A/N: Just a quick thank you to all my readers and to blossom-of-snow for editing.
Even from her bedroom, Sharon could hear the muffled cries through the closed door of Rainie's bedroom. A week of unending tears was not how she expected Rainie to handle her current situation. Sharon felt lucky to have her daughter back, but Rainie's misery negated her mother's relief.
Despite Rainie's almost full physical recovery, things went south once the topic of Heather came up. Heather's absence throughout Rainie's hospital stay defied reason. She didn't even sound relieved when Sharon told her that Rainie has woken up. It took Rainie a few days to regain enough presence of mind to understand her surroundings and ask about Heather. At first, it appeared that just the knowledge that Heather survived unharmed sufficed. A few days later, when Rainie asked about Heather again, Sharon suggested that Rainie call her. It took Rainie several days to get a hold of Heather, and that call did not go as she had expected. Heather broke up with Rainie, under the claim that she felt unsafe being around her. Blaming Rainie for their assault was insensitive and unreasonable, so Sharon thought Heather simply needed an excuse to break it off.
Now, a week later, Rainie refused to leave her bed, barely ate and spent most of her day sobbing into her pillow. While Rainie's reaction seemed severe, the physical and psychological trauma resulted in increased sensitivity.
"You can't listen to this anymore, don't you?" Andy asked.
They'd been lying in bed and staring at each other for fifteen minutes, for they found impossible to sleep knowing Rainie suffered so acutely across the hall.
"Breakups can really hurt." Sharon's voice broken.
"Maybe Rainie should sleep here tonight. It always calms her down."
Rainie always slept better with Sharon by her side, but Rainie had not slept in her bed since Andy moved in. Sharon didn't want Andy to have to sleep on the couch in the living room.
"I'm gonna get her," he whispered as he threw the blanket aside.
Andy returned a few minutes later, carrying Rainie. As soon as he laid her down, Rainie immediately crawled into Sharon's arms, as if the warmth of Sharon's body could save her from freezing. Andy grabbed his pillow and began walking towards the door.
Rainie's weak voice barely broke the silence. "Stay. There's room for the three of us."
Sharon looked at Andy above Rainie's head and nodded. "Let's scooch over," she whispered to Rainie, who immediately crawled to Andy's side of the bed. Carefully, Andy placed his pillow back on the bed and slid into bed behind Sharon with his head propped up on his elbow. Without a word, Rainie reached behind her for Andy's free hand to hold.
Running her fingers through Rainie's hair, Sharon whispered, "Goodnight, Sweetheart. Wake us up if you need anything during the night."
Rainie uttered a weak "Okay."
"Goodnight, my sweet girls," Andy said.
True to Andy's prediction, Rainie stopped sobbing in their arms and fell asleep almost immediately. Andy and Sharon stayed awake, shielding Rainie from her sadness as she slept peacefully in their arms. When Emily and Ricky came to sleep in her bed as children, their father had already abandoned them. It felt pleasantly odd to have someone on the other side who not only shared the burden of her child's pain but also supported her.
Despite the uncomfortable position, they remained this way the entire night, to allow Rainie much-needed sleep. Sharon hoped that come morning, they'd be able to convince Rainie to go out of bed, take a shower and eat a little. It was a recovery that both her body and soul needed.
When Sharon woke up, Rainie did not stir in her arms. Andy no longer held her but the sweet smell coming from the kitchen told her where he slipped off to. Therefore, it did not surprise her when he returned a short while later to tell her that breakfast was ready. Sharon gently woke Rainie up, not surprised when the girl requested to sleep in.
Sharon could see her concern for Rainie reflected in Andy's eyes.
"Well, guess what, kiddo," he said decisively. "I made your favorite breakfast, so we're gonna sit together as a family and eat."
Without waiting for Rainie's response, Andy hoisted Rainie in his arms and carried her to the breakfast table. Despite her initial objection to getting out of bed, Rainie was too exhausted to put up a fight, and reluctantly sat in her chair.
As both Andy and Sharon surreptitiously watched, Rainie took a few bites of her waffle. It was small progress, but progress nonetheless.
After breakfast, Andy cleared the dishes while Sharon enlisted Rainie's help in making the bed. Of course, she didn't really need help, but keeping busy would prevent Rainie from going back to bed.
"You know, sweetie, a shower would make you feel so much better," Sharon suggested. Rainie hadn't showered in a week, which, since Rainie usually enjoyed long showers, was unusual.
"I can't go into the bathroom." Rainie's eyes brimmed with tears. "I look like a monster."
Rainie's bruised face was shocking, but her daughter was more worried about her hair. The nurses had to shave off a few patches at the hospital, leaving Rainie with several bald spots.
"You can't avoid showering forever."
Rainie sighed and tossed the last decorative pillow into place. "I can't see myself this way, Mom. I just can't."
"I can cover the mirror," Sharon offered.
"But you and Andy use it. That's not a permanent solution."
Do you think–" Sharon hated herself for what she was about to suggest. "Do you think we could fix this with a haircut?"
"Like, shave all my hair off?" Rainie asked.
Sharon could see a flash of excitement in her daughter's eyes. For years, Rainie wanted to change her hair, and Sharon wouldn't let her. She loved Rainie's beautiful, luscious coppery curls. Despite being a legal adult, Rainie respected Sharon's pleas to not color or drastically change her hairstyle. But if a haircut made Rainie happy, Sharon would give in, however begrudgingly. "Then let's go take a look."
She followed Rainie into the bathroom as Rainie took a look at the mirror.
Despite her earlier protests, Rainie only flinched when she saw her reflection. She closed her eyes and took two deep, even breaths before braving the face of a stranger in the mirror. "I have so many bald spots, Mom. The only haircut that's going to make me look normal is a buzz cut."
Forgetting herself, Sharon's heart plummeted. "But your hair won't grow back in time for the wedding." She imagined Rainie with a half braided hairdo, her curls framing her face beautifully.
"It will be long enough for a pixie cut," Rainie said. "Come on, Mom. Help me with this."
Sharon now felt like she was going to faint. "You want me to do it?"
Her shrill voice made Andy emerge from the kitchen. "Hey, what's going on?"
Rainie almost smiled. "Mom is gonna help me get a buzz cut."
"Well, that's gonna be different," Andy said.
"Come on, let's do this, Mom." Rainie took a seat at the edge of the bathtub and looked at Sharon expectantly.
Sharon threw a helpless gaze at Andy, who gave her shoulder a little squeeze.
Reluctantly, Sharon took scissors and Andy's electric razor out of the bathroom cabinet. Her hands shook as she slipped the guard on the razor.
"If you're cutting all your hair off, why don't you donate it?" Andy took the razor from Sharon, fixing the guard.
"Yeah, that's a great idea," Rainie said. She asked Sharon to section off her hair and braid each section so she'd be able to donate it.
When she was finished, Sharon took the shears. Her hands still shook when she brought it to Rainie's hair and began to snip the hair above the elastic band. The sound of the scissors made her cringe and the sudden heaviness in her hand when Rainie's first braid detached from her head overwhelmed her. Tears filled her eyes, and she bit her bottom lip to avoid crying. After cutting the second braid, she couldn't hold back her cries any longer.
Rainie tried to comfort her. "Mom, don't cry. We're doing something good, right? It's good for me, and it's good for people with cancer who will get new wigs."
"I know," Sharon sniffled. She dreaded seeing Rainie without her hair, and when the last braid rested in her hand, she took the razor and began buzzing Rainie's hair off.
"Jeez, Mom, stop crying! It's just hair," Rainie called out when one of Sharon's tears landed on Rainie's cheek.
When she was done, Sharon took a step back.
"How do I look, Mom?" Rainie's voice was small, needing Sharon's reassurance and support.
Sharon looked at her daughter, sans hair. Even with the bruises, the new haircut accentuated Rainie's features. She ran her palm over the buzzed hair, soft under her fingers. Her hand slipped down to caress Rainie's cheek. "You look beautiful."
"You really do," Andy said. "It suits you."
Rainie inspected herself in the mirror and smiled at her reflection. "I look badass. Thanks, Mom." She wrapped her arms around Sharon, who was still crying. "You're the best."
"I love you, sweetheart." Sharon kissed the crown of her daughter's shaved head. "Now, it's time to go shower."
Rainie nodded as Sharon and Andy left the bathroom, carrying the ginger braids with them. Sharon put each braid into a Ziploc and looked at the bags in front of her. Tears flooded her eyes again and rolled down her face.
"It's okay," Andy wrapped his arms around her. "Her hair will grow back."
"It will take years." Sharon sobbed into his chest.
"Who cares? She's beautiful either way," he said, and his hands rubbed circles on Sharon's back, soothing her. "When she gets out of the shower, you do her makeup, and we'll all go see a movie, okay?"
Sharon pulled back from him and nodded.
"You're okay, babe. We're all going to be okay."
Sharon threw one last gaze at the Ziplocs on the counter as Andy picked them up, promising to handle sending them to a charity of Rainie's choice, away from Sharon's eyes. Sharon closed her eyes and wiped the remnants of her tears from her face. There was no need to cry anymore. With Stroh dead and Rainie on the path to full recovery, things were looking up.
-TBC-