Ezra's POV
Gregory and I don't say a word as we sit in the waiting room of the hospital room. This all seems surreal to me. Almost like I'm living a nightmare, that I desperately wish I could wake up from. Hope. My little girl. The one who is a spitting image of Aria, and loved to play princess and dress up as a child. Who am I kidding? She still is a child! Hope is fourteen years old for crying out loud. Who would hurt an innocent fourteen year old girl? I don't know the answer to that question. All I know is that I feel sick. Absolutely and utterly sick to my stomach.
I glance up when the door to Hope's hospital room bursts open. I see Aria standing in the doorway without our little girl. Maybe she is still resting in her hospital bed. The doctors told me she could be here a while, depending on the severity of her injuries.
"How is she?" I ask, as I spring to my feet.
Aria sighs, and shakes her head slowly. My poor wife looks as though she has aged fifty years within the past few hours. I cannot imagine how difficult all of this must be for her. I wish I could take all the pain for both of my girls, but once again, I cannot do anything to fix the situation. I am helpless.
"It's going to be okay." I mutter, before springing to my feet, and enveloping my wife in a ginormous hug.
"I'm so sorry, Ezra." Aria says, as tears begin to pour out of her hazel eyes.
"Stop. You have nothing to be sorry for." I tell my wife truthfully.
"Dad is right. I am the one who should be apologizing." Gregory says, speaking up for the first time since our arrival.
"What?" Aria asks, with confusion in her voice.
"Mom, I was in charge of watching Hope while you were away. I should have been there to protect her, but I wasn't. I failed. I let that monster hurt my baby sister..." Gregory says, as he begins to hyperventilate.
I feel for Gregory because I know exactly how he feels. The most important person in his life got hurt, and he wishes he could have done something to prevent it from happening. I felt the same way when Nick hurt Aria, and I feel the same way tonight. Gregory shouldn't have to take responsibility for this though. He did not know Hope was going to a party, and he had know way of knowing about the events that were going to unfold.
"Gregory, please don't say that. This sucks, but it wasn't your fault. You didn't make Hope go to the party, and you certainly didn't rape her, so enough! Stop punishing yourself for this. Trust me, this is going to be hard enough without you putting the blame on yourself." I say, with a breathy sigh.
"He's right, Gregory. You couldn't have stopped this from happening. We don't blame you, and neither does Hope." Aria says, before wrapping her arms around our son, and pulling him close to her.
Aria's touch causes Gregory to burst into tears. For a minute, I mistake Gregory for the five year old boy he was when I first met him. Sometimes I forget that he's practically an adult. Still, this must be terrible for him. Aria senses his pain because she begins to stroke his curls, and whisper words I cannot make out into his ear. Even though Gregory and I are extremely close, the bond he has with Aria is untouchable. Sometimes I feel like I am the third wheel when I'm around my wife and son. They went though so much together, and it shows during moments like these.
Before I can intervene, Hope's doctor walks into the room. Maybe he can finally tell us what is going on with our daughter. Hopefully he'll let us take her home tonight.
"I'm guessing you're Hope's immediate family? My name is Dr. Stein. Do you mind if I take a seat so I can tell you about Hope?" Dr. Stein asks, as he gestures towards the empty chair next to my wife.
"Yes. Absolutely." Aria says with a nod.
The older man takes a seat next to Aria, and lets out a long sigh. This can't be good. Sighs are never good.
"Is everything okay, Doctor?" I ask, with panic in my voice.
"The good news is that Hope isn't sustaining any major injuries. We didn't find any sexually transmitted diseases, and there isn't damage to any of her major organs." Dr. Stein informs us.
"So what's the bad news?" Aria asks in a shaky voice.
"The bad news is that there were tears in Hope's vagina that are consistent with rape. Your daughter's story is legitimate. She was sexually assaulted." Dr. Stein tells us gently.
Hope would never lie about something like this, but hearing Dr. Stein say it out loud makes this seem so much more real. Aria begins to wail, and Gregory buries his face in his hands. I rub Aria's back gently, in hopes of consoling her.
"We collected her attacker's semen, and we will hand it over to the Rosewood PD as soon as possible. I'm assuming you will be pressing charges? If so, Hope will need to go to the police station tomorrow morning to give her statement." Dr. Stein says, looking directly at me.
"Yes. We will be pressing charges against whoever did this to our daughter. I will bring Hope to the station in the morning." I say through my gritted teeth.
"Ezra, I think we should talk to Hope before we agree to this." Aria says as she stares into my blue eyes.
"What is there to agree on? Our daughter was assaulted, Aria! We're going to make sure that whoever hurt her goes to prison. It's the right thing to do!" I say, as I begin to raise my voice.
"Okay. We'll talk to Hope about it. Can we take her home? I'm sure she'd feel much more comfortable in her own bed than in that hospital room." Aria tells Dr. Stein.
"Yes. You'll need to sign her release forms, but it should be okay to take Hope home." Dr. Stein says with a nod.
"Thank God!" I mutter before springing to my feet, and following Dr. Chance out of the waiting room.
Aria's POV
After a ten minute drive from the hospital, we finally arrive at our comfortable home near Hollis. No one says as a word as we enter the house, and close the door behind us. What now? I have a daughter who is seriously hurt, and I have no idea how I can help her.
"Do you want to sleep in our bed with Mommy, Hope? I can sleep in your room of you think you'd sleep better with your mother laying next to you." Ezra offers.
Ezra does this a lot. Whenever he gets upset, or realizes that Hope is growing up, he babies her. Usually I would criticize Ezra for treating Hope like a five year old, but tonight I don't mind. If babying Hope will make her feel better, I'm all for it.
"That's okay, Daddy. I think I'd like to sleep in my room tonight. Can you walk me up, Mom?" Hope asks, as she looks up at me.
"Of course I can." I say, before running my fingers through my daughter's straightened hair.
"Goodnight, sweetheart." Ezra mutters, before pulling Hope in for a long hug.
"Goodnight, Daddy. Goodnight, Gregory." Hope says, as she looks up at her older brother.
Gregory doesn't say anything. Instead, he walks up to Hope, and plants a soft kiss on her forehead. He does the same for me, before walking upstairs to his bedroom. Now it's just the three of us.
"Hope, I have some clean sheets in the laundry room. I'm going to grab them for you. Why don't you go upstairs, and I'll meet you up there?" I suggest.
"You don't have to do that. My sheets are fine..." Hope starts to say.
"Yes, I do. I want you to be as comfortable as possible. Please, just let me get them for you." I say, feeling the urge to cry all of the sudden.
Hope doesn't argue anymore. Instead, she nods her head and walks upstairs. Ezra starts to say something, but I don't listen. I sprint to the laundry room, and pull the fresh sheets out of the cupboard. I hold them close to me, as tears begin to pour out of my eyes. No. I can't do this. If I go up to Hope's room with red eyes and puffy cheeks, she'll know I was crying. She can't know I was crying. I have to stay strong for my daughter. Hope is suffering far more than I am right now. I take a deep breathe, before walking out of the laundry room, and into my daughter's sanctuary.
When I arrive, Hope is sitting on her bed, and not saying a word. I look around the room, and try not to cry when I see her pink walls. Hope's walls have been this color ever since she was a little baby. Once Hope started high school, she started begging me to repaint the room. I never got around to it. Maybe it's because painting Hope's walls would be like admitting that she's not the same baby girl I brought home from the hospital fourteen years ago.
"Hope, do you mind standing up for a minute? I need to make your bed." I mutter.
Hope nods, before springing off the canopy bed that Ezra built her when she turned thirteen. I strip off the old sheets in record time, and within minutes, the bed is completely made. Hope crawls into it, and I gently tuck her underneath the covers. As soon as she's tucked in, I tenderly stoke my daughter's cheek, before bending down to kiss her forehead.
"What can I do for you?" I whisper, as I stare into the girl's blue eyes.
"C-Can you leave my lamp on when you walk out?" Hope asks me softly.
"Yes. Of course. Are you sure you're okay sleeping alone tonight? I don't mind staying with you." I say, secretly wanting to hold my daughter all night.
"No. I'll be fine. I'm just really tired." Hope says, as she shakes her head slowly.
"Okay. I love you so much, sweetie-pie. I'll be right down the hall if you need anything, okay? Don't hesitate to wake me up, or..." I ramble.
"Mom, I got it. I love you too." Hope says, cutting me off mid-sentence.
I kiss my daughter's forehead one last time before springing to my feet, and walking towards the door. Should I be leaving her? What if she needs me?
"Mom!" Hope calls, as soon as I take a step out of the room.
"What is it, honey?" I ask, as I turn to face her.
"Do you- Do you think I'm a bad girl sometimes?" Hope asks, as her chin begins to quiver.
I don't say a word. Instead, I hurry back to the bed, and pull Hope in for a long hug. She begins to sob in my arms, and I try to keep the tears back. Stay strong, Aria. Stay strong for the baby girl in your arms.
"Of course I don't think you're a bad girl! You're just growing up, and that's okay. It's normal." I say, as I stroke Hope's hair gently.
"B-but I lied to Gregory. I went to a party, even though you told me they were dangerous. I even got drunk..." Hope starts to list.
"Hope, stop. Please stop. I do not want you to go down that road. You chose to lie to Gregory, you chose to go to the party, and you even chose to drink. But guess what? It doesn't matter. You DID NOT chose to have sex. Someone made that decision for you, and it was wrong. I don't care if you feel angry that this happened, as long as you're not angry with yourself. If you want to be angry with someone, be angry with whoever did this to you." I say, as I look right into my daughter's eyes.
"M-Mommy... I didn't tell you the truth. I lied." Hope says, as she begins to sob even harder if that's humanly possible.
What does she mean she lied? What is there to lie about? Hope was raped. End of discussion.
"Hope, what are you talking about?" I ask her gently.
"I wasn't attacked like I told you I was. I was dancing, when a senior at Rosewood High came up and started talking to me. He's one of the coolest boys in school, and Miranda has liked him since the beginning of the year so I was flattered and shocked that he would talk to a nobody like me. Miranda saw us dancing and got super upset. She told me that he was trying to take advantage of me because I was drunk. I-I didn't believe her so I said some AWFUL things, and Miranda got so angry that she left the party without me. I started to cry, and he told me that he'd take me to his car so we could talk about it..." Hope says, breaking down before she can finish her statement.
"Sh-sh. Calm down, baby girl. Just breathe. I'm right here." I say, as tears begin to spill out of my eyes.
"After we got to the car, he started kissing me. I was so happy at first, Mommy. I had never kissed a boy before, and I thought he liked me so I kissed him back. It got more intense, and he started t-touching me. Then he took of my underwear and it all happened so fast... I felt like I was frozen." Hope says, as she begins to hyperventilate.
"Did you tell him no?" I ask, as my tone turns serious.
"Three times." Hope says, with a whimper.
"Honey, why didn't you tell me the truth at the hospital?" I ask her curiously.
"I-I didn't think you'd believe me. I got into the car with him, I didn't exactly fight back when he started doing things." Hope says with a sniffle.
"It doesn't matter. You said no, and that should have been enough. Even if you hadn't said the word, "no" it still wouldn't have been okay for him to do that. First of all, you never said yes, and therefor the sex was not consensual. You were also drunk, and underage. You mentioned that this boy was a senior. Is he eighteen yet?" I ask my daughter curiously.
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure." Hope says with a nod.
"Who did this to you? Give me a name." I say, through my gritted teeth.
"Owen Labrie." Hope says, in a barely audible whisper.
Owen Labrie? The golden boy of Rosewood did this to my daughter? I feel even angrier if that's humanly possible. That asshole thought that just because he was going to Harvard, he could get away with assaulting a minor? He's in for a rude awakening. I'm going to RUIN him for doing this to Hope. I don't care if all of Rosewood hates me for it. He deserves to rot in hell, or in this case, rot in prison.
"Hope, he's not going to get away with doing this to you. I promise." I say, as I try to maintain my outrage.
"No one is gonna believe me." Hope says, as she shakes her head slowly.
"Yes they will, honey! The truth lies in the evidence. He hurt you, Hope." I say, trying to convince her and myself.
"I guess." Hope mutters, as she avoids looking into my eyes.
"Just be prepared to talk to the police about what happened tomorrow morning. I'll be with you the entire time." I say, as I grab my daughter's hand, and give it a gentle squeeze.
"Thanks. I love you, but do you mind leaving? It's not personal. I just feel really tired." Hope says, with a yawn.
"Of course not. I completely understand. I love you so much, my baby girl." I say before kissing Hope's cheek, and hurrying out of the bedroom.
As soon as I close the door behind me, tears begin to spill out of my eyes. Hope was so young... So innocent compared to how Gregory was at fourteen. All I wanted was to protect and shelter her from the Nick's of the world. Why did this have to happen? My daughter didn't deserve this.
I walk down the hallway, and into the bedroom I share with Ezra. A startled gasp escapes from my lips when I open the door, to find Ezra sobbing hysterically on the bed. I don't say a word. Instead, I run over to the love of my life, and hold him as though my life depends on it.
"Don't cry, Ezra. Please don't cry. It's going to be fine. Hope is going to be fine." I say, as even more tears begin to pour out of my eyes.
"This wasn't supposed to happen, Aria. Not to her at least. Not to our little Hope. I promised that I'd keep her safe. I promised you on the day she was born!" Ezra says, as he continues to sob into my chest.
"Oh Ezra, there wasn't anything you could have done. It's not your fault, and I know that. Don't beat yourself up like Gregory is doing. Please don't. Hope doesn't need that right now. All she needs is to know that you're going to help her through this." I say, as my tone turns serious.
For half a second, Ezra stops crying. He holds his breath, before letting out a prolonged sob. My husband is trying to be strong for me, and for the fourteen year-old girl down the hall. Even though I've been away from Nick for years, my anxiety hasn't gone away. There are days when I'm terrified to leave Ezra's side because I don't want someone to take me from him. There are nights when I wake up screaming because of nightmares, and Ezra has to stay up with me until I calm down. There are weeks when I just feel sad. Sometimes I bottle the feelings up, and other times I just cry. Ezra is used to this, and he's always there to hold and comfort me. Right now I'm the one comforting him. It's strange, since Ezra is always so strong. I'm glad the roles are reversed tonight, since the pain Ezra is feeling must be unbearable.
"Baby, I was wrong. You can cry. Don't be brave for me, Ezra. I love you, and I'm here for you." I say, as I stare into his blue eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Aria. I should be comforting you right now." Ezra says, with a breathy sigh.
"It doesn't have to be a one-sided thing, Ezra. We can comfort each other. Just having you here is comforting enough." I tell him truthfully.
Both of us just hold each other, and sob for the rest of the night. How are we going to get through this? More importantly, how are our children going to get through this?
AN: What did you think of this chapter? Was it interesting to hear Ezra's perspective? Do you have any new insights on Hope, or her relationship with Aria? You learn a lot more about some of the tensions that exist between the mother and daughter in the next chapter, and how that affects Hope. What did you think of the Ezria scene at the end? Please review and tell me your thoughts. Thanks for reading :)