Dust and Memories

The Bathroom Floor

It had been a long day at work for Basch. 

He had had to deal with a horribly demanding woman who had brought in her pack of six noisy children who both dirtied the display glass and vomited on the floor, and guess who had had the honor of cleaning all of that up once they were gone?

He sighed, hanging up his coat at the door and pushing his disheveled hair from his eyes as he walked down the hall to the bathroom to clean up. Damn, he needed a shower and some sleep.

He would never forget the sight of his sister's delicate form twisted on the bathroom floor.

Lili was on her side in a pool of water, clearly having just gotten out of the shower. Her wet, tarnished golden hair was sprayed around her face in a fragmented halo, framing her parted, blue-tinged lips and closed eyes. A worn green bath towel was wrapped around her frail, bruised body.

She was still breathing. Basch could tell that much. He knew better than to try to move her, but it was hard to get up and leave her crumpled on the cold tiles as he raced to their only landline to call emergency services.

"Hello? Operator? Please, it's my sister, she's got leukemia, and she's on the bathroom floor and I-"

"Sir, please calm down," came the response. "Give me your location and I'll dispatch an ambulance immediately."

The paramedics had to peel her limp form from his arms to get her on the stretcher, and when he rose to follow, one of them held him back, a muscular blond man with icy blue eyes. When he spoke, his voice had the unmistakable, harsh trill of a German accent.

"Where are your parents?"

"My mother has the late shift," He responded quickly. "Please, I can't-"

"I'm sorry," the German man responded, "but we can only take legal guardians or parents."

When they were gone, Basch dipped his head and sank to his knees on the floor, eyes squeezing shut as he fought his tears. He was sick with worry for his beloved sister, and had no way of getting to her until his mother got home.

Unless...

It was a long shot, but it was his only chance.