Finding home

Chapter 10 - Baby

"How the hell can you leave a three year old child inside a container?!" I blurted out once we got back to the precinct with one tired girl sleeping in a improvised small bed by my desk.

"I have no idea but the guy behind this will pay heavy for this" Esposito angrily said while we all looked towards the little girl.

"At least we got a picture of the perp now thanks to street cams" Ryan added and we all nodded.

The picture had gone out to all cops in town and everyone was keeping their eyes out, making sure that if that dirtbag showed his face he would get busted immediately.

"You found the girl, you found the face of the one behind this, now all we have to do is find him and put him behind bars" captain Gates said as also she looked at the little sleeping girl.

"Sir, what are we gonna do with her? We can't just leave her here, and the child services said they couldn't get here until tomorrow" I asked, remembering the call to the service.

"I have an idea, why don't you let Alexis get to know a new friend tonight?" Esposito suggested and I gave him a surprised look.

Was he saying what I thought he was saying?

"Oh that's a good idea" Gates looked at me and I could feel my jaw drop.

"But sir... I don't know if that's a good idea, I mean, I-I" I couldn't come up with anything, besides I didn't really know why it wouldn't be a good idea since I already knew how to take care of a kid.

One kid more wouldn't make much of a difference, would it? Gates gave me a questioning look and I sighed.

"Fine, I'll do it but only if she agrees to follow me home once she wakes up. For all we know she might not want to leave with a stranger" I said before I went to my desk to sit down and check my phone.

I had a message from my father telling me Alexis had eaten lunch but that she hadn't eaten as much as she used to. He also wrote she seemed to be a little out of reality, playing around in her own thoughts without much talking. She didn't seem sad but she was definitely not present like she used to be. I tried to think about what could possibly be on her mind. Perhaps it was because of her knowing I was thinking about letting her meet her dad again. I jumped in my chair when I got a new message and it was from no other than him. I only saw the first part of the message since I was too paralyzed to click into the notice.

"Hi, so I was wondering if maybe we could meet aga..." was what I could read before it ended.

Did he mean now? Tonight? I looked up to see Esposito giving me a strange look, something told me he new something was going on and somehow I couldn't help but get the feeling that he would tell Ryan and then they both would try to figure it out together. They would probably try asking Lanie too because of the way she went at me this morning.

"Kate!" a sweet little girl voice I would recognize anywhere called out for me.

Confused I turned towards the entrance just in time to see Alexis run out of the elevator towards my desk with my dad taking it slow right behind her.

"What?" I started but I didn't get to continue until Alexis jumped up into my lap giving me a tight hug.

"Oh you found her!" she exclaimed in a hushed manner.

I turned around in my chair and she turned as well towards the girl in the improvised bed. I glanced at Alexis who seemed to be completely mesmerized by the sleeping baby.

"Yeah, we did, thanks to you. If you hadn't noticed that cloth we would've never even known she existed" I said and I saw her eyes glimpse in wonder.