3 Chapter Three

The next day was exhausting, come to find out the burn on my arm was infected, which is why they had kept me there at all. I had guessed it might be given how bad it had looked, but thankfully it wasn't so had that a round of antibiotics wouldn't cover it. My Uncle was going to be here soon. I was, well nervous, but also excited. I had always adored my Uncle, he was kind and sweet, everything my father wasn't.

"Mercedes!" I heard him from the door to my room and I looked up and I couldn't help the smile that graced my lips. He rushed over and enveloped me in a huge bear hug. I didn't even mind that it hurt my sore body. I hugged him back and was surprised to find myself tearing up, pulling back slightly he was too. He was just as big as my father was, but where my father was a tyrant, this man was a stuffed teddy bear. His hair was dark blonde like my fathers, piercing grey eyes and a roman nose, but that's where the similarities ended. Yes, my father was a twin, but they weren't really identical, and I was thankful. His smile seemed like it was a permanent fixture on his face. Their features were the same, but you could easily spot the difference, my Uncle's demeanor made him look like an entirely different man.

"Oh, let me look at you." He muttered pulling more away and cupping my cheeks. "Ugh, you grew up on me kiddo." He told me, sadness pulling at his features. I had to swallow a lump in my throat. I hadn't seen him in a few years, but he hadn't changed a bit.

"He told me you died. He said… he said you were gone." I told him making him frown even deeper.

"No, sweetie. We…we had an argument. I was, I was going to take custody of you. I am so sorry. I never knew. I didn't know it was so bad. If I had known, I swear I would have fought harder." Guilt lined his face and I shook my head.

"You couldn't have known. I… I didn't tell anyone until now."

"Well, it's out now but, even though the circumstance blows, it still means you can finally come home, with me." He added the last part on quickly.

"I think that sounds fucking amazing right now, Uncle K," I told him honestly. Meaning every word of it.

The next year of my life passed by in a blur, really. At first, I just sort of fell apart. I was finally safe enough to, so I did. I cried a lot in the first few months of being with my uncle, woke him up twice as much from nightmares. I chose to finish out my junior year online and stayed home with him. Over that summer, the summer that marked the one year mark of my freedom, I finally felt like a normal human being. Still a little damaged, but, I could breathe again. So, I went to my uncle.

"I want to enroll in the high school." I blurted out to him at the dinner table one evening. He blinked at me, putting his fork down and putting his elbows on the table. A move that I had seen countless times before, showing me he was paying close attention to what I was saying.

"You think you're finally ready to get back out there? Join in on society?" He asked me, sounding serious but his eyes betrayed him, he was fucking happy. He had been waiting a while for me to finally be ready. It was time for my senior year of high school, and I felt like staying home for it wasn't an option. School was always the highlight of my days, being out and seeing people, kind of sucked too, but nowhere near what had been going on in my home life. Dad had ended up getting 15 years for Child Abuse, not to mention a probation violation which tacked on 5 more. With any luck at all, he would never come up for parole and would rot away where he was. Everything was going great, so why wouldn't I go back to school?

"Yeah, Uncle K, I think I am. I think that this is as ready as I will ever be to get back out there, stop hiding, finally fucking live my life, you know? I mean as much as I love hanging out with you, I think I need to meet people my own age who don't think that saying 'Coolio' is still a thing." I teased him.

"I will have you know that I am very much hip with the kids these days," he said in mock outrage, his hand moving to his chest like he was wounded. I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out. I shook my head at him, a genuine smile lighting up my face. "That right there makes it all worth it." He tells me.

"What?"

"You're smiling, laughing, it's how it should have been all along." I smile a little sadly at his words, but I know that he is right. I shouldn't have ever been with my dad. I should have been here with my uncle, enjoying being a kid, and yet there were things that I wouldn't change either. I learned a lot about myself because of how my dad raised me.

There was also Garret. I missed him some days still, he had been my best friend after all, but true to his word Griff had kept him away. I had changed my number when I moved, though Griff had found out what it was and sent me regular messages to remind me that he still owed me a favor and that 'the kid' as he called Garret had been patched in as a member, had moved on with his life and seemed happy. I don't know why Griff bothered to update me, but I always replied politely thanking him for the update and that I was happy for Garret. I didn't acknowledge the fact he still owed me a favor though, I ignored those messages.