The Wish

Part One, Chapter Three

My fingers were locked in between Jasmine's. Mark walked slowly behind us with an empty expression on his face. The nurse at the triage station took my temperature and blood pressure. I wasn't ready for the interrogation.

"Alright, are you sexually active," the nurse asked.

"Not in the slightest," I answered.

"Do you smoke, drink, or do drugs," came the nurse's next question.

"Nope," I responded. The nurse asked me a few more questions before they sent us to a room. The walk to the room was completely quiet. I sat down on the hospital bed and Mark and Jasmine pulled up two chairs and sat next to me.

"Momma Bear, Mark, I'm so sorry I'm putting you through all this," I sighed, "You guys didn't have to come. How did you know I would be here?"

"Adrianna texted both of us from your iPad," Mark stated, "She told us that your mother destroyed your phone and that you hid your iPad in the floor. We came here as quick as we could."

"And there's no need for you to apologize to us," Jasmine added, "You're our adopted daughter, and we will be here for you no matter what. We love you, Arabella."

"Thank you both so much," I said in between sobs, "I love you both more than anything."

We waited another ten minutes for the social worker and the doctor to come back into the room we were in. The doctor only checked my vitals, and the social worker took me to a private room for a psychological evaluation. The evaluation was pure torture. I cried the entire time. I was worried about what would happen to me afterward. Would I be put in foster care? Would I be sent to the looney bin? What would happen to my mom and little Adrianna? I was so scared. After a hard, painful two hours, they let me go back to the room with Mark and Jasmine. They were both sitting in the chairs by the bed. I motioned for Jasmine to sit next to me on the bed.

"Momma," I whimpered, "What's going to happen to me? Are they gonna send me to the psych ward?"

"I don't know, Arabella," Jasmine answered softly, "If they do send you there, Mark and I will come visit you every day." Hearing that made me smile a bit, but I was still terrified.

"I hope you do, but I'm still really scared, Momma Bear," I sighed.

"My dear daughter, you have nothing to fear," Jasmine said, "Always remember that Mark and I will always be here to guide you and support you. And I hope you know that God has a plan for you. Things will get better, my Little Cub. You will be okay." All of a sudden, Jasmine's phone was ringing. It was Carlotta calling asking to make sure I was okay. Joe and LouAnn called soon after.

Mark and Jasmine offered to buy me a new phone and told me I could keep it as long as I paid my share of the phone bill while we were in the hospital room. I was overjoyed when they said that to me. The social worker and the doctor came back with the results of my evaluation. I had severe depression, post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. My gut was telling me they were going to send me to the psych ward, and I knew my gut was right. I called my mom from Jasmine's phone and asked her to bring clothes and toiletries for me, because I knew I'd be there for a while.

Mom wouldn't bring the things I needed in, so she sent Adrianna to bring them in. Jasmine stayed with me and helped me list out the people I wanted to visit me and the people I didn't want to see. I immediately put down Mark and Jasmine's names on my visitation and calling list. I made sure my mom wasn't allowed to visit me or call me. I wanted nothing to do with her. I wrote down Carlotta, Sylvie, Joe, and LouAnn's names on the visitation and calling lists as well. Mark, Jasmine, and I said our good-bye's in the lobby.

"Promise me you'll call when you can," I stated, "And that you'll visit me every day, and that you'll bring Sylvie with you."

"We will, Belle," Mark said as he pulled me into a hug, "I'm so sorry you have to go through this, sweetie. I wish I could have done more for you." Mark's voice was breaking up a little bit. I knew he was about to cry, and I've never seen him cry before.

"You don't have to apologize for anything, Mark," I said while trying to fight back the tears, "You and Jasmine do more than enough for me. You're an amazing adopted father."

"I love you, Arabella," Mark said with tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I love you, too," I sobbed. Jasmine was crying, too.

"We'll come visit you tomorrow at six," Jasmine said.

"Sounds like a date," I laughed, "Before you go, can we say the thing?"

"Of course we can," Jasmine smiled.

"I'm beautiful. My Momma Bear is beautiful. And we are beautiful," I started.

"I'm beautiful," Jasmine recited, "My Little Cub is beautiful. And we are beautiful."

"I love you to the moon and back, to infinity and beyond, forever and always," I responded.

"I love you to the moon and back, to infinity and beyond, forever and always, too," Jasmine replied as she pulled me into a tight hug. The three of us cried and said good-bye. We parted ways, and I was shown to my room at the psych ward.