32/10 Chapter 2

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As the elevator moved upward, Ryan barely managed to stifle tears that wanted to burst from his eyes. The doors opened and all that could be heard was the electric whirring of the surrounding technology, a relatively quiet atmosphere compared to what he had just endured. He walked over to the kitchen and pulled a can of chicken noodle soup from the pantry. He wasn’t much of a cook, and he knew that canned soup probably wasn’t anywhere close to what the orphanage usually had for Camilla, but it was at least something. Howlett Orphanage actually had some great cooks that were always mixing up great stuff for the kids.

On the topic of the orphanage, Ryan couldn’t help but think of the Antip members that showed up there; the ones that probably started the fire. That had to mean that there were kids being abused there.

“Oh, Camilla…” Ryan uttered quietly as he popped open the can lid. He placed it in a bowl then set it in the microwave, making sure the time he entered matched the one on the instructions on the back of the can.

Could that have all really been going on at the orphanage? If it was… did Maria know? Did she just not speak out about it out of fear for losing her job, or worse? Was… she in on it? No no no, even the thought of that made Ryan sick to his stomach. He pushed that all aside and took Camilla’s soup from the microwave, letting it cool for a few more minutes before picking it up and moving back toward the microwave. He took a look at the front door on his way back, making sure it was locked. If Antip did manage to track down where he lived he knew they would find a way in, but at the very least he’d know soon enough in advance to get Camilla and himself out of there.

As Ryan descended the elevator once more, a slight pinch of excitement hit him. He’d almost been a father, and was preparing for such not only from a physical standpoint but an emotional one as well. His paternal instincts had been building and he found himself strangely just as excited to see Camilla again as he was to see his own flesh and blood for the first time.

Ryan stepped out of the elevator to see Camilla lying just as she was when he left, intently looking at him. Her eyes were halfway closed. It was getting pretty late, and the medicine he gave her probably wasn’t helping with the drowsiness.

“Hey, Camilla,” Ryan gently said as he sat down next to the medical table she lied on, setting the bowl of soup on a small table near him, “I hope you like chicken noodle.” Camilla tried to reach out to grab the bowl but a combination of her exhaustion and pain refused to let her arms get very far. She winced and her arms went back down to her sides. “It’s okay, I’ll do it for you,” Ryan smiled, picking up the bowl with his right hand and moving his left hand to the spoon. He had forgotten about his burns again, and they seared as he tried to move his fingers. He let out a bit of a chuckle and shook his head, opting to leave the bowl where it was and being very careful with the spoon instead as he carried it over to Camilla’s lips. She took a bite of it, closing her eyes and smiling while she chewed.

Ryan stared at her as she ate. This beautiful girl, the sole survivor of an unhinged attack on the orphanage. He was really starting to care for her, almost as if she was his own child. He knew he shouldn’t think like that, though. If his suspicions were true, Antip would be hot on his tail and the only way to protect Camilla was to get her somewhere safe before they got to him. He couldn’t get too attached, otherwise he would just be heart-broken again. He took a deep breath and looked away. “Once you’re finished I’ll carry you up to bed,” Ryan said, giving Camilla another spoonful. She nodded and let the utensil enter into her mouth. At least she was enjoying it, Ryan thought. “We’ll figure out what to do in the morning.”

The two were mostly silent for the rest of Camilla’s meal. She was practically dozing off in between bites. Once there was only broth left in the bowl, Ryan carefully lifted the edge of it to her lips and let her drink slowly. He set the bowl down back on the table and reached his hands toward Camilla. “I’m going to pick you up now, it might hurt a bit but I’ll try to be as gentle as possible, okay?” Ryan said, moving his hands in a way that would be the least painful for both of them, trying to avoid their scarred and bandaged areas. Camilla nodded yet again as she struggled to keep her eyes open, but they shot open when Ryan lifted her. It took a lot for her to not cry, but she managed to deal with the pain, partly due to the medicine no doubt.

Ryan walked her over to the elevator. Now that she had no dress on he could feel the contours of her childish body. So fragile. He could feel her ribcage easily. If it weren’t for her burns, her skin would have been perfect. Blemish free and smooth as butter, not yet tainted by the inevitable tribulations that occurred when you grew older. Everybody has to get some sort of imperfection sooner or later, and he knew that unfortunately her burns would only be the start of it. He looked down at his own arms, scarred from battles occurring externally and internally, and grimaced.

By the time they made it out of the elevator on the ground floor, Camilla seemed to already be asleep. Ryan knew that she was far too tall to fit in the crib in the nursery, so he walked her over to his bedroom where the door opened upon recognizing the weight in front of it, sliding into the wall. He laid Camilla down on his bed and almost broke down, realizing he’d never wake up to see his wife lying peacefully there again. The last time he saw her lying anywhere, it was her charred body. Just as he was about to let the tears flow, Camilla spoke.

“Will you stay with me?” she said, barely opening her eyes to look at Ryan towering above her.

Ryan sighed. He knew he couldn’t sleep in the same bed with her. They’d both end up in a terrible situation if Antip happened to make their way in silently. He was tired too though, and he didn’t like the thought of leaving her alone.

“I’m going to stay right here,” Ryan assured Camilla, pulling an armchair up to the bedside. He sat down on it gently and the two stared at each other for a few silent moments before Camilla slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Through blurry vision, Ryan could see the faint light of morning slipping in through the cracks in the blinds as he awoke. After a yawn and a stretch, he focused on Camilla. She was there just as she had fallen asleep. She looked like an angel despite her bandages and singed hair, the sun tinting her skin a beautiful hue. Looking at her, Ryan wanted so badly to hold her in his arms. He knew that was a bad idea, though, for she would be in different hands soon enough. Maybe even by the end of the day. He pushed down those feelings and stood up, making sure to move quietly to the door that slid open for him.

Once in the kitchen, Ryan began making some scrambled eggs. Other than toast and cereal, this was the only breakfast food he could make. As he pushed them from the pan to the plates, he heard Camilla stir from his room.

“Breakfast is ready!” Ryan called out to Camilla. He grabbed the salt and pepper from the pantry and some orange juice from the fridge, applying them to the eggs and glasses respectively. After he had set the table, he walked over to the bedroom and through the door to see Camilla trying her best to sit up, her face looking pained. Ryan rushed over to her and placed his hands on her back and shoulder, keeping her propped up without her needing to use any of her strength to do so. She must be really sore. “I’ll just bring it in for you, okay?” Ryan sweetly said to Camilla as he lowered her back down to the bed.

“O… okay… Maria…” Camilla groaned as she closed her eyes, feeling her head sink back into a pillow. The poor little girl had been through so much in less than twenty-four hours and must have still been thinking it was all a dream, or something along those lines. Ryan was having trouble thinking it was real as well.

Moving back to the set table, Ryan figured he should probably put some pain medicine in her drink to help her for the day. He needed to get her to a hospital first, and see what they recommended for her. He definitely fixed her up, but she’d be able to get more care there and she’d probably find her way to another orphanage. Wherever it was, it would probably be better than staying with him.

Would it, though? Although Ryan couldn’t stop thinking about Antip potentially chasing him and what that could mean for Camilla, he also wanted so badly to just keep her. She could be the daughter he’d never get to have and fill the empty space in his heart where Maria used to lie… it was a difficult choice at best. Still, he tried to think logically about it, knowing that the mature move would be to get her somewhere safe. Was she even safe at the orphanage she used to be at, though? Clearly she wasn’t. He knew he could keep her safer than she was there, at the very least.

All these thoughts ran through Ryan’s head as he put some pain blockers in Camilla’s orange juice then placed both of their food on a tray, carefully walking back to his room. Camilla’s eyes were open again, trained on Ryan as he smiled at her and set the tray on the nightstand. Pulling up the chair, he stabbed a few eggs with a fork and lifted them to Camilla’s mouth. She ate it silently, keeping her mouth closed as she did so.

Throughout the whole meal, neither Camilla nor Ryan said a word to each other, resembling their dinner from last night. Ryan studied her more as she ate, picking up on her little nose twitching every so often, alongside her eyebrows less often. He realized that she had been doing that all along, and he smiled at the cuteness that little quirk exuded. When the food and drink was finished on both ends of the tray, Ryan stood up and looked down at Camilla who was now fully awake.

“Now that we’ve had breakfast, we need to get you in some clothes.” There’s no way Ryan was going to haul a little girl into his car who was only wearing her underpants, socks, and shoes. He had to find some sort of replacement for her dress, and immediately his mind jumped to using one of his shirts and one of his wife’s belts. He quickly procured the items from his closet, although wincing as he dug through his wife’s clothing. The shirt was large enough to go down to Camilla’s elbows and knees, perhaps even more than that. It was a simple heather gray color, while the belt was thin and a nice medium brown with a slim, gold buckle adorning it.

Ryan helped pull it over Camilla’s head and get her arms through, which was a task in of itself. She would yelp if he moved anything incorrectly, even at the slightest of movements. He wondered if she had any broken bones, but he didn’t find any sort of swelling last night. It was probably soreness more than anything, something a girl her age wouldn’t be as familiar with. Afterward, he strapped on the belt, chuckling to himself when he saw how far the end part came out. Oh well, it was better than nothing.

“I’m going to take you to the hospital today, alright?” Ryan said to Camilla, almost going to stroke her cheek but holding back. Her eyes went wide.

“No! I wanna’ stay with you!” she yelled suddenly. Her calm form and generally quiet demeanor had completely switched with one that was tense and anxious, and Ryan could tell.

“Listen, Camilla… you’re not safe with me…” Ryan tried to explain, but before he could finish his sentence the girl had already broken out into hysteric crying.

“I don’t wanna’! I don’t wanna’!!” she screamed, tears pouring down her face. Ryan did the first thing that came to his head and embraced her, probably slightly hurting her in the process but trying to comfort her as much as possible.

“Shh… it’s okay, it’s okay…” he whispered, attempting to calm Camilla’s cries. She sounded so desperate. As he lightly stroked her back, Ryan knew that he couldn’t give her up. She needed him. Her tears sunk into his shirt, and he knew that he wouldn’t let go.

As important as this moment was, to both Ryan and Camilla, it was cut painfully short by a yell outside, followed by the sound and tremor of an explosion blowing a hole through Ryan’s front door.