Protective Love

Ch. 34 - Big Family Secret Part 2

        I was yanked by my arm and dragged out of the house, Cody rushing to our neighbors who we haven't visited in years. They are two elderly couple who's children grew up with my mother, the elderly woman is best friends with my grandmother. They live in the farm across the road from ours, our only neighbors in miles. I try to catch up to Cody, but he keeps dragging me and running faster. 
"Please slow down!" I gasp out
"I'm sorry, Vivi. I just want to see Mr. and Mrs. Woodall. They have new chicks that hatched yesterday and we get to hold them!"
        Once we reach their front door, Cody rings the doorbell, trying to catch his breath as Mr. Woodall opens the door and ushers us inside. We greet them politely and sit down in their dinning room table drinking tea with cookies that Mrs. Woodall had ready for us before we arrived. 
"How have you been sweeties? You both have grown so tall since we've last set our old eyes on you two! Look, dear, aren't big?" Cranked out Mrs. Woodall
"Yes, yes dear. Just the biggest and sweetest. So, Mr. Cody, how have you been? You've been taking care of your sister?"
"Yes, Mr. Woodall, really good care. She's improving, but she's still fragile. I'm good! Good grades, lots of friends and I'm thinking about joining football this year. Nothing else new."
"Good good, I'm glad to hear. Come, come, both of you, I bet you want to see the baby chicks!" Mr. Woodall comments
        I finish my tea and took one more cookie on our way out the house. We head to their barn where they keep all the animals and after stepping over fallen hay and some animal poop, we reached the back of the barn in an isolated small room where the hens and roosters are at. Mr. Woodall opens the small gate and lets us inside, I see ten small yellow chicks running around the barn, chasing each other. I pick up one of them that happened to hit my boot while he was being chased by his siblings that Cody happened to pick up. I cradle the chick in my arms and start to pet it, the chick burrowed its small head into my arm, trying to escape back to its mother. We spent half an hour in the pin until I hear Mrs. Woodall's phone go off. She answers it and steps into the private room she keeps the horse equipment stored. 
"Come now children, it's time to go home. Your brother called to tell me that your lunch is served and ready to eat. Cody, he told me to tell you to go right ahead." Mrs. Woodall calls out when she hangs up the phone.
        Cody grabs my hand and after saying our goodbyes, we head back home this time slowly walking. Cody looks like he is trying to say something to me, but he can't get the words out straight. I start to get frustrated, I have this gut feeling something is going to happen and it's also telling me that Cody is in on it too.
"What is going on Cody? Why are you acting weird?"
"Vi, listen to me carefully, we did this for your own good. There are three doctors in the house right now with your therapist and they are here to evaluate you and see if your improving with your disease."

        I stay quiet, processing what Cody had just said to me. How could my family keep this from me? I could have prepared for them! I start to get more upset the closer we get to the house. Cody opens the front door, yelling out that we have arrived, when I exploded. I see William and Dean step into the front grand entrance when I start to shake, violently shake from anger, betrayal of my own family. They notice and quickly go to my aid, I thrash in their arms they enveloped around my body and when I could escape, I ran to my room, yelling out before I slammed my door shut loud,
"I HATE YOU ALL!!" 
        I throw my body on my bed, crying and shaking. My bedroom door opens slowly and in enters all of my brothers. Dean and William sit down on my bed, Damon sits down in my desk chair, Sam stands in front of my bed with his arms crossed across his chest and Cody lays down beside me on the opposite side. 
"Baby, please, we didn't tell you for a good reason..." Dean starts off until I interrupt him
"NO!!! I could have gotten myself ready for them!!" I cry even harder
"Baby, that's exactly why we didn't tell you! You need to be yourself, they need to see THIS!!" William gestures his hands towards me, showing me metaphorically my body. "We don't want the fake you. They need to see the real thing. Why are you so upset? What is going on? Why are you scared, Viviana?"
"I-I'm n-not scared!" I lie
"You cannot lie to us Vivi, we know you too well." comments Damon. "Now tell us the truth."
"Okay, fine. I'm scared that they might find something really wrong with me, they'll take me away from you guys and lock me up in a hospital for sick people." I start to tremble and my chest starts to tighten, my breathing going more ragged then normal. Cody wraps his arms around me to try to calm me down. 
"Sweetie, calm down. They will not take you away from us, do you know why?" Dean lifts my head by my chin so that I am facing him. I shrug my shoulders in response to his question, "because there is NOTHING wrong with you! We want to see if we can certify you with a service animal to help you with your disease and so the animal can help us whenever your heart beat is higher or lower then normal, or even when you blood pressure drops. Sweetie, this is for your own good."
        I jump into Cody's arms, crying and trying to catch my breath, but unfortunately I don't seem to be doing such a good job when Dean decided to pick me up and run downstairs to the kitchen to grab my emergency medicine and inhaler. I see four people sitting down in the dinning room, waiting for us to eat lunch. I'm guessing their the doctors and June sitting there; one of the doctors, a tall older lady, comes up to William, 
"Is she okay? What happened?" 
"She got herself all worked up. She just needs her emergency medicine and inhaler to help settle her breathing." William replies.
        Dean pops the medicine in my mouth and forces some water down to help lower the pill, then he grabs my inhaler and pops it in my mouth, puffing it three times. The inhaler helped me so much, I start to take slower breaths as Dean leads all of us to the dinning room to eat lunch. I am sat down in a chair next to Dean and William, sitting in front of the older doctor lady and June. I start to eat a little soup that Sam placed in front of me as the adults talk. Once I'm half way done, the whole family had finished eating and were still seated waiting for me, the doctor in front of me started to speak,
"Viviana, I have heard and read a lot about you. I wanted to introduce us, my name is Elizabeth, this here is Brian and Rob..." She points to each man as she introduces them, I just nod my head and eat another spoonful of soup. "We are here to evaluate you, please just go on with what you do everyday, it will be like we aren't even here. Okay?" 
        I nod my head and try to finish my soup quickly. After lunch, I head outside, alone in the garden I started planting and start to water it. Elizabeth walks outside and stands beside me, watching me water my garden. I really do not want her to be here, but William taught me to be respectful. So I stay quiet, that's the most respectful I can get. Don't judge! I was also taught that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. So, I'm staying quiet. 
"I see you like plants. Did you do this yourself Viviana?"
I nod my head and continue staring at the water
"Your shy? Don't be, I won't bite." Elizabeth giggles. I shrug my shoulders and continue to ignore her
"Well, I see you'll be difficult to open up too. I'm sorry this happened all of a sudden. We really want to help you."
"And test me like a guinea pig?" I whisper, it came out ruder then I intended.
"No! Of course not! If we can get more information on your type of illness, we can figure out how to cure it. That way, you won't need all this medicine everyday. Viviana, we are doctors, not scientists. We are here for you."
I nod my head, turn off the water hose and head back inside, saying to Elizabeth before I leave her, "Please don't judge me. I am a little girl trying to live my life." 

        It's nighttime, it has only been four hours since I've met these people and I am already sick of them. They have camera's in my bedroom to monitor my sleeping system since I get nightmares every night, at least one of them is always with me, following me and jotting down notes as if I'm really that interesting. I am cranky, upset, and fed up with this shit! 
"I'm DONE! I can't do this Dean!!" I slam a glass full of water on the counter, spilling water all over the place and scaring Dean who is currently washing the dishes. He picks up a towel, dries his hands and turns to face me.
"What is your problem? Huh? Don't go slamming shit down Viviana! We can't afford to repair and replace everything you ruin because of your anger!" 
        I lower my head down in shame, I didn't mean to scare him or whatever. I only wanted to grab his attention. Dean stares at me for a few seconds before he starts to wipe up the water spill and clean the glass. He takes my hand and sits me down in the kitchen table.
"What is your problem? What is bothering you, sweetie?" he whispers to me
"I... I don't like people following me or video tapping me. Why can't I just live like a normal girl my age?"
"ohh, sweetie. Listen, this will only go on for a couple more days okay? That's it. I promise that after this, you'll be normal all over again. No more anger spikes got it?"
I nod my head in response and Dean kisses my forehead, stands up and walks back to the kitchen to finish washing the dishes. I stand up and head to my room where I get ready for bed. Once in my pajama's and my teeth are brushed, I make my way to my bed, sit down and stare at the camera placed on my desk facing my bed. I point my middle finger towards it, turn off the lights and go to sleep. 

        I'm stuck in between two men, waiting in line. I look around and notice that I am in a grocery store, trying to buy some candy. I am my ten year old self. I open my eyes wide, realizing that I am stuck in the past, dreaming, a flashback. When can I wake up? How can I wake up? The line advances, I'm next in line. I put down two quarters for my candy and leave the store. Walking down the road, past an alley towards the car where Damon is waiting for me. I know what happens to me. I try to take a different route, but this is not only the quickest way, but my dream self won't allow me to. I am screaming at myself to run, jump, anything to try to get away from what happens next, but the little girl keeps advancing forward, eating her chocolate. 
        A group of men, a gang, jump out of the alley and see me. They block my path, slowly walking towards me. "Want some candy baby?" A bald head guy says to me. "No thank you, I've got this one." the small me says to the guy, showing him my candy in my hand. I try to step around them, but its useless as they move to block me again. "You look delicious." another one says, licking his lips. I start to get scared, the little me finally realizing that these guys might not be good guys. I scream and yell out for help, grabbing the attention of a shadow man. He runs up to me from behind, an innocent small guy, and yells out,"Leave her alone! She's just a little girl! Pick on someone your own size!" The gang turn towards him and starts to stalk forwards, like a lion stalking his pray from a far distant. "You know what guys, maybe this chumbo is right. We should pick on somebody our own size." A hispanic guy says. 
        They circle my savior and start to pound his face as I cower behind a trash can. They beat him bloody until he is barely breathing. The boy looks at me and mouths 'run'. I start to run as fast as my little legs can take me. I hear a loud 'BANG!', I turn around and see the hispanic guy with a gun in his hands, the boy laying lifeless on the floor. I start to cry and scream my brother's name, praying that I'll be okay. 

        I jolt awake screaming Damon's name. My face covered in sweat and my breathing ragged. I cry harder and harder, yelling out Damon's name louder and louder. I hear doors opening and feet running towards my room, all I see is Damon's face as he rushes in my room, scooping me up in his arms. I cower in his chest, crying hard from my nightmare/flashback. Damon starts to walk slowly downstairs into the kitchen, shushing me softly. He places me down in his lap, helping me drink a glass of water with my pills as Dean gets my breathing treatment ready. I shake my head and cry out, "No, please!" Dean slowly grabs my hands, holding them still on my lap as he places the tube on my face, covering my nose and mouth. I inhale the special water and medicine treatment vapor. The doctor is here, taking notes on what just happened and filling out a special form, June is doing the same thing. 
"What do you need right now, Viviana?" June asks me
"Sleep. With Damon, please?"
        Damon nods his head and carries me and my breathing treatment back to my room. He lays down next to me, covers us both up with my blankets, turns the lights off and starts to massage my head and back. An hour later, the treatment is taken off me, and I am slowly falling back to sleep.