Chapter Twenty-Eight
"Why should Nicky be pissed at you?" Alex joined the pair of them, eyebrows arched over her eyes. But then they widened when she realized what the reason would be. Her head shook at the pondering thought; she couldn't imagine what that girl had accused Lorna of to actually be true. Now that her mind sat with all those questions running through, she wasn't sure what to believe or not believe. She averted her eyes over towards Nicky to see what expression her face might reveal but couldn't get a clear vision. "You didn't actually sleep with some random guy, right? I know neither one of you would hurt each other in such a cruel way."
Despite the small bout of rage that still bubbled through her veins, a softness overcame Nicky as she gazed intensely at Lorna. She cradled her hands around her cheeks and studied the features of her face closely. There was no alarming signs that alerted her she had done anything that Shani girl tried to convince her and Alex she'd done. "No, Al," she commented, quickly glancing over at Alex and giving a shake of her head. "Lorna didn't do anything wrong. That fucking slimy Shani bitch was just making all that shit up like I already knew." Her teeth grit harshly together to try to stop the anger from increasing any further.
Shani, the name echoed through Lorna's mind. Tater-tot lover had a name. A name that made every part of her body cringe, however, a name, nonetheless. She sucked in a deep breath. "I just—I just wanna go home. I'm sorry for causing so much trouble," her voice quiet, she released herself from Nicky's grasp—with much reluctance—and forced herself to stand up. A wind blew past them, instinctively causing her body to shiver, and she made herself walk a few feet down the street. She was irritated with herself for going to that party to begin with. And she vowed she'd never go to another for as long as she had the unfortune of living.
The air grew colder each moment that passed, and though it was quite dark out, the light emanating from the stars gave sight to flurries of snow blanketing the surrounding ground. Lorna clenched her teeth together to stop from chattering; she felt her legs wanting to tremble from the freezing weather but instead forced them to move her a little further down the path. She folded her arms over her chest to preserve as much heat as possible.
Nicky quickly caught up with her and wrapped her arm around her shoulder, cautiously pulling her closer as if to shield her from the falling snow. "Stop that nonsensical talk, kid. Ya haven't caused any trouble. Let's just get outta here and we'll head back to my place with Red, yeah? That way you don't have to worry over calling your sister tonight." She hadn't given any time for the brunette to respond to her suggestion; using the arm she had around her shoulder to help guide her back to where her car was parked.
The drive only lasted a mere twenty minutes before Nicky pulled into the cobblestone driveway of Nurse Reznikov's house—or rather their house, she could probably start addressing it by. Lorna, who's head was resting on the rim of the window half asleep, rapidly awoken at the sensation of the moving vehicle ceasing movement. A yawn instinctively escaped her as she lifted her head up and peeped her eyes out of the window to see where they were. Cobblestone continued to the right of the driveway, leading to the front door of the stone ranch house. There was a decent sized porch surrounding the door that held two wicker rocking chairs with a dark metal table situated between them.
Lorna unfastened her seatbelt and pushed open the passenger door so that she could follow behind Nicky to the entry way of the house. Snow covered over the grass and the bushes off to the side of the front porch giving off an even cozier vibe than only seconds earlier. The house suited Mrs. Reznikov very well, Lorna thought to herself. It was simplistic and charming just like the woman who owned it. She stood behind her girlfriend while she rummaged through her satchel for the housekeys.
A warm aroma of nutmeg filled the air once Nicky opened the door and the two of them ventured inside. She wiped her shoes carefully on the doormat that was sitting on the floor right in front of the door, then used her hand to gesture for Lorna to mimic her previous actions. The house was quiet and dark, other than the dimmed light shining through the hallway and the natural settling of the house. Nicky silently led the way down the hall towards her bedroom; she made sure to shut it as quietly as possible to not disturb her surrogate mother's slumber.
Carefully walking to the dresser, she opened a drawer and grabbed two pairs of pajamas. The extra pair she gently tossed towards Lorna. She quickly changed into her own pair, beyond ready to wear something more comfortable. It didn't bother her to change in front of other girls at all; that came like second nature to her. She didn't even think about it, just undressed from her day clothes and threw those into the hamper beside the bed.
Shocked at how Nicky so casually started changing out of her clothes into her pajamas would be quite the understatement. Lorna didn't even realize her mouth was gaping open until she felt a drop of saliva running along her chin. Immediately, she closed her mouth and tried to tear her eyes away from her girlfriend's nearly bare body. It didn't make her uncomfortable by any means; in fact, she was mesmerized by just how stunning and beautiful Nicky was. Every centimeter of her was perfect, she deemed.
As if on cue, Nicky turned slightly to stare back at the brunette. She threw her a good-humored wink, "Like what ya see, huh kid?" A smirk displayed on her face. She quickly threw on her t-shirt and sweatpants before walking over to stand in front of Lorna. Her hands instantly cupped around her blushing cheeks, the smirk morphed into a warm smile and she inched their faces closer so that her lips brushed delicately over Lorna's.
Lorna closed her eyes while deepening the kiss significantly; she wrapped her hands lovingly around her girlfriend's face and allowed their lips to glide together stronger, yet with the utmost gentleness. The kiss lasted for a few moments longer before Lorna gently pulled away, however, kept her hands held delicately around Nicky's cheeks. "Would it be inappropriate of me to say I may have really liked what I saw?"
"Not at all, kid. I mean we're girlfriends' for shits shake," Nicky pointed out with a light chuckle. The sheepish smile on the other's face and deep shade of pink that covered her cheeks had her heart clenching inside her chest. Warmth rushed through her veins. She threw her arms gently around Lorna's waist, pulling her in for a much sought after embrace. "You can change into those pjs I gave ya, you know? That's why I gave em' to ya, doll."
"Oh, uh, yeah—where's the bathroom? I'll go change in there, needa rinse my face anyway." Lorna felt a lump mold in the pit of her stomach. There was no way she would be undressing in front of Nicky, at least not any time soon. She wasn't about to risk the chance of any of her bruises being caught by the other's eyes.
The suggestion had Nicky's eyebrows curve concerningly over her brown eyes. Albeit the request being of innocent nature, she had a sense there was a darker reason behind it. "Sure, kid, it's down the hall on the right," she informed her, deciding now wasn't the time to stir up any arguments over it. Though she vowed to figure out why Lorna was so adamant on needing to change in the restroom—it wasn't like she would judge her or make any snide comments if she were to stay in there to change.
When Lorna came back in Nicky's room, a mere twenty minutes later, she noticed it was almost completely dark aside from the light on the end table that only lit up a small fraction of the entire room. She stood hovering near the dresser, suddenly feeling uneasy and anxious at what she was supposed to do. Or rather the lack of knowing what she was to do. With her heart-rate steadily increasing, it wasn't long before her breath caught up and she realized it must have been loud because the next thing she heard was the clearing of a throat.
"Well, come on, kid; come get in bed—it's late," Nicky huskily called out, lying on her side so that she was able to peer over at her girlfriend. It was easily observable to her brown eyes how shaky the younger girl was as she stood there looking like a lost child in an amusement park. Such a sight brought a pang to her chest; her eyes softened immensely. The second she felt the mattress sink, she threw her arms protectively around the brunette's body.
"How come it took ya so long in the bathroom, kid? Everything okay? Oh, shit, did the weed make ya sick?"
At that moment, Lorna was almost grateful for having smoked the weed. If not for any other reason, it gave her an excuse to admit that she had been sick in the bathroom without having to worry Nicky as to why. She nodded slowly, letting one of her arms wrap loosely around the older teen's abdomen. It wasn't a complete lie either, she knew, a queasiness had set in right when they arrived at the house. Sure, maybe she would have induced the vomiting episode even if she hadn't felt nauseous but she felt slightly better knowing there was some truth behind the answer she was sharing with the girl she loved.
"I got nauseous in the car and it just kinda got worse after I put on the pajamas. And I didn't want to come in here until I cleaned the toilet and myself up. Sorry it took so long, hon. Ya didn't have to wait up for me but I appreciate that ya did."
Nicky sighed, pulling Lorna closer against her body and pressing her lips warmly atop her head. "I'm sorry ya got sick, kid. I knew it wasn't a good idea for ya to try the damn weed," she stated firmly, letting a hand tenderly push back a strand of hair from the other's eyes. She sighed, looking closely over her face for any signs of discomfort. "Ya wanna talk to me about what happened at the party?"
The query brought a bitter taste to Lorna's mouth. She deterred her eyes slightly away from the taller teen's. Recollecting about the earlier incident only strengthened the queasy sensation in her stomach. "What do ya mean, hon?" She hoped to somehow get herself out of having to discuss the happenings from that damned party. Yet, she sensed Nicky wasn't about to let up on it.
"Lorna, come on. Talk to me. What happened? I know something did because you're clearly not okay right now," Nicky pointed out when she felt Lorna's body very faintly trembling against her own. It worried her significantly. She leaned her forehead softly against the brunette's so that their eyes were forced to face each other. Her index finger she lifted to curl a strand of hair affectionately around her ear.
That was when Lorna noticed her own body shaking and mentally slapped herself for allowing that to go on long enough that her girlfriend had also took notice of it. The room was a bit chilly, she took note, of course that had to be why her legs seemed to quiver. It certainly wasn't because she had an unnerving encounter with a man who claimed to have done inappropriate things with her at her own mother's funeral. No, no that wasn't the reason at all.
"It's just chilly in here, that's why my legs are a little shaky. I'm good, hon," she commented, reaching to pull the comforter up to wrap around herself.
Frustration quickly rose within Nicky. Getting Lorna to open up about anything was as easy as riding a bike on a road built entirely of sharp spikes. In other words, it was one of the most challenging endeavors Nicky had ever vowed to take on. But she refused to give up. Lorna was worth everything to her even if it meant getting frustrated over her lack of discussing anything that might have a deep-rooted trauma associated with it.
She sighed, shutting her eyes for a long moment. It was in her own best interest to not get overly upset with Lorna, she knew, not if she didn't want her to clam up and run away like the last time she pried her too hard. "Lorna, what happened after ya went to the bathroom when we were at the party? You and I both know something did happen. That Shani girl saw ya come out of one of the bedrooms. Now I know her story was bullshit. But I need to know what really happened."
"I don't—I mean I don't really, I can't figure it out. There was some guy and he dragged me into that bedroom. But I thought I was hallucinating from the weed, everything was hazy and kinda numb-ish. I don't really know. But the guy he said things that didn't make no sense to me and I'm still real confused, hon."
Nicky's arms wrapped tighter around her girlfriend's waist, she reached her hands to cradle lovingly around her head and tenderly placed it onto her chest. Bending down slightly, she let her lips brush warmly on the top of her head. "Okay, kid, calm down. It's okay, you're safe now. Can ya remember anything else—what he said, did he do anything to ya? You're not hurt, are ya doll?"
Lorna swallowed thickly, letting her eyes focus down on the pattern of Nicky's shirt. She felt her hand cradled against the back of her head and for a moment, she shut her eyes contently. Nicky was the one person who always seemed to have such a calming effect over her. Her breath hitched momentarily in her throat as she pondered on how to respond. She didn't know she had an answer to any of those questions. In fact, she needed answers to those questions herself.
"I don't think I'm hurt, hon," she gently started, resting her cheek in the crook of Nicky's neck. "But he told me things that I don't know if they're true or not be-because I don't know the guy. He said he was in the military with my brotha and he knew my name but I have no clue who he is. I feel like I've gone insane."
Moving her hand cautiously to frame around the smaller girl's cheek, Nicky's eyes softly melded into hers. Compassion seeped through as she used her thumb to caress the flesh in soothing circles. Her heart ached at the thought of someone hauling off an intoxicated Lorna and how such an event must have messed with her already temporarily incapacitated mind. She drew in a large breath of air while continuing the soothing motion around the cheek her hand was cupped around. The words that her girlfriend said she tried to wrap her mind around them in an effort to make sense of their meaning.
"Okay, so, he didn't do anything physically to ya, yeah doll?" Lorna nodded and Nicky pulled her closer, brushing her lips warmly over her forehead. Relief fell over her; at least the man hadn't harmed her in a physical or sexual manner, she silently affirmed. "What did he say to you? Can ya tell me?"
A tightness sat in her throat at the other's inquiry. She wasn't sure what to respond with—if she recalled factually what occurred, that would mean having to mention the death of her mother but having to come up with a lie, when she was already drained, felt like a hassle. Lifting a hand slowly up to her forehead, she rubbed vigorously at her temples. The motion did nothing to aide in her thought process. Ironically, it only formed a throbbing ache between them.
"I mean he just was talking like I was supposed to know him or somethin'. He said he was with Mikey in the army and that he seen me before the last time he came to visit my brotha…but I really had no damn clue who he was. And he got real mad because of that," Lorna said, swallowing thickly at the memory of the cigar pressed against her cheek. She hoped it hadn't left any remnants; the last thing she wanted was for her girlfriend to notice any strange marks on her skin.
"Yeah? Are ya sure he didn't hurt ya in any way, doll?" Nicky brushed her knuckles warmly along the flesh of the brunette's cheek. Her free arm she used to wrap protectively around Lorna's waist, naturally pulling her closer so that her head was resting on her chest. She let her lips press soothingly down onto the flesh of her forehead. Regardless of Lorna's insistence that nothing was done, Nicky observed her every inch of her body intently. She knew her girlfriend had a high tendency to downplay any events that may have included anything even remotely harmful.
After looking over her arms and nothing out of the ordinary caught her eye, she sighed out of relief and simply rested her forehead onto Lorna's. Their eyes met; Nicky's heart caught in her throat. She reached a thumb to tenderly move a strand of hair from her girlfriend's eye. Their lips melted together in a delicate kiss. However, she gradually pulled away when a dark ember bruise situated on the corner of Lorna's cheek came into her peripheral vision.
Gulping uneasily, she placed her thumb right below the mark and caressed the flesh in a tender circle. It formed a pang in her chest to see such a flamboyant marking on the younger girl's face. Her eyes averted back to her girlfriend's, an intense concern radiating from them. "How'd this bruise get on your cheek, baby?" She queried softly, moving her thumb lightly back and forth around it.
"Oh, uh, I must have smacked it on something. I didn't even know I had a bruise there, hon. That weed really made me feel weird and some things are a bit hazy to me still," Lorna quickly shrugged it off. Her eyes shut and she moved her hands up to cover over her face, rubbing them up and down the length of it a few times. She already knew that her girlfriend was not going to be convinced by her words. A sigh escaped her; the guilt that she had for being so deceitful with Nicky tore her up inside. It wasn't something she enjoyed doing, yet, she loathed the idea of burdening her more than the guilt all the lying was causing her.
"Lorna, tell me the truth. Please. That bruise doesn't look like ya just smacked it on something," the older teen gently pleaded. Her hand cradled affectionately around the cheek with the mark while her eyes held their gaze.
Another heaping huff of air expelled up from Lorna's lungs through her windpipe. Everything always came back to bite her, she realized. All the lies, all the stories—she didn't know how much longer she could keep them up until they all exploded in her face. She placed a hand on her temple and massaged it rather sharply. "I don't know. I mean I mighta felt a cigar smash against my cheek but I-I couldn't tell if it was real or if I imagined it. I shoulda listened to you and not tried any a the weed. I'm so sorry, hon."
A cigar clashing with her cheek? The statement easily formed a raging fire in her chest. To think that someone would do something so cruel to a person as sweet as her girlfriend, it made Nicky want to smash and throw anything she could get her hands on. However, with it being the middle of the night and not wanting to upset Lorna, she settled on gritting her teeth while tightening her arms around the petite waist of her lover. Lips pressing delicately onto her forehead.
"Don't you apologize for a thing, kid. I am so sick inside that some asshole thought it was okay to use your precious face as a fucking ashtray for their damn cigar. Who was it? Was it that fucking stupid guy who snatched ya away to the bedroom? Does it hurt, my sweet Lorna?" The questions appeared to urgently pour out of her.
Lorna swallowed uncomfortably, her chest tight and heavy at how frantic the older girl sounded with each inquiry. That reason, right then, was why she hadn't want to share the complete truth with Nicky. Seeing the agonizing expression on her angelic face caused the ache in Lorna's chest to deepen. She never wanted to be the culprit of the redhead's pain. A sigh puffed out; she let her arms wrap softly around Nicky's neck. They locked eyes and she easily noted the worry in the other's. Such sight increased the tightness in her chest vastly.
"Please don't get all worked up over it, Nicky," she warmly started, lifting her head slightly so that she could stroke her lips over the tip of Nicky's chin. Her fingers caressed the flesh of it in a soothing circle. "I mean yeah that guy kinda did it but it's not a big deal. I mean I kicked him in the groin first so I probably deserved that, ya know?"
The already boiling rage bubbled even stronger after hearing what Lorna said only seconds ago. She peered down into her eyes quite firmly, upset that the girl she loved would even consider allowing a comment like that to slip out of her. "No, doll, you did not deserve to be hurt by that fucking piece of shit. Ya kicked him in the groin first? So he was tryna force himself on ya, huh?" As if the anger inside of her wasn't previously at a boiling point, now it felt as though her skin could instantly evaporate a droplet of water.
"I don't know if he was planning to do anything like that—I just, he made me upset so I kicked him and then he got mad and grabbed me so I pounded him in the face with the back of my head a few times. That's when he took the cigar he was smokin' and pressed it into my cheek."
The way she explained the incident in a rather monotonous tone—like she was sharing the day's weather—constricted Nicky's breathing to a certain degree. Yet, the fact that Lorna was even willing to fully open up about what happened brought a bout of graciousness over her. She knew that it was a rare occurrence for her girlfriend to feel safe enough to discuss any painful events. Her arms cradled soothingly around the smaller girl's petite frame. "I'm proud of you for sticking up for yourself, doll. But pissed at this idiot guy for hurting ya and upsetting ya enough that ya hadda resort to such lengths. I hope to god ya never run into him again because I can't promise I won't beat him, yeah?"
Lorna pursed her lips into a tight smile. If what he had said was actually true, she had a feeling there was a very real possibility that she could see him again in the future. The thought churned her stomach. However, with it being so late and exhaustion already setting in, she suppressed the sensation and nuzzled her face into Nicky's chest, pressing a tender kiss atop it. "I don't think we needa worry about that again, hon. I love you," her voice barely louder than a whisper, sleep quite evidently mixed in.
Combing a hand lovingly through brown waves, the older teen returned the gesture with a soft peck on the top of her head. She reached for her comforter and brought it up to wrap around the pair of them. It felt like the most natural thing to have Lorna in her arms; a sensation she hadn't realized how much she craved until they were lying there together in her bed. "I love you too, doll. Goodnight," she murmured warmly against her ear, continuing the motion through Lorna's hair until the both of them fell into a tranquil slumber.
A strong scent of coffee was what awakened Lorna from her sleep early the next morning. Her nose crinkled yearningly at the pleasant aroma. The moon was still sitting in the sky, outside of the window, shinning fervently through. She stretched her body to further wake herself—the winter darkness exhausted her to no end—and pushed herself up off of the bed. Searching the room, she quickly noticed that Nicky must have already left as there was no sign of her anywhere.
Albeit being a guest in her girlfriend's house, Lorna refused to leave the bedroom until the bed was neatly put back together. Once she finished the task she walked out through the door. The scent rapidly intensified as she did so, aromas of breakfast items stirring in with the coffee. She followed it and was led to the kitchen, which was just off the quaint living room she remembered entering into the previous night. Something about the kitchen caused a warmth to come over her. She caught sight of Nurse Reznikov hovering over the burner, flipping pancake batter in the pan atop it and she thought of her own mother. How Mrs. Morello—long before her cancer diagnoses—loved to frolic about their kitchen every morning, preparing the most beautiful meals Lorna had ever seen. It wasn't until she noticed two sets of eyes on her that she realized tears had fallen along her cheeks. She quickly wiped at them and forced a smile to form.
"Sorry, I get a little too excited over the smell of coffee," Lorna sheepishly stated, the smile on her face widened slightly. A smile that wasn't completely genuine but it covered the other swirling emotions enough that she figured the other two would be sufficiently convinced.
Observing the young teen closely, Red gave a nod. That certainly hadn't been the strangest thing she'd ever heard. She took the spatula that was laid out on the counter to the right of the stove and extracted the pancake from the pan, placing it on the plate with the rest. The coffee finished dripping into the pot, so, she walked over to grab it and poured the steaming liquid into the three mugs she had previously put out. One was given to Lorna, the other to her Nicky.
"Yes, I get the same way in the morning. When the sun is yet to rise and I need my caffeine to wake my brain. Coffee makes my heart happy," the Russian woman agreed, her face radiating with a warm smile molded to it. She started setting things on the little wooden table that resided in the corner of her kitchen and motioned her hand at Nicky, mentally asking her to help gather the dishes and silverware.
It took only a matter of minutes for the table to be prepared with enough plates for the three of them along with the plentiful of breakfast food laid out neatly in the middle. Red folded a hand on each hip, proud of what was accomplished. She sat down in her usual seat, grabbing her mug and sipping savoringly. Nothing was better than that first sip of bold coffee in the morning. Her eyes averted to Lorna—who still stood in the archway from the living room—and motioned with her hand for she to join them at the table.
Lorna shifted uneasily but did as the older woman gestured for her to. She walked over and sat down in the chair next to Nicky's. Of course, how extravagant and lovely the meal looked formed a warm, fuzzy, sensation through her body—it was homey, like the Morello house had once been. The food looked stunning, perfect even; however, the thought of consuming it heightened her anxiety. She knew if she ate even a morsel she'd need to make a trip to the bathroom the second she got to the school and after the last time, she wasn't sure how smart of an idea that would be.
"You can eat, honey," Red stated when she saw her just sitting and staring at the spread. "Or do you like to pray before you eat?" She queried with an arched eyebrow as she used a butterknife to spread a helping of jam onto her perfectly golden piece of toast.
The question brought a deeper pang to her chest. Although she hadn't particularly cared for praying before meals, she remembered her mother doing so when she had still been relatively well. Such a memory drew a breath from her lungs. She swallowed hard as if that would somehow erase the emotions that were itching to display themselves. To avoid an occurrence like that, she busied herself with grabbing her mug of coffee and reaching for the ceramic jug of creamer. She poured a decent amount of the cream into the mug along with a couple teaspoons of sugar and then used her spoon to mix it all together.
Lorna sipped her coffee slowly and glanced across the table at Mrs. Reznikov. "Oh, uh, I don't pray. My mom used to. But I-I just wasn't sure if that's what you do so I didn't wanna just start eating without knowing. The coffee's real good," she nodded, holding up her cup to emphasize her point.
In the chair right beside her, Nicky watched her meticulously. She sipped her own black coffee and used her fork to grab one of the pancakes to place on the plate in front of her. Something felt off with Lorna's reaction to the meal before them—she couldn't quite put a finger to what that something was but she had a sense there was a bigger picture behind whatever her girlfriend had been trying to cover up with all the words that so easily spewed from her mouth.
"Yeah, ma, ya make the best coffee. Just the right amount of strong," Nicky chimed in as she cut a piece of pancake with the fork in her hand.
The woman smiled warmly at both teens, having a bite of toast with a sip of her own coffee. The flavors blended together rather magically. Once she swallowed, she gave a slightly stern stare between the pair of them. Hoping they hadn't thought their late arrival the night before went unnoticed by her. "I heard ya guys come in after midnight yesterday," she advised the girls, letting her arms naturally fold against her chest. "Now I know I told you, Nicky, it was fine for you to go to that party. However, that didn't mean for ya to stay out past eleven—not on a school night, anyway. Mind tellin' me why it was almost one o'clock when I heard the front door open?"
Both teens shared a quick glance and Nicky stifled a chuckle when Lorna ever-so-slightly crouched further down in her chair. She turned away to focus back on her surrogate mother. Despite the sternness in her tone, looking into her blue eyes all she saw was warmth and a motherly concern. Her heart burst at that. She still wasn't particularly used to a mother's affection or worry. A sigh escaped her. "I'm sorry, ma. I didn't mean for us to come back so late, we kinda lost track of time is all. I promise that won't happen again."
"It's okay, honey. I just don't want you girls out late when ya got school the next day—you need to be well rested so your brain can absorb all the learning, yes?" Red smiled, having a second bite of her jam latened toast.
When the two gave her a look at the comment, she only laughed and reached for her mug. She sipped it, then replaced it on the wooden surface. Her eyes deterred back to the brunette. She noticed her plate still sat empty and her maternal instincts turned full gear. "Please have some food, Lorna. I promise I didn't poison any of it," she gently insisted, smiling when she gained a light chuckle from the younger teen.
Out of caution, Lorna decided to reach for the safest option available—a scoop of fresh fruit and miniscule dallop of yogurt poured on top. As she sat there with the food on her plate, an uneasiness overcame her. She couldn't remember the last time she ate in front of another person, let alone two people she was rather close with. It felt like their eyes were on her, waiting for her to eat and watch as her body magically blew up. But the sound of their conversing over some topic or another quickly eased away some of the fear. She timidly took her fork from the napkin beside the plate and poked it through one of the strawberries. When she finally placed it in her mouth, her tastebuds were desperately obliged for the nourishing contact.
Seeing both of them eating a well-balanced breakfast, Red's heart was graciously content. She gave a nod to Lorna. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Don't ever skip it, either of you," her voice firmly stated as she wagged her finger between the pair of them.
