The movie ended and most of the girls had fallen asleep. Emma somehow had ended up on the floor with Rex sleeping in her arms.
Cole got up and woke everyone up because they had to go home. They had school tomorrow.
Everyone woke up mumbling and groaning. After he pushed everyone out of the house he went back to the movie room and saw Cassie still asleep on the couch. He picked up her small figure and carried her to her bed. He placed her under the covers and then went to bed himself.
~~~
The next morning everyone was downstairs with bags under their eyes from the long night. Except for Cassie.
Adam was driving Elijah to school. And they had to leave in 20 minutes.
"Is Cassie awake?" Cole asked.
"I haven't seen her," Henry answered and River shrugged.
Cole went upstairs and knocked on her bedroom door.
"Cassie? Are you awake?"
No answer.
"Cassie?" He said louder. He opened the door to find her still sleeping.
He went to her bedside and gently shook her.
"Cassie wake up. We have to go to school," he said.
She didn't move. It was then that he noticed she was in the exact same position she was last night when he had placed her there.
"Cassie?" Cole said with a little more urgency.
He turned her onto her back. Her chest was going up and down, so she was alive just not awake.
"Hey," Cole shouted downstairs.
Henry and River came up two seconds later.
"What's wrong?" Henry asked.
"She won't wake up, and she didn't move at all last night," he explained.
"What do you mean she didn't move? Is she dead?" River asked.
"She's breathing, but last night I carried her up here and put her to bed and when I just came in she was in that same position."
"Maybe she just doesn't move when she sleeps," Henry suggested.
River tried shaking her awake. Again Cassie didn't answer.
The front door opened and Adam walked in, "Hey I thought we were leaving as soon as I got home."
"Up here," Cole said.
"What's going on?"
Cole explained the situation.
Adam felt her pulse, "Why-"
All of a sudden Cassie's eyes fluttered open. She looked as if she was going to throw up.
Adam saw this and quickly grabbed her and brought her to the toilet.
"Cassie are you okay?" He asked.
She ignored the question. She leaned painfully over the toilet and threw up. Adam held her hair and looked away.
"Gross," Henry said. River dragged him out of the bathroom leaving just Cole, Adam, and Cassie.
When she was done she leaned back crying. Cole gave her a towel.
"It's blood," Adam said looking in the toilet.
"Let's go to the hospital," Cole said immediately.
"No," Cassie sobbed, "No hospital."
"Cassie you're in pain the hospital will help."
She leaned toward the toilet and threw up again. She had no more strength and fell sideways into Adam.
He picked her up, "Let's go."
"River call mom and dad and tell them that Cassie is throwing up blood and that we are going to the hospital. Henry get a bag in case she throws up in the car."
Adam walked downstairs and brought her to the car.
"No hospital," she said again. She fought to get away from Adam's grip, but she was way too weak.
"We won't leave your side," Adam promised.
Cole started the car and drove down the driveway. Henry handed Adam the bag.
"Cassie when you need to throw up just tell me okay?"
Cassie looked at Adam. Her eyes not focusing on him. Tears and blood caked her face. Her eyes started to close.
"No Cassie stay awake," Adam said.
"No," she said. Cassie turned her head to the bag and threw up. Adam wiped her face with the towel. She cried harder making it hard for her to breathe.
"Calm down. It'll be okay, we're almost there."
Cole drove fast but carefully. River said that their parents were on their way back.
Cole pulled into the ER entrance. Adam jumped out and grabbed Cassie who had now passed out.
"Shit," Adam said, running to the doors.
The medical team immediately put Cassie on a gurney and wheeled her away. Adam tried to go with her, but they would let him through. They were told to sit in the waiting room and wait. They were asked questions about what had happened and where their parents were.
After 30 minutes Adam went to the front desk, "Can we see her yet?"
"Sir you'll have to wait for the doctor."
Adam punched the desk and walked outside.
"What's wrong with her?" Henry asked no one in particular.
Adam came back in and sat down 10 minutes later.
Finally, a doctor came in, "Cassie Hutchinson?" He asked.
The boys stood up.
"Cassie has internal bleeding and she will need surgery immediately." He went into more detail about the surgery.
"Why though, how is she bleeding internally?" Henry asked.
The doctor didn't answer the question. "I will need to speak with your parents. When will they be back?"
"Um, in an hour or so," River told him.
"Okay," he glanced at someone behind the boys. It was Stacy, Cassie's social worker.
The doctor left the boys and talked to Stacy. She signed some paperwork and the doctor left. Stacy glanced at the boys and sat next to Cole.
"She's going into surgery now," Stacy told them.
"Fuck," Adam said.
"She was doing well right?" She asked.
"Yeah, she started calling Julie mom and Ted dad. She is in therapy," Cole said. "She was getting better."
"She always tends to hide the important stuff," she said.
They waited for an hour until Julie and Ted came in and hugged the boys. They talked to the staff and Stacy.
The doctor came out. He talked with Julie and Ted. Julie started crying and Ted held her. Stacy went up and talked with them.
The police showed up a few minutes later.
"What's happening?" Henry asked.
"I have no idea." River answered.
After a little while, Adam got tired of waiting. "Somethings going on, but no one's with Cassie right now, I told her we'd be there."
A nurse joined the group. The police followed the nurse down the hall with the doctor.
Julie and Ted sat down next to the boys.
"What's going on?" Adam asked.
"Cassie had to go through an emergency surgery," Ted explained, "But the reason for the internal bleeding is because she seems to have bruises on her stomach."
"Bruises?" Henry looked at his dad in confusion, "Bruises from where?"
"That's what we don't know," Ted said, "But she is awake now and the police are going to ask her some questions."
"They think we did it?" Cole asked, "That's why we can't see her."
Ted looked at the boys with sad eyes, "She might have to be removed from our care until they know what happened."
"What?" Adam said angrily.
The police came back, talked some more to everyone, and left.
Ted and Julie motioned the boys to stand up and they all followed the doctor.
The doctor stopped at the door, "Cassie is still in much pain". He opened the door and there was Cassie. She was crying into the thin white sheets.
Adam went to her side first and hugged her. She tensed up not knowing who it was and then relaxed.
"Y-you said you w-wouldn't leave me," she cried.
"I'm sorry, we're here now," he told her.
The rest of the family hugged Cassie.
She had an IV in her arm and wires traveled out from under her gown to the machines behind the bed.
"Can we leave now?" She asked.
"The doctor says at least five days in the hospital," Julie said.
Cassie visibly shook. More tears ran down her already wet face.
Julie sat next to her on the bed and hugged her.
"I'm sorry," Cassie said.
"Shh," Julie ran her fingers through Cassie's hair.
They lied like that for a while while the others sat in the chairs. There was a couch that Cole and River took. Adam and Ted sat in the two chairs next to the bed and Henry lied down on the edge of the bed.
The doctor came in and went out into the hallway with Julie and Ted.
Henry took Julie's place and held Cassie. They fell asleep together.
"Too cute," River said standing up. He took a picture of them and showed it to Cole.
It was noon so Ted and Adam went to get everyone something to eat.
The nurse came in to change Cassie's IV.
"They are so adorable," she said. And the other boys laughed.
"Are they siblings?" She asked.
"Yep one year apart she's older," Julie told her.
"My little brother would never," the nurse laughed.
"I have to change her bandages. I'll try not to wake them." She unbuttoned Cassie's gown to reveal her stomach. Julie gasped. They all sat in shock. How had Cassie hidden that from them? The bruises were dark and in different colors. Unnatural colors. She was in pain this whole time and didn't say anything.
"The bruises will heal now that the bleed has stopped." The nurse informed them. She took off the bandage. Stitches ran in a vertical line on her stomach.
Julie sobbed, "Why wouldn't she tell us?"
Cole comforted his mother.
The nurse cleaned and covered the wound before buttoning her gown back up.
Adam and Ted came back and they are lunch. Ted took Cole, Adam, and River home and picked up Elijah from school.
When Cassie woke up Julie was asleep on the couch and Henry was asleep next to her.
She groaned. Her stomach ached and she couldn't breathe without moving her stomach. She looked around the hospital room. Her mouth was dry. She tried to sit up but she had no strength to even lift her head.
She felt suffocated. Stuck. Trapped in the room in the bed unable to move. Her breathing shortened. She wasn't usually claustrophobic, but in the hospital, it seemed she was.
She pushed Henry to wake him.
"Henry?" She croaked.
"Huh?" He looked at her in confusion before remembering the events from earlier.
"What's wrong?"
"Can you get me water?" She asked.
"Yeah, sure."
He got up and filled the paper cup with water. Cassie held out her hands to take the cup. Henry looked at her shaking hands, "On second thought, I'll hold it."
She glared at him. Her glare looked scary on her now considering her condition. That made him sad.
He brought the cup to her lips trying not to spill it.
"Thanks," she said. "Can you help me sit up?"
"Can we just raise the bed on the head side?"
"Do you know how to do that?"
"No," he admitted.
"Help me," she ordered.
He grabbed under her arms and sat her up. She grunted in pain.
"You okay?"
She nodded.
She glanced towards her stomach then back at Henry. She buttoned the gown slowly scared of what she would find.
She opened it and revealed her stomach. It looked better than she had last seen it. Maybe it was the same, she couldn't remember.
Henry stared at the skin in shock.
"You... had that the whole time?" He asked.
She looked down and covered up.
"Why wouldn't you say anything?"
Tears formed in her eyes, "I-I was scared."
Henry sat next to her. "Why?"
"I had always hidden my injuries and they always healed. When I came to this family, I wasn't just going to stop my ways. I didn't trust you guys. And I'm still trying to fully trust you guys."
"They thought we did it," Henry told her.
"I know, but I told them that you guys have never hurt me."
"And we never will intentionally," he hugged her. "You're other foster families hurt you?"
She nodded, turning away.
"No one will hurt you again. We won't let them," he told her.
"You can't promise that."
The room fell silent.
Eventually, Cassie fell into a restless sleep.
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