A/N This chapter's song title is Sorrow by Flyleaf. I picked this song because I feel like it does a good job of capturing the ups and downs of this chapter. Thank you to all those wonderful people reading and commenting, motivating me to continue writing. If you like this story, please read and review. I love getting feedback, so don't be shy!
Peaceful silence filled the air around the small room of the hospital, only interrupted by the soft scratching of her pencil against paper. It was Monday, the start of a new week, the start of a new life for her. She would be going home today; home to a place she'd never been before and didn't know what to expect. The Adaar family painted such a lovely picture, but how would it really be living there with people she didn't really know? Would it really be better than living with her mother, her flesh and blood? So many questions, so many doubts, and Elyssa tried to ignore them all. Thinking - worrying - about the what-ifs was making her stomach clench queasily. She tried to focus on the picture she was drawing. Salem had been kind enough to buy her some new art supplies and drop them off along with a change of clothes. The paper was brightly colored in vibrant reds, greens, yellows, blues, and purples save for the dark silhouette of a girl standing with an umbrella in the rainbow of colors pouring down. Elyssa switched her graphite pencil for one of her green colored ones, adding new hues to the section she had colored earlier. She focused on the colors, bright and inviting. Despite her upset stomach and ever-present worry, she was feeling more hopeful than she had a few days ago.
"That's a lovely drawing," the Tevine accent of Dorian said, coming to stand beside her bed. Elyssa had gotten to know the Tevinter nurse over the past few days as he came in to periodically check on her. He was sassy, but in a funny way that was easy to get along with. He was happily married and treated Elyssa like she was his own. It made being in the hospital a little easier, with him as her nurse.
"Thank you," Elyssa smiled at him, "what brings you here now? I thought I would be able to go home today."
"So eager to leave me already?" Dorian fake pouted, "and here I thought I was an excellent nurse."
Elyssa laughed at the way he poked his lower lip out from under his dark mustache. "You've been a wonderful nurse," she assured him, "I'm just so tired of looking at these bleak walls. If I stay here any longer I may just have to paint them."
"Oh, please do," Dorian laughed, "Maker knows they could use a little life around this place." Elyssa laughed with him for a moment before his face fell in seriousness. "Anyway, sweets, I'm here to steal some blood from you."
"Is there a secret vampire blood bank I'll be donating to?" Elyssa asked jokingly.
"There would be," Dorian teased, "if your previous blood work from your admittance hadn't come back abnormal."
"Abnormal?" Elyssa didn't like the sound of that. How could her blood have come back abnormal, it should have just shown the narcotics she had taken, nothing abnormal about that in a patient that had attempted suicide.
"I'm afraid so," Dorain murmured sympathetically, "so, I'm going to take a few more vials to send back to the lab, and hopefully in a few days we'll have an answer."
"Okay," Elyssa agreed. She watched as Dorian skillfully sterilized her inner elbow and inserted the needle to draw blood. He collected three small vials, labeling each one with a sticker that had her name and date of birth on it.
"Alright, I'll send these to the lab first thing in the morning. We should get the results back within three days, and we'll give you a call to let you know what we find."
"Okay," Elyssa nodded. There was nothing more she could do now but wait and hope it was nothing.
"Well, that's the last thing keeping you here darling," Dorian smiled kindly at her, "as soon as Salem comes to pick you up, you're free to leave me forever."
Elyssa chuckled at the overdramatic way he was acting towards her leaving. She knew it was his way of making her smile, a task he wholeheartedly accomplished. "You know Salem right?" Elyssa asked curiously, "like outside of the hospital?"
"Of course," Dorian answered, "she is my husband, Lue's, childhood friend."
"She… she's not mean or anything is she?" Elyssa asked, nervousness cracking her voice.
"Well, that depends," Dorian answered thoughtfully, "she can be very terrifying when someone she cares about is hurt. As for being outright cruel? No, I'd say she's more likely to smother you to death with affection than be mean to you." Dorian gazed thoughtfully at her. "She would not be taking you under her wing if she didn't care for you," he assured her, "you have nothing to worry about."
"I hope you're right," Elyssa sighed.
"I usually am, darling," Dorian chuckled. He gathered the blood samples he had extracted from her, and exited the room.
Elyssa didn't have to wait long for the figure of the redhead, horned woman shadowed the doorway. "Are you ready to go?" Salem asked gently.
Elyssa nodded nervously, gathering up her sketchbook and pencils. She followed Salem out of the hospital, waving one last time to Dorian. Salem led her to an older black Chevy Impala shined and cleaned to perfection. Elyssa remembered the last time she had seen this car, almost a week ago. It felt as though a lifetime had passed in a mere week.
"What's on your mind?" Salem prodded gently.
Elyssa gazed out the window, watching as the hospital - the last familiar thing to her - faded into the distance. "Everythings so different," She answered, "but... me... I'm still the same." She glanced at the qunari woman next to her. Salem was focusing on the road, but her brows were furrowed in thought. Elyssa turned her gaze back to the world fading from view. "What if I fuck this up too?" she whispered under her breath.
"You will fuck up," Salem answered. Her voice was full of kind understanding, "but that is just the nature of being alive. The question is, what will you do after you fuck up?" She turned her mercury eyes to look at Elyssa, "it's okay to not be okay," she said, "but you need to lean on someone when that time comes, not keep it bottled inside."
Elyssa looked curiously at Salem, surprised at how supportive she was being. Salem wasn't yelling, she wasn't telling her she was a screw up - that she would never amount to anything, she wasn't glaring at her. She was looking at her with kindness, sympathy, all the things she wasn't used to from her own mother. Elyssa's heart ached at the thought. Why hadn't her mother been able to look at her like this? To be supportive and understanding like this? Elyssa turned her head away from Salem, not wanting her to see the few tears she shed for the woman that had given birth and raised her, the woman that effectively abandoned her. It was all so confusing. She was happy to be away from the negativity her mother had shown her, but she was upset that it took a stranger to show her how a mother was supposed to act.
Pale blue streamers hung in artistic fashion around the living room of the Adaar house. The light blue offset the charcoal grey color of the two couches and chairs that adorned the room in a small square around the fireplace set into the light grey accent wall. The black coffee table was set with a small strawberry cake covered in whipped chocolate frosting, the words 'Welcome Elyssa' scripted elegantly in blue icing. Solas paced to and fro as he waited for Salem to arrive with Elyssa. He had begged her to let him get Elyssa, but she insisted on collecting the young girl herself. Iron Bull had tried to get him to sit down several times, or distract him by asking how the streamers were hung. Krem had even tried to take Solas's mind off things by getting his help setting up Elyssa's room. They had arranged and rearranged furniture until Krem couldn't take it anymore and shooed Solas back out to the living room.
"Why so nervous?" Iron Bull asked.
"There were... things said in the hospital the other day," Solas answered, "and I have no idea where she and I stand now."
Iron Bull let out a hearty chuckle, "I'd imagine you're gonna have to stand with Salem between you two now that we've taken her in." Solas looked at him in confusion. "You don't seriously think Salem, who was opposed to you being with her before she graduated to begin with, will let you jeopardize your job again?"
"Bull, you don't understand," Solas argued, "I love Elyssa. I made the mistake of turning away from her once. I will not make that mistake again, job or not."
"And how do you think that girl is going to feel if you lose your job because of her?" Iron Bull shot back, "do you think she wouldn't blame herself?"
"I had not thought about it that way," Solas admitted in defeat, "so, that is it then? I'm forbidden to be with the woman I love?"
Iron Bull laughed once more. "Don't be so dismal," he said, "just be discrete and don't let Salem know until she's at least eighteen." Solas smiled at his friend. "One more thing," Bull said, "don't let Salem know we had this conversation. If she asks I told you Elyssa was absolutely off limits until after she graduated."
"Of course," Solas agreed, "I will do my best to ensure my interest in Elyssa doesn't put anymore unnecessary strain on your and Salem's lives."
Iron Bull glanced out the window then back at Solas. "Glad to hear it," he answered, "because they're here."
Solas watched, heart pounding, as Elyssa walked nervously into the house. Her pale green eyes darted around the small gathering of people, finally settling on him. He saw her mouth form a small, shy smile as she gazed at him. She said nothing, but her eyes held all the answers he needed for now - she still cared. Where exactly they would go from here could wait to be determined after she had settled in.
"This is the living room, to your left is the dining room and kitchen, and up the stairs to your right is your room along with the bathroom and Krems's room down the hall from yours," Salem pointed out the general areas of the house for Elyssa, letting her know where anything or anyone she could possibly need would be.
"There's someone who's been eager to see you," Solas commented as he saw Krem slip up the stairs, "she's been rather feisty with anyone who's tried to get near her."
Elyssa's eyes widened in delight as she saw the blur of grey and brown fur race down the stairs, a series of high meows sounding around them. The soft tingle of the cat's bell came to a halt as the feline found its owner.
"She's been tearing at the door all day," Krem laughed in nervous fashion, "I guess she knew you were coming home today."
Everyone froze as they heard Krem call the Adaar house Elyssa's home. Of all the Adaars, he had been the most excited for the arrival of Elyssa. They had all hoped Elyssa would feel at home here, but until now none had dared say it. All eyes turned to the young elven girl, who had bent down to pick up her cat.
"Home, huh?" She murmured thoughtfully. She scratched the cat beneath its chin, looking at all the people around her. "It's the best chance I've had at one in a long time," she admitted with a small, shy smile, "thank you for being so welcoming."
Elyssa let the cat leap back onto the floor, taking a step towards Krem with her hand outstretched. Krem accepted Elyssa's hand, pulling her into an unexpected hug. "Welcome to the family."
Solas watched, a happy smile on his face, as the other two members of the Adaar family joined. Elyssa accepted the family hug, a contented smile on her face. It filled Solas's chest with warmth seeing her accept the love she deserved. She had been through enough hardship, she didn't deserve to continue to suffer.
The dull roar of several conversations going on at once while groups of students crowded the hallway on their way to the cafeteria droned around Salem. It had been three days since Elyssa had come to stay with her. Though she wasn't quite ready to come back to school, Elyssa seemed to be adjusting well. She had begun decorating her room with a few posters she had found while shopping with Salem for cat supplies. She had even made an effort to get to know each family members' likes and dislikes. Salem was proud at how well the young elven girl seemed to be doing.
"Damn I'm a sexy bitch! A sexy bitch! Damn I'm a sexy bitch! Damn boy!" The student's nearest Salem turned to look, stifling laughter as they heard her phone ringing from her pocket. Salem answered it as quickly as she could, mentally cursing herself for forgetting to silence it this morning.
"Sup, bitch," she greeted the man on the other end of the phone. Normally, Dorian would have a sassy retort. Today, however, he was all business. Salem's expression turned serious as she listened to what he had to say. Elyssa's blood results had come back, and they weren't good.
The hours until school was over and she could leave for the day dragged on for days. When the shrill buzz of the last bell rang through the halls, she wasted no time getting to her car, speeding all the way to the hospital to pick up the necessary papers from Dorian. She wasn't looking forward to the conversation she had to have with Elyssa now, but putting it off would do no good for anyone. Taking several deep breaths before opening the front door, Salem prepared herself mentally for what she had to do.
Elyssa was sitting on the couch opposite the fireplace that had a large flat screen hanging above it. In the couch to her left sat Fenris, an older friend of Krem's and a former member of the Chargers football team. He had started college this year, but agreed to help Salem ensure Elyssa was adjusting properly this week. He had been in a similar situation as Elyssa's a few years back, and Salem had helped him gain his freedom from his adoptive father, Darnarius. The two white haired elves were engrossed in the blue police box spinning through clouds of multiple colors that was the intro to the show playing on the TV.
"Elyssa," Salem called for the girl's attention, "if you have a moment, I need to talk to you."
It hadn't been a bad day. Fenris was more than willing to leave her be, saying he was there if she needed anything. He didn't pry, but she understood he meant that he was there if she needed to talk. She had spent the majority of the day working on a new painting. It wasn't until she heard the loud spacey sounds from the tv downstairs that she ventured from her room. The show Fenris was watching captured her interest, so she had sat down to watch it. They had been three episodes into the season when Salem had come home.
Elyssa could tell by the tone of her voice that she wasn't happy. She sounded worried and upset, a glance at the horned woman had confirmed that. Elyssa's breath froze in her chest and her heart picked up speed. What had she done wrong? Elyssa followed Salem to the dining room connecting the living room and kitchen.
"What did I do?" Elyssa asked in a small voice.
Salem said nothing, instead handing her a large envelope. It was the brownish-orange color official documents came in. It had the hospital's return address in one corner, and her name in the middle. Her blood work had come back. Fear bit at Elyssa like a snake striking a mouse. Based on Salem's fallen expression it wasn't good. With shaking hands, she opened the envelope, scanning over the paper until something stood out to her. One sentence, three words, and it changed everything.