Sea Glass: Marie and Lauryn

Chapter 39

To Marie's surprise, the woman didn't let go of her hand as they continued down the hallway. Lauryn was still clinging to her, and Marie saw how fiercely the woman held onto her. They rounded a corner into a sunnier corridor before coming to a door towards the back of the building. It was labelled with a sign that read, Colleen Donnelly, Director.

Letting go of Marie's hand with a squeeze, she retrieved a ring of keys from the pocket of her jeans and slid one into the door before turning it. 

The office was nothing like the rooms Marie had seen in the rest of the building that, despite best efforts of fresh paint and cheery artwork, still carried cold in its bones. Instead, it was softened with shelves filled with books and knickknacks, a multi-colored knitted throw across the back of an armchair, and the faint scent of sage in the air. The floors were covered by old, soft oriental and braided rugs and it was quite warm inside. Beyond the open French doors, sunlight poured into a little sunroom where two tabbies, one ginger and one brown, lay bathing in the sun by the window.

"Ah, yes, these are Bert and Ernie. Bert is the orange, Ernie the brown."

Lauryn let go of the woman's side and unsteadily drifted toward them at once, wordless still, as though the weight of her memories had pressed her small and quiet again. She sat down cross-legged on the braided rug in the sunroom, shoulders sloped, one hand hesitantly stroking the flank of the braver cat as he came to investigate. It pressed up against her, purring, while his companion lingered by the windowsill. Her face was half-shadowed, half-lit, her gaze fixed downward, withdrawn into herself in a way Marie recognized all too well.

Opening the drawer of her desk, the woman handed Marie a first aid kit. 

"For 'er throat."

Marie nodded.

Walking towards her, she gently helped Lauryn out of her coat. Lauryn didn't acknowledge her. Crouching she pushed the hair back from her shoulders and surveyed the damage Lauryn had caused to her throat. The skin from her jaw to her clavicle was angry, torn, and a little bloody. She could see bruises darkening in color already. 

"Baby, I need to clean up your throat."

Lauryn still didn't acknowledge her. 

Opening the kit, she pulled out an antiseptic wipe, antibiotic ointment and some plasters. 

"I'm sorry, this will sting."

She took the wipe and lightly touched it to Lauryn's skin, starting to wipe the blood from her throat. 

Lauryn whimpered and pushed her hand away immediately. Marie felt her heart break open again, watching Lauryn be so deeply inside her pain alone. 

"Okay, sweetheart, I won't do this right now," she said, kissing her hair. 

Pulling Felix from her bag, she put the tiger into her arms. Lauryn gripped the stuffed animal to her chest with one arm immediately.

Then she stayed standing a moment, torn between wanting to kneel beside her again and knowing Lauryn needed this pocket of quiet by herself for a moment. Finally, she turned back to the office and hung their coats on the hooks by the door. 

"I remember that tiger," the woman said, smiling.

"Yes, her grandfather gave it to her when he found her here."

"I remember that day well. Would ye like some tea?" the woman asked, moving to the kettle on a side table. 

"That would be lovely," Marie said, taking a seat on one of the worn sofas. 

The woman poured tea into mismatched mugs, the steam rising like a soft curtain. She passed a mug to Marie, who accepted it with both hands, grateful for the heat.