I didn't feel sick. I didn't feel pain. I didn't feel anything. I don't remember the last time I was so numb.

I didn't know where I was, but I was laying down in a bed. I could hear a steady beat above my head. It was loud, repetitive, and scary. The only thing that reassured me was the fact that I could feel somebody's hand wrapped around my own. I wanted to see who was holding my hand, but my eyes refused to open.

I heard a soft knock on the door and then footsteps walking into the room I was in. Somebody walked to my bedside and shuffled around while touching various parts of my body as if taking notes and testing. He addressed the person holding my hand. "There's a definite improvement. I suspect Eden will wake up very soon."

"Thank you, Doctor." It sounded like Mrs. Winters. "My family will be so happy to hear of her improvement. Will they be able to see her when she wakes up?" I wished I could squeeze her hand, I'd missed her so much.

My doctor sighed quietly, "Mrs. Winters, Eden will need to go through tests to ensure she is healthy and might not be able to have visitors yet. She has pain medication, but that does not mean she will not be in pain. Also, we must rule out the possibility of memory loss and other cranial complications that may have occurred with her concussion. These cannot be analyzed until she is awake. Eden will need to talk to the detectives as well. It all depends on how she reacts when she wakes up."

"Thank you again, Doctor." Mrs. Winters sounded awfully sad and upset. The door closed and I heard sniffling from beside me. I fell unconscious before I could try and comfort the impossibly kind lady beside me.

❃ ❃ ❃

I was still in my hospital room. The beeps continued relentlessly in my ears. Sounds of footsteps and the distant ring of a cell phone could be heard in the hallway.

An annoying throb found its way behind my eyeballs. I was awake, but I was afraid to open my eyes. I had heard the doctor and didn't want to talk to the detectives. But I knew as soon as I could see them and get my tests over with, I could see Noah and the rest of the Winters.

There were two people in the room talking quietly. "She threw a whiskey bottle at a police officer's head, Ang. I'm sure even if Eden doesn't say anything against her, she'll get in at least a little bit of trouble." I could tell immediately they were talking about my mother.

"But if Eden doesn't say anything, what if they send her back to that horrible place because they don't have strong enough evidence?" her voice shook unsteadily.

"She has a brain injury, love. She's malnourished, hasn't been to school in two weeks, has a huge burn on her thigh, and that's not to mention the countless bruises and scars on her body! That's not self-inflicted! It's obvious she is a victim of child abuse. They can't send her back, they won't. You're in here next to her for a reason. You'll be her foster mom, they won't send her back. I have faith that Eden will, at the very least, write down her answers to the detectives." Mr. Winters' booming voice was passionate and strong. He relaxed me, knowing that he was probably right and I wouldn't be going back to that terrible place.

I wondered what he meant by Mrs. Winters being my foster mom. I hoped with everything I had that she could be my new mommy. I missed the Winters' faces and wanted nothing more than to be able to see my best friend. I knew that as long as my eyes stayed closed, I wouldn't be able to see anybody. But a crippling fear took over my body. Mr. and Mrs. Winters would want me to talk. I knew Momma would hurt me if I spoke to the detectives. I knew Momma would get in trouble and she'd be so mad at me, she might even kill me.

I had to believe that the Winters would protect me and keep me away from her. I had to believe that everything would work out.

I slowly opened my eyes. The dim light in the room was blinding and the dull pain was spreading throughout my head. My room was stark, equipped with a bed, two chairs, a window, a bathroom, and the beeping machine. I was in a bed, covered by a thin, blue blanket. I wore a light, blue gown and could feel socks on my feet. A tube stuck out of my arm, connected to a pole with various bags of liquid. Mr. and Mrs. Winters continued to talk, unaware of my conscious state.

They were beautiful people, the Winters. I had missed their smiles and affection. Even though Mrs. Winters was gorgeous, her appearance was almost unrecognizable. She wore sweatpants, tennis shoes, and an oversized t-shirt. Her usual pristine hair was in a messy ponytail, tendrils fanning in all directions. Her face was still beautiful but held all the signs of a distressed mother: tear stains, puffy cheeks, and dark circles underneath her bloodshot eyes. I marveled that she looked so sad because of me.

Mr. Winters didn't look as unkempt as his wife, except for the almost black circles under his red eyes. He had an arm around Mrs. Winters and whispered softly in her ear. I watched them quietly, not wanting to ruin any moment.

Despite my wishes to remain as quiet as I could, the growing ache was surrounding my head, arms, legs, and stomach. As if in a tidal wave, pain assaulted my body. Needles pricked at my forehead, a phantom hand gripped my burned thigh, my stomach twisted into knots so tight, I couldn't help but gasp in pain. Whereas I felt no pain sleeping, awake I felt agony.

The only thing I could think to do was to writhe in my bed, trying to alleviate the pain in some way. I ripped at the tube in my arm. A panicked sob escaped my lips, searching for comfort.

Mr. and Mrs. Winters rushed to my side, trying to console me and my thrashing body. They held my arm to ensure the tube was still in place. Mr. Winters pushed a button and within seconds, nurses rushed into the room and to my side. He rehashed what had happened, stating he didn't know how I had gone from peaceful to whatever I was going through now in such a short amount of time.

A nurse connected something to the tube hanging from my inner elbow and the pain subsided substantially. I relaxed, almost embarrassed by my erratic behavior before. I breathed heavily, terrified the pain would come back. Mrs. Winters was crying, sobbing into her husband's shirt. I felt guilty for making her cry.

"I forgot to give her another dose of medication. She's so tiny, and I had thought the dose she had would be plenty. I'm so sorry. The medication wore off and she didn't have anything to ward off the pain." The nurse was talking to Mr. Winters who uncharacteristically glared at the poor nurse. She looked to be in her mid-thirties and had a brunette bob. Her eyes were saddened, sorry for my unwarranted pain.

"Eden, sweetheart. Do you feel any pain now?" Her voice was smooth, quiet. I shook my head to assure Mr. Winters that I would be okay.

"Don't forget again," he addressed the dejected nurse.

The lady nodded, her hair bouncing. "Yes, sir. Eden, I'm very sorry. You are my number one priority now. I'm going to do an assessment on you and check some vitals and the doctor will be in shortly to check on you."

❃ ❃ ❃

I could only assume the stocky man that walked into the room was my doctor. He wore a white lab coat and had curly, brown hair. He wrote on a clipboard with his large hands before looking up at me.

"Glad to see you awake, Miss Eden! My name is Doctor Reese. If you do not mind, I will need to do some examinations. Do not worry, I will not hurt you. Angela and Aaron here can hold your hands, but I must make sure you are healthy."

Mr. and Mrs. Winters grabbed my hand free of wires. Mr. Winters held tight to my closed fist and his wife brushed my arm with her long fingers. I was dizzy, the room spinning slowly around me.

Dr. Reese examined the numbers on the beeping machine and then put pressure on my stomach. When he seemed satisfied, he pulled back my blanket and a white bandage to examine my burn. It was still large but looked to be improving. He put pressure on the skin around it and I jumped with the slight pain.

Dr. Reese told us because my burn seemed to be improving, his main concern was my head. He pulled out a pen from his coat pocket and put a flashlight to my eyes. He instructed me to follow the pen with my eyes. Because of the feeling of dizziness, I had a hard time following the direction of his hands.

"Eden, do you know who these people standing beside you are?" I nodded at him with a confused look."Do you know where you are?" I nodded again, growing even more bewildered. "Can you tell me where you were before you woke up?" I thought hard, stumped. I was having problems remembering much after Isaiah found me, other than the exhausting agony I had been in. I shook my head that I couldn't remember. Dr. Reese nodded and wrote something on his paper.

He looked back at me and pulled part of my undereye down to look into my eyes. "Are you dizzy?" I nodded. "Did your head hurt before the nurse gave you medicine?" I nodded yet again. "Can you talk to me, Eden?" I shook my head, my reactions coming at a slower rate than normal.

He sighed and turned to Mr. and Mrs. Winters. "There is definite evidence of a concussion. Her being unconscious, her headache, dizziness, general fatigue are all indicators. I am very glad she is with us so we can monitor her and keep her healthy."

Mr. Winters put an arm around his wife's shoulders. Both looked very relieved for some answers.

"Eden is on fluids and I suspect she will be healthy again very shortly, with the right care, of course. We will continue to monitor her for a few days, but unless there are complications, I would say we are looking at her going home within the week. That means after she has had a visit with the detectives, your family can visit."

Mr. and Mrs. Winters thanked him emphatically and the doctor left with a smile in my direction. I smiled back, happy. Despite the lingering pain, it truly felt like things were looking up. I was away from my abusive family, getting treatment, and in the presence of the best people I had ever met. I was going to do everything I could to get better as quickly as possible so I could go home with the Winters.