Saved By You

Chapter 13

‘Do you want me to get that guy? Jack is it?’

Almost immediately my eyes snap to him and I shake my head, ‘n-no!’ I almost shout, but it came out as a whimper almost, voice box still refusing to work properly.

He holds my gaze and I could see the pain so clear in those blue eyes of his it suddenly made me want to cry, I could practically see myself in his own eyes; an anorexic, terrified, helpless cause. A girl with scars.

‘Tell me, Claire. What do you want me to do?’ he practically begs, ‘just tell me.’

‘I… I can't.’ I whispered my voice catching at the end. But I refused to cry.

‘Help me understand. You know I'd do anything for you. Just let me help me help you.’ He’s on his knees now, resting his elbows on the bed as he held my good hand gently, carefully, eyes penetrating into mine as he stared at me so intently that I knew he would. Do anything I mean. For me.

I shook my head knowing his full meaning, my body starting to shake at the thought, hand closing around his in an attempt for a squeeze, ‘nothing. Do nothing,’ I mumbled, eyes prickling with tears before I looked away, ‘please. You’ve done enough for me already,’ I whispered.

I wished he could pretend this never happened. I wish he never saw what I did. I wish he never tried to save me.

Maybe I'd have been gone by now.

Maybe my father would have let me be.

Why did I go to school that day?

‘Open your mouth,’ the doctor instructs, holding a thermometer near my mouth as I sat on one of the couches in the lounge room, Mack and his mother hovering close by.

I do as told.

‘Will she be okay?’ Nadia asks worriedly as she kept her piercing gaze on me, her eyes the same colour as her sons’. 

The doctor – their family doctor, not mine – looks me over carefully, his eyes resting on my left arm longer than needed and making me squirm a little and look away, before he finally sighs wearily.

‘Yes. She’s underweight as you can tell. There's a lot of bruising…’ his voice takes the sort of lilt a doctor does when thinking something suspicious but knowing none of it is his business, before holding my gaze again as if he knew exactly what was wrong with me.

I look away.

Please don’t tell them. They don't need to worry about me more than they already do. Please, please, please, please, please.

'Is, is there anything we can do?' Nadia asks.

'The best I could say is, well; eat more, sleep more and carry on; try to get out there more,' he says turning to me again as if it were as easy as that.

Looking away I find myself holding Mack's gaze and knowing that's exactly what he's going to try and do.

Joyful.

~

‘C’mon B,’ a voice groans for the hundredth time, the bed shifting as Mack moved the bed down as if to wake me up.

‘No,’ I mumbled into the pillow.

B. Why does he still call me that? Where does it come from you may ask? Well, remember how we were once best friends? His nick name for me, embarrassing to say, was Claire Bear. Yes, Claire Bear.

‘Claire, it’s been two days already, if you keep skipping school the teachers will notice, I can't cover your ass for this long. You could be failing classes for all I know,’ Mack says exasperated and for once it got a reaction from me as I finally turned to peek at him.