"Please, mum... don't come near me..." Alex muttered through gritted teeth. He didn't want to feel the fear he did towards his mum; he shouldn't have had to. He should look at him mum and think of safety and security. Instead all he saw was terror.

"Give me the phone, I will call an ambulance, alright? Just give it to me." Stacy's voice had softened a substantial amount but in a way that wasn't at all appealing. It was like soft ice cream but the type that dripped into a puddle at your feet. Stacy's hand was held out in front of her, about a metre away from Alex. The boy refused though, trembling hands still holding onto the phone as tightly as he could.

"Let me do it."

"Okay, okay. Just... he fell and hit his head."

Nodding slowly, Alex brought the phone back to his front and opened up the keypad. He typed in the three nines and brought the phone up to his ear. It rang a couple of times before someone picked up. "999, how may I help you?"

"It's my dad," Alex choked out, his voice shaking as much as his body. Stacy's eyes were burning into him, waiting for him to make the wrong move so she could attack. "He hit his head. Please help him."

"What is your address, Sir?" Alex blanked for a moment due to the pressure and anxiety but soon blurted it out. "Is he conscious?"

"No, no, no. Just hurry!"                                    

"The ambulance is on its way. Stay calm, Sir." Alex let out a loud sob, standing up and shoving passed his mother who was in a similar state.

He ran back downstairs to the living room where his dad was still unconscious. He bent down and whispered, "Please wake up, dad. It'll be okay. I know what happened and I'm going to help you."

-

"What happened? His head took a bit of a bash." The doctor questioned after having explained to Alex and Stacy what was wrong with Chase. Most of it was just scientific jargon but they had got the gist of it, understanding that Chase should have been waking up sometime soon, after his head had been stitched up.

"He fell," Stacy spoke up before Alex could even open his mouth. The doctor nodded, glancing momentarily at Chase who was as white as a sheet. "Gave us both a bit of a scare, right Al?" There was a threat implied in her tone which Chase would have recognised immediately. Alex just nodded, refusing to meet the doctor's gaze. "Your dad's such a klutz."

The doctor sent the pair one last smile before leaving them alone in the room. Alex immediately stiffened. "Promise me something," Alex found his mouth dry as he nervously looked up into his mum's eyes. "You won't go spreading lies that I pushed him, right? Because that isn't what happened."

"I won't..."

"I need some coffee so I'll be right back. What would you like?"

"Just water, please." Anything else would have made him feel all the more nauseated. Stacy then disappeared into the hallway. Alex's hand immediately moved to his pocket where he knew Chase's phone was still hidden. He had managed to shove it into his pocket when Stacy hadn't been looking. He knew who he needed to call.

-

"What is he doing here?" Stacy immediately asked as she entered the ward again, holding a cup of coffee and a bottle of water from a brand Alex had never heard of. Marvin smiled a little bashfully, waving at his best friend's wife. Stacy's response was a nasty glare, letting the magician know he wasn't welcome.

"I heard that Chase had been injured and I had to make sure he was okay. Alex called me." Marvin replied, his voice sweet but in a way that wasn't sickening. It was nice, comfortable and made Alex feel safe.

"You called him?" Stacy's glare moved to her son and he immediately felt all the more uncomfortable.

"He's dad's best friend. He needed to know..."

"Yes, thanks for messaging me, little dude." Marvin ruffled Alex's hair and pulled him close and, despite being taller than the magician, Alex really did feel little again.

Stacy's phone then started to belt out her ringtone and she pulled it out of her pocket, glancing at it momentarily before muttering, "Shit, Sammy! I need to go." Rushing out of the room and ignoring her worried son and her injured husband, she then disappeared.

-

"Coffee is the nectar of the gods!" Marvin practically moaned into his drink, making Alex laugh for a moment. The laughter faded out as he remembered the situation at hand. Chase still wasn't awake but he had more colour in his face which was a good sign according to the doctor.

"Marvin, I- I need to talk to you..." Alex muttered, his hand finding its way to Marvin's. It was subconscious because the boy was just searching for some sort of comfort that he wasn't necessarily aware he was in need of. Marvin nodded to show he was listening and sat down on one of the plastic hospital chairs. It was hard and in no way comfortable but it was better than standing for hours and hours on end. Alex did the same but made sure he was still making physical contact with Marvin, no matter how minimal.

"What is it, little man?"

"For the last time, I am not little. I am literally taller than you. You're the little man here."

Marvin barked out a loud laugh. "Yeah, right."

"Anyways, it's about dad and, well, today," Marvin's countenance changed from light-hearted into something more serious. He could tell just by Alex's facial expression and the way his shoulders were slumped forward that it wasn't anything good. There was no way Marvin was expecting what Alex actually came out with though. "Dad didn't fall..." Marvin didn't reply, only raising a single eyebrow so he didn't discourage Alex from what he was saying. "It was mum."

"What do you mean?" Tears were quickly welling up in Alex's eyes so he turned away from the magician, not wanting him to see him cry. Marvin wrapped an arm loosely around the younger boy to let him know not to be afraid in a way that didn't use words.

"Mum pushed him. They were arguing and it was my fault so I was going to go and defend dad but then I heard this- this crash..." Alex let out a loud sob, his body beginning to tremble again. "I walked in and mum was crying and dad was on the floor. Mum swore to me she didn't do it but I know she did."

"How do you know that? Stacy may be a bit- may not be the nicest person but I can't see her being... abusive which is what you're insinuating. Plus, Chase never showed any of the signs, did he?"

"I saw her slap him another time and they're always arguing. I don't know what- what to do." Alex covered his face with his hands so that he could cry into them whilst Marvin pulled him closer. Alex's head leant on the magician's shoulder as he silently rubbed the other's back.

Eventually, after it had settled in a bit more, he had to reply. "Do you think Stacy is physically abusive to your dad?" Alex could only nod, not really wanting to admit it verbally. "Okay. We need to talk to someone about it and get him out of this relationship before it gets any worse."

"I didn't know what to do..."

"I know and I get that it's hard but, Al," Alex nodded. "Has she ever laid a hand on you?"

"She wouldn't... would she?"

"I don't know. We didn't think she'd be abusive either, did we?" Alex let out a small, shaky sigh, wishing things had gone down differently with his parents' relationship. "Can I have your phone?"

"We had to rush out so I didn't take it. I have dad's though?"

"Do you know your number?"

"Yeah..." Alex recited his number by heart as Marvin typed it into his own phone and sent a message to it.

"Perfect. If anything happens or even if your parents are arguing and you're just scared, message me and I'll be over as soon as I can. I want to protect your dad as much as you do, alright?" Alex didn't have time to respond with anything other than a nod because Stacy re-entered the room, holding Sammy's hand. Marvin didn't say anything but he gladly returned Stacy's evil glare that time rather than trying his best to be nice.