Raising Laila

Chapter 32 - Hope

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ah kindness, what a simple way to tell another struggling soul that there is love to be found in the world

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April 30, 2018: 7.54pm. 

The last few days had been like a roller coaster ride, there had been ups and downs as Laila began to hopefully settle back into a new routine. 

Hoping to avoid a meltdown Jade had allowed Laila to sleep in her bunk for the first few nights in an attempt to convince her that she really wasn't going anywhere and it had worked, Laila had slept. 

But Jade had not. 

With two people, including a very wriggly six year old in a bus bunk smaller than a single bed it was very difficult to get more than a couple of hours sleep so tonight Jade had decided that Laila had to go back to her own bunk. 

"You're going to sleep in your own bed tonight, aren't you Laila?" she settled as the six year old brushed her teeth. 

"No," Laila said pointedly. 

"Sweetheart, you can't sleep with me again, it's too hot!" Jade sighed. 

"No!" Laila cried desperately. 

"Come on, we're not doing this. Last chance, or I'm going to physically put you in bed myself," Jade said sternly. 

"No! I. Do. Not. Want. To. Go. To. Bed!" Laila yelled angrily, stopping between every word sassily. She did not want to go to bed, what more did she have to say to get that across to Jade. 

Jade sighed heavily, that was it, she was done. She was going to kill her. "Bed now," she repeated pointing out of the tiny bathroom they were still stood in. 

"I said no!" Laila cried frustratedly, she couldn't go to bed without Jade. She couldn't, it wasn't that she didn't want too, but she couldn't! 

"Fine, fine. I'm done. I will be upstairs when you are ready," Jade said finally turning out explaining briefly to the girls sat in the small living area, before doing exactly as she said and sitting on the edge of her bunk to wait. 

The girls waited a total of five minutes staring at the bathroom door which Laila was yet to emerge from before deciding one of them had to step in. After another minute of debating which one was calm enough, it was decided and Leigh Anne stood before quietly knocking and slowly opening the bathroom door to find Laila sitting on the edge of the toilet, her stuffed grey bunny in her arms and the end of her thumb hanging out of her mouth. 

"Hey Laila, what's going on?" Leigh Anne asked being met with silence, "Why are you giving your sister a hard time?" she asked again. 

"Don't wanna go to bed on my own," Laila mumbled quietly. 

"Okay, but sweetheart you can't keep sharing with Jade, it's too hot and the bunk isn't big enough," Leigh Anne explained calmly. 

"I don't have to listen to you!" Laila cried her voice getting louder, she never got upset or angry at the girls, but it was as if she had seen red and that was it, once she had gotten into that headspace there was no getting her out of it. 

"No, no you don't have to listen to me," Leigh Anne agreed, "But you do have to listen to your sister, you know you do," she continued hesitantly. "And the beds on the bus, they are really little  and theres not enough room for both of you to get a really good sleep so you need to sleep in your own bed when we're on the bus," she explained. 

"Then- then I'm going home!" Laila shrieked storming out of the bathroom and upstairs closely followed by Leigh Anne. 

Jade slid off the bunk bed hearing footsteps on the stairs, but didn't expect to hear two sets nor did she expect Laila to appear at the top and head straight for her bunk.