Guys, first of all, y'all are all so amazing to have stayed with Darry and Brenda this long! Thank you a thousand times over! Second, I will be writing and updating from my phone for now so if things are formatted weirdly, I apologize.

The boys still don't belong to me, despite numerous attempts to steal them. Here we go…

Brenda's face stung from the slap. "Again! And get it right this time!" her father screamed, less than two inches from her face.

"The L-lo-lord is my sh-shepard, I shall not wa-want…" her voice shook with the tears running down her cheeks. The eight year old had been trying to recover the 23rd Psalm from memory for over an hour now, and each time she had gotten it wrong, she had been slapped. Her face would probably have bruises in the morning. "He leads me beside the still wa-water… He re-restores my soul… Though I walk through the va-valley of evil…"

"NO!" In one swift move, her father snatched her arm behind her back and lifted her to her feet. The pop was audible and white flashed before her eyes from the pain…

Brenda jolted awake, screaming from the nightmare. "Brenda? Sweetheart, it's ok, I'm here you're safe…." She looked in the direction of the voice to find a very concerned Darry at her side. He took her uncasted hand in his very gently.

"I'm so glad you're here," she said. She was beginning to regret jolting awake the way she had as pain filled her body. The room began to spin and she felt her stomach start to turn and lurch.

"Baby? Are you ok?" Darry asked, touching her forehead gently. She shook her head, then pointed towards the trash can. He grabbed it quickly and brought it over, holding it steady with one hand and holding her hair back with the other.

After she had finished retching into the trash, she leaned back against her pillows sobbing. Everything hurt and puking only made it worse.

"I'm gonna get the nurse, alright?" Darry said, handing her a cup of water. "It's going to be ok baby." He left the room, walking with purpose. Brenda sipped her water and tried to calm down. She wondered how long she had been asleep. The last thing she remembered was Darry coming into her hospital room. The relief at having him close had been like a cool drink of water, soothing her to sleep.

"It's good to see you awake, Ms. Seale," the nurse's voice brought her away from her thoughts. Brenda tried to smile, but it came as more of a grimace.

"Although I'm sorry your wake up had to be so rough. I've got something here to help with that pain and nausea, alright?"

Brenda nodded and watched as the nurse hung a bag of fluid and threaded the tubing through a machine on the pole. After placing the IV in Brenda's hand, the nurse started the machine and held up a button.

"This is a pump. You can press this button every 15 minutes to get more medicine if you need it. The doctor wants you as comfortable as possible. Is there anything else you need sweetie?"

Brenda shook her head, already feeling the effects of the medicine. The nurse smiled and left the room. Darry took a seat beside her and put his hand over hers. "How are you feeling, lover?"

"Better now," she answered, enjoying the warmth of his hand on hers. "How long was I out?"

"About 16 hours. I stayed until they kicked me out last night. I came back first thing this morning. It's around 11 in the morning now," he kissed her cheek and stroked her hair. "I'm so glad to see you awake. Seeing you hurt like that was terrifying."

"Thank you for saving me," she said. Passing out horrified at what was about to happen and waking up in his arms had been a prayer answered.

They sat in silence for a few moments, Brenda drifting in and out form the effects of the medicine. Suddenly a knock on the door broke the silence. The door opened and in walked the doctor.

"Ms. Seale? I'm Dr. Holland. How are you feeling this morning?" he said, coming to her bedside. He checked the pain pump, then pulled a pin light from his pocket. "I'm going to see how your pupils respond to the light. You've got a pretty bad concussion but thankfully no bleeding."

He checked her eyes then pulled his stethoscope from around his neck. He listened to her heart and her lungs. "Alright Ms. Seale, I need to lay you back and check your abdomen. You had some major surgery and we've got to make sure there's no swelling."

Dr. Holland laid the bed back and began pressing on her lower stomach. Brenda gasped as pain shot through her lower half. Darry gave her his hand. "Squeeze if you need to, love."

"I know that hurts. Press your pain pump if you need to. All in all, you seem to be doing well. When the stitches in your back come out, we'll get you up and walking. In the meantime, we're going to start shots to prevent blood clots."

Dr. Holland pulled a chair up and sat down close to the bed. He scribbled something into Brenda's chart, then looked up and sighed. "I'm not going to sugarcoat this Ms. Seale. Your left arm is pretty badly damaged. I'm not sure when you'll regain full use, if you ever do. Bone fragments caused some muscle damage and you're looking at 3 more surgeries at the very least to repair it. You may never regain full feeling in it again." With that, Dr. Holland stood, shook her and Darry's hands, and left the room.

Brenda felt her heart drop. If she couldn't use her left arm, she might as well kiss her typewriter and her job good bye. Her mind began to race. If I lose my job, will Uncle John let me stay with him? If I can't use my arm, what kind of job possibilities do I have? What if Darry decides he doesn't want to be with someone who's disabled? What if I have to move back in with father? She began to hyperventilate and tears began to stream down her face. Her body shook violently. All she could hear was her father telling her this was God's punishment for her being a whore. That she deserved to be disabled for the rest of her life. Bile rushed into her throat and she tried to signal Darry for the trashcan.

"Brenda?! What's wrong, honey?" he asked, alarm in his voice. He recognized the green color in her otherwise pale face and grabbed the trashcan just in time for her to retch into it. "Brenda, baby, I'm here. It's ok. Please try to calm down honey, you're gonna hurt yourself."

"Dar-darry," she sobbed, trying to regain control. "If I can't type, I can't do my job and if I can't work, Uncle John might not want me around anymore. And I ca-can't expect you to want to stay with someone wh-who's disabled. You've got enough to deal with-"

"Baby, please don't think like that. Your uncle loves you. He's not gonna get rid of you. And I love you. Your arm isn't gonna change that, love. Please calm down, ok?" He sat the trashcan in its place, then sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her cheek gently.

Brenda felt herself start to calm down. She snuggled closer to Darry and closed her eyes. As warmth and safety surrounded her, she drifted off, letting sleep over take her.