The Element: A Shift in the Water (Completed)

Chapter 18- Hot Cocoa and Batman Pajamas

Everly

"Your dumb ass, bastard of a brother isn't here to defend you no more, Everly." Hank spits into my ear. "You get all my attention now." He growls as he pulls my head closer and licks the side of my face, from jaw to temple.

Whimpering, I try to pull away from his strong grip.

With drunken laughter, he pushes me to the ground, "You think you can fight me, little girl?! You're nothing!" He screams as he launches into another assault with the leather belt. Each lash searing deeper and deeper into my flesh.

"Hank! Stop! She's just a little girl," Momma shrieks as she tries in vain to pull him away.

Pausing his assault just long enough to shove momma to the ground, Hank points at her and growls, "Stay out of this, woman! This is your fault. I know you got your brothers to come get him. Mark my words, Charlotte, I will hunt him down," grabbing a fistful of momma's hair he growls, "I will hunt 'em ALL down and destroy every last one of their pathetic asses." Shoving her away, Hank looks at me with darkened eyes, "I'll start with this weak, little bitch right here."

Towering over me, Hank lifts his booted foot above my face.

Then, darkness.

I sit up in bed, gasping for air.

Suddenly, the bedroom door flies open and Jack runs in, his eyes quickly assessing the room for imminent danger. "Everly," he says as he slowly approaches the bed, "Sweetheart?" His hand pushes my dampened hair off my clammy forehead and he cups my cheeks. "Breathe, Everly," he urges as he sits on the edge of the bed. I firmly grip both of his wrists and stare into his eyes. "That's it, breathe. You're safe, sweetheart. He's not here. You're safe."

Unable to verbalize understanding, I just nod my head.

After I get my breathing under control, I release his wrists. "I was in the kitchen making myself something to drink. You feel like joining me?" he asks.

Nodding my head again, I follow Jack into the dimly lit kitchen and sit on a stool at the island. Jack busies himself with filling the tea kettle with water and putting it on the stove. His hair is disheveled from sleep and he is wearing a black Henley shirt and a pair of black sleeping pants that are adorned with several Batman logos. When the kettle whistles, he grabs a couple mugs from the cupboard and hot chocolate packets from a drawer.

The sight of this beast of a man, wearing Batman pajamas, and making me hot chocolate causes me to chuckle.

Lifting his gaze to mine he asks, "What's so funny?"

Shaking my head, "Nothing. Sorry. It's just," I motion towards his attire, "Never took you for a comic book fan."

Looking down at his pants, Jack softly laughs. "These were a gift from my hilarious wife. She claims that I am a lot like Bruce Wayne, in that we both love our high-dollar toys. I mean, out of all the superheroes, he has the best," he iterates.

"That explains where Zeke gets it. He loves his Bronco as much as a mother loves her firstborn," I laugh but grow somber.

Sitting next to me, Jack puts down his cup, "Want to talk about it?"

Cupping the steaming mug of cocoa in my hands, I look at its frothy goodness and take a deep cleansing breath.

Keeping my eyes trained on my cup, I begin, "After Danny disappeared, Hank's abuse intensified. Momma tried to help, but she was too weak," I rub my palms into my eyes in frustration, "I thought I was past this. Yesterday, I was so happy. It's like my subconscious was like, 'Had a good day, Everly? Here's a trip down memory lane to remind you of what you really are.'"

"What are you?"

"Weak," taking a shaky breath I whisper, "and selfish."

Turning in his seat to face me squarely, Jack takes my chin and lifts it so that I look him in the eye, "First of all, you are not weak," I try to look away but Jack keeps a firm hold of my chin. "Does a weak person fight back? No. And, you fought back, Everly."

He let's go of my chin and continues, "Does a weak person get up every day after years of abuse and smile? Laugh? No. But you do. I see it. Sweetheart, you are one of the strongest people I know. And, selfish? You stayed for your mom, right? You wanted to make sure she was taken care of." Tears begin to pour from my eyes as I nod in agreement. "How could you think you're selfish?"

"Because," I choke out, "All that time, I wanted Danny back. He was away from the abuse, but I wanted him there. I was angry at him for being free when I was stuck in that hell." My breath becomes staggered, "And, I left momma. She's there and I'm here. How can I be happy when she's still with him?" 

Jack smoothes my hair on the back of my head and takes a deep breath, "I know Bev told you that she was assaulted," he says as he crosses his arms over his chest. "What she didn't tell you was that it was my brother that did it. Robert Lee James. My parents named us after Confederate generals," he chuckles as he shakes his head. "Anyways, Bobby Lee was always so jealous of me. He was younger and felt that I was our parents' favorite. Anything I did, Bobby did with more determination. He wanted to defeat me. I never took him seriously. I figured he was harmless and that when we got older, he'd grow to respect me. When we were teenagers, I knew Bev was mine. I knew that she was the one. Bobby decided to try and take her away. At first, he flirted with her. Then, he made a pass. She told him that she liked me and tried to let him down gently. Bev told me what he did and still, I made an excuse, 'Oh, that's just Bobby being Bobby. He'll get over it.'" Jack takes a deep breath before continuing, "Only, he didn't. I'll never forget the night that Bev walked into the lodge bleeding. Her clothes ripped and tears pooling down her face. My brother," he releases a jagged breath. "I held onto that guilt and anger for far too long. It seeped into other areas of my life and I almost allowed it to destroy my relationship with Bev before it ever began."

"How did you get past it?" I ask.

"Those feelings and memories will always do their damnedest to sneak up on you. Especially in your sleep. I just remind myself of what I have, what I want, and how I'm going to achieve it." he says, then smiling, he continues, "Then, I drink hot chocolate. Lots and lots of hot chocolate."

We sit in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the quiet and cocoa. Looking over at Jack, I reach out to hold his hand. When he looks at me, I see something in his eyes that I have never witnessed before.

"When I was about thirteen," I begin, "I went to town to pick up our monthly supplies. I remember seeing this father and daughter and they were laughing. Joking around with each other and I could see the love. I could see how protective he was of her. He cherished her and she looked at him like he hung the moon. He was her hero. Her Batman," my throat tightens at the memory, "I always wondered what that would be like. To experience that fatherly love," I smile through my tears, "I think tonight you gave me a glimpse. Thank you."

His jaw clenches as he takes a deep breath, "You got Charlie and me now, Everly. Hank is only a memory," he says as he squeezes my hand. "Just make sure that I'm Batman and Charlie is Robin. I look better in black."

And just like that, laughter through tears washes away some of the pain.