Abandoned and Recovered

Chapter 5

"Booboo" whimpered Sadie from her spot on the floor.

"He's right here, honey" said Ava as she grabbed the lovey and started to rub the plush fabric on the girl's face.

The baby then began to make happy coos as her cheeks were rubbed; followed by light wiping from her nose down to her mouth.

Ava smiled at the content noises. She had quickly discovered that touch was the key to comforting the girl.

"You love Booboo, huh? I'm glad."

The tiny redhead only continued her cooing and gurgling as she now held the item in her own hands.

That morning, Sadie had come toddling into the bedroom with a soaked diaper and tears in her eyes. While Ava was at first incredibly nervous to jump into the caregiver role, she was feeling a bit more comfortable by midday.

She stepped away momentarily to check the time on her phone and saw that the few items she had ordered the night before would soon be delivered.

"I've ordered more stuff online the past couple days than I have in months" she chuckled while looking towards the seated girl.

No verbal response was given, but the little one did seem to acknowledge when Ava would speak to her. If she understood completely, however, was unknown yet unlikely.

"Here, sweetheart" the older woman said grabbing the remote and turning one of the kid's channels on. "Why don't you watch Doc McStuffins for a bit, okay? Hold on tight to Booboo!"

The baby squealed happily at seeing the characters on the screen and clapped her hands. The sound was muffled by the lovey gripped in one fist, and the girl subsequently brought some fabric to her lips and began to chew slightly.

The woman laughed at the little one's excitement. Dressed in only a diaper and one of Ava's shirts, which was comically oversized on her, the girl looked absolutely adorable.

For the next hour, Sadie was content to watch the show and hold Booboo. Ava watched along as she played on her phone and entertained some of the girl's excited babbling.

"Sadie?" came the older woman's voice. "Can you be a big girl and wait here for me? There's a something downstairs I need to get."

A notification had alerted the older woman to the arrival of her package. She hoped that Sadie would be excited to see what came, but the girl looked scared.

"No 'eave" she whispered out.

Ava's heart ached at the sadness and fear in the words.

"Just for a minute. I promise I'll come back."

"No pee 'tay" came the tearful reply.

"I can't stay, baby. There's something very important I need to go get!"

The tiny girl looked unconvinced. She began to shake slightly and dropped Booboo as she held her arms up desperately.

"Too" she said desperately.

Ava deliberated briefly before reaching down to pick up the girl and place her on her hip.

"I know you're scared, honey. I'm not leaving you alone for good" she said seriously. "There's just something downstairs I need to get. I can take you with me now, but you need to know you can't sucker me into everything" she finished playfully.

With that, Ava quickly exited the apartment with the girl on her hip and took the stairs carefully. She set Sadie on her feet, much to the girl's protest, and heaved the package into her arms before heading back upstairs.