Run to Me

A Cup of Tea

"No! Please! I'll be a good girl!"

Your little voice strained, kicking your legs wildly to prevent yourself from being placed in the bathtub. She didn't listen, forcing you into the water. It was too hot and burned, but thankfully you were fully clothed and it protected your skin, if only a little bit. You cried out and reached for the woman's forearms, gripping them so hard your tiny knuckles turned white. The woman who was supposed to protect you, supposed to love you.

Tears streamed down your face as she pushed your body down, your head going under. You thrashed, sending water everywhere and you fought as hard as you could. You could see her angry face from beneath the water. You didn't understand what you had done wrong this time. You were afraid. You screamed, bubbles being sent to the surface in a last attempt of a cry for mercy.

You shot up in bed, sweating. You touched your face and found it dry, telling yourself you were safe. It was only a dream. You took a deep breath, relishing the feeling. You were safe now. You were okay. 

"Did you have a bad dream, Y/n?"

You jumped at her voice. You hadn't see Diane standing in the doorway of the room, but now that your eyes had adjusted, you saw her in her night clothes with a cup of tea, looking over at you. 

"Uh yeah, I have them a lot. It's no big deal, I'm used to it."

You looked over at the clock and saw that it was 5:45 AM. Diane had been up long enough to make a pot of tea and you wondered just how long she had been standing at the door. 

You went to adjust yourself in bed and cried out, wincing. You had never felt more sore in your entire life, and it was like your body had decided to give up on you. Your arms shook and gave out, causing you to flop down on the bed. 

Diane rushed over, placing her tea on the bedside table. She brushed your hair out of your face, her eyes filled with concern. You felt the bed dip as she sat by you, hovering over you. 

"Don't push it. You will feel the most sore today and you're going to need rest. I can bring you what you need and take care of you. You just need to relax."

You felt very conflicted. You had never in your life seen such kindness, never mind from someone you barely knew. You did not want to appear weak or need help, but at the same time you did. You didn't know Diane but it was like something in your heart told you that you had actually known her your whole life. You felt a warm tingly feeling bloom in your chest when she looked at you and while you would never admit it to even yourself, you wanted her close to you. Even through that warm feeling though, you also felt a small nagging voice in the back of your mind that something was not right. Something about this whole situation was wrong, but maybe that's just because you had never been loved before. You didn't know how to handle it was all. It wasn't wrong, it was just new. 

Diane looked at you with what you thought could possibly be admiration and you couldn't help but smile a bit. Your cheeks flushed and you looked away, unable to process everything. Diane placed her hand suddenly on your forehead, drawing your attention back to her. 

"Do you feel like you're running a fever? You're sweating and your cheeks are flushed," she said, moving her hands around your face trying to see if you were. She grabbed your face with both hands and pressed her lips to your forehead. You knew this was a way some people could tell if someone was running a fever, but it still shocked you. You gasped and pulled back suddenly. 

"Sorry, my hands are cold and I couldn't tell," she said, realizing she may have made you uncomfortable. 

"Oh, no it's okay. It's my fault. I'm not good with people showing concern because I never really go it much. I'm fine though. My nightmares just get really bad sometimes and I wake up like this," you said, forcing yourself to sit up.