Author note: I know this is short, but I felt that drawing it out anymore would be repetitive and make K-Mart a little too dim. It drives me insane when people make characters so slow in figurin out matters of the heart that they pass the line of stupid. And so you have one short but well wrapping scene.
&.&
Carlos was extremely relieved to find that it appeared only Claire had spied the innocent kiss he had given K-Mart, as no one treated either of them as though they had seen anything. Claire had not spoken another word of it over the next few days and had continued to treat K-Mart as a close friend. Carlos could even swear he had heard Claire giggle with his adopted sister the previous day. It was an unnatural sound, coming from the hardened woman, but one that warmed his heart. As time had gone by, Carlos no longer felt the need to watch over K-Mart in light of Claire's sudden warming to the girl. As such, he had ceased making every one of his posts during the day close enough to throw a careful eye towards his sister.
During one of those daylight posts, Claire and K-Mart were relaxing in the black truck, sipping overly-warm water bottles and trying to seat as little as possible in the summer heat. They were speaking in quiet, slurred voices, the heat bearing around them like a dense blanket. Normally they would be using each other as pillows, but it was far too sweltering to do that now. It did not stop the typically deep conversation that had been occurring so frequently.
"How come you like me all of a sudden?" K-Mart asked without preamble. Claire froze, bottle mid-way towards her lips. She hesitated, resting the water on her propped knee. She looked out the open door of the truck, watching the convoy as it lay scattered, everyone attempting to find whatever shade was available.
"It's not that I didn't like you," she answered quietly, trying to decide how much to tell the girl. "I just have trouble connecting."
"That line belongs in a cheap movie," K-Mart snorted. "I know Carlos had something to do with it. Don't lie to me," she snapped as Claire opened her mouth to object. The woman closed her mouth and sighed. She did not want to rat on Carlos, but the girl deserved the truth.
"Carlos cares about you," Claire answered carefully. "More than I've ever seen him care about anyone." K-Mart smiled.
"He's a good brother."
Claire nodded and continued haltingly.
"Sometimes…he cares too much…he worried that if he lost you…he wouldn't survive." K-Mart frowned, shaking her young head in confusion. Claire tried to explain it as gently as possible. "Imagine if he had been killed three months ago," she stated simply. She hated creating even the thought of Carlos dying. She was not sure she could survive without him. She could see a similar swamp of despair wash over K-Mart. She placed an uncomfortable hand over the girl's head, gliding it down her jaw and placing it on her shoulder. "That's why." There was no more explanation needed. K-Mart nodded, a rejected expression settling on her face. Claire clenched her jaw, then squeezed the child's shoulder and smiled reassuringly.
"He didn't have to ask me to do it," she said gently. "I've found a good friend in you, kid." K-Mart's face lit up almost instantaneously, and she let out a breathy laugh, relieved that their friendship was genuine.