The Winter Family

Chapter 8- Not so 7 anymore

~Steven~ Surprise!!

We all sat silently in the waiting room. Mom (Nancy) and Grayson had filled us in on everything after school. I'm not going to lie, I was pissed. That they didn't tell me sooner. That's my little sister in a hospital bed and decided to tell me after I finished a math test.
  
My hands were shaking, Grayson told us that Aria's step-dad almost killed her, he told us that Aria was abused and everything. I could stop imagining my little 7-year-old sister being hurt by a man that's supposed to be a father figure. Gray said that we have to be quiet when around Ari because she flinches at the slightest sounds. He also said she doesn't name much if even at all.

  Right now we are just waiting for Dad to come to get us. He had told us that the doctors were asking  Aria some questions and he would come to get us when they are done. I looked over at Mom and Mason, Mason had seemed so excited to meet the girl his big brothers would talk about a lot. He is so young, he doesn't understand how hurt Aria has been. She isn't going to be the same girl from all the stories. She doesn't love tea parties anymore, she isn't going to make her big brothers play barbies with her, she won't need Derek to read her bedtime story anymore. This won't be the same Aria from 7 years ago. She won't be the little girl who I would tease all day and the make sure she knew I loved her when she went to bed. She won't get to be the same girl that would play hide and seek with her older brothers or the girl who would beg to be carried everywhere because she was the princess of the house. 

I was snapped out of my thought by Charlie's sigh. He hasn't spoken a word since he found out about Aria. Aria may have bee close to all of us, but when it came down to it, Charlie was her best friend. They were practically twins, she loved him because he had the same color hair as her. She would get upset that she didn't have the blonde hair like us, but Charlie uses to tell it was because they were special and ruled the hose. of course, we went along with it and told her she was royalty and royalty has to look different from everyone else or they she would be normal like us. I looked at Charlie and saw him playing a game on his phone, he was a bit of a nerd so it was probably educational somehow. I would see his hand shaking the phone, just like how my hands were shaking. 

"You okay?" I asked catching his attention

all I got was a slight nod telling me he didn't want to speak. so I left him alone. That's when I saw dad out of the corner of my eye.  I stood up quickly when I saw the look on dads face, it's the same face he made when we watched my biological mother take Aria away from us 7 years ago.  Pain, sorrow, any other depressing thing you can think of. 

"what's wrong?" I asked praying that something bad didn't happen. 

"I-um, I need to tell you guys something." my dad said not making eye contact

we all nodded and sat back down. 

"Well-, um. DR. James and his friend Dr. Lesly questioned Aria about other stuff and their assumptions were correct. Aria confirmed that she was more than just physically abused."

"What do you mean?" Grayson asked in a dark tone showing that he was pissed

"Aria was- she was sexually abuse-" Before dad could finish all hell broke loose,

mom gasped, Charlie dropped his phone, gray and stood straight up and my blood started boiling.

"She was what?" Grayson asked clenching his fist

"They don't know how bad it was so they are going to do some test later but Aria is sleeping right now. we can all go and see her. But I just want you guys to be careful around her. Be cautious of what you guys say from now. Just till we know how to fully deal with all of this, okay?"

We all nodded and stood up to follow dad, no one said a word. I couldn't imagine someone hurting my baby sister like that. But people are sick and I'm not going to let a single person within five feet of her from now on. We all got in the elevator and dad hit the number of the floor we are going to.

"I don't know if I filled you guys in, but this floor is different from the rest of the hospital. This floor is just for kids that have been through similar things like Aria. There an officer at about every corner to make the kids feel safer. just be careful of making loud noises and stuff, not just for Aria but for all the other kids" Dad informed us. 

once again all we did is a nod. 

The doors opened and I saw the area. The walls were painted a light purple color and had decorations on them, there were security guys in each corner that led to a hallway, they were each in a police officer uniform but that hand colorful badges on. Some had purple, other had to green. I saw one crouched down giving a little girl not older then 5 a sticker, she smiled and jumped happily before she grabbed her hand and walked her back to a door where a nurse was waiting for her with a smile. 

The beeping sounds around us were much quieter, and each nurse and doctor had a small little watch thing off with a black screen on it. But then we heard a rapid beeping noise coming from a room down the hall by the officer, the noise was quiet and barely audible, but I saw the little watch on a nurse wrist light up, with the number 102 and a word saying code blue. A few people read the watch and continued their work, while others speed-walked toward the room. 

Dad led us toward a glass sliding door cover back a curtain on the other side of it. he opened the door and slide the curtain open. Everyone walked in and that's when I saw her. She was asleep, but she was still there. she was older, I guess it didn't hit that she would look older than a 7-year-old.

Her small hand was in a black cast because her step father shattered her wrist to pieces. Her faced was bruised but not as badly as the rest of her body that was showing. I missed her, yet I didn't know who she was anymore. All I could do was start at the small girl sleeping in a hospital bed while our oldest brother held her hand.

Dad and gray walked over to her and kissed her forehead lightly.

"She fell asleep just after you left" derek told Dad.

Next Mason walked over to her and dad picked him up and placed him on his hip. Mason waved the the sleeping girl and smiled.

"Hi Aria, I'm your little brother Mason" Mason whispered with a slightly giggled.

We all laughed and smiled.

For some reason, I felt like everything was going to change. But it a good way