11. Ready

The next three days were horrible. All of the teenagers had to get three kinds of scans, an MRI, a CT, and a PET scan. Because they are short on equipment, we all had to wait for a long time. Nancy and I tried to keep ourselves busy with the board games, but after one day we were already done with them.

So I was left alone with my thoughts. I couldn't help but think about my parents and brother. My brother would be at home by now. An image of him showed up in my head and the longing for him grew with the second. I missed his soothing voice, his funny jokes, and his comforting words. I had already missed him so much because he was gone so many times before I left the home. 

I wanted so desperately proof them I was good enough to stay in their family. I just needed time. Why couldn't they love me like my brother? Why did they never talk about their feelings? Why were they always so cold towards me?

I heard from many teenagers that either their parents had sat