Chapter Eighty-One
Fifteen minutes came and went. Lorna still hadn't touched the sandwich by the time Nicky was walking through the front door of the Chapman's house. She sipped half of the tea down, however, and was calmed to see her girlfriend walking over to sit down beside her on the couch that she hadn't moved from since she'd gotten back from the hospital. The cushion sunk beside her and when she turned to acknowledge Nicky, a smile couldn't resist from forming upon her face. She immediately scooted closer, snaking her arms gently around the older girl's back to pull her nearer.
Wrapping her own arm around the smaller teen's waist, Nicky situated herself so that her entire body was resting on the sofa in a fashion where she was easily able to have Lorna leaning into her front. Fingers raked slowly and soothingly through the thick brown strands of Lorna's hair. A sigh of relief escaped from her. There weren't enough words to describe how grateful she was that Lorna was finally the hell out of that damned hospital. Away from that evil, demented, asshat of a father of hers.
Lips found their way onto the crown of her head, pressing tenderly down on it in a warm and affectionate kiss. "Can I see your hand, kid? The one ya said the nurse wasn't gentle with?" Her voice softly queried, eyes looking intently into those of her girlfriend's.
At least Lorna was now at a safe distance from Mr. Morello, she thought. Far enough away that he couldn't randomly pay her a visit in the middle of the night to try and convince her to give him a liver he certainly hadn't deserved. A liver he sure as fuck wasn't entitled to, especially after all the fucking shit he put Lorna through.
Lifting the hand with the tape and gauss still on it, Lorna waved it cautiously in front of the other's eyes. The pain wasn't merely as bad now, nearing three hours after having the needle so violently ripped from her skin, but a dull ache remained. "Right there. My dominant hand too," shoulders bounced up to the sides of her face. A frown found its way upon it and she tilted her head a slight amount. "I swear I thought the nurse was gonna pull my vein out with the damn needle. She pulled so damn hard, Nicky. I don't know what she was thinking but it still stings a little now."
An identical frown molded itself onto Nicky's face as she lovingly grabbed Lorna's outstretched hand with one of hers and cradled it tenderly in her own. She brushed her fingers delicately around the top of her hand, making sure not to press too harshly into its flesh. "What a bitch she sounds like, kid. I'm sorry," she huskily murmured, before fixing her eyes on Lorna's hand and moving her fingers closer to the bandage covering the middle of it.
Stopping halfway, she lifted her head and threw a soft stare up at the brunette. "Is it okay if I remove the cotton and examine it, baby?"
Lorna nodded, eyes watching Nicky very carefully. She brought her other hand up and let it rest onto the soft skin of one of her cheeks, lightly caressing it with the tips of her fingers. Even though they were stuck sitting in the living room of her foster family's house rather than the living room of her sister's place or her own family's house, it was still a million times better than being trapped in the hospital. Anywhere was better than the hospital, she thought, even school.
Having her girlfriend's consent, Nicky cautiously brought her fingers towards the taped down cotton. Barely touching it, she slowly lifted her eyes to stare back into Lorna's. She didn't do anything else until she received another nod of acknowledgement. Her fingers gently pulled on the corner of the tape until it came all the way off of Lorna's skin.
A small yelp was given which immediately made Nicky bring the hand she was examining into hers and up to her lips. Lips moved the few inches closer, pressing softly against the top of Lorna's hand near where the gauss had once been. After giving it a couple more soothing kisses, she brought it back away so that she could examine the skin she had only seconds ago removed the bandage from.
The flesh in the middle of her hand where once had been tape was noticeably discolored and bruised in comparison to the rest of the surrounding area. Nicky's frown grew at such an observation. Head shook distastefully as well. Whatever nurse happened to be the cause of such bruising was lucky she wasn't there when she was doing that. Very lucky, she bit down on her tongue. Eyes returned onto Lorna and she cupped her other hand softly around one of her pale cheeks. "The nurse who did this oughta be glad I wasn't with you or I'da had some choice words to say."
Chuckling light-heartedly, Lorna allowed her head to fall against one of Nicky's shoulders and turned it so that her nose nuzzled into the cotton of her shirt. "I thought that too when she was ripping the needle and my soul right outta me, hon. But I guess that's really nothin' compared what else I've had happen in my life, ya know? What's a harsh little pull compared to everything else?" She threw up her ends to emphasize her words.
However, the comment didn't go over quite as well for Nicky. Who only tightened her arms around the girl and shook her head even fiercer. What Lorna had been through wasn't anything to be joked about in her eyes. It still made her skin crawl and her blood boil to even think about it. How could Lorna sit and make light of it? A sigh escaped and she knew exactly the answer to her own question. That was just what Lorna did. She had to make light of the situations she'd experienced otherwise she'd succumb to her emotions which was clearly the last thing she would even allow herself to ponder over.
"No, doll, it's not nothing. Just because you unfairly had worse shit done to you doesn't negate the fact that what this nurse did to your precious hand wasn't okay," Nicky cried out, bringing Lorna's hand that still remained in hers up to her lips once more for another round of soothing kisses. She kissed it over and over, each knuckle and each visible vein she was able to see with her eye.
"I get what you're saying, hon, but there's no sense in dwelling on it. It's already done and over with it and I honestly feel bad for that nurse. She mighta been havin' a bad day, ya know? Anyway, at least I don't have to worry about that ever happening again—I'm outta there now and don't ever plan on going back. I hate hospitals, Nicky, I hate em' so much," Lorna muttered. A breath escaped after she'd finished speaking.
Hand softly released the one it held, after a final tender kiss, and Nicky snaked both of her arms securely and tightly around Lorna's waist. They pulled her as close as they could possibly have her. Once Lorna's head was nearly resting in the crook of her neck, Nicky let her chin press delicately onto the top of her hair-covered scalp. Leave it to Lorna to feel bad for yet another person who caused her pain, she thought with the shake of her head. Not head shake of anger but rather a head shake of disbelief. She couldn't even comprehend how someone could have as much human compassion as her sweet girlfriend constantly seemed to have.
If she could be even half the person Lorna was maybe she wouldn't feel the need to seek revenge on people. Clearly, Lorna didn't have the desire to seek revenge on anyone who'd hurt her. Nicky couldn't understand why not. If tables were turned and it was her who had been violated in such vile ways, she'd go after the culprits herself. A sigh pushed through. Maybe that was why Lorna might possibly be her soulmate if soulmates happened to be an actual thing. They balanced each other out in the most harmonic of ways.
Lorna subdued her incessant anger and she was there to somehow help Lorna realize she wasn't just an object for other people to use. Arms tightened further and she bent her head slightly in order to be able to peck a warm kiss over the same spot her chin had rested over. "Lorna, I will never understand the way ya think about things but I love you the way ya are, ya hear me? God, you're just a damn sweetheart and no matter how stubborn you are I can't fault ya for that. You have the purest intentions. I just wish one day you care more about yourself than those who hurt you."
The pair remained in their position for merely forty-five minutes when Mr. Chapman made his way back in the room through an archway from the kitchen. Immediately upon hearing his footsteps the two sat straighter against the back cushion of the sofa, not removing themselves from each other's arms but turned so they were both facing forward and able to peer across the room at the person who jolted them from their relaxing trance they'd been in the past several minutes.
He walked a bit closer, glancing at the end-table to see if the sandwich had been eaten but was proven wrong when it still remained on the plate. All of it. Not a single bite had been taken. He sighed and cleared his throat. Now the eating disorder thing he'd read earlier seemed to piece itself together. Maybe that was why Lorna always played with the food on her plate during supper. Some kind of eating disorder was likely behind it. But Bill had no knowledge on such a matter. No one in their family suffered with any food-related issues. They all ate well and exercised regularly. Well, Carol might have had a slight fetish over organic foods but that was about all he knew when it came to a term like eating disorders.
"How come the sandwich is still here? Well, all here? I know you said you aren't hungry but those discharge papers said something about an eating disorder? I'm not sure what that is but I really think it would be good if you ate some of the sandwich. It'll keep you from getting dizzy if you stay nourished, which means less time in a hospital," Mr. Chapman tried to entice her knowing she hadn't been enthusiastic about her time in the hospital. He knew he wasn't the best when it came to things like this but he had to try. He had to try twice as hard to make up for his wife's lack of care altogether.
Raising her head from the soothing spot it rested on her girlfriend's shoulder, Lorna huffed out a sharp breath and momentarily poked her eyes up at the ceiling. Her time with Nicky was interrupted for a damn piece of food? She grinded her teeth unnervingly together. Food was the last fucking thing she cared about. Why did the Chapmans have to all of a sudden show an interest in her by coming to the hospital earlier to begin with? Why did he have to actually want to be a decent foster parent towards her?
She grunted out another sigh and brought her hands up to rub violently at each of her cheeks. Eating wasn't what she wanted to do right now. All she wanted was to stay cuddled up to Nicky and pretend that no one else in the world existed. Pretend that for one day the only two people who were alive were her and Nicky. No one else.
"Can I take it upstairs with me? I think I wanna go rest in the guestroom Mrs. Chapman was nice enough to let me stay in."
Mr. Chapman inwardly cringed at the latter. Carol really needed to learn how to be more sensitive and compassionate, he realized more and more. He nodded his head, however, and waved his hand towards the end-table. "Yes, but you can't just take it up there and throw it away. I will check the garbage can later to see," he told her but then shifted his eyes onto the redhead beside Lorna. "Will you make sure she actually eats some of it and not just tosses it, please?"
Getting up as she'd seen Lorna do, Nicky stayed where she was and looked over at the middle-aged man with unreadable eyes. She gave a nod in response and grabbed the plate from the end-table on the side of the sofa—since Lorna had already turned the other direction towards the staircase. "I will take care of her and make sure she eats. I'm still tryna figure this whole situation out with her but Lorna will always be looked after when she's with me," Nicky firmly assured the man. The man who seemed to somewhat genuinely care for the well-being of her girlfriend.
After both teens entered inside of the guestroom Lorna was temporarily residing in, Lorna turned around to shut and lock the door before she went over and fell backwards onto the bed. Naturally, she stretched out against the mattress realizing how much more comfortable and roomier it was in comparison to the hospital bed she had been bound to for the past several days. The longer she lingered on the mattress the heavier her eyes grew. The closer to sleep she became. She hadn't noticed how truly exhausted she was until she plopped onto that bed.
Nicky copied Lorna—once she'd set the plate down on one of the nightstands—and plopped down on the mattress right beside her. She scooted closer until their sides were pressing into one another. Her hand reached for Lorna's and once she got a hold of it, she squeezed it warmly in her own and she brought it up to place on her chest. As it rested on there, she gingerly stroked her fingers all around the top of Lorna's hand. Up and down, side to side, backwards and forwards. A peaceful sigh huffed its way through her larynx.
"So, you wanna talk about when the Chapmans decided it was time to actually care enough to find you?" Was the question Nicky settled on breaking the silence with minutes passed the time they'd situated themselves in their current positions.
A yawn randomly decided on interjecting before Lorna had the chance to respond to her girlfriend's inquiry. Eyes looked up at the ceiling for a moment, counting each twinkling crystal that made-up the fancy chandelier hanging from the middle of it. The gesture only made her yearn to be back with her actual family that much stronger.
She turned on her side and rested her cheek on the palm of her hand as she gazed across at Nicky. Beautiful, angelic Nicky who looked like such an angel lying there right next to her. Lips quickly curved into a smile the longer she allowed her eyes to linger. She raised her free hand up, placing it on one of Nicky's cheeks and stroking it with the tips of her fingers. "You look like a real angel right now, ya know hon? You're just…you're so naturally beautiful and you look real angel-like. I just wanted you to know that," her breath trickled softly out onto the ear her lips were resting near.
Mirroring her, Nicky shifted onto her side as well so that the pair were now facing each other and reached her arms out to lovingly encircle completely around Lorna's body. Casually bringing them even closer until both of their fronts softly pressed into one another. Melding together as if they were one entity. Nicky closed her eyes and drew in a tranquil breath. She reopened them seconds later, leaning her head in to effortlessly press her lips affectionately onto the flesh of Lorna's forehead.
"In your eyes I may somehow look like an angel but you, my Lorna, you are as sweet as an angel. Fuck, you're sweeter than an angel. But I know you're also trying to avoid answering my question, huh? Sneaky little thing you are, kid. But I won't let it slide. How did ya finally end up coming back here with the Chapmans?" Nicky curved an eyebrow while nuzzling her nose delicately against the tip of Lorna's. Hands caressed feathery against the sides of her face.
A large breath noisily escaped from the younger girl's lungs upon hearing what was spoken to her. It hadn't shocked her one bit to hear Nicky call her out like she had. That was only one of Nicky's many innate abilities. She couldn't be mad at her for that. At times it was frustrating and exhausting, especially when she wasn't wanting to talk but that wasn't Nicky's fault. Wasn't Nicky's intent to upset her or anything of the sort. Nicky only ever did things out of love and compassion for her she knew.
It was endearing the way Nicky always brought attention back to the things anyone else would easily ignore. It showed how deeply Nicky cared for her, how deeply she loved Lorna. Lorna snuffled a breath and inched even closer until her forehead pressed up onto the flesh of Nicky's. A loose strand of hair caught her eye and she used her thumb to lovingly push it away with. "You know me too well, hon," she said with a warm laugh. Breath falling softly onto Nicky's face from how close they were. She brushed her lips compassionately onto the tip of her nose.
"They just magically showed up in my room this morning when I woke up. I don't know, really. Mrs. Chapman told me it was the chip that led them to me. Can ya believe that, Nicky? She chipped me even more." Another laugh made its way out at the thought of Carol coming up to her room—rather a room given to her—and placing these teeny tiny little chips in her shoes or pockets of her clothing. That insane sort of activity made Lorna look like the sanest of sane people. Which continued to escalate her laughing. Maybe she wasn't the only crazy one under this roof, she thought, people who weren't crazy didn't chip other people.
Eyes momentarily widened, then blinked rapidly for another moment or two before retreating into their normal position on Nicky's face. Eyebrows scrunched as she took in what Lorna had shared with her. The more she played it and replayed it in her mind the more she found her lips curving up into a smirk. And soon she, too, was riddled with a fit of laughter. What the hell kind of weird family did the state put her girlfriend with? The laughing intensified upon such question running through her mind.
It took several minutes for the laughing to die down. Nicky was still trying to catch her breath when she turned back on her side and took Lorna's face into her hands. Brushing the tips of her fingers delicately up and down the length of each cheek. Though her laughter had faded, a playful smirk took its place upon Nicky's face. "Mrs. Chapman sounds like a stalker, kid. What's with her and these chips, huh? I mean is she dumb? She coulda just picked up a phone and called instead of acting like a creep with whatever these chips are she's using," she drew a small heart around one of Lorna's cheeks and with the other hand, she threw it in the air as she spoke.
Lorna shrugged her shoulders while inching even closer to the older girl. They were already so close that their fronts seemed to meld together but even that hadn't felt close enough for Lorna. She wanted to be closer, wanted their bodies to look like one from the closeness she craved. Her body continued inching nearer and nearer. Hands lifted up, taking Nicky's cheeks in them which mirrored what Nicky was doing with her own. She smiled and let her lips slowly come into contact with those of the redhead's.
They stayed connected for a long silent while before Lorna slowly pulled her lips from Nicky's. She still hovered over her, looking down at her with the utmost affection oozing from her brown eyes. A smile formed once again and she brushed the palm of her hand gently around where her lips had once touched. "I don't know, hon. I think she wants me outta here and frankly, I want the same thing. I don't wanna be here with these people. They're not my real family. They don't really care about me like my sista and brotha."
"Well, we know at least Mrs. Chapman doesn't. But she's a wacko anyway, so, I don't think you're missing out on anything there, kid," Nicky assured her with a light-hearted snicker. One that was followed by a snicker from her girlfriend. The sound warmed her heart and curved her lips into the biggest of smiles. Damn was she turning soft. Unbelievably, indescribably, soft.
Yet, she was no longer bothered by that fact. Being in love with Lorna was one of the best things ever. Just, in general, being with Lorna was the absolute best thing she could have not ever even imagined for herself. Every day it was like a dream to her. A dream she didn't ponder over but only recently. Hell, before she met Lorna, the only dream Nicky had was to become an adult so she could move the hell away from Marka. But now she was dreaming of a possible future with her girlfriend. Dreaming of ways she could make Lorna's life better. Ways she could make her feel more loved, more important, more worthy.
"Mr. Chapman seems a little nicer though. He made you a sandwich and seems to be somewhat wanting to help. That's good, right kid? I mean I know this isn't the ideal situation but until your sister is able to get guardianship, this will have to do."
A sigh came out. Lorna released her grasp from the redhead's face and moved herself around in order for her head to naturally find itself nestling into the crook of Nicky's neck. Her head turned so that she was still able to gaze up into Nicky's eyes while she stroked her lips delicately onto the flesh of the neck resting beneath her. "Yeah, he's okay. Better than my own fatha, that's for sure. And real better than uncle George," she softly admitted, shaking her head and scoffing out a breath at the mention of her uncle.
She placed her hand on Nicky's chest where it met with the nape of her neck, letting the tips of her fingers gingerly caress around it in a gradual circular motion. "My mom once told me that not all men are as gross as those two are. She didn't want me to be afraid. And I didn't really believe her. I still don't know if I believe her words, Nicky, but I mean Mr. Chapman is nice. He's not as fake as his wife, I'll give him that. He even threw Carol outta the hospital room this morning—"
"Woah, really now? Do tell, kid, do tell." Nicky warmly chuckled, grabbing Lorna's face and pecking a tender kiss on her lips before laying her head gently onto her chest and running her hands through her thick brown waves.
Closing her eyes with a peaceful breath of air, Lorna nuzzled against the chest underneath her face and laughed as well. "Yeah, Carol was going on about how they shouldn't have taken such a troubled teen like me in and Bill was gettin' real sicka it so he just told her to get the hell out," she waved a hand out in front of her.
Scrunching her face up at the revelation, Nicky secured her arms even stronger around Lorna's body and nuzzled her face into the dark waves spilling onto her chest. A troubled teen? The words repeated through her mind. Bitterly repeated. Who the hell did this Carol Chapman think she was talking about? Lorna was far from a troubled teen. Far the hell from it, Nicky gritted her teeth. Anger seized within her.
"Mrs. Chapman thinks you, Lorna, are a troubled teen? Seriously?"
"More like a problem child. She may have mentioned that to me on a couple a occasions. But I mean, it shouldn't be too much longer that I'm stuck here…I hope. It's been over two weeks, Franny has to hear from the—well, whoever the hell she sent those guardianship papers to," Lorna cried out, tracing her fingers around the flesh of Nicky's chest in the shape of a heart. She faintly smiled as she did so. Nicky was her heart. Her whole heart. It didn't matter to her what strangers thought of her—the person who's opinions on her mattered most was Nicky's. Because Nicky meant the world to her and if Nicky thought poorly of her, then anyone else's thoughts were meaningless.
Nicky couldn't resist from rolling her eyes. That fucking Mrs. Chapman had some nerve, she thought, some damn nerve to speak to Lorna in such a dehumanizing manner. Her top lip sucked over the bottom one as she tried to contain her frustration. She thought she had worked past the anger and frustration with the weed last night but clearly she hadn't. It was still there and even more so now that she heard how much of a bitch Mrs. Chapman was towards Lorna.
But as she very slightly tilted her head to have a better view of Lorna, taking note of the sweet little smile displayed on her cherub face, Nicky was able to allow some of the anger to dissipate. She placed a hand on the crown of Lorna's head and massaged her fingertips softly into its scalp. "You're the least problematic person there is, doll. Mrs. Chapman clearly has no idea what she's saying. Don't take anything she tells you to heart, ya got that? You are a sweet, beautiful, precious girl. I'll fight anyone who says otherwise. Believe me, doll, I will," Nicky stated matter-of-factly into the brunette's ear.
The smile on her face widened a small amount as a chuckle came out. Lorna nodded her head knowingly. She didn't doubt how much Nicky meant that statement. "Oh don't worry, hon, I believe you one million percent. You would totally fight Mrs. Chapman and honestly, I'd pay to see it. Have ya ever thought about taking up karate or somethin'?"
"Karate, huh? Not really, why ya askin'?" Nicky curved an inquisitive eyebrow while stroking her fingers from one side of her head to the other. A snicker expelled despite the puzzlement etched on her face as she gazed down at Lorna.
Leaning her head back, Lorna happily returned the older girl's stare and raised one hand up to place on the side of her face. Nicky's snicker encouraged her to let one of her own out, too. Fingers stroked their way up towards her forehead. They stopped when they got to the middle of it and lovingly pushed loose strands of hair away from her eyes. "I don't know I just… I mean karate is a good way to get out excess anger, I think. Thought maybe ya might be interested in something like that? Sorry, it's probably real stupid a me to mention," she muttered, eyes looking shamefully away once she'd realized what presumptions she was unintentionally making by saying what she said.
The way Lorna averted her eyes in what appeared to be shame hidden within them instantly had Nicky's other hand cradling underneath her chin and using it to lift her head back towards her own. Once their eyes were peering into one another's again, she brushed her thumb slowly and delicately over the flesh right beneath her lips. "You know I don't think anything ya ever say is stupid, kid. In fact, I think you're right. Karate would be a good tool I could use for my anger. I mean it is better than killing your uncle right? At least karate wouldn't get me in trouble with the law, yeah?"
Both girls shared a laugh and Lorna couldn't resist from pecking her lips softly onto the tip of the older teen's nose. "I don't want ya to do anything that could get ya in trouble, hon," her voice softly murmured, lips still lightly touching her nose as she spoke. Another kiss was pressed down onto it. "Because I love you too much to see you get carted off to jail or anything. You're too good for that," breath trickled warmly out and onto the flesh of Nicky's nose underneath her mouth.
"I know you're really mad about what happened to me and, and it-it's understandable but…but it's not worth it to go after my uncle or my fatha. You're more important to me than whether or not those two get what they deserve. I rather have you here with me, Nicky, than have either a them dead. I love you. I love you more than anyone, hon, and I don't want ya continuing to let that incident to bother you. It's…it's a lot. And I don't want you thinking ya have to take any of it on yourself. You don't, hon, and I don't want ya to."
"I'll think about taking up karate, kid. Maybe we could do that together, yeah?" Nicky suggested, gently poking a finger at Lorna's cheeks. A sigh escaped her. "It is a lot. That's why I'm glad I know so I can help ya through it, sweetheart."
