Cheryl x Liam: Inevitable

Part 22

A few days passed; it now being nearly a week since Sophia had been rescued and while the everyday she was growing physically stronger, the mental scars were very obvious. Cheryl had been there with her every day and night since they'd rescued her – only popping home to shower and get clothes during the times when Sophia was fast asleep. The first night there had been fine, but over the last couple of nights, Sophia had been waking up screaming and crying out in complete terror. Cheryl would just sit there and hold her each time, whispering to her that everything was fine now and that she was safe again, but seeing her daughter like this was breaking her heart in a million pieces. Still, she was trying to keep things together.

Liam hadn't spent any nights with them in the hospital, but would still come by during the day and stay for quite a while – Sophia obviously feeling safer with him around as she knew him and trusted him as she knew that he wouldn't hurt her. Despite feeling safe around Liam, Sophia still tensed up when the doctor came in or if a male nurse came in to assess her, and she definitely felt uneasy when the child psychologist came in as well – her discomfort leading Cheryl to calmly ask if they could change that to a female psychologist instead.

For the most part though, everything seemed to be going back to normal – slowly but surely. Loads of people had visited over the last few days; Nicola, Kimberley and Justin along with their son Bobby, Garry and his girlfriend Hannah, Karen and Geoff along with Nicola and Ruth as well, Nadine and Jason, Tre and his wife Milana – literally everyone that knew Sophia; all of them bringing loads of gifts so that now the hospital room looked as though it was a stuffed toy and balloon shop with the amount of balloons and stuffed toys that were dotted all around the place. Today, Sophia was spending her last full day in the hospital – the doctor having told Cheryl earlier that she'd be able to return home tomorrow but they obviously had to keep up with the therapist appointments and such, something that she was glad to hear as she knew that Sophia hated being in the hospital and truthfully, she hated hospitals just as much.

Currently, Sophia and Liam were watching cartoons on Liam's iPad while Cheryl was over on the other side of the room on the phone, having been chatting about something law related as Liam had heard a few legal terms used in there and he hardly understood the rest of it. He was simply chilling out with Sophia; one arm being across the fluffed up pillow against the back of her bed whilst he had his phone in his other hand; the two of them having been laughing together as well as they used the Snapchat filters together too.

"Liam, you look like a girl with your flower hat." Sophia giggled her head off, giving him his phone back.

"Well am I at least a pretty girl then, Soph?" he smirked, causing the little girl to burst out laughing even more as she looked up at him.

"Liam you can't be a girl you silly billy." She pinched his nose, only to burst into hysterical laughter when Liam began talking in a funny voice as she pinched his nose. He then laughed as well and kissed her forehead, smiling down at her.

"Alright I'll tell him; thank you." Cheryl bid whoever she was talking to farewell before hanging up and coming back over to them. Both Liam and Sophia looked up, smiling happily at her, looking as if butter wouldn't melt.

"Liam, don't teach her how to do that puppy dog eyes and innocent smile trick please – yours is better than mine and I can't have that." She lightheartedly scolded her boyfriend; causing both Sophia and Liam to look at each other with shocked expressions.

"We don't know what you mean," Liam smirked before continuing, "You good, babe?"

"Yeah," she smiled, nodding her head at him, "Sophia has told the police everything, so you're in the clear."