Family Isn't Just Blood (Complete)

(24)

I'm going to be 18 in 2 weeks. If I wait for 2 weeks then it's my choice, right?

"Hey, babe. You ready to go?" Colby asks. 

"Yeah" I say and grab my hospital bag which Colby quickly takes from me. 

"Something on your mind?"

"Wyatt and Serenity are trying to adopt me. I know he's blood but you guys are family. Family isn't just blood right?"

"He's trying to adopt you?! Nope, your ours" he says hugging me from behind. 

~<>~<>~

I wake up screaming from a nightmare. Everyone runs in. I never had nightmares in the hospital because of the really heavy sleeping meds. 

"Hailey, what's wrong?!" Corey asks. 

"N... Nothing. Just a nightmare" I shake my head. 

"Oh. Can you stay with her?" he whispers to Colby. 

"Yeah, of course" Colby says. Everyone else leaves and Colby gets into my bed next to me. He puts his arm around me and I snuggle into his side. He starts trailing his fingers up and down my arm. 

"What did you dream about?" he asks in a quiet voice. 

"Rico" I say. 

"Your safe here, Hail"

"I know....did I ever tell you what happened?"

"No. The doctors said there were signs of torture but that's it"

".....I went the long way. I didn't want to go to the orphanage so I went the long way to stall. Snakebite came up to me and told me to come with him... I tried to run but I tripped. I woke up in my old room. It was so cold.... He wanted to know who ratted him out to the police... He tried to torture information out of me that I didn't know. He said he believed me but I still needed to be punished for leaving but I could tell he was still hoping for information. He usually had 4 tools. Hammer, nails, pliers, and knife. All of those broken bones that hasn't healed right were from the hammer. He used to pliers to pull of my nails and pull my toes out of their sockets. Sometimes he would nail my hands to the chair... He made a lot of really deep cuts everywhere. When I could still move without excruciating pain he would rape me. I had to pretend I was in love with Snakebite to survive... All that kept me going was the thought of escaping and coming home and now my birth father is trying to take me away from the only thing that kept me alive, that kept me fighting" I tell him.

"I am so so sorry, Hailey" Colby says and kisses my temple. 

"Will you stay with me tonight?"

"Yeah"

"Thank you"

"I love you"

"I love you too"  

In a matter of minutes I'm sleeping again. With Colby next to me I didn't have any bad dreams. 

~<>~<>~

Colbys POV

I wake up and look at my phone go the time. It's 12:47pm. I get up carefully so I don't wake up Hailey. I go downstairs and sit on the couch. I suddenly remember what Hailey told me last night...

"Dude, you OK?" Aaron asks. I look up at him. 

"Hailey told me what happened to her... Everything....its my fault" 

"How is it your fault?" he sits down next to me. 

"He took Hailey because someone called the police on him and he wanted to know.... I called the police, Aaron.... It's my fault he took her" I say.