xp_logs | Maddie & Sooraya

Maddie visits Sooraya in the Medlab...

As mad as she was at Sooraya for going against her promise to get help, Maddie was still worried about her friend and of course had to visit her. She had to wait awhile, as it seemed others in the mansion had the same idea, but after awhile the room emptied, and the redhead was able to slip in and get her first look at the rag doll of a girl lying in the Medlab bed. Maddie could see the exhaustion, the broken spirit; the Afghan woman appeared as if life had been sucked out of her.

"Hey," Maddie spoke softly as she crossed the room toward the bed and sunk into the chair that someone had placed there. She offered her friend a small smile. "How you doing?" Her hand reached out and tenderly stroked the dark hair that was so rarely uncovered. "Your hair is really gorgeous, you know. Like a gleaming black walnut. My mom would always stroke my hair when I was sick to help me feel better."

Sooraya gave her a small smile, though the look in her eyes was tired... more tired then she had been the days before. "Hey Maddie." She quickly scooted up a little, so she could lean back again the pillows. "Mostly very tired at the moment, but I will be okay... and thank you for the compliment."

The younger girl nodded, her fingers still running absentmindedly through her friend's dark hair. It was almost hypnotizing, but that was probably because Sooraya was so rarely without her hair covered. She hoped that the gesture was just as soothing as it was when her mother did it to her. "Doc Jean will make sure you get better," Maddie said slowly, after several moments had passed. "Collapsing from exhaustion is never a good thing."

It did feel good, having Maddie stroking her hair. Strangely soothing somehow... "It was not the smartest thing I have ever done, no..." Sooraya confirmed. "Just like the not eating... "But Dr. Grey is taking care of me very well. I will be okay." She repeated her statement in an attempt to reassure her young friend.

Maddie gave another nod as she continued to silently stroke her friend's hair. This was what she had been worried about for awhile, especially since coming across Sooraya in the woods. Her friend had promised that she would seek help, but she hadn't and now had ended up in this bed. She wasn't going to give a lecture about keeping promises, and how this wouldn't have happened if she had sought help sooner, as she normally would, but Maddie didn't care so much about being right but that her friend was going to be okay. She wasn't going to say anything, but she wanted to. And so with nothing else to say, she leaned against the bed, letting it support her as her head rested not far from where Sooraya lay, and sighed deeply.

Sooraya turned her head and sighed softly. The look in her friend's eyes was familiar as she met them. "Don't, Maddie." She raised her own hand, letting in it rest in the rich red mass that was almost mingling with her own. "I know I made a mistake here."

"You did." It was matter of fact; the younger girl was not going to minx words. "And now you're here."

"Would it help if I told I was almost ready, but then this happened?" Sooraya started running her own fingers through Maddie's hair, slowly. "I know it probably won't..."

Maddie gave a small smile. "You know the answer to that, Raya." She sighed again. The not wanting to ask for help was something the redhead could relate to, but sometimes there is just too much for one person could handle and you needed someone to share that burden. Like that song "Lean on Me." Maddie began humming the tune softly, not sure if Sooraya would catch the reference.

"You know, sometimes being strong means being able to admit when you need help. There is no shame in that."

"Knowing it and feeling it that way are two different things, Maddie. I knew I needed help, but something still stopped me. You did help me get there almost... This just... interfered..." Sooraya didn't quite recognize the tune, but she did know what Maddie was talking about. "You did good here."

The redhead shrugged. "What stopped you? From going for help. To keep yourself from ending up here?"

"Mostly the feeling that others needed help more and that I could handle what had happened since what many others had suffered was much worse. I felt guilty that I was taking help away from them." Sooraya softly replied after some hesitation. "Even when I knew I needed help, I still had to step across those feelings."

Sigh. "Think of it this way Raya: helping yourself means you can help others more."

Sooraya frowned a little. "I know that, Maddie. But sometimes things don't work out that... Just know that you did help me, okay?"
"Okay. Sooraya." Maddie rose from her seat and stretched out her neck before leaning over and planting a kiss on Sooraya's forehead. "You get some rest. I'll come back later. There's still some cake left from yesterday if you want some, and supplies left over from hat making, to give you something to do."

"Thanks Maddie. I have been sleeping mostly, but I can't keep sleeping all the time. Might be fun to do..." When Maddie bent forward to kiss her forehead, Sooraya quickly lifted her arms, giving Maddie a very quick hug.

The hug was returned, and the younger girl gave Sooraya a strong squeeze. She turned toward the door paused, and with a smile said, "Take care of yourself. All right?"

"I will. And this is a promise I plan on keeping." Sooraya smiled back with a strong nod.