Crashing [Ian]

[Shelby Crescent]

"Now explain to me again why you decided it was safe to steal my broom and accidently crash it into a tree again Vi?" she asks raising an eyebrow at her daughter as the nurse was checking out her left arm. Vi simply shrugs as she continues to stare at her arm, with a few tears falling down her already tear stained cheeks.

Shelby was outside with Liese and Ashlyn planting her new daffoils in the garden when Isaiah came out with a look of worry and nervousness written all over his face telling Shell that Vi crashed into the huge old oak tree infront of the house on Shell's broom.

"Violet please tell me. I'm not mad just upset that you're hurt sweetie." she sighs, watching Vi shaking her head furiously as she still was glaring at her injured arm. Shell frowns a bit, putting a hand through her hair as the nurse walks out of the room for a second to get a healer.

[Ian Hunt]

I wonder if it's possible to die from stress as I walk at a reasonably hurried pace down the hall.
I suppose that if it is, and if I do, then I am in the right place.
I hate St Mungo's.

But Vi is here and it's my duty to be here because of her. She's my daughter after all.
And as of yet, the only one that I haven't messed up. Or at least...not to my knowledge.
The others...are probably the cause of the potentially lethal stress that I'm trying to shrug off at the moment. Alex, Poppy and Abby, mainly the first two, and their constant bickering is driving me spare. They won't even stay away from each other, because she has it in her head that she needs to defend me whenever Alex declares that he hates me, and of course, he always rises to the bait.
Not to mention Maddie. She's probably snuck out again, assuming that I don't know. I can only try so hard to get her to rest until she's better, to try and encourage her to recover, and if she still wants to sneak out and wander around for no reason and just put herself in more pain...well, she's a grown woman. It's not up to me.

No, but this is something I have some control over. I can make the conscious decision to leave the house and leave them to tearing each other or themselves to shreds, and come here. Where, for once, I might possibly be needed.
Most likely not, but at least I'm somewhere that I should be.

Heading into the room, I feel sort of sick because last time I was here was because of Alex falling out of a tree and I don't want to think about Alex. But thankfully, it disappears when I see them.
"Hey Shell. Hey Vi. What happened?"

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell glances up slightly from Vi to see Ian walking into the ward. "Our daughter stole my broom and crashed into that huge old oak tree. But she still won't tell me why she did steal my broom in the first place." she sighs, looking back at Vi seeing that she still was glaring at her arm with tears pouring down her face. "I think it's just a broken arm maybe a couple fractures." Shell nods frowning a bit as she put a hand through Vi's curly blonde locks.

Vi finally looks up at Shell shaking her hand off her head and directs her glaze over at Ian with a small smile on her face. "Hiya dad. Mum said that I couldn't play quidditch until I was at least fourteen, which isn't fair." she mutters, shooting a glare over at Shell. She simply sighs, sitting down on the edge of the bed staring at the floor tiles falling quiet.

[Ian Hunt]

"Ah," I say carefully.
I don't like brooms and flying, and I'm sort of glad that Shell has the 'no flying until you're fourteen' rule in place, because that means I don't have to impose that rule. I don't really have a right to, as it's not really fair out of my own home.
Poppy and Alex protest most violently to this though, so I suppose Vi would too. But I didn't really think about that as I've never really heard her protest.

"Vi," I murmur, brushing her hair lightly off her forehead, "You know you've got to listen to your Mum."
I don't really feel this is the best way to start off a conversation, but I should probably back Shell up or risk undermining her authority. I'm not really sure.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell nods, looking back at Vi. "See, even your da says so." she says softly standing up and walking to the other side of the bed taking Vi's uninjured hand.
But Vi just shakes her head at the both of them. "But Jenny, Zoe and everyone else learned when they were eleven. What's one year?" she sighs with a frown to Shell and Ian.
"Because you keep crashing whenever you do and you're not responsible enough. Stealing my broom does not prove that you're ready to fly, right Ian?" Shell asks looking up at him with a straight face. Shell hated to lecture her kids more than anything, but she didn't want to be a doormat.

[Ian Hunt]

"Uh...right," I nod, if a little hesitantly.
I'm not really used to having to be back up in lectures or anything. I am a doormat when it comes to discipling my children and I either laugh or trail off into incoherency or something to undermine my own authority.
"It's just because we're worried, Vi. We're not trying to ruin your fun or anything."
I feel that I should at least add this, because I feel irrationally cold or distant to just agree with no comment of my own.

[Shelby Crescent]

Vi sighs, frowning up at Shell and Ian for a few seconds. "Da, can I live with you? Zoe moved in with Riley cause she doesn't like mum and neither do I so can I?" she asks paying no mind to Shell's frown and watches her walk out of the room. Shell sighs, leaning against the wall, sliding down and placing her head into her hands.

[Ian Hunt]

I try very hard to smooth out my expression and not let my grimace show. How am I supposed to respond to that?
No, she can't live with me. Because she's lived with Shell for ten years, and I really have no idea how to look after her properly on a full time basis. Because it would destroy the volatile balance of my household and probably upset a good two out of five occupants. Because it would be better for all concerned if she didn't. Although, I'm really not sure how to explain this to a ten year old.
"Vi..." I murmur carefully after a moment, then rapidly become distracted by Shell walking out of the room and sort of trail off, "I'll be back in a minute. Stay out of trouble."
I head out of the room after Shell, hovering hesitantly next to her, "Shell...don't. She doesn't mean it, you know that."
I don't really know what to say about Zoe or anything else.

[Shelby Crescent]

Vi sighs, just nodding faintly as she watches Ian walking out of the room, turning her head back to her injured arm.
Shell shakes her head, now resting her chin on her folded arms that were laying on her knees. "Yes she does Ian. Violet hates me." she says softly, biting her lip and glancing down at her hands. "Along with Zoe because I threatened to kick her out, but I didn't mean it." she sighs, closing her eyes slightly. "She's pregnant. Zoe's pregnant at sixteen ring any bells on how she could have picked that up?" Shell asks glancing up at him with a couple tears running down her cheeks before leaning her head back on her arms.

[Ian Hunt]

"No, she doesn't," I sink down against the wall next to her, shaking my head, "She's ten. It's just...sulking. She doesn't hate you."
Although I fall silent involuntarily for a few seconds at that, "She's pregnant? Zoe?"
I remember Shell mentioning a boyfriend and everything, but it didn't really cross my mind that any of the older kids that I know would be doing anything like that...because they're kids and it's ridiculous.

[Shelby Crescent]

She sighs, still not believing a word he said. Vi was always acting out at home unless Ian was there. Then she was sweet and kind. Other than that, they never got along well. "Right. Just sulking." Shell mumbles, but sighs afterwards.

"Yeah, three or four months now. She won't tell me who's the father or if she knows the father for all I know." she states laughing a bit with no humor. "I'm such a fuck up. I can't raise my own kids to not make the same mistakes I did."

[Ian Hunt]

"You're not a fuck up," I cut in sharply, immediately, then soften my tone again almost straight away, "She's not...landed herself like this because you did. It's...just something that happened? And, if you did, so can she. It's not-...not the end of the world."

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell glances over slightly shocked at his change of tone, but shrugs it off rather quickly. "Ian, yes I am. Imperious Curse, Running away from the Ministry, Azkaban, having over handfuls of affairs when I'm married, and can't take care of my family now and in the past..." she trails off quietly instantly thinking of Hope, Holly, Zach and Sam. Shell sighs lightly, still looking at him, ignoring her tears. "I just can't do anything right, and our daughter is exhibit A."

[Ian Hunt]

"Don't say things like that," I mutter, getting restlessly back to my feet, "Come on. Get up, pull yourself together. You can't just sit here and think things like that, it won't help."
I don't know where this sudden streak of flippancy has come from, but for some reason at the moment I can't bear to hear it.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell sighs, looking at her knees as if that would make her stand. Finally she pulls herself up to her feet and wipes her eyes a bit looking over to Ian. "You know it's true though." she whispers, leaning against the wall with a frown. "All of it." She glances down to her shoes before shuffling her feet over to him still looking at her shoes til she hugs him lightly. "I'm sorry, just when any of the kids tell me that it just kills me." she whispers, closing her eyes a bit.

[Ian Hunt]

"It's not true," I mutter stubbornly, but gratefully hug her back as soon as she's hugged me, "It's alright. They're just kids, they don't know what they're saying or whether they mean it or not. Don't take it to heart, right?"

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell nods, looking up at him now with a faint smile still with a couple tears falling from her eyes. "Right I suppose. I think we better get back in there before Violet breaks something else." she mutters, closing her eyes and shaking her head a bit.