4 Family

The door to VIP Room 5 slowly opened without a sound. A doctor came in with three people trailing behind him, a man donning a navy blue suit and two women, a young girl in a cute Dora the Explorer dress and an older woman wearing a white blouse and blue jeans.

"Is that him, Dr. Colbert?"

"Yes, he awoke a few hours ago. It seems that he fell asleep shortly after, though I'm sure he'll wake up soon enough."

The woman examined the hospitalized boy and her eye moving across his body, making sure there were no signs of discomfort. After seeing his stable condition, she let out a soft sigh of relief.

The man stood next to her with his arms to his side, observing the boy with a stern gaze. His eyes were held in place, staring at the boy's feet, which were completely filled with wrinkles and blisters. His eyebrows furrowed at the sight and he fell into deep contemplation.

The little girl shyly stood behind the woman and held her hand tightly while also clutching onto her blouse. She poked her head out and curiously gazing at the boy.

"Mommy, who is that? Is he hurt?"

"Yes, sweetie, he's hurt, don't be too loud, ok?"

"..."

"Ok?"

"...alright"

As they continued to converse, the sounds of talking eventually caused Charles to stir awake. He slowly opened his eyes and rubbed them as he sat upright. After adjusting to the light, he looked towards the door and saw Dr. Colbert and three unfamiliar people.

Charles first glanced towards the man and flinched when he looked into his eyes. The man's eyes were like an abyss, deep and dark and scary. He looked absolutely terrifying with his cold expression and furrowed eyebrows. Charles quickly took his gaze off of the man and turned to the woman beside him.

He was immediately entranced. The woman was beautiful in every aspect. Her bright blue eyes and her long blonde hair perfectly complemented her outfit. Charles felt dazed when he looked at her charming smile, but then, he spotted a pair of eyes peeking at him from behind her.

It was a little girl, Charles assumed that she was their daughter. She had inherited her mother's traits, silky blonde hair and azure eyes. Her hair was tied into two pigtails and her face held an adorable expression of sheepishness.

While Charles was enjoying watching the girl hide behind her mother timidly, the woman spoke

"Hi there, honey. Are you doing fine? What's your name?"

"I'm feeling okay now. My name's Charles, did you save me?"

"mmhmm, Charles why were you laying on the beach? Where were your parents?"

At the word parents, Charles's eyes got wet. Memories of his parents fighting throughout the night and his mother getting carried away by the ambulance appeared in his mind. He was reminded of how he was abandoned by his dad on the beach.

The woman saw the melancholy look on Charles's face and decided to approach him. She embraced Charles into her bosom while patting his head softly, gently whispering,"It's okay, it's okay, now."

Charles eventually calmed down from his emotional outbreak and laid back onto his bed. The woman pitifully looked at him and internally made a decision.

"Do you have a place to stay?"

Charles shook his head, sadly staring at his lap.

"How about you live with us? We can be your new family."

Charles slightly jolted in surprise and stared at the woman in front of him.

"Really, do you mean it? I can have a family again?"

"Of course, I can be your new mom and he can be your new dad."

She pointed at the man still standing at the door while giving him a hard stare. The man returned the look, but let out a helpless sigh before replying,"...fine, he can come with us."

"Umm...Can I also have your last name?"

"Of course you can. Now you'll be a Raylan like us."

Charles was hesitant at first, but receiving that reply from her, he became filled with happiness and joy.

The woman released another beautiful smile and turned her head back to Charles, pointing at the little girl who was now hiding behind her dad's leg.

"Look, you even have a cute little sister. Charlotte, come over here and greet your big brother."

Charlotte timidly approached them and held her mom's hand before saying,

"...big brother?"

"Come on, introduce yourself"

Charlotte mustered her courage and took a deep breath before confidently introducing herself.

"I'm Charlotte, 6 years old, and in 1st grade."

Charlotte seemed to be proud of herself as she put her hands on her hip. Charles was amused by her cute antics and lightly chuckled.

"Nice to meet you Charlotte, I hope we can get along."