BRIGHT

Chapter 37- Peyton POV- Unified Front

I had cried in my bed for a long time, too weak to get up. I had thrown away the beautiful thing I created with Greyson and now I would never be able to see him again. My Greyson, gone forever. It did not help that he was struggling and I wanted to help him. Then, I heard the door unlock and footsteps race into the room. It was Andrew Damon. I looked away.

"Peyton, we found your parents!" he gasped. My head whipped around, he had found them?

"Are you serious? Who are they?" I spat.

"You may know their son, Josh Simone. He is two years older than you. The parents are Mary and Dave Simone," he explained. Was Josh really my older brother? I could not believe it.

"Oh my gosh, I love Josh! He is dating Meredith!" I exclaimed. "Do they still want me?"

"It seems that way, they want to meet you," he explained. 

"This is incredible," I pepped. I was so happy they had found them.

"They have requested for you to go to their house to see them today, would you like that?" Mr. Damon asked. 

"Today? That's incredibly soon! But, sure," I replied.

"I will have to be present, along with Dr. Jansen to explain the procedure you have to go through. Some SWAT officers will also need to be there, considering you are technically in governmental custody," Mr. Damon explained. The word custody made me cringe. I felt like a piece of property.

"Will we get any time alone?" I questioned.

"It depends if they want it, you should not get your hopes up," Mr. Damon suggested. I nodded, understanding that he was right. 

"Do I seriously have to wear this?" I asked, looking down at my maroon scrubs and hospital bracelet.

"No, a medical attendant will bring you clothing. Shower up, you'll want to look fresh for meeting them," he instructed.

"I will," I said.

"Good, congratulations on this Peyton, believe it or not, I truly am happy for you," he admitted.

"Thank you," I expressed. He gave me a nod and walked out of the room. It took a second to comprehend what had happened. I truly was going to meet my parents, the people who gave birth to me. I heard the door open and a medical attendant handed me clothing. I nodded in appreciation and walked into the bathroom. I peeled the scrubs off of myself and took a nice warm shower. As the water droplets hit my body, the nerves of meeting my parents began to set in. What if they hated me? What if they did not want me? Where would I go? What would I do?

As I emerged from the shower, I dried my hair with the towel and pulled on the clothes the nurse had brought for me. It was a simple navy t-shirt dress along with a pair of white sandals. I blow-dried my hair and I noticed the natural wave of my hair. I stared at myself in the mirror. I began tearing myself apart, feeling that my nose was too big, my eyes were too small, my eyebrows were too thin. All I wanted was for the Simones to like me and want me. It was nice that I already knew Josh and that he was a good guy, but what if he did not want a little sister.

I left the bathroom and noticed Mr. Damon and Dr. Jansen were awaiting me, along with three SWAT officers.

"Time to go, come along," Mr. Damon announced. I followed behind him and Dr. Jansen as the SWAT officers trailed me, leading me out of the hospital room. It felt strange to leave, considering I had not left for a few days. As we got outside, it felt incredible to breathe in the fresh air that I had missed so much. The officers helped me into the van I was led to and sat next to me in the back. Dr. Jansen and Mr. Damon sat in the seats in front of us and the driver pulled out of the parking lot. Mr. Damon looked at his phone, probably answering emails or something and Dr. Jansen did the same. Nobody said a word, which made my nerves even worse. I played with my fingers, feeling extremely nervous. They had to like me. They had to want me.