#yeaowenisanassholeinthis

[saintyveningstar]

Accident Prone

"Get the fuck out of here, yeah? Just don't let me see your face again."

"Okay. I'll go, I'll go. But think what ya want, Abigail, she'll be back at my house by Friday evenin'." He sounds so smug and it infuriates her.

"Owen—!" Abby knew that he was trying to bring the worst out of her, and it was surely working.

Or:

Owen pays Abby and his daughter a visit in the hospital after being the one to put her there.

The heart monitor beats steadily, and Abby checks for signs of life once, twice, three times over before she gives it a rest. Jude is only sleeping, she knows that, but the rise and fall of her chest isn't nearly enough.

With a departing kiss on Judah's forehead, Abby leaves the hospital room, quick to get her father on the line. She didn't know if it was sweat or tears blurring her vision.

The sit in silence for a while, the only thing distinguishing that someone was there was Abby's heavy breathing and Jerry's TV playing in the background.

"Abs?" He said, carefully. "You okay?"

Abby swallowed thickly, "Papa, I ..." she knew it was tears by now. "I-I can't—"

"Abby, hey. Listen—"

"I-I'm not—" She was heaving, "I can't—"

"Abigail!"

She was able to snap out of it a little, sniffling. Abby new that when her father called her by her full name, he was serious. She wiped her eyes, "Yes-Yes, sir?"

"Are you standing up?"

She nodded, forgetting he couldn't see her, but he knew.

"I can't hear nods, honeycomb."

"Mhm." She whimpered.

"Okay, sit down."

She does as she's told, wiping her eyes quickly as the tears fell.

"Are you sitting, honey?"

"Yes, sir."

"And where's Ellie, my love?"

"She-She's out— We— I—" she tried to explain, a whole new onslaught of tears coming.

"Abba, tell me what happened, now."

"Owen, he—" Abby interrupted herself with a sob. She bit her fist. "He beat her, a-and he went too—too f-far. She's lying the hospital, a-and It's all my fault, Daddy!"

"Who, Judie?"

"Yes, sir." She said, "I need you, Daddy. Please. I need you."

"I'm already on my way, darlin'. And don't you go blamin' yourself, like you always do. It's no ones fault but that bastard Owen, the one who put her there."

"I wouldn't have even known, she had an asthma attack, and we h-had to get her shirt off." she cradled her head in her hands, "She's all bruised up, and she was hurtin', and I knew but I didn't know it was so bad. This is all my fault, Papi, truly."

The rumbling engine of Jerry's truck fills the speaker, and then comes his voice. "Abigail Junia Anderson." he says, and is tone is something deadly. Her back straightens, and she's astonished by the way her father could still make her feel like a kid, even at 33.

"Y-Yes sir?"

"What did I just say, huh?" Jerry says sternly, and Abby can practically feel him narrowing his eyes at her, the same as he did while she was a child when she was in trouble.

"I-I'm sorry, I just—"

"Abigail!"

Her cheeks burn with embarrassment, "You told me not to blame myself?"

"And?"

"And that ... it's not my fault?

"By the time I get there, you'd better believe it. You hear me?"

"Or what?" She doesn't know why she said that, of all things.

"It doesn't matter how old you are, Abs. You're still my child, and I can still handle you as such."

Those sentences alone put the fear of Jeremiah Anderson in her, again. "You hear?" he asked, and Abby was quick to answer.

"Loud and clear, sir."

"Alright then. I love you, kiddo, and I'll be there shortly. Sit tight."

"I love you too, Daddy."

Nervous anxiety prickles Abby's skin when she walks back into the hospital room, and is jarred to find Judah awake. Not only is she awake, but she's trying to get out of bed.

"And where do you think you're going, young lady?"

Jude rubs her eyes tiredly, "To find you."

"I was just right outside, honey. My Papi's coming, he's on his way."

"Really!?" Her face beams with a smile.

Abby hums and nods in confirmation, sticking her hand in her pocket and walking over. Judah looks around, troubled. "What's wrong, baby? What's the matter?"

"Can you help me switch it around, Ma?" She raised her arm with the IV. "I wanna lay on my stomach. Lying on my back hurts."

Abby doesn't question her, "Sure." she pushed off of the wall and walked over. "Sit in the middle, and turn your body when I get to the other side."

Judah does as she's told, "Yes ma'am."

Easily, she moved the IV and blood pressure carts.

"Mommy?"

Abby turns to face her, "Hmm?"

"Can you lay down with me?"

Abby chuckles, "Honey, believe me, I sure would love to, but I'm not sure I can fit."

"I can lay on top of you. It will work. Hurry, I'm sleepy!"

Abby chuckled, "Okay, bossy!" and hoisted her daughter up, lying in the bed in her place.

"You did not just seriously call me bossy. You run this family like you're a drill sergeant." Judah said sleepily, getting comfortable on top of Abby.

"I don't know where you get this smart mouth of yours from." The mom said, smoothing the girl's hair down and putting it behind her ears.

"Oh, you know where." she said, "And you're not squishy, like Grandpapi, you're like a rock."

"Are you uncomfortable?"

"No? Why?"

"Then shut your mouth complaining!"

It's a while before Judah stirs, and it's because of gentle but rough hand that combs through her curls. She doesn't open her eyes just yet.

It's a while before she notices that her mother is still sleeping, snoring even. Her eyes open, catching sight of a familiar medallion belt and work jeans. Jude's eyes shoot up to his face.

Owen.

Judah gasps quietly, getting up in an instant, propping herself up on her forearms. Owen hushes her, holding a finger up to his lips, then points at Abby's sleeping form.

Her heartbeat begins to skyrocket, and tears fill her eyes. "Please don't ..." she says, "Don't h-hurt me."

"You told your mom, bunny. That's a deal breaker for me." He says, tilting his head. "You knew better."

"I-I didn't—" Jude tried to explain herself, and Owen shakes his head. "She—She saw."

"I left them there as a reminder. You know how to behave, and you know what acting out will get you. I don't care if she saw." Owen leans forward, and Judah is so startled that she loses her balance, falling off the bed. The IV cart comes crashing down with her, and her heart rate picks up dangerously.

In all the commotion, Abby wakes up. It horrifies her that Owen is standing above her, and is no doubt the cause for all of this. With a glare that was as quick as it was hateful, she was throwing her legs over the side of the bed to tend her daughter, pressing the bright red Call for Nurse button on her way.

Jude was sobbing loudly, because on top of her other injuries, her broken rib, and more bruises than Abby could count, she'd just now landed on her arm wrong.

The mother crouched over her, and rapid footfalls came down the hallway. Abby was careful when picking her up, trying not to touch her back and sides unnecessarily, "Hush, baby." Abby comforts, "It's okay."

Jude had her eyes screwed shut, grasping on tightly to Abby's clothes, and even her skin — earning no more than a wince from the woman.

Owen seems to just watch them.

The nurse arrives while Abby is getting Jude situated back in bed.

"What's it looking like, Dr. Anderson? Do you mind me taking a look?"

Abby nods, backing up so that the nurse can side-step into her place. "A sprain, at best. But I can tell it hurts."

when the nurse touches Judah, she throws an absolute fit — kicking, screaming, and writhing. Even with her eyes shut so tightly, she knows the touch of her own mother.

Abby steps back over, and the nurse hands the blonde her flashlight. She wipes Judah's curls behind her ears and out of her face, and the teen calms down nearly instantly, latching on to Abby's arm. "Open your eyes for me, doll." and the teen squeezes them shut further, still hiccuping sobs, even though they're quieter now.

"Judah." She says again. "Open your eyes for me."

Jude shakes her head, "I'm scared." she whispers. "I don't wanna."

"Judah, please." Abby stays firm, "Open your eyes. It's me. It's Mommy. Nothing is going to hurt you, doll. Nothing."

Jude opens her eyes for a split second, closes them, slightly frightened. Then, she opens them again, looking up at Abby. "There you are, sweetheart." Abby says gently, smiling softly down at her daughter. "Atta girl." she shines the flashlight in Judah's eyes, watching to see if they dilate — and fortunately, they do.

Jude looks at Owen, her eyes filling with tears again, then she tried to close them. "Keep your eyes on me, baby." Abby says, "Look at me when I'm speaking to you." and her daughter complies.

Abigail hands Nurse Harris back her flashlight, "Hey, Nora. I hate to run you around, but if you could get her an ice pack—"

"Hey, hey. No problem at all, I'll be right back."

The three of them were left in silence, with tension as thick as molasses. "You're wrong, Owen. You know you are."

He scoffs, "I didn't even touch her, Abigail."

"Yeah, not today, but you definitely scared her. Look at her face, Owen. Don't you get tired of hurting her?"

"Doesn't she get tired of pissing me off?"

"Owen." Abby says. "Just go."

"Abb—"

"Get the fuck out of here, yeah? Just don't let me see your face again."

"Okay. I'll go, I'll go. But think what ya want, Abigail, she'll be back at my house by Friday evenin'." He sounds so smug and it infuriates her.

"Owen—!" Abby knew that he was trying to bring the worst out of her, and it was surely working. She turned her head, tearing her gaze away from her daughter's, to give Owen that look, that one she gets from her father, that one where people start to understand she wasn't fucking around.

"Bye, Abby. Bye, Judie, I'll see you this Friday."