Ryan was only four years old the first time she had gotten left off at her grandparents house for the weekend. Her parents were supposed to stay at a hotel together and they wanted to have some time away from kids and any other responsibilities.
Ryan of course was happy, she liked staying at her grandparents house. Perhaps she didn't acknowledge them that much but she really liked to play outside in the garden.
"Tesoro, we will come pick you up on Sunday, okay?" Her mother asked her, crouching down in front of the little brunette.
"Mmhm, love mama" the little girl replied, already preoccupied with sorting her toys out.
Her father gave her a hug before the two parents left, unaware of how there daughter were about to be treated. Ryan however, was soon going to find out.
"Why don't we move your toys over here, I believe that is better" her nonna said, beginning to gather Ryan's toys to move them over to the grass area.
"No, no I- I have" Ryan struggled to get her words out as she reached for her dinosaur figures. She had just finished placing them out in the order she wanted to, now it was all ruined.
"What? You need to tell me what you want" Her grandmother sighed, continuing to move the little girls belongings.
Ryan's bottom lip quivered, she remembered what her mother had told her about how she needed to understand that everyone was not going to get how she was and that change is not always bad. So, she moved over to where her toys was now placed and started over.
By the time it was lunch time Ryan was already very tired. If she had been at home, she would've had quiet time now, getting a little rest.
Her grandmother had made broccoli pie with other greens in it. Ryan liked the taste but she couldn't handle the consistency of it. "What now Ryan?" Her grandfather asked her, trying to be gentle with his voice.
Ryan's mother would've known to put the broccoli and tomatoes next to the food, not in the food.
Not even a second after she finished her food, she felt a wet paper towel wiping down her face. She squirmed away but was quickly stopped by a harsh tug on her arm. "Stop being difficult"
By the time the evening had arrived, Ryan was already changed in to her pajamas and she was searching through her backpack to find her dvd. The lion king. She grabbed it and smiled, it was really her favorite movie of all times. She went to show it to her grandfather, holding it up and standing in her tippy toes.
"Please, we watch this"
"Are you sure you want to watch this one? I have heard from your mother that you have watched it a lot of times"
"Please" Ryan said once again.
Her grandfather nodded, taking the dvd and then turning the tv on so the little girl could watch the movie. Ryan happily watched it, trying to sing along to some of the lyrics. It was fun until it was time for bed, her grandmother turned the tv off.
"Bedtime" she stated, grabbing the girl's hand and taking her upstairs.
"Hurts" the little brunette whispered, trying to release her hand from the tight grip the woman had on her.
"Listen, if you won't do as I tell you, then there is going to be consequences" her Nonna said sternly.
..
And that's when Ryan woke up in a puddle of sweat, her breathing was speeding up and she looked around in the room trying to frantically search for the light. When she didn't find the lamp but instead was met with a hand on her shoulder, her breath hitched and she pulled away as fast as she could.
"Hey, what's the matter?" Carina asked gently.
While Ryan was still trying to catch her breath, Carina had now turned the light on and sat down on the edge of the bed while she gave Ryan some space to calm down.
"Did you have a nightmare?" Carina tried.
"Mmhm" Ryan nodded, avoiding eye contact.
"You don't look to well, may I feel your forehead to see if you have a fever?" Carina asked her which earned a nod from the girl.
After feeling the girls forehead and finding out that she was indeed very warm, she grabbed the thermometer which told her that the girl had a pretty high fever. "You have a fever Bambina, that's probably what caused the nightmare too" Carina explained.
"My head hurts really bad" the teenager admitted, not feeling comfortable in the bed anymore because of the sweat and how hot it was.
"Im sorry, Bella, let me put these sheets in the washer, you can go lay down in my bed in the mean time" Carina informed the girl, already beginning to take of the sheets.
"Good morning Ry, I heard you're not feeling well" Maya empathized, letting the teenager climb under the covers and lay down on Carina's side of the bed.
"Feels like my head is exploding, I'm freezing" Maya put her slightly colder hand on the teenagers forehead which earned a shiver. "You are burning up, I think you should have a bath to try and get your temperature down" Maya suggested.
"Come on, I'll help you" Ryan stood in the bathroom and leaned against the wall, feeling the floor was moving under her. Maya filled the bathtub up and added a little bit of eucalyptus in it. "You can sit now" Maya said, beginning to leave the bathroom but quickly stopped once she noticed how much Ryan was swaying from side to side.
"Can I help you with this?" Maya asked, once she received a nod she helped the girl out of her sweatpants and hoodie, leaving her in just a t-shirt. She figured that the girl would probably not want to be without any clothes so it would have to do for now. "I will leave the door open, call me when you want out" Maya instructed.
Ryan curled up in to a ball in the lukewarm bath, she couldn't stop shivering. After just a few minutes she managed to call for Maya, getting help out of the bath. She put on her pajamas and went downstairs to lay on the couch.
Times like this really made her miss her parents.
"Here is some tea and toast, try and eat a little bit of it" Carina prompted, sitting down next to the pale looking girl.
"I- I Can't" Ryan struggled to get out, she felt her eyes burning and tears were quickly building up even tough she tried hard not to cry.
Carina had a feeling of what the girl was going trough right now so she gently pushed the plate of food away so she could let Ryan lean against her for Comfort. "I'm sorry- just want m-" Before she could finish her sentence, Carian interupted her.
"I know you just want your mom right now, and I am really sorry you can't have her. But I've got you, you can trust me, I'm not leaving you" Carina reassured the heartbroken teenager.
Carina wrapped an arm protectively around the fragile girl, wanting nothing more than to bring her some comfort. Carina herself could feel her heart aching because she related a lot to the girl and she understood how she was feeling right now.
In Carina's perspective the hardest days were the ones where she was sick, tired or very emotional overwhelmed. That's when she missed her mother the most. And she could only imagine how hard it must be for the teenager since she lost her mother and father this soon in life.
But she had also gotten the feeling of that Ryan's parents might not always have been the most supportive or loving. Of course she was not going to assume anything, she wanted the teenager herself to feel comfortable with talking about it first.
