CW: female whumpee/caretaker, bullying, blood, bruises, knife, past injuries, implied strangulation, minor whumpee, med whump (kinda), ambiguous ending
It was late into the night when Caretaker got a call about a stabbing. The victim was a young female, injured badly but still breathing according to the static filled voice of the dispatcher.
Caretaker had handled many calls just like it, the description translating to her brain as easily as an order from a menu. It was a routine that never lost it’s luster.
But arriving there and staring at that pimpled face gripping the knife in her stomach desperately, eyes lolling up to her, fear still clinging to them because anyone would be scared out of their mind in her situation, it put a whole new fire underneath Caretaker.
She moved without her brain’s permission. Actions so quick she didn't even register when they had gotten in the truck until warm sludge was against her fingers. She hastily grabbed some gauze and stuffed it around the wound, leaning over the girl who was on the gurney while her partner sped them to the hospital.
Sirens blared in the back of her mind, bright lights flashing behind her eyes while a monitor beeped on the sidelines, but all she could focus on was the girl with her eyes screwed shut, trembling from more than just the cold weather while tears tracked her face.
“Hey,” Caretaker tried to keep her words as soft as she could, “I need you to stay awake. Whumpee, right? Is that your name?”
The girl’s eyes peeled open, glassy and dilated as she nodded. Caretaker mentally thanked the person who asked for her name after they found her.
“Great! Whumpee, can you talk to me? Tell me how old you are, I do want to be the only one holding up this conversation.” She tried a shaky smile.
Whumpee licked her lips, they moved silently before something was able to break through, “Ssev…sevv-en sevnte-“ Each word was stuttered over the knife in her stomach, hitching with every sound she had to push out.
Whumpee gave a quick nod.
Geez. “Good, that’s good. What did you do for your birthday?”
Caretaker watched intently as a bloodied, shaking hand came up to the girl’s neck, with as much strength as she could muster she tilted her head back and pulled her scarf down. A bruise in the shape of a hand wrapped around her neck, it was fading, but just barely.
The colors had changed to a yellowing purple so it couldn’t have been that long ago she’d gotten it. She pointed at it while Caretaker stared in horror, “Did- did the person that did this also do that to you?“
She nodded again, wincing as she shifted, forgetting the knife in her gut.
Caretaker grabbed more gauze to stuff the climbing blood, trying to still the girl as best as possible without letting up on the wound, “Easy, easy. No unnecessary movement, you need to stay still.”
She relaxed back down. “Bull..ies,” her voice scratching on the way out, “Mmade..the- ma…-“
“It’s okay,” Caretaker said, “We can talk about something else if you want.”
Whumpee shook her head, insistent, her eyes told just as much, and Caretaker could only sigh and nod, “Okay, but take your time, I’m here.”
She tried again, working herself up to speak, “Th- made m-me thank them for…..for lett-ing me brea-“ her heart rate was only shooting higher near the end, arms going slack as she let the words hand off the end of the sentence.
Caretaker actually felt her heart hurt. She’d been at this job long enough to see some pretty fucked up things. But this hurt like nothing else, as if someone had gripped her chest and refused to let go. Forcing her to stare bloody reality in the eye.
How could these schools let bullying escalate like this? This was obviously going on for a while and nobody noticed? Nobody did anything to stop this? What kind of kid is even capable of this? This girl could die because someone thought it’d be funny to pick on her!
But the girl, she was smiling, it was dying on one end but it was still there. As much as she could with the pain she’s in. A shaky hand found Caretaker’s and gave a weak squeeze, Caretaker squeezed back. “I’ve nev-er never t- talked abou-“ tears rolled down her face, she hiccuped, “….Thank y-you.”
Caretaker held onto the tiny hand in her’s for dear life. They were both covered in blood, the tears between the two no different besides the point of veiw. She choked on a lump in her throat, “Of course, I’m glad to listen. Is there anything else you want to talk about?”
Whumpee smiled, blinking out more tears as she nodded, “My par..ents. T’ll- tell thhem I—“ her coughs diluted into gasps for breath. Blood sputtered out around her teeth. The beeping shot up, more blood oozed from around her hand and pooled under her fingers as her clothes took on a deep red.
“Speed the fuck up! She’s loosing too much blood back here,” Caretaker yelled to the driver, pushing down further on the wound and cursing the red-stained silver where it stood.
Whumpee yelped, Caretaker shushed her, “I know, I know, I’m sorry just hang on for me, we’re almost there. Just keep your eyes open. That’s all you need to do for me, okay? Keep your eyes on me and keep talking. Here,” She squeezed her hand tighter while the twitching in Whumpee’s fingers slowed, “Squeeze my hand, Whumpee. As tight as you can, we’re almost there.”
Whumpee blinked once, too slow. Her lips moving at the same pace. She took in a rasping breath, “Tell’em..I l-..loved….being their daughter.”
