green ➸ camren

thirty

Lauren wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. Camila was still holding onto the smaller girl, who had a look of plain terror in her eyes as she looked around the bright hospital room.

Finally, Lauren snapped to her senses when the nurse reentered the room, holding her leather backpack. The green eyed girl hurried to retrieve it from her, thanking her over and over.

When they were left alone in the hospital room once again, Lauren dug through her bag and bit her lip. The smaller girl was still covered in gasoline and the smell was so strong that Lauren was beginning to feel sick

"Camz," she whispered, nudging Camila's shoulder. "She's covered in stuff. We need to clean up." She motioned to Camila's arms, which were also covered in soot. Camila nodded softly in agreement, although she wasn't sure what she could do about it.

"Uh," Lauren bit her lip, bending down so she was at eye level with the small girl in Camila's lap. "Hi sweetie," she said quietly, placing a hand on her knee. "Is it okay if we take you across the hallway to get washed up? We can help you get changed into something a lot more comfortable."

"And we can watch a movie," Camila added, her eyes landing on the television on the corner of the room. Lauren gave her a thumbs up.

The small child looked back and forth between the couple with wide eyes. Lauren could see the confusion etched in her face and felt her heart ache for the little girl.

"It is okay," Camila spoke up, keeping her voice calm and placing a hand on the child's back. "You are safe here. I promise."

"She's right," Lauren nodded. "We're really fun people." She could've sworn she saw the tiniest hint of a smile flash across the girl's face, but she wasn't sure.

"So do you want to go wash off all this stinky stuff?" Lauren repeated her question, crinkling her nose slightly and holding out her palms to show the ash on them. This time, they earned a small, tedious nod from the smaller child.

"Good choice," Lauren laughed softly, doing her best to keep the mood light. She figured the longer they could keep the girl distracted, the better.

"Here," Lauren grabbed the bag and helped Camila get off the bed with the smaller girl in her arms. Lauren could tell how tired the child was simply by the way she laid her head on Camila's shoulder as soon as the girl stood up.

Lauren led her wife into the door across the hallway, flicking on the light switch and scanning the small room. There was no bed, only a large metal sink that she figured could function as a bathtub for the younger girl. She set her bag down on the ground and made sure to close the door behind them.

She could tell Camila was still a bit shaken up from the accident, and she knew she had to step up and be positive for the both of them. She motioned for Camila to set the little girl on the counter next to the sink, which she did.

"I see you're a ballerina," Lauren smiled softly, pointing to the smaller girl's costume. Her dark caramel hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and she adorned a pastel pink leotard and tutu. There was only one ballerina slipper on her foot, though, and Lauren realized the other must have fallen off back at the scene of the accident.

"Do you like to dance?" she asked, scooting over to the sink and turning on the water. As if Camila read her mind, the brown eyed girl searched through the cabinets before handing Lauren a small container of soap.

The smaller girl on the counter nodded, watching Lauren intently. Lauren realized that she wasn't too keen on talking anytime soon, which she understood. She knew how to hold one-sided conversations, though. She'd done it with Camila many times before.