Title: Another Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon Chapter: Chapter 1 Rating: R Summary: Noah and Luke meet under different circumstances in the Missouri foster care system. Characters: Luke, Noah, Original Female Characters, Original Male Characters Genre: Angst, AU, Drama, Romance Warnings: None Disclaimer: This site is no way associated with "As the World Turns", CBS, P&G, or Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann. This is not for profit. No copyright infringement is intended. Authors submit and write their own work.

"Shut up!" Noah screamed and turned away from his father.

He regretted it immediately. Especially when he felt a slap on the back of his head so powerful he fell to the floor. Instinctively Noah pulled his arms over his head as he felt a heavy boot repeatedly kick his body. His stomach, his chest, his groin. The Colonel wasn't missing a spot.

Noah felt the iron taste in his mouth and as soon as he reacted to it, his father took his chance and stomped on his head.

* * *

When Noah finally woke up, his whole body was sore. He spent minutes trying to see, but soon realized that the room he was in was pitch black. He also noted some lose bandages loosely falling into his eyes.

Sitting up slightly, Noah got a better look of the room.

Definitely a hospital.

And he was definitely hurt.

The bandages on his head were just the beginning of his apparent injuries. The next thing he noticed was his broken arm... or maybe it was his wrist. His left arm seemed fine and so did his legs. The main injuries seemed to be his stomach and chest. He figured he probably had a few broken ribs and some bad bruising.

Sighing, Noah sat back on the bed and tried to get back to sleep. It being dark, he assumed it was sometime during the night.

When he couldn't sleep because of his pain, Noah reluctantly decided to call in the nurse. She bolted into the room and smiled when she saw that Noah was awake.

"So I wasn't hearing things," she teased.

Noah smiled and sunk further down onto his bed.

"Yeah, I'm really confused right now, but I just want to sleep. Can you do something about the pain?"

The nurse came closer to the bed and checked on the IV bag. Noah glanced at her name tag and caught her first name.

"Yeah, your medication should be wearing off. I'm going to check with the doctor on call and see if he wants me to put you on something else now that you're awake."

She turned to leave, but Noah just wanted to ask a question.

"Um, Patricia?"

The nurse turned around and smiled at him.

"Yeah?"

"How long have I been here? Where's my dad?"

"Well," she hesitated, "I'm not sure what I'm allowed to tell you, so I'll be vague. You've been here for only a couple of days. You were unconscious because of some swelling on your brain. Your father? He's in jail."

Giving him one last slight-smile, she turned and left his room.

"What the hell is going on?" Noah asked himself out loud and looked one more time at his wrist.

In one night, and one bad decision, his life was turned upside down.

* * *

Noah realized he must have fallen asleep before the doctor on call came to give him his medicine. It was now early in the morning and light enough to see the clock.

9:14 am.

"Crap," Noah mumbled when he realized he had to use the bathroom.

After trying several times to sit up and ultimately failing, he decided to call the nurse back. He was happy to see that Patricia was still on call.

"Hey there sleepy head," she teased again and walked over to his bed. She checked his vitals and smiled at him. "What did you need?"

"I, um, I need to use the bathroom..."

"Well, we have a bed pan over... "

"No!" Noah laughed and sat up as far as he could. "I think I can do it myself. I just need help walking to the bathroom."

"Alright," she giggled and walked closer to the edge of the bed.

She helped him sit up and watched him wince from the pain. Once he was standing up straight, he was able to walk to the bathroom easily. He was even able to go into the room alone, but Patricia stayed outside the door just to make sure he didn't fall.

When he was done, she helped him walk back to his bed and lie down.

"Hey, um, what are my injuries exactly?" Noah asked as he felt more pain as he relaxed into the bed.

Patricia held up her clipboard and flipped through a few pages.

"Well, you have a mild concussion and a gash that required 13 stitches. A broken wrist, three broken ribs, two fractures, and several contusions along your abdomen."

"And all these we caused by my father?"

"As far as I know Noah. I wasn't told much about what happened, except that he was arrested. Do you remember him beating you?"

Noah sighed and shut his eyes.

"I do, but I guess it feels like a dream or something. He's never hit me like this before."

Patricia walked over to him and grabbed his hand.

"Sadly I see a lot of child abuse in this hospital. Usually younger children, but sometimes young men your age. It really hurts because I have four little brothers. The oldest is about your age and the youngest is 7. Sometimes I think that each patient will make me stronger or effect me less, but then kids like you come in and it just hurts again."

"I'm sorry," Noah apologized adjusted his bed's setting. He had just found the remote.

"No, honey. It's not your fault. I really love doing it and helping people, but I hate unnecessary patients. No person has the right to hurt another person. Especially if that person is a child."

Noah smiled at her and was about to say something when her pager beeped.

"Oh, I have to go," she sighed, "I'll check on you a little later. Try and get some more sleep, okay?"

"Sure," Noah smiled and adjusted his bed so he was lying down.

Patricia smiled one last time and turned to leave the room.

"Oh, one last thing!" she spoke at the doorway, "A police officer will be coming to see sometime today. I don't know when."

"Thanks," Noah called and then took a deep breath.

A police man? Really? What the hell was going on?

* * *

Noah woke up again around noon and there was a tray of food next to his bed. There was candy bar sitting on top of one of the dishes with post-it stuck to it. It had a smiley face on it, but nothing else. Noah smiled and figured it was from Patricia. He felt jealous of her younger siblings. He wished she was his big sister.

Sitting up, Noah realized that it didn't hurt as much anymore. He opened up the food and saw what he thought was chicken, some mashed potatoes, green beans, a roll and a dessert that looked just like the chicken.

After eating the roll, the mashed potatoes, and then picking at his chicken and his dessert, Noah decided it was time for the candy bar. He sat back down on his bed and turned on the TV. For the first time since he woke up in the hospital, Noah felt happy. That was quickly shattered by a knock at his door.

"Noah?" A male voice called into the room.

"Yeah?" Noah asked back, not moving from his spot on the bed.

"Hey," the man spoke as he walked into the room.

Noah smiled politely back, but didn't say anything else.

"Sorry, I'm Officer Norris with the Missouri State Police. I'm here to ask you questions about your father."

"Yay..." Noah sighed and rolled his eyes.

"It's alright Noah. I'll try and make this quick. Alright, so how old are you."

"I'm 16."

"And your father is the one that caused your injuries?"

"Yes, but..." Noah began to ask.

"Noah, it's alright," the officer interrupted, "Let me ask you questions and then I'll answer yours."

"Alright," Noah replied.

"Has your father always been abusive?"

Noah had to think for a moment.

"He used to spank me when I was little. Mostly his hand or his belt. When I got older he started slapping me and getting less patient."

"Nothing like this though?"

"No, this is the first time he's lost it."

"Was he verbally abusive."

Noah simply nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Can you tell me what happened on the night in question?" Officer Norris asked as he stopped writing on his pad of paper.

"Um," Noah began and took a deep breath, "He was mad at me for joining my school's drama program. I wasn't even acting. Just doing lighting and sound and stuff like that. He just kept telling me that I needed to be a man, and I screamed at him. Next thing I knew I was on the ground and he was kicking me."

"Alright, that's all I need for now, I believe. Now, what did you want to ask me."

"Well, how did I end up in the hospital? My dad couldn't have brought me."

"I believe one of your neighbors called it in. She heard screaming and called 911. When the cops showed up, your father was trying to lift you off the ground to move you or something. They arrested him immediately, and took you here."

"So, he's in jail?" Noah smiled at the thought.

"For now, yes. To keep him there, you need to press charges."

"Okay," Noah didn't like the idea, but wasn't going to turn it down right away, "So what happens to me?"

"Well, you'll be sent to a relative to look after you."

Noah squinted his eyes and gave the officer a dirty look.

"Sir, I have no family. None. My father was the only person I had."

"Oh, well then you'll be sent to a foster home. Even if it's just temporary."

"A foster home? You mean, with other little kids who don't have parents?"

"I guess you can put it that way." The officer stood up and walked over to Noah and shook his good hand. "I'm not an expert on the system, but I do know that even if you don't have a family member to go to, a boy your age doesn't have to follow the usual foster care rules. I'll have to find you an agent to speak with, but until then, you just get better."

Then he was out the door.

Noah sighed for, what felt like, the hundredth time today.

"What the hell happened to my life?"