There was a saying that time healed all wounds. Helena wasn't entirely certain that was an accurate statement. Things only healed if one allowed them to heal. Helena was living proof of what could happen when someone refused to let themselves work through pain and let it heal. For over a century, Helena had not truly embraced her grief or her daughter. She'd embraced her anger and hate and she'd been twisted so completely by the emotions. It hadn't been until last year that she'd finally opened herself to the grief, opened herself to let the wounds in her heart and soul heal. She'd gone to Paris to face the pain where it had started, even if it wasn't the Paris from her world. Christina's crypt hadn't been there, and her cousin's house had been slightly different, but it was close enough to force her to confront that pain, that wound. It had been so difficult, but she had moved through it. Her heart and soul were still wounded, and even as they healed Helena knew there would always be a piece missing, a scar that would never quite fully heal because a mother never could get over the loss of a child. Helena was also certain that even when Svetlana came to accept the current situation of not being with her daughters, there would always be a piece missing from her heart. She knew how much Svetlana loved her daughters, and she knew the pain her friend was currently suffering all too well.
But now Helena needed to embrace another pain, accept another situation she'd been put through. She had been shot, and she needed to deal with that. While there was no physical reminder of what had happened, Helena didn't need physical reminders. Her memories were always so very potent within her mind. Helena was a haunted woman, she was just very good at pushing the ghosts aside until she was alone in her room at night. Or at least the nights when she was alone and wasn't spending them with Oswin. And right now, she was trying to handle being shot. There was so much that had happened that day, most of it a blur. Helena hadn't even really been aware of much after she'd been shot. The time right after being shot was relatively clear, mostly because of the pain and Myka having applied pressure to her shoulder to slow the blood loss. After that it was patchy. She remembered Myka asserting that Helena wasn't going to die on her again. She was also fairly certain Myka threatened to kill her if she did die on her again. Other than that, most of it was fuzzy, probably due to the drugs she'd been given.
It was a bit difficult to accept what had happened when she didn't have a good memory of some of it. But she had enough memory of it to get the idea. Once again, Helena's hand moved to the shoulder and rubbed the area absently. Only this time, she realized she was doing it and her hand stopped moving and sat there against her shoulder for a moment before she dropped it back to her lap. Helena wasn't exactly certain what she needed beyond just being in the company of someone who wouldn't ask her questions about what she'd been through. Helena just simply didn't have a lot of the answers or words to properly respond to someone in such a way. She did feel less edgy being there in Svetlana's presence. She didn't feel a sense of having to explain herself. So the silence that had fallen was not uncomfortable. Silence between the two of them rarely was uncomfortable.