Morgan's Daughter (Completed)

13

Hope POV

I sigh and look around the hospital room. 

Everyone left an hour ago because visitor hours end at 7. 

I couldn't go home because apparently I am not gaining weight back like I should be and my sleeping habits haven't returned back to normal. 

I decide to get up out of my bed.
I walk to the door and stick my head out. 

I make sure that there are no nurses or doctors around before I leave my room. 

I wander around the halls for a few minutes, looking into rooms as I pass them. 

I turn a corner and run right into someone. I fall backwards and hiss at the pain the exploded in my stomach and back. 

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were there." Someone says. I look up and notice a boy, around my age maybe a little older, with black hair and really pretty blue eyes. I also notice that he has freckles going across his nose. He also has a few bruises on his face, they kind of look like the ones I have. 

"It's ok. I wasn't paying attention either." I say as he offers his hand out to me. I grab it and he pulls me up. 

"Thanks." I say as I stand up. 

"I'm Leonardo but you can call me Leo." He says with a smile. 

"I'm Hope and I don't have a nickname." I tell him as I smile back. 

"Hope is a pretty name." 

I can feel myself blush a little.

"Thanks." I say to him. 

"So Leo, why are you here?" I ask him. 

He laughs a little and holds up his arm that is in a bright green cast. 

"How did I not notice that?" I ask with a slight laugh and Leonardo laughs again. 

"What happened?" I ask him. I notice that he tenses a little before he smiles at me. 

"I fell down the stairs." He says but his voice sounds different. I narrow my eyes at him. 

"You're lying." I state and he looks shocked. 

"What?" He asks me.

"You're lying. You didn't fall down the stairs. You're being abused aren't you?" I say. 

I watch as Leonardo’s face pales for a second before he starts talking. 

"W-What? H-How...how did you know?" He asks me. 

"Your behavior. Everyone in my family is a profiler. They catch criminals based on their behavior. They pretty much get inside a criminals head. I guess I just picked up some things." I tell him. 

"How old are you?" He asks me. 

"13." 

"How did you pick up on something like that so quickly?"

"I have a high IQ that is why I'm done with high school. I actually graduated last year." I tell him with a shrug. 

Leonardo’s mouth opens a little and his eyes widen. 

"Now are you going to tell me what really happened to your arm?" I ask him. 

He sighs before he slides down the wall and sits on the floor. 

I sit down, careful the stitches in my stomach, next to him.  

"I'm an orphan. The people that are letting me stay with them aren't nice. They're horrible people. The guy, his name is Mr. Henry, he's a drunk and he's very abusive. The lady, her name is Miss Becky, is a druggie but she's nicer than Mr. Henry. Tonight I was really hungry and I just wanted a piece of pizza. Mr. Henry walked in just as I grabbed a piece from the fridge. He started yelling at me saying that I was taking food from him. Then the hitting started. He threw me out of the house and said that I could stay out there for the night if I wanted to steal from him. When he threw me out of the house I landed on my arm. I knew I broke it so I came here." He tells me. 

"The doctors didn't question why you were here by yourself? What about the teachers at your school? How come they never said anything to someone about it? What about your case worker? How has no one ever figured this out and taken you from that awful house?" 

"I lied to the doctors and told them that my parents were working and I was playing when I fell and landed on my arm. Since I'm 14 I don't need a babysitter. The teachers did say something but Mr. Henry would always put on a good show whenever my case worker came over. But enough about me, why are you here?" Leonardo says. 

"I got kidnapped for a month then when my family showed up to safe me the guy shot me. Now I'm apparently not gaining weight back like I should be and my sleeping habits haven't returned to normal." I tell him. 

"Since you have no place to sleep tonight why don't you sleep in my room. I have two chairs in there, you could sleep in one of them." I offer Leonardo before he can say anything. 

He smiles at me. "Yeah that sounds good." He says. 

I smile back. Leonardo stands up and offers me his hands again. I grab a hold of them and he pulls me up. 

We talk about random things on the way back to my room. We thankfully don't run into any nurses or doctors. 

Once we reach my room we walk in and I get on the bed as Leonardo pushes the two chairs together so it's like a little bed. 

I throw him one of my pillows and a extra blanket the nurses put in here for me in case I got cold. 

We talk for most of the night. I tell him about my mom and how I came to live with my dad. I tell him all about my family and how great they are. 

He tells me about how he never knew his parents and about his life before he got put into Mr. Henry and Miss Becky's care. He's been with them two since he was six. He tells me about how he is not sure what he wants to do after he graduates high school. 

It's late before we fall asleep. 

I really like Leonardo, I think I just made a really great friend.