Hold On To Me (Marina)

18.Part Of Me

18.

Alive in me, inside of me
A part turns grey and rots away silently
This part of me won't go away
A part of me won't go away
(Linkin Park-Part Of Me)

Days had passed and Keira had slowly improved, both physically and mentally. She was more talkative and open to other people, especially Maya and Carina, and she had even agreed to see Ian, her best friend. The boy had been so happy and relived to see her alive, he had burst in tears the exact moment he had stepped into Keira's bedroom. Maya and Carina liked Ian, he seemed a very good kid and her mother was really kind and sweet too. She had explained them they had tried several times to help Keira and Raphael as much as they could and she had looked so upset when they had told her about the boy passing away, but knowing that the girl was safe and that she finally had two people able to take care of her had cheered her up a bit. On the other side though, Maya and Carina were exhausted. The Italian had barely left the hospital, since she spent her free time staying with Keira and even if the firefighter had decided to at least sleep at home so that she could work safely, she couldn't exactly rest in a proper way. Also, even if the girl was feeling better, she wasn't doing fine at all. She still zoned out often and kept having nightmares during the night and besides Ian no man could approach her without causing her a panic attack. Moreover, Keira hadn't talked about her assault yet. She had managed to finally talk to the police and had told the officer that she didn't really remember what had happened and yes, maybe it was true, but everyone sensed she was just hiding the truth from anyone and while Maya was very confused by such a behavior, Carina couldn't help but feel for the girl. And the more she realized that, the more her heart ached for Keira.

"Okay, here's my cards." Maya showed her cards to the girl. They were playing poker and the firefighter was winning. At least, that was what she thought. Keira grinned and showed her cards.

"What? No way! Let me see your sleeves!" Maya complained.

"I am wearing a gown, I have no sleeves. You're just bad at this game." the girl replied.

"I am not bad at this game, okay? You are cheating.". Keira couldn't stop laughing.

"I've lived in the streets for years, did you really think you could bluff better than me?"

"She is not wrong, bambina." Carina said, entering the room. "How much do you owe her?". Maya rolled her eyes and snorted, eliciting a chuckle from her wife.

"150 dollars." she confessed, finally.

"Maya!" Carina scolded her, incredulous. She then glanced at Keira, who was starting to feel a bit distressed.

"Hey, we're joking." the Italian reassured her, a soft smile on her lips.

"Yeah, I know." the girl muttered. "Can I have some water, please?" she asked, clearly to shift the topic. Maya nodded and helped her drink, then put the water back on the nightstand.

"Are you okay? Do you want to take a nap?" she asked the teen. Keira shook her head in no, her gaze so sad now.

"Okay, well, we can watch a movie or something like that." Maya suggested, turning on the TV. "Oh my God, I love this one!" she exclaimed, full of enthusiasm. Carina looked at Keira, who wasn't really paying attention to the movie. Her eyes were full of sadness and she had started to fidget with the sheets of her bed. Carina approached her and gently caressed her back. Keira still had plenty of issues with physical touch, but she had grown way more comfortable with the two women caressing her arms or back.