Fragile Heart Chapter 8 – Mrs. Sullivan and William Sullivan

Chapter 8 – Mrs. Sullivan and William Sullivan

“The next morning, I was woken up by Nicky who rushed to me after he’s being released from the closet. Nicky so worried about me, and didn’t think I could go to work that day. But ‘he’ wants me to go. And I think that would be better than I have to stay at home with him, even I didn’t know how to work on this condition. I couldn’t even walk to the factory! Nicky had to carry me to the dock!”
“Thankfully Mr. Doyle were so nice. He saw my condition and letting me to take a rest, doesn’t have to do my job. He even let me rest in his office. He took care of me. But of course, I couldn’t stand with the kindness. I should be working. There’s letter I should deliver. And somehow I go to work. I tried, I swear! But it was torture, my shirt rubbed the wounds mercilessly and my legs were giving up as well my back. And when I came back from delivering, I gave up, and fell to the street right before a wagon passing me. I thought they would hit me, but I didn’t feel anything as I fell into unconscious.”
“They found me, Daniel. Mrs. Sullivan and her son, William. They pulled me out from the street. She was a great lady. I got a fever when they took me to their house.

Flashback
Cian was woken up by the hands who bathed his wounds. He thought it was Nicky, but no, there was no Nicky! It was a lady who bathed him. And he went hysterical full of fears.
“Easy, son, don’t move.”
But Cian kept struggling and tried to turn his body back.
“Cian?” a familiar voice rushed into him. It was Nicky. Nicky was here! Cian grabbed his brother and hugged him.
“It’s okay, Ci, they are just bathing your back, I’m here, Ci.”
With Nicky beside him, Cian was calming, and stayed on his belly.
This lady was tried to be gentle and careful. Then waited the doctor to examine him.
As the doctor came, he checked and examined the little boy. Cian was lay quiet still in Nicky’s arm, hold all the pain. Anything doesn’t matter for him as long as Nicky was there.
The doctor sighed as he finished, “Don’t worry, son, you’ll be okay. Get some rest,” he ruffled Cian’s hair with smiled, then asked the lady to come out.
Cian was still in pain, he couldn’t move his body. He was so tired then fell to sleep in Nicky arms.

Cian was trapped in a world of pain and fever, his back hurt, was sore and his whole body ached. Dark dreams held him captive, ‘him’ and the belted, the beats, the rats,. He struggled to surface and escape.
He could hear Nicky’s voice, wrapped him and settled him. But there’s another voice and hands. A lovely soothing voice, warm and gentle touch and, kept him in safety. Was it mam? Mam held him tight, comforting him, and ready to take him with her? Mam he never saw, mam who bled for him. Yeah, she must be here, she came for him, came for taking him with her to heaven to stop his suffer. And he was ready to go, then fell into her arms with deep peaceful sleep.
Cian slowly became aware of his surroundings. He was laid in a nice bed, not his bunk. Sunlight shine through the window, warming the room. He didn't know where he was, how he'd got there, what he could only remember was pain and fear, and dark dreams with the belt and the rats.
“Hi, Cian,” a warm smiled and sweet voice from a lady greeted him
Cian was confused, he focused his eyes.
“You got fever last night,” Mae Sullivan knew this boy was so scarred, and she doesn’t want to scar him more.
That clicked him. He wasn’t at his room. He scanned the room, then fear through him.
“Don’t be afraid, you safe here, son. Don’t you remember? You got hit by wagon yesterday? We hit you. But don’t worry, doctor had treated it all as well your back.”
It clicked him once again. His father! And Nicky! He’s looking his brother, but he was not found. The fear even wider. He tried to get up, and this lady was held him,
“Where are you going, son?”
Cian couldn’t answer and he’s struggling to get up and get out from here. He has to find Nicky.
“Calm down, Cian, Nicky will come.”
With Nicky’s word, Cian stopped struggling.
Mae nodded, “Nicky would be here, he’ll come for you, after his work. You know he has to go to work, right?”
Cian still looked at her, tried to believe.
“He knows you here, and he will come after working. Don’t worry, Cian, he will come, he’s not leaving you.”
Slowly Cian believed her.
“Now, go back to sleep, you still need rest. I promised, he would be here when you woke up.”
Cian had to believed, beside, his back gave up, he didn’t have any strength to fight again. He just wanted to sleep.
“Don’t worry, you safe here, no one is going to hurt you, I promised,” she said and guided him to laid back.
And Cian was back to sleep to be found Nicky was there when he woke up. Nicky was not leaving him.
End flashback

“She took after me, she bathed my wounds, she fed me and wrapped me while I’m lost in dark pain fever world, just like Nicky did. I didn’t know was it a pity or what, but they show me love. They like me. I was put in the big room with a nice bed and treated like a young master. She even bathed me, washed my hair and gave me fine clothes. She showed me love. William was too. He was there to accompany me and took me to a great conversation,” he smiled little, “I know it was fool, I couldn’t talk while he always talking, tell me everything. But he doesn’t seemed care. He liked to stay with me. I think he liked me too. Well they were like me, Daniel, Mr. Sullivan, Mrs. Sullivan, and William. They love me!! For two days in my life I feel so happy again. There’s someone who love and taking good care of me beside Nicky. I want to stay with them, Daniel,” I smiled for the memory
I smiled too, imagined his happiest moment.
“So, Nicky left you there, to stay with them?”
But he shook his head sadly. “ ’He’ found me, Daniel. Like I told you, never dreaming for what you could never had. ‘He’ picked us from that great house and back with ‘him’, and there’s a high price I should pay.”
“He beat you up?”
“Worst. Nicky tried to protect me. He covered me up and took the beating for me, but I know ‘he’ wouldn’t leave me alone. So ‘he’ beat me a lot worse than I never had before. ‘He’ knocked me down and locked me in the closet for three days. No water, no food, with body bruised bleeding. I heaved out. I peed myself, and vomited myself. I didn’t think I would survive. But I did. I even didn’t aware when Nicky finally took me out, I just glad to get out from there.”
I silent for a moment and took a deep breath. I didn’t know if I could stand to hear another story. It wasn’t like I expected. This a lot worse!!
“That’s why I scared of the dark.”
Yes, Ci, I could see that.
“I got fever again from the onslaught. But he never cared. “
I sighed in pain.

TBC