Saving Melissa

Chapter 4

Melissa

Past

I don't know how this happened. A few nights ago we were celebrating my Dad's birthday and today I'm sitting in a hospital room as they get ready to take him off life support. My mother passed away from cancer when I was five, I don't really remember her but my dad talks, talked I guess, about her all the time. He never dated anyone else after she died. I think his heart had been broken from the minute she left him. It just took another nine years to finish him off. The heart attack had left him without oxygen for so long he became brain dead. The doctor said there was no hope for him, that they had done all they could and the best thing to do for him now was to let him go peacefully.

But how am I supposed to do that? My dad is the only person I have left in this world, I don't have any brothers or sisters, my grandparents are all dead and both of my parents were only children. They tell me to let it go like it's so easy but what will happen to me? I don't want to watch him go, I think to myself as another doctor comes in.

"Hey kid, how are you holding up?" She asks me, I hate when they ask this question, how do they think I'm doing? I know why they ask though, it's because I haven't cried, I haven't done anything but sit here and stare at him. I don't know if or when the tears will come but I do know that until now I hadn't felt anything but numb. Now though? Now, I could feel this rage burning up inside me, this was so f.ucking unfair, this world, this life, my life, this sucked so much. "Honey," she said again, "are you okay?"

"I guess so," I finally answer her.

"Okay, well the doctor will be in in a few minutes."

"I thought you were the doctor?" I ask cutting her off.

"I am a doctor, but I'm an intern, my boss will be coming in to talk to you about the process and then he'll turn off all the machines. Do you think you're ready for that?"

"Do I have a choice?" I ask, snapping at her. I know I shouldn't but I really didn't like these stupid questions.

"No, I guess you don't. There is one more thing though, after we do this we will have to call CPS." I sat there staring at her as she said this, they were going to call CPS? CPS, CPS, oh right child protective services. Of course they had to call CPS, I'm alone, I'm all alone. I have no one else in this world who can take me in now that I've lost the most important person in my life. And then it hits me, it really hits me, my dad is dead. Once that sinks in the flood gates open and I can't stop them. The tears will not stop coming. The doctor looks at me like I have three heads before she finally comes and sits next to me and puts her arm around me.

"I'm so sorry, I know this is going to be hard for you. You're only 14 and you are facing losing your father and getting put in foster care in the same day, hell within the same few hours. But look at me honey, this world isn't fair, nothing about it is fair. In my job I watch children die while monsters recover from injuries that should have killed them the second they happened. Life throws you lemons and it's not always possible to make lemonade. But do you know what is possible?"

"What?" I ask her, surprised I can make the word come out of my mouth through the sobbing.

"To face this world with every ounce of strength you posses and when it tries to beat you down, like it's doing to you today, you say f.uck you. You tell this world you won't let it get you down because you are a badass b.itch who has faced the very worst of what the world has to throw at you and you are still here. You're still here aren't you? You're breathing? You're still here to live another day, to eat ice cream and pasta. To stand in the ocean and watch the sunset. And you want to know something else, no matter what happens always remember that someone in this world loves you."

"I, I d-don't have anyone. N-not a single per-erson in this world l-loves me," I manage to choke out.

"I do."

"You don't know me."

"I don't care. Do you want to know one of my favorite quotes?"

"Sure."

"What I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that even though I do not know you, and even though I may never meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you. I love you. With all my heart, I love you."

"You h-have met me, and cr-cried with me."

"Well then we're two for five, just means I can love you even more," then she pulled me into a hug and the next couple of hours were a blur. She held my hand when the doctor came in and talked me through what was going to happen. She held my hand as I watched the life leave my dad's body, and she held my hand when CPS came to take me away.

"I'm Jackie, and I'll be taking you to your emergency placement."

"What's that?"

"Well normally because of your age you would end up in a group home but because of everything you've gone through, we found an emergency placement. I'm going to get you there for tonight and we'll figure out what to do with all of your things tomorrow."

"Okay," twenty minutes later we were pulling up to what looked like an old farmhouse and standing on the front porch were an older couple. Jackie parked and we got out. I slowly walked up to the house, as it felt like my world was crumbling again. I was going to a house that wasn't my home, to people that weren't my dad. I was just supposed to move in here and what? Make myself at home?

"Hi, you must be Melissa," the woman said holding out her hand. She had a rather severe look on her face and her eyes looked so cold, I shivered. "I'm Blanche."

"Hi," I said as she raised her eyebrow at me but then her husband stepped up.

"I'm Chris," he said holding his hand out as well. "We're really very sorry for your loss. It can't be an easy thing losing your father and then not even being able to go home to your house. Why don't you come on inside we have a room set-up for you and there's a T.V. in there all ready to go. I was going to order some pizza later for dinner. We want you to make yourself at home here honey," when he smiled I actually thought he meant it. He reminded me of my dad and for the first time in almost a week I felt myself smile.

"Okay, well it looks like you're in good hands here, I'll be in touch," Jackie said as she walked back to her car.

"Well, come inside, don't just stand there like a statue," Blanche snapped at me, making me take a step back.

"Blanche," her husband snapped back at her.

"I'm not wrong Chris."

"Leave the poor girl alone, come on in honey. I'll show you to your room then I'll go get some dinner." She followed him to a room that was upstairs. It wasn't a really big room but it was cute, there was a big bed in there and a little TV on the dresser across from it. There was even a towel and a toothbrush on her bed.

"Here you go hon, just make yourself at home and I'll be back in about twenty. Not too many pizza places around here."

"Thanks," I mumble. As soon as he leaves, I sit on the bed and my mind starts to go crazy trying to understand what's going on. But that doesn't last long when my door slams open and Blanche walks in.

"My husband is soft, it's not his fault, it's just who is," that's how she opens the conversation between us. "You will not take advantage of him, you will follow our rules, you will go to church, and you will act like a well-behaved young woman. If you do not I will return you to the custody of the state where you can rot in one of their derelict group homes, throwing away any chance you have at a life. If you follow my rules, you will be allowed to stay here for as long as Jackie would like to keep you here."

"I, um, I'm not sure what to say to all that."

"There is only one acceptable answer and that is yes Blanche, do you understand?" I don't know what's going on here so I just stare at her before she slams her fist into the wall behind her and yells, "do you understand?"

"Yes," I say rapidly and out of fear, she gives me an evil smirk then leaves. What the hell is happening here?