Lauren woke up disoriented on the couch the next morning. She was covered by the same blanket that had kept her warm during her afternoon nap the past day and to her displeasure she was still wearing the same clothes she had worn all of yesterday. Then again, she figured it would have been much more unsettling if someone had dressed her in pajamas instead, so she silently appreciated her family's acceptance of personal boundaries.
"Oh good, you're up." Lauren sat up to see her dad leaning in the living room door, nursing a cup of coffee.
"Is Camila-"
"Still asleep in her room." Her father assured her before she could worry. She leaned back against the couch with a sigh, rubbing her eyes.
"There's coffee in the kitchen, if you want any." Mike said, taking a seat in the armchair.
Lauren shook her head. "Where did you disappear to yesterday?"
"Your mom and I decided to drop in on the guys at the garage. They were really happy when Clara offered to make dinner. Apparently, Coop was the only one with any cooking skills whatsoever. I guess, I'm gonna have to send one of them to the education centre for cooking lessons." Mike chuckled.
Lauren smiled, but she could tell her dad hadn't just randomly decided to drop in by the auto shop on a Saturday night.
"You're staying away on purpose." Lauren stated, puzzled at her realization. Mike sighed, nodding. "Why?" Lauren asked with a sinking feeling in her stomach. She sat up straight facing her dad. "I thought you weren't mad that I bought Camila!"
"No, babygirl, of course I'm not mad! You're doing a great job taking care of her too, kid. But if I learned anything about helping new slaves settle in, it's that the more people they have to answer to, the harder it is for them to focus on getting adjusted. Most of them are used to having one master and until Camila understands that she's not a slave to us, that master is going to be you." Mike explained calmly.
"I don't know what I'm doing, dad." Lauren admitted miserably. "I think most of the time I just scare her. I have no idea what to say to her at all-."
"Lauren, when your mom and I brought Jim home, we had no idea what the hell we were doing. He wasn't as hurt or as scared as Camila, but he wasn't used to decent people either." Lauren felt a pang of sympathy in the pit of her stomach.
Jim, now in his late thirties, had been the first Jauregui slave to be set free. The dark skinned man had been with the family for almost 13 years now; he was a strong, intimidating guy at first glance, but Lauren knew the man was a teddy bear inside. She had a lot of fond memories of Jim babysitting her at the auto shop when her dad had to take her to work with him.
"What did you do?" Lauren asked.
"It was tough at first," Mike said. "He thought we were tricking him into a punishment when we offered him the same food we were having and he wouldn't sit at the table with us or do anything that would put him into an equal position."
Mike removed his cap and rubbed his head thoughtfully. "He'd just sit in a corner during meals and wait for the leftovers. We didn't know how to make him comfortable." A fond smile appeared on Mike's face when he looked up and met Lauren's eyes. "But you did."
"What?"
"I'll never forget it", Mike chuckled. "You were coloring at the living room table and your mom made you a PBJ sandwich as a snack. We were all sitting in the living room, I don't remember what we were doing, but Jim was sitting in his usual corner, away from the rest of us. You just got up with your plate and you sat down right on Jim's lap and held up a half of your sandwich right in front of his mouth." Mike laughed at the memory. "I still remember his face; he was so confused, but you didn't move until he'd taken a bite."
Lauren shook her head, laughing incredulously.
"It got a lot easier after that." Lauren's face grew serious again. "What I'm trying to say is: you instinctively knew what to do when you were three years old. I doubt that you could mess up now, even if you tried."
At her father's words, Lauren found that she was breathing a little easier. "You really think so?"
"I believe in you, baby! Always have and always will." Mike assured her and got up from the chair. He was halfway to the kitchen before he remembered. "Oh right, almost forgot. Dr. Holland called yesterday evening. Do you think you can take Camila to her at 9 pm?"
"9 pm? Isn't that kind of late for a doctor's visit?" Lauren asked.
"Well, she can't exactly put slaves down as official patients during business hours," Mike explained.
"Oh, okay, yes, of course. I'll take her. Did she say anything about the test results?" She asked hopefully.
"No, sorry." Mike said, before retreating into the kitchen.
"Thanks, Dad." Lauren called after him, before deciding that maybe coffee wasn't such a bad idea after all.
Over breakfast Mike reminded her that Clara was working the morning shift and Chris was at football practice again. Between the two of them they decided to let Camila sleep rather than to wake her for breakfast.
"She's so tired." Lauren mumbled between small bites of toast.
"Makes sense, I don't know how long she was with that market, but I know they sure as hell don't let them sleep much. And she's so little, too..." Mike trailed off with a sad look on her face. "SHe'll be better soon. You'll see, and then we can figure out everything else with her. This is always the hardest part: When you get a new slave, the time it takes for them to settle in and figure out that nothing bad is gonna happen to them. Even when they're strong and healthy to begin with, it takes time to understand that they're actual people here. And with this kid, it'll probably take a lot longer."
Lauren nodded. "Can I stay home with her tomorrow?"
"Absolutely not." Mike snorted, seemingly amused by Lauren's suggestion.
"What? Why not?" Lauren said, probably a bit too loudly. He put down her toast in favour of leaning back and crossing her arms in front of her chest. Mike's expression turned serious.
"How do you think that's gonna look when people find out about Camila? You think people aren't gonna talk about how you bought a sex toy and the next week you stayed home from school cos you were too busy with it?"
Lauren paled. "Why would people know about Camila?"
"Oh come on, kid, Normani was at the market with you and between Lucy and Harry being in and out of the house like they live here, it's only a matter of time. It's not like Chris's a brilliant secret keeper either. But nevermind the gossip, what about school? I'm not letting you compromise your GPA to play nurse."
"I can't just leave her here alone!" Lauren protested.
"Sooner or later you'll have to, if you stay home on Monday, you're gonna want to stay home on Tuesday too; she's not gonna get better in half a week, so there's no use for this nonsense in the first place." Mike insisted, at the look on Lauren's face her expression softened and she added "SHe'll be fine on her own for half a day, and she'll probably be asleep anyway."
"Fine." Lauren gave in. SHe'd have to come up with some way to make sure Camila was okay, even if she couldn't be there.
"That's my girl." Mike said approvingly, putting her now empty plate into the sink. "I'm gonna go get ready and then I'm gonna go to the shop. I'm kinda falling behind on the paperwork. Don't forget, 9 pm!"
"Got it." Lauren assured him and turned her attention back to the last bites of her toast as her father left the room.
When she knocked on Camila's door an hour later, freshly showered, already dressed for the day and with a plate of fresh toast and a cup of tea in her hands, there was no answer. SHe carefully pushed the door handle down with her right elbow and let the door swing open quietly. She smiled when she saw Camila's sleeping form on the bed. The girl was sleeping on her side, her front turned towards the door with a peaceful expression on her face. The blanket covered her to her ribs.
Lauren put the plate and cup down on the empty nightstand and sat down on the edge of Camila's bed.
The bruise around Camila's eye had turned a dark purple color, while the edges were turning yellow. Camila's lips were parted and Lauren could see that the cut on her lower lip had started to heal. Camila's curls were strewn wildly across the pillow and Lauren had to restrain herself from brushing a wayward curl out of her face.
Her eyes fell on Camila's wrists which were crossed on the pillow next to her face again. The other night, she hadn't been close enough to see, but now she could clearly make out a matching set of scars on both of Camila's wrists. There was no doubt in her mind that Camila was used to sleeping with bound wrists. With wrists bound tightly enough that constant rope burn had made the tissue underneath the ropes scar. SHe wondered if she'd find similar scars on Camila's ankles too. Lauren felt a sinking feeling in her chest when she considered that being tied up was hardly the worst thing that happened to Camila in the past.
SHe had half a mind to let Camila sleep some more, but she had to get some more food into the girl; she could always let her go back to sleep after.
Lauren's hand hovered over Camila's shoulder for a second, but she pulled it back again.
"Camila?" She whispered instead. "Camila, it's time to wake up. Breakfast is ready."
Camila frowned in her sleep and buried her nose in the pillow, rubbing her face against the soft fabric for a second. A warm feeling settled in the pit of Lauren's stomach when Camila emitted a content sigh.
"Camila." SHe said, a little louder this time, but with a gentle tone nonetheless.
The girl stiffened as she startled awake, looking disoriented for a moment.
"Morning", Lauren said, smiling softly "there's breakfast for you on the nightstand. I hope you like herbal tea." Camila's eyes focused on Lauren and the confusion was replaced with a flash of delight.
"Miss! I mean- good morning, Lauren." She said, quickly correcting her mistake.
"Did you sleep well?" Lauren asked as Camila pushed herself into a sitting position against the headboard, dragging the duvet up to cover herself to the chest. Lauren handed her the cup of tea, careful not to spill any of it on the bed.
"I did, thank you, Lauren." Camila took the cup from Lauren and gave the liquid an experimental sip, eyes widening at the taste.
"Do you like it? I can make something else if you don't."
"No, it's really good, thank you." Camila's gaze landed on the digital clock on the shelf and she startled. "I'm sorry for sleeping so long, Lauren, I should have been up hours ago!"
"No, no, Camila, don't worry! Remember what we talked about yesterday, about sleep being good? I'm glad you got to sleep in, it's good for you." Camila relaxed and took another sip of tea.
"We're going to see the doctor at 9 pm tonight." Lauren informed her, offering Camila the plate of toast. Camila took it and placed the plate in her lap.
"You are- erm... are you coming with me?" Camila asked hopefully.
"Of course." Lauren promised. "I'll be driving you there anyway, if you want I can come in with you, but that's entirely up to you."
"Thank you, Lauren." Camila whispered, clutching the half full mug against her chest.
The remainder of the day passed, much like the day before had.
Lauren drew Camila a bath and helped her remove her bandages and reapplied new ones after Camila had some time to soak in the hot water.
She made a mental note to make Camila start taking showers soon, since she seemed capable of holding herself upright for more than a few minutes by now, but Camila seemed so happy submerged in warm water that Lauren decided their water bill could handle a couple more baths.
Camila seemed more at ease and Lauren wasn't sure if it was due to their talk the previous night or if it was just a result of a peaceful night of rest in a comfortable bed.
After coaxing two bowls of vegetable soup into her, Lauren sent Camila back to bed for a nap until it was time to get ready to see the doctor, which is why Lauren found herself on the edge of Camila's bed to the second time that day.
Camila was sleeping fitfully, her wrists clutched to her chest and curled up into a tiny ball in the middle of the bed, whimpering softly in her sleep.
"Time to wake up, Camila." Lauren said, but Camila didn't react. After calling out twice more Lauren placed a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her gently.
Camila twitched and the movement of her own body seemed to wake her from whatever dream she had been trapped in. SHe breathed a sigh of relieve when her eyes fell on Lauren.
"Is it time to go?" Camila asked. Her voice was hoarse and shaky.
"Yeah, but we're in no hurry. Bad dream?" Lauren looked at her in concern.
Camila nodded. Her eyes fell on the closet. "What would you like me to wear outside, Lauren?"
Lauren sighed, but didn't call Blaine on her attempt of deflecting. "How about these black jeans..." SHe got up and pulled the pair she was talking about from the closet "...and this red sweatshirt? It's pretty cold outside, so I'll go find you a coat. How about you go get dressed and meet me by the door?"
"Yes, Lauren." Camila said, looking relieved.
A coat for Camila was easily found in Lauren's vast collection, she opted for one of the warmer coats she had. With the lack of insulation on Camila's body, she'd need all the extra padding she could get. Winter was fast approaching and the last thing Camila needed right now was to catch a cold.
In the entrance hall Lauren remembered that Camila didn't even own a pair of shoes. "Camila?" SHe called across the hall. "What shoe size do you wear?"
At Lauren's call Camila came rushing out of her room, almost tripping over her own feet. SHe was dressed in the clothes Lauren had laid out for her, the sweatshirt that had admittedly been large on Lauren was hanging off her like a little tent, but it was warm, so Lauren decided not to make her change out of it. The jeans however were held up by nothing but Camila's hands that were clutching the waistband and keeping the pants from falling to the ground.
"A size 7, Lauren." She answered Lauren's question.
"Okay, I think I still have some in that size from when I was younger. Wait here for a minute."
Lauren hurried back into her room and rummaged through the collection of old shoes that were stacked neatly in boxes in the back of her walk-in closet.
"Ha!" She yelled in triumph when she found a pair of size 7 boots. On her way out of the closet she grabbed a black leather belt with a simple square metal buckle for Camila's pants and hurried back upstairs.
"I think I found something for you." She called out to Camila as she made her way down the stairs to the entrance hall.
When Camila spun around to face her her eyes went wide, Lauren smiled and hurried over to where Camila was waiting for her.
In confusion she watched as the color drained from Camila's face. The girl raised her arms, holding her hands in front of her face as if to shield it from blows. Her pants dropped the moment she let go of the waistband, pooling around Camila's ankles, so when she took a defensive step sideways, she tripped over the fabric and landed with her left side first on the floor, arms curled around her head.
"Camila!" Lauren called out in shock, dropping the shoebox and belt to kneel down by Camila's side. "Are you hurt?" She asked, frantically trying to pull at Camila's hands, so she could see Camila's face.
"Please, I'm sorry." Camila cried out, when Lauren pulled her hands away, clasping them tightly with both of her own. "I'm sorry."
"Calm down, Camila, please! What happened?" Camila was looking up at her, eyes still wide with fear and Lauren was suddenly painfully aware of how she had manhandled Camila in her panic to make sure she was okay. She let go of Camila's hands, trying to give her space.
"What's wrong?" She asked in what she hoped was a calm tone.
"Please don't make me wait for it." Camila whimpered, curling up on the floor, her pants still trapped around her ankles, leaving her bare legs exposed to the cold tile floor.
"Wait for what, Camila?" Lauren asked trying to catch Camila's gaze.
"The be- ...the beating." Camila whispered.
"What beat-" her eyes followed Camila's gaze and found the belt that lay discarded on the floor next to her. Her heart sank. "Oh Camzi, no! No one's getting beaten. Sweety, no! This is for your pants, to help hold them up, so this doesn't happen." SHe indicated towards the fabric trapping Camila's ankles.
Camila was looking from Lauren to the belt and back as if waiting for Lauren to change her mind. Then slowly, she pulled herself into a sitting position. SHe kept her eyes on Lauren when she pulled the pants back up over her legs.
"Let me help you up." Lauren said, carefully reaching for Camila. When Camila didn't flinch, she pulled her back to her feet with ease.
"Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself falling?" Lauren asked.
"No, Lauren, I'm fine, Lauren." Camila whispered, pulling her pants in place, looking at the floor in shame.
Lauren dropped back to her knees to retrieve the fallen items. "Let me help you with the belt?" She asked, now directly in Camila's sight, holding out the belt to her like an offering.
Camila looked uncertain for a moment, but nodded after taking a deep breath.
"I'm so sorry I scared you." Lauren apologized. "I wasn't thinking, I'm so so sorry." She pulled the belt through the first loop, then the next. "I promised I'd never beat you and I meant it." She could feel Camila release a shaky breath as she reached around the other boy to push the belt through the loops on the back of her jeans. "It's not gonna happen, ever, I swear." The belt went through the last loop and Lauren looked up. "Are you sure you didn't hurt yourself?" She asked as she pulled the belt tight.
"Yes." Camila said, breathing deeply and Lauren could tell she was finally relaxing now that the belt was fastened around her and in no way a weapon anymore. "Thank you, I'm sorry, I'm fine."
"Nothing to be sorry for." Lauren assured her, pulling the boots from the box.
"Let's see if those fit." She helped Camila step into the left boot and pulled up the zipper.
"Comfortable?" She asked.
"Very, thank you, Lauren." The girl in question smiled and helped Camila into the other boot as well.
"There we go." She said, pulling the coat she had selected for Camila earlier from the coat rack, holding it open for Camila. Thankfully it was really big for Camila as well, so she didn't have to pull her arms back too far to slip in.
Lauren pulled on her own shoes and coat, before looking Camila over one last time, her eyes lingering on Camila's bare hands. She rummaged through the pockets of another coat that still hung on the rack and pulled a produced a pair of fingerless gloves from its depths.
"Put these on, too." Lauren held the gloves open so all Camila had to do was wriggle her fingers into them. They were really warm and a very nice dark blue, which is why Laurn had initially bought them, but they were too small for her hands, so she'd never worn them before, even though they were a little stretchy. On Camila's hands they were perfect.
"Okay then, let's go." She said, opening the door for Camila and directing her into the passenger's seat of her Navigator.