Mend What's Broken

A Big Step

"There you go.." Dr Olsen whispered, gently running her hand through the girl's hair as her eyes began to slowly close. She stayed seated on the bed beside her, continuing to caress the sleeping girl in hopes that her comforts would prevent any nightmares.

Liz glanced up to the nurse who let out a sigh from the other side of the bed, looking down at the girl with the same saddened expression.

"Poor thing," she sighed, and Liz nodded her head, giving a final swipe of her thumb on the girl's cheek before standing from the bed.

"She has a long road to recovery, but she'll get there," Olsen nodded, having faith in her own words. "She's a survivor."

The two stepped out of the room, the nurse returning to her other duties while Lizzie leaned against the door to Margo's room, paging Dr Richard and Dr Hunter for a meeting about her case. There was much to discuss about the future steps of her care and how they were going to navigate taking care of her without causing further trauma.

Liz turned her back from the door, looking in at Margo through the window, and her heart broke at the girl's situation.

She's only a child..

She wished that she could take away her pain and fear, allow her to know the peaceful safety of love without a catch. Liz saw a small part of herself in the girl, relating to the way people would misunderstand her feelings and emotions, and coming to the conclusion that she way only crazy, but she wasn't. She was kidnapped for 6 years.. It would be abnormal NOT to be mentally conflicted afterward.

Liz found a growing desire to protect the girl, imagining herself as Margo's mother and wondering how on earth a parent could do that to their child. Her innocence had been taken far too soon, and as much as Liz wished she could return what had been taken from her, she couldn't. All she could do was give her a better future, and she was going to do everything in her power to see through with that goal.

Liz turned her eyes from the window at the sound of footsteps in the hall, finding both Dr Richard and Dr Hunter walking in her direction, and she let out a sigh, returning her gaze to the sleeping girl.

"You called?" Hunter asked with a smile, the three of them now peering into the room, and Toby furrowed his eyebrows, shooting Liz a look of confusion.

"Did you B-52 her?"

"I had to.." she defended, "she had a PTSD episode and she was going to hurt herself if I didn't." Liz dropped her face to her hands, disapproving her own actions but Toby rested a hand on her back, knowing it had to be done.

"I need to find a way to keep her calm without having to sedate her, but it's hard.. She's absolutely petrified, and nothing I've been doing is helping.."

Hunter nodded in agreement. "This environment isn't good for someone who's been held captive for so long. Too many new faces, constantly changing every 12 hours, and then all while being stuck in the same room. She's needs to be outside of these walls, seeing the world and experiencing what it's like to just be a child."

"Yes, but until she is assigned with some sort of legal guardian, there's no other place she can go.. Maybe we should have turned her over to the state.."

Liz's head snapped to Dr Richard, causing him to shrug and she scoffed. "I'm not allowing them to send her away, Toby! She's already been screwed over by everyone else that's ever been in her life, and I'm not going to allow that to happen anymore!"

"Then what do you propose that we do?" he questioned, returning her frustrated glare until the two both turned to Dr Hunter, who raised his hands in surrender of their bickering.