green ➸ camren

thirty one

Camila didn't sleep at all that night.

Lauren did, however. Camila had propped up a pillow against the head of the bed and gently moved Lauren back, out of her slumped position. The girl in her lap was fast asleep, holding onto Lauren's arm.

Camila was tired, sure. Exhausted was a better word. But she wasn't going to sleep, because she needed to make sure that they were okay. And she couldn't do that if her eyes were closed.

She wasn't sure what time it was, but she knew it was morning when the smaller child stirred awake. Camila noticed something moving out of the corner of her eye and watched as the girl's eyelashes fluttered open softly.

A look of terror flashed across the small child's face. She was in a new place, she wasn't home. And then she remembered the events of the night before. Paralyzed by fear, she burst into tears.

Camila's eyes widened when the child started crying. Lauren didn't stir awake, though, so she quickly hopped to her feet, lifting the girl out of her wife's lap and into her own arms.

"I got you," Camila whispered, rocking back and forth slightly to calm to smaller girl down. She balanced her on her hip and used her free hand to reach up and brush her wavy hair out of her face, gently wiping the girl's cheeks with her thumb. "No one is gonna hurt you. I promise."

Sniffing, the child gazed up at Camila. Her bottom lip jutted out slightly and Camila could tell how hard she was trying to stop crying.

The brown eyed girl sat down on the edge of the bed, holding the girl in her lap and rubbing small circles in her back to try and calm her down.

Lauren had stirred awake by this time, and she slowly sat up, watching as Camila sang softly to the younger girl. There was a knock at the door just as Camila looked back and realized her wife was awake.

It was the same nurse as before, but accompanying her was another, older woman holding what appeared to be a briefcase. The nurse gave Lauren a friendly smile, allowing the woman to enter the room before closing the door behind her.

"Hi," the woman smiled, walking over to Lauren and extending her hand. "I'm Georgia. I'm the social worker who's been assigned to her case."

Lauren shook her hand, noticing how the woman eyed the girl in Camila's arms. It didn't go unnoticed by Camila, either, who scooted back slightly and tightened her grip on the girl.

"I'm Lauren. She's Camila," the green eyed girl nodded towards her wife. Camila just nodded slowly.

"They've identified the parents," the woman explained, sitting down on one of the plastic chairs and pulling a stack of papers from her briefcase. "Malachi and Rebecca Allen."

"Parents of a 3 year old daughter," she motioned to the girl in Camila's arms. "With one on the way." Lauren bit her lip. "Unfortunately, only one survived the accident." She nodded towards the child, and Lauren felt her stomach drop in her chest.

"Obviously our first order of business is to get her into a permanent living situation as quickly as we can," the woman explained. Lauren nodded.

"The only problem with that is that the only living family she has left is her 78 year old grandfather with Alzheimer's," she held up the papers to show them.

Lauren and Camila exchanged glances, both feeling a pang of sadness for the small child.

"But, I made a few calls, and I was able to find a group home that can take her in until we can find her a more permanent living situation," the woman nodded. Lauren's jaw clenched.