Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2018 22:36:26 -0400 From: corped810 Subject: Broken boy 1 This story is a complete work of fiction. Any character or place pertaining to real life is strictly coincidental. Broken boy, chapter one. By Corin (Email me with feedback, flames will be ignored) In the blink of an eye the entire world can change. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done, events take place that are outside of our control. These events might be small and barely noticed, like your boss calling you to come to work early or even getting sick. On the other hand, they might be monumental. This is exactly the case with our main character. Simon has been nine for about three weeks now, his birthday having gone unnoticed by his alcoholic father. In fact, Simon distinctly remembers the beating he got that night. Compared to others it wasn't particularly bad, but it had left him with several bad bruises and a black eye. You see, Simon's father blamed his only son for the death of his wife, an event that is so engrained in Simon's head that he often has nightmares and can't sleep. Simon's mother died violently one day when Simon was only seven years old. She had taken him out for his birthday, intending to make the day very special for her only son. She had needed to stop at a bank to pull some cash. They were standing in line side by side, Simon's arm clutching comfortably to his mother's leg, when three men barged into the bank. At first Simon didn't know what was going on, his mind was on the fun he was going to have that day, but as shouting ensued he noticed that these three men wore masks and were carrying guns. It happened so fast that Simon didn't even notice at first, his body jumped in fright as a shot rang through the interior of the bank, followed by another. The bullets were not particular aimed at anyone, it was meant to be a scare to get people to cooperate, however one bullet found a home. In wasn't until Simon's arm was quite suddenly wrenched to the side that he realized something was very wrong. He looked in horror at his mother, who was now lying on the floor bleeding out. His mother died in that bank with her son by her side. Paramedics had been unable to revive her when they arrived on the scene. Simon sat on the floor of the bank, looking on with his eyes glassed over in shock. He was unresponsive when police tried to question him, but due to the fact that he still tried to cling to his dead mother they were able to at least figure out who to contact for his next of kin. Simon's father had been at work when the police arrived with a still unresponsive Simon in tow. He was devastated to hear his beloved wife had been murdered, his behavior turning almost violent as he questioned the officers. They told him everything they knew and assured him that they were doing everything they could to catch the men who committed the crime. These events by nature were traumatic for the boy, his life having been so violently overturned. His father took to drinking almost immediately to cover his denial, and when his son remained unresponsive he slapped him. He didn't hold back any strength at that time, having decided to drink himself into a stupor. At first he didn't even know what he had done, but when he woke in the morning and beheld his handiwork he knew. And he didn't care. To him, it was the child's fault this all happened. Two years passed with this treatment ongoing. Simon suffered many bruises and black eyes and even once a broken bone, all of which he was made to lie about and cover up in school. He withdrew greatly, alienating himself from friends until he was completely alone. His teachers were slowly noticing the constant bruises and black eyes, their suspicion growing. No actions were taken until quite suddenly Simon's attendance at school dropped. Simon's English teacher, Mr. Ragetti, noticed that his favorite student was missing. It had been two days before he became truly worried and on the third he talked to his boss. His boss told him to wait, that sometimes kids just got sick, so grudgingly the teacher waited. By the end of the week when Simon had not returned to class, Mr. Ragetti confronted his boss again, who reported the concern to children and youth services. Monday of the following week, Jason Hegleton, a social worker for children and youth, paid a visit to the apartment where Simon and his father stayed. He knocked on the door several times before he finally got an answer. The time of day was not yet even noon, but Jason could tell that the man who answered the door was drunk. He quickly pressed a panic button he wore around his neck, a safety measure in case things got especially bad. He realized that this was probably an overreaction but he had a very bad feeling in his gut. "Hello, my name is Jason Hegleton. I'm with children and youth services and I'm responding to a report that was filed last week. I'm going to need to interview you and your son..." Jason watched the man's reaction closely the entire time he went through his introduction. Due to being intoxicated the man's reaction was slowed drastically. "Sir?" "My Shhhon?" The man slurred, his body swaying slightly as he leaned forward. A look of rage came across his face as recognition dawned. "What has that little shit done now?" And with that the man turned around and stomped into the apartment, leaving the door open. Jason took the open door as an invitation to enter, but the feeling in his gut only deepened when he saw the pure rage in the man's face at the mention of his son. He froze. Protocol stated that in circumstances like these, he should wait for the authorities and not intervene. He knew that getting in the way could harm him but he also knew that a little boy might be in danger, or worse. He hesitated for only a moment longer before he heard sirens in the distance. He needed no further encouragement before he continued into the apartment. Being a social worker was dangerous at times. You don't get a weapon to defend yourself with, and you don't get a partner to help you. Jason knew all this going into the job, he chose it none the less as it was the only job he knew he would be happy with. He went to school to do this, and he loved it. He knew the dangers and decided to get training in martial arts. It saved his life this day as he barreled into to apartment after the drunken man. He only barely registered the mess the place was in, with trash everywhere and broken glass in places. There were even holes in the walls. He saw the man turn down a hallway and stop at a door. The doorknob to this door was reversed so that it locked from the outside instead of the inside. Adrenaline began to course through Jason's veins as he realized the implications of this. He ran down the hallway, effectively charging the drunk. Upon collision he pushed the man hard, sending him sprawling a few feet away. Enraged, the drunk scrambled to his feet and swung at Jason, who ducked and punched the man straight in the gut. The drunk doubled over and Jason delivered the finishing blow, perfectly dropping his opponent. Jason turned toward the door, his palms sweating not with the adrenaline from the fight but with a nervous anxiety that the child might be seriously hurt. The sirens were close now, just outside the door, so with a final breath, Jason grabbed the doorknob and turned. The special lock on the door popped as the doorknob was turned and the door opened. With a push, Jason entered the room. He froze again as the scene in front of him completely shocked him. The room was bare, with only a naked mattress laying near the far wall. There were piss stains on the carpet all over the room and the walls were peeling with paint. But none of this compared to the sight of the young boy laying unconscious on the mattress. His clothing was torn and bloody, his leg was swollen to an abnormal size. His arm was twisted at an odd angle and his long blonde hair was plaster to his head with blood. Jason felt the need to throw up with how abysmal the scene looked. He approached the child and knelt down to take a pulse. By this time an ambulance and several police cars had arrived and officers were beginning to enter the apartment. "In here!" Jason yelled in response to a call from one of the officers. He prayed silently for the child to be alive as he searched for a pulse. His heart almost burst with short lived relief when he finally felt a faint heartbeat. "I need a medic here!" "We'll take it from here sir." An officer was pulling on Jason's shoulder, trying to lead him from the room. Jason was reluctant to leave the boy but he knew with the police and paramedics around that the boy was in good hands. Jason gave a statement and his credentials to the Officer who interviewed him then called the office and informed them of the events that transpired. He told them to clear his schedule for the rest of the day because he wanted to dedicate his time today to making sure the boy ended up all right. The boy was quickly whisked away to the hospital in the back of an ambulance. At first, Jason wanted to ride with him, but he was denied because be wasn't the child's family. As he got in his car to follow the ambulance he noticed the police leading the drunk father to a cruiser in handcuffs. He hoped the man would get what he deserved. After a somewhat reckless drive to the hospital, Jason quickly got an update on the boy's status. Simon was currently stable but in surgery. The nurses wouldn't tell him any more but promised to keep him updated. Jason sat in the waiting room completing some social work on his smartphone and filing a report on the incident at the house when a man in nurses scrubs approached him. "Are you Mr. Hegleton?" The nurse asked. "Yes, is everything all right with Simon?" "Before I tell you anything about him I have to ask a few questions." The nurse explained as Jason nodded his head. "Are you the child's father?" "No, I'm his case worker." "So you're part of children and youth?" "Yes, I was on a call to the boy's home when I found him like that." "Do you know what happened?" "It was his father, you really don't want to know the condition I found him in. Now please, is he all right? Jason couldn't keep the emotion out of his voice, both the anger and desperation for the boy to be fine. "The child suffered two broken bones, his right leg and his left arm. He also had several lacerations that needed stitches, the worst of which was on his head. Twenty seven total on his head alone." The Nurses voice broke when he spoke this last and he didn't bother hiding his face as tears came to his eyes. "I'm sorry, I just keep seeing my son in there." He explained. "It's alright Mr..." "Oh! My name is Kevin Latrosa." "Mr. Latrosa, is Simon awake?" "No, he'll be out until at the least tomorrow morning." "Okay. At least that gives me some time to find out where to place him." "Place him?" "He doesn't have a home, I have to start contacting foster homes and find a placement." "I could take him in. I may have a son already but I still have room in my house. My wife and I got the place back when we wanted more kids, sadly that's before she passed away." A pained look came across the nurses eyes as he started to relive certain memories. "I don't know if that will be possible." Jason said. "It will be easier on the child too, having someone around who can treat his injuries." "You have a point." Jason acknowledged. He thought for a minute before answering, "Are you certain you want to do this?" "Like I said, all I saw on the operating table was my own son, they even look somewhat alike. My son will love a little brother and the child needs someone who can take care of him properly." "All right. I'll get started on the paperwork. I'll need to go to my office but I'll be back tomorrow. Here is my number, please call me with any news of the boy." Jason handed Kevin his business card and turned to leave, relief evident in his features. Kevin reported in to his supervisor to ask for the next day off, explaining the situation fully. His boss was understanding and told him to take all his vacation time saying, "You'll need time to get everything settled and you have a good three weeks accrued. That should be enough." After talking with his supervisor, Kevin finished his shift and headed home to his ten year old son. Tyler was playing video games in the living room when his father opened the door. He paused his game to greet his father with a hug and followed him into the kitchen. "Ty," Kevin began, using a pet name that he knew his son loved. "why don't you sit down, we need to talk a little." He saw a flash of mixed worry and curiosity in his sons eyes before he obediently took a set at the kitchen table. "What's wrong, Daddy?" Tyler asked. "Ty, how would you feel about having a little brother?" Tyler's eyes slowly lit with hope, "A brother?" Kevin sighed as he sat down across from his son at the table. "A boy close to your age came into the hospital today. He was really badly beaten by his own father. I..." He stammered a bit, not knowing how to continue. "He was really badly hurt Ty, two broken bones and a lot of stitches, not to mention he is covered in bruises." Kevin took a deep breathe before continuing. "I asked the social worker to let us foster him and he agreed." Tyler got up from the table and went to his father's chair. He climbed into his father's lap and hugged him tight. "It will be okay daddy, we can take care of him." Kevin hugged his son close to him for a while, feeling a need to be close after the events of the day. "He is going to have to stay with you in your room for a little while, and I'm going to need you to help him as much as possible." "Okay daddy." Tyler said with a smile on his face. He would do anything for a little brother. They turned in early that night, knowing that tomorrow would be a big day. With little Simon on his mind, Kevin decided he would do anything to make the boy feel happy and safe again. The next morning, son and father were up early, Tyler needed to go to school and Kevin knew it would be at least two days before Simon would be ready for discharge from the hospital. After seeing Tyler off to school, Kevin got in his car and headed to the hospital. He knew Simon would wake up this morning and he Wanted to be there when he did. It wasn't yet eight in the morning when Kevin arrived at the hospital. He easily found Simon's room, having worked at the hospital for close to five years. The child was still asleep when be entered, so he took a seat next to the bed and waited. He watched the child sleep, the peacefulness sometimes interrupted by his dreaming. It wasn't until the child started to show signs of distress in his sleep that he grabbed the boy's hand and held it. He did want to wake the child, but he Wanted him to know that someone was here for him. His touch seemed to calm the boy somewhat. It wasn't more than ten minutes later when Jason arrived. They left the room to sign some paperwork Jason brought that made Kevin a temporary foster parent for Simon and then Jason left, his workload once again piled high. Kevin went back in and watched Simon for a moment before he sat down to await his awakening. He didn't have to wait long. Simon stirred softly, his movement restricted somewhat by the casts on his arm and leg. He opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. Kevin watched from his seat, unsure of what to say until he saw the boy start to tremble with panic. "Hey," He started, getting the boy's attention, "It's all okay, you're all right. Take a deep breath. Everything's going to be okay." He placed his hand on the boy's unbroken arm, trying his best to radiate comfort. Simon didn't speak so Kevin continued, "My name is Kevin, will you tell me what your name is?" When Kevin didn't get an answer he decided to move on but before he spoke he heard an almost imperceptible whisper, "Simon." Kevin gave the boy a smile, glad that he was getting somewhere. "Hello Simon. You're in the hospital right now, you were hurt really badly. Do you remember how you were hurt?" Kevin didn't want to ask but he didn't know any other way to break the ice. When he saw the boy start to close up he quickly said, "Don't worry, he won't be able to hurt you anymore." Kevin's hand found the boy's hand and he squeezed softly. "When they let you leave here you can come stay with me and my son. He is really excited to meet you." Kevin didn't get any more words out of the boy for a while. The doctors wanted to run tests and then tried to get the child to eat. After barely touching his food and not responding to further questioning from the doctors, Kevin decided it might work better for the boy to have a friend that isn't an adult seeing as the one adult who should have been on his side wasn't. He might take a while to trust another man. The day ended on only a slightly better note than the last. Since Kevin really needed help from his son to get Simon to come out of his shell he decided that tomorrow Tyler would come with him and meet Simon. After holding Simon's hand until he fell asleep, Kevin left, resolved to make things better for the boy.