Fading

~F o u r t e e n~

Is anyone else as excited as I am about this chapter??

3rd Person POV
The Shaw brothers were patiently waiting in another room when Greyson came in.

"Okay she's in my office, but be careful, she's already scared enough" Greyson informed, leading them to his office.

Little did they know that she was already trying to escape, only to realize that Greyson had locked the door behind him. The panic had already taken over and sweet little Amara was frantically struggling against herself. She should have known he couldn't be trusted, none of them ever could.

"Is she okay? Has she said anything to you? Like why she was called down or what we needed her for?" Hudson asked, thoughts firing at 100 miles per minute.

"She's okay. And no not really...the only thing she said to me was that it was okay if we talked. I asked her if I could introduce you guys and I got a nod. She doesn't like talking very much if you guys haven't noticed " Greyson said with a chuckle.

They arrived at the office door to hear pounding from the inside. They were all thinking the same thing: what the hell?

From the inside, Amara was pounding on the door and hyperventilating, tears streaming down her face like a river. She was trapped, scared that they were going to punish her and that's why they had locked her in there. Her sobs were getting loud enough that the boys could hear her from the outside.

"Shit! Greyson unlock the door, hurry!" Hudson yelled, starting to panic himself. All of a sudden the pounding had stopped, and they all looked at each other in horror. He knew she would be uneasy around all of them but he didn't think it would get this bad.

"I didn't think I locked it. It must have automatically locked when I closed it" Greyson hurried to grab his badge to unlock the door, forcing it open once he heard the click.

What they saw inside would haunt them for a long time.

A frantic and small Amara was clenched tightly in a fetal position, shaking, crying, and scratching her arms.

All three snapped out of their trance and got to work, Greyson feeling utterly useless while Hayden and Hudson kneeled down to her level.

"Hey sweetheart, do you remember me? I helped you at the hospital yesterday. I want to help you again, but I need your help. Can you do that for me?" Hayden whispered to her in a gentle tone.

Amara could her him but felt frozen, like she couldn't move her muscles. Her brain wouldn't form words either.

Her breathing was getting heavier and Hudson worried that if they didn't calm her down soon, he would have to call an ambulance. It was not the impression he wanted, especially since he had met her on a park bench.

"Amara. Look at me. Only me. You need to take some big deep breaths" Hayden told her, trying to get her attention to calm her down.

She couldn't ignore the blatant command and forced her head up, glancing at the men in front of her. The amount of stress that was running through her body was unbearable and it only made her chest hurt.

"Good girl. Now I need you to take some big deep breaths with me. We have to calm that little heart of yours before you pass out" Hayden continued to soothe her.

"H-hurts" she gasped out, clutching her chest in anguish.

"I know sweetheart, I know. But we are going to help you, we promise. Trust us"

In any other moment Amara would have laughed at that, she could never trust an adult, but she needed help and they were the only ones who could help her. For once she was scared that she couldn't calm herself down and that scared her to death.

"Okay sweetie, big deep breath and hold it for three seconds" Hayden told her, demonstrating it.

He watched as she struggled to take a breath, making more tears flow from her eyes. It came out ragged but she was able to hold it for a few seconds.

"And exhale, just like me"

She did as told, feeling a bit better than she did before.

The cycle of breathing continued for as long as she needed-until her breathing was under control and the pain in her chest lessened. The small girl in front of them was still crying, mostly out of pain and embarrassment, but she wasn't sobbing as hard as before.

"Very good sweetheart, does your chest still hurt?" Hudson asked, feeling that it would be okay for him to speak.

She shook her head meekly, keeping her head down so that she didn't have to face them. Her chest and throat still did hurt a little from the incessant crying but she wasn't going to tell them that.

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about okay? It's what we are here for. To help. Do you think you could come sit up on the bed now?" Hudson asked in a soft voice, trying not to scare her.

Greyson was still standing near the door biting his nails when Hayden made eye contact, silently nodding to him. It was his way of saying 'she's okay, its not your fault'. But he knew it was and he felt horrible.

She shook her head again, staying curled in her position on the ground.

"We are not here to hurt you Amara, we only want to talk, that's it. No procedures, no medical equipment, nothing." Hayden reassured.

"Y-you a-aren't g-going t-to p-punish m-me?" she asked, her voice shaky and uneven.

The three men looked at each other thinking the same: why would we want to punish her?

"No darling, we are not going to punish you, nor will we ever punish you" Hudson said, his voice thick with emotion. He had seen a lot of things and the kids he talked to everyday had some of the most heartbreaking stories imaginable, but nothing crushed his heart more than this fragile girl in front of him.

All they got was a nod in response, almost as if she didn't believe them.

"Do you think you could come up on the bed now?" Hayden asked.

This time they got a small "okay" as a response but it was a response nonetheless.

She slowly but surely stood up on shaky legs, holding the wall for support, as she made her way across the room to the bed against the wall.

She shakily hopped up on it and started playing with her fingers, keeping her head down, waiting anxiously for the doctors to speak.

Told you there would be some action!

*serious note*
Greyson is not a full doctor yet. He is a medical student training to become a doctor and the job at the school is his last bit of training. Hope that clears some things. Hayden and Hudson have also been his mentors so he learns from watching them. Hence why he didn't interfere.

Hope you enjoyed!!