Only Hope Left

Hope tried to avert her eyes from Jenner as Andrea sat in the front of the room with him. She couldn’t see but she knew what he was doing. She could see the small cotton balls that were taped just inside the crease between their forearm and their upper arm. Hope wanted to cry, but she felt to sick for that, just seeing the cotton balls was enough for her.

Andrea stood up pausing for a moment before Jacqui caught her helping her balance, before moving her off. Hope felt the sick feeling in her stomach turn into a knot.

Jenner looked out into the crowd, she knew she was the last one, but she kept her head down as if she had already gone.

“Is that everyone?” he asked, she could feel his eyes on him, he knew she as the last one.

Hope saw Lori turn to her from the corner of her eye, but she kept her eyes down.

“Hope, Sweetheart, it’s your turn.” Lori cooed, Hope flinched as she touched her leg.

“Don’t,” she recoiled from the woman bumping into something else. She pushed away, realizing it was Daryl. Hope quickly stood up slowly stepping towards the table that Jenner set up. She could feel the fear that was creeping up from her stomach.

Before she knew what she was doing she was running towards the door. Rick grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder and brought her to the table, sitting her down in the chair opposite of Jenner. As she was set down she felt another pair of arms hold her down; Shane.

“No!” she screamed, “no! Don’t touch me!”

She tried to free her arms only to have Rick and Shane tighten their grip.

“You need to calm down, Hope.” Rick voice barely made it pass Hope’s span of understanding. “If you don’t he could actually hurt you.”

“You’re hurting me! Leave me alone! Don’t touch me!” tears fell from Hope’s eyes, “I want my mommy! I want my mommy!”

That seemed to be just about enough for Daryl, as he walked into her view. He kneeled down to her height with a scowl on his face. Hope stared him in the eye she quit trying to get loose and met his gaze; scowling back at him.

“You wipe y’er eyes.” Daryl said, Shane and Rick let go of her and looked at each other before slowly leaving the girls side
Hope rubbed her eyes with her dirtied shirt, then looked back at Daryl waiting for his next words.

“Now, you stop y’er cryin’ don’t tell me y’er mama would be proud of ya, weepin’ like a big ol’ baby.” Hope dropped her gaze but tears still dropped from the corner of her eyes as she laid her arm out for Jenner.

“Hey, Hope?” Hope heard Sophia call as she made her way to the showers, she turned slightly. She was still a bit shaken from the blood tests, and hadn’t looked anyone in the eye during supper.
Sophia held a towel of her own and clean clothes, she gave Hope a small shy smile as she finally caught up to her.

“You’re starting to look better.” Sophia commented, instead of retorting quickly as Hope would usually do, she just nodded and turned walking towards the showers, she heard Sophia as she followed her.

“Is it hard?” she asked, Hope gave her a questioning look. “Well, your daddy’s not here neither is your mama. I was just wondering if it was hard for you…”

“‘Course it is.” Hope retorted, “It would be different if they were here. They’d always be fighting.”

“Your parents didn’t get along?” Sophia asked, Hope tilted her head to the side thinking.

“Mama didn’t trust Daddy; she said he was a liar, and that he wasn’t very nice. Mama said they used to fight all the time ‘fore I was born, and after I was born, Mama left.” Hope shrugged, “Mama just wasn’t comfortable with me being around him.”

“Did you ever meet him?”

“I was meeting him for the first time when this happened, Mama told me I shouldn’t go, that it wasn’t safe, that something was gonna happen and she would lose me, but I told her I’d be okay…. I thought I’d be okay.”

“you are,” Sophia and Hope jumped at the voice, and quickly turned to see a smiling Carol, Hope tried to smile too but it didn’t feel right, she turned back around and quickly made her way to the showers.