"Hey. Have you seen George?" I asked a random guy I saw backstage.

"Huh? Oh, hey. You're George's foster kid, right? Remind me of your name." the guy said.

"My name is Valerie." I said in my bad American accent. The guy looked puzzled, then shook it off. "Hey. My name is Gerard. I play Rich Goranski." I smiled, then Gerard asked the dreaded question.

"What's in your arm?" he asked. 

"Infusor pump. I have a heart condition." I said. Gerard laughed and said, "You say that so casually." 

"I have been dealing with it since the day I was born. It's really nothing. You have to realize, my parents died and I've been placed in like 8 foster homes in the past 7 years. Including being put in the care of Penelope Rafferty." I said.

"What's wrong with Penelope?" Gerard asked. 

"Abusive." I heard from behind me. I turned around and Will was standing behind me, ruffling my hair. 

"Yeah." I said sheepishly. I rolled up my sleeve and showed Gerard and Will a collection of bruises on my arm. Gerard looked at me like he had just watched someone being murdered, and Will did the same.

"Are...are those all from Penelope?" Gerard asked, shocked. I nodded, and Will threw his hands in the air. "That's it. That's it. Valerie, you are not going home." he said. I looked at Will, and then Stephanie walked in. "Is Will okay?" she asked.

"Who the heck knows? Valerie showed us her bruises from Penelope and he started freaking out." Gerard said. Stephanie sighed, and said, "Show me the bruises." I rolled up my sleeve and held my arm out to Stephanie. Stephanie gently pressed on some of the bruises, and I winced. 

"Are those fresh bruises?" Gerard asked, and I nodded. "Some of these were from yesterday." I said.

"Excuse me?" Stephanie said, alarmed. 

"Yeah. Abuse can mess you up bad." I said. I sighed, and pushed my strawberry blonde hair behind my ear. 

"Your hair is pretty." Stephanie said, playing with the ends of it. "Gorgeous color."

"Thanks." I said sheepishly. I wasn't used to getting compliments. I was more used to getting insults and stuff like that. But I guess that comes with getting physically and mentally abused for the last two years of your life.

"Wait, Valerie, do you have an accent?" Gerard asked, and I froze. 

"Yeah..." I said softly, dropping the American accent.

"Speak up, Val. We can't hear you." Stephanie said.

"Yes! I have an accent!" I screamed without thinking. I just wanted the judgement to stop. Stephanie jumped back and Gerard did the same.

"I'm so sorry...please don't hurt me..." I said, starting to cry.

"Valerie...you don't need to be sorry. And nobody here is going to hurt you, ever. Trust me, okay?" Stephanie said. I nodded, then George knocked on the door.

"George!" I yelled, giving him a hug. "Sorry, I'm clingy." 

"It's okay, sweetie. I get it." George said, holding me tightly. "You don't have to be sorry, Val."

"Penelope used to hit me whenever I hugged someone." I said, crying a little. 

"That'll never happen again, I promise you." George said. "You can hug me whenever you want." I forgot my sweatshirt was still rolled up, and George said, "What's with the bruises?"

"Those were from yesterday." Will answered seriously.

"Yesterday?" George asked, and I nodded. "Penelope threw me down the stairs."

"Why?" Gerard asked.

"Because I had to go get my pump changed." I said sadly. 

"Oh, Valerie...you can't control that..." Stephanie said.

"I could get a surgery to fix my heart, but Penelope said I don't deserve to be healthy..." I said. George looked at Will, who looked at Stephanie, who looked at Gerard.

"Well, um, Valerie, would you still like to get the surgery?" Will asked. I debated the options in my head, then said, "It's expensive, and it's also really terrifying to me, and it takes a long time. Like, I'll be in surgery for 24 hours. But I won't need the pump anymore." 

"So is that a yes or a no?" George asked, putting his hand on my back. I took a deep breath, and said, "Yes. I'll take the leap of faith." 

"Brave girl." Gerard said. "I could never do that."

"I've dealt with abuse on top of a heart condition. A 24-hour long surgery is nothing! Besides, it's not like it's my first surgery." I said casually.

"How many surgeries have you had?" George asked.

"10." I said, smiling.

"Why are you smiling over that? That's horrible!" Will said. 

"It's not that bad." I assured him. 

"Are you sure?" George asked, hugging me. I nodded, and said, "Thanks for supporting me."

"Always, Val. Always." George said.

AN: What can I say? I'm a sucker for sending kids to the hospital! No one sue me, please. Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Catch ya later!