He Told Me Not to Tell (Demi Lovato Adoption COMPLETE)

3

Demi's POV

I'm so excited for today. I'm going by to a children's hospital to talk and visit with the kids. I got up plenty early, quickly got ready, then got in my car to drive to the hospital. I had to remember that even though these children can be heart warming, I'll also see some pretty sad things. When I walked in the hospital, I was immediately greeted. "Hi, Ms. Lovato, I'm nurse Lily. I'll take you around to see the kids."

"Thanks," I replied, shaking her outstretched hand.

"We'll start down this hall," she said as she started walking towards where she pointed. Every door was decorated with pictures the kids had drawn. Everyone was pretty young, so barely anyone recognized me, which I was happy for. All of the kids were very sweet.  couldn't keep a smile off my face. Their attitudes stayed positive no matter how bad their situation was. "Okay, I think that's it. Thanks for visiting with us today." Lily said with a smile. We were stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall. The door wasn't decorated, but I saw a little body curled in the bed.

"What about that one?" I asked, pointing to the door. The smile on Lily's face dropped.

"She just got here yesterday, and she isn't in a great condition."

"Can I see her?"

"She's really scared. I don't want to disappoint you if she won't talk to you."

I shook my head. "I'll be okay. I just wouldn't feel right if I knew someone was left out."

Lily hesitated before answering. "If you really want to, you can." I nodded. "Her name is Kenzie," she said as she opened the door. Immediately, the tiny figure that was laying down sat up. She stared at us for a little. As I began to walk closer to her, she brought her knees up to her chest.

"Hi, sweetie," I said softly. She didn't answer. She just stared at me with fear in her eyes. "My name is Demi," I continued, still no response from her. I studied her. She looked like she hadn't ever had a bath. Her face was covered in various scratches and a few bruises. Her long brown hair was tangled and messy. She was in a little hospital gown. Her arms and feet also had cuts and scratches. Her legs were under her hospital gown and her hands were together, so I couldn't see them very well. I wondered what could have happened. I stared into her fearful eyes, which were also filled with pain. I looked at Lily, and she gave me a look to say I told you so. I got up and followed Lily back out of the room. "What happened?" I asked.

"We're almost positive it's abuse, but we can't finalize anything without proof."

"Isn't that proof enough? She's beaten up."

"The police need her to finalize it, but she won't say anything."

There was a long pause in our conversation. "What, um, what kind of abuse? Do you know?" I asked. Lily looked down with a sympathetic look. "It wasn't sexual, was it?" I continued. Her reaction broke my heart. She didn't answer, but I could tell from her face. "And they can't finalize it?"

"When they found her, her dad was the only one in the house, but we don't if he's always the only one in the house. They actually found her by accident. Her dad had unpaid driving tickets, and she was in the attic."

I was in complete shock while blinking back tears. "So, what's going to happen with her?"

"They have to put her in an orphanage." I let out a sigh.

"That's not right. She'll be more terrified."

"She can't stay here. Her immune health is just fine. As soon as we hear back from a care home, they'll take her."

I took a deep breath. I knew what I had to do. "I can take care of her."

She gave me a puzzled look. "Ms. Lovato, you don't know her."

"Neither does anyone else," I argued. Something about this felt right.

"You have a huge career."

"I can put that on hold. There's plenty of work I can do from my home. This little girl needs someone to bond with. I'm willing to give all of my time. House parents can't do that, they have too many other kids." Lily nodded understandingly.

"I understand that. We'll have to talk to the doctor and the authorities."

"I have all the time to do so, if you do, too." She nodded and led me to the front desk. After convincing the doctor the way I did Lily, he called the authorities. He came back sometime later with an answer.

"They said yes. I'm going to send some paper work home with you today. We want to keep her another night to see how she does. You'll be able to bring her home with you tomorrow if everything works out as planned."

"Thank you, Dr. Smith," I said. Then I turned to nurse Lily. "Can see her again before I leave?" She nodded and led me to Kenzie's room. She has such a cute name. I entered the room and kneeled by her bed, which made her scoot a little away from me. "Hi, Kenzie. Tomorrow, you'll get to come home with me. You're going to be safe now." She didn't move or say anything, but continued to stare at me. I gave her a soft smile, then got up and left. I thanked all the nurses and made my way back home. I have a lot of paper work and preparation to do