Falling From Life

5

              I wake up to someone shaking me and I hear a voice that seems really far away. "Steph, Steph! Good God, what did she do to you?" I squint my eyes, when did it get so bright? Where am I? Why the hell am I so sore? "Stephanie?" It was Viviann, Is she crying? I hate when Viv cries. Fuck why can't this throbbing go away?

               "Viv?" I don't even recognize my own voice, but she seems relieved. She helps me try to stand and I realize her car is quite a ways away. Or is it? My vision is blurry and everything moves around me, but I manage to stand with her support and we move slowly to the car, which happens to only be a few feet away. I think. I fall into the backseat trying to figure out why I was in so much pain.

               "Son of a bitch..." I hold my head which hurts worse than anything. Everything comes back to me at once and I can't help but think of Silver and Shaylee. I need them out of that crazy lady's house. I start to cry in the backseat on the short trip over to Viviann's house. I let them down...

               I hear Viviann get out of the car. "Dad! Dad, come here, I need help!" They all slowly pull me out of the back seat and carry me into the house. I hear my sisters playing in another room and made silent wishes that they don't see me like this.

             They place me on Viviann's bed and cover me up, for the next few hours they all switched shifts on watching over me. Viviann decided to read and to me whether that was a book or Instagram posts, Al took care of both the wounds I did and didn't know I had, and Trinitee made sure I was fed enough to be able to stay strong. After a while I was able to get up and I look at myself in the bathroom mirror. Viviann walks in and put a hand on my back.

             "Man have I looked this shitty all day?" I notice the scratches on my palms and arms that I got from falling outside and the bruises on my arms and shoulders from being pushed down the stairs. I take the bandage off my head just enough to reveal a nasty wound that made me dizzy just to look at. "Jesus."

               "Well if it helps any, dad fixed you up a bunch, it was bleeding a lot earlier. If you don't mind me asking, what all did she do?" I could hear her anger already.

                It all came rushing back again and we walk back to her bed as I tell her everything I remember from when she took the girls up to when I passed out the second time. She sits there and listens until I'm done then all she does is nod. I know she's beyond pissed. "Have you ever called the cops on this bitch?"

               I smile like I always do when she cusses, it just sounds funny coming from her, "I've thought about it but I don't know what I'd do about Silver and Shaylee. I wouldn't be able to live without seeing them I don't think."

              "I mean once you're 18, you could legally take them. But I know no one wants to take that long to do that."

               "Mom and dad could take them? I mean they're adults and they love them, legally they'd be theirs but I could take care of them." She brightens instantly at the idea and rushes to the stairs. I follow behind her as fast as I can. When I reach the bottom of the stairs my sisters see me and run up to make sure I'm ok.

              Shaylee comes up to and hugs my right leg, "Did you whoop her ass, Stephie?" Silver giggled as she latched herself to my other leg. I hold onto the railing to keep from falling over.

               "Baby, that's a naughty word. You're seven, you cant say that." I say a little surprised, then I smile and lean down closer to her and whispered, "but yes I did." They giggle some more.

                I waddle into the kitchen with a child on each leg. "Ok, where do I put these things?" I laugh then wince since it hurts my head. Trinitee looks up and when she sees me, she smiles.

               "Girls, who wants to play princess?" Silver and Shaylee both run over to her squealing and discussing what dress they want to wear. Trinitee grabs both of their hands and leads them out of the kitchen only to come back a minute later to give me a hug. "I'm so sorry, babe." I hug her back as tightly as I can.

               "Thanks mom, but I'm here now, I'm safe." I smile and look at her. She looks at my head, frowns, then looks into my eyes and smiles sadly.

"You are so strong. So unnecessarily strong. I'm so sorry." She walks out of the kitchen and back to the girls to play with them.

               "So dad, what do you think?" I realize then that Viviann had been talking to her parents about adopting the kids.

               "I like the idea, sweetie. I dont feel like they're safe outside this house with Sarah still able to get to them." We both nod and I speak up.

                "I'm going to the police tomorrow. Guaranteed." They both look at me shocked.

                "Are you sure?" I nod a little too hard and get lightheaded.

                 "We have to put this asshole in her place." Al looks slightly surprised but he just nods.

                  "Right, yes, we do. It's getting late you girls should get to bed. Will you guys be ok to head there after school tomorrow?." Viviann and I both nod and head up the stairs to get ready for bed.