Fallen Petals

Chapter seven

The next day  Rosie felt a sharp pain in her stomach but she tried her best to ignore it. With everything going on at home, her dad there was no need for him to worry about anything else. The scales seemed to appear whenever she got wet and they wouldn't come off. Now she had blue specks on her legs making it seem like she had bruises there. She covered her legs up with her socks and feared what people at school would say.
"Please don't let anyone see, I just want to be seen as Rosie not some girl who grew scales." She whispered. As she walked through the grass to school, her thoughts centered around her dad.

"Remember class you need to present your poster and paper next week, you are free to use the library to find books on the job." The teacher explained. Rosie heard her classmate mentioned things like doctor, chef, police officer, astronaut, and more. Yet she had no interest in any of those things as she didn't know what to pick. During recess she tried to play with her friends. As she had fun seeing all her friends and their emails. Despite having to move every few months since she was in preschool. The nagging pain in her stomach hurt whenever she ran or even when she walked. Almost like knives were jagging her from the inside. She stopped playing tag and dropped to the ground.
"Rosie?" Her friend asked.

"It hurts so bad!" She whimpered. Unsure what to do her friends got the teacher and Rosie got embarrassed.
"What is it honey are you in pain?" The teacher asked.
"Yes inside." Rosie responded. The teacher asked for more information but Rosie acted as if she was fine. She didn't want anyone to know that she could grow scales. The days that passed she writhed in pain and seemed distracted in class. Which Rosie normally had fun it even though she had some trouble with certain subjects. During a math test Rosie felt some pains in her stomach and asked to be excused for a minute. She went to the bathroom and found she seemed to be growing gills and her belly button was gone.

"Ahh!" She screamed which caused other students to tell the principal. The principal comes running to the restroom after hearing Rosie's scream.
"Rosie whats going on in here?" The principal asked.
"No its not what it looks like." Rosie cried.
She sees Rosie's new gills and lack of belly button and gasped. She immediately calls for medical attention and Rosie is taken to the hospital for tests and examination.
The doctors can't figure out why this is happening to her, but they're concerned that the change might be permanent.

The school also calls Lucas since he's the only one listed in her emergency contacts. Within ten minutes Lucas arrived at the hospital and hugged his daughter tightly.
"Oh my love what is it, tell daddy what's wrong are you hurt?" Lucas asked. She only cried and hugged him, however before she can respond. He tried to explain to the doctors what's been going on with her but they think the scales are bruises. Because he has already had compliments about his behavior in the past. The hospital calls the police out of concern for the little girl. Rosie hugged onto Lucas even tighter.
"Daddy I know something is wrong now." She whimpered.
"Everything will be okay Rosie, I promsie you." He responded.

Before they could bond for very long two police officers came into Rosie's hospital room.
"Are you Lucas Amorman?" The first officer asked.
"Yes what is going on?" Lucas asked. The two officers handcuffed him as he had been suspected of abuse.
"You are under arrest for a serious assault against a minor." The second officer declared.
"What you mean my daughter I love my daughter and I would never do anything to her!" Lucas yelled. He was insulted that they would even think that. The police didn't listen to him and just put his hands behind his back.

"Daddy no!" Rosie exclaimed when they tackled him.
"Sir if you keep resisting arrests you are going to have more charges dropped onto you. You already are dealing with some serious charges that could get you locked up for life." The officer responded. Unlike the fake cop with the car accident, Lucas knew these two were real.
"Are you insane let me go! My daughter is sick and needs me, Rosie no honey!" Lucas screamed as he was dragged away.
"No daddy!" Rosie yelled. She tried to get up and follow him but she was pushed back by the doctors. The poor girl was now terrified as she had never been away from her dad for long.

"Its okay honey you are safe now, he can't hurt you anymore." The doctor said.
"My daddy wouldn't hurt me you guys are just wrong!" She cried. Despite her best efforts the doctors thought she was only speaking out of pain. They examined her and kept her hydrated with water. After some time passed Rosie felt a bit better but she didn't want to stay here.
"How is your peppermint tea Rosie?" A nurse asked.
"Yummy it helps with the pain inside, I wanna see my daddy now I want to go home." She responded.
"Well I have good news we got a hold of your mom and she's coming to pick you up." The nurse said. Rosie paled and choked on the tea in her mouth as didn't have a mom.

"What...?" She coughed. The familiar sound of hells filled her ears and sure enough the infamous Deanna walked in. With a fake concerned expression and stay at home mom look.
"Oh Rosie my darling!" Deanna exclaimed. Roise flinched and narrowed her eyes as the woman hugged. Every comforting gesture ment to be from a loving parent made her stomach church. As she missed Lucas so much and Deanna was a witch not her mom.
"What are you doing here?" Rosie asked. Her tone was harsh and saw a brief snarl in Deanna's face. The hospital staff gasped but Deanna held her hands up.
"Its alright she doesn't get to see me much, but now we are going home." She said.

***

The police were quite aggressive with Lucas throwing him inside an integration room. Along with handcuffing him to the table and hitting him when he tried to explain himself.
"I didn't do anything to her I swear!" He yelled. If his tears were going to prove anything then maybe he would have been released.
"You have to understand sir you are dealing with serious charges of abuse of a minor along with spouse abuse." The officer responded.
"I would never hit anyone especially not Rosie and I'm not married!" He cried back. If Deanna was behind this whole thing then he might just make those words a lie. 'No don't stoop to her level.' He thought to himself.

The officer raised an eyebrow and pulled out a file which claimed he was married to Deanna Amorman.
"So I can add lying to a least of charges." The officer said. This made Lucas flinch when the guy hit the table in a demand for the truth.
"Yeah most people she hires to come and arrest me are fake cops and you want to know why because I'm trying to divorce her. She's the real abuser not me!" He declared. Like always they didn't believe him but he seemed to get more sympathetic looks.
"So you are saying that Deanna your wife and a successful owner of children's hospital is the bad guy?" The officer asked.
"She doesn't care about those kids are any kids, try spending a week with her." He grumbled.

All of the trauma that woman had caused him made him sweat at the thought of her. If anyone could see her true colors they wouldn't defend her at all.
"Sir I would advise you not to consult me unless you want to spend a longer time behind bars." The officer said.
" I need to get out of here my daughter is sick you are not helping her by keeping me in here." He responded. At this point he resorted to begging as Rosie needed him. If his research was correct, she was changing into a siren.
"She's probably sick because given by how many jobs you've taken you probably don't make a lot of money." The officer said.
"I'm a hotel security guard not a pervert or an abuser!" Lucas screamed.

His fists tightened against the table and after years of holding it in, he was done.
"Sir..." The officer began.
"No don't say anything I'm not going to jail because of something that my craxy wife said. I'll let you all know something I don't love her because she blackmailed me in marrying her. Right now my daughter needs me and I'm not going to let you be an idiot because you don't believe a guy can be a victim!" He yelled. Lucas became out of breath and his face went red. He hardly noticed when the cop looked at him with shock then anger.
" I think after witnessing what I just did I believe the only violent person in the room is you. Better get comfortable here because you're going to be spending the next few days here and maybe weeks if you can't afford a good lawyer."