not proofread,
please be nice if you find mistakes.
...
Gabi felt an immense amount of relief and pressure fall off her shoulders after she disclosed the abuse to Luke and Michael.
Things also seemed to pick up after that. She had already spoken to at least five different people, Sierra included, about the abuse her parents had done.
"How much longer do I have to do this?" She whined to Luke. "It's exhausting speaking to all these people."
"I know, hun, and I'm sorry. There's just a lot of legalities when it comes to this stuff and protocol I have to follow."
"Well, I've told you now so can't you just tell them?"
Luke laughed and shook his head. "Unfortunately not. It has to come from you. Like before for example, I could only state my suspicions but couldn't do much unless you said they were abusing you."
"Oh."
"It's a tough confusing situation, and one I don't like to be in," he shrugged. "But I have to follow rules."
Gabi looked up at him. "What's going to happen to me?"
"I'm sorry?"
"What's going to happen to me," she repeated. "I mean, I'm still a minor so obviously I'll be put into foster care and a home."
"Well," Luke smiled and put his charts down to give her his undivided attention. "My wife and I aren't going to allow that to happen."
"Huh?"
"Gabi," he paused to grab her hand. "I know that you don't want to live with complete strangers in an unfamiliar environment, and although we've only known each other for quite a short amount of time... my wife and I would like to take care of you."
"No. I can't ask you to do that."
"What? Why not?"
"It's way too much money to add a kid to your life."
"The price of money doesn't matter if it means you're happy."
Gabi smiled and turned her head away when she felt tears gather in her eyes. She had never felt this much love and affection from her parents, and here she is now with someone she just met in the past week who truly cared so much for her. It was astonishing.
"What if my parents somehow get to keep me again?"
"As hard as it is to hear, that probably won't happen, Hun. Your parents are more than likely going to jail for the abuse, they'll have to go to a court hearing first to get indicted, but I think the police have more than enough evidence to arrest them for it right now."
"And you and your wife? You're okay with doing this? I don't mind being sent somewhere else, Dr. Hemmings."
"Gabi," he sighed and knelt down to her level, still holding her hand. "We're not going to do something unless you truly want that, and we both know that you don't want to be put into the foster care system."
He could see Gabi's lip quiver and tears gathering in her eyes, the stray ones that escaped he wiped away with the soft padding of his thumb. "Sierra and I are more than happy with opening our home and hearts to you. You deserve to know what true happiness and love is, and to be treated right."
"I just don't know how I'll ever repay you for all of this. It's such a nice thing for someone to do to a stranger," she smiled.
"You're not a stranger anymore, Gabs. If it's alright with you, I already consider you part of our family."
