I take a deep breath and slowly open my eyes. I immediately see my uncle's dress shoes. I lift my head and look at his face. He's looking at me with concern in his eyes.

"You okay? You've been out here for a long time, so Emma sent me out here," he says.

I nod. "I'm fine. Actually," I pause with nervousness, "could I talk to you for a little while?"

My uncle tries to mask his surprise by casually replying, "Sure. Out here or in my office?"

I pause. "You're office will work."

He nods and leads the way back inside the house to his office. He sits down in his chair and leans back. I sit down across from him in a chair and take a deep breath.

"So, what do you need to talk to me about?" he asks.

I take another deep breath and say, "I have to tell you that this wasn't exactly my idea. It was Alli's, but I can't disagree with her. I have to do this."

"What?" he asks with confusion.

"You came to me only a few days after you arrived a few months ago, and you asked me to forgive you. I didn't, and I know that wasn't what you wanted to happen, but you have to understand all that I went through and am going through," I explain with a steady voice.

He slowly nods. "Tell me."

"Okay."

~•••••~

"What are you doing?! Stop!" my mother screams with tears rolling down her cheeks.

I cower in the corner as he throws another object at me and kicks me. I don't scream, but I let the tears flow. My mother yells at him again, but he just growls and kicks me harder.

"Stop! Stop!" she commands frantically as he slaps me and kicks me once more.

My father hits me again and screams, "Be quiet! She deserves every one of these. She should have never gone to him. She's being an ungrateful brat!"

My mother's tears multiply as she stammers, "I-It w-wasn't her idea."

My father stops mid-blow and turns to my mother. "What?" he questions with a deadly low voice.

My mother knows what's coming, but she bravely nods. His red face becomes an even deeper shade of red, and he slowly walks over to my mother and hits her. My mother takes it without a fight, and he drags her over to my corner.

He shoves her against me, and she falls down beside me. That's when it gets worse. He throws different objects at us, some are glass, but my mother shields me from those. He throws books, drink glasses, and many more objects.

Once he has nothing else to throw, he resorts to hitting us. My mother takes most of the blows, but he manages to hit me enough to send me into a haze. All I feel is more pain shooting through my side and head.

Then, I hear the worst sound I've ever heard in my life. My mother lets out a horrible shriek like I've never heard before as I hear something come down on her. Something hard comes down on me, engulfing me in darkness.

When I wake up the next morning, I groan as I feel a stinging sensation in my back and pain shooting everywhere. I open my eyes and see myself hooked up to machines. It's then when I realize I'm in a hospital.

A nurse walks in and sees me awake. She kindly asks, "Are you alright, dear? Do I need to get you anything before he comes to pick you up?"

A feeling of cold fear takes me over, sending me into panic mode. "No! Please don't make me go back. Please don't let him pick me up. I can't take it. I can't take it. Please!"

Tears are rolling down my cheeks as the nurse quickly walks closer to me and takes my hand, squeezing it comfortingly. "Oh, honey, are you talking about your father? You're not going back there. He's been taken where he deserves to be. Your uncle is picking you up."

"I don't have an uncle. What about my mother?"

The nurse looks at me with a sad smile. "But Maya, you do have an uncle, and he's going to take you to a much better home."

"What about my mother?" I ask again.

She hesitates and then lets go of my hand. "Sweetie, I don't think I can say anything. It's not my place."

"Where is she?" I demand. The nurse just shakes her head and hurries out of the room, and I yell after her through clenched teeth, "Where is my mother?!"

The tears begin again, and I close my eyes. I need to know where she is. I need to make sure she's okay. If I'm in the hospital, she's got to be somewhere nearby.

I hear a deep voice gently say, "I'm afraid you won't be able to see her again."

I slowly open my eyes and wipe away my tears. I flinch as I see the man standing in front of me. He's the same man I saw in the window when I took the letter. He has the same brown hair and blue-green eyes as my father. That's where the similarities end. His face is slightly similar to my father's but way less severe. He's also taller than my father and has a kinder voice.

I know who he is, but I ask him, "Who are you?"

He gives me a sad smile. "I'm your uncle; your father's half-brother. I'm here to take you home to my house."

"But, I need to know where my mother is. Why can't anyone tell me?" I demand.

His gentle voice says, "Oh, Maya, I'm afraid she's gone. She died last night."

I freeze. She can't be dead. She can't be. She's stronger than that, and she knows how much I need her. No, I can't believe that she's gone. It's not a possibility.

I shake my head. "She can't be. I don't believe you. She would never leave me here alone."

He takes my hand in his, and I don't move. "Maya," he begins, "it's hard to accept, but it's true. I would never lie. Your mother left you in my care, and I intend to keep my promise. I owe it to her."

"Owe?" I question quietly.

He retracts his hand and sits down in the chair beside me. He looks down as he quietly tells me, "That letter was wanting me to come and get both of you. I answered it only a few weeks ago. I didn't believe what your mother had written, so I visited him when he was alone. I saw nothing wrong, so I left. Now, I see how wrong I was."

That's when the hatred for my uncle began. I glare at him darkly and turn away from him. "I'm tired," is all I say.

"Maya, please don't think I don't feel absolutely horrible. I do feel miserable, and I am so, so sorry," he says.

"You single-handedly killed her. I hate you," I tell him.

I hear him sigh. "I know you do. One day, I'll change that. I'll be back later to take you home. Maya, I'll love you for your mother. I'll be the father you never had. I promise."

~•••••~

"I remember that day in the hospital. You were only thirteen, but you understood so much. I made a promise that I didn't keep for such a long time. Maya, do you know how sorry I am?" my uncle says sadly as I end my story.

I take a deep breath and softly say. "What I said about you killing her; I was wrong. I'm the one who killed her."

My uncle looks at me with a comforting gaze. "Maya, you can't blame yourself for anything. You were just a child when it happened."

"But I didn't wait at your house to see what your response was. That's why it took you a year to answer the letter. That night, she took almost all the blows from him. I could've taken more, but I didn't," I tell him as tears began to roll down my cheeks.

My uncle comes over and sits down in the chair next to me. He takes my hand like he did in that hospital room four years ago, and he gently but forcefully says, "Stop. Maya, you can't blame yourself and let it take over your life. Your mother never would've wanted you to go on for the rest of your life like this. She wouldn't want you blaming yourself every single day."

I wipe my tears away and give him a small smile. "You think so?" I ask.

He gives me a smile. "I know so. Maya, your mother was a strong woman, but she wasn't invincible. You aren't invincible either. We're all human with weaknesses and strengths. You inherited your mother's strength, but you also inherited her stubbornness. Don't let the stubbornness and strength make all of your decisions."

I slowly nod. "What else was she like?"

"She was so full of life when I first met her. She had a contagious laugh. Her smile showed how joyful she was. When I saw her that night, I was horrified to think that my brother had taken all that life out of her," he describes in a solemn voice.

All of a sudden, I feel myself wanting to hug him, so I follow my impulse. I take my hand out of his and lean forward. I wrap my arms around his neck and give him a warm hug, something that I've never given to anyone.

"I know that you did everything you could. I know you love me, and I know that you've also been through a lot. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for how I treated you. Please forgive me," I say with emotion laced in my voice.

My uncle's strong arms wrap around me, and he gruffly replies, "I forgive you. Oh, Maya, I've forgiven you and hoped for this day long ago. Will you forgive me?"

I squeeze him one more time and then lean back in my chair. Tears have begun to flow, and I stammer, "Y-yes. I forgive you, and I hope we can start fresh, even though we don't have long."

He smiles as tears of joy form in his eyes. "We have the rest of our lives to get to know one another. You'll visit, I'm sure of it."

I smile back. "I have a reason to come back."

"Okay, okay, I don't think I can go through a whole other set of emotions. Let's switch to something a little more light hearted," my uncle says.

I smile to myself. He's a typical guy-- always changing subjects. "You sure switch subjects quickly," I tell him.

He laughs and walks back over to his desk where he sits down in his chair. "So, anything else you want to talk about?"

I pause for a minute before thinking of something that I think will make into a funny conversation. "You know," I pause, "I think I would like to know what exactly is going on between you and Emma. Care to share?"

He freezes in his spot and nervously, as nervous as a grown man can be, asks, "What are talking about?"

I sigh. "I'm seventeen, not eight. You want to tell me what's going on? I'm pretty sure you like her, a lot."

He shakes his head. "What have you heard?"

I laugh. "Just you calling her 'darling.' I saw you guys holding hands, and I talked about it with Emma."

"Emma told you?" my uncle asks with a shocked tone.

I roll my eyes. "Honestly, Uncle Sam, I'm not sure if you could get anymore uptight about this. I'm seventeen, almost eighteen. I figured most of it out on my own."

My uncle suddenly gives me a big smile. He doesn't respond to anything I said. I raise an eyebrow, but he keeps smiling at me.

"What?" I ask.

He keeps smiling as he replies, "That's the first time you've ever said my name. At least, to me."

I smile back as I realize he's right. "I guess that's right, but you still haven't told me anything about the whole Emma thing."

He shakes his head. "Some things are better left unsaid."

"Not in this case. What better way for us to get to know each other than for us to talk about this situation? After all, if I'm going to have her as an aunt, shouldn't I be made aware?" I tease.

He apparently doesn't catch the teasing tone because he stops and asks, "Aunt? Maya Walker, what on earth are you thinking?"

I raise an eyebrow and resist the urge to smile. "I don't know. Do you think you could help me with why that thought sounds so crazy?"

He stares at me for a second and then starts rambling, "How could you say something like that? I barely know her. She barely knows me. Her fiancé died only a short time ago. I haven't even confirmed that there's anything with her. You can't go around saying stuff like this."

I laugh and then give him a look of compassion. "I was kidding. Apparently, there is something going on. If there isn't something going on, then you wouldn't have rambled."

Uncle Sam groans. "Why did I say anything?"

I smile. "Now, will you tell me about the Emma thing?"

With a twinkle in his eye, Uncle Sam simply replies, "No."

My mouth drops open, and I give him a joking glare. "Did you just say no to me? I'm absolutely shocked!" I dramatically exclaim.

He laughs. "You're funny, Maya. And yes, I did say no, so I think you're going to have to be okay with that."

I raise an eyebrow and stand up to leave. "Fine. I'll just go find Emma and talk to her."

His eyes widen as he orders me as I leave his office, "Maya Walker, don't you even think about it!"

I laugh. "I'm kidding. I won't ask, but I do have to go see someone. I'll be back by dinner," I call to him from the front door.

"See you then!" he shouts back.

I open the front door and hurry down the path in the direction of Alli's neighborhood. It doesn't take long for me to get to her house. I knock on her door and wait for her to answer. When she does, she smiles at me and beckons for me to come inside.

I tell her what happened with my uncle, and she smiles and cries from happiness. She celebrates with me but also warns me that the relationship may seem fine right now, but there will be times when it won't be the best because we'll disagree on old and new things. Everything can't go to normal all of a sudden. I nod as she explains it to me.

At the end of her "speech," I lie down on her bed and sigh. "I hope it all works out," I tell her.

I look over and watch her as she smiles and replies, "It will."