Luke.
I carried her food into the hospital, seeing Ashton standing at the door.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"Her uncle should be here any minute" he spoke.
I ran to her room
I had to prepare her
I opened the door, feeling it immediately hit something.
I looked through the small crack that I managed to make, seeing the bedside table.
"Alexis- it's me" I spoke swiftly, seeing her head pop up from where she was laying on the floor.
I listened to her strain as she pushed the bedside table out of the way, letting me in.
"I thought I told you to stop sleeping in front of the door" I spoke to her as I followed her to the couch.
"I didn't sleep in front of the door, I slept in front of my bedside table, which was in front of the door." She spoke swiftly.
She did have a point.
I watched her instantly wrinkle her nose as I handed her pancakes.
"What?" I managed to laugh at her expression.
"Greasy" she spoke, looking straight to the syrup.
"No- that's not greasy, it's syrup- it's sweet" I told her
She kept the same expression of disgust
"Okay, try the eggs" I told her.
Luckily, she did- and wasn't too impressed, but yet she said it was okay.
"Okay, so your uncle will be here very shortly" I spoke, seeing her eyes instantly move to me.
"Ashton's gonna go over the no touching rule and warm him up to you a little bit- I can stay for about thirty minutes, but then I have surgery" I told her.
"Okay" she mumbled, immediately beginning to just push her food around rather than eating it.
"Why'd you stop eating?" I asked her.
"Just not hungry" she shrugged simply.
"Alexis-" "I ate a lot last night" she spoke slowly to me.
"So you not eating has nothing to do with your uncle?" I asked her.
"I'm just not hungry" she spoke to me.
"Okay" I caved, knowing she'd probably ask for a snack once she got comfortable with her uncle.
"Luke?" She spoke as I stood to put up her food.
"Yes?" I asked her instantly.
"Can we do a big hug?" She asked.
I smiled instantly
"What's a big hug?" I asked her.
"One where you don't let me go"
I didn't hesitate to move to her and wrap my arms around her.
She held me back, resting her head on my chest.
I kissed the top of her head just as I heard a knock, hearing the door instantly open.
I let go of her slowly, seeing Ashton and a man who's eyes were locked on Alexis.
"Alexis" he exhaled, almost in tears it looked like.
Alexis didn't speak.
"My god- you look so much like your mom" she spoke.
She almost stood behind me, which I didn't move from- I wanted her feeling safe and if that took me being between them- I'd stand between them.
"C-can we sit and talk?" He asked her.
He moved a few steps closer, and Alexis instantly grabbed the back of my scrubs.
"Luke" she spoke quickly, making me turn to her.
"I don't want to do this" she spoke out swiftly.
"Alexis- you're safe- he's your uncle." I whispered to her.
"I don't know him- I don't think he's really my uncle" tears joined in her eyes.
She wouldn't remember what he looked like either way- she doesn't even remember what her mom looks like.
"Look" her uncle spoke.
"I brought your baby book" he spoke, and that caught her attention.
"Come sit, we can flip through it together" he continued
She looked to me- as if waiting for permission
"Come on, I'll sit with you." I told her.
She put me between the two of them, and I held the book, letting her turn the pages.
"Who's that?" She asked, pointing to a lady holding her when she was maybe two.
"That's- thats your mom." He spoke slowly, his eyes never leaving her.
"And this is your dad" he pointed out a man in the next picture.
"T-that's not how I remember them." She mumbled.
"Well, their looks did change a little, here's a few weeks before you were taken" he spoke, flipping further in the book.
She stared to the pictures, not speaking.
And then she flipped again
"We probably shouldn't go further-" her uncle spoke too late
Pages full of headlines
Missing 5 year old
Parents dead
Pictures of a house with crime scene tape all around it.
I closed the book.
"I just- I've been doing research and I have never stopped trying to find you- I just put everything I found in your baby book, I should've took it out- I'm so sorry" he instantly apologized.
"How did they kill them?"
