"Damnit, Bree, why the hell did you tell the woman your name was Tiger?"

"I…I'm sorry, Daddy. I forgot—"

"You forgot? You've been here for almost a year and you forgot? You did it on purpose!"

"No! Daddy, I didn't—"

"Shut up, damnit!" The man closed his eyes while the girl just looked at him in terror. "Get on the floor," he said.

"Daddy, I'm sorry—"

"Get on the floor!"

Trembling, she knelt down.
"Take of your shirt."

The girl obliged.

He took of his belt, let out a breath, and began to whip her. The child simply lay there, feeling each shock of the belt on her back. She had learned a long time ago not to scream, because it only hurt worse. After what seemed like eternity, he threw the belt on the ground and pulled out a gun.

"Get up," he said, putting the gun under her chin.

She tried to obey, but fell as the pain grew worse.

"Get up," he repeated, louder this time.

She managed to reach up against the wall and stand, hunched over.

He hit her with the butt of the gun on the ribs, over and over again, and she cried out in pain.

"Now you'll always remember. Right?"

Gasping, the girl nodded.

"Good." And with that, he left the room.

The child leaned against the wall, panting. After a while, she struggled to walk. Slowly, she made her way toward the front door. With shaking hands, she turned the knob and stumbled out. As she walked down the driveway, another shock of pain hit her. Wincing, she fell down yet again, hitting the hard cement. Laying with the cold ground against her face, she closed her eyes, and dreamed about something better.


Arizona sighed, looking at the girl. She had tried talking to her, but she was stubbornly quiet. The only thing she had said was her name when Arizona asked. Bree, she had said.

There was something about her that was not quite right—her pale blue eyes so clear, you could almost see through them. They had lost the innocence commonly found in children, instead only holding painted memories of what had once been.

"Arizona!"

The young blonde turned to see Addison walking up to her.

"Callie is looking for you. Apparently you're supposed to get a drink together?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm almost done. Thanks. I just have to fill out some forms for Social Services. No family. I don't even know if what she told me was her real name." Arizona glanced back at Bree.

Addison saw the worry in the doctor's eyes. "I can stay with her if you want."

"Really? She hasn't said much. They found signs of abuse when she came in. She's probably scared to death."

"I'll go see if I can help."

"Thanks," Arizona smiled. "I'll just be gone for a couple of minutes."

Addison watched her leave and sighed. She stared at the thin frame of the child's back, her wavy brown hair covering her face. Addison knocked softly on the hospital door, waited a second, and walked in.

Bree was leaning against the frame of the bed with her back facing towards Addison. The redheaded doctor slowly moved to sit down a couple of feet away.

"Hey," she said. "I'm Addison."

There was no response.

Addison tried again. "We know what happened to you, sweetie. We know you've been hurt, but we're here to help."

The child slowly turned around, her thick hair falling away from her face. Her light, blue-green eyes met Addison's, and the doctor let out a gasp. "Tiger," she breathed.

A startled look passed through the girl's eyes, but left as quickly as it had come. "Bree," she said, "my name is Bree."

Addison felt her chest tighten, but she blinked, shaking her head. "I…sorry, I didn't know what I was thinking. I…I have to go." She quickly got up from the bed and left the room. Addison leaned against the wall outside, catching her breath. Finally, she stood up straight and started down the hall, almost crashing into Arizona.

"What's the matter?" Arizona asked. "Is Bree okay?"

"Arizona," Addison said softly, "Arizona, tell Social Services not to come."

"What do you mean?"

"That…that girl in the room—she's my daughter."


Review for the next chapter! Any suggestions are welcome. I'll try to update weekly.