Foster Kids

Chapter 6 : Riker's past

Chapter 6

Later...   

Riker POV

I slept through most of the day. Mark woke me up later. Ross was already asleep.

He brought me some mac and cheese for dinner. We sat on the couch together, in silence.

I finished my mac and cheese after a little while.

"Riker?" Mark asked.

"What?"

"Can you tell me about the last foster family you stayed with?"

"You mean... my bruises?"

"Yeah."

"Ok... Um..."

I froze and just tried to stay calm. I hate talking about this kind of stuff. It's like reliving everything.

"Riker, it's ok. Take as much time as you need," Mark said.

He put his arm around me, so I scooched closer to him and sort of cuddled into his side. I could feel myself trembling a little. My breathing was super shaky too.

"You're safe, Riker. Nothing like that will ever happen again."

"But what if my parents get custody of me again!?" I asked, starting to cry.

"Did your parents do this kind of stuff to you too?"

"Yes."

I pulled my knees to my chest. I'm tired of being panicky and crying and just all of this!

Mark wrapped his arms around me from behind and held me tight. I just cried and laid my head against his chest.

After a little while, I calmed down again. And we were just sitting in silence.

"Riker?"

"What?"

"Can you try to tell me what happened?"

He still had his arms around me kind of tight. And for the first time in forever, I felt kind of... safe?

I sighed.

"Take your time."

"They hit me. For practically no reason. And Ross too. But not as bad. I was always trying to protect him, so I got hurt the worst. And then when someone from the foster agency came for a home visit, we told them what happened and they got us removed from there."

"What about your parents? What was going on with them?"

"Our dad would hit us. And our mom just didn't do anything about it. She let him do whatever he wanted. And it was mostly me getting hurt because I was trying to protect Ross. I always got it the worst. And one day Ross was at school and one of his teachers saw a bruise on his face and brought him to the office. He told them that our dad hit him and they called the police. And that's how we ended up in foster care."

"Did you get hurt anywhere else, or is it just your back?"

"It's just my back. I would just end up curled up on the floor, trying to cover my head with my hands, so my back is where I'd get hit."

We sat in silence again for a few minutes. I think Mark was just trying to process everything I just told him.

"What if they get custody of us again?" I asked, softly.

"They might. But if they hurt you again, you can call the police on them."

"I just wish they were normal parents so this never would've happened."

"I know. I'm sorry."

I turned in his arms and hugged him.

"Life is too hard," I said, sighing.

"Well maybe we should do something to change that."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been thinking about all the panic attacks you've been having. And the nightmares. And I think it might be a good idea to get some meds to help you."

I stayed silent. I don't know how I feel about that.

"Would you be ok with that?" Mark asked.

"What would I have to do?"

"You'd have to go to the doctor's and get prescribed something for your anxiety."

"What if I don't like the medicine? What if it makes me feel weird? Are you even allowed to take me to the doctor?"

"Yes, I'm allowed to take you to the doctor. I'm your legal guardian right now. If you don't like the medicine or how it makes you feel, there's tons of different ones you can try."

"What if I don't want to be on meds at all?"

"How about this? We go see a doctor. You try whatever you get prescribed for a few weeks, and if you really don't like it, you don't have to take it anymore."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Ok... I'm tired. Can we be done talking about stressful things now?"

"Yes. Go get ready for bed."

I went upstairs and got ready for bed. I was still really tired even though I napped today. I was about to get into bed when Mark appeared in my doorway.

"I'll call and make you an appointment tomorrow, ok?"

I nodded and then went over to him and hugged him.

"Thank you," I said, softly.

"For what?" Mark asked.

"For actually caring about me and trying to help."

"Of course. Riker, if you ever need anything, you know you can talk to me, right?"

I nodded.

"Goodnight," I said, getting back into bed.

"Goodnight, Riker," he said, shutting my light off.