Mend What's Broken

Meant to Be Mine

Lizzie's POV

It's only about 15 minutes until our appointment with Scar, and I can sense Margo's anxiety increasing by the second. She's quite fidgety, unable to sit still for too long, and she's gone very quiet.

I can tell that she wants to come to me, but something's holding her back from reaching out for help. Maybe it was her fear of being a burden or bothering me in some way, but either way, I couldn't watch the poor girl struggle alone any longer.

"Margo, baby," I called out and her widened eyes shot up to mine, looking as if she was about to get in trouble for something, so I quickly softened my expression, shaking my head. "It's okay, hunny. You're okay, I can just tell that you're a little nervous right now, yeah?. Do you want a hug?"

I held my arms open for the young girl, and she hesitated a moment, nervously picking at her hands before rushing over and crashing into my embrace.

"Awe, baby. Shhh.." I could feel her little body shaking against mine and her hands grip the back of my cardigan tightly. Being around new people seemed to be a very scary experience for her, and honestly, the feeling was very valid. It's hard to trust people, especially someone you don't know personally, when most of the people in your past were abusive. "It's gonna be okay. Scarlett is safe. She's a good friend of mine, and she's very nice. Nobody's going to hurt you, I promise.."

Just as I was starting to pull away, the sound of the doorbell rang, and she jumped from my reach, sprinting around the corner to the hall. She peeked her head out to the door, shielding the rest of her body while her nervous eyes were glued to the front.

"Just a second, Scar!" I called out to the front door before approaching my anxious child. "It's okay, hunny. I'm right here.."

She shook her head frantically, refusing to move from her current position, and I slowly nodded my head in understanding. "Do you want to go to your room to calm down for a little bit? You can lock the door if that would make you feel safer."

I could see her chest rising and falling fairly quick, almost on the verge of an anxiety attack, so I figured it'd be best if she had a moment to herself, and after a second of hesitation, she shyly nodded her head. I gave her a warm smile, giving love to her with my gaze.

"Okay, baby. I'll come check on you in a few minutes, okay?"

She gave me a brief nod before sprinting once again to her room down the hall, and shoving the door shut with a click of the lock. I thought it would be best do this at home, that way she wouldn't have to worry about being in a new environment and having to meet someone new, but now I was having second thoughts.

What if doing this at home was going to ruin her safe place?

What if she shuts down entirely and doesn't want to go through with this anymore?

A thousand worries started to swirl in my brain of all the possible outcomes, but I was interrupted from my downward spiral by a voice at the front door.

"Lizzie? Are you alive in there or are you just forbidding me from seeing my goddaughter?" she teased from outside, and I let out a small laugh before opening up the door. "Hey! She lives!"

"Are you assuming the role of godmother already?" I questioned with a smirk, crossing my arms over my chest and she shrugged with a grin.

"Well, if I don't get the privilege of being her second mom, I suppose that's the next best position."

I rolled my eyes, a slight blush of pink rising to my cheeks. "Come in. We can get everything set at the table," I welcomed her inside before lowering my voice. "Margo's in her room right now getting ready, and she is a little nervous with new people, so we'll have to take things slow."