn't going to be alright, but I at least was going to be there to salvage what could be fixed. I was keeping that promise for sure.