after you left |ai|

16

I spend five hours in the ER with a police officer trying to take some kind of statement from Aiden but he refused to say a word. My parents, Amber and even Ben were all in the waiting room once I had texted my dad what happened. I was lucky that I didn't need surgery on my arm but it had to rest for a while and ut was going to hurt like hell. But that still didn't compare to the pain caused by the words he said, the insults he threw at my head and the way he talked about him.

His body was shaking and tears ran down his cheeks when a doctor had to take a look at him. They wanted to put us in seperate rooms but they quickly understood why that wasn't possible. So we were laying side by side in the small bed. I had put my arm around him so he could use it as a pillow for his head and made him feel safe. He was looking at videos on my phone to keep him distracted.

A second police officer walked in and the two talked shortly before asking me if I could follow.

"I'm going to be just outside buddy, just keep watching videos." I said and he gave me a soft nod before lifting his head so I could move. I got out of bed and followed the officers out of the room.

"We have been looking for a quiet foster place or family for Aiden for two hours now but can't find anything. So social services will be picking him up in an hour." The older officer said.

"He can stay with me. I'm his teacher, he knows me and trusts me." I said quickly without giving it much thought. "I have a two bedroom apartment and I can give him food and bring him to school. He needs adjusted care and someone that can deal with his autism." I explained and they looked at each other, questioning if they were even allowed to do that. "I have a younger sister with down syndrome and I work with these kids every day, I know how to do this."

"I will see if it's possible and let you know." He said with a nod before allowing me to go back inside. He didn't even look up when I walked in but when I laid back down beside him, he lifted his head again to make room for my arm and moved closer to me.

I closed my eyes for a little, trying to forget about the pain and the chaos in my head. I tried to bite away the tears that I've been holding back all night but I was starting to fail and when a tear ran down my cheek I quickly wiped it away before Aiden could see it but I couldn't do it anymore.

"I'll be right back buddy" I said to him and kissed his forehead before walking out of the room quickly. I let my back fall against the wall beside the door and once the door was closed, the tears started to stream down. I could see my mom running over to me and as soon as she reached me I wrapped my good arm around her small figure. She held me while I finally let it all out.

I had felt so terrified, so broken and so alone all night but I held it up. I tried to be the stronger person but I couldn't anymore. I gave up.

We stood there for a good 5 minutes before I got myself together again. She looked at me worried but I gave her a small smile.

"I'll be okay once he's safe." I said to her before looking at my dad who stood behind her. "My arm will be fine too. I just need time to heal." I said and they both nodded softly.

I sat down on the chair across the room and my parents sat with me while we waited for news. It seemed to take forever until a police officer finally walked over to us with a small smile on his face which gave me hope.

"It's 3am so we're letting you take him home tonight, a police officer and someone from social services will come over to your apartment tomorrow to decide what we will do next but for now he can go with you." He said and finally I was able to smile.

"Thank you sir." I said before getting up and walking into the room, I went over to Aiden and bent down next to him on the bed. He pauzed the video before looking at me, knowing I was going to say something. "Aiden, do you want to go home with me? You can sleep and tomorrow morning we can go eat pancakes, as many as you want." I said to try and convince him but he nodded after some thought. He hadn't said a word yet in the past 5 hours.

"With chocolate?" He asked when I got up and I looked at him with a smile before nodding and he smiled softly too. I put my phone in my pocket and he held my hand when we walked outside. He just held onto me to guide him, too terrified to look at anyone.

"We'll bring you home." My dad said softly as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

—

Aiden was sitting at a table in the corner of the shop, pancakes and a glass of orange juice on the table while he was drawing. Social services had come over a little earlier and we agreed that he could stay with me until they find a fitting foster home for him. He talked a little with me this morning while we ate with a smile on his face. I looked up at the door when a worried looking Ashton walked through the door. I waved at him softly and he walked over right away.

I reached in my pocket to get his headphones and handed them to him as soon as he stood next to me. "Hi" I said to him with a small smile.

"How are you doing?" He asked straight away and I shrugged my shoulders.

"I'll be alright. Atleast I'm no longer thinking about asshole now." I replied and he let out a soft chuckle. "Aiden is staying with me until they find a foster family for him so I have something to keep me busy."

"Do you want to come over tonight and talk about it? You don't seem alright at all." He asked before looking around, "Aiden is welcome too ofcourse."

"I'm just going to stay home tonight but don't worry about me Ashton, I'm fine." I reassured him before walking over to a customer to take their order. He sat down at the counter and a few minutes later, Jackie walked in with Olivia and sat down with him. Whenever I looked at Ashton, flashes of last night came back right away. I just wanted to have fun, to get wasted and to forget. Instead everything is more messed up then it already was now. The pain in my arm never faded and the memories stayed so vivid.

The way he had grabbed my arm while I was dancing, almost punched the guy I was dancing with and scared the shit out of the friends I just made. I had recognised his face instantly and his breath smelled like alcohol and drugs. I had met him many times before on parent nights, always sober and perfectly behaved but it was a year ago since he lost his wife yesterday and he messed up big time. He was going to loose custody now, there was no doubt about that.

But he didn't just hurt his child, he left me more messed up than I already was.

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Another update!

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