Saved by Silence

Chapter 7

                                                                                            Stella

       Looking next to me, I see Michael isn’t in bed. Throwing on my robe, I go in search of him. Walking outside of our room, I see Michael standing just outside of Arabella’s doorway.  I snuggle up next to him, and look in, Arabella is still laying in the same spot with her eyes wide open staring at the wall. “How long have you been standing here?” I whisper to Michael. 

    Rubbing the back of his neck he looks down at me “Not sure, I couldn’t sleep and just ended up here, watching her”. 

    Wrapping my arm around his waist, I look back in on Arabella. “You used to do this when Kaley came back to live here after….” I trail off knowing he knew exactly what I was about to say. We stood there in silence just watching this precious girl.  

    Michael was the first to move. “I'm gonna go make coffee, anything specific you want for breakfast?” turning me to face him.

    “How about before you have to head to work, you grab some doughnuts from the place down the road. I want to try and spoil her with something sweet and maybe put some weight on her.” I whisper up at him. 

    He nods, leaning down to give me a kiss on the lips before going down the stairs. Slowly opening Arabella’s door all the way, I give her time to see I am here. I grab Everly’s favorite story book, on fairy tales, and pull the chair in front of the wall Arabella is facing. She looks exhausted and like she is too scared to sleep. I sit down and begin to read softly, hoping it will soothe her. 

    By the third fairy tale story, I was relieved to see her eyes closed and her breathing even. I read two more fairytales, before making my way down to the kitchen. I had been in her room for two hours and Michael left me a note telling me he left to grab the doughnuts. I grab some coffee and walk out to the front porch. Leaving the door open I sit on the porch swing and just watch the sun come up. 

    I glance down at my phone and open the text message from Kaley. Good she’s coming to dinner tonight. I honestly believe she may be the one who can reach Arabella. Lost in thought, I miss Michael walking up the porch steps. Sitting down next to me, he nudges my shoulder, we don’t even have to speak, and he knows exactly where my head is. 

    “I was just thinking the same thing on my drive back” he says and pushes his feet to make the swing sway. “If Kaley can open up and talk to Arabella about her past hurt, then maybe she will see safety and understanding with us” he continued on. 

    Looking back down at my coffee, I hesitate before answering, “this is a big ask of Kaley, especially when Everly doesn’t even have a clue”. With that I stand up and head back into the house, Michael trailing behind me. 

    Placing my cup in the dishwasher, I hear something from upstairs. Turning to Michael “do you hear that?” On cue there it is again and it sounds like whimpering. “Arabella” I say rushing up the stairs with Michael on my tail. 

    Walking into her room she is thrashing and sobbing. Her eyes are still closed. She must be lost in a nightmare. Gently sitting on the bed, I try rubbing circles on her back whispering “it’s okay, you're safe here. Come on sweetheart wake up.” Her eyes open and she pulls away from me and almost falls off the bed. Hands raised in the air “its okay sweetie no one will hurt you here” as I stand from the bed. She calms down and sits up looking around. 

    “Do you want some breakfast? Michael bought a lot of doughnuts.” I say, spotting Michael moving out of the doorway.  I move closer to the door, trying to give her more space. Warily, she gets out of the bed and we walk down stairs together. 

    In the kitchen, I grab a glass from the cabinet and ask Arabella if she wants chocolate milk, plan milk, or juice. She doesn’t answer me, so I pull out all of the options and place them on the island for her. “Honey, go ahead and sit at the island” I say when I notice she is still standing at the entrance to the kitchen. 

    Slowly she pulls herself up on the chair and I push her drink options in front of her. She points to the chocolate milk and I pour some in the cup for her. Grabbing the box of doughnuts, I open them in front of her and place a paper plate down. She looks up at me with a cautious look on her face. “Go ahead, you can have anyone you want and more than one if you want” I point toward the box.  

    It took a little bit, but she finally grabs a regular glazed doughnut. She ate about half the doughnut before she looked up at me with a scared look. Just then Michael walks into the kitchen and Arabella jumps from the chair, running to the corner of the room making herself as small as possible. Connecting the dots, it seems men are her biggest issue.

    Slowly Michael waves goodbye and heads for the door. I am so happy my husband knows when to make himself scarce. Walking to Arabella slowly, I sit down on the floor, making sure to give her plenty of space. “Arabella”, nothing, “sweetie you’re okay no one is going to hurt you”. She uncurls her body, and looks around. This is heartbreaking to see. No child should ever be this scared. 

    Looking at me “you're okay, I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you and neither with Michael.” I stand up and watch Arabella do the same. “Do you want to finish your doughnut?”

    She shakes her head no at me. “How about we go get your teeth brushed and get you dressed for the day” I state and walk with her up the stairs.