A Far Cry From Innocence.

I opened my eyes and looked around my unfamiliar surroundings in confusion. Where was I? What happened? Where was Brian? I reached up and rubbed a sore spot on my head, feeling a huge bump. I looked up as a doctor came in.

"Oh, good, you're awake!" He smiled and wrote something on his clipboard. He sat in a chair by my hospital bed and set a glass of water on the table. "I'm sure your thirsty." He watched me drink half the glass and chuckled to himself. "Alright, I just need to make sure of a couple things. Will you say something for me?"

My brows pulled together in confusion and I tilted my head. "Like what?" I really wasn't sure what he wanted me to say.

He chuckled and wrote on his clipboard again, "That's just fine." He looked up and me, leaning forward a little in his chair. "Do you know your name?"

"Yes, Avigaiel Elizabeth Haner," I nodded. I gave a small smile, "I also go by Hazzard Gates."

He nodded with a smile, writing on the clipboard again. "Do you remember you birthday, siblings, parents? Today's date?"

I thought for a second. "I think it's April 17th. At least, it was last I remember." I chuckled when he nodded. "My birthday's on the 24th and I'll be eighteen. I have two older brothers, Brian Jr and Brent, a step brother named Johnny, and a half sister named McKenna. My dad's name is Brian Sr my step mom is Suzy." I nodded at all the information the looked at the doctor.

He smiled, "Very good. No memory loss is a very good sign." He wrote a few things down on his clipboard before looking to me again. "Alright now, Avigaiel. Do you know why you're in the hospital?"

I looked at the wall as I thought. "I remember getting up to get ready for school this morning... I was still mad at my brother. I came down the stairs and..." I pursed my lips and thought harder, my forehead creasing. I couldn't remember. "Not really." He nodded, but without the smile, writing once again. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No, actually, that's pretty normal. You'll most likely remember tomorrow." He looked up at me. "We're not entirely sure what happened either since the man who brought you in was taken away by the police before we could get any information from him."

Brian had been arrested? What had he done? When had this happened? I was alone in the hospital while Brian sat in jail... I chewed on my lip, almost instantly realizing my piercing was gone. I reaching up and touched the spot is usually resident in mild panic.

The doctor chuckled and took a small plastic bag from his breast pocket, handing it to me. "We needed to take them out for a couple tests." He stood up and walked toward the door, turning back to me. "You have a few visitors. Would you like to see them?"

"Visitors?" I smiled and nodded. The doctor excused himself and I waited, playing with the blanket over my legs. I wanted to put my piercings back in but only got the lip, after much struggle, and couldn't get my bridge piercing in until I had a mirror. I looked up as the doctor returned.

"Alright, just a little while, everyone. We still have to run some tests." He let the group in. "If you need anything, just holler for Dr. Ashford," he told me with a smile before leaving us to tend to another patient.

"Are you okay?" Suzy ran in an enveloped me in a warm, tight hug. She pulled back and looked at my face, as if trying to do an x-ray with just her eyes.

"My head hurts a little bit and I'm really hungry, but I'll survive." I shrugged and half smiled.

My dad walked over and gently ruffled my hair. "Thatta girl. Haner's never say die!" He pumped his fist in the air in a cliche, heroic gesture.

I rolled my eyes. "Dad, Im pretty sure that's the Goonies." I snickered and looked at McKenna. Only eight years old, she stared at me with concern written on her face. "I'm okay, Kenna." She smiled at me.

Val sat at my bedside with Matt. "Are you okay, sweetie? Do you need anything?" She pet the side of my face tenderly. Val had always been like an older sister or mom to me.

"Some food and a drink would be really nice, actually." I looked at my empty glass of water with a frown. I watched as Val held up her hand before disappearing out of the room. I looked around at everyone. "So, did you guys hear about Brian?" Surely they had, I was just hoping to get some more info.

Matt snickered and hurried to compose himself. "Yeah, we saw him getting hauled out right when we arrived. Zacky went to bail him out." He smirked, unable to restrain himself that much.

Brent walked in and ruffled my head, not being gentle enough for the tender bump. "You were always such a klutz, Av." He snickered and poked the middle of my forehead.

"Ow, Brent..." I rubbed the back of my head and gave him a face that was half annoyed and half pained. I was mostly just trying to make him feel bad, it hadn't hurt much. "So does anyone know when Zack's bringing Brian back?"

"You just called me Zack..."

I looked up at Zacky, frozen in the door way. He looked hurt and confused and concerned. Beside him stood a furious Brian, his nostril's flaring but his eyes concerned as he looked at me.

"I did?" I had never called him Zack before, not since before I knew him. He had always been Zacky to me and Brian... until yesterday. "I don't know..." Why had I called him Zack? "I'm sorry."

He forced a smile and waved it off, walking into the room. "Don't worry about it. I was only joking." He said it, but I could tell he didn't mean it and was still hurt by it.

Brian walked in and sat on my bedside. He was about to say something to me before our dad cut in. "I heard you were arrested. What the hell did you do, Brian?" Part of him was joking, but his question was serious.

"Dad, not now," Brian said, rolling his eyes and rubbing his temples. I could tell he wasn't in a good mood, and that was something our dad likely noticed to. But he wasn't going to take that for an answer.

"Brian Elwin Haner junior, you usually never shut the fuck up and now you don't want to talk? Well, fuck me, where's my real son?" The sarcasm in his voice was thick and combined evenly with annoyance. My brother should've known better than that.

They stared between each other for a long time, my brother giving out dad that look every child gives their parent when they're annoying them. Finally he scoffed and roll his eyes. "I sped, alright? When I was bringing Avi to the hospital. Then I dissed the pig and sped off before he could give me my ticket, ran over the cops foot," he had to pause to keep himself from smirking, but struggled with it, "gave him the finger, and I'm surprised I didn't get pinned with resisting arrest." He looked over at Matt, "When I said for someone to bail me out, I DIDN'T MEAN FUCKING BAKER!" He glared then looked at me, once again opening his mouth to say something. But, once again, he was interrupted.

Zacky grabbed him by the shoulder and ripped him off my bedside, his eyes fierce. "Stop being such a dick, Haner!" He glared angrily. "I'm not gonna take you treating me like a piece of shit anymore!" He shoved my brother with all his might and they both stumbled to the ground.

Brian looked at him in almost shock before he glared. They fought over each other, rolling and trying to gain the upper hand. Finally, Matt ripped them apart and helped Brian up while Jimmy helped up and held back Zacky. "It's only been one day you fucking bitch, so stop being such a drama queen," he spat. "And I can treat you however the fuck I want, I can't just ignore the face that you..." His sentence dropped and he grit his teeth. He glared over at Matt, "Why the fuck did you have to send that motherfucker to bail me out!?" He punched Matt in the face then charged at Zacky again, only to be caught by our dad just before he could do anything.

Just the, the doctor come in and look at everyone. "I think you all should leave now. The tests we need to run will go a lot smoother and easier if she isn't all worked up." He ushered them out of the room then came back and looked at me. "Are you alright?" He handed me another glass of water and a candy bar. "Your friend with the blonde hair wanted me to give these to you." He smiled.

"Yeah, I'm okay." I was, really. Just confused over what could make my brother act like and say the things he had toward his best friend. It was nearly unthinkable. I took the water and candy bar and smiled, "Thank you." Finally, I could quench my thirst and my hunger.

"Are you going to be alright for a couple more tests?" The doctor let in a nurse and they looked at me with polite smiles.

I sighed, catching a glimpse at the needle in the nurses hand. I hated needles, and hospitals, but the sooner all this was done, the sooner I could go home. So I nodded, "As ready as I'll ever be. Bring it on, Doc." I gave a weak smile as the nurse walked toward me with the needle.