Abandoned

Chapter 29

I clenched my fists. I couldn't remember.

"We didn’t give her anything to eat since we found her yesterday." Max mumbled, and I could hear guilt in his voice.

I could feel my heartbeat in my throat.

"I am not hungry." I repeated quietly.

Milo pulled me back into his arms.

"When was the last time you ate?" Milo asked quietly.

I could hear the pain in his voice.

I couldn't answer his question. I didn’t remember.

"I am not hungry." I said one more time.

Someone approached us, and I looked up. Sam was smiling at me. He caressed my cheek and pulled me away from Milo. He sat down on the couch and pulled me beside him.

"Can I ask you something, love?" Sam said softly.

I nodded, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

"How often did your foster parents feed you?" he asked, making my heartbeat quicken even more.

I didn’t answer.

"Did you get food only after you behaved?" Sam asked.

I could feel his arms around me tighten.

I looked up at him. The tears started to burn my eyes.

"Oh, love." Sam mumbled as he pulled me into a hug.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and tried to take a deep breath. I couldn’t, though. The lump in my throat was too big.

"You will always get food here, love." Sam told me softly. "You don’t have to behave to get food."

I felt a hand on my back.

"Are you hungry, Maddie?" I recognized Max’s voice.

I gulped and nodded.

"Okay, love." Sam said. "You can always tell us when you are hungry. You don’t have to be afraid."

I clenched my fists. It was going to be so hard to do that. I wasn’t used to getting food. I wasn’t used to eating. I wasn’t used to asking for food.

Sam let me go, and Max pulled me closer to him immediately.

"Was food considered a reward, Maddie?" Sam asked me.

I nodded.

I could see anger flash in his eyes.

"What did you eat while you were living in a tent?" Ryan asked.

I looked at him and saw that he was as angry as Sam.

"Power bars mostly." I mumbled. "I would buy an apple once in a while when I could afford it."

Max’s arms tightened around me. I heard Milo sob quietly.

My heart broke for them.

"Did you have a job?" Ryan asked.

"I did." I nodded. "I worked in every town I’ve been to. I used to work in a librar…"

Oh, shit. I stopped talking. My eyes widened.

"What’s wrong?" Sam asked, panicked.

Max placed a finger under my chin and made me look at him. His eyes were wide, and I could tell that he was panicking.

"I have a job at the local library." I said. "I have to go. Anna will be worried."

I tried to stand up, but Max pulled me back.

"No way." Max said. "You are not leaving the house."

"But…" I tried to argue, but Sam stopped me.

"We will talk to Anna, love, don’t worry." Sam said, taking my hand in his. "You are sick. You can’t go to work. Also, there is no need for you to go back to work at all."

An uneasy feeling washed over me. I couldn't let them pay for everything.

Sam gave me a small smile and caressed my cheek.

"Let’s go eat." Milo said, making me look up at him. "Maddie is hungry."

He smiled at me and took my other hand in his. He pulled me up and started leading me toward the kitchen.

"How about pancakes, love?" Sam asked me as soon as we walked into the kitchen.

I don’t remember ever eating pancakes. I made a lot of pancakes, but I never ate them.

Sam opened the fridge and looked inside.

"We have some fresh fruit as well." he said as he started taking the food out of the fridge.

Ryan kissed the top of my head and approached Sam to help him cook.

"Do you need any help?" I asked, feeling very nervous.

I wasn’t used to standing and doing nothing.

"We need you to sit down and rest, Addie." Ryan said, looking up at me.

Max and Milo led me to the table and made me sit down on the chair between them.

"After breakfast we are going to the hospital, love." Sam said, making my heart race.

I hoped that they forgot about that.

Max placed an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer.

"Everything is going to be okay." he said softly. "You won’t go alone. Milo and I will be there."

I looked at him and gave him a small smile.

It made me feel better knowing they would be there with me, but I still didn’t want to go.