Abandoned

34

It was a clear afternoon, the kind that carried a gentle breeze and the faint smell of grass after rain. For the first time in months, Sienna's world was about to stretch beyond the four walls of her hospital room.

Zareya adjusted her grip on the girl nervously, glancing down at her little girl. "Just a small outing, baby," she whispered, brushing Sienna's curls from her forehead. "Mama's right here. We're going together."

Laila walked alongside them, carrying a soft bag of supplies. "We'll keep it short," she reassured, her tone calm. "Familiar places, familiar faces, that's what matters."

The automatic doors of the hospital slid open, and the brightness of the outdoors rushed in. The sounds, traffic in the distance, the chatter of passersby, a dog barking faintly, hit Sienna all at once. Her little body stiffened, her hands gripping the woman's shirt tightly.

"Uh-oh," Zareya murmured softly, stroking her back slowly. "It's okay, baby. Mama's here."

Sienna whimpered, her bottom lip trembling. She turned her face into her elephant plushie, shutting out the overwhelming newness. Her breaths came fast, small huffs of panic.

Zareya stroked her arm gently. "I know, sweetheart. It's a lot. We're just going to take it slow."

They moved carefully, Laila keeping an observant distance. For the first several minutes, Sienna's cries were soft but insistent, her body tense against every sound.

But then a sudden change. A flash of movement on the edge of her vision caught her attention.

They had reached the hospital pond, where a family of ducks waddled lazily toward the water. The ripples glimmered in the afternoon light, and the ducks quacked softly, dipping their beaks.

Sienna's cries tapered off, replaced by a small, startled gasp. She leaned forward, wiggling slightly, wide eyes fixed on the ducks.

"You see them, baby?" Zareya whispered, following her gaze. "Look at the ducks."

"Quack, quack," Laila added gently, making a little hand motion like a beak.

Sienna blinked rapidly, her distress melting into cautious curiosity. One of the ducks flapped its wings, splashing water, and Sienna let out a soft, surprised giggle.

Her tiny hand reached out toward the pond, as if she could somehow touch the ducks from there.

Zareya's heart swelled. She smiled again, kissing her daughter's temple. "That's right, my clever girl. Ducks. They're funny, aren't they?"

Sienna babbled something close to "quah," pointing insistently, her earlier panic forgotten in this new discovery.

Laila exchanged a smile with Zareya. "See? She's already finding her safe focus."

For the first time since stepping outside, Zareya's shoulders eased. She watched her daughter lean forward, enraptured by the simple joy of ducks on a pond, and thought: maybe, just maybe, the world outside didn't have to be so frightening after all.

At first, the outing felt like magic.

Sienna was leaning as far forward in her mamas lap as the woman would allow, pointing vigorously at the ducks, babbling her attempts at "quah quah," every sound bubbling with excitement. Zareya and Laila shared a quiet laugh, relieved to see her curiosity outweigh her fear.

But then Laila checked her watch.

"We should head back," she said gently. "She's handling this well, but we don't want to overwhelm her."

Zareya nodded, though she already knew this wouldn't be easy.

"Okay, baby," she said softly, brushing Sienna's arm. "Time to go inside now. Ducks are going to sleep."

She scooped the girl up and began to turn away from the pond.

That was her mistake.

Sienna's entire body went rigid. A sharp, distressed wail burst from her throat, sudden and fierce. Her hands batted at the woman, her feet kicking wildly.

"Uh-oh," Laila murmured.

"No, no, no," Sienna cried, not quite words, but desperate sounds she'd made before when something important was being taken from her.

Her voice grew louder, raw. She twisted in place, trying to look back at the pond, eyes already glazed with panic. Tears welled instantly.

"Quah! Quah!" she shouted now, pointing frantically behind them.

"Oh, sweetheart..." Zareya whispered.

She halted "I know. I know, baby. You want more ducks."

Sienna didn't want comfort, she wanted ducks. She shoved at Zareya's hands, her face crumpling as her breaths turned sharp and erratic.

"Okay, deep breath," Laila said calmly, placing a gentle hand on Zareya's shoulder. "We knew overstimulation was a risk."

"I've got her," Zareya replied, though her voice trembled.

Sienna tried to twist out of the hold, reaching back toward the pond with heartbreaking urgency.

"Quah! Quah!" she wailed again, face red, body thrashing.

Zareya held firm, rocking her gently even as Sienna pushed against her. "I know, baby. I know. You love the ducks. We'll see them again I promise. But right now, you're too upset. Mama's got you."

But Sienna wasn't listening, couldn't listen. She was lost in the storm of it.

So instead of persuading her, explaining to her, or reasoning with her, Zareya simply held her.

She sat right down on the grass beside the pond, cradling Sienna against her chest, rocking back and forth as Sienna cried into her shoulder.

Minutes passed, long, aching minutes, before the cries softened into hiccups.

Her little hand clutched weakly at Zareya's shirt.

Her voice, small and broken, whispered, "...Mama. Quah..."

"I know," Zareya whispered back. "We'll visit them again. You were so brave today."

Laila crouched beside them, her tone soft. "She did amazing. This is all part of learning."

Sienna sniffled, exhausted, her cheek pressed against Zareya's collarbone.

Still teary, she gave one last half-hearted point toward the pond.

"...Quah."

Zareya kissed her hair. "Quah tomorrow, baby. Right now... cuddle."

And this time, just this once, Sienna didn't fight it.