Page 11 of I Survived and will rise again

“Come here,” I coax her until she's in my arms; her tiny body trembles against mine.

Tears stream down my mother's face as she buries her head in my chest, and I hold her tight. “Oh, mijo,” she sobs.

I stroke her hair and murmur reassuringly. “Shh, it's okay, Mom. Todo estará bien.”

She pulls back and looks up at me, her eyes red and puffy. “You never got the chance to be a little boy,” she says, shaking her head and looking away. “You spent so much time protecting me and your sister from your father. It wasn't right to have your childhood taken from you. I should've done a better job of protecting you both.”

I take her face in my hands. “Mom, look at me,” I say softly but firmly. She meets my gaze, and I can see the pain and regret on her face. “You did all you could given the situation,” I tell her. “We are strongbecauseof you.” But she shakes her head, clearly not believing me.

“Yes, Mom, it's true,” I continue. “Look at all that we’ve overcome. Look at what Sadie’s survived.” My voice breaks at the end as I think of my sister, who has suffered so much but who is making a life for herself despite that. “It’s proof of how much she’s overcome that she is able to raise a beautiful little girl while working and finishing high school so she can take care of her daughter’s needs.”

Mom’s eyes, brimming with tears, slowly lift to meet mine. “No child should ever have to suffer to be strong.” Her breath catches in her throat, and she continues. “Your father should have treated you and your sister with love and care, protecting you from the demons of this world.” She places her hands on my chest to emphasize the importance of what she’s telling me.

I grab her wrists to hold her still. “Mom, listen to me. Yes, it fucking sucked that Sade and I were defenseless and had to grow up quicker than most kids. We had to adapt to live to see the next day, but we had each other. Look how quickly Sadie adjusted her life to becoming a mother at such a young age. You couldn't tell by looking at her that her life wasn’t filled with rainbows and unicorns, but we don't blame you. Not anymore.” Mom cries harder and leans on my chest.

I hold back my own tears, forcing myself to be strong for her. I know she blames herself for what happened. “You have no idea how much your willingness to survive meant to us,” I whisper. “It gave us the strength to face all the challenges that came our way. We overcame everything becauseyoushowed us that anything is possible.” I gently lift her chin and wipe away a tear from her cheek, holding her gaze so she knows how much I mean it. “So stop blaming yourself,” I say, repeating Sade’s words to me from her last visit. “You didn't deserve the pain that Papi put you through either.”

Her body bears witness to the battles she's fought. The scars that mark her skin tell the story of a warrior who has been through hell and back. She has known defeat and been knocked down time and time again, but she has never given up. She faced her fears head-on for years, even though she had every reason to run away. Even when faced with the most formidable obstacles, she refused to be beaten down by life. Papi may have tried to break her, but he never had the power to defeat her. Proof thatyou can survive hell and emerge victorious, stronger than before—this is what my mom represents.

CHAPTER 4

Javier

Ifind myself restlessly pacing back and forth in the silent, sterile hospital hallway, my eyes fixated on the large window that provides a glimpse into the room where my wife, Gabby, and our newborn daughter are sleeping.

I'm just thankful that we secured a private room for them. It's quiet, and we can rest comfortably knowing our daughter is sleeping in the same room.

When the car flipped over on our way to Sadie’s house, Vince’s little bitch-ass fuckers threatened my wife, and I demanded the agents put her in protective custody until I could get to her. She was already under so much stress and pressure due to threats to my safety, and this incident made it worse. The stress and anxiety were too much for her to bear, and unfortunately, she went into premature labor, delivering our daughter a month before the due date.

I stand there, lost in thought, thinking about everything that led to this moment that changed what we expected for our little girl’s arrival. Suddenly, a heavy hand clasps my shoulder, making me jump.

“Hey, Javi.”

“The fuck, man,” I snap. “I didn’t even hear you coming.”

Derick chuckles. “My bad. How are Gabby and your little girl?” he asks again.

I sigh heavily. “They’re both hanging in there. They’re keeping a close eye on my baby girl,” I reply, running a hand through my crew-cut fade. “She’s stable now, but the next few days will be critical.”

Derick straightens up, his expression serious. “They’re strong, Javi. They will get through this. And Abigail has the best damn father any kid could ask for.”

I nod. “Thanks, man.”

We fall silent for a moment, the only sound in the hallway the distant murmur of voices and the soft beeping of medical equipment.

After a moment, Derick speaks again. “How’s your brother doing?”

Brother.

I don’t think I’ll get tired of hearing that. Just the sound of the word “brother” makes me feel grateful to have him back in my life.

“He’s a fighter.”

“That’s for damn sure. It must run in the family,” Derick says at the same time his phone rings.

He pulls it out, glances at the screen, and then turns to me. “I gotta take this,” he says, looking apologetic. “I’ll check in later, alright?”

He gives me a half-bro hug before releasing me. I nod and say, “Yeah, okay. Thanks for coming.” Derick answers the phone and glances back at me. “Tell Gabby I said hi,” he mouths. He walks down the hall and takes the stairs instead of the elevator. As soon as he disappears, I hear the elevator ding open. My eyes are drawn to Sadie walking in my direction.

---