Sisters

Chapter 1

I sit on the bed, starting on my homework when I get the call. It's an unknown number, but it didn't go to spam, so I pick it up, hearing a female voice.

"Hello, am I speaking to Daniella Smith, legal guardian of Dalia Smith?"

"Yes, this is she," I respond, unsure of who I'm speaking with and why they're asking about my sister. "May I know who this is?"

"I'm sorry to inform you that Dalia has been in an accident, she is currently in surgery." I hear empty space, I know the woman is still talking, but I can't focus on anything. My sister's in the hospital, she's hurt. She's all I have left.

I can hear and feel Cocoa, our dog, barking next to me, but I can barely breathe.

"Ma'am, are you still there?" I hear from my phone.

"Yes, sorry," I respond breathlessly. "I'll be there soon," I tell her, hanging up the call. I quickly take Cocoa out, making sure he has food and water, my body running on autopilot while my mind is racing. I grab my phone, a jacket, and Dalia's blanket, just in case, and get into the car, rushing to the hospital.

I ask the nurse at the receptionist for Dalia, and she tells me she's still in surgery. I'm guided to the waiting room, left alone with the worries in my head. My mind starts wandering to the worst possible conclusions. I can't go through this again. I'm only 19, but I've already been in this situation one too many times.

The first time someone in my life died, it was my best friend. Because of brain cancer. Then it was my parents, because of a car crash. And now it's just me, Dalia, and Cocoa. I can't lose her too.

I work 3 jobs to pay for food, water, electricity, and maintenance bills, and make sure Dalia is happy and goes to school. I graduate early, with my undergraduate degree this Spring, and I've already been accepted into an accelerated masters program. Thankfully my parents left us well off, so we have a house that is fully paid off, a car, and enough savings to help us on a rainy day.

I sit in the waiting room with tears in my eyes for hours before two young men walk in, calling my name. "Ms. Daniella Smith."

"That's me," I reply quietly, raising my hand. They walk over to me and kneel next to me.

"My name is Michael Clifford, I'm the head surgeon in the cardiovascular department," the one with blonde hair says. "And this is Luke Hemmings, he's the head of the pediatrics department." I nod to them in response.

"Dalia?" I ask, not sure if I want to hear the response or not.

"She's resting right now, she has a long road to recovery, but she's stable right now," Dr. Clifford tells me gently. I let out a breath of relief, "Can I see her?" I ask.

"Like I said, she's resting right now, but you can go once she wakes up," he tells me. My face falls, but I nod my head anyways, knowing they probably won't change their answer.

"What happened to her?" I ask instead, sniffing lightly while trying to rub my tears away. They share a look, immediately making my worry.

Dr. Hemmings begins, "She had a lot of bruising, both internal and external. The surgery was because of internal bleeding." He looks at me making sure I was handling the information properly.

"A car accident?" I ask, recalling a similar diagnosis during my parents' accident.

He takes a breath in, looking to Dr. Clifford, "I'm so sorry. Dalia has signs of abuse on her body."

I immediately get very confused, "I assure you, I've never abused her. She's not in any danger at home. Not at school either, as far as I'm aware. She's a very happy kid, I think you may have mixed up patients," I tell them.

He slowly begins, "I know you don't abuse her, when I said abuse, I meant it in a different manner. It appears that Dalia has been in an accident where someone beat her up." I suck in a breath, tears starting to well up in my eyes. Dalia is my light, who would do this to her?

"Thankfully there are no signs of sexual harassment, only physical," Dr. Clifford tells me gently. "Do you have any idea as to how or why this happened." He asks.

I shake my head, "No, she's the sweetest person, and she's happy. I don't know why anyone would do this to her," I reply to him as their pagers go off.

He nods his head, "If you remember anything that could be suspicious, please let us know so the police can investigate. Speaking of which, I believe they want to speak to you regarding the other places that Dalia has frequented." I agree to that.

"You'll be able to see her when she wakes up, we'll be back soon to check on her as well," Dr. Hemmings tells me.

"Thank you so much," I tell them, truly grateful that they saved my sister.

"I'm so sorry that you have to go through this," Dr. Hemmings tells me. "Please let us know if there's anything we can do to help you," he says, and they both get up and leave. Once again, leaving me alone in the waiting room. Only this time, I'm no longer jumping to conclusions, but thinking about all the possibilities of how this happened.

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A/N: Hello my lovelies! New story alert!! This chapter moved pretty fast, but don't worry, all will be answered soon. Hope you're all doing well, staying safe.

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