Wait for me to come Home

Chapter 22

They were nine days into their stay with Yuri, and it was still dark outside, the sun only a faint glimmer on the horizon as Jennie sat on the steps of the back porch. She had woken up early after a night of tossing and turning, and leaving Lisa to sleep, had grabbed a blanket and padded downstairs barefoot.

With a cup of coffee and the blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders, Jennie watched the sea gently ebb and flow. She found the rhythm of it soothing; the only other sound except for the soft tinkling of wind chimes above the back door. Her breath misted before her, and Jennie was expecting a cold day.

That was how Yuri found her, when she came home from a thirty-hour shift at the hospital, a dark silhouette outlined against the steadily lightening sky. Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she opened the screen door and walked across the deck to sit down next to Jennie.

"Are you okay sweetie?" Yuri asked, tilting her head to the side as she looked down at the brunette.

"I'm fine. Trouble sleeping is all," Jennie explained, unwrapping the blanket to share it with Yuri. "How was work?"

"Long," Yuri sighed, sipping her coffee as she looked out at the horizon. The silence stretched out before them, and Jennie didn't know how to fill it. This was the first time she'd truly been alone with Yuri. They'd talked a lot over the past week, but they hadn't had a conversation alone, and Jennie was tense as she waited for Yuri to say something.

"Jennie, I only know as much as Lisa's told me, but I know there're some issues with your mom. I don't want to pry, but whatever's bothering you, you can tell me," Yuri said, looking at Jennie with concern.

Her shoulders tensed up at Yuri's words and Jennie ducked her head down, turning to the side slightly to hide her face. It wasn't until she sniffed that Yuri realised she was crying. "Oh honey, it's okay," Yuri whispered, setting her coffee cup down before drawing Jennie into her arms.

If anything, that made Jennie cry harder. She sat there sobbing as Yuri gently rubbed her back, holding Jennie tightly as she murmured soothing sounds. Jennie's tears had soaked through the front of Yuri's shirt, but she paid it no mind as she held the girl close.

"I don't want her to go," Jennie choked out, her head resting on Yuri's shoulder. She sounded so young, and so scared, and for the first time, Yuri realised just how young she really was. Jennie was so mature for her age, it was easy to forget that she was barely an adult, that she was younger than Lisa, and not the other way around.

"I know, darling," Yuri whispered, her own eyes stinging with tears. She could understand that very well; every time Lisa came home safely it was like she could breathe easily again, until the next deployment, where Yuri would wait with bated breath.

Jennie's sobs had subsided, but the tears still streamed down her cheeks and her breathing hitched as she tried to calm herself down. Closing her eyes, she focused on breathing in and out, taking comfort in Yuri's motherly embrace as she steadied herself.

"I'm scared," Jennie whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of waves breaking a few feet away. "I-I don't want to be alone."

Yuri gently lifted Jennie's head off her shoulder and cupped her cheeks. She ducked her head down, trying to meet Jennie's gaze. She looked up tearfully, and Yuri reached up to brush her tears away, before gently tucking Jennie's hair behind her ears.

"You won't ever be alone," Yuri promised her. "I know it's hard, believe me, I do. And it never gets easier, but you do get used to it. You just have to hold onto the hope that she'll come back to you."