Heaven Warrior

~ 005

one week later...

Solai laid on Mr. Bear while watching Spongebob, sucking her thumb. She was currently in the middle of her night feed and on the edge of falling asleep. The tube that was inserted through Solai's nose fed her every three hours, making sure she got all of her nutrients.

Solana had just gotten off the elevator, with a small bag of her clothes. Her and Ms. Georgia had a long talk, and afterwards Ms. Georgia asked Solana if she would like to spend more time with Solai after visiting hours. Of course Solana said yes. Being that she was booked from day to night every day, it was hard for Solana to visit Solai.

Once Solana got to Solai's door, she greeted the police officer and walked in. Until Solai's parents were found and put into custody, a police officer was required to guard the door. It was standard procedure for the hospital and any child in the foster care system.

Solana walked into the dimly lit room, getting the attention of Solai. Ms. Georgia smiled small, watching Solai's reaction. Ms. Georgia could tell that the little girl liked Solana because whenever Solana couldn't stop by to see her, she would be sad. She would stare at the door, hoping that Solana would come through.

Solai released her thumb from her mouth and crawled onto her knees. She held her arms out and used her hands to do the grabbing motions. Solana pouted, walking towards Solai.

"I think she missed you. She'll stare at that door, waiting to see your face. Everytime it turns out to be a nurse or one of my colleagues she'd cry." Ms. Georgia explained softly. It was a little past nine PM, and she was exhausted. Ever since she took on Solai's case, she had been tired. She would stay at the hospital twenty-four seven.

"Aw I missed her so much. My schedule has just been so busy. Luckily I don't have any more appointments until next weekend." Solana replied. She stood at the hospital bed, now in front of Solai noticing her still doing the grabbing motions.

"I think she wants you to pick her up." Ms. Georgia whispered.

Solana smiled, nervous on the inside. She carefully watched the feeding tube in Solai's nose, before gently scooping her into her arms. Solai immediately stuck her thumb back into her mouth, laying her head in Solana's neck.

Solana sat down on the hospital bed, rubbing Solai's back softly as she looked at the feeding machine. "How is her temperature?" She asked Ms. Georgia.

"It's still not where they want it to be, but it's at ninety-four. They're more worried about her weight now. They said something about diagnosing her with failure to thrive." Ms. Georgia replied.

"What's that?" Solana frowned.

"They said it's when her physical growth is arrested. So it's basically failure to grow. It's only been a week and a half though, so they told me that they'll wait it out until next month to officially diagnose her." Ms. Georgia nodded.

"How much does she weigh?" Solana asked.

"Right now she's at twenty twenty two pounds, but they want her at forty." Ms. Georgia sighed. "That's why they changed her feeding schedule. Remember it used to be every five hours, now it's every three hours."

Solana nodded, looking down at Solai, who was now sleeping. For some reason, Solana wanted to cry. Ever since she had met Solai, she had became more emotional and she couldn't figure out why.

"Is she sleeping?" Ms. Georgia wondered, from her position on the couch. Whenever Solai slept meant that it was her cue to sleep. When Solai was awake, she had to be awake.

"Yes ma'am. Should I put her back in her bed?"

"It's up to you. She looks very comfortable where she is now." Ms. Georgia chuckled. "I'm about to try and get some sleep in. Let me know when you're leaving."