Chapter 16

As I enter the room with Maya in my arms, I put her down on my bed, then put my jacket on the armchair across from the bed.

Maya looks around the room with cautious eyes.

I open the chest, next to the door, and take out green T-shirt with a Mordecai & Rigby on it; a grey no brand hoodie; a grey Adidas sweatpant; and a pair of my socks. They might be a little big on her small frame, but it's better than the rags she's been wearing. I hand them to her and she takes them without a word, a flicker of gratitude shining in her eyes.

"You can change into these," I tell her gently. "They'll be more comfortable."

She nods, taking the clothes with her as she stands up from the bed and moves towards the corner of the room. I give her some privacy, understanding that she might feel vulnerable in this unfamiliar space.

When she's done changing, Maya comes back to the bed, now dressed in the clean clothes. They're still a bit loose on her, but she looks somewhat more presentable. I pour her another glass of water from the bottle I had given her earlier, and she eagerly drinks it, the sparkle returning to her eyes.

"You're going to stay with us now," I say with a reassuring smile. "We're a family here, and we'll take care of each other."

To my surprise, she lungs forward, and hugs me tightly. I can feel her trembling, and soon, feel my neck become wet from her tears. A second later, I also heard sobbing from her.

I hug her back, and start rubbing her back and the back of her head gently.

"You're okay now...You'll be fine, honey." I tell her gently.

"...R-really...? *sob*"

"Yes. From now on, you'll eat yummy food...have comfortable clothes...sleep in comfortable bed..." I tell her as I continue to calm her by rubbing her back.

I can feel her grip on me tighten, her sobs becoming softer as she begins to calm down. I continue to soothe her, my voice a gentle lullaby in her ear.

Maya's tears start to subside, and she slowly loosens her grip on me. Pulling back slightly, I reach into my pocket and retrieve a handkerchief, gently wiping away her tears.

She sniffles, her eyes red and puffy, but there's a glimmer of hope in them now. With a trembling voice, she musters the strength to speak.

"Thank you," she whispers, her voice filled with gratitude.

I smile warmly at her. "You're welcome, Maya.

As the minutes pass, Maya slowly begins to relax. She sits back on the bed, taking in her surroundings with a mix of wonder and caution.

After a while, something comes to my mind which should have been sooner. I walk to my nightstand.

I open the first drawer...nope.

I open the second drawer...nope.

And lastly, I open the last drawer...yep.

From the last drawer, I take out a pack of baby wipes I've found on one of the supply runs. I walk back to her, and give it to Maya.

"I should've give it to you sooner, but it I only remembered it now. With this you can wipe yourself clean in the bathroom" I tell her as I give the baby wipes to her and pont to the small bathroom behind her.

She nods as she takes it, and heads to the bathroom, and closes the door behind her.

While she's inside, I roll a cigarette for myself. When done, I head out of my room, then light it. I take a nice drag from it, and exhale it as I lean on the wall behind me.

As I smoke, I hear the door next to me open; Carley comes out of her own room.

"Hey, baby." I smile at her. "So it wasn't a ghost, huh?" I laugh lightly.

"Yeah, thank fully," she says after she rolled her eyes. "How's she?" She asks as she gestures me to giver from my cigarette.

"She's fine, I guess." I say as I pull my hand away from her, which has the smoke in it. "She's cleaning herself up in the bathroom.

"You're good person, Poul." She says with a smile.

Me on the other hand, "I'm not a good person. *sigh*" I sigh as I look away from her.

"No. You are. If you weren't a good person...you wouldn't have saved me. You wouldn't have saved that little girl."

"*scoff* You don't know me..."

"No, I think...you don't know yourself."

I look at her with a face that says, 'What...?'

"You're weird guy, with your lame flirting-"

"Oi." I interrupt her.

"But...you're always help everybody her, at the motel. Kenny also said that on one of the runs you saved both his and Lee's life from a dozen walkers."

"It was just a coincidence."

"*tsk* What's gotten into you, Poul?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you acting so depressed all of the sudden?"

"I guess...I've just been thinking a lot," I admit, blowing out a stream of smoke. I flick the ash off my cigarette. "But...I don't know...I-"

Before I could finish my sentence, I hear my door open, Maya sticking her head out; now I'm able to see her pretty and cute face, as she had throughly cleaned herself.

"Oh, Maya. Are you done?" I smile as I pat her head with my free hand.

"Umu." She nods as she eyes Carley with cautious eyes.

Carley squats down to Maya's level. "Hello, Maya, my name is Carley. Nice to meet you." She says with a smile.

Maya grabs my hand tightly, and hides herself behind my leg. Seeing this I can only chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Carley says as she glares at me.

"It seems you're scary to kids, huh?" I smile.

Carley rolls her eyes playfully. "Well, I can't blame her. I do have a pretty fierce look," she says, feigning offense.

"You? Fierce?" I started laughing hard.

"What? Am I not tough?" She glares at me again.

I wipe tear from the corner of my eyes as I throw the cigarette bud on the ground and step on it. "You are, but you don't look fierce. You're cute."

"Wha-" she blushes. Then she shakes her head, collecting herself.

Carley reaches out a hand towards Maya, but the little girl flinches and clings onto my leg even tighter. Carley withdraws her hand, understanding that Maya needs more time to trust.

"Lunch is ready!" Katja shouts from next to the pot.

We nod, then I look at Maya. "Do you want to come with us? Eat with all of us?"

Maya thinks about it for a few seconds before shaking her head strongly, showing that she doesn't want to.

"Okay, then. I'll bring you to the room some. Just wait inside then." I smile at her as I gently rub her head.

Maya nods her head and goes back inside the room; I can see from the window that she sits down on the bed.