Keeping 13

Johnny Kavanagh wakes up in the hospital, remembering everything he was told by the doctors. He cannot play rugby for at least six weeks due to a torn muscle. He needs to stay in bed for a week and then do rehab before they can even discuss returning to practice.

He also regrets how dismissive of Shannon he was the last time he saw her. He was so upset about his injury that he couldn’t talk with her, and now all he remembers is hearing her say the word “father” while he fell asleep from the pain medication.

He tries to get out of bed but is stopped by his mother at the door. He tries to tell her that something is wrong with Shannon and that he needs to go home, but she takes him back to bed.

On the way to the hospital, Shannon is barely conscious. She can hear Joey and Aoife talking about how much she is bleeding and trying to get her to respond, but she can’t answer them.

Monday morning, his third day in the hospital, Johnny wakes up for the first time without pain medicine overwhelming his thoughts. He tries to call Joey multiple times, but each time it goes to voicemail. He is less panicked about Shannon but still feels as though something is wrong.

When his best friend Gibsie comes into the room, Johnny decides that he has to tell his friend about Shannon’s father. Gibsie calls Claire, Shannon’s friend. Without being too specific, he asks her why she didn’t tell him about Shannon’s father. Claire responds in a panic, saying that she was never sure but thought it was the case because of all the “bruises”—confirming to them that Teddy is responsible for Shannon’s abuse. Johnny calls emergency services and demands they go to Shannon’s house.

Shannon wakes up in the hospital on Tuesday, disoriented and confused. She calls out for Joey but is shocked when her older brother Darren is there instead. The last time she saw Darren was five and a half years ago. He left home when he was 18, after their father realized he was gay and verbally and physically abused him.

Joey comes into the room, and he and Darren argue. Shannon learns that Darren was in contact with their mother the entire time he was gone. She also learns that she suffered a collapsed lung. A restraining order has been filed against their father, and social workers are looking into their situation. The argument escalates as Darren insists that their mother is a “victim” and they need to defend her, causing Joey to angrily leave.

Alone with Darren, Shannon tells him he doesn’t understand their situation at home. Their mother did nothing to stop years of abuse, and she doesn’t feel comfortable lying to social workers and saying that she can care for them. Ultimately, Darren tells Shannon it’s her choice what to say; however, she realizes Darren’s plan is their only chance to stay together as a family.

Johnny is furious when his parents take him home from the hospital instead of going to Shannon’s house. He insists that he is right and that Shannon’s father is abusing her. However, his parents tell him that he has no proof and that it could cause a lot of problems for him if he is wrong. As they argue, Johnny gets a call from Joey. He angrily yells at Joey for not contacting him or telling him about the abuse, but Joey interrupts to tell him that Shannon is in the hospital.

Shannon spends the rest of the day speaking with the Gardaí (Irish police). She thinks, as Darren watches her, how she has done this so many times before with their father watching—telling the police what they want to hear to keep their family together. After, her mother tries to comfort her, but Shannon dismisses her.

As Johnny and his father enter the hospital, his dad tells him that the situation is complex, involving the police and social services, and Johnny has no understanding of domestic abuse. He warns Johnny that, if he brings his emotions into it, he will only make the situation worse and not get to see Shannon. As his father walks to the nurse’s station, Johnny stops when he sees Shannon through the windows of her room and goes inside.

Johnny and Shannon talk alone in her room. He expresses guilt over not figuring out what was happening to her, but she insists it’s not his fault. He asks her questions about her situation, and, as she answers, she feels as though she is betraying her family, but she tells herself that Johnny is the only person she can trust other than Joey.

Shannon’s mother, Marie, comes into the room with Johnny’s father. She confronts Johny, telling him that he has no right to involve himself in their family. Johnny argues back, placing blame on Marie for what happened, but Johnny’s dad forces him to leave.

Alone with Shannon, Marie says that Johnny may seem nice now, but he will turn out to be just like Shannon’s father. The thought enrages Shannon, and she tells her mother that it was her weakness that caused the abuse. As her mother sobs, Shannon tells her that she will never forgive her if she drives Johnny away.

At home, Edel, Johnny’s mother, makes Johnny talk to her about what happened. Johnny admits that he feels guilty over not helping Shannon sooner, but Edel insists that it is not his fault. She then turns her anger on Shannon’s mother, Marie, telling Johnny that she had no right to talk to Johnny the way she did in the hospital.