(Rachel's POV)
I'd just woken Poppy up for the third time and she wasn't happy, but then again she wasn't happy earlier when I forced her to eat and kept giving her glasses of water. I guess I was just being over protective. I went back into my room where Adam was sat on the bed in his navy blue top and checked pyjama trousers and got changed into a white vest top and pyjama trousers. Adam laid down and I sat with my book, I'd barely started reading when Adam said something.
"Hiya trouble" he said
I looked up from my book to see Poppy stood in the doorway.
"Are you angry at me?" She asked
I put my book on my bedside table and looked at her.
"No I'm not. Max Tyler needs putting in his place but I don't need you getting excluded to do it..."
I patted the bed next to me and Poppy climbed in between me and Adam.
"I miss Em" She sighed
I pulled her into my arms and Adam and I both sandwiched her in a cuddle.
"I miss her too love" I said softly
"This is what she wanted, a mum, a dad, maybe a cat...I feel like I've stolen her life from her"
My heart broke at Poppy's words and I looked at her, losening my grip on her a little.
"Don't be silly, you haven't stolen anything or anyone away from Em" I told her
Adam reached out and took Poppy's had softly, her eyes flicked to him and It seemed to mean something to her. I think deep down she knew she could trust me and she wanted to she just needed time. But, Adam seemed to take her by surprise and although he'd gained some trust with him before, she didn't trust him as her dad. Adam lifted his arm to put it behind Poppy but she flinched back.
"Its alright, Its alright. I'm not going to hurt you" Adam soothed
Poppy still didn't look convinced and sat there rigid for a second with her eyes closed. I rubbed her back softly giving her time to calm down...She soon settled down and fell asleep in the middle of us.
"What did I do wrong?" Adam whispered
I smiled gently. "Nothing, it just takes time. It took at least a month for her to trust me...She's just been treated badly before"
Adam nodded. "What do we do about her behaviour?"
"She'll have to be punished at school, I just wish she'd open up. She needs to otherwise I don't know what'll happen. Lara told me Poppy admitted to hurting herself..."
"Can't we stop her?" Adam asked
"What are we supposed to do? Chain her up? Watch her 24 hours a day? 7 days a week? Search her room?" I asked
"If that's what it takes" Adam said
"We can't watch her every second of every day, if she's determined enough she'll do it..." I sighed
"Then what do we do?"
"Work with Lara, try and get to the bottom of why she feels that way and be there for her..."
"I want to protect her" Adam said
"I know and you are. We just need to stick with her for the long haul, because she's convinced we're going to abandon her at the first sign of trouble and she's just waiting for that..." I said softly
Adam just nodded silently. I leaned over Poppy and kissed Adam softly.
"It'll be alright" I whispered
I settled down in bed, wrapping my arms around Poppy. I had what I always wanted, a family...A man I loved...A daughter. My past seemed like a million years ago, but, my only regret was that Em wasn't here to be a part of that...I fell asleep with that thought in my head.
It felt like I'd only been asleep two minutes when I was woken up by Poppy, screaming. Adam and I sat bolt upright and I turned to Poppy who was sobbing into the bed, it only took a few seconds for me to realise she was till asleep.
"Please wake up...Em...Em!" She cried
I flicked the bedside lamp on and woke her up. She curled into me and cried some more. When she calmed down a little bit, I climbed out of bed and took Poppy's hand pulling her with me.
"Come on I think we need some hot chocolate" I told her
"I'll come with you" Adam said getting out of bed
"Its okay...Get some sleep"
"Its okay I want to" Adam said following me anyway
Poppy sat at the breakfast bar. I noticed knew markings on her left arm...Black dots, like fingerprints. I couldn't help but feel that that and the incident this afternoon were connected.
"What happened to your arm?" I asked
Her right had moved to cover the marks on her arm. They seemed to be troubling her and she wouldn't look at me. Adam came over after finishing the hot chocolates. I put my hand under her chin forcing her to look at me.
"Tell me?" I told her
She shook her head and looked at me.
"I can't..." She said
"You can tell me anything, you know that?"
"No I really can't"
"Why?" I asked
"Because you'll lose everything...And it'll be my fault" Her voice broke on the last words and tears leaked from her eyes.
I moved her hair out of her face.
"I'll never lose everything...Its okay. Tell me?" I insisted
"It was Mr Tyler..." She said quietly "He grabbed me and pushed me into the table"
"He did what!?" Adam asked loudly "Me and Max Tyler are going to have a talk!"
"NO! Did you not hear what I said!? Rachel's lost enough because of me!" Poppy yelled at him
"Both of you calm down!" I told them "Poppy what did Max say?"
"He said that he didn't want troublemakers like me in HIS school and that if I told anyone not only would he make sure you lost Waterloo road...He'd make sure you never taught again" Poppy said
I couldn't believe what I was hearing...I knew Max was a nasty piece of work but hitting kids? Even I hadn't thought he was capable of this...