I heard a loud, high-pitched scream come from Linda's. I was scared shitless to go there, I wasn't sure what I'll find when I open the door to the house. I glanced out and saw both mom and Frank leave but Linda wasn't with them. When I saw they were out of view I took that as my chance to go over and see if my sister was okay.

I got half way out the door and felt someone grab my arm, I glanced back and my dad was there, he shook his head no but I got out of his grip and went to see if my sister is okay or not. I got to the house and slowly opened the door.

BANG! A gun went off. I felt a stinging sensation in my leg; I glanced down and saw the blood pouring out of my leg. I flinched and glanced around for my sister.

When I found her I had to quickly look away, the site wasn't what I wanted to see. I heard a gasp from behind me so I glanced and there was dad standing there.

"Your mom did this?" he asked. I nodded and glanced back at Linda.

Her face was cut up from what looked to be a knife or something sharp. I made my way to her and got down on my knees and noticed she had broken glass all around her, glass in her legs, burns from cigarettes on her hands and arms.

"Dad, call 911,"I barked at him. He ran to the phone and called.

"Dally?" Linda coughed out.

"Shut up, you need to save your voice," I ordered harsher then needed. But I just need her to keep quiet.

"Dally, mom did this," she told me not listening.

"Hurry up paramedics," I whispered, I glanced at her, "I know, mom's a bitch."

She chuckled then started coughing. I rolled her onto her side in case she pukes she won't choke on it, just one thing I remembered from Health Class, when I went. But I knew if she did that I'd be doing it also.

A while later the sirens were blaring from the ambulance as it approached the house. Dad went out and waved them down and led them to where Linda was.

"We need some of her information," one guy called. Dad looked at me since he knew nothing of her.

"Linda Marie Winston age thirteen," I called to the guy, he motioned for me to get in I glanced at dad, "if the bitch and Frank come back get the cops here as soon as you can, they are going down for hurting Linda."

"Where's my mama," a little voice called. I glanced and saw a cute little kid there. Wait, did I just say cute. I huffed.

"Dad, take her to your house, do not let mom near her, she'll be the one who gets it next if Linda doesn't make it," I ordered. The one cop took the child and placed her in the back with me. I put her on me knee that wasn't sore.

"What happened to my sissy?" the child asked full of tears.

"She'll be fine…what's your name, kid?" I softly spoke, not wanting to scare the young one.

"Melody," she told me. I smiled, mom mentioned if she ever had another daughter that'll be her name, "You?"

"Dally," I told her and she smiled and cried into my shirt when Linda let out a moan of pain. I hated to see my sister in pain my other sister scared like this, "Easy, kid. Our sister's gonna be okay." She looked up at me and those big brown eyes twinkled, not just from the tears but of joy.

"Our?" she asked. I cringed, not really sure how to explain it.

"Yeah Linda, you, and me all got the same mom," I told her and she smiled a little then gripped my shirt and put her thumb in her mouth. I was no good with kids. I wasn't sure what to do with her, besides sit here and hold her until we get to the hospital.

=^.,.^=

The cops showed up at the house the same time Mary and Frank did, they arrested the two for attempted murder and leaving a two year old in the house alone. Dally's dad, Joseph, told the cops where to find Melody, Dallas and Linda.

The cops thanked Joe for the help and allowed him to go back home. He did go home, just to get into his car and go to the hospital himself to check on the young ones. When he got there Dallas and Melody were sitting in the waiting room. Melody was sound asleep. His dad sat down next to him and they both sat there and waited patiently until the doctors told them anything.

It seemed like it took hours for the doctors to even look at Dallas, Melody and Joe. One doctor walked by and Dally grabbed him, "What's going on with my kid sister man?" Dally grumbled, pissed that four hours after he got there no one has told him anything.

"Name of your sister?" the doctor coldly asked him.

"Linda Winston," Dallas told him.

"She's stable, has a lot of stitches and a few broken bones, that's all I can say at this point of time," the doctor told him. A guy walked into the waiting room.

"Um, I'm here about my daughter Linda Martins," the guy spoke. Dally went over to him, "Dallas?"

"Yeah, Mike, it's me and she's under the name Linda Winston, since I wasn't sure what last name mom used on her," Dally told him, "all the idiots told me she was pretty screwed up with some broken bones and cuts, but she's stable."

The two of them sat down to wait another who knows how many hours it'll take for the doctors to tell them more, if they could. Dallas noticed that Melody was getting restless.

"What's wrong with you now?" Dally asked.

"Potty," Mel whined. Dally huffed and took her to the bathroom, he didn't know what to do. His dad came in.

"I'll do it, I've been around a few kids in my life," Dally nodded and his dad went into the stall and helped the little one. When she was done his dad helped her wash her hands and the three of them went back to the waiting room.

"So, uh, what all happened to Linda?" Mike softly asked Dallas.

"Well, mom beat her pretty bad, like she did to me, but this was worse than anything I've seen man; her face was all cut up, glass in her legs, burn marks from cigarettes on her arms and hands. Hell the other day a friend of mine and I cleaned a huge cut that went down the length of her spine," Dally told him.

Mike felt sick to his stomach; he knew he should have taken Linda with him when he got transferred to Tulsa on a job. Then the whole divorce happened when Mary found out she was pregnant with another man's child. Man that was just two years ago, it felt like a century to Mike.

"I knew I should have filed for custody of Linda when I had the chance, but it's too late now," Mike spoke up.

"I have an idea," Joe spoke up from his spot where he was playing with Mel on the floor with the few toys they have for kids.