Choosing My Life - Bear And Rachel

The investigation

A rumbling came up the lane, as Midwife brought Daisy and Rose in the truck. Daisy was still in her work scrubs, and Rose was fresh from daycare and asleep next to Eric. She was a delightful little 2 year old, and came as a set with Eric tagging along as her ever present protector. That kid had grown into a string bean at 11, and was going to be tall. His ears were his most prominent facial feature, unless his smile made an appearance, usually caused by Rose.

I walked up to them and lent on the door.
"Sorry about this Daisy." I said, "I know you've done a full shift today, but I didn't know who else could assess her. She's got a really dangerous sounding cough, I noticed that there's used old fashioned hankies around the house. But she refuses to talk to a man, and I'm not going to push it."
"No mother, no father, no siblings?"
Daisy asked as she opened the door.
She paused as she landed on her feet.
"Where are the dogs?" She asked suspiciously. I shook my head,
"Noticed that too. It's quiet, really quiet. Here I'll take you to the kitchen."
Daisy's eyes widened in horror, as she looked around the yard.
"Eric, honey... take extra good care of Rosey when she wakes up, please. This doesn't look like a fun place for a little girl."
She grabbed a backpack from the pickup and turned to me.
"How old do you think this girl is?" She asked.
"About 13, maybe 14." I told her. She nodded, apprehension marring her face.
"I don't like this, Bear."
"Me neither." I agreed. We stepped inside, and I guided her to the kitchen where I'd lit a fire in the wood stove and had a kettle boiling. The girl looked better, albeit teary. Horse was happily chopping up wood, and stacking it in a disused little shed for her.

"Excuse me Ma'am, this is Daisy. She's a nurse at the local hospital. I asked her to come and look at your cough." I said from the doorway of the kitchen. She looked at me quizzically.
"What's a nurse?" She asked. I looked at Daisy and backed out of the kitchen. Daisy glared at me, then turned to the girl and brightly explained that she helped people get better.
"Ma and Pa told me that true healing comes from God, through prayer."
I quickly turned around in the hall to walk outside and off load some animal feed. This was now well and truely out of my league. This is a free book available through Wattpad (c) LTM1986. If you are not reading this on Wattpad, it had been stolen.

Seeing as Rose was still fast asleep in her car seat, and the pickup was right next to the truck, Midwife helped me unload.We stacked the last of the order when Horse arrived.
"Did a quick trough check. All the animals have water. Chickens are all in their nest boxes growling. Internal fences are broken, but it looks like the only carcass is the milking cow. There's a graveyard in amongst the trees back there. One fresh grave. Sixteen others."
We all looked at each other. Eric came up silently behind us. His face was almost white with fear.
"This is scary Midwife. This place is worse than when we were living with Granny all those years ago." He said.
I crouched down.
"C'mere Buddy,"I said, giving him a hug. " You're right, this is scary. But we're here now. We'll see what we can do to make it better."
He nodded, letting a tear escape.
"She's lost her whole family." His bottom lip trembled. "No one here to look after her."
I sighed, this kid killed me. He was born with an entire skeleton of caring bones. I didn't know anyone who felt so much.

"We'll help her." I assured him. " Well, we'll help until she can find a new family like you did."
He nodded.
"We can't fit any more in." He said blinking back tears. Ahh I thought. That's what this was about. Eric was a rescuer at heart, except he skipped bringing the animals home and went straight for humans. He wanted to bring her home.
"There's a whole damn club here, Eric." Midwife joined us. "We'll find someone to look after her."
Eric nodded and then wrapped his skinny arms around my chest. They barely met in the middle, but one day they would.

I heard crunching footsteps behind me.
"You lied to us, Bear Corby." Daisy snapped. Oh shit I was in trouble, and I didn't know why. My senses went on higher alert. I lifted Eric up as I turned to her.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
She closed her mouth and pressed her lips together in a straight line.
"This isn't a just a wierd situation, it's completely fucked." She paused."That girl isn't 13, or 14. She's 18. Malnutrition is the main problem, indoctrination is another. But legally she's an adult. Which is why her father tried to rape her."

I gently put Eric down as a switch flicked and a red film descended across my eyes. A growl escaping from my chest. I'd been on edge since arriving and my control slipped. I took one step towards the house where the fucker might be hiding, before someone took me out with a tackle and I landed in the ground.
"Pin him down," Midwife yelled, before bodies landed on me. I tried to shrug them off and rise. I was halfway up before someone pressed on a nerve who took me down again.
"The fucker is dead, Bear... she killed him herself." I heard Daisy whisper in my ear. I stopped fighting and let the anger disappear. My eyes closed as I coped with the pain of that nerve hit.

"Fuck Daisy! Give us warning before you drop shit like that on him. He's a fucking sensitive ex-marine." Midwife panted. I heard him dragging himself to his knees.
"Well I don't know his triggers!" She yelled back at him. "I'm tired, sick, pregnant and cranky, and there's a girl here that is struggling and confused, and I don't know what the fuck to do!"
I heard Rose wake up.
"Daddy!!"
"Hey baby girl, you're just in time for Mommy to repeat what she just said." Midwife hummed at his daughter. I wiggled up to a seated position and felt Horse prop me up against him.
"Did I just hear Daisy say she's pregnant?"I groaned to him.
"Yep."
"Are we going to need popcorn."
"For sure!"Horse's voice radiated with laughter.

I opened my eyes to see Daisy with her hand clamped over her mouth, eyes wide open. Midwife had just untangled Rose and was lifting her out of the pickup.
"I think Mommy has something to tell us?" He turned and looked at his wife.

She blushed and looked at the ground.
"You said something about being pregnant, my dear?" He prompted, stepping up to her, and pushing her hair away from her face gently.
She nodded and looked up at him.
"8 weeks." She confirmed.
His eyes lit up, and he cupped her cheek for a kiss.
"What's going on?" Eric whispered to us.
"Rose is going to be a big sister. Daisy is pregnant." Horse explained quietly, not wanting to interrupt the family moment. Eric bounced up from the ground.
"Really?! Daisy, are you having another baby?" He yelled.
She looked over at him and nodded.

"YES!!!!" He did a dance around the little family. Daisy laughed and pulled him in for a kiss on the forehead. Rose lent in and Eric took her and bounced her.
"You hear that Rosey Pose. You're going to be a big sister! I'll teach you everything I know." He spun her in excitement, and her laughter filled the yard.

Horse and I applauded. I couldn't do much more anyway. I knew that it was Daisy who hit that nerve, and man, did it lay me out. Women are dangerous.