We were at the hospital and questions were being fired at me. "What happened?" "Why did she pass out?" "Why does it look like she's having a nightmare?" I felt overwhelmed. All I wanted to do was sit by my sister's side and hold her hand.
I answered their questions as best as I could before I took my own questions to the bathroom and broke down crying in a stall.
I felt incompetent, powerless, hopeless. Just like I did that day she was suffering and I couldn't do anything but listen to it. On the outside, my sister may look weak and frail but, I know better. My sister is the strongest woman I've ever met. I witnessed my sister go through the most horrific thing a child can go through. I understood why she thought the pain would go away if she took her life, but she failed to realize that I'd be right behind her. I felt guilty, I had been in the room when it all happened. I listened to the whole thing and all I did was sit there and cry. I was weak, and in that moment of weakness, my sister became broken. It was my fault.
When Lila woke up Braydon was in the room demanding answers.
"Why was she screaming while I held her?" He yelled at me. Mark stood next to him, willing him to calm down but silently begging for answers.
"I'm sorry it's not my place-" Lila interrupted with a groggy voice.
"Tell them, David," hurt was evident in her voice.
******
Warning: this may trigger flashbacks for some. This is a very disturbing part of the chapter. I felt disgusted with myself after I wrote it but I knew it would answer a lot of questions some may have.
******
Third person POV
Five years ago
Delilah had been playing with her dolls in the den. Sang and the boys had left for the hospital only minutes ago. After hours of begging they found nothing wrong with their ten-year-olds staying in the safety of their house.
Delilah had been giving Barbie a new look when the doorbell rang. It was her grandfather and he came with yummy smelling pizza. She called David down and they ate, occasionally talking about school and family.
When they were done, their grandfather asked David to go back to playing while Delilah showed him around the house. Finding something off about this, the ten-year-old went to the kitchen and grabbed the emergency cell, texting his father.
David: Grandpa's here and he's acting weird
Dakota: Tio didn't tell me he was coming over?
That's because it isn't Grandpa Tio
David who's there?
Grandpa Sorenson
David grab your sister and get to the safe room now!
I can't he's with Lila now.
Fuck David! Grab your sister!!
David took off up the stairs looking for his sister.
"You shouldn't have let me in Delilah. Didn't your scumbag fathers teach you not to let people in when they aren't home?" Her grandfather spat at Delilah.
David ran into the room when he heard his sister scream. He barged in to see his grandfather standing over his sister, who was pinned on the bed, his pants around his ankles.
David tried to do anything a ten-year-old boy could do. He jumped screamed kicked punched scratched, but none of it seemed to phase the old man. Finally, he punched where he had been told never to intentionally punch a man.
"Stupid boy! Now you're going to have to watch. He picked up David and tied him up with belts, throwing him into the closet and slamming the door.
"I bet you're a slut just like your mother."
That was the last thing he heard before his sister's screams tool over his hearing.
David's POV
Present day
I looked around the room and took in their expressions.
"My fathers were always against violence but they killed a man that night."
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