Lost Bird

Chapter 18

Sang's P.O.V.

         When we get to the hospital, I convince Phil to let them all be in one room until their families get here. It doesn't take much to convince him and he even has extra beds brought to the room.

       When I step back into the room, a couple nurses have arrived.

       Aria seems to be in the worst condition. My guess is, since she is the oldest, she felt a responsibility to take the brunt of whatever those men were doing to them.

         Not long after getting my arm stitched up, Aria's parents arrive. After promising the girls I was just stepping outside for a moment, I go to talk to them.

        The two are crying, and the mom seems inconsolable.

        The mom wraps her arms around me. "Thank you for bringing my baby back to me," she sobs.

       I hold her for a minute before pulling away. "I need to warn you guys before you go in there. Your daughter went through something very traumatic, so she may not seem like the same girl."

"What did they do to her?," the father asks.

"I don't know," I say calmly. "She barely trusted me enough to get her out of there. She might not want to be touched right now."

"But we're her parents," the mom interrupts.

"I know. And just because she might seem different doesn't mean she doesn't love you guys. She just needs time to get better. You guys just need to prepare yourselves for what that could mean. She might have panic attacks, she might not want to leave the house, it's different for everyone."

"What do we do then?," the mom asks.

"Just be patient. Discuss therapy with her when she's ready. You're going to go to a separate room with her so she can get examined. You're going to probably hear some things that will upset you. Either control it or leave the room for a few minutes. As much as it sucks, you need to be strong for her right now."

They look at each other for a moment before nodding.

        I have pretty much the same conversation with each parent that comes in here. Thankfully, they are all wanting to do whatever it takes to help their daughters.

The only two that are left are Riley and Sophia. Riley's family is from Arizona, so they have to catch the next flight here.

        Meanwhile, Sophia is a foster kid and somebody from Social Services won't be able to come until sometime tomorrow. But Sophia told me that she's probably going to have to go to a group home.

        After having someone bring us some food, I sit outside of the bathroom as each girl showers. They didn't feel safe otherwise.

        Riley falls asleep pretty much as soon as she gets back into her bed. Meanwhile, Sophia refuses to sleep.

        "I don't want to go back," Sophia says quietly.

           "How come?," I ask, even though I'm sure I already know the answer. I just want her to tell me.

           She sighs. "It's not like they're mean. I've been in some mean homes. They just don't really care about us."

These girls keep breaking my heart. It's not fair that this girl just got rescued from almost being sold and now she has to go to a group home where she has nobody who cares for her.

I won't let that happen. Tomorrow, I'll talk to Phil about our options.

"Did you get along with the other girls in the group home?," I ask.