Part Six

Nine Months later:

"Blair, what happened?" Jimmy asked, horror marking his words at the sight that greeted him. He pulled his friend from his hiding place in the bushes by the side gate and took stock of his injuries.

It had been a little less than a year since the last time he'd seen his high school chum. Blair was much thinner, his face almost gaunt in appearance. It looked like it had been through a blender with cuts and bruises marking it deeply. His left eye was swollen shut and sported a bruise matching the one around his mouth. Blair was bent slightly at the waist with his right arm held tightly against his stomach with his left as if holding himself together. His right hand was swollen and red looking.

"Naomi's dead. Overdose. Mike… he gave her the stuff. and he thought I was going to run to the cops. He tried to kill me, Jimmy. He ra… he… he kept hitting… hitting me. I… I tried… tried to fight back, but… he's… he's too strong. I… I… got away and I just kept running. I needed… I didn't… I didn't know where else to go." Great gasping sobs made it difficult for Blair to speak but Jimmy heard and understood.

"God, Blair. Listen, you can't stay here. My dad is going to be back from work soon. Let me think, there must be someplace we can hide you." Jimmy took a good look at his friend. "Do you need to see a doctor?"

"I… I don't know. I don't feel good. Like maybe… maybe something is busted inside. I can't go to the doctor, they'll put in… put me back with Mike. Naomi gave him custody during one of her more lucid periods. God, this hurts! Jimmy!" With that cry, Blair collapsed in on himself, his arms wrapping tighter around his torso as if to hold himself together.

Jimmy caught his friend, stunned to find he was thinner than he remembered. It hadn't been that long since he'd seen Blair either, only a few months but this was beyond normal. He was light weight and Jimmy easily lifted him into his arms. Without caring what his father would say when he found Blair, Jimmy carried him upstairs to his own room.

Next, he ran downstairs to find Sally. She had nurse's training so she could help. Five minutes later the two were sitting on either side of the hurting seventeen year old. Blair was just barely conscious, moaning almost constantly.

Sally lifted his shirt and felt his tummy. She was pleased to find that there was no distention of the abdomen though there was significant bruising. "His muscles are just cramping, Jimmy. He's been hit really hard, several times. I don't think he needs a doctor, just some rest. Your father won't like him here though."

"You won't tell will you, Sally?" Jimmy's eyes pleaded for her to help him and his friend out. She nodded her consent.

"Here is a heating pad. Plug it in and rest it on his belly for a while. That will help with the cramps. If he starts throwing up let me know right away, okay."

"Thanks Sally." Jimmy gave her a quick hug before complying with her instructions. He moved Blair's arms out of the way and placed the rapidly heating pad against his stomach, careful not press at all. Blair curled up around the pad as soon as Jimmy let him. For a moment he sat there, gently rubbing the smaller boy's back in long soothing strokes. Soon he felt the muscles in the tense back begin to relax and he hear Blair's breathing deepen into sleep.

~*~*~*~

"Jimmy, Jimmy." Stevie called gleefully as he ran up the stairs to find his big brother. Jimmy slipped out of his room and caught the enthusiastic 13 year old in his arms.

"Hey Squirt. How was school?"

"Good, look what I done." Stevie held out a piece of clay that vaguely resembled an animal of some sort. Jimmy took a guess at it.

"That looks like a dog. Is that a dog?" He teased. He knew that Stevie loved dogs and wanted one of his own."

"Yep. This is what my dog looks like. When we gets a dog, he'll be just like this."

"Ya think?" Jimmy asked as he tossed his smaller brother slightly in his arms, delighted with the resulting giggle.

"Cool it up there. I'm trying to work." Their father's angry voice called out from his study.

"Daddy's mad. He's not nice today." Stevie whispered loudly.

"Guess we better be quiet then. How about you go get changed and we'll play quietly until dinner."

"Kay. What'sfer dinner?"

"Sally's making fried chicken with corn and mashed potatoes, just the way you like it."

"Goodie, goodie, goodie. I love mashted potoes" Stevie jumped down and ran into his room.

Jimmy watched him, laughing a little. The best thing in his life was his baby bro. So far he'd kept most of his father's anger directed away from Stevie. If that wrath was ever focused on the little boy, he wouldn't survive. Stevie may be thirteen but his physical growth had been retarded and he was still just a tiny boy about the same size as a ten year old while his emotional and mental growth not much more than that of a five year old. All the doctor's had agreed that the young boy would never grow beyond that which led to the other concern that Jimmy had, that Stevie's fragile mind wouldn't cope with the physical and emotional abuse his father could heap on him and his little body wouldn't either.

Jimmy was tall and lanky and he had an inner strength that helped him cope even if it didn't protect him but he was damned if he would ever allow William Parker to lay one hand on his brother. Or Blair for that matter. Once Blair was well, Jimmy would find a place for him to hide until he could think up something else. Maybe even he would take Stevie and Blair and they would make a new start, somewhere that William Parker would not be able to hurt them ever again.

~*~*~*~

The door opened silently and the slight figure of Steven Parker appeared, backlit but the low light of the hallway. He was surprised that Jimmy hadn't woken up yet. He always woke when Stevie left his room. But not tonight.

Stevie could make out the figure of his brother there on the bed. He crept silently forward, reaching to awaken his brother. Jimmy could fix the nightmare. He always did.

"Jimmy?" His whisper loud in the still of night. His hand reached out and touched the exposed shoulder. The figure moaned and pressed deeper into the pillow. "Jimmy?"

Stevie shook the shoulder a little harder but still it didn't wake.

"Hey, Squirt." Jimmy's quiet voice was behind him and Stevie turned, shocked.

The older brother held his fingers to his lips and motioned his brother to follow. Without a sound and showing absolute trust in his sibling, Stevie followed Jimmy back to his room.

"You gotta promise you won't tell dad okay. You can't tell him about my friend. Promise, Stevie?"

Stevie nodded, a grin lighting up his face. Jimmy was trusting him with a big secret. He was a big boy. He could keep it. "If Daddy finds out, he be mad, right Jimmy?"

"That's right, kiddo. You gotta keep it a secret. Just for now."

"I can do that. Will you promise to met me to him tomorrow?"

Jimmy smiled at the youngster's question.

"After school." Jimmy promised. He held the covers while Stevie climbed back into bed, then proceeded to cover him up and tuck him in. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Stevie nodded, remembering why he went looking for Jimmy. "Yep. Bad dream."

Jimmy lay back on the bed and wrapped his arms around the most important person in his life and rocked him until Stevie fell back to sleep, a contented smile gracing his youthful face.

~*~*~*~

The next morning, Jimmy woke to find he'd fallen asleep in his brother's bed; the little twerp had covered him like a blanket and was sucking his thumb contentedly while his hot breath tickled Jimmy's ear.

With careful movements, Jimmy extracted himself from under the human blanket and made his way stealthily back to his own room. He could tell his father wasn't up yet so he had time to shower and dress before the old man came looking for him. Hopefully keep him from finding out about Blair sooner rather than later. Later would be much better than sooner but never would be best of all.

Twenty minutes after waking Jimmy was finishing his morning ablutions when he heard his father open his bedroom door. Throwing his shirt on and buttoning it, he headed out for breakfast.

~*~*~*~