My Life My Rules

Chapter 38: A Safe Place

As the day went on Lain and Nina paid extra attention to the little girl who was still putting on her strong act. They were trying to figure out what was going on with her. Apart of them wanted to just ask, but they were more intrigued to see if she was going to approach them first.

By the time dinner came about and the girl still hadn't said anything, Nina wanted to make things roll faster. While Lain was helping Kaila eat her dinner, Faye was sat besides the small girl just watching as her mommy fed the girl small spoonfuls at a time. "Can I try?" She asked holding her hand out eagerly for the baby fork Lain was using.

"Only get a small bit at a time." She explained as she passed it over. Kaila was too engulfed in a cartoon show that she could see playing from the tv in the living room.

She didn't even pay attention to the fact that a spoon kept coming her way. She cared too much about the brightly colored characters running around screen, only opening her mouth when she felt a light tap of the spoon on her lip.

While Lain was helping Faye feed the small girl, Nina excused herself from the table as she went to walk upstairs. Lauren had finished eating first considering half her plate was left untouched.

But after she finished her food, the girl took off up the stairs.

Following the sound of her voice, Nina knocked on Lauren's bedroom door. Hearing the girl mumbling something to herself from behind the wooden frame she pressed her ear up against it.

The thick piece of wood between them made it difficult to understand a single word she was saying. Pulling on the hem of her shirt, Nina cleared her throat as she knocked. "Lauren?" She called. "Can I come in?"

No answer. Her mumbling silenced as there was a long pause between Nina's words. "Lauren?" She called again as she knocked harder. "I know you're in there sweetheart. Can I come in please?" She tried again speaking just a little louder and knocking just a little harder.

But again no sound left her room.

Sighing Nina grabbed the door handle just breathing heavily as she stared down at its steel. Her baby was just on the other side of this door and she wanted desperately to help her. Wanted to make Lauren feel safe and welcomed. But she didn't want to take away Lauren's safe zone by barging in when she was uninvited.

Sighing as she released the door handle, Nina listened again for Lauren hoping to hear some kind of indication of how she was holding up, but Lauren was as silence as ever.

Walking away she made her way back downstairs just in time to catch Faye feeding Kaila her last spoonful. Lain smiled as Kaila ate it up fast, "good job girls!" She praised.

Seeing her wife coming towards them Lain wiped Kaila's mouth off while Faye ran off to clean herself. Taking the girls into the living room, the women privately talked at the table.

"Did you talk to Lauren?" She asked curiously.

But her wife shook her head.

"Why not?!" She looked disappointed.

"She wouldn't let me in her room to talk to her and I didn't want to seem rude and just barge in. The girls have been through a lot already. I, at least, want her to feel like she has one place that she can go and hide away in and still feel safe."

Sighing Lain nodded. "Then what do we do if she won't talk to us?"

"I don't know. But I hope we think of a solution soon." Nina said as she grabbed her wife's shaking hands. Laying their foreheads against one another, they quietly pondered what to do.

"Mama!" Faye came running towards the women with a smile on her face. "Play with me!" She said happily pulling on the woman's arm.

"Easy Faye, not too hard." Lain lightly scolded as she nodded and eased her grip on Nina.