Question and Answer Time!
Guest - "I thought Australia was a wonderful place to live! but your opinion of the US must be horrible if you think that they way Letty is treated is normal or commonplace here! it isn't.
That type of abuse and neglect is unforgivable and would scar a girl for life! surely her teachers would report the suspected abuse/neglect when she appeared sick. or when no one could reach a parent for 2 months at a time. Surely, Dom's father (who seems to be a stand up kind of guy and who is allowing her to eat at his home all the time) would make a report or take her in himself! And now that he knows she's being hurt, he HAS to report it! Surely, the doctors and nurses at the hospital are mandatory reporters for abuse! There would be a cop in her room before she woke up to take the report!
(I was confused that Letty was unconscious for 3 days and then woke up and the first thing she thinks is about paying a hospital bill? what 13 year old thinks about hospital bills? But then I realized She probably has a concussion and isn't thinking straight! )"
Paul is all mine ladies answer/apology - Yes, Australia is a wonderful place but abuse does happen everywhere albeit much less in some Countries than others, and no, I don't have a horrible opinion of the US. I know it can be a great place as I have family living there. I have no knowledge of abuse statistics in the US as I have never lived there. This fanfic is simply based in the US and I wasn't trying to intentionally attack it if you feel that i have, I'm sorry for that but this is just a fanfic and not everything stated in it will be 100% factual. On another note teachers, medical staff and Mr T etc wouldn't know for certain who exactly was abusing Letty or what was going on exactly and while it is strongly recommended you do, you don't have to bring forward information if you don't feel comfortable nor if you don't know the full story or what's happening in the background. Letty's mother wasn't known to Mr Toretto during this fanficiton until he really met her in this chapter so how could he or teachers know if she was missing for months? And yes, in some situations the first thing people do think of after accidents is how they are going to pay for things no matter the age (with in reason). I in real life was involved in a quite large accident at age 13 and when I came around the first thing i thought of was how my parents were going to pay for my expensive sugary I undertook on my face so I know for a fact that even at a young age, although i'm sure it can depend on maturity levels and the individual, you do in fact worry about expenses and I was brought up in a stable family environment with both parents working decent jobs and bringing in a reasonable income each year. Hope this was a little enlightening into my though process for the previous chapter, thanks, Paul is all mine ladies.
Previously –
Vince's Pov
She tried to say something when a nurse appeared, looking flushed and out of breath. She shrieked at me, I snorted as if I was going to let her keep running, stupid bitch. She ranted at Mr T when he asked what the problem was and I felt myself getting annoyed, that wasn't very professional behaviour. I looked at Letty and saw her eyes roll back into her head as she sagged into me, looking suddenly incredibly tired. It seemed all too familiar, they raced her back into a room and we were left in the waiting room, wondering what the hell had caused her to run and try to escape…
Ages: Dominic 14, Letty 14, Vince 13, Mia 11.
Letty's Pov
I didn't bother opening my eyes when I woke up, I just thought about all the shit had gone down in the past… week I guess you could say as I don't know how long I have been out. My body felt like it had been dragged through a bed of crushed glass followed by receiving an ass kicking by a football team and then thrown from a two story house. In simple terms I ached everywhere, particularly in my right side, it felt like it was on fire under the weak protection of pain killers. I had a headache and didn't bother even wanting to open my eyes; I knew the light would hurt my head even more. I slipped in and out of consciousness for the next best part of the day I guessed, unable to have any perception of time. I was pulled from my resting at the raised voice that never failed to shake me to my core, my eyes opened in an instant and the blinding light flooded into them but that was nothing to me as I laid trapped in fear.
"Where is she?" My mother demanded "Where is Leticia?"
I let out a whimper, failing to notice the person who was sitting in the corner of the room looking at me curiously.
She opened the door loudly, making me jump in fear of both her and the noise that she created, I winced at the look of her. She looked wild and as I looked closer I could see she was just coming down from a drug induced haze, her eyes were dilated but seeing what was going on around her unlike when she was high and could see physically but wasn't really seeing. She closed the door as if nothing was wrong, everyone outside the room continuing on like nothing was wrong, little did they know what could happen.
"Leticia," She growled softly striding towards me quickly standing at the foot of my bed "What have I told you about getting me in trouble?"
"You're not in trouble." I whispered not meeting her eyes in fear "I haven't said anything to anyone, no one knows anything."
"There will be an inquiry," She snapped bristling at me answering back to her "What are you going to do when people start asking questions? Do you want me to be taken off to jail and you will be sent to a kids home?"
Yes "No." I replied growing concerned at her progressing up towards my head
"Good." She nodded
There was a pregnant pause that hung in the air and I felt a little bit of courage enter me, I couldn't tell if it was the pain killers or my own recklessness.
"Are you going away again?"
"I think it would be best," She snapped suddenly drunk on anger again, her eyes were blazing angrily "God you are such a pathetic excuse for a daughter! It would be better it I just stayed away."
Hurt flooded through me, she said shit like that all the time but it cut me deep without fail every single time.
"I wish you would just die and it would save me all this hassle." She spat about to land a slap on my face when I large hand gripped her wrist
I jumped at the sight of Mr T standing behind my mother, his face was a picture of rage. She stepped away from him pulling her wrist free. "Who the fuck are you?"
"Her new guardian." He growled in such an authoritative voice I was surprised to see my mother cower slightly "Lay another finger on her and I won't hesitate to call security. I don't want to see you in my street again, if I even get wind of you near her I will make sure you have a cell with your name on it."
"It's not like I really wanted her anyway." She sneered "She's your burden now, good luck. And I can tell you now you won't have any problems with me coming to this shit hole ever again."
And with that my mother walked out of my life for me to never see her again. I sagged down in the bed, shock settling down deep in my bones at her exit… would I ever see her again? I felt detached and feather light, like I could float away at any second.
"Letty?" Mr T asked looking at me in concern
I noticed warm tears flooding down my cheeks, I couldn't decide if they were tears of joy or devastation. Sobs wracked my body and I cried at the pain in my ribs, I just cried for no reason but I knew that there was no stopping my tears. When my sobs turned to sniffles and they turned to hiccups before I fell quiet, I noticed for the first time then Mr T stroking my hair gently, consolingly.
"Are you okay?" Mr T asked his concern taking over his whole being, I had never been cared like this since I could remember, save the hands incident.
I nodded drying my face feeling empty, just emotionally wrecked. I honestly didn't really know how I felt.
"Letty we need to have a serious conversation now," Mr Toretto "What I'm about to offer you isn't the right thing to do or the right thing I should be doing but I'm going to offer you what I feel is right for you."
I nodded, keen to hear what he had to say.
"I didn't know what your full situation was until I saw it today and I felt like I had to put it to a stop. Now I know you care a great deal about your mother, not everyone wouldn't tell people if they were being abused and neglected. But would you like to join my family and I could be your guardian? You don't have to and I can call the authorities and notify them of what I just saw happen and your mother will me remanded for her actions towards you. I shouldn't be asking someone as young as you this Letty but… I just want you to be able to control your life within reason to how you think it should be lived." He explained, giving me the keys essentially to my own life I felt touched
"Over the last few weeks I have been living with you practically anyway," I said carefully "I can't see as long as you are okay with it me moving in with you could make that much difference to you…"
He grinned "Letty, I already think of you as my own child, I would be over the moon to have you."
My smile fell "How can I pay for all my expenses, Mr T. it isn't fair that you should have to pay for me when my mother should be paying for me."
"Don't worry about it Letty." He frowned at me "You need to rest up and get well, let an adult worry about that kind of stuff for a change."
"But-." I tried to say
"No but's," He frowned "Rest. I can tell that you need it."
"Thank you." I sighed settling back into my pillows feeling… peaceful for the first time in a long time
"You're welcome, Letty and don't you ever forget it." Mr T nodded "Now I have to go take care of a few things, rest up."
I shut my eyes as the door clicked shut and felt contentment slip though my body like a warm hug, enveloping me and not letting me go. I knew in that moment that I was making the right decision. A single tear slipped from my eye, I finally had the one thing I had wanted for as long as I could remember. A family. I was released from hospital in the next day, Mia, Dom and Vince were all over the moon to find out I was coming to live with them but they didn't know the finer details and I wanted it to stay like that for the moment. I slipped into the routine of the Toretto house and found myself coming closer to Mia. I had only seen her on days I had dinner with them before the accident as she didn't come around to the garage I didn't see a whole lot of her until I moved in. I kept working at the garage for Mr T every day after I recovered, save Saturday's and Sunday's. He told me that working for me was paying my hospital bill and I believed him, knowing that the rate I was working even if I wasn't paying it all off it would be making a huge difference around the garage anyway.
"Letty!" Mia squealed next to my ear as I was buried under the hood of a car and I got such as fright that I jumped and banged my head
"Fucking bas-" I began to shout before I paused not wanting to swear in front of Mia "What's up Mia?"
She snorted in laughter "Nothing, just wanted to say hi."
"Hi." I grumbled rubbing my head as I straightened up, my eyes searching for the boys
"There not here." Mia shrugged before pulling a sour face "There at Taylah's house."
I wrinkled my nose "Again?"
"Yeah." Mia scowled "I don't like her. She's a bully."
She's more than that I thought to myself but didn't say what I was thinking, Mia wouldn't understand just yet what I was getting at and I didn't want her to understand. She was too angelic in my mind to find out about that kind of stuff just yet.
"Earth to Letty." Mia droned in a mystical voice, mocking me I could tell and I let her… she was my 'sister' "Where'd you go?" she asked suddenly quiet
"Thinking." I shrugged before I grinned knowing what would get her off my case "Thinking of the million ways I could chase you around this workshop and get your cute little outfit covered in grease for a change."
"You wouldn't," She laughed knowing me too well "I know you Letty."
Mr T poked his head out of the office and smiled at us two before frowning "It's good to see you two laughing but do you know where the boys are?"
"At Taylah's house." We both answered in the same mocking, sing-song voice sharing a look
"That's the third time this week." Mr T frowned
"We know." I grumbled peering back under the hood of the car completely missing the look father and daughter shared at my answer
Sorry about the long wait but once again life is busy for me at the moment but I will try hard to get another chapter up within the next few days if i can and if i get 10 or more reviews. Yay! Mia and Letty are connecting sort of, next chapter the gang will all be a little older and some tender beginnings 'Dotty' will start forming. Once again I don't anything except my own ideas, Thanks and show me the love, Paul is all mine ladies
