Green [Chaelisa]

thirty

Chaeyoung wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. Lisa was still holding onto the younger girl, who had a look of plain terror in her eyes as she looked around the bright hospital room.

Finally, Chaeyoung snapped to her senses when the nurse reentered the room, holding her leather backpack. The blonde girl hurried to retrieve it from her, thanking her over and over.

When they were left alone in the hospital room once again, Chaeyoung dug through her bag and bit her lip. The younger girl was still covered in gasoline and the smell was so strong that Chaeyoung was beginning to feel sick

"Lili," she whispered, nudging Lisa's shoulder. "She's covered in stuff. We need to clean up." She motioned to Lisa's arms, which were also covered in soot. Lisa nodded softly in agreement, although she wasn't sure what she could do about it.

"Uh," Chaeyoung bit her lip, bending down so she was at eye level with the younger girl in Lisa's lap. "Hi sweetie," she said quietly, placing a hand on her knee. "Is it okay if we take you across the hallway to get washed up? We can help you get changed into something a lot more comfortable."

"And we can watch a movie," Lisa added, her eyes landing on the television on the corner of the room. Chaeyoung gave her a thumbs up.

The small child looked back and forth between the couple with wide eyes. Chaeyoung could see the confusion etched in her face and felt her heart ache for the little girl.

"It is okay," Lisa spoke up, keeping her voice calm and placing a hand on the child's back. "You are safe here. I promise."

"She's right," Chaeyoung nodded. "We're really fun people." She could've sworn she saw the tiniest hint of a smile flash across the girl's face, but she wasn't sure.

"So do you want to go wash off all this stinky stuff?" Chaeyoung repeated her question, crinkling her nose slightly and holding out her palms to show the ash on them. This time, they earned a small, tedious nod from the younger child.

"Good choice," Chaeyoung laughed softly, doing her best to keep the mood light. She figured the longer they could keep the girl distracted, the better.

"Here," Chaeyoung grabbed the bag and helped Lisa get off the bed with the younger girl in her arms. Chaeyoung could tell how tired the child was simply by the way she laid her head on Lisa's shoulder as soon as the girl stood up.

Chaeyoung led her wife into the door across the hallway, flicking on the light switch and scanning the small room. There was no bed, only a large metal sink that she figured could function as a bathtub for the younger girl. She set her bag down on the ground and made sure to close the door behind them.

She could tell Lisa was still a bit shaken up from the accident, and she knew she had to step up and be positive for the both of them. She motioned for Lisa to set the little girl on the counter next to the sink, which she did.

"I see you're a ballerina," Chaeyoung smiled softly, pointing to the younger girl's costume. Her dark caramel hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and she adorned a pastel pink leotard and tutu. There was only one ballerina slipper on her foot, though, and Chaeyoung realized the other must have fallen off back at the scene of the accident.

"Do you like to dance?" she asked, scooting over to the sink and turning on the water. As if Lisa read her mind, the Thai girl searched through the cabinets before handing Chaeyoung a small container of soap.

The younger girl on the counter nodded, watching Chaeyoung intently. Chaeyoung realized that she wasn't too keen on talking anytime soon, which she understood. She knew how to hold one-sided conversations, though. She'd done it with Lisa many times before.