"i feel like a part of my soul has loved you since the beginning of everything. maybe we're from the same star" - unknown

-----

After thirty minutes of sitting in the rain, Freen started to grow concerned for Nita's health as the girl started to shake from the cold.

Freen managed to call for Becky who picked them up and drove them back home. Her own car would have to be dealt with later, though that was the least of Freen's concerns.

No one spoke the entire ride home as the girls were much too shaken up to say anything and Freen and Becky didn’t want to press them to talk about it just yet.

Once home, Becky took Emily to cuddle in her’s and Freen's room while Freen took Nita to her own room to change.

“I’m fine,” Nita said when Freen moved to help her out of her soaked sweater.

“I just want to make sure you get out of these wet clothes,” Freen said before easing the sweater over Nita's head and letting it drop to the floor with a heavy splat. “I’m going to get you something to wear out of the dryer,” Freen decided, allowing Nita to take over while she hurried downstairs to the laundry room.

Freen took the opportunity to change into new clothes from the dryer as well before she retrieved a set of her own warm pyjamas for the teen and went back up to the girls’ room where the distinct sound of sobbing could be heard through the door.

“ Nita,” Freen said softly as she knocked on the door.

When she didn’t receive a response,
Freen pushed open the door to find Nita sitting on the floor in her underwear while hugging herself tightly to quell some of her shaky sobs.

Quickly, Freen knelt by her foster daughter and wrapped her into a comforting embrace, which the teen gratefully nuzzled into.

“Just let it out,” Freen encouraged as Nita gripped to the back of her shirt for dear life.

Five minutes later, the teen had calmed down enough for Freen to get her re-dressed in the dry clothes she brought up.

“Do you want to come to Becky's and my room for a cuddle?” Freen asked as she grabbed the blanket off the foot of Nita's bed and draped it over the girl’s shoulders.

“Can I just be on my own for a bit?” Nita asked in a whisper, making Freen nod and hold her cheeks gently.

“You know where to find us,” Freen said before dropping a kiss to Nita's forehead and turning to leave the room.

With Nita's wet clothes at hand, Freen left the room and shut the door behind herself, waiting just a beat to listen for her kid to make sure she was going to be okay.

“ Babe, Emi wants you!” Becky called out from their room, making the foster mom abandon her post outside of Nita's room and hurry down the hall to her own.

Inside the room, Becky was sitting in the middle of the bed with Emily cradled in her lap. The little girl was crying quietly but seemed much more composed than Nita.

“Mama,” Emily said as she reached her arms out for Freen.

“I’m here, baby,” Freen promised as she took a seat next to Becky and allowed for Emily to transfer onto her lap.

“Do you still want me and Nity?” Emily asked in an unsure whisper as she played with the ends of Freen's long hair.

“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I want you two?” Freen asked as she brushed back some of Emily's hair.

“Cause our mommy was supposed to take us but she didn’t. And now she’s gone and we have no one who wants us,” Emily explained, making Freen shake her head.

“Who said I didn’t want you?” Freen pressed, knowing very well that Emily didn’t brew this thought all on her own.

Emily clearly knew that she was wanted by Freen.

“ P'Nita said that you were only taking care of us for a little bit and that our mommy would come take us away. She said this wasn’t our home,” Emily said, making Freen glance at Becky with a deep sigh.

“When your mommy was alive that was the intention. She was meant to get better and take you girls back. But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t want you, and that certainly doesn’t mean that this isn’t your home. I feel it deep in my heart that you and P'Nita are my babies and I intend to keep you with me no matter what,” Freen promised, making the little girl nod her understanding.

“Like adopting us?” Emily asked softly, making Freen smile softly.

“It’ll take time but that’s what I’m trying to do.”

“I haven’t known your mama as long as you,” Becky said to Emily, gaining the girl’s attention. “But I know that she would move mountains just to legally be your mama.”

“You’d move a whole mountain for me?” Emily asked Freen who laughed.

“I’d move many mountains for my girls,” Freen promised, looking to Becky who smiled and reached to hold her hand.

“I’m sad about my mommy,” Emily acknowledged, making both women nod sympathetically.

“That’s normal,” Becky said as she gently brushed back Emily's hair. “When you lose somebody you loved it hurts quite a bit.”

“I don’t know if I loved my mommy, though,” Emily said. “Not that way I love you and Freen. I know she was my mommy, but I don’t remember her a lot. There wasn’t enough good to remember.”

“You were very little,” Freen reminded. “But deep down you loved her. I know you did, and you know that too.”

“You won’t ever leave me like my mommy did, right?” Emily asked as she looked between Freen and Becky.

“No, baby,” Freen promised as she caressed the child’s cheek. “We will never leave you.”

-----

“We shouldn’t let her play today,” Becky said as she sat with Freen in the kitchen.

Nita had her first hockey game of the season and was set to be at the club in thirty minutes, but the teen hadn’t left her room since she’d asked Freen to give her some alone time.

Freen and Becky didn’t want to interrupt her but as the time drew closer to the game they had to decide whether or not to text Charlotte about her absence.

“I agree. There’s too much emotion that she has to work through, and I don’t want her to be in another high-tension situation while she-,” Freen said, faltering in her speech when she heard the girls’ door open and then footsteps make their way down the stairs.

Nita appeared with her hockey bag slung over her shoulder and her face void of any emotion.

“We’re going to be late,” the teen said, opting not to say much else.

“ Baby, do you think it’s a good idea to play today?” Freen asked as she stood up from the table and approached the teen.

Freen could feel Nita tense up when she reached out to touch her arm.

“It’s my first game with the new team. I don’t want her to take that away from me too,” Nita said, giving some idea to Freen and Becky of how she came to that conclusion.

“You can take a break from the rest of the world, Nita. No one would blame you for mourning,” Becky said, also approaching the teen who shook her head.

“No. I don’t want to,” Nita said, though the tears that welled in her eyes begged to differ.

“I would feel better if you didn’t play,” Freen confessed, making Nita furrow her eyebrows.

“What about my feelings?” the teen asked, her voice rising in volume slightly. She was getting angry, that much was clear. “I need to play, Freen. Don’t take that away from me.”

Freen sighed and looked to Becky who could only offer a small shrug. They both knew what if felt like to the lose someone you love, which meant that they were well aware that mourning was done differently by everyone.

In Nita's case, it seemed to be that she didn’t want to surrender to her feelings.

“I need you to promise that you will get off the ice if you feel overwhelmed,” Freen said, making the teen nod weakly.

“Please, I just want to play,” Nita nearly begged, making Freen finally nod her agreement.

“Head out to the car while Bec and I get your sister,” Freen said, making the teen sigh out in relief before she hurried downstairs.

Once she was out of earshot, Becky grabbed Freen's arm and stopped her from heading upstairs for Emily.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Becky asked in a hushed tone, making Freen shrug unsurely.

“I don’t know, but Nita needs this. If this helps to get her mind off of today’s events for even an hour, I think she’ll appreciate it. Besides, we’ll keep an eye on her and make sure Char knows what’s up.”

“And when the game is done and she has to face reality again?” Becky asked, knowing very well that the teen was a ticking time bomb of emotion right now.

“We’ll be there for her.”

-----

At the rink, Becky was the one to update Charlotte on what had happened to Nita earlier that day.

“Holy shit,” Charlotte said once Becky finished recounting what transpired more than 5 hours ago.

“Should she even be playing?”

“That’s what I’ve been wondering,” Becky said as she glanced behind her sister to make sure the players weren’t leaving the changing room yet. “ Nita insists on playing, but I need you to pull her from the ice if things start to escalate.”

“Of course. I’ll stay on top of her,” Charlotte promised, their conversation stopping there when the changing room door opened and girls started filtering out.

“I have to find Freen,” Becky said as she squeezed  Charlotte's arm and turned in the direction of the rink.

Inside, Becky found Freen sitting with Emily and Engfa. Emily was cuddled into Freen's embrace despite being invited by the other young kids to play in the lobby as they usually did.

Engfa, having also been updated, was talking to Emily softly about anything that would get her mind off of things.

When Becky took her seat, Freen grasped her hand and gave her a nervous smile.

“ Char's got her,” Becky promised as she pressed a gentle kiss to the back of Freen's hand.

“Have you seen the competition?” Freen asked as she gestured to the ice.

Becky turned her attention to the other team and sighed when the realization set in.

“Number 4. She’s the one that Nita was fighting with last time, wasn’t it?” Becky asked as she watched the larger girl work through some practice penalty shots with her team.

“Mmh-hmm,” Freen hummed her agreement. “Maybe it isn’t too late to pull Nita?”

Freen's question was answered as team Diversity stepped out onto the ice and started their warm-up drills as well. Getting Nita off of the ice now would be the equivalent of pulling teeth, and that was a fight Freen wasn’t ready to have today.

“She’ll be fine,” Becky said, though she wasn’t sure if she was convincing Freen or herself.

Freen and Becky both watched as Nita set her glare onto number 4, a clear sign that she remembered her as well.

“Just keep your cool, Nita,” Freen whispered.

-----

Nita intended to play a clean game. She wasn’t in the mood to fight today, even though the girl who beat up on her last time was staring her down as they waited for their teams to face-off at the start.

Number 4 was on her again today, making for Nita's patience to wear thin. But her mind was foggy, and she wasn’t all the way there, which distracted her from the other girl’s attempts to start a fight.

Nita did her best to work with her team and to make as many assists as possible, though she refused to attempt any goals herself.

For the briefest moment, the pain that had lodged itself into Nita's chest and made it difficult to breathe had dissipated as she skated on the smooth ice and worked with her team like a well-oiled machine. She was breathing easier again and the ringing in her ears had disappeared entirely.

Nita felt some semblance of being alright and she took solace in it for the entirety of the first period.

Before the second period, Charlotte had gathered her team and made the changes she needed. For a brief moment, she looked at Nita before deciding to not switch her out.

Just as she released her girls back onto the ice, Charlotte grabbed the cage on Nita's helmet and pulled her closer.

“How’re you feeling?” the coach asked quietly as to not gain the attention of the other girls on the bench behind her.

“Fine,” Nita said, avoiding eye-contact despite Charlotte holding her helmet close.

“You’re looking good out there and I need you to stay that way, okay?” Charlotte asked, making the teen nod. “Don’t let number 4 get to you, got it?”

Nita furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She hadn’t been paying attention to the other player, but clearly, she was making advances that Charlotte was noticing.

Glancing to her right, Nita noticed the larger girl glaring her down from her position. Anger started to blossom in Nita's chest, but she wasn’t sure where it came from.

“ Nita, are you listening to me?” Charlotte asked, snapping Nita back to reality.

“ Ka. Got it. I’ll keep in check,” Nita promised, making Charlotte nod before she released her cage and tapped her helmet.

“Get out there,” Charlotte instructed, stepping back from the baseboard and crossing her arms as Nita skated to her left-wing position in front of number 4 and returned the nasty glare.

The ref dropped the puck, sending the players off.

Nita received the puck from Minnie and started to skate towards the opposing net. She had a clear opportunity for a breakaway when something wedged itself under her skate, sending her down with a heavy thud.

The ref blew his whistle just as Nita came to her senses and realized that number 4 had deliberately stuck her stick under her skate to make her trip.

A penalty shot was called, but the flurry of emotion and general distraction Nita was facing made her miss it. Just as they prepared to face off once more, Nita sneered a warning to number 4.

“Try that again. See what happens,” Nita said before setting her mouth guard into place and setting her stance.

Once more, the play started and Nita took control of the puck, only to have two of the opposing players shove her into the baseboards.

Nita, now losing control of her anger, shoved back against the other girls and started to yell.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Nita nearly screamed as she dropped her stick.

“Nothing. What’s your damage, 28?” Number 4 asked as she returned the shove and pushed Nita back against the board.

“I warned you! I fucking warned you, bitch!” Nita sneered as she pulled her gloves off.

Number 4 began to do the same before the referee wedged himself between both of them to prevent things from escalating.

“Last warning, ladies,” the referee said as he kept himself between the seething duo. “Knock it off before I send you both to the penalty box.”

“You’re not to going to call her for charging me?” Nita demanded as number 4 grabbed her stick and skated away.

“Get to your position,” the ref warned, clearly not interested in arguing with Nita.

“This is fucking bullshit,” Nita said before grabbing her gloves and stick and heading back to her team.

Once more, Nita glared her opponent down before saying something to get the last word in.

“Did you suck your coach’s dick to get moved up a level like you sucked the refs dick?”

Number 4 seemed just about ready to lose it as her composure dropped for a moment. The whistle blew, allowing Nita to skate away, leaving behind the seething teenager.

With one-minute remaining in the second period, Nita managed to steal the puck from the opposing team and rounded her net when something started to approach her quickly in her peripheral.

Before Nita had time to react, number 4 was charging her and slamming her right into the baseboards. Nita folded over her left side and cried out at the intense impact.

Suddenly breathing felt nearly impossible, and dark spots swam in her vision.

Her teammates could be heard calling her name, as she fell away from the board and hit the ice.

A scream was prepared to slip past Nita's lips but it fell away when breathing became entirely impossible and she blacked out completely.

-----

“That stupid ref,” Becky groaned as she watched the girls reset.

Nita seemed to linger with the ref and argue for the penalty but it clearly went nowhere.

“At least she’s keeping her cool,” Freen said as she briefly glanced at Emily who was fast asleep in Engfa's arms.

“Is she though?” Engfa asked as she watched Nita say something to number 4 before setting her mouth guard back into place.

“She needs to stop engaging with that girl,” Becky said, already knowing very well that Nita said something to tick the other player off.

“Hopefully Char pulls her for the third period,” Freen said.

There wasn’t much time left, but Freen wasn’t sure she could handle another ten-minute period on the edge of her seat.

Just as the second period started to come to an end, Freen held her breath when Nita stole the puck.

“Go, go, go,” Becky chanted as Nita started to skate quickly.

“Wait, what is she-,” Freen started to say when she spotted number 4 charging towards her kid.

Before Freen could finish her thought, she watched as the larger player slammed Nita into the baseboard with a bone-crushing hit.

The crowd went silent as Nita fell to the ice and briefly writhed.

“Shit!” Freen said as she shot off her seat and hurried down the bleachers.

“ Nita!” Minnie called out as she came to the Nita side. “ Charlotte! Charlotte, she needs help!”

Freen continued to run towards the ice and watched as Charlotte hurried onto it and slid to a stop by her now unconscious player.

“ Nita. Nita, wake up,” Charlotte could be heard saying.

Freen found an opening onto the ice and rushed over the slippery surface to her daughter who was hardly breathing.

“Baby, wake up,” Freen begged as Charlotte made commands to the ref and other coach.

The foster mom reached to undo Nita's helmet but was stopped short by Charlotte who grabbed her hands.

“Don’t. We don’t know if something happened to her neck,” Charlotte said. She clearly wanted to keep control over the situation, but Freen could see just how frantic she was as well.

“She can’t breathe,” Freen realized as Nita's chest failed to rise and fall rhythmically.

“We need that ambulance now!” Charlotte barked at the other coach who grew more frantic in their attempt to get help.

“You’re going to be okay,” Freen said as she pulled off one of Nita's gloves and held her hand tightly. “I’m right here, baby.”

More parents from the stands started to help by getting the other girls off the ice and out of the way.

Becky eventually joined Freen and her sister after having ensured that Engfa was taking care of a now awake (and startled) Emily.

“The ambulance is five minutes away,” the other coach said, making Freen nod as she continued to hold onto Nita's hand for dear life.

“They’re almost here,” Freen said softly to the still unconscious teen.

A few minutes passed before Nita seemed to come around again. She began to writhe and whimper in pain as she cracked her eyes open.

“Stay still, stay still,” Charlotte instructed as she held down Nita's left arm and leg while Becky got her right side.

Nita's uneven breathing became more apparent as she began to wheeze and struggle for air.

“ Fre-een,” Nita whimpered out as she looked at her foster mom with wet brown eyes.

“Deep breathes, baby. You’re going to be fine,” Freen promised as she gave the teen’s hand a squeeze.

“Her lips,” Becky pointed out, drawing Freen and Charlotte's attention to the blue tint that was coming to Nita's lips.

“What hurts, Nita? Tell me what hurts,” Freen practically begged as the severity of the situation became more apparent.

Nita could only offer a pathetic cough that made her cry out from the pain it brought her.

Before Freen could ask again, the paramedics arrived on the ice and set their gear down next to the wheezing girl.

“What happened?” one medic asked as she took over Charlotte's side and began to reach for the helmet.

“She was slammed against the boards by a larger player. She was unconscious for a couple of minutes and has been struggling to breathe,” Charlotte said as she helped Becky pull Freen back to give the medics more room to work.

“We’re going to need to cut these off,” the woman said as she finally got Nita's head free and noticed all of the remaining gear they had left.

“Let’s get her on the rig first,” the other medic said as he uncoiled an oxygen mask. “What’s her name?” he asked as he glanced back at a very distraught Freen.

“ Nita,” Freen supplied as she grabbed onto Nita's ankle. Anything to have a bit of contact with her kid.

“ Nita. I’m Blew and that’s Aom. I’m going to put this on you to help you breathe better,” the man explained before setting the mask over the teen’s face.

“ Fre-een,” Nita sobbed as she struggled against the hands of Blew and Aom.

“I’m here, baby. I’m right here,” Freen promised as she gave the teen’s ankle a squeeze.

“Let’s move her,” Aom said as she strapped a neck brace onto Nita and nodded for Blew to help her with the move.

The quick motion of lifting her onto the backboard had Nita crying out, a clear sign that some major damage was done upon impact on the board.

“Mom, are you riding with us?” Blew asked as he gathered his bags and looked at Freen.

“Yes,” Freen agreed in a hurry, hardly registering that the man called her Nita's mother.

“We’ll meet you at the hospital,” Becky promised her fiancé who nodded and hurried after the medics that were already carrying Nita out.

Inside the ambulance, Aom got to work with cutting free Nita's equipment as Blew started to drive in the direction of the hospital.

“What class are you in, Nita?” Aom asked as she cut the straps of Nita's shoulder pads.

Nita sobbed due to the pain that the jostling ambulance caused her and failed to provide a response.

“I know it hurts, sweetie. We’ll have everything sorted out soon,” Aom promised as she finally cut free Nita's tank top and bra to reveal her torso.

Freen snuck a glance and nearly fainted at the incredibly large bruise that spanned along the entirety of Nita's left side.

“That explains it,” Aom said to herself before she called out for Blew to speed it up.

“I’m going to give you something for the pain,” Aom promised as she got to work setting Nita up with an IV line.

“ Freen,” Nita coughed out between her sobs, her fingers twitching as Aom set the IV needle onto her left forearm.

“I’m here, baby,” Freen promised again before looking at the teen unsurely.

“You can hold her hand,” Aom said to Freen who sighed out and took the teen’s shaking hand.

“She’s a tough kid. An injury like this leaves more adults screaming.”

Freen knew that Aom was trying to bring her some comfort. But deep down, she knew that Nita's tolerance to the pain was just another side effect of being in the system.

The mere thought that Nita was hiding her pain made Freen sick, but she had little time to dwell on it as the hand in her own squeezed back with a semblance of desperation.

“ Nita, I need you to stay awake,” Aom said, her eyes looking into Nita's, which were starting to fall shut again. “ Khun Freen, come to her head and try to keep her awake,” Aom instructed as she patted the seat that was next to Nita.

Freen shuffled over in the moving ambulance and leaned of the crying girl.

“Keep those eyes open, baby,” Freen whispered as she lovingly stroked Nita's cheek. “Just keep looking at me.”

Nita nodded weakly and fought the heaviness of her eyes. For the briefest moment, all that could be heard in the ambulance was Nita's wheezing and the occasional jostle of equipment.

Everything else fell away as Nita anchored herself to the brown eyes of her foster mother.

-----

After Freen and Nita were rushed away in the ambulance, Becky found herself standing frozen in the lobby for a beat.

“ Becky,” Charlotte said as she grabbed her sister’s arm and brought her back to reality. “You need to meet them at the hospital. I’ll bring Emily over once Minnie grabs her things.”

“Her lips,” Becky whispered, revealing her hesitation. “ Heidi's were blue too.”

“ Heidi didn’t get the help she needed right away. This is different,” Charlotte eased, though she knew deep down it wasn’t that different after all.

When Heidi got in her accident, the front of her car was compressed so much that her steering wheel crushed her chest. The cornier told Becky that her wife had most likely died of suffocation as her lungs were trapped and unable to get proper air.

It was when Becky was called in to identify the body that she noticed her blue lips.

Becky couldn’t help but think about Nita and Heidi in the same context.

Both being crushed.

Both struggling for air.

Both having blue lips as a consequence.

“ Nita was breathing,” Charlotte reminded as she regained Becky's wandering attention. “She was struggling but she was breathing. She’ll be fine. But you need to be there for Freen because she must be just as scared as you are about Nita's wellbeing right now.

“You’re right,” Becky agreed as she quickly grounded herself to reality and patted her pockets for her phone and car key. “You’ve got Emi then?”

“We’ll be right behind you,” Charlotte promised, making Becky nod gratefully before she hurried out of the club and towards the parking lot.

Doing her best not to get ticketed for her speeding, Becky hurried to the closest hospital and arrived at least ten minutes after Freen and Nita did.

After parking her car in a rush, Becky ran into the ER waiting room where she found Freen standing by the door that was covered in entrance restrictions.

“ Babe.,” Becky said, gaining the attention of her fiancé. “Where’s Nita?”

“They took her in for emergency surgery. Someone told me that she broke some ribs and had a collapsed lung, but that’s all I know,” Freen said as she ran a stressed hand over her head. “She was so scared when they separated us, Bec. She was begging for me to stay with her and I couldn’t,” Freen explained as a frightened sob bubbled to the surface.

“Shh,” Becky said as she gently pulled Freen into an embrace. “She’s going to be okay,” she promised as she pressed a kiss to the side of Freen's face.

“I shouldn’t have let her play,” Freen cried harder as she clutched to Becky. “She would be angry but at least she wouldn’t be hurt.”

“Baby, you can’t protect her from everything. I agree, this was avoidable, but we can’t go back in time.”

“She can’t play hockey this season. And after the news of Khun Mind's passing, this is only going to hurt her more,” Freen said as she pulled back from the embrace to look around the ER.

“She’s a tough kid and she has us to help her through this. I promise, babe, everything will be alright.”

Freen nodded, though she didn’t seem convinced. There was a lot to worry about at this point in time, but Freen appreciated Becky's efforts to ease her mind.

While she was uncertain about
everything, Becky became her grounder. She could anchor to her and use her as a reminder that things will work themselves out eventually.

-----

For the four hours that Nita was in surgery, various family and friends stopped by the hospital to check in.

P'Beer arrived after receiving a call from Freen about the accident. She followed her protocol and documented the incident before leaving the hospital with the promise to return to check in with Nita once she was out of surgery.

Freen, Becky, Emily, Charlotte, Engfa, and Minnie all remained in the same place until it was 10pm and it was evident that the kids needed to be brought home.

“I want to stay,” Minnie protested when Charlotte suggested that Engfa take her back to their place.

“I know you do, but it’s been a very long day,” Charlotte said as she rubbed the teen’s back. “The doctors will most likely only let a couple of people see her once she’s out of surgery. I promise, we can come back when she can have visitors.”

“I just want to hear how the surgery went,” Minnie continued to argue, making the coach sigh before she sat back in her seat.

“We can wait for the update,” Engfa said as she squeezed Charlotte's hand and offered a weak smile to Minnie.

“What should we do with Emi?” Becky asked Freen as she continued to cradle the sleeping child in her arms.

When she didn’t receive a response, Becky glanced at her fiancé who had her eyes fixated on the doors that Nita went through several hours ago.

“ Babe?”

The foster mom jumped when a hand gently touched her arm and snapped her out of her stupor.

“Sorry. What did you say?” Freen asked as she blinked her dry eyes and looked at Becky.

“I was asking what we should do with Emi,” Becky said as she nodded downwards to the little girl.

“She’s sleeping,” Freen said, despite Becky already knowing this bit of information. “We can call-,”

Before Freen could finish her suggestion, a young man was emerging from the doors in a set of scrubs.

“Family of Pranita Anantrakul?” the man said as he looked at the waiting parties.

Freen was up in an instant and approaching the doctor with a worried expression already painted onto her face.

“How is she?” Freen asked, making the doctor smile kindly.

“She’s doing very well,” he said, looking to the group that started to gather around him. “Due to the impact and some previous trauma to her ribs, Pranita had something called flail chest. Several ribs broke and left her chest unprotected, so we had to use plates to re-set them. As for her lung, it seemed to have collapsed due to the broken ribs so we have a tube inserted to help repair that.”

“She’s going to be okay, though?” Becky asked as she grasped Freen's hand.

“Granted there are no further complications, she should be fully healed within 8 weeks. I’d like to keep her here for a few nights just to monitor her breathing, but she should be back home in no time.”

“Can we see her?” Freen asked as she began to grow fidgety.

“I can only bring one of you back. She’s still sleeping off the anesthetic and will likely take a few more hours to come around. In the morning she can have more visitors if she’s up to it.”

“I’ll take Emi home and bring her back tomorrow,” Becky said to her fiancé who nodded and turned to hug her goodbye. “Text me when she wakes up na?”

“Alright,” Freen agreed before quickly hugging Charlotte, Engfa, and Minnie. “Thanks for waiting with us.”

“The scary part’s over,” Charlotte reminded kindly as she wrapped her arm around Minnie who was now showing just how exhausted she was.

“If you’d like to follow me,” the doctor said as he motioned for Freen to join him at the doors.

“Take care of her,” Becky said to Freen as she passed her.

Freen nodded and smiled weakly before following the doctor through the doors and letting them shut behind her.

They walked down several hallways before stopping in front of a closed door. The doctor opened it and continued inside while Freen faltered at the threshold.

Freen couldn’t help but pause at the sight of her kid. She looked smaller than ever on the sterile hospital bed. Her torso was wrapped in thick bandage with the tube poking out from the side.

Nita's breathing was still labored but only assisted by the canula’s in her nose. Freen felt some of the pressure in her chest dissipate knowing that the girl was at least breathing on her own.

“You can sit with her,” the doctor said as he motioned to the chair next to the bed. He briefly checked her vitals before nodding in satisfaction.

“When she starts to wake up you can call for a nurse.”

“Thank you na ka,” Freen whispered as she sat next to the sleeping girl and reached up to touch her face.

The doctor nodded before turning to leave the room to give Freen some space.

Freen stared at Nita for a beat, her heart aching as she remembered the girl pleading for her to not leave her side.

“I’m here, baby,” Freen whispered as she drew her fingers over Nita's worried brow. “I’m not leaving you ever again.”

-----

Nita was groggy when she finally came around. There was a slight ringing in her ears and her vision was all blurry, but with enough concentration, she was able to recognize where she was.

The hospital was no new sight to the teen. What was new, however, was the presence of another person that wasn’t her sister.

Freen was sat on a chair pulled up right next to her bed. Her head was rested on the side of the mattress as her hand held Nita's hand close to her face.

She was sleeping, which made sense
since it was dark out and the clock on the wall vaguely looked like it was pointing at 4:45. She was still fighting off residual dizziness and looking at the clock wasn’t helping, so Nita glanced back to Freen and simply observed her.

The foster mom looked worried, even in her sleep. Nita wondered if that look was there because of her. Maybe Freen was just worried about losing Emily if P'Beer decided that her accident was reason to remove them from the home.

Nita wasn’t sure why, but it hurt to think that Freen may not care for her as much as she cares for Emily. After all the pain and suffering Nita forced her foster mother to endure, she couldn’t blame her.

But deep down, after all the trials she’d faced in her life, Nita desired for Freen to love her and treat her like her daughter. She wanted someone she could rely on to love her through everything. And yet, Freen already seemed to be doing that.

No matter how many times she’d
screamed, hit, and hurt her foster mom, Freen always stayed by her side. Sure, she wasn’t happy and engaged in some of her provoked arguments, but not leaving her was a sure sign that she loved her and that made Nita feel something warm spread inside her chest.

It had been a long time since someone other than Emily showed her that they loved her.

Nita smiled slightly and shifted a bit, but soon regretted it when a pain shot through her left side. She let out an involuntary groan and pulled her hand from Freen's to reach for her side.

“ Nita?” Freen was up in an instant, fighting off her sleep as she stood up and reached for the teen. “What hurts, baby?”

“My side,” Nita whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut and trying to pull her legs into herself.

“Shh, don’t press on your bandages, it’ll only hurt more,” Freen explained, taking Nita's hands into her own so then the teen wouldn’t mess with the bandages too much.

Nita gave in and looked into Freen's eyes, noting the unshed tears in her brown eyes.

“I was so worried about you,” Freen admitted in a whisper as she continued to hold onto Nita's hands.

“What happened?” Nita asked, hardly remembering anything that transpired after she got slammed into the boards.

“You were shoved against the boards pretty hard. You broke a few ribs and they caused your lung to collapse. The doctors put a tube in to help with your breathing and they put some plates in to stabilize your ribs. That’s all the stuff that’s poking out of the bandage,” Freen explained, drawing
Nita's line of sight down to her left side which was wrapped in the white bandage.

Sure enough, from the center of her bandage came a tube that was draining the area around her lung of air and what looked to be blood.

“When can I play again?” Nita asked as she returned her attention to Freen.

“This is a serious injury, baby. Your season is over,” Freen said softly, making Nita shake her head in refusal and start to cry.

“No,” Nita cried as her breathing became choppy. “No, no, no,” the teen continued, making Freen grow nervous.

“I’m sorry, baby. I really am. But you need to calm down,” Freen said as she reached out to hold the sobbing teen’s face.

Nita's monitor began to beep relentlessly as her oxygen levels dipped. Barely a minute later, a nurse was hurrying in to find Nita deep into her break down and Freen doing her best to talk her through it.

“Is it the pain?” the nurse asked as she grabbed an oxygen mask to replace the nubbins that were in Nita's nose.

“No. I just told her about her hockey season,” Freen managed to explain as she continued to hold Nita's face and lovingly stroke her cheeks before the nurse set the mask over her nose and mouth.

“ Pranita, you’re going to have to calm down,” the nurse said as she briefly watched Nita's monitor to see if her oxygen levels improved.

“Deep breaths,” Freen whispered to the teen as she allowed her to grasp her wrist.

Once Nita found Freen's pulse point she seemed to gain some control over her sobs, which allowed for her levels to return to normal and the nurse to smile contentedly.

“Good girl,” the nurse praised as she moved to grab Nita's chart. “ Pranita's doctor won’t be in until 7am, but if you need anything, you can press this button right here. I’m nurse Lilah,” Lilah explained as she placed the red button next to the still crying teen.

“Thank you ka,” Freen said to the other woman. “We just need a few minutes to calm down,” Freen said as she continued to look into Nita's wet brown eyes.

“I’ll go get her some water,” Lilah said kindly before stepping out of the room.

Freen and Nita remained quiet for a beat before the teen decided to speak again.

“Why do bad things keep happening to me?” Nita croaked out as she continued to hold Freen's wrist.

Freen could only shake her head unsurely. “I don’t know,” Freen decided to say honestly as she gently rubbed Nita's upper chest near her collarbones. “It’s not fair, baby. Life hasn’t been fair to you at all, but for all the bad that has happened I know that the universe is due to give you a lot of good. And I intend to keep you with me long enough for that good to find you.”

“You aren’t giving me away?” Nita asked as tears fell around her mask.

“Why would I do that?” Freen asked as she shook her head negatively.

“Because I’m not a good person and I’ve been so horrible to you. How could you want someone like me?” Nita asked as fresh sobs threatened to break past her lips.

“No, Nita. No. You are a good person. You’re one of the best people I know.”

“How can I be a good person though? I told my mom I didn’t love her,” Nita admitted with a sob, finally getting what was eating away at her insides out into the open.

“She knows that wasn’t true,” Freen promised, though Nita shook her head in the negative.

“No, she doesn’t. I never told her that I loved her and that I was sorry,” Nita continued, clenching her eyes shut as regret flooded her entirely. “Why didn’t I just say I loved her?”

Freen seemed to pause as she allowed Nita to cry out some of her regret. After a minute, the foster mom was returning to her gentle wiping of Nita's tears.

“I’m going to tell you something that you may not agree with,” Freen started to say, making Nita quiet down a bit to listen to her. “I know your mother knew that you loved her. You may think I can’t know that, but I do. I do, Nita, because when you become a mom you know that your kid can say anything to you, but it will never come between the love you have for them. I know in your heart I may never be your mom, but you and Emily are my babies in my heart, Nita, which means that I know that your mom knew you loved her, and she loved you. Besides, it’s impossible not to love someone as incredible as you.”

“You love me?” Nita whimpered as tears welled in Freen's eyes as well.

“Of course I do,” Freen said as a lone tear tracked down her cheek. “ Nita, there are 7 billion people in this world and then there was you. And you somehow became the most important one out of all those billions," Freen paused a beat before finally adding, "I love you, baby. And there is nothing you can do to ever change that.”

Nita nodded her understanding despite the sobs that continued to break past her lips.

“ Freen?” the teen finally croaked out.

“ Ka, baby,” Freen said, encouraging the girl to continue.

“I hurt so much sometimes,” Nita confessed, allowing more of her walls to come down. “I feel like everything hurts and I don’t know how to stop it.”

“I have an idea,” Freen said softly as she kicked off her shoes and laid herself on the empty edge of Nita's bed. “I can’t take away all of the hurt, but I can certainly hug you long enough to make it stop for a while,” Freen explained as she opened her arms and allowed Nita to shuffle closer with her limited movements.

Despite the pain it caused her, Nita nestled herself into Freen's side and eventually sighed out in relief when the older woman’s arm wrapped around her shoulders and held her close.

Nita still felt like her heart was aching, but Freen was right, the hug was enough to ease some of her pain temporarily.

Worried that the feeling would stop when Freen left her, Nita grabbed to Freen's shirt like a vice and refused to let go as she nuzzled in closer to her side.

“Stay,” was all the teen could whisper as Freen reached up to gently brush back her hair.

“Always,” Freen promised as she pressed a loving kiss to Nita's forehead.

To be continued...

A/N:

Hey guys, I've been busy these past few weeks but I will try my best to update every day. I've always read your comments but I couldn't reply to some of them, but thank you. For the comments, the votes and for reading this story. I really appreciate all of you ❤️

Minnie Phantira Pipityakorn