Terry didn't do a whole lot on the long plane ride except think. She knew the Hansons would want to know why she was barging in on them, what all had happened. Should she tell them? About the beatings, the way he would curse at her, the way he would grab her and shake her so hard her head would spin? The way he would touch her in the night? And what if they found out about her awful secret? She could hide it for a while, but she knew they would eventually find out. Her mind then strayed back to what he would do to her at night. Try as she might, she could not forget that first, awful night when she was seven...
"Daddy, what are you doing?"
" Shhh, it's okay."
"But Daddy, what are you doing?"
" Just relax"
"Daddy, please, stop, you're hurting me!"She cried a lot that night...
Terry's eyes snapped open. She was shaking. She always shook when she got upset. It was the closest thing to crying she would come. She squeezed back the tears that threatened. Her father had always told her how crying showed weakness. He would always taunt her when she did, so she didn't. She hadn't cried since she was eight. She wasn't about to start now. She now thought about the Hansons. What would they expect of her? She wondered if the father and even the older boys would be anything like her father? She hoped they didn't drink, it would make things a little easier. She sat back and waited for the plane ride to end. She would just have to wait.
"Zac, would you please settle down? You know you're driving me crazy," Taylor said after Zac started mumbling and pacing for the third time in ten minutes.
"I'm sorry, Tay. I'm just wondering how to act around her. I mean, her dad HIT her, Tay! It made me realize how lucky we are. Our parents would never do something like that," Zac said.
"I know what you mean," Isaac said, spreading a quilt over the bed in the den. "Mom and Dad may yell and get angry and even lose their temper on occasion, but they would never hurt us in any way. So, I guess the only thing to do is be ourselves, be patient, and don't nag her about whatever happened."
"I guess you're right," Taylor said. But he had some doubts. He knew that some foster kids could be downright rude and , no matter how kind the foster family was.
"The press would love this," Taylor said, " 'Pop group Hanson fosters lonely .' "
"Hey, the press would love it and so would the fans," Zac grinned.
"Zac, I know what you're thinking and don't even bother," Isaac warned, "Remember, this is strictly for the family and close friends."
"I know, Ike. I'm sorry, bad joke," Zac said, " Well, she won't be here for a couple of hours, let's go to Laser Quest!"
