Recovery Period

Chapter 25

Nico made immense effort to get herself dressed and ready to head back into the living room, but it proved difficult to maneuver her pant leg over her bandaged foot. She couldn't straighten it well and her joggers fit tight to the ankle, not a ton of room for something bulky to slip through. She pulled a few times, once hard enough to send searing pain up her leg, before giving up entirely and collapsing back onto the bathroom floor in frustration.

In the process, she smacked her head against the toilet and yelped, cupping the back of her head with both hands. "God dammit," she groaned. She squeezed her eyes shut tight against the tears threatening to fall. Before she could do much else, there was a knock at the door and Raina's voice came through the wood.

"Nico? Are you okay?"

"I'm f-f-fine," Nico replied, unable to keep her voice from breaking.

Raina tried the door quietly and was relieved to find it open. She knocked and opened the door a crack to speak to Nico a little better. "You don't sound fine, honey," she said, opening the door a bit more until she could peek in at Nico to make sure she was somewhat decent.

Nico was lying on her back on the tile floor, hands pressed to her eyes, shirt halfway up and only one leg in her pants. She heard Raina sigh and say her name, but she didn't really respond. Her head was throbbing and she could feel a knot forming when she touched the spot that hit the porcelain. She jumped at the feel of hands on her and she pulled her hands away from her eyes quickly, wincing at the sudden light.

"Come here, you," Raina said quietly as she took a seat on the floor. She pulled Nico sideways into her lap and carefully took hold of her injured, stuck foot. Without too much force, she was able to slowly wiggle Nico's foot out of her pant leg and free it. "There we go, all better," she murmured, smiling at Nico who was flushed and sniffling. "Aww, poor thing. Did you get stuck?" Raina cooed into Nico's hair.

Nico shuddered at Raina's tone and snuggled closer in spite of herself. She absently lifted a hand and rubbed her sore spot, which got Raina's attention immediately.

"Nico, does your head hurt?" Raina asked.

Nico shrugged and lowered her hand, wincing as Raina reached up and gingerly found the lump.

"Oh, honey. What happened? Did you hit your head on something?" Raina frowned worriedly, looking down at the girl in her lap. Her frown deepened when Nico nodded and sniffled pitifully. "Poor baby," she cooed quietly as she rubbed her nose gently on Nico's cheek. She pulled back in time to see Nico turn a bright shade of red just as she turned and hid her face in Raina's chest again.

Raina laughed and kissed Nico's temple, glancing around for the remainder of Nico's clothing. She found the pile of pajamas abandoned on the floor and pulled them closer. She lifted Nico gently out of her lap and went to set her down on the tile again, but was stopped by two fists clamped down on her shirt. She paused there with her hands on Nico's hips, her face just inches from Nico's.

Nico arched away from the tile floor, clambering to get back into Raina's arms. The tile was cold and her head hurt and she was tired. She didn't want to do any of this anymore, she just wanted to lay down and go to bed. A pitiful, exhausted sob escaped her as she clung to Raina's shirt and her tears returned.

Raina's eyebrows shot up and she scooped Nico up again, wrapping her in a gentle hug. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm only putting you down so you can change," she explained quietly, rocking them both back and forth.

Nico was so frustrated and tired. She didn't have the ability to fight the little anymore; today was just too much. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she sat, embarrassed and tired and pitiful in Raina's lap. She didn't register Raina wiping away her tears or much of anything besides her own body's pain. Her foot hurt, her head hurt, and now her chest and throat hurt from crying. She knew she must look so pathetic, but she couldn't seem to regain control.