Piercing My Heart

57

Mila had an arm around Z's unconscious body while I was propped up. I ran my fingers through my daughter's hair. Mila had happy tears sliding down her cheek at how peaceful our daughter looked. I craned my neck to peck Mila's lips. She smiled and looked back down at our daughter.

My brows then furrowed as I felt Z's distress. I stared at her and noticed sweat forming on her forehead. Mila propped herself up and began to look at me with panicked eyes. I placed my ear on Z's chest and heard the frantic beating of her heart. Shit! She's having a nightmare.

I sat up and began to perform a spell. I noticed Z's breathing returning to normal. Mila sighed and flopped back down. It wasn't even 30 minutes and Z was having another nightmare. I did the same thing and observed Z fall into a blissful slumber. Something tells me this will be a recurring theme... unfortunately, I was right.

I urged Mila to sleep while I kept an eye on Z. I monitored her the entire night and dispelled any night terrors that plagued her. I was tempted to access her memories to see what was troubling her, but that would be an invasion of privacy. I decided to wait until Z felt comfortable to tell us the traumas she endured.

Mila got a few hours of sleep before waking up. She observed that Z was still sound asleep. I told her that I put her into a deep sleep since she desperately needed the rest. Mila nodded and left to freshen up. I was researching different therapists in Switzerland, but none was to my liking. I also thought Z wouldn't be too inclined to share her personal struggles with a stranger.

"What are you doing?" Mila crawled next to me. She made sure to limit her movements so as to not wake Z.

"Looking for therapists, my love." I wrapped an arm around her. She rested her head on my chest and looked at the screen.

"See any you like?" I shook my head no. "I don't think she'll want to speak to someone she's never met... she's just starting to become comfy again with us."

"I thought so too." I closed the Mac. "I was thinking about reaching out to Sophie." She looked up at me. "She has a doctorate in psychology with a focus in childhood development involving trauma." Mila pecked my lips.

"I support that, but will Z talk to her?"

"Her memory about Sophie may be a little hazy... perhaps I should bring Hailey or my mum as a familiar face?"

"Hailey, since your mother has a lot on her plate." Mila hugged me. "I just want her to get better." She mumbled.

"I agree, my love." I kissed her head. "I feel incredibly responsible for this-"

"I'm the one at fault." I quirked a brow at her. "If I didn't rush to kick down the door, then we would've had time to formulate a plan. My rashness caused this." She sighed.

"If anything, it was my horniness." She looked taken aback. "If I didn't send Z out the study, she'd have never been taken. I blame myself for her torture." I sighed.

"I was the one pressuring you to be intimate with me since it had been a while-"

We stopped when we heard a groan. We looked to see Z begin to stir. She momentarily panicked, thinking she was alone. She turned on her side and let out a relieved sigh. Mila moved off me to hug our daughter. I placed the Mac on the bedside table and moved to kiss my daughter's forehead.

"Are you hungry?" She nodded at my question. "Okay, I'll get breakfast started."

I left Mila to help Z get ready for the day. I found the eggs the maids brought this morning. I cracked them over the pan and began to make scrambled eggs. I remembered Z loving her eggs extra cheesy, like her mum. I chopped up the onions and peppers and allowed them to cook in the egg mixture. I heard Z and Mila's footsteps. I then plated the eggs and handed them one.