2 weeks later...
Dr. Alveraz's first warning to Dinah and Normani was that Lauren wouldn't be the same girl they had six months ago. After all the trauma and mistrust the girl experienced, before and after her time with the Kordei-Hansen's, she was going to have clear changes in behaviour that would take lots of time to understand and work on.
Despite their wistful thinking that Lauren wouldn't be that different from before, as each day passed it became more clear what serious behaviour Lauren developed.
For starters, she couldn't be left alone. Dinah discovered this after she left Lauren in the master bedroom for a nap and the girl woke up screaming.
By the time Normani and Dinah scrambled their way up the stairs, Lauren was in a full-blown panic attack and it took her mothers nearly half an hour to calm her down. After that, her separation anxiety seemed to get worse as she refused to leave either of her mommies arms for the rest of the day.
Lauren also had moments when she became silent. She could be talking a mile a minute to Ally and then a split second later she would be quiet, her chest heaving just a bit harder due to the fear she felt as she was stuck in her mini nightmare. Thankfully, it only took someone to give her a little shake to get her out of this stupor, but once that happened she'd be withdrawn for the rest of the day, unwilling to tell Normani and Dinah what she remembered and why it scared her.
The scariest personality change was Lauren's temperament. Before, when Lauren got angry, she didn't always let it show. Now Lauren lost her patience in a split second and went into a fit of anger when something doesn't go her way. This sudden spike in frustration would blind the girl from her fear of getting in trouble and she would become violent.
Normani and Dinah weren't ever too scared of her anger fits. Not until today, that is.
Ally and Lauren were sat in the living room, both piecing together Lego and watching Princess & The Frog.
"I wanna go there," Lauren commented, pointing to the TV screen that showed Tiana and Prince Naveen in frog form floating down a stream illuminated by fireflies.
"That's a cartoon, silly," Ally laughed, sticking her tongue out slightly as she tried to copy the instructions on how to build a car out of Legos.
"So?" Lauren grumbled, clearly displeased by her sister's response. She thought the movie was pretty and wanted to go there, why couldn't her big sister just say okay?
Ally just shrugged and returned all of her attention back to her car.
"Ah-ly, Ah-ly," Camila came running in, Elmo at hand as she ran over to her big sister and wiggled her butt excitedly.
"Hi, Mila," Ally said enthusiastically, opening her arms for the three-year-old to hug her. "What're you eating?" The girl asked, noticing her little sister chewing something, chocolate coating the corner of her lips and her fingers.
"'ookie. 'ommy gave me!" Camila explained, giggling excitedly as she stuck her fingers in her mouth to clean them.
"Are they yummy?"
"Yes! I go get you," Camila said, running from the room once more with a loud giggle.
Lauren, who had watched the interaction from the side and felt a pang of pain from being left out, began to squeeze a Lego piece angrily.
"She's my sister," Lauren growled, her voice quiet but still loud enough for Ally to hear.
"What?" Ally asked, looking to the girl in confusion. "She's my sister too. So are you. We're all sisters."
YOU ARE READING
The Story of Our Life
Fanfiction"There's something about wanting to protect a person that is hurting more than you that takes away the pain of losing your baby." Normani and Dinah love their little family. But something was missing. Something that could only be filled by the love...
