Thank you to everyone following and favoriting, it means a lot! :) Sorry this is a short chapter, there's only one more chapter after this one then and I thought that one deserved its own chapter so here's this one!
The room is dark, but not as dark as her mind. Light is streaming out from under the door and moonlight is reflected on the laminated floor. Ok I'm in the hospital, no surprise there. She laughs silently to herself. I just got out and now I'm back in, just my luck. She goes to turn on her side but a seizing pain stops her. The side of her abdomen burns intensely.
Realizing the changes, Riley assesses herself. Feet are okay. Shins are fine. Right knee is in a…brace? Yes a brace. Thighs? just a little bruised. Abdomen? She twists, trying it out. The feeling of another fire being lit on her side returns. She cringes and winces from the pain. Okay, we're leaving that one alone for a little bit. Back? just a bit sore. Arms? Riley raises her right arm and finds a cast over her wrist. She nods and raises her left arm. Only the skin on her hand is visible. Everything else is wrapped in gauze and tape while her elbow is extra padded. Faint lines of dark red show through the upper layer of tape. She cringes once more and swallows what feels like a golf ball. Ouch! That hurt more than it should! Riley reaches up and gingerly touches her neck. Scratches and bruises cover her skin. That will look nice…Now, my head? Woah, just thinking about my head hurts. Riley reaches up with her right hand and feels the scratched lumps on her forehead. I remember that one and that one. Ouch, don't think about them now.
Alright body, it looks like you could use a good rest. I don't blame ya, you put up a good fight...earlier? Yeah I guess it was earlier today? Pssh I don't even know. Oh well, good night me.
Riley goes to shut her eyes but a dark shape sitting in the chair beside her catches her attention. Its' head is bowed as it sits in the chair facing her. She reaches out to touch them with her right hand.
The cotton fabric feels like silk between her rough fingers. Cotton? My jacket was cotton.
With a rough, dry voice she says aloud, "Wren?"
The figures head snaps up and Riley finds herself looking into crystal blue eyes. A worried expression is chiseled into his face.
"What's wrong Wren?"Riley asks, her voice returning to normal.
A tear slides down his cheek. "I didn't know…I didn't know if you were gonna be okay. You looked real sick in the ambulance."
Riley gives him a shy smile, disregarding the bruises around her chin and cheeks. "I'm alright now." She looks him up and down and notices he hasn't changed. They wrapped his arms in bandages but other than that the only thing keeping him warm was the jacket.
Delicately, Riley lifts up the blanket with her left hand and indicates that Wren should crawl in with her. He doesn't hesitate. His frigid, cold body crawls under the covers and Riley wraps her warmer arms around him.
"Riley?"
"Yes?"
"Are you all better now?"
Riley smiles again. "No, not all better, but I'll be fine."
"Good. I was real scared," Wren pauses before adding, "I don't know what I'd do without you…"
She strokes his hair and closes her eyes, "Right back at you bud. Right back at ya. Now try and get some rest, we could both use it." Riley senses he falls asleep with a smile on his face, just like her.
Both children fall asleep easily in the comfortable, warm environment. For just a moment they both feel safe. Safe from the evils around them; the evils of the world. Safe from the older kids who push them around, who call them names, who tease them. Safe from the men who seek nothing but to destroy them. Safe from all the monsters the world can throw at them. Because here, in this safe haven, they can sleep peacefully for at least one night, free of the turmoil that their normal lives always seem to attract.
They are each other's safe havens, protecting and strengthening each other. For as long as they need something the other will be there to provide. They work in silent, codependent harmony, like the perfect balance of yin and yang.
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