The Lost Daughter

Chapter Five: Testing

"“Hey… sleepy head. How are you feeling?”

I feel a gentle nudge and the smell

of fresh eggs.

I open my eyes, Constable Trevors sitting at his desk with a hot drink,

hashbrown and an egg muffin.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I went with the basic. Egg and Bacon muffin, and hot chocolate.”

I sat up, giving him a soft, sleepy smile.

“Yeah. It sounds good. Thanks.”

Trevors chuckles. “I haven’t seen you smile yet. I’m happy I got to see it.

Looks good on you.”

I look up at him, my cheeks turning rosy with embarrassment.

“Wow. Um… not saying anything creepy… just an observation.” He rubs the

back of his neck, looking away, as the tips of his ears turn red.

“Sorry. I just… no one… has ever said anything nice… ever. I just… I wasn’t

expecting it. Thank you, though.” I hold the hot chocolate close to my mouth,

breathing in the scent.

I close my eyes, taking a deep breath and sighing. “I haven’t had hot chocolate since I was seven. I’ve missed it.”

Constable Trevors stares at me in shock. “Were things okay at home? There

were questions about whether the fire was on purpose or accidental. Not saying I think you did anything, but… it doesn’t sound like it was a safe place for you."

I flinch, thinking about it.

“I wasn’t safe, but it was a roof. I tried to keep myself small, but sometimes even that was too much. I escaped through my bedroom window. I was running away. But I would never kill anyone. Darryl… he

was angry. Very angry. I locked myself in my room, which made it worse. He

grabbed an axe, and I escaped through my window.” I explained, keeping my eyes on my drink, as if it would be taken away just from me talking.

“Geez, kid. Why didn’t you report it? Talk to someone?”

I snort, then laugh with a hollow sound.

“I did. I tried. Both would just smile

as if I was making everything up. They would show themselves to be the perfect couple. Then… I’d be in trouble that night. It was just better to be invisible.

Unfortunately, being invisible at school is much harder. And there is nothing I can

do there but take the breaks.”

Trevors furrowed his brow as he leaned back in his chair.

“That’s… a lot. I’m sorry to hear that. Hopefully Ms. O’ Leery can help you out. And if there is anything,” He hands me his card, a cellphone number written on the back, “I’ll help however I can.”

Just as I was taking the card, Katherine walks into the office.

“Morning Constable. Morning Lia. I was unable to get a nurse. However, a doctor was able to donate his time. Lia, meet Doctor De Nairo.”

Nash, the guy from yesterday, who

was bringing me a juice box, was the doctor.

“Hi… again.” My voice almost disappears.

“Good to see you again. I would say you are looking well, but I’m not going to

lie. Sounds like a lot of things happened. Ms. O’ Leery also mentioned your aversion to needles. I was thinking we could still head to the hospital and wait for the results there. I can do a few different versions to see what brings up the best results.” Nash smiles brightly, his teeth clean and bright.

“Yeah. Okay.” I stand from the couch, just then looking around for my backpack. Panic surges through me.

“My bag. Where is my bag?!”

“Woah! All good. I have it under here.”

Trevors pulls it out from under his

desk.

“Didn’t want it getting mixed with anything else or taken by accident. And

you can leave it here. It’s safe."

I take a deep breath, flexing my fingers.

“Thanks, but I want to bring it with

me. Please. Thank you for everything.”

Trevors nods.

“I’m off duty now. But if you need me, you have my number. Take care, Lia.”

He ruffles my hair. I follow Nash and Katherine out to a grey car out front. I slip into the back, as Katherine drives us to the closest hospital.Nash and Katherine chat upfront, while I watch the buildings pass by on our drive.

Downtown seems busy, but somehow it also seems quieter.

We pulled into the biggest hospital that sits at the edge of downtown. Katherine parks where staff would park, as we all pile out. I look at the building, as I have never been here before. Different sections tower above me, outer grey walls with large windows on each floor. There are walkways connecting some of the sections.

“This way, Lia. You don’t have to worry about going too high. The blood lab is

on the main floor, close to the emergency area. There are other mini labs for the

other floors, but the one we are going to be in has the equipment for bigger tests. It also has the computer to connect with other government programs to compare

throughout the country.” Nash explains as we walk into a side door, STAFF ONLY

written in bold red letters.

The three of us walk down a hallway, the sound of shuffling feet close by, and the smell of strong disinfectants, which burns my nose. I cover my nose and mouth with my sweater sleeve.

“The smell will dissipate once we’re sitting, dear. When you are not used to

such surroundings, it can overstimulate the system.” Katherine looks over her

shoulder, giving me a small smile.

Nash scans a badge over a lit-up pad, opening a pair of double doors.

We walk into a large room, with sectioned off pieces, and numerous pieces of equipment.

“Wow.” I whisper as my eyes widen, looking around at everything.

Nash walks over to a desk that has two chairs sitting in front of it.

“Come sit and I can walk you through a few things.” Nash points to the

chairs, instructing us to sit down.

“Now. Tracking DNA does work best with blood, as most everything can be extracted quicker. Understanding that you are leery of needles, I can use a few strands of hair, but the breakdown takes a bit longer. What would you like to do, Lia?” Nash asks kindly, leaning his elbows on his desk, his chin on his hands.

As I looked at him, I noticed how much more similar he was to Mr. De Nairo from the job site.

“The man you were with yesterday, was he your father?” I asked without

thinking. My eyes widened as my cheeks burned with embarrassment. “I’m sorry.

That isn’t my business. I just… it came out.”

Nash waved his hand dismissively. “No, no. Don’t worry. The wonderful thing

about genetics, right? Yes. Luca De Nairo is my father. I’m the doctor of the family,

Nash De Nairo, and while he does business away from home, I try to tag along. Keep track of his health. He likes to be stubborn. And also, not a fan of needles.”

I blinked, feeling like Nash’s lastcomment was hinting to something.

“I… it’s just drawing blood, right? Not injecting? And… you can do it without me noticing?” I nervously ask, looking at Katherine.