Helping Aurora

24

The next ten minutes pass in a blur for Scarlett. Things don't feel real; like she's stuck in a nightmare she can't wake from seeing things out of someone else's eyes as opposed to her own.

In actual fact, she wishes this was a nightmare. Because then at least she'd wake up and have her baby nestled contently against her chest. She wouldn't be lost. So tiny and innocent and all by herself without her mother to protect her.

God, why did she put her down?

Tears continue to pour steadily down her cheeks as she searches, obscuring her vision but not stopping her in her haste to find her baby. More minutes pass, and Aurora was still no where to be seen.

"Oh my god, where are you?!" Scarlett cries as she falls back against a store window, sobs muffled by the back of her hand.

Her free hand reaches into her pocket to call the cops, but it freezes when out of the corner of her eye, she see's something familiar; something so fucking beautiful it has her heart pounding so heavily in her chest she fears it might fall out.

Sat there, in front of a bright pink display with her face hidden in her knees was a little girl wearing a pink dress. The exact same pink dress she'd put Aurora in this morning.

Letting out another sob, this time one of relief, she runs over to the small figure as fast as she possibly could and practically falls to her knees in front of her. Scarlett reaches forward to grasps her arms, and  she was immediately met with those beautiful, bright green eyes that were filled with tears. Tears that that spill over in relief at the sight of her.

"Ma-"

"What in the world were you thinking?" She yells. She doesn't mean to. She's not proud of it. But it was like the words falls mouth without permission from her brain.

She gives the tiny girl a small shake, desperately trying to get her point across. "Why did you wonder off when I specifically told you not to? You could have been hurt! Someone could have taken you! What were you thinking?!"

Aurora's bottom lip quivers at her words; or well, at the volume of them, and she lets out a loud wail before she could stop herself. Her body shudders, her hands tremble, and she wants nothing more for her mama to stop yelling at her and give her a hug.

"What were you thinking, baby?" Scarlett speaks again, but this time, her voice was quiet. It cracks on the last word, and a sob of her own escapes her lips as she grasps Aurora by the armpits and lifts her up into her arms.

The little one clings tightly to her as she continues to wail, hands desperately clinging to the back of her mama's shirt. Her legs hook tightly around her waist, feet crossed at the small of her spine just above her backside. Scarlett clings to her equally as tightly, one of her hands against the back of the head whilst her free arm remains beneath her for support.

"S-sorry, mama. I'm...I'm sorry. Please...please, I'm sor-sorry." Aurora sobs, terrified her actions would cause the woman to hate her.

The fear in her voice was almost overwhelming for Scarlett to hear, and she knows part of it was because of the way she had yelled. She takes a deep breath in through her nose and lets it out through her mouth in an effort to compose herself, hoping if she calmed down, then Aurora would too.

"Shh, mama's here," She whispers, nuzzling her nose into the little ones neck to take in the scent she was, just moments ago, petrified she would never smell again. "Mama's here. I've got you. It's okay. Everything's okay."

A hand on Scarlett's shoulder startles her, and she whips around to see a very out of breath Olivia. The woman was in her scrubs, cheeks flushed and eyes slightly bloodshot. Scarlett was momentarily distracted from her panic at the sight, confused as to why her wife wasn't in her pyjamas like she'd been expecting.