A REAL FAMILY [I]

Evie opened her eyes slowly, blinking continuously as she tried to adjust her eyes to the brightness of the room. She observed her surroundings. The room was big and well furnished. The smell of disinfectant lingered in the air and the place was unusually quiet. Evie knew she was in a hospital due to the intravenous needle in her hand. But the only place in a hospital that was this bearable was the VIP ward.

Sitting up, she removed the hollow needle from her hand. The last thing she remembered was leaving the columbarium after Caleb's ashes had been stored. She had refused to go back to Veron with Eva or go live with Ryan and Isabel - as Joanna had given her consent and had removed the restraining order on him.

She had headed out with no place to go. She was determined that even if she would have to turn to a lifestyle that even herself didn't approve of, she would never go back to Veron or Joanna. But she was in a VIP ward at a hospital. How did she get here and who could afford to waste a large amount of money to admit a homeless person in a VIP ward?

The door to what seemed like the restroom opened and a young man walked out of it. Evie's heart raced. Who could he be? What did he want from her?

"You're awake." He grinned widely as he walked over to her. "How are you feeling?"

Evie made no response as she stared at him wide eyed. She hadn't met him before and didn't even know his name so why would she say anything to him. Edwin understood her situation and explained himself.

"I'm Edwin Rivera. You bumped into my car yesterday and I brought you here. What's your name? If you mind me asking."

"Evangeline Carlos." Evie replied warily.

"Nice to meet you, Evie." Edwin said and stretched out his hand to her.

"And you too, Edwin." Evie forced a smile as she took his hand. He seemed nice but Joanna also seemed nice when she met her. She didn't want to be involved with another seemingly nice person.

"Win. I'll prefer it if you just call me Win." He said and Evie nodded. "That was what my younger sister called me. Her name was Evie as well. And she should've been around your age."

Even though Evie was disinterested, she still listened. He was her savior after all. "You're talking about her in the past tense." She noted.

"Mm." Edwin nodded. "She was said to have died years ago."

"I'm sorry." Evie softened. She knew how painful it is to lose a loved one to death.

"No need to be. I don't believe she's dead. I know one day I'll find her."

"Good luck to you." Evie sincerely hoped he would find his sister. Nobody should have to go through the pain she was going through.

"Actually I think I've found her but I don't know how to convince her to come home. She's been away for so long and I don't know how she would feel when she finds out she has another family."

"Well that's hard but you can succeed. You've been without her for so long and you've missed her. Just tell her all that you have in mind and let her make her decision."

"That makes sense." Edwin pauses hesitantly for a while. "Can I practice on you since you have the same name as her?"

"Sure." Evie sits up straight as Edwin sits on a stool opposite her and holds her hands. He looked into her eyes and inhaled deeply before he started talking.

"Evie, you probably can't remember me because we've been apart for a long time. But you've been in my mind ever since. When Mom died that day at the beach, everyone said you had died there but I didn't believe them. I used to go to the beach everyday to search for you. And when I grew older, I searched for you everywhere I could." He pauses to breathe and observe Evie's reaction. It seemed like he was getting to her.

"Now that I've found you I don't want to let you go. But I know you have a life out there without me and Dad. And I'm not trying to make you leave all that behind. I just want you to give me a chance to be your older brother and give Dad a chance to give you the love you deserve."

"That's so touching." Evie spoke up as soon as Edwin finished. His sister was really lucky. "I'm touched. She will be as well. Go tell her before it will be too late."

"I already did."

"What?" Evie asked, her eyes widening with surprise and confusion.

"I just did." Edwin reached over to the bedside table and picked up a large envelope. He handed it over to her and watched as she emptied its content. It had the results of the DNA test he had conducted, information about Evie from the private investigator he had hired to check her background and two photos with Evie as a young child in them. One had been taken with her real family - the Rivera's - while the other was taken with her foster family - the Carlos's.

He watched as her expression changed as she looked through the evidence. He didn't know how she would react but he hoped she would choose to go home with him. Especially now since she had nobody else to go to. His Evie has suffered so much. It was time for her to live the life she deserved. The life she was born into.

***** ***** *****

Evie felt her heartbeat increase as Edwin parked the car at the garage. She watched him alight from the car and run over to open the door for her. As she came down from the car, he held out his hand to her and she took it.

Her heart was filled with gratefulness for Edwin and nervousness and wariness at the same time. She wasn't sure how her 'real family' would treat her. And she didn't want to be betrayed and cast aside by anybody else. This time around she had nowhere to go.

Edwin squeezed her hand gently and smiled reassuringly at her. Evie smiled back. As long as she had him everything would turn out fine. She didn't want to trust anyone else and was in a dilemma when he had told her she was his sister. But Edwin neither forced her nor rushed her into making a decision. He had told her to think slowly and carefully and that he would support whatever decision she made - whether or not it was in his favor.

Evie remembered how he had sat by her bedside during the day, reading to her the progress made on David's case at court. He had fallen asleep on the seat beside her bed every night and never complained about sleeping in an awkward posture. He had smiled softly at her everyday and helped her set the table - even insisting on feeding her - whenever it was mealtime. Evie knew he was sincere and didn't want to hurt him so she accepted to go with him. But she wasn't sure if she had made the right decision.

All her fears were allayed when she stepped into the house. A woman who seemed like she was in her mid thirties wrapped her in a warm embrace. She muttered some encouraging words as she patted her on the back. Evie identified her as Catherine Rivera - the wife of her father.

Once Cat had pulled away from her, Evie saw a man with striking resemblance to Edwin. He had grayish hair and his deep brown eyes were filled with tears as he stretched out his arms. He certainly was Edgar, her father.

She ran to him and hugged him, tears filling her eyes. She filled his scent in her nose as she felt a strong connection to him. She loved this man. And he loved her too. She hoped she would soon be able to rediscover that love. She hugged him tighter as a memory flashed through her mind. He was carrying her to her room and she was hugging him tight, probably afraid to fall. She smiled and buried her head in his chest. She knew she would be safe here.