Fadedwords

And So it Goes

Olivia Rhice was sixteen years old and a junior in high school.  Her mother had died of cancer two years before.  Now it was just her and her father trying to make things work.

“Livy!” a voice called one afternoon.  Olivia turned and smiled at her best friend, Sarah Mills.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“Not much.  Do you have an art project due today?” Sarah questioned, motioning to Olivia’s art portfolio.

“Yup.  We had to do self-portraits.  I absolutely hate mine.” Sarah rolled her green eyes.

“It’s probably amazing like all the other stuff you draw.” Olivia had the grace to blush.  She brushed her extremely long, straight, auburn hair over her shoulder.

“My art isn’t amazing Sarah,” she said as they began to walk again.

“How would you describe it then?”

“It’s average.”

“That’s why you won the regional art show the past two years, right?” Olivia grinned.

“OK, OK, point taken.  Here’s my stop,” she muttered, leaning against the wall outside the art room.

“I’ll call you later Livy.” Olivia shook her head.

“Don’t.” Sarah frowned.

“Why not?” She hesitated.

“Ummm… Dad is expecting some important phone call and he doesn’t want me to tie up the phone,” she explained hastily.

“Oh, OK.  Why don’t you give me a call if you can?” she suggested.

“Alright.”

“See you later.”

“Bye.”

Olivia sat in the art room two days later working on a drawing of John Rznick, the lead singer of the Goo Goo Dolls.

“Livy?” She turned and smiled at her art instructor, Mr. Sherlock.

“Yeah Mr. S?”

“I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of the school, Joseph Palmer.” Olivia smiled at the tall, handsome boy standing next to Mr. Sherlock.

“Hi.  I’m Olivia Rhice,” she said, holding out her hand.  Joseph took it and shook it.

“Nice to meet you.  Great drawing.” She smiled and pulled her hair into a pony-tail.

“Thanks.  It’s not done yet.”

“It’s still good.”

“Do you draw?”

“Nothing as good as that, but yeah, I draw.” Olivia blushed.

“Thank-you.”

“Well, you kids talk.  I have to go order some more pastels,” Mr. Sherlock said.  Joseph sat down next to her and watched as she continued her drawing.  Her right shirt sleeve was pushed up past her elbow and he could see a large, nasty bruise on the inside of her forearm.

“What happened?” he asked, motioning to the bruise.  She glanced at it and pulled her sleeve down.

“Volleyball.  My bump needs some work.”

“Oh.  How long have you been drawing?”

“As long as I can remember.  What about you?”

“About that long.” They both smiled.

“Where’d you move here from?”

“Kentucky.”

“That’s what I thought.  Your accent gives you away in New York.”

“I know,” he said sheepishly.  She sighed and erased a tiny mistake.

“I should probably put this away.  My next class is in ten minutes.  What do you have?”

“Math in room 207,” he replied after consulting his schedule.

“Me too!  I’ll walk with you.” She put her picture in the designated cubby and they walked out of the room together.

Sarah sat on her bed that Saturday night French-braiding her blonde hair.

“Have you seen that cute new kid yet?”

“Which one?” Olivia asked, even though she knew perfectly well whom Sarah was talking about.

“The one with the great accent.”

“Oh, you mean Joe Palmer.” Sarah frowned.

“How’d you know his name?”

“Mr. Sherlock introduced us Thursday morning.  He’s also in all of my classes except chorus and show choir.”

“You’re too lucky.”

“He’s really nice.  I’ll introduce you on Monday.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.  He’d like you.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yeah, sure.” Olivia was sitting Indian-style on the floor sketching Sarah.

“One day someone’s going to find all the sketches and drawings you do of me.  Then we’ll both be famous.” Olivia laughed.

“You crack me up Sarah.” They were silent for several minutes.

“Livy, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Why don’t we stay at your house anymore?” She shrugged.

“I don’t know.  I like staying here better,” she muttered.

“Oh.  Can we stay there tomorrow night?”

“I’ll have to ask Daddy.”

“OK.” They were quiet again for another long moment.  “Are you OK Olivia?” She glanced up from her sketchbook and smiled.

“I’m fine,” she said.

Mr. Rhice was sitting in the kitchen when Olivia walked in the next afternoon.  She put her backpack down in a chair and went to the refrigerator.

“Hey Daddy,” she said, grabbing a can of ginger ale.

“Where’ve you been all day?” Olivia swallowed hard.

“At Sarah’s,” she said cautiously.  He stood up and she took a step backwards.

“Didn’t I ask you to come home early so I could go out shopping?”

“It’s only noon Daddy.  I didn’t think…” Mr. Rhice grabbed her arm and she cringed.

“That’s obvious Olivia.  Your mother always stayed home on Sundays so she could put the groceries away when I got back.  I guess you’re not like her at all, are you?” Olivia tried to pull out of his grasp, but he held on tighter.  She dropped the soda can.

“Daddy, you’re hurting me,” she muttered.  He pushed her hard, slamming her back against the corner of the refrigerator.  She closed her eyes against the biting pain shooting up her back and down her legs.  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” she whispered.

“The next time I ask you to be someplace, you’d better be there,” he threatened.

“OK,” she said softly, watching as he walked from the room.  With a deep breath Olivia limped to the phone and dialed.  “Sarah?” she asked when her friend answered.

“Yeah?”

“I asked my Dad and he said tonight isn’t a good night for you to sleep over.”

“Oh.  OK.  Well, call me later.”

“I will.  Bye.”

“Bye.”

Joseph walked into the art room Monday morning and sat down next to Olivia.

“Hey, how was your weekend?” he inquired, putting his hand on the center of her back.  Olivia flinched away and cried out.  He frowned.  “What’s wrong?” She forced a smile.

“Nothing really.  I stumbled over some stuff in my room and fell.  It still hurts.”

“Did you go to the doctor?”

“No.  It’s not that big of a deal; it’s just a bruise.”

“OK.” He went to his art cubby and took out the piece he had started Friday.  It was a copy of the picture of Sheryl Crow found on the front of her ‘Globe Sessions’ CD.  He put it down next to Olivia and began to work.  She sighed and went back to her drawing of John Rznick.

On Wednesday afternoon, after school, Olivia was sitting on the stage in the auditorium.  She was working on a solo with her vocal teacher Mrs. Parsons.  The song was ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ from “Les Miserables.”

“Good Olivia… remember not to breathe between these two phrases,” she said.  Olivia nodded and kept going.  When the song was over someone began to clap.  Olivia whirled around, frowning when she saw Joseph standing off-stage right.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded.

“Listening to you sing,” he responded.

“I don’t remember inviting you,” she said, hopping off the stage.  Joseph came down the side stairs and watched as she put her jacket on.  “Thanks Mrs. Parsons,” she said.

“Sure Olivia.  You sounded great today.” Olivia Blushed.

“Whatever you say,” she mumbled, walking from the room.  Joseph followed.

“Olivia, wait up!” he called.  She didn’t stop, so he had to jog to catch up with her.  “Hey!  What’s the matter?” he demanded.  She glanced at him, a frown on her pretty face.

“I don’t like it when complete strangers eavesdrop on my voice lessons.”

“I’m not a complete stranger, am I?” he asked.

“What would you describe yourself as?” He put his hand on her shoulder.

“I thought we were friends,” he said.  She looked up at him for a moment before smiling.

“We are.  I’m sorry… I just get a little weird when people listen to me sing.”

“You sounded great,” he said.  She shook her head and blushed.

“It was OK.  It still needs work.” They started to walk again.

“I thought it was beautiful.”

“Thanks.”

“Where are you heading?”

“To my friend Sarah’s house.”

“Want some company?”

“I guess so.” He glanced at her.  Half of her hair was pulled up and the rest was hanging loose.  She was wearing a pair of jeans and a black tank top under her jean jacket.

“Hey, don’t force yourself Olivia.”

“If I didn’t want you to keep me company, I would’ve come right out and said it Joe.”

“Good.” She looked at him and rolled her eyes.

“Come on… Sarah’s going to think I got lost.”

Olivia jogged up the front steps and opened the front door.  She was late, which meant dinner wasn’t ready and her father wouldn’t be happy.

“Dad!” she called, dropping her bag on the couch.  “Daddy, are you here?” she called.  When there was still no answer, she sighed with relief.  She went to the refrigerator and pulled out a jar of spaghetti sauce.  “Lucky day Livy, it must be your lucky day,” she said to herself.  Just then the front door opened and her father walked in.

“Is dinner ready?” he asked.  Olivia swallowed hard.

“Ummm… I just put the sauce on for spaghetti,” she replied.

“Why only just?”

“I was running late today.  I’m sorry”

“You know what time I expect supper Olivia.”

“Yes Daddy, but…”

“Is your watch broken or something?”

“No.  I was at Sarah’s getting help with math, and I lost track of time.  That’s all.”

“So you forgot that I was counting on you?”

“No.  You wouldn’t let me forget that,” she muttered.  Mr. Rhice grabbed Olivia’s arm just as she realized what she’d said.

“Don’t you ever talk back to me!” he yelled, bringing the back of his hand across her face.  She stumbled backwards, hitting her head on the cupboard.  She put her hand on the back of her head, closing her eyes against the shooting pain.  Her father let his hand collide with her face one more time.  “Never,” he said, turning to go.  “I expect dinner in half an hour,” he said, looking down at her where she sat on the floor.  She nodded slowly.

“OK Daddy,” she whispered.  When he was gone, Olivia pulled herself to her feet and got an ice pack out of the refrigerator.  She held it gingerly to the side of her face and stirred the spaghetti sauce.

The alarm clock woke Olivia up the next morning.  She turned it off and walked down the hall to the bathroom.  When she looked in the mirror, she gasped.  Her right cheekbone was black and blue.

“Damnit,” she muttered, touching it gently.  “Ouch.” She sighed softly and went back to her room.  She picked up the phone and called the school.

“Good morning, Morris High School,” a voice said.  Olivia coughed.

“This is Olivia Rhice.  I won’t be in school for a couple of days,” she said.

“Oh, are you sick dear?”

“Yes.  The doctor thinks it’s the flu.”

“Alright.  Feel better dear.”

“Thank you.” Olivia hung up and flopped back on her pillows.

The following afternoon Olivia sat in the living room sketching herself as she looked in the mirror.  The doorbell rang and she sighed.

“Who could that be?” she murmured, pulling her hair from its pony-tail as she walked to the door.  She opened it and felt her jaw drop when she saw Joseph standing there with her books and art portfolio.

“Hey, how’re you feeling?” he asked.  She shrugged and walked into the living room.  She picked up her sketchpad and quickly flipped to a different drawing.

“OK I guess.  Better than I was.” They both sat down.

“That’s good.  When are you coming back to school?”

“I’m not sure.  When the doctor says it’s a good idea.”

“Oh.”

“Why’d you stop by?”

“I brought you your homework,” he explained, handing her the books and packet of papers he’d brought her.  She smiled.

“Thanks a lot,” she muttered sarcastically.  Joseph grinned.

“Anytime.” He glanced at the sketchpad.  “What’re you drawing today?” he questioned.

“Not much.  I’m just messing around a little.”

“Oh.” They were quiet for a moment.  “I’ve missed you at school.  I’ve been hanging out with Sarah, but she’s kind of weird to be around since I just met her.” Olivia nodded.

“Yeah.  Sarah takes some getting use to.” He gave a little chuckle.

“Yeah.” He was looking at her seriously.  “Olivia?”

“Yes?”

“Would it be OK if I kissed you?” She smiled a little.

“Sure,” she murmured, closing her eyes when he did.  He put his hand on the right side of her face and she pulled back with a sharp intake of breath.  He frowned.

“What’s the matter?” he demanded.  She shook her head and stood up.

“Nothing,” she muttered.  He stood up and grabbed her arm.  “Let me go.”

“No.  What’s the matter with your face?” he asked, gently moving her hair aside.  He gasped and looked at her seriously.  “How’d this happen?”

“It’s really stupid actually… I fell out of bed because I was practically delirious with fever.” He stared at her for another moment.

“That sucks,” he said finally.  She forced a smile.

“Yeah.  I feel pretty dumb, but that’s life.” He smiled too.

“Yeah.”

“So… thanks for the homework,” she said lamely.  Joseph grinned.

“Anytime.  I should go.  My Aunt’s expecting me home.”

“OK.  Thanks for stopping by.” He nodded.

“I missed you around school.  Call me Liv,” he said, opening the door.

“Joe?” He glanced at her over his shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“That kiss… did it mean anything like I thought it did?” He smiled.

“Yeah, of course it did.”

“Alright.  Bye.”

Sarah and Olivia walked down the hall together two weeks later.

“You missed a lot of school Livy,” Sarah was saying.  Olivia nodded slowly.

“Yeah.  I was pretty sick.  Luckily Joe brought me all my assignments, or I’d be pretty far behind.”

“How’d you get so lucky?”

“What do you mean?” They had stopped at Olivia’s locker.

“Joe.  It’s obvious you two are an item.  How’d you pull that off?” She shrugged.

“I don’t know.  We hung out a lot when he first moved here, and we have a lot in common.”

“Yeah.  I just think you’re lucky.” Olivia smiled and took her books off the shelf.

“I’ll agree with you there.” She closed the locker and they walked toward the stairs together.  “I’ll see you at lunch.”

“OK.  Bye Livy.” Olivia jogged up the stairs and to the art room.  Joseph was already there working on his picture of Sheryl Crow.

“Hey,” she said.  He glanced up at her and smiled.

“Hey, you’re back,” he said.

“Yeah.  I’m feeling a lot better.” He reached out to touch her face, but she took a step back.  “What?” He frowned.

“I was just going to say that your bruise is gone.” She smiled.

“Oh.  Yeah.” She went and got her portfolio before sitting down next to him.  “Can I draw you Joe?” she asked suddenly.  He looked at her with raised eyebrows.

“Why do you want to draw me?”

“Because I finished my other piece and I need an original portrait for the regional art show.” He was quiet.  “If you don’t want me to, I’ll understand.”

“No, you can draw me.  Just don’t let me know you’re doing it.  I don’t want to see until the art show either.” She smiled.

“Thanks Joe.” He looked at her and grinned.

“Anytime Liv.  I like your hair like that.” She touched the French-braid and shrugged.

“Thanks.”

“Where’d you learn to do that?” She didn’t answer right away and her face fell.  “Are you OK?”

“Yeah.  My Mom taught me.”

“Oh.  That’s cool.  You don’t talk about her too much.” She shook her head.

“Nope.”

“Why?” She looked away from him.

“I just don’t.”

“But why?”

“Could we drop it?” she snapped.  Joseph nodded slowly.

“Sure, but…” Olivia stood up angrily.

“Tell Mr. Sherlock I wasn’t feeling well,” she muttered, stalking from the room.  Joseph sighed and picked up her portfolio.  It was filled with drawings.  A medium sized charcoal picture was sticking up, so he pulled it out.  It was of a beautiful woman sitting on a swing that hung from a tree.

“Wow,” he murmured.

Sarah was walking down the hall later that day when someone called her name.  She turned and grinned at Joseph.

“Hey!” she said.

“Hey.  Have you seen Olivia?” She shook her head.

“No.  She had show choir last period.”

“Oh.”

“Is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure.  I think she’s mad at me.  I asked her why she never talked about her mother and she got upset.” Sarah nodded slowly.

“I can imagine she did.”

“What am I missing here?” She sighed and looked at him seriously.

“Livy’s Mom died two years ago.” His eyes got wide.

“I didn’t know that.”

“There’s no way you could’ve.  She’s still really sensitive about it.”

“Yeah.  If you see her, let her know I’m looking for her.”

“I will.” He started to walk away and Sarah said, “Don’t feel too bad about it.  She’s not really mad at you; she’s just reliving a lot of crap.”

“Thanks Sarah.”

Olivia was sitting in her room late that night, working on a drawing of Sarah.  Suddenly something hit her window.  She glanced up just as another pebble hit the glass.  She got up and looked out.  Joseph was standing down on the ground, looking up at her.  She opened the window hurriedly.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded in a whisper.

“You wouldn’t answer my phone calls… I was worried.”

“Well, I’m fine,” she assured him.

“Can I come up?”

“That’s not a very good idea.”

“Why?”

“It just isn’t.  My father would flip out if he caught you.”

“He won’t.  I promise.” She sighed.

“OK, but only for a minute.” She watched as he climbed the tree and crept across the roof.  He climbed through the window and smiled at her.

“Hey.  Are you OK?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Come on Olivia.  You got upset earlier, and then you didn’t talk to me for the rest of the day.”

“I wasn’t upset with you,” she replied, plopping down on the bed.  He sat down across from her, glancing at the drawing of Sarah.

“That’s good.  What were you upset about?”

“Thanks.  Talking about my Mom usually upsets me.”

“Why?” She sighed.

“I already know that Sarah told you.”

“I want you to tell me,” he said.  She looked away.

“My Mom died two years ago,” she said.  He nodded and took her hand in his.

“Thanks.  I’m sorry I brought it up earlier.”

“It’s OK.  You didn’t know.”

“I still feel bad.” She smiled.

“You don’t have to.  Do you really like the drawing of Sarah?” He nodded and picked up her sketchbook.

“Yeah.  She looks just like that.” In the picture Sarah was sitting under a tree and a shaft of sunlight was glowing across face.  She was smiling and her blonde hair was in a pony-tail.  She was wearing her cheerleading outfit and holding one of her pom-poms in her lap.  The other was on the ground beside her.

“Sarah posed for that one in a photograph.  Most of the time I just draw her from memory or when she’s moving around.”

“Well, this is good.”

“Thanks.” They were quiet for several minutes.

“Do you think I should go Liv?” She glanced at her watch; 11:45.

“Yeah, probably.  Like I said, my father would flip out if he caught you in here.” He stood up.

“OK.  I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” She nodded and closed her eyes when he bent to kiss her.  She smiled at him when he pulled away.

“See ya’ then,” she said.  He nodded and climbed back out the window.

Sarah and Olivia met Joseph and his cousin Chris at the mall Friday night.

“Hey,” Joseph said, giving Olivia a quick kiss.

“Hi.”

“Sarah, this is my cousin Chris… Chris, this is my friend Sarah.” Chris shook her hand and smiled.

“Nice to meet you Sarah.”

“You too.”

“So what’re we going to see?” Olivia asked.  Joseph shrugged.

“I don’t know.  We could see ‘The Green Mile’.”

“We’re not old enough.”

“My brother works here.  He’ll let us in,” Chris said.

“Cool,” Sarah said.  Joseph took Olivia’s hand and they walked into the theater.

“I have to be home by eleven,” Olivia said.  Joseph paid for her ticket and smiled.

“You’ll be there with bells on,” he promised.

Olivia unlocked the front door late that night.  Joseph had just dropped her off, and it was past eleven.  She crept quietly up the stairs, hoping… praying that her father was asleep.  She was almost to the top when her father appeared.

“Where’ve you been?” he demanded.  “It’s eleven twenty.”

“I know, and I’m sorry.  The movie started late… I’m sorry.”

“You should’ve called me,” he said.  Olivia nodded, watching as he took a step toward her.

“I know.  I should have.  I’m sorry,” she said again.  He reached for her and she stepped back.  Unfortunately she was still on the stairs, and stepping back made her lose her balance.  She tumbled backwards, letting out a little scream before the world went dark.

Olivia woke up in the hospital.  A nurse was checking her IV, but smiled when she saw her patient’s eyes open.

“Well, it’s good to see you awake hon.” Olivia swallowed hard.

“How long have I been here?” she asked hoarsely.

“Two days.”

“What’s wrong with me?”

“You took a hit to the head, and your left knee took a beating.”

“Oh.  Where’s my Dad?”

“He stepped out for a bite to eat.  He’ll be back.”

“Has anyone else come to see me?”

“Your visitors have been limited because you’ve been out of it.”

“Oh.”

“You can call anyone you’d like.  A boy named Joseph stopped by with a girl named Sarah a couple times.” Olivia smiled.

“That’s good.  Thank-you.” The nurse left and Olivia sighed.  She reached for the phone and frowned at the pain in her left side.  “I must have cracked ribs,” she said to herself, picking up the phone and dialing Joseph’s number.

“Hello?”

“Joe?”

“Liv, is that you?” he demanded.

“Yeah.  How’re you?” He laughed.

“Better now that I’m talking to you.  How are you?”

“OK I guess.  I’m still not too sure exactly what’s wrong with me, but I’m sure there’s a doctor somewhere that’ll fill me in.”

“Yeah.  Do you remember what happened?” A picture of her father’s angry face flashed in Olivia’s mind.

“No,” she lied.  “Do you know?”

“According to your father he heard a ruckus on the stairs and found you at the bottom.  I guess you left your backpack on the stairs or something.”

“Oh.  Well that sounds like something I’d do.  I’m such a klutz sometimes.”

“I’m just glad you’re OK.  Can I come see you?”

“Yeah.  Bring Sarah.”

“Sure.  I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye.” She hung up the phone with a sigh.

“Who were you talking to?” her father’s voice demanded.  She looked up quickly.

“My friend Joe.”

“How do you feel?” he asked, sitting down in the chair beside her bed.

“I’m OK… sore but OK.”

“You’re going to be sore for awhile.  You took quite a fall.” She nodded.

“Yeah?  I don’t remember it.” He looked at her seriously.

“I heard you fall from my room.  You probably fell over that damn backpack you always leave on the stairs.”

“Probably.  Did the doctor give you a run down of what’s wrong with me?”

“I can’t remember everything she said.  She’ll stop in sometime today.”

“Oh.  Sarah’s going to come over with Joe later.”

“Is Joe the boy you went out with Friday?”

“Yeah.  He’s nice.”

“He needs to learn to bring you home on time,” Mr. Rhice muttered.

“He will,” she promised.  He nodded.

“Good.  I have to head out to work.”

“OK.  Are you coming back later?”

“Yes.  Be good today.”

“I will,” she said, watching as he walked.  She sighed and closed her eyes for a brief moment.  “Damn.”

Joseph and Sarah walked in an hour later.

“Livy, are you OK?” Sarah demanded.  Olivia forced a smile.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Joseph questioned.  She looked at him seriously.

“I’m sore, but good.  How’re you guys?” They both smiled.

“We’re fine.  Where’s your Dad?” Sarah asked.

“Work.  He’ll be back later.”

“Oh.  Do you need anything?”

“Nope, not that I can think of.” Sarah glanced at her watch.

“I hate to leave so soon Livy, but I have to meet my Mom for lunch.”

“That’s OK.  Just come visit again… I think I might be here for a little while.” Sarah smiled and placed a kiss on Olivia’s forehead.

“I’ll be back and I’ll call you.  See you later guys.” They watched as Sarah left.  Joseph looked at her and sat down on the edge of her bed.

“How’re you really feeling?” he asked.  She shrugged.

“I’m OK.  I wish the doctor would come by and tell me what exactly is going on.”

“I know some of it.”

“Well, do tell,” she said with smile.

“You tore your ACL and meniscus in your knee.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“It isn’t.  You’ll probably need another surgery to fix it… and a lot of physical therapy.”

“Goody.  What else?”

“You sprained your wrist pretty bad, and you cracked and bruised some ribs.”

“So, basically, I’m a mess?” she kidded.  He smiled.

“Pretty much.”

“How do I look?” He reached out and touched her face gently.

“Beautiful as ever,” he said. She smiled.

“Thank-you.”

“Just being honest.”

“Will you bring me my homework again?” He nodded.

“Of course.” They were quiet for a moment.  “I should’ve brought some of my homework.  I’d be able to stay longer.”

“Don’t worry about it.  I should be resting anyway.”

“You’re sure it’s OK that I go?” She nodded and smiled when he kissed the side of her neck.”

“Yeah.  I can’t have you flunking out.” He grinned.

“OK.  I’ll call you tonight.”

“OK.” He was part way to the door when she said, “Joe?”

“Yeah?”

“Bring my portfolio and all my other stuff.  I have to finish all my work for the art show.”

“Sure thing boss,” he joked.

“Thanks.” He nodded and left.

Olivia finally left the hospital two and a half weeks later.  She was on crutches and had to go to physical therapy three times a week.  On her first day back to school, Joseph and Sarah walked along with her slowly.  He was carrying her book and Sarah was carrying her portfolio.

“Are you glad to be back?” he asked.  She shrugged.

“I guess.  It’s better than being in the hospital.”

“At least you didn’t fall behind,” Sarah commented.

“Yeah.  You guys were great.”

“We know,” they said in unison.  She laughed.  They had reached the art room.

“You can put my portfolio on a desk,” she said.  Sarah put it down with a smile.

“There ya’ go.  I need to go to class, but I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.” Olivia sat down and propped her crutches against the wall.

“You finished everything for the art show?” Joseph asked.  She nodded.

“Yeah.  I have some last minute touch-ups on the portrait of you and some of the other pieces, but they’re all pretty much set to go.”

“That’s good.”

“When do you want to see your picture?”

“I don’t know.  Maybe when it’s hanging on the wall of the art show.” She smiled.

“Are you afraid I made you hideous?” He laughed.

“No.  I’m not exactly afraid.  I just want to be surprised.”

“OK.” They were quiet for several minutes.  “Hey, do you want to walk me to my physical therapist’s today?” He nodded.

“Sure.  I’ll stay and wait for you if you want.”

“That’d be good.”

“Then I’ll do it.”

“Thanks.”

The Regional Art Show came two weeks later.  Olivia’s father drover her, Joseph, and Sarah to the museum.

“I’ll be back here at ten o’clock sharp.”

“OK Daddy,” she replied, letting Joseph help her out of the car.  The first snow of the year was falling, and the sidewalks were slippery.

“Good luck,” Mr. Rhice said.  She smiled at him, closed the door and waved as he drove away.

“Come on Livy, it’s freezing out here!” Sarah exclaimed.  Olivia smiled.

“Coming,” she muttered, crutching into the building.  There were tons of people standing around looking at sculptures, paintings, and drawings.  Joseph took her coat and hung it up.

“Where should we start?” he asked.

“I don’t know.  I just want to go see your display.”

“You’ve already seen it Liv.”

“So?” He smiled.

“Let’s go and see it then,” he muttered.  She smiled and followed close behind.

Sarah left early due to a prior engagement.  Joseph and Olivia were sitting drinking some soda.

“So when do I get to see your display?”

“Whenever you want.”

“Right now.” She smiled and got up carefully.

“OK.” They moved through the museum.  She stopped in front of her work.  He stared at his portrait in awe.

“When did you do that?” he demanded.

“I did the first sketch in the hospital that night you stayed with me after the second surgery.” He kept staring at the picture.  In it he was asleep with his head on his arm.  Her hand was in his.

“Do I really look like that Liv?” She nodded.

“Yup.”

“Wow.  It’s amazing.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re going to win again this year.  All of your work is fantastic.”

“That’s what Mr. Sherlock said.  I don’t know… there are some really good displays.”

“You’ve got the best.”

“Well, thanks.  They don’t announce the winner until ten thirty, so I won’t be here.”

“Why’s your Dad picking you up before the awards?”

“I don’t know.  He just doesn’t want to be driving around too late at night I guess.”

“My Aunt could probably give you a ride home.  Do you want to call your Dad and ask if it’s OK?” She hesitated.

“I guess so,” she muttered.

“If you don’t want to, that’s alright.  I just want you to be here when you win.” She smiled.

“I want to. Come find a phone with me.”

Mr. Rhice wasn’t home when Olivia called, so at ten o’clock, she crutched out to wait for him.  When he pulled up she motioned for him to roll down his window.

“What’s the hold up Olivia?” he asked.

“Is it OK if I stay here until the awards?  Joe said his Aunt could give me a ride home,” she said.  He frowned.

“I came all the way out here so you could tell me you wanted to stay?” She took a deep breath.

“I didn’t know when the awards were going to be handed out.  When I found out I tried to call.”

“I want you home by eleven thirty… no later.” She smiled.

“Thanks Daddy.” She turned to go.

“I’m not happy about this Olivia,” he said.  She turned to look at him, and the look in his eyes made her stomach flip-flop.  She nodded slowly before continuing to the museum.

“I told you that you’d win,” Joseph said.  They were on her front porch and it was eleven fifteen.

“Thanks for the support and for the ride,” she said.  He smiled.

“Anytime.” He leaned down and kissed her gently.  When he pulled away he murmured, “Are you OK Liv?” She smiled.

“Yeah, I’m great.  It’s been a long day though.”

“You’re right.  I’ll let you go in then.” He kissed her again.

“Good-night,” she said, going into the house.  Her father was in the kitchen drinking a glass of whiskey.  She took a deep breath and crutched in.  “I’m not late am I?” she asked cautiously.

“No.  We need to discuss your performance at the museum Olivia.”

“What performance?”

“I had to drive all the way over there in this weather just to have you tell me you wanted to stay.”

“I tried to call, but…” He stood up and she stopped talking.

“There were no messages on the machine.” She swallowed hard.

“I didn’t leave one because I thought you wouldn’t get the message in time.” He grabbed her upper arms and slammed her against the counter.  She let out a little cry of pain and her crutches clattered to the ground.

“Always leave a message!  Don’t assume!” he yelled.

“OK,” she whispered.  He released her and she grabbed the counter for support.

“Always,” he muttered, stalking from the room.  Olivia bent down carefully and picked up her crutches.  With a sigh she went slowly to her room.

The next day at school Olivia crutched into the choral room for her voice lesson.  Mrs. Parsons smiled.

“Hello Olivia.”

“Hi,” she muttered, sitting down carefully, a grimace on her face.

“Are you OK Hon?” Olivia smiled.

“Yeah.  I’m just a little sore.”

“How’s the physical therapy going?”

“OK.  My therapist says I’m doing great.”

“Good.  We miss you in show choir.”

“I miss it too.  Sitting and watching you guys rehearse is boring.”

“I know,” Mrs. Parsons said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.  She cringed.  “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.  My muscles are just sore from the crutches.”

“Oh.” They were quiet for a moment.  “So what are we working on today?”

“We should probably work on the piece I’m doing for NYSMA,” she said.

“Ave Maria?” Olivia nodded.  “OK.  Are you alright to stand?”

“Yeah.  I’ll just lean against the stool if I get tired.” She stood up slowly, scowling when a shot of pain went up her back.

“Are you sure you’re alright Livy?” Olivia pasted on a smile.

“I’m great,” she promised.

Olivia glanced up later that night when someone knocked on her window.  It was Joseph.  She looked down at what she was wearing: a pair of tear away pants and a tank top.  There were large bruises on both her upper arms from where her father had grabbed her.  She pulled on her hooded sweatshirt before getting up to let him in.

“You really need to stop coming here like this.  My father would kill you if he caught you here.”

“He isn’t going to catch me.  You worry too much.” She smiled.

“I’m just being reasonable.” He gave her a quick kiss.

“When do you turn seventeen?”

“A little less than a month.”

“January?” She nodded.

“Yeah.  January twenty-ninth.”

“I’m older than you by a lot then.”

“How much?”

“I just turned eighteen.”

“Why are you in my grade then?”

“I missed a lot of school in sixth grade so I got held back.”

‘Why’d you miss so much school?” He didn’t answer; he actually turned away for a moment.  “Are you OK?” He nodded.

“Yeah.  I just fell behind due to things at home.”

“Oh.  If I said something wrong, I’m sorry.” He forced a smile.

“You didn’t.  Don’t worry about it.”

“OK.”

“How’s your knee?” She shrugged.

“It’s alright.  Sore.”

“Is the physical therapy helping?”

“Depends on your definition of helping.  It’s a lot or hard work and it hurts.  Sometimes it feels like I’m getting nowhere.” He put his hand on her upper arm and she cringed away.

“What’s wrong?” he demanded.  She gave a little laugh.

“My arms are just sore from the crutches.”

“Let me see.” Her smile froze on her face.

“No.  There’s nothing to see.  It’s just sore muscles.”

“Let me see them Olivia.” She frowned.

“Why are you being like this?  My arms are just sore.”

“If that was it you’d show me.”

“What else would there be?” she demanded.

“Oh, I don’t know Liv.  There might be some bruises like the time you had the black eye.” She sighed.

“I told you how that happened.  I fell out of bed.”

“Just like you tripped over your backpack and fell down the stairs?”

“Yes, exactly like that.” He sighed.

“Sarah said that you’ve got a big bruise on your back too.”

“So what?  I bruise easily.” Joseph shook his head.

“I don’t think so.”

“What do you think Joe?” she demanded angrily.

“I think that nobody is as accident prone as you claim to be.”

“That’s your opinion.”

“I’m right,” he said confidently.

“Really?  How do you figure?” she shot back.

“You still haven’t shown me your arms.”  She didn’t say anything.  “I’m going to take off.  I’ll see you at school.” She sighed.

“Whatever,” she muttered, watching as he went out the window.  With another sigh, Olivia went back to her sketchbook.

The next day at school, Sarah stopped by Olivia’s locker.

“Where’s Joe?”

“I don’t know.” Sarah frowned.

“Did something happen?” She shrugged and closed her locker.

“We had a fight… no big deal.”

“It sounds like a pretty big deal to me Livy.”

“He’ll get over it.  Will you walk me to class?”

“Sure, but…” Olivia cut her off.

“Drop it Sarah.”

“OK.”

One day turned into one week, and Joseph and Olivia still weren’t speaking.  The bruises on her arms and back were gone, and she was finally off the crutches.

“Livy!” Sarah called.  Olivia turned and smiled.  She was wearing jeans, a sweatshirt and her hair was down.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Not much.  Are you and Joe talking yet?”

“Nope.” Sarah sighed.

“You’re both being stupid.”

“Please just leave it alone.”

“Alright.  I think you two should just kiss and make up already.” Olivia smiled.

“You’re such and idealist.”

“He misses you and you miss him.  I don’t see why it has to be so difficult.”

“Because it does.” They had stopped by her locker.  “Will you walk to class with me?”

“No.” Olivia glanced at her, confused.

“Why not?”

“Because I’m going to,” a voice said. She turned, frowning when she saw Joseph.

“I’ll walk alone,” she muttered, closing her locker and starting to walk away.  Joseph caught up quickly and grabbed her arm.

“Don’t grab me like that,” she said.  He sighed.

“OK, OK!  Would you wait just a second and talk to me?” he asked.  She stopped walking.

“I have class.”

“You’ve got show choir… I think you can miss it.”

“Fine.  Where do you want to go?”

“For a drive.  My Aunt gave me the car today.”

“Are you crazy?” He took her hand in his.

“Yup.  Come on, let’s go.”

They ended up in Lake George, sitting on the beach.

“So what do you want?” she asked after they’d sat there for awhile.  He glanced at her.  She’d pulled her hair over her right shoulder so she wouldn’t sit on it.

“I want you to talk to me.”

“Aren’t I talking to you?”

“No.  Not really.  Come on Liv, we’ve been dating for almost four months.  Can’t you talk to me?”

“I am talking to you.  What do you want me to say that I’m not?”

“Tell me why you wouldn’t show me your arms.”

“Because there was nothing to see.”

“I’d like the truth a whole lat better,” he said.

“What truth?  What do you want me to say Joe?” she demanded.  He looked at her for a long time.

“Did he start hitting you before or after your mother died?” he asked softly.  Her jaw dropped.

“What are you talking about?”

“You know damn well what I’m talking about.” She shook her head and struggled to stand up.

“I don’t think I do Joe.”

“Would you like me to spell it out for you?” She nodded defiantly.  “Your father puts all those bruises on you.  You didn’t trip over your backpack; he pushed you down the stairs.  Your black eye was from his hand, not from falling out of bed.  Should I continue?”

“I… How dare you ac… accuse my father of… of hurting me,” she stuttered, turning away.  She had her arms crossed across her chest, and she was hugging herself tightly.  Joseph stood and put his hands on her shoulders.

“Talk to me,” he murmured.  She swallowed hard and shook her head.

“There’s nothing to talk about.  I don’t…” He moved to stand in front of her.

“You can trust me Olivia.  Talk to me.” She just started to cry.  He sighed and put his arms around her.  “It’s OK,” he whispered.  Her arms slid around his waist and they stood there like that for a very long time.

Joseph dropped Olivia off at home that afternoon.  They hadn’t gone back to school at all that day.

“Are you going to be OK?” he asked.  She glanced at him and smiled.

“Yeah.  I’ll be fine.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah.  I’ll call you later,” she promised.

“OK.” He leaned over and kissed her.  “Bye.” She smiled and got out.

“Bye.” She walked slowly up to the house and let herself in.  Her father grabbed her as soon as the door was closed.

“So, you’re skipping school now?” he demanded.  Olivia silently cursed herself.

“No… not really,” she said, closing her eyes when she was slammed against the wall.

“According to the principal you missed three classes this afternoon and you were nowhere to be found.  That sounds like skipping school to me.”

“I left because I wasn’t feeling well…” she began.

“You were feeling well enough to go out with that boy.”

“Joe was just trying to help, he only…” Mr. Rhice cut her off again.

“I know exactly what he was trying to help!  Don’t you care what people think?  People talk Olivia… you running around with a boy makes me look bad.”

“Daddy, nothing happened! You’re talking like a crazy person,” she said.  He smacked her then, hard, sending her sprawling on the floor.

“Get up,” he ordered.  Olivia grabbed the edge of the table and struggled to stand up.  Mr. Rhice grabbed her by the elbow and yanked her to her feet.  “Don’t you ever tell me I’m crazy.  I didn’t raise you to talk back!” He hit her again and she fell.  “Never talk to me that way,” he said, emphasizing the word never by kicking her in the side.  He turned and stormed out of the house.  She started to draw in a deep breath, but the pain in her side stopped her short.  She managed to sit up and grab the phone.  She dialed Joseph’s number.

“Joe?” she said when he picked up.

“Hey Liv, what’s up?” he asked.

“Could you come over here?”

“Sure.  Give me half an hour or so…” she cut him off.

“No.  I need you to come now.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Could you please just come over?”

“I’ll be right there,” he promised.

Joseph found her in exactly the same spot she’d called him from.

“What happened?” he demanded, helping her to her feet.  She bit her lip.

“Nothing.  Help me up to my room just in case Dad comes home.” They went slowly up the stairs.  When they reached her room he closed the door and helped her to the bed.

“Now tell me what the hell happened,” he ordered.  She shot him a withering look.  “You know what I mean Liv.”

“He found out I skipped the last three classes.  I guess he saw us pull up in your car… he wasn’t happy.”

“Where are you hurt?”

“My ribs hurt the most.” Joseph frowned.

“Which side?”

“Right?”

“Can you take big breaths?” She shook her head.

“Not comfortably.”

“I’m taking you to the hospital,” he said.

“No you’re not.  I was just there a month ago.  I can’t go back now.”

“You could have a punctured lung.  That’s not something that heals on its own Olivia.”

“Take me to the health clinic.  They can take x-rays and figure out what’s wrong.”

“I’d rather…” She cut him off.

“Could you stop being difficult?  We’re doing this my way or not at all.” He sighed.

“OK.  Let’s go.  I’ll take you wherever you want.” She nodded and let him help her.

Olivia’s ribs were only cracked, much to both their relief.

“I don’t want you to go back to that house tonight Olivia,” he said as he drove her home.

“If I don’t go home, he’ll just get mad again.”

“What if you went home and told him you were staying at a friend’s house?”

“That’d probably work.  I can’t stay at Sarah’s though, not like this.”

“Stay at my house.”

“But your mom will…”

“My Aunt, and no she won’t.  She’s away for the week.  It’ll be OK,” he assured her.

“OK.” They stopped a few houses down from hers.

“I’ll wait here.  You’ve got ten minutes before I come and get you.”

“I’ll be OK.  He probably isn’t even home.” He nodded and watched her walk slowly to the house.  She was back in less than ten minutes, with all of her school books and a duffle bag.  “Let’s go,” she said.

Olivia lay awake that night, partly because her side her, partly because of her father, and partly because she was laying in Joseph’s bed and Joseph was sleeping next to her.

“You’re still awake,” he said suddenly.  She gave a little jump.

“Yeah.  How’d you know?”

“I don’t know.  I just did.  What’s wrong?”

“I’m just sore.” He rolled over and looked at her.

“You’re lying.” She smiled.

“You know me way too well.”

“What’s bugging you?”

“Everything.”

“Could you expand upon that?” She shrugged and then grimaced at the pain in her side.  Joseph reached out and touched her face gently, then kissed her.

“Ummm… Just everything that happened today with Daddy and you… everything.”

“What happened with me today?” he asked, sitting up and leaning on his right arm.  His sandy brown hair was falling across his forehead and his hazel eyes were confused.  She smiled.

“Not too many people know about this Joe… as a matter of fact, you’re the only one I’ve ever admitted it to.”

“And that’s bad?” She shook her head slowly.

“No, that’s not what I said.  I just don’t know how to deal with someone actually knowing.”

“Why?” She looked at him seriously.

“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way.”

“I won’t.”

“OK… having someone else who knows for sure is dangerous, because they can tell.”

“Maybe someone should tell Liv.” Her eyes got wide.

“If you say anything to anyone I’ll never forgive you.” He sighed.

“I’m not going to say anything.  I promised you I wouldn’t and I meant it.”

“OK.”

“Isn’t it kind of good to know that there’s someone you can talk to about it?” She nodded.

“Yeah, it is.  I don’t know what I would’ve done today if you didn’t know.”

“You don’t have to worry about it, because I do.” She smiled.  “How long do you want to stay here Olivia?”

“Overnight should do it.” He frowned.

“I’d rather have you stay the rest of the week.”

“That’s not such a good idea Joe.”

“Why?”

“How would I explain that to my father?”

“Who says you have to?” She gave a little laugh.

“My father isn’t the kind of person that can be kept in the dark about things.  If he finds out I spent the night here tonight… well, he wouldn’t be happy.”

“He isn’t going to find out.  I don’t want you to go back to that house Liv.” She reached out, put her hand on his arm, and gave it a squeeze.

“I have to.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s my house, it’s where I live… he’s my father.” Joseph sighed.

“I understand that.”

“Thanks.  I know you’re worried and I appreciate that, but…” He cut her off by kissing her.  Olivia slid her hand up his back to the back of his neck.  His hand was on her left side, under her shirt.  He pulled away a little.

“You can come here anytime,” he murmured.  She pulled him close and kissed him.

“Thank-you.”

Sarah and Joseph threw Olivia a surprise birthday party.  When everyone else was gone, Olivia, Sarah, Joseph, and Chris sat in Sarah’s living room.

“So you had a good time?” Sarah asked.  Olivia smiled and nodded.

“It was really fabulous.  You guys are the greatest,” she replied, giving Joseph’s hand a squeeze.  He smiled at her.  “Oh, Sarah?  If my Dad calls, I’m staying here but I’m in the shower or asleep.” Sarah glanced at Chris with raised eyebrows.

“Where are you going?”

“Joe’s taking me out.”

“I’ll cover for you.”

“Thanks.”

“We should get going Liv,” Joseph said.  She nodded and let him help her up.  Her knee was still in a cumbersome brace.

“Thanks for everything Sarah,” she said, giving her a hug.

“Anytime.  I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.”

Joseph glanced at Olivia.  She had a bandana covering her eyes.

“Are we there yet?” she asked.  He smiled.

“Almost,” he replied, pulling the car to a stop.  He got out and went around to open her door.

“Can I take the blindfold off?” He put his arm around her waist.

“Not yet.  We’re almost there.” She sighed, clinging to his arm.

“Hurry up.” He stopped walking suddenly.

“OK,” he said, untying the bandana.  She looked around and smiled.  They were at Lake George.  A picnic and a fire were set up a few feet away.  “Surprise,” he said.

“This is great,” she said, giving him a quick kiss.  He helped her sit and then sat down next to her.

“I thought this would be a good idea.  My Aunt thought so too. She was all too willing to leave the house tonight so you could stay.”

“She didn’t have to leave.”

“She knows that.  Let’s eat.  It looks like it’s going to snow again.”

Olivia watched Joseph as he slept that night.  He was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of shorts.  He was curled up on his side facing her.  She smiled and moved closer to him.  His arm slid around her waist and his eyes opened.

“Hey,” he murmured sleepily. She smiled.

“Hi.  I woke you up.” He shook his head and brushed hair from her forehead.

“Not really.  What time is it?” She put her hand on his waist.

“Time for you to get a watch.” He tickled her and she squirmed away.  “Stop!  It’s two in the morning.”

“See that wasn’t so hard, was it?  Did you have a good birthday?” Olivia smiled and slid her hand up the back of his shirt slowly.

“It was absolutely wonderful.  Thank-you.” She moved closer and kissed him.  He put his hand on the back of her head and rolled so he was partially on top of her.

“I’m glad,” he said softly.  She grinned at him.

“You know… I probably shouldn’t be here.  Knowing my father, he’ll probably call Sarah’s and…” He cut her off again, kissing her hard.

“I don’t want you worrying about your father right now,” he said after a minute.

“I’m not worrying,” she said softly, kissing the side of his neck.

“Yeah you are.” She pushed him away and sat up.  “Now you’re angry,” he muttered.

“No, not really.  Don’t I have a reason to worry about my father?” she demanded.  He sighed.

“Of course you do, just not when you’re here with me.  You’re safe here.” She raked her fingers through her hair.

“Just because I’m away from my house doesn’t mean I can get away from all the feelings and crap there.  I’m always afraid something will happen… that he’ll find out I’m here or doing something I’m not suppose to.  You have no idea what it’s like to be afraid like this.  You have no idea,” she said, brushing tears from her face.

“I understand that…” She cut him off angrily.

“No you don’t!  You can’t understand it if you haven’t lived it.  There’s no possible way you could understand this.” He drew in a deep breath.

“You want to make a bet?” he demanded.  She looked at him.  “I know better than you think.”

“What?”

“Both my parents died when I was seven.  I went to live with my Aunt and Uncle.  He wasn’t a nice man.”

“What do you mean?” He looked at her for a long moment before slowly lifting his T-shirt.  There was a long, jagged scar on his left side.

“That’s what I mean.  That and broken ribs, a broken jaw, broken arm, busted leg and fingers, and a punctured lung.  He wasn’t a nice man.” She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder.  He shrugged her hand away.

“I didn’t know that,” she murmured.  He looked at her and sighed.

“I know.  I should’ve told you before now.”

“There’s no law that says you have to tell your painful past to your girlfriend of seven months.” He smiled.

“Thanks.”

“Thank-you.”

Mr. Rhice glanced up when Olivia walked in the next day.

“Hi Daddy,” she said with a smile.

“Where’d you stay last night?” he asked.  She swallowed hard.

“Sarah’s.”

“Are you lying to me young lady?”

“You obviously think I am,” she replied.  He smacked her.  A voice in her head said, ‘You deserved that one Livy… talking back, what’re you thinking?’

“Don’t get smart with me.  I called Sarah’s and nobody was there.”

“We went out to a movie and didn’t get back until late.  I should’ve called before we went out.  Sorry.” He nodded.

“You should be.  Call me next time.”

“OK.” She walked out of the room and upstairs slowly, breathing a sigh of relief.

Two weeks later Joseph pulled up in front of Olivia’s house.  They were going out to a movie.  He jogged up the front steps and reached out for the doorbell.  Before he rang it he heard the sound of a crash, glass breaking, and a general ruckus.  He frowned and rang the doorbell.  The door opened and Mr. Rhice stormed out.  Joseph hurried inside.

“Liv!” he called.  She didn’t answer.  “Olivia, answer me!”

“I’m in here!” she called back.  He jogged into the kitchen and gasped at what he saw.  Olivia was sitting on the floor amid shattered glass.  Her face was bleeding, along with her right hand.

“What happened?” he demanded, crouching down beside her.  She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and smiled bravely.

“Well… would you believe that I forgot Daddy doesn’t like turkey gravy?” She sniffed and picked up another piece of glass to put in the garbage.  Joseph put his hand over hers.

“Don’t worry about that now.  We need to get you cleaned up.” He tried to pull her to her feet, but she wouldn’t let him.

“No, I need to clean this up before Daddy gets back.  If he comes back and all this glass is still here…” He put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her seriously.

“Liv, we’ll get this cleaned up.  Don’t worry about it right now.” She looked back at him and a tear slipped down her cheek.  He brushed it away with his thumb.  “Come on.  You just need to move and I’ll sweep this up.” She let him help her up, then watched as he swept.  When he was done he led her to the bathroom and had her sit on the edge of the bathtub.  He got out peroxide and some cotton balls.

“I can’t believe I forgot,” she said.  Joseph knelt in front of her, putting one of his hands on her thigh.

“This isn’t your fault,” he said, wetting a cotton ball with peroxide and dabbing at the cut on her face.  She made a face and he blew on it gently.  “Sorry.”

“It’s OK.  He’s never liked turkey gravy.  What was I thinking?” she murmured.  He put the bottle of peroxide down and put one hand on either side of her face.  She averted her eyes.

“Look at me,” he said softly.  She looked at him.  “It’s not your fault, OK?” She nodded.  “I’m serious.  This isn’t your fault.  He shouldn’t buy turkey gravy if he doesn’t like it.” She smiled and kissed him.

“Thank-you.” He looked at her right hand and sighed.

“I think this needs stitches Liv.” She frowned.  “Can you go to the hospital?” She nodded.

“Yeah.  It’s been months since I needed the emergency room.” He wrapped a towel around her hand gently.

“Let’s go.”

Twenty-seven stitches later, Olivia sat in Joseph’s bedroom.  He was changing his shirt.

“You seem angry,” she said.  He pulled his blood stained shirt off and tossed it in the hamper.

“I’m not,” he replied.  She sighed and glanced down at her hand.  It was wrapped in thick gauze.

“Yeah you are.  What’s wrong?” He glanced at her before pulling on a black hooded sweatshirt.

“I don’t want you to go back Olivia.”

“I could stay here tonight.” He shook his head.

“That’s not what I mean.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t want you to go back there tonight or tomorrow or the next day… I don’t want you to go back there ever.” She sighed and raked her fingers through her hair.

“I have to go back.”

“Why?” he demanded

“Because I live there.”

“That’s just geography Liv.  You don’t have to live there.”

“What would you like me to do Joe?”

“Leave!  There are places to go other than that house.  You can stay here or at Sarah’s.”

“My father can make me come back anytime.”

“So tell someone other than me.”

“No!”

“Why the hell not?  Do you enjoy getting the crap beat out of you?  Did you take pride in the fact that the doctor at the hospital commented on the size of your file?” She sighed and shook her head.

“Of course not.”

“You shouldn’t go back to that house.  I don’t want you to.”

“It’s not about you.  This is about me.”

“It is about me Olivia!  I don’t want to see you in the hospital or bleeding on you kitchen floor again.  I don’t want to see you dead!” he exclaimed.

“He’s my father and I love him.  Don’t you understand that?”

“Of course I do.  There’s a limit to how much loving someone will accomplish though.  Just because you go back there and love him doesn’t mean he’ll stop!”

“You don’t know that.  You don’t understand the situation… how this all happened and got this far.”

“I understand that you needed twenty-seven stitches in your hand.  I understand that you needed two surgeries to fix your knee.  I don’t need to understand anything beyond that!”

“Then you don’t need to be in my life!” she yelled, standing up and starting for the door.  Joseph sighed and grabbed her arm above the elbow.

“Come on Liv,” he said.  She yanked her arm out of his grasp.

“No.  I’m going home,” she said.  Joseph watched as she stalked down the hall.  Moments later the front door slammed.  He sighed, letting the palm of his hand collide with the wall.  His Aunt came out of the bathroom and looked at him for a minute.

“You’re pushing too hard Joe.” He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair.

“What should I do?  Let him kill her?”

“She’ll come around honey.  Don’t worry.” He nodded and went back into his room.

Olivia was sitting in the art room two weeks later, working on a drawing of her mother.  Joseph walked in and watched her for a moment.  There was a large bruise on the back of her neck.

“I like the bruise,” he said, sitting down next to her.

“Thanks.”

“Did you forget about the turkey gravy again?” She looked at him, her eyes angry.

“No.  Actually I was defending you and, surprise, surprise, a can of soda fell out of the sky and hit me.”

“Oh.” They were silent for several minutes.  “Listen Liv, I’m sorry.  I just don’t want you to end up dead.  I couldn’t handle that.” She sighed, reached over, and grabbed his hand.

“I know you’re worried and I really appreciate that.  You need to understand that I love my father though.”

‘I do.  I also understand that my Aunt and I both loved my Uncle, but that didn’t stop him from almost killing either one of us.” She didn’t say anything.  “I don’t want to lose you Liv.” She looked at him for a moment before leaning close and kissing him.

“You won’t lose me.  Not ever,” she promised.

Joseph and Olivia went out to dinner that Sunday night.  He dropped her off, walking her to her front door.

“I had fun,” she said.  He smiled at her.  She was wearing a form fitting, dark blue sweater, and stonewashed jeans.  Her hair was half up and half down.

“Me too.  Do I get a goodnight kiss?” She smiled.

“Maybe,” she murmured, putting her hand on the back of his neck and pulling him closer.  “You’ve gotta’ be nice to me though.” He laughed softly.

“I’ll be really nice to you,” he promised, kissing her.  His arms went around her waist and his hands played with her hair.  She pulled away a little.

“That was pretty nice,” she said with a smile.  He touched the side of her face gently.

“Glad I could live up to your expectations,” he said.

“You always do.”

“You should get in there.  You’re still early.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She turned for the door, but he caught her hand.  “Yeah?” He kissed her again.

“I love you Liv.” She smiled.

“I love you too Joe,” she replied.  He smiled and watched her go inside.  He grinned and sauntered out to his car.

Olivia wasn’t in school the following day.  Joseph found Sarah and expressed his concerns.

“Joe, I don’t understand why you’re so worried,” she said.

“Because she was fine last night Sarah.  I saw her at eleven o’clock and she was fine.”

“Maybe she was too tired to come today… or maybe she got sick early this morning.  That happens you know.” He sighed.

“I know, but…” She put her hand on his shoulder.

“She’s OK Joe.  Just relax.” He nodded slowly.

“OK.  I’ll see you later.” She watched as he walked away.

By second period, Joseph had called Olivia’s house ten times and received no answer.  He decided to go over and make sure everything was alright.  He rang the doorbell several times before letting himself in.

“Liv!” he called.  There was no answer.  He went into the kitchen.  There was glass all over the floor, the water was running, and the refrigerator door was open.  “Olivia!” he yelled, his heart pounding.  Again, there was no answer.  He walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs.  There was blood on the banister.  “Liv, answer me!  It’s Joe!” He was jogging now, opening all the doors on either side of the hallway.  The third door on the right brought him an image he’d never forget.  It was the bathroom.  Olivia was lying on the floor in a pool of blood.  She was unconscious and her eye was black and blue.  He knelt down beside her and carefully felt for a pulse.  “Thank God,” he murmured when he found one.  He got up slowly and went to find a phone.

“911, what is your emergency?”

“My girlfriend… she’s on the bathroom floor and she’s unconscious,” he said quickly.

“Alright.  We’ll have someone there in a minute.” Joseph hung up the phone and went back to the bathroom.  She still had a pulse, so he knelt next to her and stroked her hair.

“Everything is going to be OK Liv,” he murmured.

Joseph sat in the waiting room late that night.  Olivia was in surgery to relieve the swelling and pressure on her brain.  It was almost midnight.

“Joe?” a voice said.  He looked up and smiled at Sarah.

“Hey.  You should go home and get some sleep,” he said.

“Not until I know Livy’s OK.  I wonder who would do this to her.” He looked away.

“Yeah.”

“I wonder where Mr. Rhice is too.”

“Yup.”

“I hope he’s OK.  It’d be horrible if Livy lost him too.”

“It sure would.” They both looked at the door when it opened.  A doctor in scrubs walked in and smiled at them.

“The surgery went well.  She’s in ICU… she’ll be there for awhile.  We’re not too sure about her injuries yet, but it doesn’t look too good.”

“Has she woken up yet?” Joseph asked.

“No.  She’s still unconscious.”

“Is there a reason for that?” The doctor put a hand on Joseph’s shoulder.

“She’s suffered a massive head trauma, son.  It could be days or even weeks before she comes around.”

“Can we see her?” Sarah asked.

“One at a time.  Why don’t you go first young lady?  I’d like to speak with you in private young man.” Sarah hurried out of the room and the doctor motioned for Joseph to sit down.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Olivia… actually Olivia’s family.”

“The only family I know about is her father.”

“Do you know where he is?” Joseph shook his head.

“Nope.” The doctor was silent for a moment.

“Do you have any idea how this happened Joe?  This or any of her other injuries?” Joseph looked at the doctor for a long time.

“She’ll deny it if I tell you.” The doctor nodded.  “I can’t be sure about this time, but all the other times it was her father.”

“OK.  Why don’t you go see her?”

“Thanks.”

Olivia didn’t wake up for a week.  When she did, Joseph was asleep in the chair beside her bed.

“Joe?” she murmured.  He was awake almost instantly.

“Hey!  How do you feel?” he demanded, taking her hand in his.

“Ummmm… a bit fuzzy.  What am I doing here?”

“I found you lying on your bathroom floor barely alive.  Someone decided to play wall ball with your head.” She drew in a deep breath.

“Oh.”

“Do you remember anything?” She shook her head slowly.

“No, not really.”

“Was it your father again?” She looked away before nodding.

“Yeah.  He found one of the drawings I was doing of Mom.  After that first time he knocked me down in the kitchen, I don’t remember much.”

“Understandable.”

“How long have I been here?”

“A week.”

“Wow.  Where’s Daddy?” Joseph shook his head slowly.

“You actually want to see him?”

“Yes.  I need to make sure he’s OK.”

“He’s just peachy.  As a matter of fact he went on a little vacation while you were dying on your bathroom floor.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that your father took off after he did this.  He left you there to die, and tried to make it look like he was out of town when it happened.”

“Did he come back?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“And he had a warm reception by the police Olivia.”

“You told,” she whispered accusatorily.  He nodded and put his hand on her thigh.

“You’re damn right I did!” he exclaimed.  “They didn’t really need me to say anything though; he left a big, bloody handprint on the wall and on the floor beside you.”

“You had no right to tell anybody anything,” she said.

“Maybe not, but I’m never going to walk into a room and find you bleeding to death ever again,” he said, giving her leg a squeeze.  Olivia was staring at his hand, her eyes wide and her face pale.  “What’s the matter?”

“I can’t feel your hand,” she whispered.

“What do you mean you can’t feel my hand?”

“Exactly what I said!  I can’t feel my legs.  Joe, what’s wrong?” she demanded, starting to tear up.  “Why can’t I feel my legs Joe?  Why can’t I feel my legs?”

Joseph sat on the other side of a glass window, watching as Olivia was moved into the CAT scan tunnel.  Her doctor sat beside him, looking at the computer screens.

“What could be wrong?”

“Her spinal chord could be swelling due to the trauma she suffered.  We don’t really know exactly what happened to cause it, so it’s hard to say.  It’d help a lot if Olivia could remember some more.” They fell silent again as the man examined the pictures appearing before him.  He sighed softly.

“What’s the matter?”

“There’s a lot of swelling… It’s one of those things that will either get better when the swelling goes down or it just won’t.”

“So she might be permanently paralyzed?”

“It’s a possibility.  Only time will tell.” Joseph looked back toward the tunnel, at Olivia’s bare feet.  He put his face in his hands for a long moment.

“I should’ve told someone before this happened,” he muttered, getting up and stalking from the room.

Sarah was sitting with Olivia that night, holding her hand.  Olivia was crying quietly.

“What am I suppose to do now?  What if I can’t walk again?” she demanded.  Sarah wiped tears from her own face.

“I don’t know Livy.  You can’t think like that though… you’ve gotta’ stay positive.” Olivia nodded.

“I’m trying, but it’s so hard.  And I don’t know where Joe went… he just disappeared.  What if he doesn’t want to be with me anymore?  What guy is going to want to be with a girl that’s in a wheelchair.”

“Oh, Livy, that’s not how Joe is.  He loves you so much… you should’ve seen him when I got to the hospital.  He was crying and…” The door opened and a nurse came in.

“Sorry kids, but I have to break up this.  Visiting hours are over.” Sarah looked at the nurse.

“I’m spending the night.  Don’t try to make me leave, she’s been my best friend since kindergarten and she just got some horrible news.  I’m not leaving her alone.” The woman smiled sympathetically.

“Alright.  Just keep it quiet in here so I don’t get in trouble.” Sarah smiled.

“Thanks.”

“I’ll bring you some extra blankets and a cot.” Sarah nodded and turned back toward Olivia.

“So why else would he leave?”

“He’s just upset Livy.  He doesn’t know how to deal with all of this.  Part of him feels guilty for all of this and he doesn’t know what you’re feeling about all of it.”

“He has no reason to feel guilty.  This isn’t his fault.”

“It’s so easy for you to say that.  It’s a lot harder for Joe to believe it.” Olivia sighed and looked out the window.

“I don’t know how to do this anymore Sarah.  I don’t know how to keep going.” Sarah drew in a deep breath and leaned down to hug her friend.  They stayed that way for a long time.

Joseph walked into Olivia’s hospital room three days later.  She was laying on her back, looking out the widow.  He cleared his throat and she looked at him.

“Hey,” he muttered.

“Hey.” She was looking at him with serious eyes.  “Where’ve you been?”

“Around.  I needed to do some thinking.”

“You should’ve told me.  I didn’t know what to think or…” He cut her off.

“Do you hate me?”

“What?”

“Do you hate me?”

“Why would I hate you?” He sat down on the edge of her bed and raked his fingers through his hair.

“I shouldn’t have left you alone there.  I should’ve made you leave or told someone or something,” he said, starting to cry.  She stared at him in disbelief.

“Joe, wait a second… you tried and tried to make me leave.  You kept telling me…” Once again he cut her off.

“I should’ve made you listen.  I should’ve tried harder.  Then you wouldn’t be going through this now,” he sobbed.  She reached out and grabbed his arm.

“Hey, stop it,” she said.  He shook his head slowly.  “Joe, stop it!  Come here,” she murmured, pulling him close.  She wrapped her arms around him and rubbed his back.  “This isn’t your fault, OK?  I don’t blame you for this.  You did everything you could to get me out of there, but I wouldn’t listen,” she said, feeling tears begin to fall down her own cheeks.  “You saved my life.  If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be laying here right now.”  He sniffled.

“I should’ve…” She pushed him away a little and looked him dead in the eye.

“I never again want to hear you blaming yourself for this.  Do you understand me?” He nodded slowly.  “You did everything you could, OK?  You’re the only one that was there… and I don’t know how you handled keeping that secret for me.  Don’t you ever blame yourself again,” she said, pulling him closer and kissing him.  He pulled away just enough to burry his face in her neck.

“I love you so much Olivia.  I was so scared that I’d lose you.”

“Never.”

Physical therapy started the following week.  No feeling had returned to her legs, but Olivia didn’t care.  She was ready to get to work.  Her therapist was a fairly young, attractive guy.

“You must be Olivia.  I’m Sly,” he said, shaking her hand.  He had a fast smile.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“We’re going to spend a lot of time working together Olivia, and we’re going to get you back on your feet in no time.” She grinned.

“That’s why I’m here, right?” He nodded and gave her leg a pat.

“Right!  That’s what I like to hear.  I’m going to tell you right now that it’s not going to be easy.” She nodded and pulled her hair into a pony-tail.

“I’ve done physical therapy before.  I know what it’s like, but I can handle it.” Sly smiled again.

“Great.  Let’s get started.”

Joseph walked into Olivia’s hospital room the following Saturday.  She was sitting in her wheelchair sketching in her sketchbook.

“Hey,” he murmured, leaning down and kissing the side of her neck.  She smiled up at him.

“Hi.”

“How was therapy today?” She shrugged.

“Long.  Sly says I’m doing really well.  My x-rays look better too, according to Dr. O’Hannlon.”

“Great.  Have they told you when you can leave?” She sighed and shook her head.

“The department of child welfare is looking for a foster home for me still.  I guess it’s taking awhile because I’m older.  I already told them that I’m staying in the area.”

“It’ll all work out Liv.”

“I know.  The trial is soon.”

“Do you have to go?” She nodded and gave his hand a squeeze.

“Yeah.  I need to testify about what I remember.  My psychologist is going to testify too; he has to tell what I remembered under hypnosis.”

“You know that I was called to testify, right?” She nodded again.

“Yeah.”

“I don’t want to betray your trust, but I’ve got to be honest up there.  A lot of stuff is going to come out that you probably won’t want people to know.”

“Just tell what you know, OK?  It’s over now.”

“OK.”

Olivia sat beside her lawyer in the courtroom.  She watched as her father was escorted in by an armed guard; his hands and ankles were shackled.  She looked away from him and swallowed hard.  Joseph was sitting behind her and put his hand on her shoulder.  She turned her head and smiled.

“You OK?” he asked.  She nodded bravely.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” The judge came in and the bailiff called for them all to rise.  Olivia sighed softly and looked down at her now useless legs.  Her lawyer, Michael Roth, smiled down at her and gave her hand a squeeze.

“Don’t worry about it,” he murmured, standing for them.  She smiled weakly and looked around the room.  A lot of people had shown up for the trial… practically the whole town.  She sighed softly.

Olivia was pushed up to the front of the courtroom at the end of the week.  She was the last to testify for the prosecution.  Joseph had already testified.  He had told the judge about every time he’d seen a bruise and when she’d first told him about the abuse.

“Raise your right hand please Miss Rhice,” the bailiff said.  She did as he said.  “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?”

“I do.” He smiled and walked away.  Mr. Roth appeared before her and smiled at her.  She smiled back weakly.

“Hello Olivia, how are you today?” She shrugged.

“I’m alright.  A little nervous I guess.”

“That’s alright.  We all understand that.  You know I’ve got to ask you some pretty hard questions today, right?”

“Yes.”

“You’re going to tell the truth, even though it’ll be difficult, right?” She nodded.

“Of course I will.”

“Alright, let’s begin.” He paused for a brief moment.  “Do you remember the first time your father hit you?” She thought for a moment.

“Ummm… I think so.  I was pretty young.  My mother and I were sitting in the kitchen and I colored on the table.  I got a spanking.”

“Did you get a lot of spankings from your father when you were a little girl?” She shrugged.

“I guess so.  See, I never thought so because I thought I was being bad and that all little kids got spanked when they were bad.”

“I see.  When did you realize that it was different?” She swallowed hard.

“When my Mom first got sick.  I was twelve then, and she went into the hospital for breast cancer.  Dad started to drink after work… he never came home drunk or anything, but he always had a few to like dull his senses or something.  One night I burned the hamburgers and he hit me right across the face.”

“Do you mean he smacked you?” She swallowed hard, closing her eyes at the painful memory.

“No, he brought the back of his hand across my face.  He hit me so hard that I fell on the floor.  I was a lot littler then too, so it didn’t take much.”

“Did your face bruise?”

“Yeah, really bad.  I had to go to the hospital because Daddy thought he broke my jaw.  Luckily it wasn’t broken and the doctor believed the story he made up.”

“So it started to be something you recognized as not normal when you were around twelve?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you ever go and tell anyone?” She smiled sadly.

“He’s my father.  I love him so much… and I didn’t want to lose him like I lost my mother.  I thought that I could be better and he’d realize how much I loved him…” she stopped because she was crying.  “I just thought he’d stop if I stopped being bad.”

“Alright.  Do you need a minute?” She shook her head and smiled.

“No, I’m OK.” He smiled back at her.

“Good.  Joseph already told us about all the times he saw bruises.  Were all those times from your father?” She thought about all the times and sighed softly.

“Yes.  And I know some people are probably thinking that there’s no way I can remember every bruise Joe saw or what that bruise was from.  I can, because I remember exactly what set Daddy off every time.”

“Can you give an example?” She nodded.

“Sure.  Joe and I got into a fight because he wanted me to leave my house… he didn’t want me to stay there and get hurt anymore.  I wouldn’t listen.  Two weeks after the fight Joseph saw a big bruise on my neck.  He was being sarcastic about it because he was still mad about my not leaving.  He asked if I had forgotten about the turkey gravy again and…” Mr. Roth cut her off.

“What did he mean by that?”

“That’s another story.”

“OK, go on.”

“So I told him that I hadn’t, that I had been defending him and a soda can just fell out of the sky and slammed into my neck.”

“So you had been defending Joseph to your father and he threw a can of soda at you?”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you tell us about the turkey gravy incident?  I think that’s a pretty good example too.” She took a deep breath.

“OK.  I made dinner every night.  One night I was making rice and chicken with turkey gravy.  Daddy came in and saw the gravy… he asked what kind it was and I told him.  He started screaming that he didn’t like that kind and demanding how I could forget something that important.  He picked up the jar and threw it at the counter.  The glass shattered everyplace; it cut my face and my hand.  Daddy left and then Joe came and took me to the hospital.”

“What did you tell Joseph that day?” She looked out at Joseph and smiled sadly.

“I was sitting on the kitchen floor in the middle of all that glass, cleaning it up when he came in.  He was so worried.  He demanded to know what happened and I said, ‘Well, would you believe that I forgot Daddy doesn’t like turkey gravy?’”

“You believed that incident was your fault?”

“Of course I did.  Daddy said it was, so it must’ve been.”

“Alright.  Olivia, we heard the tape of your hypnosis while you weren’t in the room.  Do you remember anything about that night?” She closed her eyes briefly.  When she opened them she looked at her father.  Tears were shining in her eyes.

“I don’t remember too much really.  I was sitting in the kitchen at the table, cleaning out my art portfolio.  There was just too much stuff in it, so I was going to move some of my older work to another portfolio I had.  Daddy came home early that day… it seemed like he always came home early when he’d find something he wouldn’t like.”

“What did he find that day?” She smiled despondently.

“There was a drawing of my mother.  She was sitting on a swing wearing a flowered dress.  The swing hung from the branch of a tree in our back yard.   I drew it from a picture I had hidden in my room.  You see, Daddy took down every single picture of her when she died.  He put them away in the attic in a locked trunk.  So, he saw the drawing of Mom and he flipped out.”

“What do you mean flipped out?” She swallowed hard and raked her fingers through her hair.

“He grabbed the picture and tore it up.  I was yelling at him to stop, even though I knew that wasn’t a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“I know better than to talk back to Daddy or to raise my voice.  That’s one sure way to get knocked on my butt.”

“OK.  So, he tore up the picture and you yelled at him to stop.  What else.”

“I stood up and I grabbed his arm… I was trying to make him stop.  Then he looked at me…” She drew in a deep breath and said, “He looked at me and I let go and backed away, because he looked at me like he was going to kill me.”

“What happened then?” She swallowed hard.

“He threw the pieces of the drawing on the floor and picked up a glass I’d been drinking out of.  He threw it at the cupboard right above my head.  Then he came toward me and I backed up until I hit the counter.  He grabbed my arm by the elbow and kind of shook me.  He told me that I knew the rules about pictures of Mom.  He was yelling so loud and he was shaking me.  I apologized… I just kept apologizing, because sometimes that worked.  Not this time.  He said that I was always sorry but it didn’t really matter.  Then he hit me.”

“In the face?”

“Yeah.”

“Was it a smack or the back of his hand?”

“It was his fist.” The court gasped.  “Then he shoved me on the floor… then he told me to get up.  It was hard because I hurt my wrist when I fell.  I got up and backed toward the doorway of the kitchen.  He followed me and grabbed me by my neck.  He slammed my head against…. Ummm, I don’t remember exactly what it was, is that OK?” she asked.  Mr. Roth smiled and nodded.

“It doesn’t really matter.”

“Well, he slammed my head against something hard anyway.  That’s pretty much all I remember.”

“Alright.” He took a drink of water.  “I have one more question Olivia.”

“OK.”

“Do you love your father?” She looked at her father again and more tears fell down her cheeks.

“I love my father more than life itself,” she said softly.

“Thank you Olivia, that’ll be all.” The judge cleared his throat and looked to the defense.

“Your witness.”

“No questions your honor.”

The judge looked around the courtroom almost two weeks later.

“Deliberation in this case was very easy indeed.  All the forensic evidence points to Mr. Rhice.  Olivia herself testifies to a history of abuse.  The tough part was coming to a decision about where Mr. Rhice should end up.  After hours of thought, I’ve come to the decision that you, Mr. Rhice, should seek counseling for your problem.  I’m sentencing you to a mandatory treatment program for your alcoholism.  This is a three year long program.  After this program you will be sent to a correctional facility to finish out your ten-year sentence for attempted murder.  Court adjourned.” Olivia looked over at her father.  He was being handcuffed again, but he was looking at her.  His eyes were sad.  She looked away.  Michael Roth was smiling down at her.

“Congratulations Olivia,” he said, leaning down to hug her.  She wrapped her arms around the man and thought, ‘what’s there to congratulate me about?’

Social services found a foster home for Olivia in the area, so she could finish high school at Morris.  She returned to school at the beginning of May.  Sarah and Joseph were right beside her; actually, Sarah was beside her and Joseph was behind her pushing the wheelchair.

“It’s weird to be back here,” she said softly, glancing up at Joseph.  He smiled.

“Everyone’s missed you a lot.”

“Everyone is staring at me.  I feel like something out of the side show.” Sarah placed a hand on Olivia’s shoulder.

“Nobody is staring at you Olivia.”

“Yeah, everybody is.  It’s OK though… I can handle this.” They went to the art room and Mr. Sherlock smiled at her.

“Olivia!  How great it is to see you!” he exclaimed, leaning down and giving her a hug.  She smiled at him.

“Hey Mr. S, what’s going on?”

“We missed you Livy.  I haven’t had any shining stars in my art room for quite some time.”

“You’ve got tons of shining stars Mr. Sherlock.  I’m one of the many.” He grinned at her.

“How do you feel?” She shrugged.

“It’s a little weird to be back… I guess that nobody was expecting me to still be in a wheelchair.”

“They’ll get use to it,” he assured her.  She nodded.

“They’ll get use to it right about the time I’m walking again,” she said confidently.

“How’re the therapy sessions going?”

“Long, painful, tedious… but they’re helping.  The other day I moved my toe.  Dr. O’Hannlon says that’s a really good sign, because I did it a couple times on command.”

“Excellent.  You’ll be back on your feet and on the stage in no time.” She laughed.

“I don’t know about that, but I’ll be walking around before you know it.”

“Great.  Why don’t you get started on the new project?  We’re doing boxes containing our favorite things.” Olivia rolled her eyes.  “Yes, boring, I know.” She smiled.

“I’ll start on it now,” she promised.

“Wonderful.  See you kids later.” Joseph pushed her to a lower desk and then got her art supplies for her.

“Thanks,” she said.  He leaned down and kissed her.

“Anytime.” He went and sat down at one of the regular tables, and Olivia started drawing.

Summer came quickly, and Olivia was still confined to a wheelchair.  The doctors said it was normal, but she didn’t think so.  One afternoon at physical therapy, she slammed her hand against the railing of the walking apparatus.  Sly watched her closely.

“I can’t do it!” she exclaimed.

“Yes you can.  I know you can.  You felt my hand on your leg earlier, so you can move your leg.”

“Maybe I just imagined it.  I can’t do it now.  I’ll never be able to walk again.” He raised an eyebrow.

“Maybe you’re right Miss Rhice… maybe you won’t be able to walk again.  You’re probably going to be confined to that damn wheelchair for the rest of your life.” She looked at him in disbelief.  “Is that what you wanted to hear?” he demanded.

“No.”

“I didn’t think so.  You’re going to walk again, I know you are.  It just takes time Livy.  You’ve made so much progress… I don’t think you realize how much you’ve made.  You just need to keep pushing yourself and try not to get discouraged.”

“OK.”

“Now, let’s get back to work.”

Olivia and Joseph sat on her couch together watching a movie.  He had his arms around her and her head was resting on his shoulder.  He thought she was asleep, so when the phone rang he answered it.

“Hello?” he asked quietly.  It was Sarah.

“Hey Joe.  Where’s Livy?”

“She’s laying here sleeping.  I’m going to carry her up to bed in a couple minutes.”

“Oh.  I really wanted to talk to her.”

“It’s kind of late don’t you think Sarah?” he questioned.  “I mean, Liv works hard at physical therapy for a couple hours every day… not to mention going to school.” Sarah didn’t say anything right away.

“I guess you’re right.  Leave her a note telling her I called, will ya’?”

“Sure.  Talk to you later Sarah.”

“Yeah, bye.” He hung up the phone quietly, and then sighed softly.  Olivia had sat up and was looking at him with dark eyes.

“I don’t have a bed time Joe,” she said.  He nodded.

“I know you don’t, but I didn’t think that Sarah should be calling this late.  You do work hard at therapy and I know you’re tired.”

“No, actually I’m not.  I can handle everything I do, and I sure as hell don’t need you acting like my keeper.” Joseph raked his fingers through his hair.

“I was just trying to help Liv.  I didn’t mean anything by it.” She frowned and slammed her fist into her thigh.

“Of course you didn’t.  Nobody means anything by the stupid shit they say, but they still say it.  I’m not helpless.  I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can, I was just…”

“Trying to help.  I know.  Maybe I don’t need that kind of help.  I know when I need to go to bed, I know when I’m overdoing things… it’s not your job to keep track of that.”

“Fine.” They were silent for several minutes.  Joseph glanced at her, sighed, and put his hand on her thigh.  “Do you want me to leave?” She looked at him and shook her head.

“Only if you want to leave.”

“I don’t want to leave.  Let’s watch another movie.” She shook her head and smiled ruefully.

“You were right… I’m pretty tired from P.T. today.  Do you still feel like carrying me up to bed?” He grinned.

“Absolutely.” He stood up and she wrapped her arms around his neck.  He slid his arm under her legs and the other behind her shoulders.  “Let’s go,” he murmured, picking her up and carrying her toward the stairs.  She placed a light kiss on his lips.

“Thank you.” He smiled at her.

“Anytime beautiful.”

July came to an end and August began hot and hazy.  Olivia was working hard at physical therapy, and was making slow but steady progress.  She had worked with Sly every day, and had gotten to the point where she could take several unassisted steps before she got too tired to finish.  One day she was sitting in her wheelchair resting after a particularly hard session.  Sly was drinking a soda and she was nursing a bottle of water.

“I want to be able to walk by the time school starts,” she said suddenly.  Sly looked up at her and frowned.

“Be realistic Livy,” he replied.  She looked at him evenly.

“I am being realistic.  I want to be able to walk again by the time school starts… or at least by the time we have our first music concert in the winter.”

“Why the rush?”

“I’m sick of sitting in this stupid chair, and I don’t want to go back to school to have people look at me like I’m an invalid or something.  I won’t do it.”

“I don’t want you to set unrealistic goals Livy.  School starts in two months.”

“So?  I’ve taken some steps by myself.” Sly nodded and smiled.

“Yes, you have, and I’m really proud of you.  I just don’t think you’ll be able to walk completely unassisted in two months.  December is a much more likely goal.” She sighed and raked her fingers through her ponytail.

“Do you think I’ll be able to walk completely unassisted by then?”

“You might have to use a cane, but you’ll be on your feet I think.” She nodded slowly.

“OK, then let’s aim for December.”

Joseph and Olivia went out to the movies that weekend, and then back to her foster parents’ house.  They sat outside for a long time.  Olivia looked over at him.  He was sitting on the railing of the porch watching her.

“What?” she asked.  He smiled.

“Nothing.  I just love you a lot, that’s all.” She grinned.

“I love you too.”

“You haven’t sung since the accident have you?”

“It wasn’t an accident, and no I haven’t.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t use my diaphragm properly while I’m sitting.  It messes up my breath control and stuff like that.”

“Oh.  I liked hearing you sing.”

“You only heard me a couple times.”

“I remember it.” She smiled softly, tears coming to her eyes.

“Come here for a second,” she said.  He did as she said.  “Help me stand up.” He looked at her for a moment and then did as she said.  Olivia put her hands on his waist and looked into his eyes for a long time.

“I love you so much,” she whispered.  He kissed her gently.

“I love you too Liv.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him fiercely.  He smiled to himself; it was the first time he’d seen her stand since the night before he’d found her on her bathroom floor.

Sly was right; Olivia still wasn’t able to walk in September.  Nor was she able to walk in October or November, not completely unassisted that is.  She put in grueling hours at the therapy center, and did hours of exercises at home on her own.  She also had the help of her foster parents.  She didn’t, however, tell Sarah or Joseph what she was planning.  Mrs. Parsons was in on her scheme though, and was more than happy to oblige her request.

“Livy!  Do you need help getting down to the art room?” Sarah asked one afternoon after school had ended.  Olivia smiled up at her friend and shook her head.

“Nope.  I have all my stuff in the room already, so I should be fine.”

“OK.  Call me later and we’ll do something.  Joe said something about going to the movies with Chris.”

“Sounds good.  I’ll see you later!” she called, watching as her best friend disappeared around the corner.  With a sly smile, Olivia turned her wheelchair and moved toward the choral wing.

The Christmas Choral Concert was scheduled for December 22.  Olivia worked with Mrs. Parsons every day after school, and even sometimes on the weekends.

“Livy I think you have this solo down,” she said one afternoon.  Olivia smiled up at her.

“Thanks.  I hope everybody else thinks so.  I just want to surprise everyone.” Mrs. Parsons smiled.

“You will.  You’re going to make a lot of people proud and happy.” Olivia grinned too.

“That’s my goal.  So I’ll see you here tomorrow night?”

“Yes.  The microphone will be set up stage left for you, and I’ll make sure nobody is there.  You know your cues and all that.” Olivia nodded.

“Absolutely.  So, I’ll see you then.”

Joseph pulled the note off his front door at six the next evening and read:

Joe,

Come to the high school by seven.  Don’t worry about dressing up or anything… I’d just like you to be there.

Love,

Livy

He frowned to himself and then jogged inside and up the stairs to take a quick shower.  He turned on the water while thinking ‘why does she want me to go to the school at that hour?’

Sarah was just walking into the school when Joseph was.  She smiled at him and asked, “What are you doing here?” He shrugged.

“Livy left me a note.  I’m not too sure what the deal is though.” Sarah nodded slowly.

“I got a note too.  She didn’t tell you anything other than meeting her here?”

“Right.  Where would she be?” Just then Mrs. Parsons walked by and smiled at them.

“Hey kids.  Come on and sit down.  Livy sent me looking for you.” Sarah and Joseph looked at one another.

“Is she ok?” they asked in unison.  Mrs. Parsons smiled and put her arms around them.

“She’s just fine.  She just wanted to make sure you guys got a good seat,” she said, leading them into the auditorium.

There was a five minute break before the choir went on.  Joseph and Sarah were sitting right up front, still completely confused.

“What do you think is going on?” Sarah asked.  Joseph shrugged and then looked up as Mrs. Parson’s stepped up to the microphone.

“We have a special program for you tonight everyone.  First the chorus is going to do a medly from the show Ragtime.” The chorus lined up on the risers and began their selection.  They did a beautiful job, receiving a standing ovation when they finished.  Mrs. Parson’s stepped back to the microphone on the stage.

“What the heck is going on?” Joseph murmured.

“We have one final thing tonight, and then we’ll be done.  I’ll be taking over at the piano.  Sit back and enjoy this everyone.  I’m sure you will,” Mrs. Parsons said.  She made her way back to the piano and the lights in the auditorium went to black.  People began to get restless, but went silent when the first chords to the song ‘And So it Goes’ began.  And then someone began to sing…

In every heart there is a room  A sanctuary safe and strong To heal the wounds from lovers past  Until a new one comes along…

The lights in the house stayed black, but a spotlight moved up slowly to stage right…

I spoke to you in cautious tones  You answered me with no pretense  And still I feel I said too much  My silence is my self defense…

Joseph felt his heart skip a beat, and was scared for a moment that it had stopped entirely.  Sarah reached over and grabbed his arm.

“Joe,” she gasped.  He nodded and listened as gasps moved through the rest of the auditorium as everyone saw what they had.

And every time I’ve held a rose  It seems I only felt the thorns  And so it goes, and so it goes  And so will you soon I suppose…

Olivia was making her way across the stage slowly, a cane in her left hand and a microphone in her right.  She stopped occasionally to rest, but she never stopped looking at the audience.  She never stopped looking at Joseph.

But if my silence made you leave  Then that would be my worst mistake  So I will share this room with you  And you can have this heart to break…

She reached the center of the stage and switched off the microphone in her hand, setting it down on the stool by the standing microphone.  She turned on the standing one and continued her song, tears sliding slowly down her face now, but smiling despite them.

And this is why my eyes are closed  It’s just as well for all I’ve seen  And so it goes, and so it goes  And you’re the only one who knows  So I would choose to be with you  That’s if the choice were mine to make  But you can make decisions too  And you can have this heart to break  And so it goes, and so it goes  And you’re the only one who knows…

For a moment no one moved.  No one made a noise.  Then the audience erupted into applause and began to stand, cat calling and yelling encouragement.  Olivia smiled and cried a little harder.  Joseph and Sarah stood too, crying right along with her.  Olivia opened her mouth to say something into the microphone, but ended up only smiling.  Nothing she could say could upstage the fact that she was standing center stage again, strong and where she belonged.

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