Together (Demi Lovato Adoption)

Chapter Forty-Four

DEMI'S POV

Rolling over in bed to see my phone resting on the side table, I picked it up and raised it to my eye level to view the time. Cursing under my breath at the realisation that it was already 11:30am, I rubbed my eyes tiredly and shoved my glasses onto my face, swinging my feet onto the soft carpet with a gentle thud. Both Ellie and Sam were meant to be at school, and because I had messed up yet again, now they would both miss a day of school.

I'm so fucking useless.

As I walked out to the hallway, I clutched my head to ease the pain growing in my head before stopping in my tracks at the scent of pancakes being pumped through the air and into my nose. I peered my head into Ellie's room, where there was nothing but a messy bed left. I checked to see her school bag still under her desk and figured that she was the one making pancakes for herself and Sam, who too was not in her bedroom.

"Sam? Ellie? You guys okay?" My raspy morning voice barely travelled down the stairs, but it seemed that someone still heard as my name was called out by an all too familiar voice.

"Dems?" My big sister's voice rang out as I reached the bottom step. "Is that you? If you're awake, I've got breakfast going."

"Yeah Dal, I'm up." I made my way into the kitchen where my two girls who seated at the dining table. Sam smiled up at me with syrup dripping down her chin, her face scrunched up into her nose as she waved at me, her big blue eyes staring into my own.

"Hi, Mommy! Aunt Dally made us pancakes an' bought me a dragonfruit mango drink from Starbucks!" Sam exclaimed, holding up the brightly coloured drink in her hand, which she had just discovered a few weeks ago. 

"That's nice of her, baby. Make sure you say thank you to her." I tiredly responded, my gaze moving from Sam to Ellie, who had never looked so beaten down in the time she had been under my care. It broke my heart to see her so tired and disconnected from reality, and all I had been doing for the past few months was ignoring it, selfishly focusing on my own issues. 

As Sam mumbled a quick 'I will', I made my way into the kitchen where my big sister stood at the stove, two plates out beside her, ready for her to slide the pancakes she had made onto each one. I smiled at my sister and allowed her to wrap her arms around me, melting into her embrace that I hadn't been in for months now. 

"Dal," I breathed, leaning into her. "What are you doing here?"

"I'll explain later — once we're alone." Dallas brushed the topic off of her shoulder and quickly changed the subject, making me concerned. " I told the girls they didn't have to go to school today because none of us woke up on time, but Mom's coming over to look after them while we go out." 

I didn't bother questioning her decisions, knowing she wouldn't end up telling me until she wanted to. Instead, I just nodded my head gently before helping her clean up the kitchen, the pair of us making our way to the dining table to join the kids for breakfast. 

It didn't take long before my mother arrived and told Dallas and I to go and do what we had to do, causing Dallas to quickly whisk me away into her car and start driving down to a mountain range that I remembered the pair of us visiting when we had come down to LA for Pilot Season before I had even gotten As The Bell Rings. Dallas had only just gotten her licence and borrowed Mandy's car to go grocery shopping. Of course, Dallas being Dallas wanted to go and explore before we went back to the musty old apartment, leading us to the place that had become our little spot over the years. It was where each of us had experienced some of our lowest and highest moments together, and it held so many memories that it had become like a sacred place.

Dallas pulled up into the carpark and turned the engine off, motioning for me to get out of the car before she began walking over to a park bench, not bothering to wait for me. I caught up with my sister, who had a saddened look plastered upon her face as she opened her mouth to start speaking.