Eight

Amanda walked out of the bedroom in her sweats and tank top, towel drying her hair. She sat down on the end of the couch, beside Allison. Olivia smiled at her from the opposite end of the couch.

Allison had been with them for four days now, and she seemed to be settling in well.

"How would you feel about having a bath tonight?" Amanda asked.

Allison looked down at the floor.

In the few days Allison had been with them, Amanda and Olivia had learned what this meant – she was afraid.

Amanda moved to sit on the coffee table in front of Allison.

"Why are you scared baby?" She asked softly.

Allison shrugged.

Olivia sat up. "Can I ask you a hard question?"

Allison nodded. "I guess."

"Do you remember in the hospital, you told me that Dave hurt you?"

Allison nodded.

"Did he ever hurt you during bath time?" Olivia asked softly.

Allison shook her head. "No, he didn't give me baths." She told Olivia. "Sherry did."

Olivia looked up at Amanda. "This was the first time they had heard Allison mention her foster mother.

"Did Sherry hurt you during bath time?" Amanda asked.

Allison shrugged. "She didn't hurt me, but she was mean."

"How was she mean baby?" Amanda asked.

Allison sniffled. "She laughed at me."

"Why would she laugh at you?" Olivia asked, genuinely confused.

"Because of where the doctors cut me open. It left a big mark… Sherry said that's why no one wanted to keep me, because I got sick a lot and the mark was ugly." Allison explained.

Olivia looked back over at Amanda, who was listening intently to Allison, but she could see the anger in her eyes at the foster mother.

"You've got a scar?" Olivia asked.

Allison nodded. "Right here." She said, pointing to the right side of her rib cage.

"You wanna know something?" Olivia asked.

Allison nodded. "Okay." She said quietly.

Olivia smiled softly. "I've got some scars too." She told her. She lifted the hem of her shirt, revealing a curved scar that outlined her hip, leftover from William Lewis' coat hangers. "See?"

Allison looked at it closely, almost surprised that someone else had a large scar.

"From a doctor?" Allison asked.

Olivia shook her head. "No, I got this one… doing my job." She said simply.

Amanda saw how Olivia tensed up when Allison asked how she got her scar.

"I've got one too. Actually, it's two scars in one, front and back." Amanda told her. "Right here," she pulled the strap of her tank top off her shoulder, revealing the pucker-marks of a bullet wound, "I got shot, and I had to go to the hospital. This part here," she pointed to a line running off the entry wound, "this is where the doctors had to cut."

Allison looked at Amanda's scar carefully as well before sitting back on the couch.

Amanda pulled her strap back up and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. She reached for Allison's hands, and was surprised when the small blonde let her hold them.

"And for what it's worth, a scar doesn't make you ugly." Amanda told her. "I think that you're a beautiful little girl, and Olivia and I love having you here."

Allison's eyes flicked up to meet hers for a brief moment, like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She couldn't remember the last time someone said something nice to her without it being followed by something awful.

Amanda felt Allison's hands starting to shake, and she couldn't tell if was because she believed her, and didn't know how to handle it, or if she was scared of her.

"I know you were with Dave and Sherry for a long time, and I know they hurt you… but that's over now, and we're gonna keep you safe. And it's okay if it takes a while for you to feel safe with us, but you are, okay?" Amanda said softly.

"I like it here." Allison said. "You're not mean."

Amanda and Olivia smiled a bit.

"We won't ever start being mean." Olivia told her.

"What if I get sick?" Allison asked suddenly. "When I get sick, I move houses."

Olivia shook her head. "You're not going anywhere. You're gonna stay right here with us, sick or not."

"Even if I have to go to the doctor?"

Amanda nodded. "Especially then." She told her. "We'll be right here with you to hold your hand, the whole time."

Allison nodded slowly, trying to take their kindness in.

"Dave and Sherry said I couldn't get sick. And at the house before, if I felt yucky, Tom would hit me with his belt." Allison said quietly.

"That won't happen here." Olivia said. "If you don't feel good, please tell us so we can do everything we can to make you feel better, alright?"

Allison looked up at her. "No hitting?" She asked.

Olivia shook her head. "Not ever."

Allison looked to Amanda, who nodded in agreement.

"Is there anything else you wanna talk about right now?" Amanda asked.

Allison shook her head.

Amanda nodded. "Alright, if you think of anything, just let us know." She told her. "But until then, you do have to take a bath."

Allison nodded sadly. "I know."

"Did anybody ever teach you how to wash? So you could do it all by yourself?" Amanda asked.

Allison nodded. "Sherry showed me so she wouldn't have to do it anymore. I'm not good at my hair though." She said quietly.

Amanda nodded. "That's okay." She assured her. "How about we do it this way; we'll pull a chair up to the kitchen sink, and I'll wash your hair, and we'll run you a bath, and we'll just sit there to make sure you're alright while you wash yourself up. How does that sound?"

Allison nodded.

Amanda smiled softly. "Okay. Can you go get the shampoo you picked out yesterday from the bathroom?"

Allison nodded and slid off the couch. "Okay." She said before walking down the hallway to the bathroom.

Amanda looked up at Olivia who was still sitting on the couch. She slid further down the table, so she was resting in front of Amanda.

"That was… rough." Amanda said quietly.

Olivia nodded silently. She couldn't even form the right words to express her feelings.

Amanda took her hands gently. "We'll get her through it."

Olivia stood, pulling Amanda into a hug. They held each other tightly for a moment before separating enough to share a soft kiss.

"You showed her the scar." Amanda said quietly. She knew that this scar in particular, because it was the biggest, was the one that Olivia hated the most.

Olivia nodded. "You showed her yours too. I know that wasn't easy." She paused, thinking about the scared little girl. "She needed it." She said simply.

Amanda smiled softly. "Thank you."

Olivia kissed her again. "You don't ever have to that me for that. Any of this."

They heard Allison walk back out from the bathroom, coming to a sudden stop when she reached the entrance to the living room.

Amanda looked over Olivia's shoulder.

"Got the shampoo?" She asked.

Allison nodded, holding it up for Amanda to see.

Amanda smiled. "Alright then, let's go get your hair washed."

Olivia released her grip on Amanda and followed her and Allison toward the kitchen. She leaned against the door frame and watched Amanda grab a chair for Allison to stand on.

"Can I lift you up?" Amanda asked.

Allison nodded, holding her arms out.

Amanda picked her up and put her on the chair and reached over to turn the water on. She tested the temperature a few times before she looked toward Allison.

"Is this warm enough?" She asked.

Allison reached her hand out timidly, like she was afraid she was about to be burned. When her fingers touched the water though, she was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't scalding, or freezing. It was just right for her.

"It's good." She said happily.

Amanda smiled. "Okay, lean over the sink and close your eyes tight. We don't want any shampoo gettin' in them."

Allison nodded and did as she was asked, leaning over the sink with her eyes closed while Amanda wet her hair.

Once Amanda was satisfied that all her hair was wet, she reached over for the shampoo that Allison had picked out. It was blueberry scented, and Amanda knew that from now on, every time she thought about blueberries, she'd be reminded of the first time she got to wash her daughter's hair.

She lathered Allison's hair and rinsed it fairly quickly, and followed up with the matching conditioner.

After the final rinse, Olivia handed her a towel out of the linen closet.

Amanda lifted Allison off the chair and set her back down on the floor so she could dry her hair a bit.

"We'll worry about brushing it after your bath, we'll just put it up for now."

Allison nodded.

Amanda pulled a hair elastic off her own wrist and twisted Allison's hair into a bun.

"How about I go start the bath?" Olivia suggested. "Do you want bubbles?"

Allison nodded enthusiastically. "I like bubbles!" She told Olivia.

Olivia smiled. "Alright, one super bubbly bath, coming right up." She said, making Allison giggle.

Amanda watched as Allison stood in the doorway of the kitchen, watching the bathroom door closely.

She knelt behind the little girl. "Would you like it if me and Olivia sat outside the bathroom while you wash yourself?" Amanda asked.

Allison turned to look at her, analyzing her expression for a moment before she nodded.

Amanda smiled softly. "That's okay. We can do that. We have to leave the door open though, so we can see you, in case you slip and get hurt."

Allison nodded.

Olivia poked her head out of the bathroom door.

"All set." She told Allison.

Allison looked back at Amanda unsurely.

Amanda stood, holding out her hand for Allison. "I know it's scary baby, but we've gotta do it. I promise, nothing bad is gonna happen."

Allison took her hand and allowed Amanda to lead her down the hallway and into the bathroom.

"Okay, I'll put the washcloth right here on the edge of the tub so you can wash yourself." Olivia told her.

Amanda nodded. "We'll sit right outside the door. Would you like us to turn away while you take your clothes off and get in?"

Allison nodded silently.

Amanda smiled. "Okay." She said softly. "You tell us when it's okay for us to turn around, but we'll stay sitting outside. We're just here for safety, alright?"

Allison nodded.

Amanda let go of Allison's hand and followed Olivia out of the bathroom and around the corner, out of sight.

"I'll go grab something for her to put on when she comes out." Olivia said.

Amanda nodded. "Good idea."

Amanda heard the sounds of clothes hitting the floor in the bathroom and then the little plop of feet stepping into the water, and a small splash when Allison sat down.

"I'm in." Allison said quietly.

Amanda poked her head into the bathroom. "Alright, we'll be here. Just let us know when you're done."

Allison nodded and focused her attention on the rubber duck floating in the bubbles in front of her. She had never had bath toys before, but she decided immediately that she loved the duck, and he made baths more fun.

When Olivia came back with a pair of pyjamas for Allison to put on, she sat down on the floor beside Amanda, across from the bathroom door.

"You found Ducky, huh?" Olivia asked.

Allison nodded. "I like him." She told Olivia, smiling brightly.

Olivia smiled. "I thought you would." She said. "When you're done, I've got some pyjamas for you to put on."

"Snuggly ones?" Allison asked.

Olivia nodded. "Of course."

Olivia and Amanda did their best to respect Allison's privacy while she bathed, holding a quiet conversation about what groceries to buy and what to cook for the next week.

Fifteen minutes later, the bubbles in the tub had dissipated.

"I'm done." Allison said softly, turning toward the open bathroom door.

Amanda looked toward her. "Alright, are you okay drying yourself off, or do you want some help?"

Allison sat silently, thinking.

"You can dry your private parts; we won't touch you there. But I know drying your back is hard sometimes." Amanda told her.

Allison nodded. "Okay… just my back."

Amanda nodded. "Alright, you pull the plug out of the tub, and you can dry off and just call one of us when you need help."

Allison nodded and pulled the plug out of the drain and the water began to flow out of the tub.

Amanda stood, holding her hands out for Olivia to grab so she could pull her off the floor, and they walked into the living room to sit on the couch and wait.

A few minutes later the couple heard a quiet, "Manda," from the bathroom.

Amanda stood and made her way into the bathroom, where Allison stood, trying to cover herself with a towel.

Amanda smiled softly. "What's up?" She asked.

Allison looked up at her. "My back." She said quietly.

Amanda nodded. "Let me grab another towel so you can keep that one in front of you, okay?"

Allison nodded.

Amanda walked across the hall and opened the linen closet to grab a second towel, and stepped back into the bathroom.

"Okay, turn around." She said as she knelt next to Allison.

Allison did as she was told.

"You ready?" Amanda asked.

Allison nodded tensely.

Amanda placed one hand on Allison's shoulder and used her other to pat her back dry gently, making sure she didn't go too low.

She spotted the scar on Allison's left side and was once again infuriated at her former foster mother for telling her that the scar was ugly. It was barely three centimeters long, and although it was raised from the rest of her skin quite a bit, it was nothing more than a white line between two of her ribs.

When she finished drying Allison's back, she stood.

"All done." She told the little girl.

Allison smiled. "Thank you."

Amanda leaned down to kiss the top of her head softly. "You're welcome baby. I'll leave you so you can put your pyjamas on, and then if you bring your hairbrush out to the living room, we can brush your hair out, alright?"

Allison nodded. "Okay."

When Allison joined Olivia and Amanda in the living room five minutes later, she looked content to be in her nice fuzzy pyjamas.

She handed Amanda her hairbrush.

"You won't pull?" Allison asked.

Amanda shook her head. "I won't pull." She told her softly.

Allison nodded and turned around so Amanda could brush her hair.

Olivia watched in happy silence as Amanda did her best to untangle Allison's hair without pulling. She knew Amanda could be gentle, especially with kids, but this was a different level that she had never quite experienced before.

Once she got the knots out of Allison's hair, she brushed it back and began to twist it into a braid carefully. She wrapped the elastic around the end and set the hair brush down on the coffee table.

"All done." Amanda told her.

Allison reached up and felt her hair, and turned to look at Amanda, smiling brightly.

"It didn't hurt!" She told her.

Amanda smiled. "We won't hurt you. Even if it's just brushin' your hair." She told her.

Allison nodded and reached out to hug Amanda, and then Olivia.

"How about a bedtime snack?" Olivia asked as she hugged Allison tightly.

Allison nodded excitedly. "Chocolate pudding?" She asked.

Olivia smiled. "Of course. Lead the way." She told Allison.

Allison rushed off into the kitchen and Olivia stood and reached for Amanda's hand, and the couple followed the little girl into the kitchen.