Who: Theo, Raegan, and Raegan's NPC!Mommy What: A reunion. Where: A facility in Vegas. When: Recently-ish. Warnings/Rating: Sad?
He’d promised that he’d take her to go see her mother, despite every fiber of his being telling him it was a bad idea. Going to see her before the visit hadn’t been an option, not when work demanded his time and Kitane needed him. Theo wanted to avoid the meeting as well, but he wasn’t about to admit that to his niece. Instead of just dropping by as he usually did when he went to see her, Theo made an appointment so that they could have a private room to meet in. He explained the situation and although the nurse on duty was hesitant, he managed to convince her that it would be okay. Once that was taken care of, he arranged it with Raegan so that she was free and took care of their transportation. A town car picked him up first, at Turnberry, and then they went to collect Rae before heading out on the hour long drive to the facility he set his sister up in. The ride was silent for the most part, awkward and slightly nervous on his part. This could either go well or very, very badly. He wasn’t sure at all which way it would go.
When they arrived, the driver came around to open the door for them. He led her silently into the building, through the automatic sliding doors and right up to the reception desk. The facility wasn’t the least bit clinical, more friendly and welcoming as most nursing homes that cost as much as this one looked like. “Hi, we’re here to see Lauren Winters,” he said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. The receptionist wasn’t one he knew but it seemed that wasn’t a problem. “Good afternoon, Mr Winters. She’s just upstairs. Second door on your right if you go up that staircase,” she instructed, pointing to a staircase just to the left of the reception desk. “Thanks,” he replied, already moving and leading Raegan toward the staircase. The door to the room they needed was closed so he knocked lightly twice before opening the door and letting Raegan walk through first.
Raegan almost changed her mind half a dozen times between her agreement to see her mother and Theo’s actual arrival. One minute she thought it was a good idea, and the next she thought it was a terrible one; she just couldn’t seem to settle on how she felt about the matter. She paced and paced as she waited for Theo, and she switched outfits a half dozen times before settling on a skirt, black, a white top, and shiny black shoes she hadn’t worn in years. Her hair was smoothed back and braided, and she’d worried her lip raw in her anxiety, even though she tried to tell herself a million times that it would be fine. Even if it wasn’t, that was beyond her control, and she just had to go with it-- which was easier said than done.
Her stomach was in knots, and all she managed was a tight, strained smile when Theo picked her up before lapsing into silence on the ride to the facility. She spent the duration of the drive staring out the window, hands wound tightly around each other, and she almost panicked when they reached the destination and the driver came around to open the door for her. Part of her wanted to run, and another part wanted to curl up in a ball and just pretend everything away, but instead Raegan took a deep breath and gathered all her strength as she slipped out of the car and followed Theo inside. She was strong enough for this. She was. She’d spent years on the street, on her own, and years before that putting up with her asshole of a father. She wasn’t going to chicken out now.
Once they reached the desk, she let Theo do the talking, remaining silent until the time came for her to follow him again, up the staircase and down the hallway. Raegan hung back as he knocked, and she nearly asked him to go in first, but instead she simply nodded and set her shoulders back as she entered the room. The woman sitting there, in a chair near the window, was unfamiliar, yet the sight of her caused her breath to catch painfully in her throat and her vision to become blurred by unshed tears. For a long moment, Raegan didn’t trust herself to speak, and it was only once she’d take a few long, shaky breaths and swiped at her eyes that she took a hesitant step forward, towards the woman.
“Hi,” she said quietly, uncertain as to how her mother would react.
Lauren had long since given in to the general monotony of the facility her older, wiser brother had stuck her in. She’d never forgotten Raegan, swore to herself she’d never forget the little girl she was so sure she’d had. The girl was still but a babe in her arms most days and when she’d first arrived all those years ago, the only thing that had truly been able to calm her was a realistic looking doll with soft brown hair and bright blue eyes. She was Raegan, for all intents and purposes. Theo had made sure the doll was always in good condition, repairing it when necessary. She had a closet full of clothes as well, but she didn’t wear half of it. The sundresses were utilized most frequently, like the soft yellow colored one she wore now, covered with a white lace sweater to ward off an imagined chill in the room.
Theo’s visits, while few and far in between, were always fairly regular. It had become routine, even if she never paid him much mind. She hadn’t for a long time and she wasn’t going to start now. Except, this time was different. Even without facing the door, Lauren could sense that something was different, she just couldn’t put her finger on what. Her head cocked just to the side, and when the silence was finally broken, her eyes widened slightly in surprise. A woman? Theo had never brought a woman before. Curious, Lauren let the silence stand for a few minutes before getting up from her chair and turning to look questioningly at her brother. She wasn’t frail by any means, but she was certainly thin, willowy even, and the sundress looked a mite too big on her frame. Her brown hair was long, flowing down her back, freshly washed and toweled off from the look of it.
“There’s someone you should meet, Lauren,” Theo said gently, gesturing with a slight inclination of his head toward Raegan. He stayed at the door, unsure if his presence would make things worse or not. Having a quick exit certainly wouldn’t hurt things and Raegan was safe in the facility. Lauren wasn’t violent. Just absent for the most part.
“Someone I should meet?” she echoed in a vaguely singsong voice as she moved toward the woman her baby had grown up to become, like a nymph treading the forest floor. “Hmmm, who should I meet, brother? You never bring me anyone.” Lauren was smiling, almost as if it were some inside joke only she knew. There was no recognition in her eyes, no spark, no connection. She didn’t know Raegan, hadn’t connected the dots. “Pretty,” she commented, circling her daughter. As soon as she was at Raegan’s back, Lauren reached for the tie fastening the braid in place, pulling it off in one fell swoop, tugging only slightly at her hair. “Down is prettier.”
“Lauren,” came Theo’s warning, but she ignored her brother.
“He’s never any good at having fun,” she informed Raegan as she came to stand in front of her once more. “Who’re you?” The question was blunt, but not mean or malicious in any way. It was more curious, as her thin fingers reached to loosen some of Raegan’s hair from that braid, before drifting to her swollen lip.
It was too much to expect that her mother would recognize her upon sight, of course, but Raegan’s heart still fell a few notches as she watched Lauren’s surprised expression, the way she looked to Theo, as though he would explain everything. At least it gave her time to study the woman, though, and her gaze was hungry as she drank in the sight of her, from the sundress to the sweater to her long, freshly washed hair. She looked for similarities too, as she’d always imagined that she took more after her mother than her pathetic excuse for a father. In a way, her appearance was a small comfort in another way too; she was obviously being well looked after here, even if her mother did look to be a little on the thin side.
She almost flinched when Theo spoke, having relaxed a little into the silence, and she bit her lip again as her mother’s attention turned to her. Part of her was grateful, because she might have just stood there and stared forever, but that didn’t mean another part of her wasn’t nervous, and as her mother moved closer she met her gaze in an attempt to find something; even the faintest flicker of familiarity would do. But there was nothing, and Raegan tried to tell herself it was because of the years that had passed, and it wasn’t very fair to expect so much. Her throat was dry, and she struggled for words as Lauren spoke, circling her in a way that certainly didn’t help her nerves, but she did attempt a smile when her mother called her pretty. “Thanks,” she managed, her voice coming out far weaker than she would have liked, and her breath caught in her throat as she undid her braid.
Raegan shook her head at Theo’s warning, trying to convey through a look that it was fine, that it was okay. Another smile, and she turned her gaze back to her mother, who was so close she could reach out and touch her. But that might make everything worse, and she already felt like she was treading on eggshells as it was.
“Yeah, he-- he could use some more fun in his life,” she agreed. As for who she was, that was harder, and she glanced at Theo questioningly before looking back. Maybe her mother would recognize her name and put the pieces together. Maybe. “I-- my name is Raegan.” Her voice wavered slightly near the end, when Lauren’s fingers brushed against her hair first, and then her lower lip.
There was something wrong with this girl, Lauren thought. She knew she made Theo uncomfortable, but she did that on purpose for the most part, to punish him for putting her in this place. It wasn’t that she didn’t like it. For what it was, it was certainly the best and she didn’t want for anything. Except...her daughter. It had been so long, and after so many different medications to stabilize her mood and regulate her sleep schedule, that it wasn’t any surprise that she was...a little quirky. “You should smile like you mean it, see?” Lauren chastised lightly, offering the girl a warm smile that came with entirely too much ease. “Less wrinkles that way, or maybe it’s another lie?” She seemed like she genuinely wasn’t sure where she was going with it and she let it float away without much care or attention.
“And just how’d you meet him?” she asked, but then the girl said her name was Raegan and Lauren’s eyes went wide. “Raegan? Like...” she turned to glare accusingly at Theo, her hands on her hips. “Like our mother? Like the daughter I told you I had but who you insisted wasn’t real?” That name couldn’t be all that common, she assumed, so how could it be anyone else. Anger always made her think more clearly but it always took so much energy. She’d pay for it later, but she didn’t care. Lauren turned back to Raegan, eyes more alert now as she searched her daughter’s face. Her hands reached for the younger woman, cupping her cheeks as she looked and tried to see. More than once, her gaze flicked over Rae’s shoulder, looking at the doll that was perched on the bed.
The recognition was there, and Lauren didn’t know what to do with it. She withdrew from Raegan and started to pace, walking between her daughter and Theo, muttering incoherently under her breath. Occasionally she would stop to glare or huff at Theo, or she’d stop to look at Raegan again as she tried to wrap her mind around it. Despite how badly she had wanted to believe she’d given birth, Lauren had honestly begun to doubt herself in her most lucid moments. To see Raegan here, alive and grown, and to know that apparently Theo had known...she just didn’t know what to think. Finally, after a few minutes, she came to stop in front of Raegan and she seemed to have pulled herself together at least somewhat.
“Raegan?” She sounded unsure, young even, but that was okay. She was okay with that. “You’re really-” But she shook her head. Theo was always so thorough. He never would have brought her here if she wasn’t who she said she was. “Oh, sweetie,” she cooed softly, brushing some hair behind Raegan’s ear. “I’m so sorry.”
Raegan just stared as her mother told her to smile like she meant it. She probably looked dumb, or even crazy, but she couldn’t help it; smiling was the last thing she felt like doing just then. All she wanted was for Lauren to recognize her, instead of leaving her in this agonizing limbo where the situation could go either way. Even if her mother’s attention shifted, she probably wouldn’t have answered about how she’d met Theo. Her throat was too dry, her eyes burned and blurred her vision, and her fingers were wound nervously together, almost painfully so, in anticipation. Her name was out there now, in the open, and all her mom had to do was remember. She took an uncertain step forward when Lauren turned her accusing gaze to Theo, feeling like the distraction was an opening, even though she felt a faint spike of anger when she thought about her mother being told she was insane just because she insisted she had a daughter. Which was true after all, and if only someone had believed her, if only Theo had given her the benefit of the doubt... but it was too late for that, and she shook her head in an attempt to clear her head of such thoughts, not even realizing Lauren had turned her attention back to her until she felt fingers against her cheeks.
The contact, as simple as it was, froze her to the spot. It’s me, Mom, Raegan wanted to shout. Recognize me. Know me. Please. But instead she said nothing, only managing a few ineligible sounds as her mother’s gaze passed between her and the doll on the bed. It felt like loss when she pulled away and began pacing, and Raegan shot Theo a questioning, almost panicked look. Was it too much? Had they overwhelmed her? Without thinking, she edged a little closer to her uncle, as though he could somehow fix all of this. It seemed like an eternity was spent watching Lauren pace, and when she finally came to a stop, she honestly had no idea what to expect. Would her mother scream? Cry? Deny her existence? Rejection would be worse than not coming at all, and in that moment, she regretted ever agreeing to this.
But then Lauren said her name, and her hope returned, becoming all-consuming when she called her sweetie and apologized. She knew. She remembered. “Mom,” she managed, a choked sob, and Raegan only lasted a few seconds before giving in and throwing her arms around her mother. This was the first time she’d been able to hug her, deprived of years upon years of a mother’s touch, and it was everything she’d ever imagined as a child.
Theo knew he could never hope to apologize for the pain he’d caused his sister or for the life Raegan had endured because he’d been too busy to be bothered with listening to Lauren. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she slapped him, or if both women refused to talk to him for the foreseeable future. He was surprised Raegan was even still talking to him but then, he supposed he’d been her way in here. She could turn around and say she wanted nothing to do with him after this. He wouldn’t even be angry with her if that was the case. He deserved that, and more. He deserved to be miserable for the rest of his life for what he did to them. Guilt washed over him in waves and there was nothing that even Ned could do to stop it.
He tried to offer Raegan comfort in his gaze, trying to convey to her that she should just wait, to give Lauren a few minutes to process. She always needed time, but it seemed like she was having a good day so far and that would help. Lauren stopped pacing after a moment and as soon as the two embraced, Theo knew it was his cue to step outside. A quick gesture to Raegan communicated that he’d be just outside if she needed him and then he slipped out, quietly shutting the door so that he wouldn’t distract Lauren.
His sister was ignoring him completely. Theo could’ve stripped down to his tightie whities and done the chicken dance, but Lauren wouldn’t have even turned to look at him. Raegan had called her mom. Finally, after almost twenty years, everything she’d insisted on was validated. She clung to her daughter, tears sliding down her cheeks and wetting the girl’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m here. I’m here. I'm not going anywhere," she said, similar statements all melding together through her tears. She held Raegan tightly, afraid that if she let go, her daughter would disappear and a nurse would be there, telling her it wasn't real.
Finally though, she recognized the overwhelming need for tissues. Unwilling to completely let go of her daughter, Lauren led her over to the bed and encouraged her to sit, smiling all the while despite the tears that still came. The box of tissues was just on the nightstand so Lauren plucked out three tissues and handed them to her daughter - she loved referring to Raegan as her daughter - before taking one herself to dry her eyes and blow her nose. There was an embarrassed smile next, because Raegan was visiting her in what amounted to a nice nuthouse. "How did you find Theo?" Lauren wanted to know her daughter's story. "What happened to your dad?" Her memories of Raegan's father were blurred and distorted. She remembered happier times and easy living, not all the reasons why she left.
Her anger at Theo was the last thing on Raegan’s mind at the moment. Maybe later, once she’d had a chance to process things, she might have a few choice words to say to him, but right then Theo was the one who’d brought her to her mother, despite past mistakes, and she was grateful for that much. Lauren was her focus, the only thing she was thinking about with any real clarity, and she barely nodded when Theo gestured and stepped out of the room. No, she was too busy trying not to cry but doing a poor job of it. Her mom was hugging her back, and that only made her cling tighter, as though the woman might disappear if she didn’t hold on tight enough; a fear it seemed they both shared. “I know,” she choked out, feeling wetness slide down her cheeks and realizing there was no point in trying to hold the tears back anymore. “I know, I just-- I’ve waited so long, and I thought you were dead, and I don’t want to lose you.” It didn’t even matter that her mother was in an institution, and probably wouldn’t be able to leave immediately, if at all.
Raegan followed her mother’s lead willingly, trying to blink the blurriness out of her vision, as she refused to let go long enough to swipe at her eyes. She managed a weak laugh as Lauren plucked the tissues and handed them out, and after a moment of hesitation, accepted them and use them to rub at her eyes, cheeks, and nose. “Theo sort of found me,” she said, once she’d managed to compose herself a little better. “Dad, he-- I don’t know. He remarried when I was young, and I had--have--stepsiblings. But one by one, we all took off, and I don’t know where he is or what he’s doing now. I don’t care,” she said fiercely. “I hate him. He wasn’t even a father, not much of one. He’d never tell me anything about you.”
Lauren was certainly at risk with this new information. There was a great deal of anger that would come later no doubt, but that would be after Raegan left and likely directed entirely at her brother. For now though, she was steady and she was going to enjoy it while it lasted. All she could do was hope that she wouldn't start to fade while Raegan was still there. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She could never apologize enough for that. It seemed her husband had been more than happy to remarry and that made her frown. How dare he not take care of their little girl? Didn't he have a heart? Didn't he love either of them? Lauren wanted to talk to him, but that desire would fade by the time Raegan left so she let the thought float away. She really could only focus on a certain number of things at once. "I'm not going anywhere. Can't," she added, trying to make light of the fact that she was in a facility.
It pained her to hear how her husband treated her and fresh tears came as she pulled her daughter close. "I tried," she whispered. "I tried to tell them. I tried to make them let me go." She hasn't just abandoned Raegan and it was important for her to know that. "I should've tried harder. Should've made him check." Not that there was much of a trail. Theo really would have had to look, which he no doubt did as soon as he heard the girl's name. Lauren pulled back and used her thumb to gently wipe away some of her daughter's tears away, offering her a sad smile. "Don't waste your energy hating him, baby. It's not worth it. Theo, he's taking care of you right?" She was trying to impart some motherly wisdom but how well that came across with the vulnerability of her question was beyond her.
The last thing Raegan wanted was for her mother to feel guilty. There had been a fair amount of anger over the years, but that was fueled by her father’s lies, and the sheer amount of the unknown that she’d been faced with when it came to her mom. Now, knowing the truth, she just couldn’t be angry at her, not when she’d been stuck in this place for so long, led to believe she was insane. “No,” she insisted, fierceness stained with tears. “Don’t apologize. Please. You don’t have to.” She would always hate her father, always, but he didn’t matter, not anymore. For all she knew he was dead, and she just didn’t care enough to know for sure. As for Lauren not going anywhere, she managed a weak smile, though more tears welled up at the thought of her being stuck here. Was she going to spend the rest of her life visiting her mother in a mental facility, never able to have the sort of normal relationship that had been stolen from them so long ago?
She didn’t doubt her mother had tried, and she muttered as much as she buried her face into Lauren’s shoulder. Theo should have listened, should have tried harder earlier. So much time had been wasted-- eighteen years of it. Her father should have told her the truth, instead of being a bastard and hiding things, offering lies instead. “I know,” she whispered. “I wish I’d found you sooner. I wish... but we have each other now. That’s what matters, right?” She looked up, almost hopeful, before looking away again when she told her not to waste her energy on hate. At least the question about Theo was easier to answer. “Yes,” she said honestly. “He’s probably the only person I’ve ever met who helped me without wanting anything in return.” It was indicative of the sort of life she’d led until recently, that simple statement, though she didn’t realize it at the time.
The sheer amount of emotion between the two women would likely leave Lauren drained over the course of the next few days but it was more than worth it. Theodore knew this and spoke with her attending nurse, preparing her for the likeliness of sedatives being necessary after he and Raegan took their leave. Lauren knew it but she wasn’t thinking about it, too focused on finally having her daughter here. She wanted proof that this was real, that it wasn’t an elaborate figment of her imagination, but for now holding onto the memory would have to do. This was an excellent first step, as far as she was concerned. “Of course I do, Rae. I’m your mom. I should’ve done right by you.” Now, of course, she couldn’t, trapped as she was in the facility her brother had sequestered her in. Of course, maybe now that she was right, perhaps it might be possible to add leaving to her list of goals provided by her therapist.
Lauren held Raegan close, perhaps a bit tighter than strictly necessary, and when her daughter pulled back, seeking answers and hope, she nodded fiercely. “It is the most important thing, sweetheart. You’ll have me for the rest of my life, I promise you that,” she swore, and she intended to live it for the first time in almost two decades. She would get out of this place, back into the world and closer to her daughter. Some of that ferocity melted away when Raegan said Theo was helping her. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, Lauren missed the words that weren’t said. She only hugged Raegan again and silently offered up a prayer of thanks for reuniting them. “He means well, Theo. He’ll try to do what he thinks is best. Don’t be afraid to tell him that he’s wrong. He won’t like it, he never has liked being wrong, but he is sometimes. And sometimes...sometimes we need to make our own mistakes,” she whispered as she held Raegan close. She didn’t want to let go, not yet.
Beyond this, what the repercussions would be for her mother, was something Raegan wasn’t even thinking about. She simply wasn’t capable of that kind of clarity. She shook her head again, wordless disagreement, but she didn’t want to spoil this by arguing, so she left it at that. If her mother was holding her a little too tightly, she didn’t notice, and honestly she wouldn’t have minded even if she had. “Okay,” she agreed, wanting more than anything to believe that promise. “Okay. We’ll always have each other, from here on out.” Even if she had to come every day, even if her mother was never released, it didn’t matter. She would do whatever it took.
As for Theo, she managed a watery smile when Lauren said he meant well. “Yeah, he does. I know he does. He tries really hard, but I won’t. I’m not afraid of him.” Maybe it seemed like a strange thing to say, but it was true, and afterward Raegan simply snuggled closer to her mother and clung to her shoulders. She had no idea if there was a time limit, and she was going to be kicked out soon, but for all the time she had left all she wanted was to stay like this.
"Don't be afraid of him, baby. He'd never hurt you. Never." Lauren was starting to think maybe she's missed something, but before she could ask, there was a gentle knock on her door just a moment before it opened and a middle-aged woman stepped into the room.
"Lauren? I'm sorry, honey but you need to take your medication and visiting hours are almost over," the nurse said gently, showing the paper cup she had with about five different pills in it.
Lauren sighed and gave Raegan one more tight hug. "Theodore has my phone number and the visiting hours. You're always welcome, darling. Always." That last always was firm, directed partially at the nurse who was sending Raegan away. "I love you. Don't forget, okay?" It was such an honest, vulnerable question, but Lauren just needed to hear it.
Theo was just outside the door, watching through the small cut out. Things were probably going to change now, but the most prominent worry was Raegan's reaction to all of this. He stepped away from the door and waited for her to come out.
At first, Raegan refused to look up, as though willfully ignoring the interruption would somehow make the nurse or whoever she was disappear. Reality began to set in, however, and she didn’t want to be dragged out of the room, so after one last hug she reluctantly pulled back and nodded. “I’ll come back as soon as I can,” she vowed without hesitation. This was what mattered, after all. Her mother would never leave her behind, never abandon her; she had to come back. “I love you too, Mom. I won’t forget.” She swiped at her eyes again, but by then she was practically all cried out, There was practically nothing left.
She lingered for as long as she could, but the nurse managed to coax her out within a few minutes, and Raegan turned in the doorway for another look before stepping back and allowing the door to be closed. She took a deep, deep breath before looking up at Theo, torn between wanting to hug him for bringing her here and wanting to hit him for not believing her mother from the start. “I’m ready to go,” she said finally, voice hoarse from all the crying, and stepped to the side to move past him.
Theo knew he shouldn’t have expected anything from Raegan when she walked out of Lauren’s room but that didn’t stop the hope that she wouldn’t hate him too much for it. When she just looked at him, he nearly took a step forward, nearly went to hug her, but then she said she was ready to go and started to walk down the hallway, the way they’d come. “Okay,” he all but whispered, following her a few steps behind. He didn’t say a word as they made their way out, overtaking her strides only to open the door for her when the reached the exit. Their car was waiting already, the driver holding the door open for them. “After you,” Theo indicated quietly. Bit by bit, the tears were drying up, leaving something shaky behind in its wake. Raegan felt like she’d just gone through the emotional ringer and somehow come out on the other side, but she was raw, floundering, and she needed something to cling to. Maybe anger wasn’t healthy, and she should have focused on the fact that she had her mother now, but still, what about all that time that had been stolen from the both of them? She said nothing as she walked, taking a deep breath before climbing into the car, and waited for Theo to follow her in. Yelling at him, screaming at him, telling him she hated him... it wasn’t going to accomplish anything, but still, she felt like she needed him to know just how much this hurt, having waited so long to see her mother.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” she said finally, after a long stretch of silence. “I don’t want to-- I just-- you know, don’t you, that you should have believed her from the start? That maybe a lot of the things that happened to me wouldn’t have, if I hadn’t thought she was dead and she wasn’t convinced I never existed?”
Besides those three words from Lauren’s door to the car door, Theo stayed quiet. He knew he’d made a mistake, just one of many these days. He was going to have to own up to it and try to make it better. Not that he thought he had many options on that front, but he could do his best. They deserved that much. He got into the car and the driver shut the door before heading over to his own door and getting in. Without a word, they were back on the road and not too long after that, Raegan finally broke the silence. Theo shifted in his seat, enough to face her better, and he nodded. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner. I don’t know half of what you’ve been through, Rae, but what I know isn’t good. I honestly cannot say anything to excuse my actions, other than I thought I was doing what was best for her at the time. I’m sorry that you had to grow up the way you did. I should have believed her, should’ve pushed harder. I can’t go back and change the past but I hope you’ll give me the opportunity to provide a brighter future for you. For the both of you.”
It was hard to listen to, despite the fact that Raegan knew Theo meant well. Her father had deliberately lied, and his cruelty was intentional. There was a difference, a big one, and she tried to remember that. Cutting Theo out of her life for one mistake meant that she would lose one of the only people who’d actually expressed any genuine concern for her well-being in years, and she didn’t want that, no matter how angry the lost years made her. She managed to maintain a cool exterior as Theo spoke, but it began to crumble near the end, despite her best attempts to keep it together. “I’m glad you’re sorry,” she said slowly, trying to keep her voice steady. “I don’t mean that in a... a vindictive way, I just mean I’m glad. I am.” She offered a slightly shaky smile. “I don’t want to lose you or my mom. Not when you’re really the only family I have.”
Theo didn't take her words for anything than what they were. "I understand," he replied, reaching for her hand in order to comfort her. "And you aren't going to lose me, Raegan. Even if you wanted space or if you never wanted to talk to me again, I will always be here for you. No matter what." He loved her and she would only ever need to ask and he would find a way to help her. "You're not alone here. I promise, you'll never be without family again." It was a promise he intended to keep and he was already attempting to figure out how to proceed with Lauren. Obviously, something needed to be done. Theo held his arm out a bit, indicating that he was more than willing to hug her if she wanted.
It was everything she wanted to hear, what Theo was saying, and yet Raegan didn’t immediately assume he was lying out of some ulterior motive. She believed him, which was strange; distrust was practically ingrained into her. But Theo was different, even if it had taken her some time to realize that. Not every man was like her father. She hesitated for a moment when he held his arm out, instinct making her want to pull away and back, but she stopped herself and moved forward instead, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in an impulsive hug. “Okay,” she said quietly, and for once, she was willing to believe. Maybe her life wasn’t destined to be as bitter and terrible as she’d come to expect it to be.