Loving Ashlynn (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 6 - New Spaces, New Faces (Faith POV)

I should've put some more on you, I'm so sorry. She shook her head and behind us, Kalenah cleared her throat, "No... don't, you did more than enough, you thought to wet the both of you, had you not done what you did Faith, we wouldn't be pushing your wheelchairs out of the hospital a mere fifteen days later, we - we might be standing at a funeral," she looked up, the veins in her thick neck bulging.

Jumping in, Talia starts, "Yeah, mom's right... if anything I'm the one to blame," my eyes widened, she was sleeping how could this be her fault. "It is, I mean - I went home took what I thought were muscle relaxers, light ones. Instead, they were tranquilizers and I mean... there were so many variables in everything. If the nurse that let you said you had to head to class I would've died. If - if you had walked slower or gone anywhere else but back to the dorms I wouldn't be here, and if you hadn't run inside-" her voice shook and I watched as her hand's fists on her thighs.

"Hey - enough of that, what matters is that you're both coming home," Kalenah said looking down at us both, but when I noticed Talia lean her head back, I looked straight forward, letting them have their moment. Two sighs sounded and then I felt Patricia place her hand right on my shoulder, but still I kept my eyes forward.

My arm bandaged, Talia's foot as well we entered a large black car, and since we seemed to be at the edge of Bend and going to the opposite side, the medication they gave us just before we left made the trip seem to drag on, after nearly forty minutes we seemed to leave the city behind us and were on a black paved road, and then we turned off onto another road, and the trees became sparse, spread out, yellowish green, dark pines, the clouds thicker and blocking out the sun overhead. Drowsy I lifted my head off the window when the land seemed to get brighter, greener, the trees filled out and it felt like we were now driving up the hill almost. The road covered with large trees making the drive seem darker for a bit, reminding me of when we left the safe house.

After staying on the road for nearly five minutes without turn offs we passed one, "this is one of our guest houses, we both come from such a large family," Kalenah said into the quiet car, driving around a large pond we pulled up to a large house, nearly twice the size of the home I had back on Dmitri's land.

"Well this is home," Kalenah whispered, and my eyes watered at home much my surroundings reflected my mountain home, from here I could see the trees climbing in the back, different than back home but so much more similar than what I had to look at when I gazed out of the windows in the dorms.

As the car stops three new faces, followed by all the familiar ones from the family are on the steps, bright smiles, "Talia! Talia!" a little girl, with wild brown curls, her mother's button nose, and her father's blue eyes ran out, stopping just before she crashed into Talia who was hopping on one leg.

Wincing probably thinking the little girl wouldn't stop Talia rest back against the car, trying to get her footing as Ansel comes forward and just lifts her effortlessly up into his arms, and when Ansel carries her away, and Kalenah comes up to me, the little brown haired girls comes up to me, "Hi, I'm Amy and you're Faith!" she waves big and reaches for the tote in my hand. Unsure of what I'm supposed to do, Kalenah gives me what I believe to be an encouraging smile, so I leave my tote in the hands of Amy.

"Your room is all the way up! Up! Up!" she gushes, as Kalenah takes my good hand the rest of the family follows in behind Ansel. Nervous, I turn around to look for Patricia, who gives me a full nod and smile, so stiffly I turn back and I'm led to a home.