Devotion [h.s]

225

^Click this for full image and it will make sense later in the chapter^

God guys Malignant is at something like 875k and that's on 125k away from a million. I don't know what I'll do if it reaches that point. Just know if it does I'm going to be blubbering like a baby for a week. Thank you for all the support everyone has given me through this journey and let's pray we reach 1M!

(I know it's been like a week since the last update but don't worry it should pick up soon)

Harry Styles

"Hey," I knock on the hospital door of Mariah's room.

She looks at me from the bed, bandage wrapped around her head. Her small hands were in her lap, thumbs twiddling.

"Hi," she replied quietly.

"Can I come in?" I ask awkwardly, standing in the doorframe.

She nods, so I slowly step in.

"Where's Amelia?" She asks.

I chuckle and sit down on the chair, "Braiding little girls hair in the waiting room." I state while running my hair back out of my face, seeing the imagine in my head if Amelia swarmed by the young foster girls all wanting braids.

"Oh." Mariah smiles a bit, looking down at her lap.

"Not really my scene." I say lightheartedly, leaning back in my chair.

"I'd assume." She chuckles quietly as the room fell silent.

Silence, I hated silence. I had things to say, but I didn't know how to say them - it was a problem I always had growing up. But it was even more difficult in situations like this where I was planning on being sincere.

I leaned forward on my knees, looking down at my hands and twisting the silver ring in my middle finger.

"So this whole new foster home thing.. are you actually happy with it?" I ask, glancing up at her near the end anxiously.

She nods, picking at her nail beds and smiling lightly but genuinely.

"Yes, I actually am." She paused for a moment, still pulling at her nails. "I've done a lot of thinking here in this room. An-and, I realized something. Gene was what made my life so miserable, not being a foster kid. The kids I live with, who I've grown up with, they are my family. They always will be. And without Gene, we were free. I won't be alone because I have them, all eleven of them." She smiles, making me smile as well because it was infectious.

"Good, maybe if I thought the way you did when I was young then I would've turned out better." I chuckle lightheartedly but I was speaking the truth. I peer down at the rings on my hands, twisting them some more before speaking again.

"I'm sorry, for everything. And I want you to know that no matter what happens, Amelia and I will be there. I don't care if it's everyday and every night, I want you to feel safe and not go through anything like this again." I say while staring at my hands because I was too nervous to look into her eyes.

"And I thank you for that, but Harry, I'll be okay. I don't have to be scared anymore. Child services is going to keep an eye on us more then ever. For once in my life I have a voice, and it is all because of you." She spills, her words making my heart race.

"Well good, I'm happy if you are." I nod.

It's great that child services is going to keep and eye on them more; they should've from the beginning. It's CAS' responsibility to make sure kids are safe. They've done a shitty ass job so far. When I was young, child services was nothing but bad news. They never came to us and lifted our tiny spirits, only dug them deeper into the ground. Whenever child services knocked on the door, we all had to play house and pretend everything was all okay. Child Aid Services only ever brought us two kinds of information; either bad news, or how they were bringing a new kid in.