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Description
Rebecca wasn't sure why she felt so inclined to trust Richard. Maybe it was because he was so caring and sweet to her, or the way that when he entered the room, she felt like everything was okay. It may have been the way he seemed to seek her out when she needed someone around the most, or because he seemed as though he was seeking to be around her. Regardless, for whichever reason, the words were pouring out.
"I miss my Mommy and my bed. I miss my school friends. I ...want everything to go back to the way that it was." She shifted slightly, biting her lip and looking to the older man. She pinched her lower lip against her teeth but said nothing for a few long moments.
"...I thought that Joseph really liked me." She spoke softly, and Richard leaned close to hear her better. He rested a hand on the mattress of the hospital bed, concerned eyes focused on the younger girl. "A-and I sorta really liked him too. He brought me food, and I...let him kiss me, e-even after what Billy did to me..." Her voice was quivering lightly as she tried to fight off the urge to cry.
She took a deep breath and wet her lips. "This little voice in the back of my h-head just kept saying, 'Why? Why so soon? After what happened with Billy? What if he hurts you? What then, Rebecca?' and I i-ignored it. I figured t-that he was sweet, figured he cared. He skipped class a-and he visited m-me every day, brought me f-f-food."
Richard's fingers moved smoothly to her hand now. It was sore from the IV's, but she didn't draw away. His touch was warm and she liked it. His fingers were soft.
"J-just... was so nice a-after what happened, y'know?" She smiled weakly. "G-guess I got...my h-hopes up. Hasn't visited m-me in a w-whi-while." She whimpered now, closing her eyes.
Richard gave another smile, head tilted ever so slightly to the side. He took her hand in his, gently, so as not to hurt her. Her arm had little bruises from the IVs and the shots she'd been receiving the past few days. "You need to not worry about him. He's not worth your time if he doesn't treat you right, Rebecca." He squeezed gently. She couldn't help but smile.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As Steve sat in the emergency room lobby, waiting for his turn to be called up, Joseph headed off to the gift shop. He figured Rebecca could use a box of chocolates, or maybe some flowers. He remembered that they had those big chocolate covered cherries that just oozed that pink, sweet, sugary substance. Who didn't love those? He glanced around the shelves for a few moments before picking out a few cherries, and a single rose. (A pale pink one, because he'd been told ages ago that a red rose could give a girl the wrong message.) He paid before heading up to Rebecca's room. The trek was the same every time – around the corner, down the stretch of white hallway sat the elevators. He always took the one on the left. He hit the right button, and he watched the doors close. The elevator lurched into motion, the faint music playing in the background. He was thankful for the music, really. Otherwise it would be too tense and monotonous riding up to her floor.
The doors opened and he stepped out, getting a whiff of sterilizer. He wrinkled his nose in distaste, and continued the walk down the hall. A sharp right, and down to the third door on the left. Rebecca's room. The door was closed, which was strange.
He gave a soft smile, feeling the butterflies in his stomach start to kick up. It always started like this whenever he got close to her room. He couldn't help but wish for another kiss, this time. Her kisses were so sweet, they were worth the long trip from the Hospital lobby.
He didn't bother to knock, pushing the door open. It made a light creak, but nothing more. Some guy was sitting on her bed, he had sorta dark dirty blonde hair, almost a brownish color. He was clad in some kind of scrubs. He must've been a doctor or something.
He heard Rebecca giggle, and that made him smile. He always smiled when she smiled, or laughed. It made him feel good, made his heart almost flutter and made those butterflies dance even more in his gut. He was just about to announce his presence when the doctor leaned in for a kiss. He heard her gasp and his jaw tightened.
Rebecca wrapped her arm around the guy's neck, closing her eyes and pulling herself closer. Something inside Joseph snapped, as simple as that. He threw the gifts to the ground, practically racing over to the man. He grabbed him by the back of the collar, jerking him away from the younger girl. He threw him as far as he could – which as it was, wasn't more than a few inches away before the man regained his balance.

Richard stared, dumbfounded, at the boy in the red bandana.
"Hey man, what the hell?" The man asked with a deep frown, taking another few steps back. He held his palms towards him, ready to defend himself, if he needed.
"What the fuck man!? Why the fuck are you kissing her!?" He shouted, teeth bared and fists clenched at his side. His knuckles were turning white.
"Joseph!"
"Shut up!" He snapped. He felt hot, and he saw red. He just wanted to punch this guy's fucking lights out. How dare he kiss Rebecca. Who did he even think he was? He growled, lunging to grab onto him again, but the man sidestepped him. Joseph stumbled into the wall and gave a yelp of pain.
Rebecca started crying. She didn't want this, she didn't want anymore fighting or stress. All she wanted was some care and some time to herself, in her own damn bed in her own damn house.
Joseph straightened, moving to punch Richard again. This time he caught the male nurse in the side of his face, right at the hinge of his jaw.
He reeled back, holding his face. "Y-you need to leave. Right now," He held a hand to his face, moving for the phone to call security. If he wasn't out of his sight in the next thirty seconds, Richard was calling the cops.
"S-she's my goddamn girlfriend! Stay the fuck off of her!"
"J-Joseph!"
"What?" He snapped again, this time turning to look at her. He saw the tears slipping down her face, and his features soften. "...Becca..."
"I'm n-not your girlfriend!! I thought... you were different...didn't think you were l-l-like this." She whimpered, staring up at him. "B-but...y'are...a-a-and now you h-have to go." She breathed out, rubbing her eyes on the back of her hand.
Joseph stared at her, eyes wide. Nothing he'd done had meant anything. None of the time, or the classes he skipped to see her, the homework he didn't do, the things he loaned her, the food he spent his money on. None of it meant anything, and that broke his heart more than anything else. He'd done everything he could for her, and she replayed him by kissing some other guy. That hurt.
He said nothing as he turn and left the room. He didn't close the door.

Richard muttered curses under his breath, massaging gently where Joseph had hit him. He'd gotten him pretty good. It would be red and swollen, if not black and blue in the morning.
"...r'you okay?" Rebecca whimpered.
Richard gave a nod, smiling weakly. "Was that the guy you were talking about?"
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It took literally hours for Steve to get through the emergency room. They took x-rays there, but sent him to another department on another floor to get it actually set. They'd given him some serious painkiller and sent him off, saying they had people to take care of that were in more dire condition.
Another two hours and he was out. Joseph had left hours ago, without an explanation, but Steve didn't blame him. He didn't want to be here, himself, and he certainly wasn't about to make Joseph wait with him.
They gave him some kind of brace to wear, instead of a cast, since it was a knuckle fracture. One of his fingers, the index one, had to be set in another brace. They'd laughed when Steve told him what happened, and the sweet nurse informed him that it happened often – a few times a month. They set him in a sling and let him go on his own.
And now he was faced with a new problem – who to call to get home? His house was on the other side of town, and he couldn't walk. He didn't know the buses or the schedule on this side of town – he wasn't even sure if the buses were running at this time. It was already evening. His stomach growled to let him know he'd missed dinner.
He couldn't call Joseph, since he'd just left. Brad didn't have a car, and he was sure Sherry's Mom wouldn't appreciate calling for a ride. Well, Rebecca was already in the hospital, so that was a no. That just left Claire and Chris.
He pulled out his cell and stepped outside the hospital – he'd heard rumors that cell phones caused the machines inside to go haywire, and he didn't want to be responsible for a death. He dialed Claire's number – still set in his phone as "Speed Dial 2." He smiled to himself and shook his head. He heard it ring.
Claire's voice picked up on the other end of the phone, sounding wary and tired. "...hello?"
"H-hey, Claire." A weak smile, glad that he couldn't be seen by her.
"...what do you want?" Her voice nearly quivered.
"M'at the hospital, and my ride left. Can...can I get you or your brother to give me a ride?"
"Hospital? Why? Are you okay?"
He grinned inwardly now. She was worried, and that made him feel good. ...for some reason. "Mhmm, can I just get a ride, please?"
"Yeah, yeah." Claire sighed. "I'll grab Chris. I'll call you when we're almost there, Steve." She hung up without a 'goodbye.'
Steve clicked his phone off as well, slipping it back into his pocket and feeling around for change at the same time. It was hard to do all of this one-handed. He found a crumpled dollar bill and enough change for something from the vending machine. He smiled, moving inside to grab something to satisfy his hunger from not eating all day.

He looked over his selection through the glass, tapping his chin as he did so. "Hmph..." He wanted a chocolate bar, but something with peanuts or something, that way it'd be more filling until he could get home and get a sandwich, or pull something from the freezer. He just needed a little something to hold him over until then.
He finally made his selection, a chocolate bar with peanuts and caramel in it. He pressed the button and watched the little metal rod curl forward before the candy bar dropped – almost. It hung by the edge of the wrapper from the rod. He gave a cry of despair. Dammit. He wanted that candy bar. He glanced around once quickly to make sure there wasn't any kind of staff around before he delivered one quick kick to the machine. He laughed when the candy fell to the bottom. He claimed his prize, grinning.
"Didn't think that'd work." He admitted aloud, giving one triumphant nod. He hid the soda machine next, picking whatever had the most caffiene. He needed his fix.
Once he got his treats, he sat outside in the sun and waited for Claire and Chris to come by. He couldn't help but wonder what he would say when Claire and her brother came to pick him up.

Description
Rebecca wasn't sure why she felt so inclined to trust Richard. Maybe it was because he was so caring and sweet to her, or the way that when he entered the room, she felt like everything was okay. It may have been the way he seemed to seek her out when she needed someone around the most, or because he seemed as though he was seeking to be around her. Regardless, for whichever reason, the words were pouring out.
"I miss my Mommy and my bed. I miss my school friends. I ...want everything to go back to the way that it was." She shifted slightly, biting her lip and looking to the older man. She pinched her lower lip against her teeth but said nothing for a few long moments.
"...I thought that Joseph really liked me." She spoke softly, and Richard leaned close to hear her better. He rested a hand on the mattress of the hospital bed, concerned eyes focused on the younger girl. "A-and I sorta really liked him too. He brought me food, and I...let him kiss me, e-even after what Billy did to me..." Her voice was quivering lightly as she tried to fight off the urge to cry.
She took a deep breath and wet her lips. "This little voice in the back of my h-head just kept saying, 'Why? Why so soon? After what happened with Billy? What if he hurts you? What then, Rebecca?' and I i-ignored it. I figured t-that he was sweet, figured he cared. He skipped class a-and he visited m-me every day, brought me f-f-food."
Richard's fingers moved smoothly to her hand now. It was sore from the IV's, but she didn't draw away. His touch was warm and she liked it. His fingers were soft.
"J-just... was so nice a-after what happened, y'know?" She smiled weakly. "G-guess I got...my h-hopes up. Hasn't visited m-me in a w-whi-while." She whimpered now, closing her eyes.
Richard gave another smile, head tilted ever so slightly to the side. He took her hand in his, gently, so as not to hurt her. Her arm had little bruises from the IVs and the shots she'd been receiving the past few days. "You need to not worry about him. He's not worth your time if he doesn't treat you right, Rebecca." He squeezed gently. She couldn't help but smile.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As Steve sat in the emergency room lobby, waiting for his turn to be called up, Joseph headed off to the gift shop. He figured Rebecca could use a box of chocolates, or maybe some flowers. He remembered that they had those big chocolate covered cherries that just oozed that pink, sweet, sugary substance. Who didn't love those? He glanced around the shelves for a few moments before picking out a few cherries, and a single rose. (A pale pink one, because he'd been told ages ago that a red rose could give a girl the wrong message.) He paid before heading up to Rebecca's room. The trek was the same every time – around the corner, down the stretch of white hallway sat the elevators. He always took the one on the left. He hit the right button, and he watched the doors close. The elevator lurched into motion, the faint music playing in the background. He was thankful for the music, really. Otherwise it would be too tense and monotonous riding up to her floor.
The doors opened and he stepped out, getting a whiff of sterilizer. He wrinkled his nose in distaste, and continued the walk down the hall. A sharp right, and down to the third door on the left. Rebecca's room. The door was closed, which was strange.
He gave a soft smile, feeling the butterflies in his stomach start to kick up. It always started like this whenever he got close to her room. He couldn't help but wish for another kiss, this time. Her kisses were so sweet, they were worth the long trip from the Hospital lobby.
He didn't bother to knock, pushing the door open. It made a light creak, but nothing more. Some guy was sitting on her bed, he had sorta dark dirty blonde hair, almost a brownish color. He was clad in some kind of scrubs. He must've been a doctor or something.
He heard Rebecca giggle, and that made him smile. He always smiled when she smiled, or laughed. It made him feel good, made his heart almost flutter and made those butterflies dance even more in his gut. He was just about to announce his presence when the doctor leaned in for a kiss. He heard her gasp and his jaw tightened.
Rebecca wrapped her arm around the guy's neck, closing her eyes and pulling herself closer. Something inside Joseph snapped, as simple as that. He threw the gifts to the ground, practically racing over to the man. He grabbed him by the back of the collar, jerking him away from the younger girl. He threw him as far as he could – which as it was, wasn't more than a few inches away before the man regained his balance.

Richard stared, dumbfounded, at the boy in the red bandana.
"Hey man, what the hell?" The man asked with a deep frown, taking another few steps back. He held his palms towards him, ready to defend himself, if he needed.
"What the fuck man!? Why the fuck are you kissing her!?" He shouted, teeth bared and fists clenched at his side. His knuckles were turning white.
"Joseph!"
"Shut up!" He snapped. He felt hot, and he saw red. He just wanted to punch this guy's fucking lights out. How dare he kiss Rebecca. Who did he even think he was? He growled, lunging to grab onto him again, but the man sidestepped him. Joseph stumbled into the wall and gave a yelp of pain.
Rebecca started crying. She didn't want this, she didn't want anymore fighting or stress. All she wanted was some care and some time to herself, in her own damn bed in her own damn house.
Joseph straightened, moving to punch Richard again. This time he caught the male nurse in the side of his face, right at the hinge of his jaw.
He reeled back, holding his face. "Y-you need to leave. Right now," He held a hand to his face, moving for the phone to call security. If he wasn't out of his sight in the next thirty seconds, Richard was calling the cops.
"S-she's my goddamn girlfriend! Stay the fuck off of her!"
"J-Joseph!"
"What?" He snapped again, this time turning to look at her. He saw the tears slipping down her face, and his features soften. "...Becca..."
"I'm n-not your girlfriend!! I thought... you were different...didn't think you were l-l-like this." She whimpered, staring up at him. "B-but...y'are...a-a-and now you h-have to go." She breathed out, rubbing her eyes on the back of her hand.
Joseph stared at her, eyes wide. Nothing he'd done had meant anything. None of the time, or the classes he skipped to see her, the homework he didn't do, the things he loaned her, the food he spent his money on. None of it meant anything, and that broke his heart more than anything else. He'd done everything he could for her, and she replayed him by kissing some other guy. That hurt.
He said nothing as he turn and left the room. He didn't close the door.

Richard muttered curses under his breath, massaging gently where Joseph had hit him. He'd gotten him pretty good. It would be red and swollen, if not black and blue in the morning.
"...r'you okay?" Rebecca whimpered.
Richard gave a nod, smiling weakly. "Was that the guy you were talking about?"
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It took literally hours for Steve to get through the emergency room. They took x-rays there, but sent him to another department on another floor to get it actually set. They'd given him some serious painkiller and sent him off, saying they had people to take care of that were in more dire condition.
Another two hours and he was out. Joseph had left hours ago, without an explanation, but Steve didn't blame him. He didn't want to be here, himself, and he certainly wasn't about to make Joseph wait with him.
They gave him some kind of brace to wear, instead of a cast, since it was a knuckle fracture. One of his fingers, the index one, had to be set in another brace. They'd laughed when Steve told him what happened, and the sweet nurse informed him that it happened often – a few times a month. They set him in a sling and let him go on his own.
And now he was faced with a new problem – who to call to get home? His house was on the other side of town, and he couldn't walk. He didn't know the buses or the schedule on this side of town – he wasn't even sure if the buses were running at this time. It was already evening. His stomach growled to let him know he'd missed dinner.
He couldn't call Joseph, since he'd just left. Brad didn't have a car, and he was sure Sherry's Mom wouldn't appreciate calling for a ride. Well, Rebecca was already in the hospital, so that was a no. That just left Claire and Chris.
He pulled out his cell and stepped outside the hospital – he'd heard rumors that cell phones caused the machines inside to go haywire, and he didn't want to be responsible for a death. He dialed Claire's number – still set in his phone as "Speed Dial 2." He smiled to himself and shook his head. He heard it ring.
Claire's voice picked up on the other end of the phone, sounding wary and tired. "...hello?"
"H-hey, Claire." A weak smile, glad that he couldn't be seen by her.
"...what do you want?" Her voice nearly quivered.
"M'at the hospital, and my ride left. Can...can I get you or your brother to give me a ride?"
"Hospital? Why? Are you okay?"
He grinned inwardly now. She was worried, and that made him feel good. ...for some reason. "Mhmm, can I just get a ride, please?"
"Yeah, yeah." Claire sighed. "I'll grab Chris. I'll call you when we're almost there, Steve." She hung up without a 'goodbye.'
Steve clicked his phone off as well, slipping it back into his pocket and feeling around for change at the same time. It was hard to do all of this one-handed. He found a crumpled dollar bill and enough change for something from the vending machine. He smiled, moving inside to grab something to satisfy his hunger from not eating all day.

He looked over his selection through the glass, tapping his chin as he did so. "Hmph..." He wanted a chocolate bar, but something with peanuts or something, that way it'd be more filling until he could get home and get a sandwich, or pull something from the freezer. He just needed a little something to hold him over until then.
He finally made his selection, a chocolate bar with peanuts and caramel in it. He pressed the button and watched the little metal rod curl forward before the candy bar dropped – almost. It hung by the edge of the wrapper from the rod. He gave a cry of despair. Dammit. He wanted that candy bar. He glanced around once quickly to make sure there wasn't any kind of staff around before he delivered one quick kick to the machine. He laughed when the candy fell to the bottom. He claimed his prize, grinning.
"Didn't think that'd work." He admitted aloud, giving one triumphant nod. He hid the soda machine next, picking whatever had the most caffiene. He needed his fix.
Once he got his treats, he sat outside in the sun and waited for Claire and Chris to come by. He couldn't help but wonder what he would say when Claire and her brother came to pick him up.