8Merry Christmas everyone! This is my Secret Santa gift to Reddie Whip. Before I start, I want to say a couple of things:
Happy Holidays to all of you!
Happy Holidays to Reddie Whip, my Secret Santa giftee! I hope you like it!
Happy New Year! Yay 2018! Goodbye 2017! I'm glad to see you go. :)
Stay warm this year, it's gonna be cold! Maybe if you can, try to help out at a local food drive/soup kitchen or donate clothes to help people this winter. Thanks!
I know it's early for the holidays, but I needed to post it sooner.
This story is all about Daniel escaping his adoptive family. His adopted family is abusive. In the story Daniel doesn't know he was adopted or that Douglas is his real father.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Lab Rats.
Daniel's P.O.V.
"Daniel! Get down here right now!"
I sat up quickly, hitting my head on the low ceiling. I held my hand up to the spot, checking for blood. None. Good. I would probably have a nasty headache later, though.
"Daniel! Get down here NOW!"
I stand up, and immediately feel light headed. I sit down, holding my head. Great. I slowly stand up again, careful of the low ceiling. Once I'm up, I rummage through my few belongings. I throw on an old t-shirt with a reddish stain on it. Probably dried blood.
I make my way downstairs, and to the kitchen, where I smell eggs and bacon cooking. I sigh, knowing that the delicious food wasn't for me. I look up to see my mother staring at me. I get out the old broom, and sweep up the kitchen, then move on to the rest of the small house. I vacuum the carpets, and mop the floors. I check the clock. 7:13. Still early.
"May I please have some eggs?" I ask.
"Beg." Mother growls.
I get down on my knees, and clasp my hands together. She smirks, and kicks me in the stomach, hard. I curl up instinctively, protecting the new bruise. I tuck my head in closer, and I feel small.
I hear her stand up, and my grip tightens on my legs. She steps on my head, her heel landing in the spot where I hit my head. I cry out, and she slams her other foot down on my back. My chest tightens, and I feel trapped within myself. As I feel the pressure on my back lessen, I look up, and she's gone.
I sneak back up to my little room, and shut the door. Every time I take a breath, my chest stings. My breaths are quick and shallow. My head is pounding, and my stomach burns with pain.
I stand in front of the mirror. I carefully remove my shirt, and I gasp. The bruise is huge, extending from my hips to my throat. Some spots have darker bruises than others, but it's continuous. I close my eyes. Why is my chest bruised? I gingerly lay a finger down on each rib. And I found what I was looking for, 2nd to last rib on the left side.
I run to the bathroom, and grab a washcloth. I run it under cold water, and go back to my room. I lie down on the bed, and drape the washcloth over the bruise. I reach under the thin mattress, and grab a small box. I pull it up to me, and open it. My first aid kit was very well used, and I found myself replacing the items inside often. Luckily, I still had some gauze left. I removed the washcloth, and sat up. I took a deep breath, and started to wrap the gauze around my ribs, covering most of the bruise. I knotted the ends together, hoping it wouldn't fall off.
I've had enough of this. I grab my bag and pack some clothes, the first aid kit, and a water bottle. I throw a shirt on over the gauze, put the bag on my back, and go outside. Nobody was home. It was the perfect opportunity to leave. I stole my neighbor's bike, and left. I biked far away from the little house, away from those people.
I had no money. I ate what I could get. Some people were kind enough to give me a granola bar or some trail mix. I was cold, hungry, and alone. The harsh winter weather made it harder. I lived in a cardboard box, on the side of a highway.
One day, I fell asleep in the box. When I woke up, I was in somebody's car! I sat up, wide eyed, and began to thrash around loudly. The woman in the driver's seat looked back at me.
"Hey, calm down, it's ok. You're safe here." She said.
Her words were strangely comforting, and I stopped, staring up at her. She pulled into a parking lot.
"Could you tell me your name? I'm going to help you."
I didn't answer, and she sighed. "Fine. But you're coming with me." She grabbed my arm and led me out of the car. I struggled to break out of her grip, but she held tight. I let her lead me inside the building. A doctor's office. Of course.
"Fill out the form." The receptionist told me. I took the clipboard and a pen, and obediently filled out the form.
"Daniel?" She asked, looking at the form.
I looked up, and nodded. She kept staring at the form, trying to figure out who I was. I gave the form to the receptionist, and she led me into a room. The woman came too.
"You're Daniel, correct?" A doctor questioned. I nodded. "I'm Dr David, and I'll be taking care of you today." He seemed nice enough.
"So where'd you find him?" He whispered to the woman.
"Side of the highway, in a box. He hasn't said a word to me."
"Wow. His form says he's 13, do you think he's a runaway?" He wondered.
"Maybe. But something's not right, the way he was moving."
"Alright, buddy. I need you to undress, do you think you could do that? I'll be back in a minute." The doctor said loudly. He put a doctor gown next to me on the table.
I nodded, and slowly began to remove my shirt and pants. I put the gown on over the gauze, which the woman didn't see. She was trying to give me privacy by looking at a poster. I cleared my throat, and she looked at me. Dr David came back then, and he had a couple of things with him.
He lifted up the gown to take a look at my chest, and gasped. He must've seen the gauze.
"Hey, Daniel?" Can you explain this?" Please?" He pleads. I remain silent.
"Ok, but I need to take a look at it." He sighs.
I lift the gown and lie down, letting him take a better look. The woman gasps. Dr David carefully removes the poorly wrapped bandages, and examines my chest and stomach. He lays a finger on each rib, until he reaches the 2nd to last one on the left. I gasp and arch my back a little. He applies pressure on the rib, and tears start rolling down my face. It hurts so much, but I'm afraid to say anything. He puts both hands on it, and presses down hard. I hear a loud pop, and he removes the pressure. My breathing is ragged and unsteady.
"Match your breathing to mine."
I watch as his chest moves in and out slowly, and I take deep breaths to match him.
"Good. Your rib was broken, I just set it. I'm going to re-wrap it now, ok?" He informs me. I nod. I sit up, and he wraps the gauze around my ribs, careful not to tie it too tight.
"I need to know how this happened. You don't just break your rib by sitting around. What happened?" He asks. I don't answer. "I'll take your blood pressure and temperature while I wait. It's ok to be afraid, but I only want to help you."
After taking my blood pressure and temperature, he gives me a few shots.
"Flu shot and tetanus shot. Just to help."
Then he records my weight and height, and checks my hearing. When he tries to check my eyes, I don't say anything, and he gives up and takes me back to the room.
"Can you speak?" He wonders.
"Yeah." I say, my voice raspy. I cough, and I feel a sharp pain in my ribs.
Dr David looks at me, surprised at the single word.
"Can you tell me what happened to you?"
"No." I respond.
"Why not?" He asks. "Do you not remember?"
"No." I say bluntly. "I don't wanna talk about it."
"I'm not going to force you, but I just want to help. Did someone do this to you?"
"Yeah." I answer.
"Who?"
"Mother." I whisper.
"Oh." He said, voice quiet. "So you are a runaway."
"Yep." I respond. "And I'm not going back. I need a new family."
"Well, I can do a blood test." Dr David offers. I nod.
He puts the needle in my arm, and extracts blood.
"The blood test only takes a few minutes." He explains.
We wait, and when Dr David comes back with a piece of paper, I am suddenly curious.
"Well, you aren't Daniel Glaser. Your real name is Daniel Davenport, according to the blood tests. You match up exactly. Whoever you were living with wasn't your real mother."
"So who's in my real family?" I ask.
"Well, you're the son of Douglas Davenport. But he died 3 years ago."
"Oh." I say sadly.
"But your uncle, Donald Davenport, is alive. And you remember the 3 bionic kids? Those 3 are your cousins!"
"Well, ok." I reply. "Can I go live with them? Where are they now?"
"They live about 5 minutes away. I'll call them-"
"No, I want to go to them. Can you drive me?"
"I can." The woman spoke up. "I know where they live. I'll take you."
"Ok, can I go?" I say excitedly.
"Hold on there. You're severely underweight and your temperature was a little low. I can let you go, as long as you are taken care of. So eat something, and try to raise your temperature. Got it?" He instructed
"Yeah, can I go now?"
"Go on home." He chuckled.
I raced outside to her car, and we drove to my new house. I knocked on the door, and a girl answered it.
"Hi, I'm Daniel. Can I talk to Mr Davenport?"
The girl closed the door to get him, and I waited outside. Soon enough, a middle-aged man came to the door.
"I'm Daniel, and I'm your nephew. Um... hi?"
"Hold on a minute."
Another man came to the door, and he looked at me strangely. "Is this your son?" I heard him whisper.
"I'm Daniel." I say again.
"Daniel?" The other man asked. "Come here." I stepped closer to him, and he hugged me. I groaned in pain, and collapsed.
Cliffy! First chapter! What do you think? I hope you liked it Reddie Whip! And I hope you like any future chapters! Happy Holidays! Have a nice day!
Meow
