Chapter nine: Fighting For A Life

Anger, questions, and rest

Her head hurt like a bitch, and someone was standing outside of her door. They weren't coming in or going away, they were just standing there and for some reason that really got on Payton's nerves. Make up your mind all ready. Maybe she was just focusing on the shadow on the other side of the door because it was a way of blocking out the memories that wanted to eat her alive. She kept expecting her mother to walk into the room any minute fawning over her and telling her she would be all right. Mom always did that. Whenever she had been down or sick, there was Mom right beside her. Always supportive, always loving. And part of all this. That letter, why did she have to give it to her now? Was it to clear her guilty conscious after all these years? Did she somehow know that something horrific was going to happen and she'd never see her daughter again? It always seemed like Pam Glasston had a sixth sense. She pushed down the image of her mother lying in a pool of blood. And Avery. Sure, she had fought with her little sister a lot of the time, but she still loved her. Surprising how someone getting murdered makes you realize how much you loved them, she thought bitterly. Her life was over. She bit back tears as she thought of her stepfather. He had fought to protect his family tooth and nail until he, too, was gunned down. So much blood. So much noise. The screams, the guns. The knife. She squeezed her eyes shut so tightly they began to hurt. She was still so disorientated. How did she get here? Why was her family attacked? How long had it been since...

The door finally opening caught her attention and fished her out of the black hole she'd been drowning in.

"Hello?" It was a man's voice, he seemed to be hesitating.

"I'm here." She rasped out. Dammit. Even her voice was annoying her.

The man stepped into the room fully, closing the door quietly behind him. Payton got a good look at him. Dark hair, dark eyes and tall. Those eyes. They looked familiar to her. God, she was just to tired to think about it. She felt a fresh wave of anger flow through her battered body. Payton didn't believe in God anymore, not after what happened. And she never would again.

"How do you feel?"

Like I've been run over by a steamroller. "OK."

The strange man seemed to be considering his next words carefully. "Do you know who I am?"

She gave him a look that said, Should I? "That was a stupid question. Let me, um, try again." He put his fingers to his temples.

Now her curiosity was peaked. "W-Who are you?"

He looked her dead in the eye. "Your father."

Payton's puffy eyes widened. She felt like she'd been socked in the gut. Sonny Corinthos. This was Sonny Corinthos, the man in the letter. Her biological father, the one her mother had never told her about. How had he known? How had he found her?

He seemed to read her thoughts. "I got a call and they told me they found a letter."

Things that had confused her moments before, now quickly fell into place. The cops must have found the letter in her jeans.

"Oh." Was all she could really say.

Sonny was about to say something else, when a brisk knock sounded and the hospital room's door opened. Taggart followed by another cop entered. They both looked simultaneously at Sonny then his daughter.

"Hello Miss Glasston. I'm Detective Taggart and this is Officer Ducox. I'm glad you're finally awake. I have a few questions to ask you if you feel up to it." Cops. Questions. Payton began to panic. She didn't want to talk to anyone. She wanted to be alone. Safe. She wanted things to go back to the way they were.

"My daughter just woke up from a coma," came Sonny's sternly agitated voice. "If you have any questions right now, save them. She's not in any condition to be talking to you."

When Taggart started to protest, Sonny cast him a death glare. "Get out. Now." With one of his own glares, Taggart left with the police officer without another word.

Ignoring the fact that he'd called her his daughter, Payton whispered a "thank you."

Her brown eyes were glistening with unshed tears as she looked thankfully at Sonny.

Worried that the encounter had caused her to much stress, Sonny said to her softly, his fatherly instincts automatically kicking in, "You should get some rest."

A/N: Too short? No good? Let me know. It's been about four months since I've updated ::winces:: Sorry about that. I really do hope this came out OK, it's not my best. Thank you to everyone that has reviewed, you guys are great. Please keep reviewing, I'd like to know how I'm doing. Well, hope you had a nice Halloween. Tootles.

Samara