Missing Pieces

TotallyMe

Daughter of the Villiage Chief
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Posting Speed
  1. Multiple posts per day
  2. 1-3 posts per day
  3. One post per day
  4. 1-3 posts per week
  5. One post per week
Writing Levels
  1. Intermediate
  2. Adept
  3. Advanced
  4. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Female
Genres
Fantasy, modern, realistic, mystery, horror
"You'll have to be super careful, alright?" Her loving brother said, looking into Ashlyn's blue eyes as he wrapped her left hand. It was broken. In a car accident. Luckily, that was the only thing broken, besides the car... Other than that, just some cuts and bruises. Nothing too major.

It helped that he was a doctor, and a good one at that. But at the hospital he could only watch as others took care of her. He also had to watch as the beeps on his parents' monitor turned into a long, high pitched sound.

Ash nodded subtly, looking down at her hand as she gently bent her fingers, earning a small look of pain. "Alright. You're all wrapped up. I recommend you sleep on your right side..." He ran a hand through his hair. "You think you'll be alright in here tonight?" It was only her first night here after staying at the hospital for three days. She was now only speaking rarely, most of the time nodding and blinking in response. The shock never left her. It's like a movie, where you're in a crash, but both parents die instead of one.

Again, he was answered with a nod. "Okay... my room's right down the hall. Yell if you need me. Night." He turned off the light and closed her door to leave a line of light into her new room, and walked down the hall into his own. He set a reminder on his phone to schedule a therapy appointment- for both of them.

1:02AM

Ash sat up on the bed after tossing and turning, a light layer of sweat on her forehead, and her hair in disarray. Her hands soon made their way to her eyes as she felt tears threatening to spill. If only she could tell herself it's was just a dream...

Creeeak, creeak....

He opened his eyes a bit with awakening from his sleep. Someone was awake, and in the house.

Ashlyn held her blue teddy bear with brown buttons for eyes and a red ribbon around its neck against her chest with her right hand, trying to silently make her way downstairs.
 
Darren
It took a while for the now eldest Thompson to actually wake up. Although his eyes slipped open for a second, it took him a few more to actually jolt up. Someone was in the house. His mind automatically screamed, 'Intruder!' so he rushed from bed silently and grabbed the baseball bat right next to his door and his phone that was on his night stand. He honestly didn't need anymore traumatizing events happening, especially since Ash and him had been through plenty enough as it is.

Sneaking silently despite his larger frame, he slipped open the door and thanked whatever higher entity that existed that the door did not creak. For if it did, it would have signaled to whatever was downstairs that he was, indeed, awake. His eyes flitted to Ashlyn's room, panic setting in. Although he was not keen on awaking the younger Thompson, he wanted to make sure she was okay before he confronted whatever or whomever was downstairs. Especially since if he were to get injured, she would have his phone to call for help for he intended to give it to her.

Moving quickly, he slipped into her room only to see that she was not in her bed. Adrenaline kicked in, his eyes and mouth wide open. Moving quickly, he slide down the hall as quietly as he could, although it was not as quiet as he would prefer. Though he was more intent on finding his baby sister and getting her safe over being a hero.

Keeping his voice down, he whispered before he got down from the stairs, "Ashlyn?"

There was always the possibility that it was only Ash up, and Darren did not want to horrify her by storming downstairs with a baseball bat looking as though he were a wild man. Her poor mind could not handle the trauma of that experience, let alone him scaring her half to death. He wished it were the case that it was only Ashlyn down there, but his mind did not allow him to let down his guard.

His own mind was on overdrive, the loss of his parents had yet to set in, and now his little sister was gone. He was in shock, he knew that, but he had a little girl he had to take care of now. Little Ash, his baby sister, had lost her parents too. He knew as a young child, she was taking this a lot worse then he was. Probably because she was not desensitized to the fact that people who don't deserve death die every day. He was though; he worked as a doctor and knew many who didn't deserve death. His parents being two of them.
 
Ash was just reaching the living room when she heard something. A voice maybe. It was very faint. All the lights were still off, so it was only fair her mind starting to bring up scary subjects to think of.

She stayed silent in slight fear. It couldn't be someone other than Darren. If it was someone else, she would've surely heard them come in. Right?

She walked further into the living room, feeling her way to the couch and as quietly as she could, sitting on it. If someone was here, hopefully they wouldn't think to check in the living room.

She sat on the far end of the couch with her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, careful to not hurt her left hand and the bear under her legs. Then Darren flashed through her mind?

What if something happens to him??

What if they're going upstairs????

She let the thought(s) of what could happen run through her head for a few moments, the tears that appeared earlier when she awoke coming back. She thought again. What was she going to do? Go up there and get him? Or just hope the person doesn't go upstairs or in the living room?
 
Darren

When he did not receive any such response, it only fueled his fears of the worst. The range of possibilities flew through his mind as he slipped down the stairs not so stealthily, the floor boards creaking under his weight. The stairs of the hallway branched off to the other rooms of the house, but Darren was much more interested to see if he locked the door as he suspected. After checking the door's lock, it was indeed locked bolt and door knob.

Although that was more of a relief for him, his fears were not quite quelled. It only meant that someone did not sneak out or in the front door. Windows were always a possibility, but kidnapping Ashlyn and squeezing themselves and her through the window would be quite the challenge considering the fact his windows were not that large in the first place.

He slipped into the kitchen first, not turning the lights on for so he would not alert an intruder of his presence. It was a decent sized kitchen with a breakfast bar of white marble, dark wooden ebony cabinets with a matching wooden fridge. A stove a dish washer, and a thousand other appliances scattered across the counters. The walls were painted white, and the windows were large, but not able to open.

The glass of the windows were not crushed, but then again if someone had broken a window he would have heard it. He scanned the room quickly. She was not in the kitchen getting a drink of water, as he had hoped.

He then slipped into dining room which had a black table with six matching chairs surrounding it. The room was a earth tone green, something his mother had loved when he bought the house. It made him frown a bit, but he once again remembered his purpose, find Ash. She was not in the dining room either, so he moved to the living room across the house.

Before he entered the room, he spoke in a quiet voice as to not startle the girl, "Ash, are you in there?"
 
She heard the stairs creaking, which startled her. Her pale blue eyes grew wide with alarm and fear as she could slightly hear a presence moving around the house.

Her hand unknowingly clenched into fists and her body was tense, but her left hand was still unharmed. She tried to keep her breathing quiet as it got faster with anxiety. Her mom always told her that if their was an intruder in the house to find a good place to hide and be as quiet as she can. They also practiced this in school.

"Ash, are you in there?" She jumped at a voice that she suddenly heard. It sounded like Dar, but she was too scared to answer right away. After about five seconds, she responded, but it was almost barely audible.

"I-is that Darren?"
 
Darren

Darren retorted quietly, "Yup, Ashlyn, it's me, Darren."

The doctor sighed in relief, placing his weapon at the entrance of the living room before entering the space. He waved his hand slowly at his sister, acting as though she was a spooked animal that was about to run. He stepped closer to where she was sitting, the tension in his body leaving at once. Inching closer to her, he noticed she was in a sort of fetal position standing up.

"You ok, Ash? Was that you making the noise," he questioned worriedly.

He couldn't fault her at being up, nor could he find it in himself to scold his baby sister for waking up. She probably had nightmares, he concluded in his own thoughts. It was that or she was just about as scared as him about the noises the house had made. The damn thing was new enough, and on occasion the house settled, making quite an odd amount of noises. On most occasions, it scared the bejesus out of the eldest Thompson.
 
In the dark, she could see Darren's silhouette.

"What noise?" She asked quietly while she stood up from the couch. Did she make noise? She thought she was quiet.

Her right hand unknowingly made its way to her mouth, her teeth biting on her thumbnail. Her eyes searched the darkness, semi wide and tired but alarmed.
 
Darren

He was unsure whether he was being paranoid or not, but warning bells rung across his mind. Had she been unaware of the noise the stairs made? He hadn't checked any closets, bathrooms, or smaller spaces. Fear struck the older Thompson's nerves, but he withheld it for the sake of not frightening his baby sister. He edged closer to her, listening intently on the sounds of the house.

He asked hesitantly, "You didn't make the noise on the stairs on your way down?"

He left his bat at the entrance of the living room, and he had only his phone on his person. Even though he supposed it safe, he should have been a tad more cautious. He was not eager to get in a fist fight with a robber or anyone else. Especially in front of his sister for she did not need anymore accidents in her life. His overactive and tired man ran a mile a minute.

He had trouble sleeping with Ash in the hospital. That and the added fact that his parents were now gone did not elevate his insomnia. On most occasions, he would focus his time into studying. Yet all he could really think of doing was taking care of Ashlyn.

"What an idiot I am," he silently berated himself harshly, trying to convince himself it was ok, and it wasn't a mistake he would make again.
 
"I... don't think so." She said in a hushed voice. She sat on the couch on the dark, still biting her thumbnail subconsciously.

She grabbed for her bear with her left hand, forgetting about her injury until her hand tightened around it.

She yelped out in pain, quite loudly, dropping the bear as she did so. The bear fell to the floor and Ash grabbed her left wrist with her right hand to her chest, trying to stop the pain. Usually when she did that, it would work, but that's because she would stop the flow of blood to her hand- but she didn't know that.

She was already sobbing now, but not as loud as her yelp of pain was. She could no longer hold back the tears she held two times before only that night.
 
Darren

Darren lurched forward slightly at her yelp of pain, worry creased on his brow. He inched closer to her, a list of possibilities in his mind rung through his head. Although he was sure he was over thinking things, he decided to question her on the basics as to make the prospect of having a cast easier.

He leaned closer, trying to see her hand that she was cradling, "Is the wrappings too tight?"

He grabbed her precious bear and placed it on the couch next to her. Kneeling before her, he motioned her to hand over the injury. He wanted to make sure nothing was wrong, especially since she was in seemingly more pain.

"Can you feel your hand, Ash? Is it swelling up," he questioned, brotherly concern as well as doctor-like output filled his voice.

The elder Thompson was not a pediatrician, but he knew about setting broken bones. He also knew how to care about them, and he was not keen on seeing his baby sister in pain.
 
She hesitantly put her hand forward for Darren, half of her wanting him to fix the pain, but the other half of her scared he'll make it worse.

She still held her wrist with her right hand as she extended her arm forward, her hand slowly loosing feeling, but not numb yet fully. The numbness was coming slowly, sadly for Ash.

In the dark, she couldn't really see Dar, but could hear him. He was in front of her. Her sobs suddenly became more hushed as she was aware she probably sounded like a baby. 'If Darren broke his hand he wouldn't cry.' She was still crying, but more quietly now.
 
Darren

The numbness could be a certain number of things, exactly what was the problem though. He was tired, and not thinking properly as one should, but he would cross out a list of things in his mind that it could be. CTS and her circulation were some of the more simpler things he could test at home. If he concluded it was serious enough, he would take them to the hospital. If it was something as simple as adjusting the cast, he could solve it.

He was not eager to take her back to the hospital, mainly because she had just gotten free of there. That and it could invoke some bad memories from her and himself. They really needed to talk to that therapist.

Speaking softly, "I'm going to lightly pinch your pinky finger, okay? If you can feel it, tell me."

With CTS, one often would lose feeling in their hand and even experience mild pain. The bones in her wrist could have been misaligned or squished in the cast, pressing against the nerves that connected to her fingers. It would cause numbness due to the lack of circulation and even pain. More often then not though, the little finger would not be affected by this, so Darren gave a slight pinch with his dull nails. It was not enough to hurt her, but enough that she should have been able to feel it.
 
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Out of surprise, Ash flinched and yanked back her arm gently, not hard enough to hurt herself. In the process, she let go of her wrist, and the bit of pain that was starting to go numb started rushing back and throbbing with pain.

It wasn't much though, since she hadn't been holding on for long. It only hurt enough to make her wince, the tears soon dried on her pink cheeks.

She nodded in the dark, forgetting that Darren might not see her. She forgot it was even one something in the morning. But out of tiredness, she said, "I-I'm going to b-bed.." She sniffled and once again took a firm hold of her left wrist with her right hand, standing up hesitantly from lack of sight. She would just sleep on it.
 
Darren

"I'll schedule an appointment with your pediatrician tomorrow, kay? She can see if anything is wrong and will stop the pain," he stated.

Since Ashlyn seemed to feel the slight pressure on her pinky, he assumed it was not CTS. That was comforting enough for him, but he was still concerned. It could very well just be the break that had caused the pain, and he was willing to let it rest until morning came since he was tired too. He too stood, and looked at her through the darkness. She was dwarfed by his own height and size, and that made him re-recognize that the little girl before him was still very fragile.

He asked in a quiet voice, "You want me to tuck you in, Ash?"
 
Ashyln paused, taking a few seconds to think about it. 'You're not a baby.' Was a thought in the back of her mind. But she wanted so to be tucked in, to be comforted. To be hugged and told everything will be alright.

She hesitated quietly. "No." It was a soft voice, one that is afraid to speak their mind. A voice like one that is scared to tell the truth because they are afraid it will hurt someone's feelings.

Then she remembered her bear. She turned around and walked with a small skip to the couch, grabbed the bear with her well hand, and made her way to the stairs again.

She slowly put her foot on the first step, her thinking slowing her down, but Ash herself not realizing it. Her ears listened to see if Dar was following behind while her mind thought.
 
Darren

The doctor felt concern for his baby sister. Although she was growing up, he would always look upon her with the same light. She was the little bundle of joy his parents brought home that day. The one that held his pinky and squealed with joy. The one whom he changed diapers for and fed. The one that puked all over him and cried when she had a 'boo boo'. The one that wanted to tag along with him everywhere. It broke his heart to see his baby sister so lost and timid.

He asked slowly, "You sure, Ash?"

He picked up his baseball bat, all fears of an intruder quelled. Following her since he too had to get to his bedroom upstairs. She seemed almost hesitant to deny his offer, and he didn't want her getting up again in the middle of the night. She needed her rest, especially when school came once more. How was she to deal with such a thing?

His own experience with school was not the most pleasant, but he had survived with the help of his family. Now little Ashlyn only had him around, and he had to return to work eventually to keep his job and pay the bills. He would be busy, and he wasn't exactly sure if he could provide the moral support she needed to get back onto her feet. Then again, that was the therapists job somewhat.
 
She blinked and turned around halfway, still a little in a daze. Somehow the filter in her brain vanished away for a moment and she said quietly, "No... Can you?"

After realizing what she said after she said it, she frowned slightly in the dark. He probably thinks she is a crybaby now. But she did want him to tuck her in. Especially since her parents can't do it anymore. The thumb of the hand with the bear in her hand subconsciously went to her mouth again, Ashlyn biting her tumbnail.
 
Darren

The eldest Thompson smiled softly, thinking her question somewhat silly. He also understood the fact that she was aware she was growing up and be self conscious of needing more reassurances, he, himself, had been there before too. Even he wished for time when his parents were still there so they could tuck him in, especially times like these. He took note of her nervous habit of biting her nails, and made a mental note to make her wash her hands a tad bit more often.

"Of course, Ashlyn," he retorted softly.

As they slipped closer to her bedroom, he held the door open for her, giving her the time to reconsider if she wanted. He didn't want her to be self conscious of asking for help, but he also did realize that it would be a confidence booster if she got through this herself. Either way worked for him in the end.
 
Ash slowly took a few steps into her black room, soon turning into bright colors once she turned on the light. She squinted but didn't shield her eyes; she just paused, then took a few more steps in.

Once her eyes adjusted, she took baby steps with her short legs to her bed, where she climbed up using only her good hand. She struggled a little bit, but had gotten used to doing one-handed things at the hospital.

Once in bed, she sat with her legs crossed, her grip on the bear releasing it into Ashlyn's lap.

Her pale blue eyes searched the room, herself not really thinking of anything in particular. But still, she was silent.
 
Darren

The brother withheld the flinch that automatically called to him when the lights flashed on, but his eyes adapted to it quickly. He watched as she got into bed by herself despite the fact she was impeded. A burst of pride ran through him briefly, and soon sadness slipped in there too as he remembered the reason behind her impediment. The car crash that had his parents killed, his brief moment of happiness died quickly at that thought.

He noticed her blank stare and the lack of laying down so he could tuck her in so he slipped into a chair next to her bed. He sat in companionable silence with his little sister, waiting for some sort of sign. Maybe it would all finally hit her, and she would break down. Maybe it would hit him, and he would start bawling. It was only a matter of time for either of them, and he had a feeling he would probably snap before she did.