Family is Forever

part 7- Zosia

"Dr March, did Mr Di Luca call you, he's just in bay 7." Serena Campbell the clinical lead on AAU and deputy CEO of the hospital informed Zosia in her businesslike manner. Zosia had forgotten she was still in her scrubs. "Zosia, is everything okay?" Serena asked after seeing the worried look on the younger doctors face. "It's just a shock my cousin Natalia, she's here and I..." Zosia started tears welling in her eyes.
"Zosia, breathe!' Serena placed her hand on Zosias arm. "Let's have a chat in my office."
"But Natalia," Zosia started "she's so scared."
"I'll ask fletch to keep and eye on her, go sit in my office, I'll be there in two ticks" Serena smiled "Natalia will be fine.
Zosia sat in Serena's office her thoughts racing. She was staring at her lap and wringing her fingers out of anxiety. "Hey, you're okay Zosia what's going on?" Serena asked gently. She was aware that Zosias mother had died a few years previously. She also knew that Zosia had bi-polar disorder which could easily be triggered by all sorts of things, including a long lost cousin turning up out of the blue. "She's just so different" Zosia sighed tears welling in her eyes again.
"Who?" Serena asked "Natalia?"
Zosia nodded "she's been cutting herself and she's so tiny" the tears began to spill down zosia's  face "and I think it's all my fault" Zosia tried to wipe her eyes but the tears continued to flow.
"Oh Zosia, she's a vulnerable 15 year old, how's it your fault? you didn't tell her to cut herself"
"They, Natalia and her Mama, moved to England less than 10 years ago. Her mama, Kaludia my aunt, she's young, had Natalia when she was 16, no dad, always struggled with the mothering stuff. In Poland babica, grandma looked after Natalia mostly' Zosia shook her head "I'm not making any sense am I?" Her thoughts we racing and she was struggling to order her thoughts, Serena signalled for Zosia to carry on. "So urm, when they moved to England, my mama, she helped out a lot. Natalia came on all the girly days out and family holidays. Her mother was more interested in her string of hopeless men than Natalia. My Mama looked after her more than her own mother did. Then, when my mama died . I don't know. I was upset. I guess I was too wrapped up in my own grief to think about how it affected Natalia or her mother. I mean I used to text her every day and see her at least once a month, even when I was at medical school. I haven't contacted her once since my Mama's funeral. I barely thought of her. But she's just a little girl who was all alone, well except her hopeless mother, in what is basically a foreign country to her! She was like a sister to me and I just abandoned her." Zosia began to sob "and that's why it all my fault!"