Joel sat by the window watching the rain poor down outside. There was a knock on the door. Benji answered the door to a dripping wet girl with a bloody nose. Her brown eyes were red and puffy from crying. "Oh my gosh, Alora, are you OK?"
"What hapened?" A worried Joel asked, rushing to her side. Alora tried to explain, but she was out of breath from running. "Did he hit you again?"
Alora just nodded. Her brown, shoulder length, hair stuck to her face. Joel gently touched her bruising eye. Benji went to the bath room and came back with a nice big fluffy towel. Taking off her soaked coat and sweater, he wrapped it around Alora and sat her on the couch.
Alora took a deep breath. "I didn't know where else to go."
Joel hugged her. "Shh. It's OK." He looked her in the eye. "What exactly happened?"
Alora wiped her nose with her sleeve. Looking at the blood on her sleeve she rolled her eyes. "He hit me and locked me in my room. Windows are nailed shut, so I broke the glass." She held up her right hand. It was bloody and a peice of glass was sticking out of her hand between her middle and index finger. "I climbed out the window, I fell off the roof, into the rose bushes and I ran here." She started crying again.
Joel carefully took her right hand in his left. "It's OK. You can stay here."
Benji came out of the kitchen, dish rag in hand. He knelt in front of Alora and took her hand. "This is gonna hurt." He said, carefully taking a hold of the glass in her hand. He quickly pulled the glass out of her hand. She didn't even flinch. Benji rapped her hand in the dish rag. "C'mon. To the kitchen." He said, picking her up off the couch and carrying her to the kitchen. He sat Alora on the counter next to the sink.
Joel held Alora's other hand making her smile. "You guys are too good to me." She smiled as Benji ran her hand under hot water. "Ouch." She said, looking at Benji then to the blood running from her hand and down the drain.
Joel carressed her cheek with his other hand. "You just make it impossible not to love you." He said, moving her hair from her eyes.
Benji looked over Alora's hand for more glass. He found a second peice of glass and pulled it out. Alora jumped. "Sorry." Benji said, throwing away the fragment.
Joel looked at Alora's eye again. "It's definatly gonna be black." Alora looked at the floor. "What's wrong, Lor?"
"Nothing. I just don't want you guys in the middle of this." She said, looking from Joel to Benji.
"The middle of what, exactly?" Joel asked.
"My father's gonna find me."
Benji looked at Alora. "We'll make sure he won't." He smiled, walking towards the bath room. Benji came back with a bandage wrap and tape. "Now to look at your leg." He looked at her pants, they were wasted. Her jeans were ripped from her ankle to her hip. Alora's leg was bloody and thorns were stuck under her skin. "You're going to the hospital."
"Is it that bad?" Alora asked.
"Yeah." Benji said, wiping the blood off his hands.
Getting Alora in the car, Joel drove to the hospital. Taking her to the emergency room as the desk attendant said, the twins left Alora with the nurses there and waited in the waiting room.
Joel sat with his feet on the chair. "I can't just sit here. I need to do something." Joel said, standing.
"It's a hospital, what are ya gonna do?" Benji asked.
Joel grinned. "Gift shop."
Joel walked to the gift shop and looked at the little stuffed animals. He saw a bear that was the softest one he had ever held. The bear was perfect. Joel purchased it and went back to the waiting room with Benji.
"You got her a bear?"
"A soft teddy bear." Joel corrected. "It looks just like the one her mom gave her before the accident."
Benji nodded, understanding. "She'll love it."
The doctor came out of the office. "Benji and Joel Madden?"
Benji walked over to the doctor, Joel left the bear in his chair with his coat and followed Benji.
"That's us." Benji said.
"She's OK. A few scratches, nothing some stitches didn't fix."
Joel sighed and looked at the ceiling.
"Can we take her home?" Benji asked.
"Yes. But don't let her do too much work or walking. You can see her now if you want."
Joel and Benji followed the doctor into the room where Alora was sitting, wearing a hospital gown. Joel hid the bear behind his back.
Alora looked at the twins and blushed. Her leg was wrapped from the knee to her ankle. "Hi guys." She smiled lightly. Her eye was now purple.
Joel smiled at her, kissed her forhead and handed her the bear. "How's your eye?"
"Hurts." She looked at the bear. "Thank you." She smiled and fingered the soft material. Alora's eyes began to tear. "You two are the best thing in my life." She chuckled. "How corney did that just sound?"
The nurse looked at the three in the room. "She'll sound a little loopy from the sedatives." She said, walking away.
Benji looked at Alora, then it hit him. "You ran five miles with your leg like that?"
"Wouldn't you?" She replied.
"Yeah, we would." Joel said. "But at the moment, Benj and I are going to get you some new pants." Joel smiled, stood and left the hospital with Benji.
Joel and Benji went to buy Alora new jeans at the near by Wal*Mart.
Benji stood looking at the different jeans. "What are we gonna do if Alora's dad files a missing person and they find her?"
Joel was looking at the sweat shirts. "I don't know."
Purchasing a plain black sweat shirt and black cargo pants for Alora, the twins drove back to the hospital.
The nurses helped Alora get dressed while Joel and Benji waited in the waiting room. "Ya know, I can walk to the waiting room." Alora told the nurses. Alora hobbled out to the waiting room.
Benji helped Alora to a chair, while Joel talked to the doctor.