The Adoption

1

Henry Standing Bear stepped out of his vintage truck and walked to The Red Pony. He entered through the back and hung his coat in his office. He went into the bar/restaurant and began to put the chairs down when he heard faint sniffles and slightly ragged breathing. He was unsure so he pulled out he's phone and started to dial the Absaroka County sheriff's department as he approached the door. He reached the door and cautiously opened it, only to thrust it open wide when he saw the source of the noise. It was a girl who looked about twelve. She was sitting at the door crying, and her clothes were tattered, and shoes worn to the point of them simply being cloth tied to her feet with shoelaces. Her dark hair was a huge mess, and she looked as if she had walked there from Montana.
When Henry got over the initial shock, he pulled her inside and into his open office. He finished dialing the station and Ruby answered.
"Sheriff's Office, Ruby speaking," her sweet voice rang through the phone.
"Hello Ruby, is Walt there yet?" Henry's calm voice said.
"Just a moment Henry." Ruby could be heard getting up and calling for Sheriff Walt Longmire, Henry's best friend of 38 years. Walt's gruff voice was heard through the phone.
  "Mornin' Henry what's up?"
"Walt, I have a distraught young girl here at the Red Pony. She is very upset and has not said a word."
   "I'm on my way, I'll pick Cady up, she's good with kids."
"And Walt,"
   "Yes?"
"Bring some clothes. She looks about a medium size shirt and sweatpants. Her feet look about a women's size 4 or smaller."
   "All right. I'll see what I can do. Can you send Cady a picture?"
"Yes. I will even call her to fill her in so she is ready."
Henry ended the call and put his phone on his desk. The girl had stopped crying now, and looked at him, she didn't seem afraid of him, but afraid of something else. He knelt in front of her and took her hands. He spoke in a soft, soothing voice, saying,
"I am going to step out of this room for a moment. I am just getting a damp cloth and a hairbrush.
"Will you allow me to wash your face and comb your hair? I promise to be as gentle as possible."
The girl looked as if she was weighing her options for a moment, then nodded. Henry smiled and stood up and left the office only to come back moments later with a damp cloth and a small black hairbrush. He pulled a small stool over and sat in front of the girl and began to gently clean off the dirt that caked her face. Her hair was a mess, but had no dirt. It was as if she had taken the dirt and applied it like makeup. After cleaning her face for about 20 minutes, he stopped and called Cady, the sheriff's daughter, and his goddaughter.
"Hey Henry! What's up?" Her cheery voice said. Henry put her on speaker and set the phone on his knee.
"Your father is on his way to pick you up. A young girl showed up at the front door of The Red Pony this morning. She seems afraid, but not of me. In fact, I am washing her face as we speak."
"That's a good start. Does she have any visible injuries?"
"I am beginning to notice large bruising and minor cuts. She may have been abused. But I cannot be sure. "
"All right. Dad's here so I'll see you soon." Cady hung up the phone and Henry set his on his desk. The girl had large bruising on her arms and legs, as if she'd been beaten. He finished cleaning her face and moved on to her hair. It proved difficult, but he was able to comb it out, revealing silky shoulder length chestnut brown hair. Her skin was fair, and he wondered if her hair was dyed. She had blue grey eyes, which seemed to change depending how the light hit them. She was small, and looked to be under five feet. She wasn't thin, and she seemed healthy otherwise.
"Are you hungry?" Henry asked her. She nodded vigorously. He chuckled and and led her to the bar. What would you like to eat?" The girl pondered for a moment, then whispered,
       "Cheeseburger?" Her voice was quiet and soft, but held no fear, as if she was starting to trust him. He smiled, and went to make her the food. He soon came back with the cheeseburger and fries. He set them in front of her with a glass of cool water. She hungrily devoured the food. Henry chuckled as the door opened. He looked up and saw Walt and Cady walk in. The girl stopped shoving food in her mouth and turned to look at the newcomers. She looked at Henry, fear creeping into her eyes.
"It is all right. These are my friends. The man is Walt Longmire, and the woman is his daughter, Cady Longmire," he soothed her. She slowly nodded and continued to eat. Henry walked around the bar and greeted the two warmly.
   "Has she said anything?"
"One word. When I asked her what she wanted to eat she said 'cheeseburger'. That is all she has said so far."
  "What about a name?"
"No." Henry looked back to the girl. She had finished the food and was looking at the three of them.
   "I'm gonna see if I can get her to at least say her name," Cady announced. She started towards the girl who whimpered and shot behind the bar.
   "Or not." Cady retreated back to Henry and her father. "You're up Henry. She seems to only trust you."
Henry approached the girl and helped her up. She immediately hugged him, shaking as if she felt immense fear from being approached by Cady.
"It is all right. No one in hear will hurt you I promise. Cady just wants to talk with you." After some convincing, the girl silently agreed to talk with them, as long as Henry was there.
   "What's your name sweetie?" Cady said in a sweet, calming voice.
      "Talia. I'm from New York."
"How did you get all the way hear from there? Henry was surprised.
      "Hitchhiking and walking. The bad people hurt me a lot so I ran away."
"Who are the bad people?"
       "The foster family I was with. They hit me a lot. Almost every day. "
Henry sighed and put his hand on Talia's shoulder.
"Talia, we won't let them take you back. I promise."