California Dreaming

Dark Times

Hally's point of view

I saw Katy's eyes tearing though she was fighting hard not to let the tears fall. I was worried about her, I didn't know what she saw in my birth certificate. I'm just scared.

Katy began wiping the tears off her eyes. "Hally, you have to promise me not to run away okay?" She said with her voice a bit shaky and worried. "I won't, I promise Katy" I said whilst hugging her.

Katy hugged me back. I didn't want to let go of her but at the same time I wanted to know what she was going to tell me. "Can you please tell me now what you saw?" I asked Katy still hugging her. "Ok. I will." She said while letting go of me.

"I went to West Virginia and I went to this office. I asked the receptionist for your birth certificate and she showed it to me. It strucked me because it brought me back memories from the past. I knew that it wasn't going to be easy to tell but I have to. Way back before...your... Mom, she got married to your dad. They stayed in West Virginia for a while. They bought a house there and settled. Your... Mom told me she and your father are going to come back to LA soon. She told me thru the phone that she was pregnant and she had you. I was there for her at all those times. She was very happy from the moment she had you. I was the first person to know that she was pregnant. Me and your mother were cousins, my family and her family were close with another. During the summer, I would usually stay with her. They had a neighbor, they're your step mom and dad, with Aunt Connie as well. Before your mom left West Virginia, she told me that she was going to leave you with someone else to raise you. She gave me the address thru mail and she told me to check up on you. She left you because she didn't want you to get hurt. On her and your father's way back to LA..." She said stopping a bit.

I cut off Katy while she was talking. "Then what happened Katy? Where are they?" I said in a worried voice.

"They... t-t-they got in to a car crash. Unfortunately they passed away. We were all worried because she didn't call and we've been waiting for 2 weeks until Aunt Connie called and told us they've passed away. I was just depressed and I didn't know what to do. I felt so sorry for everyone especially you, Hally. At the day of your mother's funeral, her sister gave me a letter. Your mother told me in the letter that I should be the one to take care of you if something happens to her. She told me to raise you, love you and care for you as much as she does" Katy said her voice shaking with sadness

Tears were falling down my face after the things she said. I didn't know what to do, what to say or what to even think. The thought that kept on hitting me or telling me was that "your parents passed away". I just feel like my world will break down. I felt my heart broke into a million pieces. Katy was staring at me worriedly. She was crying and she stayed quiet for a minute.

She pulled me gently close to her and hugged me tightly. I could tell she was crying really hard, I know that it wasn't easy for her as well. We were both crying on each other.

"I'm terribly sorry, Hally" Katy said while still hugging me. "Katy? Can you please never leave me? Can we always be together? Can I visit them in the cemetary?" I asked Katy with a shaky voice because I was crying. "I will and I will never leave you. Ever since your mother had you she would always talk about you with me. I knew how much she loved you and she'll do anything for you. I wanted to give you that love when she passed away because I cared about you and your mother" Katy said whilst hugging me.

I let go of the hug and stare at Katy for a while. Her eyes were kind of red from crying and so I bet mine too. "Thank you so much Katy for loving me as much as my mom does. It was one of the greatest things I've ever got. Thank you for accepting me Katy" I said to her while holding her hand with both my hands. "Can I ask you something?" I said to Katy still facing her whilst sitting on the couch. "Yes. Anything babes." She said with her motherly voice.

"What was the name of my parents? What were they like Katy? Can you please tell me?" I said to her. "Your mother's name is Megan, most people usually call her Meg or Meggie. She's very sweet, loyal, loving, caring and understanding. She has blonde hair just like you do. As well as your blue-ish gray eyes and your fair skin. Your father's name is Francis. Most people call him Frank. He and your mom were childhood friends and after years they got married and they had you" she said to me.

"Thanks Katy. I wish they were still alive. I could've known them better" I said with a sad tone in my voice. "They loved you very much. I'm sure if they were alive, they would be very proud of you" Katy said whilst smiling a bit. She was holding my hand and squeezing it. "Aunt Connie allowed you to go here to LA because she knew that one day you would come and look for your parents. She called me and informed that you were going here to LA" she said whilst putting her hand on my face and wiping the tears off. "Was it a coincidence that I met you or was it planned?" I asked. "It was a coincidence. I didn't know I would see you." She said to me.

We were both quiet for a while. Katy didn't have much to say. I planned not to tell Max first about this. It was just difficult for me to handle this kind of situation but it made me feel better that Katy and all the others were still here for me. It was my first time to deal with a loss of someone, specially in my family knowing that it was my parents. I loved them so much that it pains me they've passed away unfortunately.

"Do you want to visit them today or tomorrow?" Katy asked but I wasn't paying attention to what she was saying. "Maybe tomorrow. Can you go with me Katy? To visit them?" I asked her. "Sure, I will babes" she said whilst pulling me into a hug. We hugged once again.

Katy opened the door of the living room. Shannon entered the room and she was staring at me with a worried expression in her face. After a while, Katy came back holding a cold glass of water and a tissue box. "So... How did it go Kate?" Shannon asked Katy. "It went... Well, not happy but I was able to tell Hally everything" she said to Shannon. "At least now she does. Are you going to take her to the cemetery?". "I will, tomorrow. She needs to rest for the mean time. She still has fever" Katy said whilst handing me the cold glass of water.

I went up to my room to prepare myself for bed. I was standing the bathroom staring at my face which was red and my eyes a bit sore. I heard a knock on door and it must have been Shannon. I opened the door but it wasn't Shannon instead it was Katy. She was standing holding 2 pillows and a big blanket.

"Is it ok if I sleep here? I want you to be fine. I know you're going thru something really painful and difficult" she said while putting the pillows and blanket on my bed. "Sure you can, Katy. I know I would feel much comforted when I'm with you" I said to her while closing the door.

******************

I was lying down in the bed facing Katy. She was looking at me with a smile on her face but here eyes were still red and teary from crying.

"Good night Katy. Sweet dreams. I love you" I said to Katy whilst smiling at her. "Good night to you too. I love you babes" she said while holding my face with both hands and kissed me in the forehead. It just made me feel better. Even if my parents were gone, I was glad that I still have Katy who would be my mom from now on.