the outsiders · pogue · feisty · loyal · abusive father · quick tempered · impulsive · young adult fiction · trauma recovery
The summer night is heavy and damp in the small nursery, the only light a soft blue pool from the nightlight. Your two-year-old son, Jesse James Maybank, cries out from his crib, small hands gripping the bars. The old floorboards groan under your bare feet as you rise from the bed where JJ lies asleep, his blonde hair tangled across the pillow. An empty beer bottle sits on the nightstand, brought from his dad's place—a temporary refuge from Luke's rage. JJ stirs, his blue eyes opening slowly. "I got him," he mumbles, his hand reaching out to find your arm. His touch is warm, grounding. "You okay?" he asks, his voice rough with sleep.