Secrets of Night

Chapter 6

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"Tori, you may now visit Mr. Pierce."

Getting to my feet, I smile at the man in baby blue scrubs and follow him into the room containing my newly adoptive father. A soft smile spreads across the man's face as I approach, the pain from earlier all but gone. His face holds a tired element to it, his body seeming drained of all strength from the bullet. Guilt washes over me and I suppress the aching that I feel pulling at my chest, knowing that I am the reason he is here.

"Your mom told me the news."

Doing my best to present a pleasant smile, I nod and shrug, trying to hide the fact that I am feeling off; they don't seem overly concerned with what happened. Not once have I been asked about what happened to me. There were some police cars around the building when I came down from the building to show the medics where my father was, but I really don't know, something still feels just a little off and I can't quite put my finger on it. Mentally slapping myself, I turn my attention back to my father. Everything is going amazing minus the whole past few hours, I'm just overacting because I know I'm responsible for the pain all these women have been put through over the past few weeks.

"I figured if you're willing to take a bullet for me, the least I can do is let you adopt you."

They smile together, my new mother clasping her hands together and wriggling with excitement as my father speaks once more.

"We'll hold the adoption as soon as I'm out. And you, young lady, until you get your license, and possibly after, you will have a chauffeur to school and home! No more incidents like this are to happen to my daughter. Now, you can walk until it is dark, but to make sure nothing happens to you, you're getting a ride to school and if you want to attend anymore late night movie showings, you will call and ask for a ride."

Distressed at the thought of being shoved back into a confined life of shuttle rides, I frown and shake my head. Are you kidding me? Just when I finally get my freedom to be alone back, they're stripping it away once more.

"No way! I'll be fine!"

He frowns and pokes my arm, his brow creased with wrinkles as he puts his foot down on the matter. Well, at least metaphorically as he currently is still lying in the confines of his hospital bed.

"Your choices are the limo or the Charger!"

Annoyed, but understanding the concern for my safety as someone dragged me to the edge of a building an hour ago, I roll my eyes, deciding to give the old man a break, after all, he did take a bullet for me.

"Fine, the Charger!"

He smiles in triumph and shoos me away from his side, apparently already sick of my presence in his stuffy private room.

"Good! Now go home and go to bed! It's nearly 2 am; you're just lucky tomorrow is a Saturday and you get to sleep in, young lady!"

I roll my eyes again and nod, making my way to the door of his hospital room alone, leaving my fo-my mother with him at his bed.

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The last bell rings through the school, alerting everyone to the end of the day. Excitement welling up inside of me, I quickly close my notebook, sliding it inside my backpack. Nodding to the study hall monitor, I slide out of the booth I normally sit at and throw my pack over my shoulder, humming as I begin to walk. Father is doing much better, gah, father, that's so weird to say again, but yesterday was his first day out of the hospital. After being held in there for nine days, they determined he was well enough to be released. My mom and him are having a date night so I have all the time in the world to spend just on my own, alone, in silence.