Dead Of Night
Jesse ran. He ran out of the apartment block, ran far from the street, far from Caleb. His feet were taking him somewhere but his brain wasn’t quite sure where. He just knew he needed to get away. Leave. Get out, get out, get away, run, far, run away.
His eye was throbbing, and he was fairly sure he was bleeding somewhere. No time to check where, he had to get as far as he could.
He ran up to an house and knocked on the door. It was small, a bungalow in the suburb. The door was painted a light blue and the house was pale yellow, like all the other houses in the area. Not that he could see it in the darkness, or past the swelling of his eye.
“I swear to god, who the hell is waking me up at 2am?!” The door opened. “Jesse?”
“Donna?”
“Jesus, what happened? Oh god, what did he do to you?”
Jesse didn’t reply, just shook his head. Donna looked at him properly and noted the severity of his injuries. “Okay, lets get you inside.”
She gently led Jesse inside and sat him on the sofa, taking his jacket. She then got a first aid kit from her kitchen, as well as some ice.
When she reentered the room, Jesse was stood and shrugging his jacket back on.
“I shouldn’t have come here, I’m fine. Sorry for waking you up Dr. Vargas.”
“Hey, hey,” Donna put her supplies down and walked over, putting a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. You were right to come here, you need to get away.”
“No, you don’t understand he- he’s gonna be so mad when I go home. I’ve left him and he’s unstable, he could do anything to himself. I need to go,” Jesse attempted to leave.
“No. I’m calling your mom, and I already called the police. He’s abusing you, Jes, and I know that it might be hard for you to realise that but it’s the truth.”
”No. No! He isn’t! Now you’ve gone and made everything worse, oh fuck. I can’t...I don’t...”
“The police will be here soon, okay? Just, sit down. You’re bleeding.”
Jesse looked down. Red was seeping onto his jacket, and thinly coating his hand from where he unconsciously twisted it. He sat down again.
“Thank you,” Donna picked up the first aid supplies, passing Jesse the ice. “Put this on your eye.”
He did as she asked, and she lifted up his shirt. There was a large gash on his hip, too straight for it to have been an accident. Donna drew her lips into a tight line, and took out the antiseptic wipes, gently wiping. Jesse grimaced.
“Sorry,” Once the wound was clean, Donna took some gauze and bandaged up the wound. As she finished, the phone rang. Donna looked at Jesse.
“I should get that, but it’s in the kitchen. Can I trust you to stay here?” Jesse nodded numbly. It wasn’t the first time this had happened. The police wouldn’t do anything. They never did - not for long anyway. And he was always more angry when he came out of prison. Jesse stood up and walked to the door, sucking in a breath as pain flared up in his side. He reached the doorframe and could just about make out the conversation Donna was having.
“Yes, I did call the police. Almost as soon as he got here. No, I made sure he was sat down first, I didn’t leave him outside.” Donna paused. “As far as I know, Caleb does not have my address. He barely knows me, and I really don’t like him. I’ve done basic first aid, but he needs stitches for the gash on his hip.” Another pause. “Until the police get here, I’m not leaving, Mrs Williams. I understand your concern for his health, but I assure you my house is very clean and I do know how to treat wounds. You’re staying at the Prince Hotel, right? Do you think you could come here? I apologise for it being so late, but I think he could do with a family member. I agree that he should stay with you for a while…maybe a couple months? Then again, he might be sectioned…depends how bad his mental health is. No, I don’t know right now. He’s barely cooperating.” She paused again. “Thank you. See you soon, Mrs Williams.”
Jesse hurried back to the sofa. He tried not to look like he’d just eavesdropped, but Donna took one look at him and sighed.
“I know you just heard that conversation, Jes.”
“What? I didn’t even know you were calling my mom!”
Donna raised an eyebrow. “I never said that.”
Jesse cursed. “Fine.”
“You need her right now, Jesse.”
”Doesn't mean I want her. She was disappointed last time she saw me. And definitely the last time we called.”
Donna turned her head as a knock sounded at the door. “Stay here, I think it’s the police.”
She left, and came back a few minutes later with some police officers.
“Good morning, Mr Williams. I’m Officer Cantrell and this is Officer McNamara. Your friend here called us on a report of domestic abuse?”
Jesse froze. What was he meant to say? He needed to protect Caleb, right? Right? That’s what he had to do, he needed to get back to make sure he hadn’t hurt himself. To appease him and lessen the consequences of him leaving home.
“She’s mistaken, I’m quite alright,” he found himself answering. “I need to get back to my boyfriend. He’s currently in more danger than I am.”
The officers looked at each other.
“Mr. Williams, I’m aware that you might not want to talk about it but you can’t lie to us. This is not the first time we’ve had a report involving Caleb Fleming. We can get you somewhere safe.”
Jesse said nothing.
“Officer, maybe you could come to the kitchen with me, and leave your partner to keep an eye on Jes?” Donna offered.
Officer Cantrell looked at Donna and nodded. “McNamara, please keep a watchful eye on Mr Williams.”
***
Donna knocked on the door to the Williams’ residence. As it happened, Jesse was able to go home after a few months on the psych unit. His mother had taken him to their house in Brunswick, far away from Caleb. Though, as far as Donna knew, they had ordered a permanent restraining order on the guy. And for good reason.
The door in front of her was pulled open, and a young boy opened the door. Donna immediately recognised the skin condition the boy had: vitiligo. It made beautiful patterns in his skin, and complemented him very well.
“Mom! Someone’s at the door!” He shouted into the house. A few seconds later, Naomi appeared at the door.
“Ah, Miss Vargas. Aaron, go tell your brother someone’s here to see him.” The boy ran off and Naomi stepped aside. “Please, come in.”
Donna entered, wiping her shoes on the doormat as she did. “Um, do you want me to take my shoes off?”
“If you don’t mind.”
Donna shook her head and took her shoes off. When she straightened up, Jesse was stood at the bottom of the stairs. His hair had grown out a bit, but he wasn’t bothering to tie it up.
“Hey,” he said, smiling.
“Hey yourself,” she retorted.
“Bro, stop flirting with her and come to the kitchen. Mom’s asking if you wanted a drink by the way, Miss.”
“Oh, call me Donna. It’s Aaron, right?”
“Yeah,” Aaron turned around and began walking back to the kitchen, before he turned around again. “Wait, you don’t know where you’re going do you?”
Donna shook her head. Jesse leaped down from the staircase and grabbed Donna’s hand. “I’ll show you, come on.”
***
“Yeah so it’s not been that interesting since you left. Dr. Torres kinda started a war between us and now we have the guys who are her side and then the three doctors who stand with the chief.”
“Are you kidding?!” Jesse slammed his drink on the table. “That sounds cool as hell!”
“Well, it’s quite immature. How are we meant to save lives if we can’t even agree on whether it’s cereal than milk or milk than cereal?”
“Well I think it’s obvious that you put the cereal first!” Aaron interrupted.
“No, milk!”
“Heathen.”
“Uncultured swine.”
“Hey, boys, cut it out,” Navel called from across the room. He and Naomi were talking in whispers, looking over at Donna every now and again. She couldn’t help feeling like they were treating her as if she was sixteen. She wasn’t going to run off and do anything with Jesse – besides, she didn’t even think of him like that. They were just friends. But the way his eyes lit up when she talked to him, how he seemed so relaxed with her. His general energy was just…adorable.
“Donna? Milk or cereal first?” Jesse rested his chin in his hand.
“There’s only one obvious answer,” She began. Both of the boys’ eyes grew hopeful. “You have toast dunked in coffee.”
“Ew!”
“What the hell Donna?!”
Donna smiled to herself. Distraction complete. “Well, I normally just have a slice of toast and a coffee. Not much time for anything else when you’re running everywhere. I mean, unless you wanna puke halfway through your shift.”
“TMI…” Aaron complained. Jesse shrugged.
“She isn’t wrong. I almost did puke once.”
“I was responsible for you that time, wasn’t I?”
“Yup,” Jesse set his cup on the table carefully. “Mom, is it fine if me and Donna go and watch a movie in my room?”
Naomi looked at Donna solidly for a minute, while an awkward silence filled the room. Eventually, she relaxed and her eyes flicked back to Jesse.
“Sure Jes, just don’t make a mess.”
Jesse nodded, grabbed some food from the cabinets and headed out, gesturing to Donna as he did. She followed him up the stairs and into his room. It was painted a neutral cream, and the floor was wooden panels, except for a large rug in the center. In one corner, Jesse had a small TV on a stand. On the wall next to it was a bookshelf, filled with books, pictures and some other random stuff. Donna walked over and looked.
“Ah, haven’t moved some of that since I left for college,” He said. His face was red as he stood next to her. She was holding a photo of Jesse and Alyssa, with a sleeping baby.
“Is that Aaron?”
“Yeah. I was 15, Lyss was 31. She came home just to meet him.”
“How old is Alyssa now?”
“48.”
“Big age gap, huh?” Donna noted.
“Well, Lyss was adopted by mom cos her parents died. It was meant for mom but…” Jesse put the photo down. “Here. What do you wanna watch?”
“Uh…” Donna sat down cross-legged beside him. “Horror?”
“I’m not good with horror. Not since...anyway. What about a comedy?”
“Sure, if that’s what you want.”
Jesse nodded, opening Netflix and going onto the comedy tab. He looked at the options and eventually settled on one called ‘Sausage Party’.
“Let’s try it,” Donna said. Jesse clicked on the film and put the remote down. He switched the lights off but didn’t close the blind nor his door fully before coming to sit back down. Donna added ‘fear of darkness’ to her lists of “Things I Need to Adjust to for Jesse”. She wasn’t aware she had even made a list, but apparently she had. She didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, nor accidentally trigger him. So she resorted to a mental list of things to remember.
Somehow, halfway through the film, they both ended up lying on the floor. Donna ran her hand through Jesse’s hair at what was a quieter part.
“Jes?”
“Mm?”
“I like your hair longer.”
“Oh.” Jesse’s eyes were still focused on the screen. Donna bit back a curse. Why had she said that? That’s so weird, Jesus. She took her hands out of Jesse’s hair and placed them by her side. God, she was stupid.
When the film ended, Donna said her goodbyes to the family.
“Thank you for having me, Naomi.”
“It was nice to see you again, Miss Vargas. You’ve always improved Jesse’s mood, I could see he was missing you.”
“Not to mention his big, fat-” Jesse clapped a hand over Aaron’s mouth. The boy licked it, causing Jesse to recoil in disgust. “Rude.”
“That’s disgusting, Ass-ron.”
“Not as disgusting as your-”
“Okay, thank you Aaron. Come and set the table for dinner,” Naomi took her son’s shoulders and steered him into the kitchen, leaving Jesse and a Donna alone on the doorstep.
“Thanks for coming, Donna,” Jesse said.
“I’d missed you, Jes. Seriously, you made the place so much more lively.”
“I doubt that, but thanks,” He smiled.
“See you in a month?”
“See you in a month.”
***
”Jesse stop,” Donna whispered as Jesse cornered her in the hall. His family were in the kitchen, celebrating Christmas. Aaron and his partner had gone off somewhere ages ago, but Navel was desperate to get them back down. Jesse had offered, and dragged Donna with him. Now they were crammed under the stairs next to a hoover and god knows what else, with Jesse pressing kisses to Donna’s face.
“I haven’t been able to kiss you or even physically hug you for a month, I’m making up for lost time!” He said. Donna rolled her eyes and pushed him off. He stood as tall as he could in the dark cupboard. Donna could tell he was grumpy.
“Jes, we agreed you weren’t ready for this.”
The man offered no verbal response, huffing silently.
“Jesse, don’t be like that. It’s for the best.”
“We should go get Aaron and Eli. God knows what they’re up to: they’re seventeen.” Jesse pushed open the door and scrambled out. Donna followed him, into Aaron’s room. The aforementioned boy was positioned oddly on the floor, Eli over him. Donna glanced at the floor beneath them, where a white mat was laid out.
“You were playing Twister without us?!” Jesse said, outraged.
“Uh, yeah? Now could you leave?” Aaron said huffily. He spun the wheel. “Right hand green.”
Eli moved their hand to the spot.
“Dad said he wants you two back down.”
“And what about you and Donna?”
“We were already down, Ass-ron,” Donna had gotten used to using the nicknames assigned to Aaron over the past few months, and Ass-ron just happened to be one of the less tasteful ones. Eli collapsed onto the floor in a heap of giggles.
“Ass-ron,” they wheezed. “Oh my god, why did I not know about this nickname?!”
“Because,” Aaron said, giving up on the Twister game. “I knew you’d do this. Also, I won Twister.”
He got up and left the room. Eli stood up, still laughing.
“Dear god that’s an amazing nickname. Who came up with it? Jesse?”
“Yeah,” Jesse grinned. “The one and only.”
“Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Oh my,” They headed out of the room. Donna picked up the twister mat and folded it, placing it in a corner with the spinning wheel on top. Jess watched her, amused.
“Why are you cleaning this losers room? His fault for making it messy.”
“Because I have a heart,” Donna said.
“Oh you do? Praise the lord,” Jesse stepped closer. Donna could smell the nutmeg on his breath. He had glitter across his nose too. She reached up to wipe it off, opening her mouth to say a snarky remark.
“BRO NOT IN MY ROOM!” Aaron yelled, covering his eyes. Jesse jumped away from Donna.
“Mom! Dad! Lyss owes me five bucks, Donna and Jes are dating!”
“Aw man seriously?!”
“Ha, Navel you owe me ten dollars. Cough up or forever be silenced.”
“Dang it.”
Jesse looked at Donna, nervous. She reached for his hand, and squeezed it reassuringly.
“It’ll be fine. We can just explain it’s a misunderstanding.”
She marched out of the room and down the stairs, head held high.
“Give all your money back to the people you received it from! Jesse and I are not dating!”
“Whaaattttt?” Aaron said. “But you were about to kiss, I swear!”
“Actually, I was gonna wipe glitter off his face and tell him he looks like a complete Christmassy idiot. We both agreed that a relationship wasn’t a good idea for him.”
“OoOoh actUalLy!” Aaron mimicked, grumpily giving Alyssa her money back.
Jesse entered the room silently, only speaking as a child ran past screaming. He lifted them up.
“Hey, Noah. You a bit tired, hm?” His nephew shook his head.
“Nuh-uh! Gabriel was chasing me!”
Another boy stuck his tongue out from behind Alyssa’s legs. The mother sighed.
“The sooner we get presents done, the sooner I can put these two in bed. Come on.”