Waiting

30

TORI POV

*10 years ago*

The bus ride home was great, despite the girl next to me throwing up. The yogurt we had today at lunch really didn't do justice to her. My brother Dave was still at school and my moms car was in the parking lot. But when I got home, I noticed that there was another car next to hers. Was daddy home from prison?

The door was slightly open. Maybe mom was in the backyard working on the garden. I put my second grade homework on the table. Too many words. I'll get to that after I finish watching Mickey Mouse.

I was walking upstairs to my room when I heard someone crying.

"PLEASE JEREMY STOP!!" Mom yelled. Why is she yelling at uncle Jeremy? I stood by the door she was in and looked from the little peephole.

"Shut up and take it" Jeremy said while grunting. I saw this black shadow crowding over my mom. He kept doing weird positions and my mom kept crying for help. Why was uncle Jeremy doing this to her?

All of a sudden, mom pushed uncle Jeremy off of her. I had to close my eyes because it was too much for me to see. I heard her crying and fighting him. So many things shattering on the floor.

"You worthless fucking whore!" Screamed Jeremy. "I'm gonna make you my bitch, stupid slut."

I ran upstairs to my room and locked the door. I crashed in my bed and began to sob. Mom was my hero. She was so strong taking care of me and Dave without daddy here. And now seeing her cry, it just ruined me.

My friend Hillary said I should try something called cutting. I've never heard of it before. She gave me this little sharp thingy on the way home. Maybe that's a medicine that can make the pain go away.

I took the blade out, and started a counting game. I wrote down everything I thing I saw, and every time I thought of it, I used the blade to draw a line on my arm. It hurt a little, but my memory faded away.

After that day, I never saw uncle Jeremy again.
_________________________

It was him. My own father. He wasn't my uncle. He has the same last name as me and he told me once that he was the only child. He must've had plastic surgery because now he looks different then the man who used to come around my house as my 'uncle'.

My whole childhood was ruined by the same man who would always smile at me in the morning. We all have some baggage, but his was so much that it could take him on a two year trip or something.

And the fact that I basically grew up with him and he never once told me the truth burned a hole through my chest. Every time I had visitor day and I told him how I missed my dad, he gave me that sympathetic look. I felt so lost and confused. So many questions ran through my head.

He must've had some criminal record that stopped him from visiting us. When he did he showed up as our estranged uncle. And when he was there he would only come for mom. It was like he was trying to get something from her. And 10 years later, I actually found out what it was.

It felt like I was in a daze. The lump in my throat didn't do much justice either. I needed to go back to the hospital. I ran all the way back. But to me, it felt like I was running in a maze. Like that demon who shared the same blood as me actually did this to my mom.

My vision became blurry as I was crying and randomly running across the street. It wasn't until a taxi beeped at me when I came back to earth. The window rolled down and behold, it was Adam's face that I was now looking at.

He quickly jumped out the cab and ran to me. No questions asked, he hugged me. Every other problems I was facing didn't matter at this point. I was just glad he was there to catch me when I fell.

"Why would he do that to us?" I cried out. "He ruined our family Adam, he destroyed the one person most important to me. What kind of person does that?"

He remained silent while continuing to hug me. I sniffled as he walked me back inside the cab.

"S-shut up and drive" he growled to the taxi driver who was making faces at us. The drive consisted of me sniffling and Adam holding me. He looked lost himself, but I just needed him more than ever.

When we got to the hospital, Adam pushed the car door open and without paying any mind to the taxi driver, hurried me inside the hospital. I saw one of the care takers look at us angrily and was about to go to the nurse when Adam spoke.

"I wish you would say something" he snarled.

With that, the care taker shut up and we continued to walk to my room. Across the hall, I saw a little hurdle of nurses carrying Rose in a wheelchair. They were taking her outside. I knew this was bad.

Rose was being moved to an institution.

This must mean that her condition has gotten worse. As Adam asked one of the nurses for more info, I kneeled over to Rose.

"It should've happened to me Rose, it should've happened to me" I cried. Rose didn't deserve this. She kept a blank expression and looked straight ahead. I sighed and broke down. I was crying for her, Dave, my mom, and Adam. It felt like my world was crushing down.

Adam rushed to my side and pulled me over so that they could wheel Rose out.

"They said she has c-ch-chronic insomnia" he said, looking away. "Whatever Fred did to her caused such an im-impact that she couldn't sleep. They have to move her to a highly tech institution to try to s-sa-save her mental health before it's too late."

"Why couldn't it be me?" I sobbed.

Why did other people have to suffer for what I did? I've suffered enough and the pain I've felt I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

"Sorry can't even describe the way I feel right now" said Adam.

Something was off about his voice. I didn't feel his sympathy, instead I felt his voice slipping. He was losing his posture. I sat him down in a corner. So much has happened to me in one day and I can't afford to lose someone else.

"Adam. Don't do this to me. Your the only hope I have left. Don't give up now."

"M-m-my he-head hurts" his last words were before slipping away.

Great.

The care taker that was giving us looks earlier rushed him to an E.R. During the whole transition, I saw Dr. Len- I mean Jeremy enter the hospital. He slipped right into where the other nurses were, looking as if he belonged.

I couldn't even move. Instead I stood where I was, taking a second to process everything. As soon as it clicked in that this was really happening, I ran to the ER that they took him. Mrs Welsey was already there talking to one of the head doctors. When she was done she came over to me.

"He had a brain seizure from the fall. There's no telling what's going to happen. So what we're going to do is take the next couple of days to support him and also make sure we're in good health. The class will be having the mid unit in a week from now, and I've changed the theme. You can write on whatever personal conflict you want, and you don't have to work in groups." She walked away before I could protest. I took in all of the information.

Adam has a brain seizure, Rose has chronic insomnia, Dave has one less arm, and I'm still suffering from PTSD.

After I gathered myself together, I came to a conclusion that the only way I was going to get answers was to talk to my own family. My family who knew all this information and held it from me for 17 years.

I needed to talk to Dave.