Whore.

Chapter 19: Flush

I was stuck in a horrible position. Swash gazed angrily at me but didn't move. I guess he was waiting for me to make the first move before he punched my lights out. I looked back at Bradley who was still cowering in the corner. I felt so bad for him. Had he been abused so much by Tony that he thought everything he did wrong would result in a beating? I crossed over to him and crouched so we were at eye level. I held his hands gently and brought them down. There were tears brimming in his eyes. I looked into his eyes and tried to smile, but my there was a knotting in my chest that prevented the emotion.

"Shh, it's okay," I said quietly. "I’m not going to hurt you. I'm never going to hurt you. It was just a toothbrush."

I hugged him and he sobbed silently into my shoulder. I could smell the toothpaste in his breath. I held him until he calmed down and held him back to wipe his tears. He looked at me apologetically but didn't say a word.

"Let's get you ready for school."

I got up and guided him to the door. He walked into his room and I stood at the door, close to Swash. He was still staring angrily at the spot where Bradley had stood. I touched his arm and he blinked rapidly and focused on me.

"Don't do it."
He looked confused for a moment. "Don't do what?"
"Don't drive to Columbus and kick the shit out of Tony."
"Hell, God knows he deserves it. Look what he's done to Bradley. How do you scar a kid like that?"
"Bradley will be fine."

He seemed to get angry again. I wasn't saying what Tony did was okay. I was just trying to make the best of a bad situation. Swash was now Bradley's legal custodian, so he had to be careful what he did. There was no point in getting himself arrested when it couldn't reverse what had been done.

"How do you know?" The question was simple enough, but I had no answer ready. I thought carefully before I replied.
"Because he has his Real Dad now."

Swash's face eased up a little. I patted his shoulder and walked toward my room. Swash held my hand suddenly and I spun around.

"Thanks."
"For what?"
"For being the voice of reason in all this. I don't know what I'd have done if you weren't here. Probably would have been halfway down the interstate by now."
"I know. You're really protective. That's a good sign. At least until he becomes a teenager."

Swash smiled and released my hand. I walked into my room and closed the door behind me, sighing loudly. Though I had kept a level head through all that, I was actually scared that Swash would blow the roof and assault me before I got the chance to act or explain the situation. But I was glad at the turn out. I had finally figured out why Bradley was very avoidant of me. He didn't know if he could trust me. The last prominent male figure in his life had turned out to be a right bastard, so he had to be careful around everyone else. I found it sad that he had to endure abuse simply for not being genetically related to a man who was supposed to act like his father. I walked to my bed and lay down. I really hoped Bradley would be okay, even though I had confidently said he would. Things like these could linger for years, eventually causing strains in future relationships. I had read about something like that once. The study also made it more likely for Bradley to be abusive to his own children. But he was young too. Hopefully, that meant he had time to forget. I squirmed on the bed in discomfort as I remembered that I had not fulfilled the purpose for which I got out in the first place.

I still needed to pee.

By 07:43, Bradley was ready for school. He looked at me a lot more frequently now, and when I met his gaze, he didn't turn away quite as much. I guess we had made progress. I smiled at myself and ate breakfast. Swash walked out of the room with his shirt done up and a loose tie hanging around his neck.