Broken Heart (slow update)

Strength

Sang came out of the room to find North and Luke busy in the kitchen. Everyone else was in the living room spread out. From the sound coming out of the kitchen she knew it was North and Luke in the kitchen. She smiled remembering her breakfast order. It was mostly said to annoy North. No way would North make sweets for breakfast, but the familiar argument would bring some normalcy to the table.
"Hi! Did all of you have breakfast?" Sang asked everyone walking into the room.
"No baby. We were waiting for you" answered Mercy.
"I'm starving" declared Sang walking towards the kitchen. North was at the stove doing something with a skillet. But it was Luke's face that caught her attention. Luke was standing there with a look between shock, surprise and confusion. He was rooted in space.
"Luke" Sang called out, alarmed that something had happened.
Luke just pointed a finger at North. "What happened"? Sang asked.
"He..he... chocolate " Luke couldn't finish the sentence. The others came in hearing Sang.
"What the hell dude? What did you fuckers do now?" Gabriel yelled out. North choose that exact moment to turn around. With the breakfast platter. And all of them just looked at him. Too stunned to say anything. Not in their life would they expect this from North.
Piled high on the plate was chocolate chip pancake. With syrup and whipped cream. He put the plate down on the table and pulled sang to sit down.
"Eat baby" he said. The turned around to get rest of the food. Sang looked at the food in front of her. Too shocked to say anything. When she looked up she first thing she saw was her mother's face. "He did this for you" her eyes seem to say.
North put a plate with eggs and bacon in front of her. "You need some protein too." He told her. "Come, sit down" he told the rest of them.
Sang jumped up and onto North. She was practically hanging on to him hiding her face in his neck. She started crying.
"Shh! Baby!" North told her rubbing her back.
"Why is she crying? Do something! Is she hurt!" Sang could hear Gabriel panicking.
She let North go. Sniffled and wiping her eyes she answered "I'm okay, Meanie. I'm happy"
Turning around to North she whispered "thank you North Star."
"Only this once" he grumbled.
"How come she can have chocolate for breakfast?" Luke whined earning him a smack from his brother.
"Eat" North growled or "I'll give you Raisin Bran for breakfast". Effectively shutting Luke up.

After breakfast everyone returned to the living room, finding places to sit anywhere. Gabriel claimed the seat by her feet. Sang looked at everyone ending with Nathan and Owen. Owen's eyes told her they didn't tell the rest of them anything. She took a deep breath, and looked at her boys. Her family, MaryAnn looked at her and nodded at her.
"I guess all of you wondering what happened last night?" She asked them. "Last night police brought in a young girl, abuse case. She was severely beaten, signs of previous abuse". Sang took a deep breath. "Signs of rape" she stated shakily.
"She was such a little girl" she choked on tears. "This tiny little girl was torn so badly that if she were alive she would've needed surgery. She had broken bones, bruises." Sang felt a hand on her shoulder, she knew it was Kota. She wanted to stop. But she knew she needed to get this off her chest.
Taking a deep breath she started again. "She reminded me of myself. When I was in Charleston you guys only saw what was happening in front of you. You only know what happened in Charleston and thought that was all of it. You don't know what happened in Illinois."
"You don't have to tell us Sang" whispered Gabriel from the floor.
"No" Sang replied. "I need to do this. For myself"
Swallowing her tears, she started again. "We lived close to our grandparents in Illinois. I would go to their house almost every other day. While we were there I became friends with one of the boys next door. He was barely thirteen. We talked about school, TV, the clouds. Then my mother...stepmother saw us one day. She waited until we got home. She broke a broomstick on my back that day. Going on with her usual rantings of me being a whore and selling myself. When she stopped I thought she was done and went upstairs. Later she came in and pushed me down on the bed. I remember she was choking me, screaming how I am a whore just like "her". She pushed something inside me, hard. I screamed but she wouldn't stop. I remember feeling pain like my insides were being turned to pieces. When I became conscious again it was about four hours later. My bed was covered in blood. I couldn't move when I tried to. I hurt everywhere. That was the first time Marie helped me. She helped me get up and go to the bathroom, washed me, gave me medicine. Took me to a woman who did illegal doctoring in her house. I didn't want to know how Marie knew about her and had her treat me. I never did find out what my mother used."
Sang took a deep breath and looked up. All of her boys were in different state of shock and horror. Luke and Gabriel were crying openly. Victor looked like he was on the verge of throwing up. North would go to jail for murder if he was to run into her mother. Silas simply walked over and picked her up in a hug. Hiding his face into the crook of her neck he whispered, "I'm sorry Aggele Mou." Owen had his stone face on but the emotions in his eyes were breaking her heart. Sean and Nathan hid their faces with their hands. Kota just looked lost.
Sang signaled SIlas to put her down. Walking over to north, who just punched a hole in her wall, she wrapped her arms around him. North went still for a second then hugged her back. She could feel him shaking. Pulling him towards her loveseat she pushed him down and curled up on his lap.
"After I came here and became involved with Mercy and the family, I started seeing MaryAnn. I worked through some of the grief, pain and even humiliation. The patient at the hospital just reminded me of all that. I remembered what I went through everyday. The girl laying on the hospital bed could've been saved, I could've been saved. You guys were the first ones to notice something. To say something. All these years the teachers, neighbors, family....no one spoke out. No one protested. No one stopped her."
Sang was raw from the emotions running through her. Other that Mercy and her family she never spoke about this incident with anyone. It was a different feeling to have everything out in the open with the guys. She was afraid of their reaction. She bowed her head and waited.
Sang felt Nathan's hand on her cheek. "Honey, we are sorry that we weren't there to help you. Protect you. We all feel that we failed you. It's a surprise that even after all that you stayed as beautiful inside as you are out."
Sang looked at the people in the room, her family, her boys. She saw their faces. Understood the emotions behind them. Her family was proud of her. The boys were in shock but also surprised that she told them.
"I stopped blaming myself for everything after I met you guys." She told them. "After I started seeing MaryAnn, it became easier to see them, my stepmother, my dad, Marie as regular people who no longer have any power over me. My dad is in jail. I take some satisfaction in knowing that he got what he deserved. My stepmother is dead. And Marie.... She and I are working through things".
"This is what I don't get" Gabriel yelled. "How the fuck can you become friends with Marie after all this".
Sang looked them, the question in all of their eyes. She sighed. "All of you know how hard it is to go against one's parent. Marie was a child. She followed her mother's examples. She did the only thing she knew, so that her mother doesn't turn on her".
"Fuck this! She wasn't a child in Charleston! She could've stopped then but she didn't".yelled Gabriel again.
Sang Knew it was hard for the boys to understand. Her stepmother used fear to get compliance from both Marie and her. "She was a child!" She repeated. "Remember our house! None of us had any control over anything. Marie used the only thing she could to get some freedom."
"So what! You forgive her and walk off into the rainbow"! Nathan spat out.
Sang looked at him and smiled. Someone wise once said "True forgiveness is when you can say, thank you for the experience". I don't think I can do that but we are good where we stand with each other. We are friends of sorts.
"Great! Who said that Gandhi?" Asked Nathan.
"No. Oprah" Sang smirked.
**********************
"Ok" she spoke, "this has been a rough morning. The weather's good. How about we all go down to the waterside and spend the day there. Unless of course you guys have something else to do"
"Sounds like a great idea, Sang" declared Owen, surprising everyone. "We can make it a picnic." Seeing San's agreement he turned to the guys and told them that they should come back to Sang's house after getting the appropriate thing from their place.
After the guys left Sang turned to the people remaining in the room. Mercy, Samantha and MaryAnn. Mercy just walked up and wrapped Sang up in a hug. Turning her over to Samantha for the same treatment Mercy asked "are you ok baby?"
Sang took a deep breath "yes mama" she told the woman who's been her mother to her in more ways than one. "I'm fine or rather I'll be. Thank you for being her. I don't think I could've done this alone".
"Are you ready to forgive them"? Asked Samantha.
"I don't know. I don't even know if there is anything to forgive. They did what they thought was right for them. Right for their family. I can't blame them for that."
Mercy looked at her and sighed, "alright baby, whenever you are ready. But we will have to go. Have fun today". Giving her another hug they left.
Standing alone in her living room Sang thought over the events that passed. She was glad that this part was done. She needed to tell them. If there is going to be a future for them there couldn't be any secrets.