I had to put my hoodie on and off 23 times the next day. To be honest, it was Lin's rather oversized hoodie I'd mistaken for my own since it'd been laying right next to my suitcase after the coffee incident.
You took the wrong hoodie. Now he'll get hurt, if you don't...
But, I was already up to it.

A few texts from Lin & Vanessa, per usual. I quickly replied to them, with my left hand.
My right arm had turned purple and yellow overnight, and was in such a weird position so I immediately hid it in the oversized hoodie's arm - I couldn't stand the sight of it.
The adrenaline kick I'd gotten after the heavy chair had hit me occupied my body, it was firstly now it really started to hurt in such a numbing way.
I'd been going in and out of consciousness before sleeping yesterday, scared to death of what the hell was going on.

The time was about 12, and I still hadn't left my room. Therefore, my grandma was shouting at me.
"RUTH LEIGHTON-", she began, but got cut off by me - jumping up from the small bed and rushing out of the room. My arm, still hidden under the big hoodie, just hanging there - hurting constantly.
"Good. Your uncle still hasn't come back, so you need to do his chores"
I nodded, feeling guilty.
Logically, he'd probably gone and gotten drunk.
But what if?
A madness of tapping began, my grandma shouting at me about how I did everything wrongly.
I just couldn't wait to the knock on the door later that day, that were to reveal a human to take me home.
And yet, I was scared by home.
You know, if you don't do that, something will happen. You've got so much work to do.

By 5 I stood in the hallway, holding my lilac arm, convincing myself that it was nothing.
I was right on time, why was no one knocking on the door?
If you walk to the living room and then back here again 23 times, maybe he'll never take you away.

And so I did, and by the time I was on the seventeenth round, mr Chang was already talking with my grandma, as the excuses had slipped out of my mouth.

"I just need to get one more thing", I exclaimed on the 23rd round, making sure it felt right.
Then, I took my bag, my grandmother pathetically waving her hand after acting fake happy with mr Chang.
I was hiding my arm for him, carrying the bag with my left one.
As I sat down in the old car, I could see my grandma smashing the door behind her as she walked back inside again.
Another year, and I was still a disappointment.
Tap on the glass, Rue.

After an undecided matter of time, we pulled up outside the apartment. I tried to open the door with my right arm, only to feel a flash of pain race through my body as I let out a squeak.
Still, it opened and I placed my foot in a puddle by the rain that had been pouring down all day, draining my shoes.
My suitcase getting dragged on the road.
Mr Chang walking behind me, just because it was his job to look after me.
I assured myself that I'd done everything that had to be done perfectly, so I could go inside and step up all the stairs.
But before I could do that, I was met by Lin in the doorway, slightly out of breath as he'd just ran down the many stairs, who easily told mr Chang that he could take over, which I left him a shy smile for doing. The Usnavi hat on his head, his long hair out and about as it curled a tiny bit at the ends.
Lin grabbed my suitcase, grinning at me.
"You good?", I nodded, as he passed on his signature Usnavi hat to my head, making me giggle. The pain in my arm hurt like never before after my weak attempt at opening the car door, as I bit my lip, trying to get my mind off if it. "Rue, good. Let's have a hide and seek marathon with Seb, he's missed you a bit too much...", Lin chuckled, swinging the bag over his shoulder as we steadily walked up the stairs to their, my, our, apartment. He turned the key, opening up the door with a jumping Tobi.
She, licking my face, was all I needed to feel safe again. The lock on the door might've helped a bit too, so I went back to relock it 7 times.
"Tobi, good, you looked after Seb while I was gone for 2 minutes, collecting Rue", Lin said.
I laughed.
"You literally just let your dog look after your son?", I ironically asked.
Lin nodded proudly.
"V had to head out, we didn't think you'd come til later, that's why. And I trust lil Tobillo", he said, as Sebastian came running from the living room.
He happily hugged my leg, mumbling all kinds of words from two different languages. Sebastian ran off, favourite train in his hand.
"SEEK", he shouted, pointing at me, making my mouth form a grin.
I closed my eyes, seemingly counting to twenty.
At the same time, the fingers on my left hand turned the light switch on and off 7 times.
"Oh, that's my hoodie!", Lin exclaimed, excited.
"Yep. I had it mistaken for my own, sorry", I apologised almost directly.
In the darkness, I opened up my eyes and switched the light again.
"I don't care, niñ, I just noticed it and got happy", he replied, placing his hand on my panicking one. "Can you stop doing that?", Lin asked kindly, genuinely wondering.
I desperately looked around the hallway, which we were still standing in, searching for a suitable lie in my head.
"Um. It's just a thing, um", words slipping out of my mouth as I went to look for Seb.
I could hear Lin sigh behind me, but I had to brush it off.
I had to hide it.

Sebastian being about one year and one month, finding him was quite easy.
This time, behind a curtain.
"Gotcha!", I exclaimed, and he happily jumped. As I said that, the hoodie's arm got stuck in the door knob, while my arm crashed into the door, totally exposed. I whimpered by pain, catching Lin's attention.
I pathetically pulled the hoodie down over the disgustingly bruised arm, it was almost numb by this point.
"What's that?", he exclaimed, walking fast towards me.
I hid my arm behind my back, the most childish way possible.
"Niñita, please let me know", Lin said, reaching for my numb, lilac, one.
"I-it's nothing, Lin", I assured him.
Tap the wall behind you. Did you really touch the doorknob 23 times before entering the room?
He rolled up the sleeve, after he'd gently grabbed it.
Lin stared at my now to be revealed arm, worse than it was this morning.
Lilac, almost blue in some places, with yellow patches all over it - somehow in a weird position. And it hurt so bad.
"Nothing, Rue? Nothing?", he said. "Who did this to you?"
My heart raced. I was almost frightened.
"I'm sure it's not quite as bad as it looks like..."
Lin cut me off.
"Niñita, please, can you try to move your wrist?", he whispered, sounding almost scared, moving on from the first question.
His hand pressed against my lower arm, making me weakly yelp.
I really tried, yet the unbearable pain hit me again.
I shook my head, tears building up on my eye globes.
I let his arms surround me in a hug, a hug that was desperately needed.
"We're going to the hospital", Lin decidedly, yet scared, spoke, letting my answer speak for itself.
He quickly scooped up his son in his arms, one around my waist - almost escorting me like package from the post, with a sign saying 'FRAGILE'.
Don't step on any cracks. Count the steps to the hallway. Make it precise.
"You're never going back there, ever again"

I hadn't spoken a single word since we'd left the apartment.
Sebastian was running around in the pastel and white painted waiting room. Trying to control my breathing, as I assured myself that uf I didn't blink 71 times he'll die.
I held my hand around the lilac arm - protecting it from the danger the world might cause.
I hated hospitals, I truly hated them. Everything was so fresh, yet old and wrinkly, with careful people running down the halls empathizing with each and every one they took care of or met.
"I'm sure it's n-nothing, Lin-", but as I opened my mouth to reassure Lin of that again, he cut me off.
Tap your left hand on the table 56 times, in pairs, and then redo it four times.
"Rue, mi niñita, that's not nothing", he paused for a moment, staring at my hand tapping away. "Please, stop that", Lin added.
I shook my head, finishing of the second line.
Lin sighed, changing subject.
"-Kiddo, come here Homeboy!", he easily took Seb off the ground, onto his lap. "Did ya miss Hermana while she was away?", the little boy nodded, trying to escape to my lap as I sat right next to Lin.
Lin, stopping him in the last second, as I'd protectively taken away my arm.
"Whoa, Homeboy, you see you have to be careful with your sister, her arm is sick, it hurts", he adorably informed his son, both of them wearing FUN HOME woolly hats, and so did I.
"Sick", Sebastian cutely uttered, starting to pet my non-hurting leg. I looked at him in awe, as Lin broke the next question.
"What happened?", kindly and gently, he asked it.
I looked away.
"It was my fault, okay? I slipped", I lied.
I could feel Lin's hand gently touching my cheek, turning my head back to him as he nicely narrowed into my eyes.
Blink your eyes 23 times.
"Niñita-", he started, "please"
I looked down, preparing myself for the next sentence.
"I might've tripped and fallen over onto my uncle who shoved me aside andthenanarmchaidgotpushedovermyarm", talking fast, somewhat wishing for him not to make me repeat my betrayal.
You told him. Blink 23 times and then redo it 4 more times.
He looked at me with the worrying face, at my blinking eyes - yet angry at the thought of the incident.
I betrayed them.
"You're safe now, Rue...", Lin hugged me tightly as a tear fell down my cheek.
Sebastian kept on petting me.

A few minutes of silence for me, while Lin talked about everything Seb had accomplished in the three days I had missed.
"Rue!", I could suddenly hear Vanessa shout, pacing over from the entrance to us. She immediately embraced me into hug. "Oh gosh, niñita, you scared me", I gulped at her worried voice.
Stomp on the floor 56 times, or else she'll die.
She scooped up Sebastian in her arms, smiling at his happy face.
Both of them.
I was sold, stomping away.
She hugged Lin quickly, almost like she was stressed.
"I've gotta take Sebastian home, and I'll get in touch with the system, okay?", her words silky and kind.
I nodded, I didn't dare to speak.
A speaker voice suddenly started.
"Ruth Leighton", my surname, still as scary as ever.
"That's our shot", Lin said, looking at me as I finished my many on-going intentions. He kissed his wife's cheek, while we stood up. "See ya soon, Honey, you too Homeboy", ruffling his sons hair, who happily clapped his hands.
He put his arm around my shoulder, walking towards the man with a white robe, patiently waiting for us.

"...so, it's broken in two places", Lin said to the phone, a Vanessa on the other end. "Yeah. She just got a cast", he kept on going, FaceTiming, turning the phone to me.
I waved my non-broken hand to the camera, smiling.
"And TONS of painkillers, for that matter!", I added, back to my normal - comfortable - still jumpy, self. "I'll literally be numb for a month - basically Harry's arm after the Quidditch match. Just like, I've got the bones left"
Vanessa cracked a laugh, happy to see me smiling again, I suppose.
Don't step on any cracks.
"We're just heading to a casual check-up now", Lin said, as we quickly walked down the many halls. "Apparently Rue hasn't had one in years"
I shrugged my shoulders, he made such a big deal out of it.
"Oh, the places you'll go!", Vanessa said jokingly, making me roll my eyes.
I was still a bit downhearted, but the mood on for a joke or two.

After a few more words exchanges, mostly chatty and happy, Lin hung up.
"Oh my god, I almost forgot! The Christmas presents were gold", he, all of a sudden, exclaimed.
I giggled, happy about his reaction.
"Well, that's great-", I added, getting cut of by Lin.
Tap that wall 4 times.
"I mean, a knitted Weasley jumper for Tobillo... and the old mixtapes", fiddling with my somewhat curly hair, "Genius"
"No problem", a grin from cheek to cheek on my face.

A normal check-up they'd said.
Not that it would take ages.
Especially if I'm alright, and when the doctor came out, I had a feeling I wasn't.
Or was it just the feeling of hospitals?
"So, ms Leighton, you seem to be doing quite well, aside from your arm", he said, quite ironically. It made me feel a bit better, due to him being a doctor that actually wanted to joke. "But, it seems to me that you're almost completely deaf on your left ear-"

Lin's pov
"-which is a mystery to me, since it's been noted but then scribbled over in your files, here", he said, pointing at a very much scribbled over diagnosis.
Rue blinked a few times, but didn't speak.
I immediately got worried as the blinking went on and on.
"It's like they've ignored it completely", I exclaimed, quite annoyed since I knew why.
Was the foster system really this ignorant? That they didn't care about every child there, about their wellbeing.
I was for sure going to have a few serious words with them.
My niñita.
"You should have a hearing aid at the moment", the Doctor added, sighing in confusion. "Well, it's a mystery this far, I'll get you an appointment in the next couple of days", shrugging his shoulders as he went over to his computer.
I turned to Rue, who were desperately looking around the room, her hands twitching.
"Rue?", she stood still for a moment, "Look at me, please, niñita", I said, making her focus on something else but tapping, turning her head to my eyes. "None of this is your fault"
At that, Rue seemed to calm down - only for a bit, but as much as I loved her, this warmed my heart.
I glanced at the very yellow cast on her lower right arm, empathetically smiling in a way that I hoped made her feel better.
I couldn't let her go back to her family, ever.
"On Monday, is that alright?"
I nodded, shook his hand and we walked out, my arm around her shoulder.
I can never let her get hurt again.
I'll never let her out of my sight.
-----
Heya, frens!🌎
& welcome to a rather long chapter(2800+ words, *insert fall out boy* IM ON FIREEE) - which I've planned for quite a while now💐
I might've  had to research a lot for it too, tbh. Like A LOT. My search history is probs quite weird. Broken arm treatment, how to heal the best way, deaf on one ear... never letting my friend go through my phone again, they'll be weirded out. Also, if I got something wrong - I don't have personal experience, that's why.

Did you get surprised by the fact that Rue's deaf on her right ear? Because, I, the sneaky author, have been getting you clues through the chapters... 💭
aaand I just had to sneak in Heights in this chap. aAND dr. Seuss. Hopefully you catched all the references!(I try to put at least a few in every chapter okok)🌚

Y'all seemed to like how the story unfolded after time, the pace of this fanfic. Therefore I'll keep it as it is, but please, always leave critique or feedback - it helps a lot!💗

I am bilingual - almost trilingual - which is quite cool, if I do say so myself. I'm fluent in Swedish, English(6+ years of learning. Am I fluent? You tell me) and I am currently studying German(2,5 years) too✍️
But, because of this, grammar and some ways of spelling words may be wrong. Sorry about that.

I'll try to post this week, on Sunday most likely bc happy b-day to meeee. I'll be fifteen, like what the actual fluff???🌵

Please comment or vote on this bit of a day,
Sincerely,
C

Published: 13th of March, 2017