“You look at Annistyn as if you’re in love with her but you’ve just met her recently,” Roger states and I know he’s sharing his observation with me.
“I fell in love with her the second I saw her strung up in the warehouse she was bein’ auctioned at.Somethin’ about her drew me in and I had no chance in that first second.Got a question for you, Roger.What’s your intention with her?”I ask the question that’s been burning in my mind from the second I saw them together in the park.
“Nothing bad, Kreed.She’s a good person who was dealt the shittiest hand.Annistyn never once deserved a single thing that was done to her and it’s going to take a lot for her to understand that,” he answers me while looking at her.
“Did you ever think the two of you might be related?”I question him, not sure if he knows there’s a connection between the two of them.
“No.I mean, I have an uncle the family disowned when he got married, but I was never told anything about him or his family.Why?”he returns, his voice full of confusion at my line of questioning.
“Got a guy in the club who’s a master with a computer.It’s why he’s named Master.He’s been diggin’ into Annistyn so we could find anythin’ to help her.Your name started comin’ up when he was researchin’ her family.I think you two are cousins.That’s why Doc took a sample of your DNA a few weeks ago at the clubhouse when you showed up to see Annistyn.I got the results here and I think the two of you need to see them,” I inform him as I reach for the paper Doc gave me earlier and hand it over to Roger across Annistyn’s body as she starts to twitch in her sleep and I know she’s starting to have a nightmare.
Roger takes the paper from me and looks it over for several minutes.I watch as multiple emotions fill his face before he starts to cry.His eyes land on Annistyn again as I pull her into my arms and she immediately quiets from the nightmares plaguing her.I don’t speak to Roger as he begins to process the information I’ve just handed him.It’s going to take a little bit for him to deal with everything he’s feeling right now so we can figure out how to tell Annistyn she has more family in the world and will never be alone again.At least I hope that’s what the outcome is.For now, my only concern is allowing her to get some sleep so she can rest before someone else comes in the room and wakes her up.The worst part of staying at the hospital is you never truly get any rest with everyone coming and going all hours of the day and night.
Chapter Nine
Annistyn
I’M FINALLY FREE!Iended up staying in the hospital for a little over a week.I got things I needed through my IV such as potassium and magnesium because I couldn’t take the pills, managed to eat something each time a tray was brought into me, and was kept on a heart monitor the entire time.At one point, one of my nurses ran into the room because apparently my heart rate was really elevated and she was concerned.I had only gone to the bathroom and walked back to the hospital bed.That’s apparently how weak I am that a short walk makes my nurses freak out because my heart rate is sky high.When I didn’t want to eat anything from the hospital, Viper, Cali, and Reckless were ready to go to the diner for me.Roger was too.He didn’t leave my room and was there every second of the day with Kreed.The two of them have been my rocks when I wanted to close my eyes and not deal with anything around me.Cali was there most of each day and Reckless showed up when he was done with work for the day.The five of them have become my support system and promised Doc they’ll keep a close eye on me so I don’t end up back in the hospital again.
This has honestly been a wake-up call for me.Getting the blood transfusion was my rock bottom.All of this because of my eating disorder.I guess I really never truly understood how much of a toll this is taking on my body and life.Mentally, physically, and emotionally I have to work on myself and learn to eat again.This is not going to be something I can fix overnight and I’m going to have days where I still revert to the way I’ve been eating and thinking.Those are the days I’ll have to be stronger than ever before so I don’t slide backwards and fall into old habits.Kreed and Roger have been talking about ways to help me and don’t do anything unless I’m okay with it.Roger has been helping Kreed learn how to get me to eat a few more bites when I feel as if I’ve eaten enough.Cali has been learning what to do when she’s in the room with us.
The one major shock I did get while I was in the hospital was learning Roger isn’t just some random man I met in the park a few weeks ago.He’s actually my cousin.His mom and my dad were brother and sister.My dad was disowned from the family when he married my mom because they didn’t feel she was good enough for him.They didn’t care that the two of them were in love and wanted to be together.That they made one another better than they were single.My dad’s family didn’t care about their feelings at all and I’m the one who paid the price for that decision.I was sent to the only family that could be found and was tortured every day for a choice I had no part of.
Roger spent hours telling me about his side of our family.Some of his stories made me laugh while others upset me.I missed out on so much and will never get that time back with people who were supposed to love me unconditionally.Instead, I got an aunt and uncle who used and abused me simply because they could.It made me wonder how much different my life would be if I were sent to Roger’s family or one of the other aunts and uncles on that side.
Would they have loved me?
Would I have been treated like a servant?
Would I have been sold off to the highest bidder?
Would I have been able to live a normal life with friends, school, and finding out who I am through growth and independence in a loving environment?
So many questions race through my mind with the knowledge of an entire family I know nothing about.Apparently there’s a lot of family members I can get to know when I’m ready.Roger knows now isn’t the time when I have so much healing to do before I can even think about putting myself in a situation where I’ll be treated like shit because of who my parents are.Roger did ask if he could tell them about me and I said yes.As long as he makes it clear I don’t want any of them to approach me or anything until I’m ready.I know he won’t spill my secrets and will still get them to understand the need for this to happen on my terms and timeline.
Kreed held me as I cried while Roger went to answer a phone call about work.Not the photography but about his ranch.Somehow, Kreed knew exactly what to say to calm me down and reassure me that my family would not only welcome me with open arms but love me unconditionally.He makes me feel as if he truly sees me.Not just the broken pieces and shell I’ve become over the years but every single inch of me and deep into my soul.I’ve never had anyone make me feel this way before and I don’t know what to think or feel about it.Maybe it’s something I can talk to Cali about when we’re alone.If we’re ever alone again.Kreed has already told me he’s not letting me out of his sight anytime soon after being so scared when he learned I was brought to the hospital.
