The face of Mrs. Montague hung above Leah, etching into a gentle smile upon noticing her opened eyes.
"Hello, Hailey. Did you enjoy your little nap?"
The sting of sleep still weighed on Leah's eyes as she went to wipe them, too groggy to react strongly. If anything, she felt...strangely comfortable, leaning back and resting against the older woman's chest. Something about the woman melted away all inhibitions and mistrust, making Leah feel like she's safe to just lay there and rest. She closed her eyes, and the woman let her continue to lay there; after the rough night she had, it was blessedly welcome.
Her rest was interrupted by her gurgling stomach, making Leah moan in dismay; of course her stomach ruin it. Luckily, Mrs. Montague had sharp ears enough to hear it.
"Still an upset stomach? What on earth did that woman feed you?" She whispered to herself with disdain. Leah almost wanted to laugh, but was interrupted by the familiar feeling of a cramping stomach. Her eyes reluctantly opened as the first cramp came through, forcing more liquid mush into her fresh diaper with a noisy fart. She regained enough consciousness to feel bad about pooping on the woman's lap, but didn't have much of a choice.
"Oh, poor sweetheart. You're going to get dehydrated at this rate. I swear, who gave Rita a baby to look after?" Mrs. Montague ranted as she maneuvered Leah into her arms gently and started moving towards the changing table. Leah felt embarrassed at the infantile treatment for all of 5 seconds before she gave it up, too tired and in pain to care. A powerful feeling of nostalgia went through her, reminding her of when her father would carry her inside after scraping her knee. She felt safe and warm in the woman's arms, and let herself relax. The woman rocked her as she continued to have bouts of diarrhea, whispering comforting words all the while. When the cramps finally stopped, Leah allowed herself to sigh in relief.
"Oh, such a brave girl, not even crying through all that pain." Mrs. Montague said, and Leah DID feel a little proud, "Here, drink this."
She handed Leah a sippy cup, and the teen was too tired and spent to even attempt any resistance. It was just water, but Leah drunk greedily, a little frustrated at how slowly the cup actually released it's content. By the time she was done drinking, she was on the changing table and already had a fresh diaper being taped on---she almost didn't notice the change even happening.
"The stomach pains must be making it hard to sleep. I might have a remedy for that. Here," She picked up Leah and lowered her onto the ground, "Play while I get lunch ready. I should have something to help settle that stomach."
And the woman was off. Leah just sat on the ground, aimlessly sucking her empty cup while she looked at the play room with half-lidded eyes. She wasn't going to be able to sleep, so she might as well do something else; Mrs. Montague said she can help Leah's stomach, and Leah is inclined to believe her. She...