The Soldier's Girl (Under Editing)

Chapter 3

TAYLOR'S POV

Two weeks later my heart was pounding harder than ever before and my hands were shaking. I was sitting in the waiting room of the foster care agency because earlier they had called me and said I could come over any time and that they had placement for me. I was very nervous, I couldn't even sit still.

After what seemed like an eternity a woman came to get me. We went to the same room as before, she sat on one side of the desk and I on the other. She looked through some papers while I sat waiting for the news.

"Well," she finally said.

"We would usually call you and the child would be dropped off later that day with a social worker. But the child we are placing with you is here under special circumstances, so we're letting you see her file before she moves in with you." The woman said. I felt a smile creep up on my face. I would be getting a girl.

"You can read through the file and I'll come back when you're done." She told me before handing me a manilla folder with the name Connor on the outside and exiting the room.

Inside the file I saw a picture of a teenage girl, she wasn't too old, maybe 15. Under her picture read the name Caroline Connor. I couldn't read on right away, I had to take it in. I looked up and took a deep breath before smiling wide and reading on.

I found out she was fourteen had only been in a foster home once before.The woman working here was right when she said this child had special circumstances. It turns out her dad was in the army, being deployed next month and that's why she was going to be foster care. Apparently they had been moving all around the country since Caroline was little and her mother had died of cancer years ago so she had nobody to stay with while her father was gone. She only needed to be in a foster home for one year while her dad was away. 

In the back of the file I found a little survey Caroline had filled out, it talked about her interests and preferences. my hands shook as I held the sheet of paper, but I was perfectly still when I finished reading; I liked this girl already. She reminded me of me.

Just then the woman walked back in, she smiled at me and sat down. She explained some legal things about becoming a foster parent that I had already learned at my foster parent training. I told her that I understood and after a few more words she left again. My heart was once again pounding, it was becoming real, Caroline would become my foster daughter. A girl I had never even met before.

The lady walked back in with a few more papers for me to sign and things for me to fill out. Apparently having these things done already would make it easier on me the day I got Caroline.

"Alright, we'll be notifying the Connor's as soon as possible, and like I said, this is a special circumstance so we'll set up a date for you guys to meet here." She said with a smile before walking me out of the office.

I felt really good as I drove away, like I had made the right choice by deciding to foster. Without even thinking about it, I drove to my parents house instead of back home because I wanted to tell my mom. I could just call her but it wouldn't be the same.

As I entered the home I once lived in a familiar scent greeted me. I saw my mom in the living room and I headed towards her. She noticed me just as I walked in.

"How did it go?" She asked excitedly. I explained everything, right down to the last detail. She was really happy for me, but now all I wanted to do was meet Caroline.

CAROLINE'S POV

The ringing phone startled me just as I was dozing off on the couch. Instead of my eyes bolting open and my heart rate picking up like it had the last couple times the phone has rang in the last few days I just laid there. My dad got up to go get it. We were expecting a call from the foster care agency to tell us when they have a family for me. I had pretty much given up hope on them calling at this point.

"Yeah, tomorrow will be just fine.... Thanks...Bye." He hung up the phone, rubbed his eyes and sighed before looking at me.

"That was them." He said lightly.

"Really?!" I asked nervously. He nodded and told me we would have to go in tomorrow afternoon and meet the family, and that they already knew who I was. I had no idea what to expect. I was kind of dreading it, it will remind me of how little time I have left with my dad. The last couple days we've done lots of fun things and explored this new city. We usually didn't do this but I knew it was because he'd be leaving soon.

All I could think about was how miserable I was last time I was in foster care. That's the only thing it could picture, and I didn't want to go through that again. Looking back I don't know how I did it, because I know that now I sure would be able to handle that again. Hopefully it was better than last time but something in the back of my mind was telling me it wouldn't be.

TAYLOR'S POV

Tomorrow.

I just got a call saying that I would meet Caroline tomorrow. I wasn't expecting it to be this quick but I wasn't complaining. I was just a little nervous because what if she didn't like me? What if I'm not what she wanted? What if she wanted a traditional family with a mom and a dad? I get that foster children usually wouldn't have any preference at all, they'd just prefer to stay with their family, but as they kept reminding me, this was a special circumstance.

I told myself just to relax for now because I haven't even met her yet. She was the one that had the right to be nervous, I needed to be the strong confident one. It was only 9 pm but I crawled into bed because being awake with my mind racing wasn't doing me any good.

Before I closed my eyes I sent up a prayer to God. Asking him to help me through the whole foster parent thing and to be with Caroline and her dad. I said amen and pulled the soft covers over my body for the night, knowing I wouldn't get any sleep no matter what.