Wait For Me To Come Home

Chapter 22

They were nine days into their stay with Sinu, and it was still dark outside, the sun only a faint glimmer on the horizon as Lauren sat on the steps of the back porch. She had woken up early after a night of tossing and turning, and leaving Camila to sleep, had grabbed a blanket and padded downstairs barefoot.

With a cup of coffee and the blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders, Lauren watched the sea gently ebb and flow. She found the rhythm of it soothing; the only other sound except for the soft tinkling of wind chimes above the back door. Her breath misted before her, and Lauren was expecting a cold day.

That was how Sinu found her when she came home from a thirty-hour shift at the hospital, a dark silhouette outlined against the steadily lightening sky. Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she opened the screen door and walked across the deck to sit down next to Lauren.

"Are you okay sweetie?" Sinu asked, tilting her head to the side as she looked down at the brunette.

"I'm fine. Trouble sleeping is all," Lauren explained, unwrapping the blanket to share it with Sinu. "How was work?"

"Long," Sinu sighed, sipping her coffee as she looked out at the horizon. The silence stretched out before them, and Lauren didn't know how to fill it. This was the first time she'd truly been alone with Sinu. They'd talked a lot over the past week, but they hadn't had a conversation alone, and Lauren was tense as she waited for Sinu to say something.

"Lauren, I only know as much as Camila's told me, but I know there're some issues with your mom. I don't want to pry, but whatever's bothering you, you can tell me," Sinu said, looking at Lauren with concern.

Her shoulders tensed up at Sinu's words and Lauren ducked her head down, turning to the side slightly to hide her face. It wasn't until she sniffed that Sinu realized she was crying. "Oh honey, it's okay," Sinu whispered, setting her coffee cup down before drawing Lauren into her arms.

If anything, that made Lauren cry harder. She sat there sobbing as Sinu gently rubbed her back, holding Lauren tightly as she murmured soothing sounds. Lauren's tears had soaked through the front of Sinu's shirt, but she paid it no mind as she held the girl close.

"I don't want her to go," Lauren choked out, her head resting on Sinu's shoulder. She sounded so young and so scared, and for the first time, Sinu realized just how young she really was. Lauren was so mature for her age, it was easy to forget that she was barely an adult, that she was younger than Camila, and not the other way around.

"I know, darling," Sinu whispered, her own eyes stinging with tears. She could understand that very well; every time Camila came home safely it was like she could breathe easily again, until the next deployment, where Sinu would wait with bated breath.

Lauren's sobs had subsided, but the tears still streamed down her cheeks and her breathing hitched as she tried to calm herself down. Closing her eyes, she focused on breathing in and out, taking comfort in Sinu's motherly embrace as she steadied herself.

"I'm scared," Lauren whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of waves breaking a few feet away. "I-I don't want to be alone."

Sinu gently lifted Lauren's head off her shoulder and cupped her cheeks. She ducked her head down, trying to meet Lauren's gaze. She looked up tearfully and Sinu reached up to brush her tears away, before gently tucking Lauren's hair behind her ears.

"You won't ever be alone," Sinu promised her. "I know it's hard, believe me, I do. And it never gets easier, but you do get used to it. You just have to hold onto the hope that she'll come back to you."