Chapter 14

Traumas Revisited

AN: Hey, guys! So, here's Chapter 14! Thank you so much for the reviews! Be sure to check out my Wind at my Back story! Have a great day! God Bless You, fellow writers! :)

Three weeks. It had been three weeks. Three weeks since Mary had been hit by the truck. Three weeks since she had gone into a coma. She still hadn't woken up. Dr Kennedy was starting to doubt if she'd make it. Patients who remained comatose for over a week, he had told them, had less of a chance of waking up, and even less of a chance of escaping the injury without brain damage.

Thomas had pretty much given up on his daughter at this point. That was what sickened Luke the most. Instead of praying, which Luke did on a daily basis, Thomas just hung around the cafe.

And then there were the Ross's. Thomas would barely let them in the waiting room through his hate, and hardly ever in Mary's room. And it's not like they could do much anyway. There's technically not anything you can do for a comatose person and her distraught twin.

That was probably the reason that Emma found her ex-brother sitting in Mary's room on the window seat, hugging his knees to his chest, resting his head on the wall. He looked more devastated than she had ever seen him. Worse than when he was "dumped" by Jessie all those times, worse than when he had dislocated his knee last year. He looked ruined.

She knocked lightly on the door. "Hey," she said quietly.

Luke barely made eye contact with her. "Hey."

"Can I come in?" She asked hopefully.

Luke shrugged. Emma stepped inside. The room was bare, with pale walls, a window, and two chairs. The tv was covered in dust, and Emma could see dirt in the corners of the floor. This was definitely not the place for rich socialites to be.

But the Olsens weren't socialites. They were normal people who settled for what was handed them. And that wasn't much.

What pained Emma wasn't the room. Even though with her style, she could've done A LOT to it. It was Mary. She had a big scratch across her right cheek, and a bandage on the left side of her forehead.

Being from New York, Emma had seen plenty of people beaten up. Even Mary's rugged appearance when they first met hadn't really shocked her. But now Mary looked as if she'd lost a fist fight to a baseball bat.

Emma gently sat down next to her brother and leaned against the wall. For a moment, they were silent, and the only sound was th soft beeping of the monitors. Then Emma gathered her courage.

"You okay?" She asked.

Luke exhaled deeply. "You really want to know?"

Emma felt a question nagging at her. She didn't want to ask it, and wasn't sure if she wanted an answer, but she had to know. "Luke," she started. "You remembered your...your dad, didn't you?"

Luke didn't say anything. After a while, he nodded.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Luke turned to her. He was almost angry. "How could I?" He questioned. "He's abusive. You were six when I was adopted. You wouldn't have understood. And Ravi and Zuri are too little to get it."

"You could've told me later on," Emma retorted. "I'm mature. I'd get it."

Luke snorted. "Oh, really?!" He yelled, standing up. "The perfect little biological child of Morgan and Christina Ross. The one who always had everything and always will!" Luke started pacing. "You were always in New York, Emma. You didn't get shoved in a foster home, Not knowing where your next meal was coming from. You didn't get locked in a closet every night by your father when he and your mom wanted to argue. You didn't screamed at!"

Luke took a few breaths. "You don't get it. You didn't have to get thrown on a plane with two rich people you didn't even know and find out that you've got a sister and a penthouse waiting for you in New York. You didn't have to make excuses to little kids in kindergarten why you weren't there for preschool but your sister was. You didn't have to deal with any of that!"

Emma didn't know what to say. She hadn't known that Luke had kept all this inside of him for eight years. Maybe that was why he was so disobedient. He needed an outlet.

"Luke," she said softly after a while. "Did he really lock you two in a closet?"

Luke nodded and sat down hard on the window seat. "He beat us a couple times, too. Probably did more. I was just too little to remember it."

"Luke...I'm so sorry. I...I had no idea."

Luke turned away from her, not wanting to meet her eyes. "Its not your fault. You had no way to know."

Then Emma surprised him. She scooched forward and wrapped him into a tight hug. Luke hugged her back.

July 15, 2005. 5:32 p.m.

It all started at Marvin's Grocery Store. The Olsens were out doing some last minute shopping for the evening. Vanessa Olsen, a young woman in her mid-thirties, was holding a box of Linguine and reading the nutrition labels. Suddenly, she glanced around. "Thomas, have you seen the kids?"

Thomas rolled his eyes. "No. I don't keep an eye on them."

Vanessa sighed. "Tom, they're five years old. They can easily get lost."

Almost on cue, five year old twins Luke and Mary bolted up to them.

"Mom, mom, mom!" Luke squealed. "Can I get this video game? Please?"

Vanessa took the box her son was holding and read the back. "'WARNING: This game contains violence, blood, and fantasy fighting. Viewer discretion is advised.' Rated T for Teens. No!"

Luke sighed.

Mary giggled. "That's what you get for not listening to me!"

Luke punched her in a brotherly manner.

"Hey!" Mary squealed, returning the punch. Then Luke gave Chase.

As the twins bolted through the aisles, Vanessa turned to her husband. She held up the box. "See. This is why we shouldn't let them go in the game and video section alone."

Thomas shrugged. "Hey. This is Detroit. You have to be prepared for anything."

Vanessa huffed. "That's why I think we should move." She took hold of the handles of their cart started pushing. "We could all use a better home."

Thomas chuckled. "And I could use $1000 so I guess we're both a couple of dreamers."

Later that evening...

Thomas gripped the steering wheel hard. It was dark out. Really dark for a Detroit summer. But it was cloudy and foggy, and having broken headlights really didn't help the risky driver. Vanessa glanced at the road to her husband and back again.

"Tom, honey, maybe you should slow down."

"I don't need to."

"Tom-"

"I said I don't need to!"

"You're going too fast!"

"No, I'm not-"

"Dad!" Came Mary's strangled scream from the backseat. Thomas's eyes darted back to the road. Through the fog, a deer had stepped onto the road. Thomas yanked on the steering wheel, but the car was indeed going too fast. It hit the deer straight on, then spun out of control. It rolled down a large hill off the road. Vanessa screamed as the windshield busted in. Mary screamed as her window shattered, her seatbelt broke, and she was thrown out completely, and the whole group screamed when the car finally came to a stop, with Mary a few feet from it, and burst into flames, engulfing the family instantly.

Luke shot up from his chair, drenched in sweat. Trying to sleep clearly wasn't working for him. As he calmed down his racing heart, the realization hit him. Mary had lied to him. He HAD been there for the accident. He had let his sister get crippled, and his mom killed. Luke, stop it, he said to himself. There's nothing you could've done.

Though that was true, Luke still felt a part of the dream nagging at him. But he didn't know what. Then it seized him. "And I could use $1000." Thomas's words echoed in his son's head. Thomas had always needed money. And clearly, he went to extremes to get it, like gambling. Not that he was ever successful.

Then Luke knew. He knew exactly what had happened. His father needed money. Mary was the only source of income. If she and Luke went to the Ross's, there would be a lot of people after Thomas for the money he owed them. That was why he stole from his daughter. Any judge would easily send Luke and Mary to the Ross's. So, why not HIRE a judge. Thomas would get his money, and his kids. But, why not kill two birds with one stone. Why not hire someone he owed money to. That way Thomas would keep his income, and they would get their money.

Then Luke knew. He knew who it was. He had, unbeknownst to his father, heard the discussion held in the doctor's office. Thomas had hired the person he owed the most money to. Someone he could count on.

Judge Eli Barren was none other than Dr William Kennedy, the alter ego of Jack Moyer.

AN: Dun, dun, dun! So, what do you think? Sorry if the last part is a little confusing. Just to review, the judge was a fake, portrayed by Dr Kennedy, who is also Jack Moyer, the friend that Thomas owes $1000 to. If you don't get it, it's okay. You will later on. I don't want give it away, so I won't explain. But if you're really at a loss, PM me to ask. I'll try to update as soon as I can, and I'll probably explain it in the next few chapters. Please review! P.S. Sorry it took so long, but I've been super busy. Have a great day! God Bless You, fellow writers! :)