When the Songbird Does Not Sing

Mike’s pov

I wake to the beeping of the alarm clock, exactly at 5:45 a.m. on my bed stand table. I have been waking up to the same sound for nearly five years now. I almost find it hard to believe that Heather and I have been living here so long since Dr. Ryan Grawson and his wife Dr. Emi Grawson adopted us. Brief memories past by in my head as I laid still with Heather still in my arms.

Heather and I sat on a bench in the waiting room of the hospital. We had now been past off to our Aunt Chloe now and her three sons with a lazy- butt of a husband. Heather had her arm broken by those wild boys who we had to call our cousins. Heather isn’t the strongest person and having such wild pigs around her was not good. The boys, Matthew, Ivan, and Alfred had started some freak game of theirs where they all ended up attacking Heather. Who then broke her arm because they wouldn’t leave her alone. If only I was there, I could have protected her. We were treated like slaves in that house hold, the people we lived with our ‘family’ was nothing more then a bunch of lazy pigs who need two ten year olds to do their work for them. They were especially mean to Heather, perhaps because she was far more superior to them. She was Cinderella among them; kind, beautiful, everything they weren’t.

I wrapped my arm around Heather’s cold body careful not to touch her injured arm. She is more or less asleep. I feel the glares from Aunt Chloe, if her gaze could burn us to ashes then we would have been gone a long time ago.

“Heather Preton.” the nurse calls, I ignore Aunt Chloe and gentle wake Heather up. When they first open I see the fear in them and my heart caves with grief. My sister is afraid and I have no way to protect her. That hurts me more than any pain I can think of.

My poor Heather. Those…those… I can’t think of any word that can describe those dogs. Even that is to good for them. Apparently Heather had more than just a broken arm. Her left wrist had been sprained, her left shoulder joint had been torn from its socket and she had many of her ribs badly bruised.

Just what had happen to Heather when I wasn’t around. I knew they treated her badly but they never this bad. Heather is sickly since birth and now she is being physical abused. I wanted to hit them. No, I wanted to kill them.

“Mike,” I turn at the sound of my name. It’s Dr. Grawson, he’s been Heather’s emergency doctor since we were born pretty much, since she has been so sickly. We were both out in one of the hospital’s many white halls, Heather was getting a cast on her arm in the other room, and I had no clue where Aunt Chloe was nor did I care. I liked Dr. Grawson a lot, he was one of the few people I trusted. He was an honest man with a kind smile. I knew I could trust him just like I knew his personality. His personality was like that of an old worn--out, favorite children’s book comforting to mind and body.

“Mike,” he began again “what are you planning on doing now?” this was another reason why I liked Dr. Grawson even if though I’m just barely thirteen he still treats me like he would an adult of the same status as him. “As I doubt that you are going to stay with your aunt and her family any longer after this. Is there anything I can do to help you at the moment?” his voice said that he was tired but he still offered to help us.

“Umm, yes, actually could you please call child-care services? I doubt this is the first time Heather has been abused by them, but she is to sweet to do anything about it. We’ll go back to the foster home and wait till the next couple come for us I guess.” I say like it isn’t a big deal, but on the inside I am scared. I over heard some of the adults talking about Heather and I getting separated since so few people would adopt us together especially now that we were teenagers. I wonder could I let them do that to us? Could I bare to let Heather go even for her own good? I am so selfish to always want to be beside her and no one else.

Dr. Grawson must be sensing my distresses, I mean here I am a fourteen year old kid with no parents just my twin sister, who is, was, and always will be my world, trying how to figure out what the hell to do to keep us safe and together. No pressure, none at all.

“Mike, I know a couple… they can’t have children of their own, but they were thinking about adopting.” Dr. Grawson knew he had my interest now, but there was going to be a price there was always one wasn’t there? “I was thinking, you and Heather are obviously not going to be staying with your family now, so maybe, with Heather’s consort of course, you both would think about meeting the couple?”

I couldn’t believe my ears, could I really allow myself this hope? Someone that could adopt us that Dr. Grawson knew? I am sure that since Dr. Grawson knows them well enough to bring up the chance of them wanting to adopt us they were good people. Even if they had six arms and ten eyes I wouldn’t have minded if could help Heather and I stay together.
“Do I know them? Who are they? Would they adopt both of us together?” my questions left my lips as soon as I thought of them.

Dr. Grawson laughs gentle a small smile on his face. “Yes, you know them and yes they would never dream of adopting only one of you without the other. You know them best by their last names: The Grawsons.”

My eyes widen in disbelief. Dr. Grawson and his wife wanted to adopt us? They would give us a home? Help us? Heather wouldn’t get hurt anymore. That was the only things going on in my mind and in true I could think of anyone better to adopt us. The Grawsons knew us for a long time now. They would be perfect parents.

“Mike…” Dr. Grawson’s voice sounded worried like he was afraid I was going to refuse.

“When can I tell Heather?” I finally found my voice and responded with a smile, causing Dr. Grawson to also break out in a smile.

“As soon as you want to.”

It had taken a few months for the adoption to get into place but we had finally been able to move into the Grawson’s household where we were welcome with open arms by our new dad, Ryan Grawson, and our new mom, his wife Emi Grawson.

I was thrown back into the present by Heather stirring in my arms she looked up sleepily at me and smiled. “Good morning.” she greeted me with a quick peck on the lips.

“’Morning,” I returned the greeting with another peck on the lips. It was nothing romantic, it was just something we had done for as long as we both could remember. A way of greeting each other. Always a kiss on the lips.

I would never say anything to Heather but to me it was more than just a greeting, because I loved her in a way a brother shouldn’t love their sister. I was in love with her. I wanted her. More than I could ever want anything else in the world, but since Heather is pure and innocent I won’t tell her. This will be my little secret; my little reason the songbirds won’t sing.