The Fire Inside

Amoret

Mor woke up with a gentle shake on her shoulder. She had slept for almost twelve hours peacefully, the most sleep she'd gotten in almost a year. The sheets were warm and she didn't want to leave. "Hey, Amoret." Elise sat on the edge of the bed, shaking Mor's arm gently and brushing the hair out of her face. When Mor finally opened her eyes, a reassuring smile greeted her. "Goodmorning."

Mor whispered back, bleary-eyed, "Goodmorning, Miss Elise."

Used to the same schedule since she was born, Mor pulled back the sheets and got ready to get up. Before she could move very far though, Elise pulled the blankets back over her. "You don't need to get up if you don't want to, Amoret. I'm sure you're used to a set schedule, but here you can sleep as long as you want." Mor settled back in the warm bed, pulling the sheets up as Elise continued. "I just brought you some breakfast, in case you were hungry."

Mor adjusted on the bed so she was sitting and nodded. Elise turned to the ground and grabbed a stand with a food tray on it. As she ate oatmeal and strawberries and pancakes, Mor silently looked around what she could see of the room. The girl across the room from her and the kids next to her were doing the same as her. She rubbed her eyes tiredly as she finished and Elise smiled at her gently. "You can go back to bed if you want." She took the tray and placed it on the desk. "I'll wake you up in an hour or two."

"Thank you, ma'am." Elise was still a little baffled that Mor called her ma'am, but she knew it was a natural reflex for her. Mor lay her head on the pillow again and was out like a light.

Elise took the tray and stand and carried it out to the cart in the front of the room. Muffled so much it was almost silent, she could make out the sound of pictures taken and questions being asked. She knew that rescuing these kids would create publicity, but she didn't realize how much. It seemed like the whole world was now in tune with them, and Elise was right smack in the middle of it.

The curtain on the side had been pulled over the windows in an effort to keep the nurses and the kids private. Still, the press had already managed to push inside the hospital and to the wing overnight. Who knows how far they'll go.

At two am the night before, Mor had started kicking in her sleep, crying, and pushing someone imaginary away. In an effort to calm her, Elise put her hand on her shoulder, but it only seemed to make it worse. Mor had started hyperventilating and frantically pushing her away and Elise had let go of her immediately. Trying again, she touched the top of Mor's head, trying to gently calm her down. Miraculously, it worked, and with the soothing touch, Mor stopped kicking and relaxed for the rest of the night. Overnight, many of the other kids did similar things. But by the morning, Mor clearly had no recollection of what had happened.

Two hours after Mor had fallen asleep, Elise came by her side and gently woke her up. "Hey," Elise soothed her again. "Time to get up, Amoret." Mor awoke easily and wide-eyed, more awake than she was before.

As many other kids were rising, the nurses began getting ready for the day. Elise had gone home briefly that morning, merely changing and grabbing another cup of coffee before heading back to the hospital, and now, two hours since she got back, she felt much more refreshed. Mor quietly insisted she helped with something, so Elise let her do one thing: help her make the bed. Both on either side, they folded, straightened the sheets and comforter, and folded them back at the top. Elise then folded the knit blanket and put it on the edge of the bed and fluffed the pillow.

"Thank you for your help," Elise encouraged her.

Mor nodded. "Of course, ma'am."

"I'll be right back." Elise left Mor standing there for about thirty seconds before coming back with a stack of clothes. "Here, you can pick from any of these clothes today."