Nigel knelt down in front of the two children in his restaurant's backdoor entrance. His hand reached out to touch the dirty rounded dusky brown cheek of the prettiest child he had ever seen. Even his step daughter paled in comparison to this little girl who reminded him of some old fashioned doll baby. Her big brown eyes blinked up at him and her little face screwed up in pain.
" Who is she? ," he asked of Richie who tightened his own arms around the girl. " What happened? Is she hurt in some way? And where are your bloody parents at ? "
Richie chewed on his bottom lip. " This my baby sister. Tanisha. She's only five. She kinda backwards thinking. That's what my granny used to say anyhow. She ain't hurt. I takes good care of her. I do. She just hurts. I found her medicine but it don't work. Mister , please help. Help us , Nigel. "
Nigel placed his hand on the child's lower belly where her own hands were holding limply. The lower right hand side. He remembered something from his own childhood at the children's home when he was only seven. When he lightly pressed on it the child moaned slightly. Richie gave him a nasty look when he heard his sister moaning and Nigel said softly," I'm sorry , Queen Tanisha. I didn't mean to hurt you, love. " Then he turned back to the boy, saying abruptly," How long has she been this way? Does she still have an appendix? And for the last time where are your parents at ? "
Richie shook his head in confusion. " Most of the day long. What's an appendix? " Then he looked like he was doing some serious thinking within his own head before blurting out," We don't have parents. Our mom is dead. Our dad is in jail. For killing our mom. We was staying with our granny in her place in DC but she got really sick and they put her in something they called a home or assisted living or something. They wanted to split us up in foster care so we took off. Tanisha can't make it without me. Please help us. But don't let them split us up. Ok ? Please? "
Nigel should have been more stunned than he was. But he really wasn't as he pulled out his phone from his skinny jeans pocket and dialed 911 for an ambulance.
As he talked to the operator who promptly answered he looked at the boy's scared and frustrated young face staring back at his own.
Nigel thought, Now , what do I do ?
YOU ARE READING
ODDS OF LOVE: Season Nine
General FictionThe ongoing soap opera about disabled math genius and professor Dr. Spencer Norland - Lane , his doctor husband DuBuis Lane and their family and friends in the Washington DC based area.
