Elle's POV
I had just gotten Cat to sleep and was afraid to leave her. Her nightmares have gotten worse and worse by the day, and this was the first night in a while she actually slept in her own room. I was about to go sit on the couch when I heard some noise coming from Cat's room. I backed up and opened the door.
"Sunshine? What are you still doing up?" I asked. Poor Cat looked exhausted. She was frantically typing on her laptop while music was playing on another tab.
"Whatcha typing there, Sunshine?" I asked.
"I'm just looking at my new school's website. The lottery gets drawn in two days and I'm hoping I get in." Cat said. I looked at her laptop and sure enough, the charter school website was on her screen.
"I'll try to go to sleep if you really want me to, but no promises." Cat said. She shut her laptop and plugged it in. I ran to my room and grabbed the nightlight I bought for Cat, then came back to her room and plugged it in. I then wrapped Cat up in her blanket and kissed her forehead.
"Good night, Sunshine. I love you." I said. I quietly closed the door, seeing the faint glow of Cat's nightlight from behind the door.
"So, is she asleep?" Jessica asked, stirring awake. I sighed and said, "Yeah. Finally. I finally gave her that nightlight I bought a while ago. I hope it'll help. By the way, remind me to tell her to clean her room tomorrow. It's a disaster in there." Jessica laughed, but I wasn't really that amused.
"What's going on?" Jessica asked.
"Do you think we need to...get Cat some help?" I asked. The question has been bugging me for months, but the last time we tried to take Cat to a therapist, it didn't end well.
"Elle. She hates doctors." Jessica said. "If we try to force her to go to a therapist, it'll only make her more scared."
"You're right. I guess we'll have to try on our own for now. This is the first night in weeks she's slept in her own room." I said, looking at Cat's closed door and soaking in the silence. But a part of me was ready to spring up and run when I heard Cat's inevitable scream.
"She's gotten a nightmare nearly every night since I took her in. The poor girl." I said, almost about to cry. I sighed, wondering where I went wrong as a mother.
"Am I a bad mom?" I asked Jessica, who simply shook her head.
"No, you're the opposite. An amazing mom. You took in this 12 year old girl that you found on the streets in the middle of a show and cared for her like she was your own since the beginning. I remember seeing you on the phone with foster agencies and CPS, fighting for her. I knew you wanted her to have a good home, and in my honest opinion, she couldn't have asked for a better placement." Jessica said. All I could do was hug her.
"But she's perfect. My perfect little Sunshine. I don't want to hurt her." I said.
"Listen. Those nightmares she gets are not your fault. She's been through a lot over the course of her life. She's a 13 year old girl who has been through more trauma than most adults."
Suddenly, I heard some soft crying coming from Cat's room and woke up. And I also heard Jessica's phone vibrate. I sprang up and ran to Cat's room, nervous.
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Catlynn's POV
"Mommy..." I said, holding my phone. My hands were shaking in fear and I could not get any words out, just tears. That's it. Elle ran into my room and hugged me.
"Nightmare again?" Elle asked softly. I nodded. "I was just about to listen to music."
"What was it about? Do you want to talk about it?" Elle asked. I sighed and said, "Just the normal crash nightmare."
"Oh baby." Elle said, hugging me gently. I melted into the hug, feeling safe and loved. I let the tears roll out onto Elle's shirt, and Elle rubbed my back.
"Do you want to listen to some music? Or watch a movie?" Elle asked. I sighed and said, "I guess a movie would be nice." Elle turned on the TV and we watched a cheesy rom-com.
Suddenly, phones were going off all over the house. I gulped. I just wanted to watch a movie and go back to sleep in Elle's arms.
Elle sighed and said, "I'll go get the phone." I peeked outside the door and saw Elle and Jessica in the living room, both fully awake. Jessica was typing frantically on her phone, Elle was on a call with tears in her eyes.
"Catlynn? We need to talk to you." Jessica said. I walked out to the living room and sat down in a chair, nervously fidgeting.
"Based on how my life is going so far, am I right to assume this isn't good news?" I asked. Elle looked at Jessica and sadly nodded.
"Sunshine, something happened to Evan."
AN: CLIFFHANGER!!!!!!! And I've been plotting this for a long time, hehehehe. Hope you enjoyed! Catch ya later!