Broken Toys

Chapter 23

"What are you doing?" Billy demanded, his blood going cold at the sight of Casey leaning over the bathroom sink, his injured arm held under the flowing water. He grabbed the boy and turned him hard, pressing him up against the wall, wrists trapped in Billy's strong grasp.

"Leave me alone!" Casey shouted, his face red with anger. "I'm not doing anything." He used his body to push Billy back, forcing somedistance between them despite Billy's unforgiving hands trapping his wrists.

Billy looked at the wrists, surprised to find them wet with soap and water not blood. Stunned and embarrassed he let go and took a step back.

"I'm sorry. I thought..."

"I know what you thought," Casey retorted, still angry. "I'm not a headcase, okay? You don't have to keep suicide watch on the loser anymore."

"Yeah?" Billy bitched back, getting angry. "How am I supposed to believe that?" He glared at Casey, wishing he could pound some sense into him; make him see how much his pain was hurting those who loved him. Didn't Casey realize that he, of all people understood?

He looked away from Casey's angry desperate face and tried to calm himself. Getting angry wasn't the answer. He sighed. "This whole situation is just too messed up."

"Then leave, Billy. Okay? Just leave." Casey turned away and caught sight of himself in the mirror. He paled and his anger drained away. "Go."

"And letaveZeke here alone to kick your mopey butt? No way, Casey." Billy managed to smile, pushing his anger and fear aside for the moment. "You're stuck with me," he insisted quietly.

"Why?" Casey asked, his voice pathetically small.

"Why not?" Billy smiled again and reached out to ruffle Casey's hair - something Casey hated. "You hate that," he said before Casey could complain.

"Yeah," Casey said, almost managing a smile.

There was a prolonged awkward silence, then Billy got up the courage to ask what he needed to know. "Seems kind of late now, Casey, but what were you doing?"

It was Casey's turn to look embarrassed. "I wanted to see how bad the arm looked. I thought I could do without the bandages and maybe Stokely wouldn't notice."

Billy placed a gentle hand on Casey's arm. "Can I help?"

Casey offered him a sad smile and Billy returned it, equally sad. Casey shook his head, no. There would always be scars to hide.

*****

"We're here," Zeke announced as he parked the car. Billy looked back at Casey who was surprisingly calm considering how jittery he'd been the day before.

"Ready?" Zeke asked finally when no one moved. He looked at them both curiously, sensing that something had happened between them while he'd been out getting breakfast. So far neither of them were offering any info and he wasn't going to go digging right now. Later, though...

Stokely opened the door to greet them before they were halfway up the sidewalk. She welcomed them warmly, but didn't try for hugs or handshakes; that just wasn't Stokes. Zeke was glad to see she'd ditched the pastels and gone back to basic black. He was even happier to see she hadn't started using the heavy, dark makeup again.

"Come on in, get comfortable. We've got the place to ourselves at the moment so we can talk." Stokes led them into the living room and waved at sofas and chairs.

Zeke followed her in, then Casey and Billy. Zeke did the introductions while Casey dropped back, closer to the door, visibly nervous.

"Why did you need to see me?" Casey asked as soon as the pleasantries were finished.

"Have a seat," Stokes insisted. She crossed her arms and waited for him to comply before walking off into the next room. She returned a moment later with a plain white envelope. She held it out to him, back side up so Casey couldn't see the front. When he hesitated, she dropped it in his lap.

"Read it."

He picked it up slowly, hands shaking, and turned it over. There was a single word on the front - his name - written in his mother's handwriting.

He gripped it, ready to tear it in two but Stokely moved surprisingly fast and grabbed his wrists hard, stopping him.

Casey cried out and tried to pull away.

Deliberately Stokely ran her fingers over the half-healed cuts and old scars, her eyes locked onto Casey's taking his secrets.

"Read it," she commanded.

"Please."

They all looked up, stunned by the sight of Casey's mother standing in the doorway. She was sallow-skinned with dark smudges under her eyes. It looked like she'd aged twenty years in just over a week.

Casey rose, pushing past Stokely and backing away from his mother as if she were an apparition. His eyes were huge in his pale face and even his lips had gone white. His crutches caught the corner of the sofa and he lost his balance and went down hard. Lying helpless and winded he stared up at her and froze.

She put her hand to her mouth and looked like she might cry.

Zeke rose slowly, never taking his eyes from Stokely even while he knelt beside Casey and helped him up and onto the nearest chair. Zeke remained standing beside the chair, one hand on Casey's shoulder.

Stokely stood beside Casey's mother, a hand on her elbow, supporting and guiding her until Mrs. Conner was seated across from Casey.

Billy stood off to one side watching the stand-off. The tension in the room was enough to snap anyone's nerves.

Stokely let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, Casey, you know me well enough to know that I wouldn't set this up without a reason. So at least listen for a minute. I'm not going to stand here all day while you two pretend you're not in the same room."

Casey's jaw tightened and he was ready to snap back with a reply when Zeke tightened his grip on Casey's shoulder. Casey looked up at him uncertainly.

"Give her five minutes, Case. For me."

Slowly Casey nodded, eyes still locked on Zeke's. Stokely's deliberate throat clearing noises brought his attention back to her and his mother.

"Five minutes," he conceded, making a show of checking his watch for the time.

Nervously his mother cleared her throat. No one spoke. Casey checked his watch again.

"Mrs. Conner, why don't you show Casey what you brought him?" Stokely prompted.

"Don't bother," Casey interrupted coldly. "Whatever it is, I don't want it."

"Casey..." Stokely started to argue with him but Mrs. Conner reached out and touched Stokely's arm, stopping the tirade before it began. Carefully Mrs. Conner stood, walking slowly towards Casey, who shrank away from her.

"Casey..." her face contorted and she stopped abruptly, turning away, shoulders shaking. Everyone in the room felt empathy for her except her son. He just clenched his fists and checked the time.

He could do this; he could survive for the rest of the five minutes and then he could leave.

A gasping sob escaped Mrs. Conner's tight control, taking with it the last of her resolve. She half collapsed onto the sofa and wept.

Casey clenched his fists even tighter, the tension painful. His hand shook as he checked the time again.

Billy cracked. He crossed the room in a blur, gripping Casey by the arms and hauling him upright. "Don't do this, Casey. You'll regret it. It will haunt you for the rest of your life." He moved one hand down to Casey's sore wrist and pressed fingers against the half- healed injuries making Casey cry out.

"If you walk away from her like this, you'll never feel anything again. Now, damn it Casey, talk to her."

He yanked Casey roughly away from Zeke and hauled him across to the sofa where he shoved him down and took up a flat-footed stance, ready to wrestle Casey if he tried to get away. Behind him Stokely watched with concern and a hint of amusement while Zeke clenched his jaw and remained still, watching carefully.

The anger left Casey almost instantly, as if someone had flipped a switch. He turned to his mother and tears filled his eyes. It hurt so much...

She raised her head just enough to look at him, waiting to be rejected.

Casey's heart pounded hard in his chest and he thought he might pass out. He reached out with one shaking hand and touched her shoulder.

Somehow he was hugging her and she was hugging him and it didn't matter that his leg was throbbing or that she was getting his shirt wet with her tears. All that mattered was that she was warm and solid and she wasn't sending him away.

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