I have been laid up in this hospital for nearly a month. The doctors came in and ran their tests and the nurses came to complete my exercises. We have been doing this every day now. Only today feels a little bit different. The doctor barely spent any time with me at all. The nurses had cut my exercise time in a third. They all left ever so quickly today. It was nearing lunch time. When my social worker stroller in with food for me. Only it wasn't hospital food. Which I'm very happy about. She brought me a teriyaki beef sandwich filled with all the veggies, gravy fries and a strawberry vanilla slush float. My tummy started to grumble in anticipation of the food. The smell of the food filled the room and my mouth began to water. She pulled the meal cart in front of me and placed the food on it. I couldn't wait and sunk my teeth into my burger. I'm not even sure if I chewed any of it. It was like fireworks in my mouth. So extremely good, that it was just about gone. I barely got to savor it. She just sat there looking at me with a smile on her face. As I ate my food without hesitation. Halfway through I started to choke. So she reminded me of my drink. I took a big sip to help swallow my food. Then she looked at me with pleading eyes as she said please slow down before you really do choke. I offered a small smile and returned to my food. As I neared the last few of my fries. I took my time to gather as much gravy as I could. To ensure that I got all of it. Not to waste a single drip. My social worker just chuckled as I ran my finger into the bowl of gravy. So I could wipe the bowl clean. She told me that she found a family she knows I will love. That once I was finished I would get to meet them. My heart began to race and fear filled me from top to bottom. She must have known I was terrified because she grabbed my hand and said it's okay. The doctor came in and pulled my worker outside to speak to me. Moments after they walked out to talk, a nurse came in with the clothes I was in when I first got there. Just looking at those clothes made me feel like I was there all over again. Fear filled my body even more and I began to cry. I tried to gather myself and stop my crying but I just couldn't. This poor new nurse had no idea what to make of this. I don't think she knew what brought me in. Then my normal nurse came in. She took one look at me and then my clothes. She grabbed my clothes and threw them in the bin as she stalked out of my room. Taking the new nurse with her. A few minutes later she returned to my room with an apologetic look on her face and a lukewarm wash cloth. She wiped down my face lightly. She handed me a completely new set of clothes and asked me to go change. When I returned I saw more than one container of desserts on my food tray. There was such a wonderful array in front of me. There was two flavors of pudding, two flavors of jello, two different juices, a lollipop and a few sticky notes. Which all had different words on them. Starting with, I am sorry my sweet girl. You have survived a struggle that not many will ever go through. Never forget you are a surviver❤️. May your life be filled with only love and happiness from this day on 🙂. I quickly grabbed the sticky notes and put it in my bag beside my bed. A warm feeling washed over me as my social worker came back into my room. She looked at all the goodies and turned to look at me. Then asked me where am I putting all this food. I just shrugged my shoulders and she smiled. Then I said well can you blame me. I love to eat. Then she began to laugh. Then she asked if I was ready to leave and I shook my head and grabbed my things. As I was walking out I saw my nurse with tears in her eyes. I quickly ran up to her and threw my arms around her and told her I will never forget her and everything she has done for me. She hugged me tightly and I told her thank you. My worker tapped my shoulder and said we must get going, we have a long drive ahead of us. The nurse let me go and as she did she gave me one last squeeze on my shoulder and walked away. I quietly walked out of the hospital. I was feeling all kinds of different emotions. Part of me wanted to stay at the hospital. I knew it was because I was afraid to meet my new family. So once we got to the car I started asking questions. They all just came out at the same time. My social worker didn't even have time to answer me before my next question came out. So I was told yet again to slow down. All my worker said was we have a long drive so please put on your seatbelt and get comfortable. So I did just that. As we drove I was beginning to get hungry. So we stopped in at a restaurant. She ordered some type of stir fry. Beef with peppers, tomatoes, onions, with red rice and hot tortilla. On the side we had grilled chicken, sweet and spicy chili pepper corn and salad. For our drinks we got vitamin water and for dessert we got vanilla ice cream and churros. We sat down and we are waiting for the food to arrive. I was trying to get answers and I needed them long before I reached my new foster home. I looked up at my worker who then smiled at me and began to talk. So I'm sure your anxious, worried, scared and curious all at the same time. I nodded and then she continued. They are a quiet couple, your the only one there at the moment, they are both scientist, they want kids but can't have any, they are both very kind and are excited to have you. They already have a few rooms set up and when you get there you can pick the one that you want. None of us knew what exactly you like so they grabbed a few choices and if you want to mix it you can. They have a few fishes, a cat, and a puppy. They also have a few bird cages filled with birds and a owl. If I read correctly the owl is very old and the hawk is not able to fly. They found him with a broken wing and are trying to nurse him back to health. They love animals and take in injured ones, fix them and send them on their way. They live next to the coast. So swimming will be in walking distance. They also have a indoor pool and a bunch of other things that I'm sure you'll take full advantage of and enjoy. The waiter came with our order. I smiled because the smell of all this food. It sent shivers down my spine and made my mouth water. I now felt like I was starving. I was not sure why we need the tortilla but then I watched my social worker. She added some of everything and placed it on her plate. Then she ripped a piece of the tortilla and placed a little of everything on it. Then she wrapped it around everything and took a bite. So I followed. She looked at me and asked if I ever ate food like this. I shook my head no and tried it. It tasted as good as it smelled. My taste buds were all over the place. Then my mouth began to burn. So I tried to drink but it did nothing. My tongue was on fire but I kept eating. Everything together tasted so good I couldn't stop eating. So I just kept going. Halfway through she motioned and a waiter came with some milk. He handed it to me and said this will help. So I took a sip and the burning calmed down a lot. So I thanked him and he walked away. I continued to eat until I couldn't anymore. We barely made a dent in the food and she was going to just leave it. So I asked if I could take it with me. I have never had this kind of food and would like to make sure it doesn't get wasted. I thought to myself you know just in case my new home can't cook. She nodded and a waiter brought a bill, a few to go plates and a plastic bag over a paper bag. I filled up the plates and nicely placed them in the bag. The waiter looked at me and smiled. Then handed me a complimentary candy. It was one of those flat round red and white striped peppermint candies. I opened it and slid it in my mouth happily. We grabbed everything and as we were walking out the door we remembered our desserts. So I quickly went to the front desk and they had us wait a few minutes as they walked out. A medium sized box in hand with 2 bags on one side and nothing on the other. A bit confused the man grabbed the other plates and put it in the box next to the desserts. I smiled and thanked him but he insisted to carry it to the car. Then everyone was outside with us. All the workers and most of the customers joined us outside. The owner looked at me and said you are the one that saved all those girls. You risk your life for them. Thank you. This one he said and pointed at a lady who was crying with a smile on her face. This one is the mother of one of the girls from that home. You saved my niece. Next thing I knew everyone was hugging me, handing me money, giving me their blessings. Then finally the owner went to my social worker and gave her back her money and said dinner is on the house. Then he walked back to me and handed me a box. Told me to only open in emergencies. It's not a weapon but will help you if you ever need it. I shook my head to gesture I understood. Then he hugged me one last time and they all went back into the restaurant. I was a bit confused and wasn't sure how to respond. They treated me like a celebrity and all I did was tell the truth. I didn't save anyone's life. I got into the car, put on my seatbelt and put my head down. My social worker must've known how confused I was because she said a few things to help me understand. They are grateful to you because, you started the investigation. You told us what was going on and you put yourself in danger. All because you were trying to protect these other girls. That takes a lot of courage to do what you did knowing it could've killed you. I nodded and put my head down. She put some music on the radio and we continued on our way. We were driving for so long and I was fighting my sleep the whole way. I don't even know when but I fell asleep.