Part 4- Drowning in Our Tears

Welcome to Part 4 of Everybody Loves Henry. I hope you enjoy this section. I believe I've gotten better at editing my pictures, so the shots should be more enjoyable.


Told by Nate Parton

I braced myself for what might be one of the most important meetings of my life. I rang the bell. There was clattering of pots from inside the house. "Coming!" said a sweet female voice. The door swung open to reveal an average dark red-haired woman in a light green dress. She smiled brightly and shook my hand. "Hello! I'm Kasey Coons. And who might you be?"


"Nate Parton. Nice to meet you." I said warmly.

"Parton?" Her eyes widened. "Oh my, are you Henry's father?"

"Uh, yea."


She chuckled. "Well, I know all about your son. Jessica talks about him nonstop! That is, before she started hiding in her room all the time."


I stiffened. "Kasey, that's kind of the reason I'm here."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


"I never noticed the bruise that you're talking about, Nate." Kasey had a worried look on her face, and I could tell she had no idea what was truly going on with her daughter. Well, no one really did. "You said, on her neck?" I nodded. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to tell you Nate."

"Kasey, would you mind my asking where your husband is?" Maybe he could give us some answers.

"Martin? I'm sorry. He's at work right now. He works quite long hours. By the time he comes home, I'm already in bed and asleep." She sighed. "He's not much of the family man these days.

If you want, you could try asking Jessica about her....changes. I've tried talking to her, but she just won't respond."

I checked my watch. Wait, it's school hours right now. What is she talking about? "Shouldn't Jessica be in school?" I asked.

She frowned and shook her head. "Jessica won't come out of her room. She's also been very sick these past couple days. I hear her retching every couple hours. She locks her bedroom door, so I can't try to help her."

I grinned. That's a subject that definitely could use my help. "If you don't consider it an invasion of privacy, Kasey, I'm pretty good at picking locks."


Her smile brightened. Could you really? her eyes said. I told her to show me Jessica's bedroom. She got off the couch and smoothed her dress. Then she walked over to a blue door and gestured toward the knob. I reached into my pocket and searched for a pin. Kasey instead pulled a pin from her hair and handed it to me. I took the pin and inserted it into the small hole in the door knob. I fumbled for a couple minutes, and then I heard the chronic click that signaled the unlocking of the door. I chuckled and turned to Kasey. She looked ecstatic. Then her face darkened, afraid of what she might discover in her daughter's room.


I turned the knob and opened the door for Kasey. She reluctantly walked into the room, and I followed. Her room looked like any ordinary room, with the exception of a bunch of papers scattered across a section of her room. I looked around for Jessica, but she was nowhere to be found. There was another door in Jessica's room, which I might have guessed was the bathroom. Kasey and I walked the perimeter of her room, and then started to look for things - anything - to give us a clue about Jessica's changes. I glanced over the piles of papers in the corner of her room. I picked up one on the top and read it. What I saw was...unbelievable.


June 8, 2156
He came again. Mum is in bed when he comes. I tried to hide under the covers, to pretend I was asleep. He threw back my covers and gripped my arm to throw me out of bed. He knelt down to stare at me trembling in fear. His hand came down to cup my neck. He squeezed, harder and harder. My breathing stopped. I saw my life flash in my eyes. I never got to say goodbye to Mum. I scrambled. He told me I was an ungrateful bitch, and that I had no reasons to live. Tears formed in my eyes. I tried to scream, and saw to it that there was no use. I went limp, and knew it was the end. Then, I could breathe. His hand left my neck, and I opened my eyes to see him glaring darkly at me. I whimpered and asked, "Why? You've never done this to me before. Why now?" I asked him that same question every night. He never answered me. Instead, he nudged me hard with his foot and said, "Bedtime, Jessica."

I held the letter for a couple more seconds, aghast. June 8 was last week, the day before Henry, Jasmine and I first saw Jessica as her new self.


Then I heard a high-pitched yelp. I jerked my head up to see Kasey in the doorway of the other door in Jessica's room, staring. I walked over to see what she was looking at. I was right, it was the bathroom.


I peered in farther to see Jessica next to the toilet, arms encasing herself. The toilet was disgusting, with grime and vomit bits lining the edges. The original bruise on her neck was gone, but there was another towards the back of her neck. There was another one on her face, and a scratch below her right eye.

Kasey was trembling, head to toe. She wobbled over to Jessica, tears welling in her eyes. Jessica shrank away from her and leaned against the toilet. "Jessica, sweetheart, it's ok." Kasey said shakily.


Jessica scrambled to stand up and shrank away more towards the toilet. "That....that's what he said too. Before he...he..." Jessica broke out into tears, and Kasey started crying too.

"Jessica, who is it that made those bruises?" I whispered. She shivered, then opened her mouth to say something, but promptly closed it and ran to the toilet.


She doubled over and vomited into the grimey loo. I watched in horror as her stomach heaved in and out, desperate for air. My gaze flickered in Kasey's direction. She had the same expression on her face that I'm sure I had. Pure horror and shock. Kasey placed a trembling hand on Jessica's shoulder to turn her around and gently hug her small, innocent daughter.


As Jessica hugged her mother, she closed her eyes and let out a loud sigh. Her eyes then fluttered open and caught my gaze. Her eyes pierced my soul, full of lonliness, betrayal, confusion, and a mixture of others. I felt a lump form in my throat and tried to choke back my tears. How could someone hurt such an innocent and beautiful little girl? How could they stand the sight of her tears, without crying themselves? Seeing her drown in her own suffering, she makes you want to comfort her to no end. To wipe away her tears, and erase the bruises from her body.


I snapped out of my thoughts and knelt down in front of Jessica. Kasey stepped back and stood by the sink wiping her tears, and preparing for more. "Jessica, I need you to tell me who made those bruises." I choked out.

Her lip quivered and she quickly averted her eyes. "He will be mad. He will come again."


I brought my hand up to my face. This was just too much. I was on the brink of losing my composure. I didn't want to do that in front of Jessica. "It's ok Jessica, he won't hurt you again. When you tell us, we will find him and make sure he never hurts you again."

"He can come whenever he wants! No one sees!"

"We will see."

"You won't let him hurt me again? You promise?"

"Of course Jessica, and your mother promises too." I glanced at Kasey, and she nodded her head.


Jessica fidgeted with her fingers. I saw tears form in her eyes again and drop to the floor. Her head came up to stare at me, and she spoke in a voice so low that I had to strain my ears to hear her whisper that one, dreadful word.


"Daddy"