Authors Note—
Hello my Angels! I hope you've had a good day so far.
This one is fairly lengthy!
Things were beginning to look up for Charlotte as she allowed Mia to help her, rather than pushing her away. Their walks weren't as exhausting as they had been at first and she was the one always begging to get out of the house now. She missed the socialization of the nursery and her friends dearly, but she wasn't ready to step foot in that building again. Even if she thought she was, Mia could tell it was not in the cards yet.
Mia was nervous about bringing Charlotte back into her previous routine and not being able to keep a close eye on her. Though her night terrors and flashbacks lessened, they still haunted her mind and left her speechless for the day. She tried her best to be understanding of her sweetheart and take her time, pulling out what was bothering her.
"What is it, my love?"
She'd whispered as she pulled her towards her and lay Charlotte's head against her chest.
"Hear that? Focus on my heart if you're scared, baby, it beats for you."
Many times Charlotte had a hard time explaining the turmoil, feeling like if she spoke up she'd be more of a burden. She had seen the way her love was becoming consumed by taking care of her and that she was getting tired. She hoped it was just her mind playing tricks on her and that Mia would never leave her.
Would she become too much for her?
"It's nothing really, I promise."
"No it's not, you forget Char, I know you. Just tell me so I can help you work through it."
"Are... are you tired?"
"Hmm, a little bit? But that's okay my love, I'll happily give up my sleep to make sure you are resting."
"I can see you're moving slower, Mia, I'm doing better now and more on my own. I just... I don't want you to get burnt out and leave-"
"Char, we've talked about this. I'm a big girl right?"
"Yeah?"
"So if I'm a big girl, I can use my words and tell you if I need anything okay? If I'm not saying something, it doesn't mean I'm secretly thinking it and plotting an evil scheme." She chuckled a little bit, trying to soothe the tense girl in her arms, "Now that you mention it though, I am a bit sleepy. Wanna join for a nap? The girls already left for their sleepover with your mother."
Mia played with Charlotte's hair, combing her fingers through it as soft as possible. She had never realized how sensitive her sweetheart's scalp was until the attack and it made her heart race, wondering why she flinched so much. She could show her how she deserved to be touched, treated, and loved. She knew the horrible things she had faced to some degree but Charlotte didn't open up very much to her about what actually happened.
Mia had never pulled it out of Reece either, what he witnessed when he saw her. The version of Charlotte she had seen in the hospital had been cleaned up and bathed at that point, so that was her looking the best she could. She worried about him and how he was taking it; it couldn't have been easy to hold Char's life in his hands and pray that she'd live. If something had happened and she passed, she knew that Reece would've never forgiven himself.
She waited until she knew her sweet girl was fast asleep to call Reece. Her hand was pressed to the nap of Charlotte's neck, her finger brushing ever so slightly to keep her steady. She pressed a kiss to her temple, whispering sweet nothings to her as the phone rang.
"Hey Mia, how's Char?"
She could tell that he had been waiting for her to call, they talked almost everyday after she had taken Charlotte for their morning stroll. The pair had grown close over the last few months, while their relationship wasn't perfect, they were trying to understand each other. If they couldn't work it out, then they were giving up their childhood dreams and Mia had been sheepishly holding out hope for them.
