Sea Glass: Marie and Lauryn

Chapter 16

"Sometimes, she just needs to recharge for about a half hour or so," Marie said, tucking Lauryn's hair behind her ear.

They had been playing out in the woods and the river with the children, but Lauryn had grown tired fairly quickly, her energy still spent from last night and their activities this morning. So, Marie had urged her to lie down on a blanket on the grass. Bridget had come to sit with them and the two watched the children splashing in the calmer part of the river under supervision of the other adults as Lauryn slept. 

"How many times a day does she need to rest?" Bridget asked.

"It depends. If we're just home, sometimes one nap is enough. We recently have been trying to do more activities outside the flat, even if it's just a walk in the park. If that, it can be two or three at times. If she's not feeling well on a certain day, it can be even more. But she's doing much better than she was at first when I brought her home."

"That's what Patty said."

"When she first came home, she couldn't remember things well and her memory was jumbled. She could barely stand and walk due to her balance problems and dizziness. Her nightmares were horrible and she would forget who she was when she woke up...forget who I was."

"Oh, God."

"Just hard to know how much she was struggling and not being able to do anything about it except give her medication and hold her when she was scared. But now she remembers things in better order and her balance has improved a bit. She's less scared of falling and doesn't need to hold onto me unless she's worn out. And her nightmares are less constant and less intense. It's my hope that she will be approved for physiotherapy soon."

"I'm glad. It must have been hard to care fer someone with so many problems."

Lauryn is not a problem.

Marie frowned slightly, but chose to keep the conversation friendly rather than address it.

"I love taking care of her. It's just hard to watch someone you love struggle."

"I'm sure. I know it was very hard on Granda. Lauryn's 'is favorite. Always has been."

"I don't know if your grandfather has a favorite out of all of you, but she was just so little and vulnerable when she left that orphanage. I'm sure he just wanted to give her a lot of care that she didn't get there."

Just like I do when Lauryn is little.

Bridget was silent for a moment.

"She was so, so tiny when she came home from the orphanage. Wee thing didn't weigh more than me son did when he was two. She was scared of everythin' and everyone except fer Granda and Finn. Granda slept in bed with 'er since she had terrible nightmares. She couldn't eat much neither...it was like she was scare to...and finally they figured out about 'er bladder problems. Eventually they put a feeding tube in 'er stomach. She were scared to be touched by anyone who wasn't granda really. I don't know what she went through there...she never, ever has spoken about it to us...but somethin' bad. Finn neither...I jus' know when 'e came home, 'e were like a wee adult and very protective of 'er. Finn was just 'urt in a different way."

Marie then realized how significant it was that Lauryn had shared with her about the orphanage at all...what little she had shared about what had happened there. Marie knew there was more that Lauryn hadn't shared -- and may never share -- with her.

"Since I was so much older than 'er, I would take care of 'er when Granda, and later mam too, had to go to work. She didn't speak much when she was small, even after therapy. Bein' scared of other people and the speaking stuff –- made makin' friends hard fer 'er. It gave 'er a lot of anxiety. So, it would just end up me and 'er playin' dolls together. And I know she wanted to play with the other little girls, but just couldn't. When she got older, she made a few friends, but still was so shy and quiet. I don't think that orphanage ever completely left 'er..."