Safe now ( Emily prentiss )

Exhausted

"I'm guessing you don't eat a lot of sugar, huh ?" Jj grinned at the small girl who was currently stuffing her face with candy.
"My dad didn't let me eat sweets," she shrugged in reply, "I usually just eat leftovers or freezer food."  She continued to eat. Emily's face crinkled slightly at this. "Well, while you're staying with us you can help me make dinner." Jj filled in the silence.
"Sure. I'm not very good at cooking though."
"Me neither, but Jj's great!" Emily replied.

Dr Robbins walked in, smiling cheerfully. "So, it's looks like you're ready to go. Your vitals are good and, by the looks of it, you've been eating and drinking fine." She glanced between Emily and Jj who nodded their heads simultaneously. "Ok. I'll be back in a few minutes with the discharge papers." With that she walked out.

The trip back was quiet. Emily had chosen to sit at the back with Addie although all the small girl did was look out the window. "The spare bedroom is mostly empty so there's space to put anything and decorate, if you want to?" Jj tried to make conversation. Addie simply nodded before returning her attention back to the outdoors.

They walked past her apartment door quickly. Addie watched it longingly; she wished for her books and her mother's old jewellery she kept.
Emily and Jj briefly showed her around. It wasn't much different from her father's apartment and therefore it didn't take long to remember the layout.

"How about you get in the shower and we'll start dinner?" Emily asked after they finished the movie. Addie froze. Her body trembling as she remembered his firm hands holding her under the icy water, while she twisted and turned to get out of his grip.
"Addie?" Jj glanced up from the tv to closely watch the girl. "Huh," was all she managed to reply. "Emily just asked if you wanted to shower before dinner. Your hair looks like it hasn't been washed in a while," Jj said softly. Addie's heart began to beat faster, his hands brushing through her hair, throwing her against the wall. His hands. His hands. His hands. She shuddered. "Um... I..." she looked at the floor.
"You can borrow some of mine and Jj's clothes," Emily took her hand. The bedrooms were opposite each other, the bathroom standing at the end of the hallway. "Here," she laid out some clothes. "Thanks," Addie murmured. "The towels are in the bathroom. We'll be in the kitchen if you need us," Emily almost turned away before she noticed tears forming in the girl's eyes. Addie's hands trembled as she picked up the clothes. "What's wrong?" Emily moved in front of her. Addie looked away, "I...I can't..." she stuttered through staggered breathing. The walls were closing in on her. His hands. His hands. The sharp, icy water. Can't breathe. Can't. Breathe. She took a deep breath, gulping all the oxygen she could. "It's ok. You're ok. Here," she took Addie's hand and placed it on her chest, "match my breathing. Ok? Copy me." Emily slowly breathed, in then out, watching the small girl imitate her. "You're ok now. It's okay." Emily thought back to the moment they had found Addie; her hair wet and lips blue and cracked. "You don't have to shower if you don't want to. Can I at least wash your hair?" Addie had sunk into the floor, knees against her chest. She raked her hands through her dirty hair, grimacing at the texture. "Okay..." she nodded.

The bathroom was grey and furnished with pink decor. Addie guessed Jj had designed it as Emily didn't seem like a pink kinda girl. Emily thought for a moment about how to wash Addie's hair without triggering her. It was difficult to figure what the main problem was: was it the water itself or the way he had held her or the noise? She put a towel round the girls shoulders and turned on the shower. Addie's shoulders tensed as the warm water hit her head. Emily applied shampoo and then conditioner, gently brushing through the girl's hair with her finger to untangle the knots. When she had finished she sat Addie down on the bed and softly detangled her hair. Addie's hair was short so it didn't take long . "There. All done. How about we go see Jj in the kitchen." Emily questioned, aware the girl was still anxious. "Mhm," Addie replied quietly.

"Hey you guys are back! I'm just finishing dinner." Jj said, pulling something out the oven.
"Addie could you set the table? The cutlery is to your right and the plates and cups above it," Emily nodded towards a drawer. "Mhm."

Neither Emily nor Jj spoke for a few seconds. It didn't go unnoticed by Jj that Addie had come back in the same clothes and yet her hair was fresh and smelled deeply of Jj's rose scented shampoo. "She had a panic attack," Emily stated, breaking the silence, "when we found her... she had wet hair and hand marks across her neck. I thought she'd be okay showering but I guess not." Emily watched Jj closely. "I'm glad she's okay. We have to let her do things by herself though. Not everything. Just some. Emily..." Jj's blue eyes met Emily's dark ones, "she wants to go home. You saw the way she looked at her apartment door - like she could go back home and this nightmare would be over. She doesn't believe her father has anything to do with what happened... just... I don't know. Be careful?" Jj said. Emily took Jj's hand and kissed it. "I know. I just want to protect her."

Addie was uncertain how to place the plates: she had never set a family table; she had only ever been to formal dinners with her father. The table was rectangular and had six seats ( one currently occupied by Surgio ). She decided to place two on one side instead of one at the head of the table. She placed the cups on the left of the plate and the cutlery on the right; she frequently forgot which way round the cups and cutlery go, making her father frustrated at her poor attempts to continuously switch them to the right position.
Jj got to the table first and, decisively, took the seat next to Addie. Jj had made mac and cheese and it looked delicious. Addie's gaze rose as she glanced between the two older women followed by the food. Emily understood quicker than Jj: the girl was asking for permission. Emily noted this and nodded, picking up her own fork and eating from her plate. Addie started to eat promptly, marvelling at the delicious taste of a home cooked meal. When the plates had been cleared, Addie automatically took the dishes to the kitchen and cleaned up. Jj watched the girl sympathetically, she moved mechanically and devoid of any emotion. Throughout the meal she had barely looked up to speak to her or Emily, and if she did it was only short - one word - answers.

Addie stifled a yawn as they sat on the sofa to watch another movie before bed. She knew she shouldn't complain about it; she had no right. They had fed her and stayed with her at the hospital. 'Polite people don't complain', her father's words ran around her mind. Emily was stuck into the movie they were watching, intensely watching the characters in the murder mystery. However, Jj saw Addie's attempt to hide her yawn, evoking her to yawn herself. "I'm feeling exhausted. You must be too, Addie. I'll show you to your room," Jj went to reach her hand but the girl flinched back, "sorry," Addie mumbled. They walked silently to the opposing rooms. "Goodnight Addie," Jj went inside her room and Addie hers. Emily joined the blonde less than an hour later, rubbing her eyes profusely. She left the door open slightly, just so Addie knew she could wake them if she needed to.