Wednesday morning:
“God, how much stuff did we order?”

Annabelle was looking at the invoice for their morning delivery. As everything came off the delivery truck, she would checked the items off after comparing it to the invoice to make sure they got what they ordered.

“Annabelle, you have a phone call, it’s Gina.”

“I wonder why Gina didn’t call my cell phone?”

“Can you take over for me, please?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks, Sam.”

Annabelle hands her clipboard off to Sam. They just hired him last week. She had found out that every place he applied had turned him down. He had a misdemeanor on his police record that was seven years old and companies were still holding it against him. Her and Dawn had talked about it and felt he deserved a chance to prove himself to them. So far he has been a very dependable employee and very helpful to the customers when they had questions about items they would need for a job.

Annabelle walks into the office and pick-up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Lee, this is the school nurse Missy Becker. Could you come up here to school please?”

“Sure, I’ll be up there in a few minutes. Is everything okay with Gina?”

“She’s fine Mrs. Lee, but she won’t leave her friend.”

“Which of her friends she won’t leave?”

“Cyra Williams. She refuses to leave her side.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Annabelle hangs the phone up and grab her purse and the keys to the company’s pick-up truck. As she comes out of the office. She looks over towards Amy.

“Amy, can you tell Dawn that I had to run up to the school please?”

“Sure Annabelle, is everything okay?”

“I don’t know.”

Annabelle heads out to the pick-up truck and drives towards the school. She wonders why Gina was in the nurses office and what friend of hers was it she wouldn’t leave? She stays within the speed limit; only going five over. She parks the truck at the first available parking space she spots and walks into the school. She heads towards the office first to check in.

“Good morning, I’m Annabelle Lee and I’m here to pick-up Gina Summers.”

“Ah, Mrs. Lee. If you could follow me down to the nurses office, please.”

“Sure Principle Conway.”

Annabelle follows behind Mrs. Conway.

“Can you tell me why my daughter is in the nurses office.”

“It will be better if I explain it to you in private Mrs. Lee.”

“Okay.”

The two of them walk into the nurses office and notice Gina sitting with blood on her blouse.

“Gina!”

Annabelle runs over to Gina and check her over.

“I’m okay mom. It’s Cyra. Her father hurt her badly.”

Annabelle could tell Gina had been crying.

“Mrs Lee, how much do you know about Cyra Williams home life?”

“Nothing, Cyra and Gina just became friends a few days ago. Why?”

“Cyra looks to have been abused by her father both physically and sexually. She’s refusing to go to the hospital without Gina with her. I can’t let Gina leave school if she’s not hurt without your permission.”

“Is she still here?”

“Yes ma’am and Gina won’t leave her unless you’re here or her other mother is here.”

“I’ll speak with Gina. Go ahead and get the paramedics here and a police officer as well.”

“Thank you.”

Annabelle pulls her cell phone out and dials Mrs. Holmes number to see if she could see what could be done to help Cyra. She leaves her a message and hopes she calls her back.

She looks over towards Gina.

“Gina can you tell me what happened please?”

“Yes ma’am. We were walking to school and she was walking funny. I asked her if she was alright and she said yes. We stopped for a few
minutes and rest and came the rest of the way. When we got to the front door, she had blood sliding down her leg on the inside. I helped her here to the nurses office and held her hand as the nurse checked her. She wouldn’t let go of my hand and I didn’t want to leave her.”

“Where’s the nurse?”

“She’s with Cyra right now mom.”

Nurse Becker comes from the room she had taken Cyra to with a camera in her hands.

“How is she nurse Becker?”

Annabelle looks towards nurse Becker nods her head towards her daughter.

Missy got the message and tucked the camera in her pocket.

“I managed to stop the bleeding. She wants Gina.”

Gina didn’t wait for permission. She gets up and runs into the room.

Annabelle watches her daughter and as soon as the door was closed. She looks towards nurse Becker.

“How bad is it?”

“I can’t discuss her situation with you Ms. Lee. Your not her legal guardian.”

“I may not be her legal guardian Miss. Becker, but she is my daughters friend and that makes it my business. Because, if she is as bad off as I think she is. You better have her parents arrested.”

The paramedics come rushing in just as nurse Becker was about to tell Annabelle. Nurse Becker takes the paramedics to the room Cyra was in and load her onto the stretcher. Gina wouldn’t let go of her hand as they took her out of the room.

“Let my daughter ride with her.”

“Alright.”

Annabelle follows behind them as they put Cyra in the ambulance and heads to the hospital.

She has to stop Gina from punching a male nurse from separating her from Cyra.

“Gina, you can’t go in there with her. We’ll have to wait out here.”

Annabelle holds her daughter. Her cellphone starts ring. Annabelle looks at the number and notice it was Dawn’s number.

“Hey sweetie. I’m down here at the emergency room with Gina. She’s okay, its her friend Cyra who’s being operating on right now. I can’t tell you everything right now, but we might want to get a bunk bed set for Gina’s bedroom.”

"What happened to Cyra?"

“I’ll explain later. Gina wants to stay here for her friend. Ya, I will be taking the rest of the day off and staying with her. Okay, I’ll talk with you later.”

"Okay, we'll talk later."

“Love you.”

"Love you too."

Gina looks up at Annabelle “am I in trouble?”

“No, little fox. You’re not in trouble. If anything, you did a really good deed today.”

Annabelle kisses Gina’s forehead and hugs her.

They sit for awhile and Annabelle’s cellphone rings again.

“Hello?”

“Annabelle is something wrong?”

“No, ma’am. Dawn and I want to know what we need to do to get custody of a friend of Gina’s that been abused?”

“Can you prove this?”

“Yes ma’am, I can. Were at the hospital right now with her and the police have the pictures the nurse at Gina’s school took of her.”

“Do you know what type of abuse?”

“She’s been physically abused and sexually abused and I would have to say by her parents. I can’t prove they did it, but she came to school today bleeding from between her legs and I don’t think it was the start of her period either.”

“I’ll try right now to get a judged to give you temporary custody of her.”

“Okay, thank you Mrs. Holmes.”

“You’re welcome.”

Annabelle and Gina stay most of the day. They make sure they have the room Cyra’s room number.

Friday:
Gina was enjoying having Cyra staying with them. Cyra didn’t care that Gina wasn’t a genetic girl and had to share a bedroom with her. The two of them were comfortable around each other. Mrs. Holmes managed to get Dawn and Annabelle temporary custody of Cyra. She had gotten a copy of the police report and the medical reports, along with the pictures the nurse took of Cyra. Annabelle’s guess had been right about Cyra’s parents physically and sexually abusing her. Cyra’s mother didn’t care her husband was molesting their daughter. If nothing else, she was jealous that her husband was having sex with their daughter. Mrs. Holmes couldn’t believe what the police report had said.

Annabelle and Dawn couldn’t believe what they found out from Cyra about her mom being jealous and even threatening her. Gina brought Cyra’s homework home from her teachers. Since, Cyra couldn’t walk much because of the damage done by her father. She spent the morning with Annabelle and Dawn at the store. Dawn was going to be picked up by the women of her family after work.

“You think Gina enjoys have a sister?”

“I would have to say yes.”

Annabelle and Dawn were watching the girls as they worked on their homework and class work.

“So, what time are your relatives coming to pick you up?”

“When we close the store tonight. Will you be alright with two teenage girls?”

“We’ll be fine. We’re having a movie night while your gone. The girls want to sleep in the living room tonight.”

“Ah, that should be fun. We’re going to have to make it a monthly thing.”

“I think they would enjoy that.”

Dawn goes and grabs everyone some dinner from the diner. Certain members from Dawn’s family show up five minutes before they closed the doors. They close the store and Dawn helps Cyra to the truck as Gina puts their backpacks in the back.

“Have fun.”

Annabelle gives Dawn a kiss just before she leaves.

“You two sweetie. You girls behave yourself as well.”

“We will mom.”

Dawn hugs each girl and walks off with her relatives.

“Alright, lets head home and get you two set-up in the living room.”

Dawn drives towards their house.