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“Christ, I don’t know.” The doctor told the girls that they were very brave that they’d found Ewing when they did. The kids never spoke to the doctor, but they watched every move she made. As soon as they were asked to put on the gowns so that they could go to get some x-rays, Ewing wanted to go and find their parents and kill them. Even the ones that were dead? He thought that they’d gotten off too easily.
“Honey, can you tell me who burnt you? And if you’ve been hurt like this before?” The doctor was trying her best to keep her cool, and he was impressed with her. Again, neither child spoke, but they clung to him still. “How do you know these children, Mr. Cross?”
“I come upon them when they were with another person who was beating them. I didn’t do this.” She told him that she didn’t think that he had. “Thank you for that. However, if it helps, the man who did do it is dead. I didn’t do that either, though, I wish I had.”
When they were taken to x-ray, he had to go with them. While one was being photographed, the other sat on his lap and held onto his hand. Then, they traded places when it was the other’s turn. They didn’t scream or cry when the doctor checked their many and bad wounds, but they did look at him when someone new they came in contact with them. As soon as they were put in a room on the nursery floor, both girls got into one of the beds in the room, holding each other and his hands, and went to sleep. Of course, it helped, he supposed, that they were given something for pain that helped a great deal.
The police showed up about an hour later. The bodies had been found, and the other two had been arrested. When asked if he’d step outside, he told the officer that if they woke and he was gone, he didn’t know if they’d calm down again or not. So, the two of them spoke quietly so as not to disturb the children.
“There were four more children in the house where the couple were. They’ll be brought in as soon as the scene is cleared. Christ, Ewing, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bigger mess than the one those children were living in. The couple, not married, are here under lock and key and have no idea that the children have been found. I’d like to keep it that way for a while.” Ewing said that he understood. “Thanks. Also, you should know that we still don’t know any last names or last known addresses. Since the place they were staying has been empty for some time now, there isn’t anything to indicate who they might have been.”
“Are you asking for my help?” He nodded and grinned. “Beth’s last name is Carter. She has four siblings. I don’t know where they are as she doesn’t know. Rachel’s mother is Howard. She has been in and out of jail a great deal since she turned eighteen. She was only twenty-two when she killed herself with the coke. Rachel has been bouncing from relative to relative until she met up with this last one and sold her to Kinsley. There are three more children out there that belong to her. I believe that it was Kinsley that sold them off. But I can’t be sure about that right now.” The officer asked him the same thing that he’d asked Amelia. “I can’t answer that. I truly wish that I could, but I don’t know. People, humans suck, don’t you think?”
“Since I’m a human, I’m not going to answer that for you.” He laughed, not much, but it did relieve some of the tension in his head. “With these names, I’ll be able to chase down someone to see about taking the kids. Can I depend on your family to keep them safe until then? I was told that no one can touch them unless you’re in the room with them. Is that true?”
“I don’t know why, but yeah, that’s true. What are people going to say if they find out an unrelated male is taking care of two little girls.” He told him that it was six children. “No. I was there, there were—Pete, I don’t know if I can handle six kids? I can barely remember to get my laundry out of the washer before it goes sour, and I have to rewash everything. How old are these kids anyway?”
One is an infant. But to be honest with you, Ewing, I don’t think that he’s going to make it without some help in the way you can do it. The others look to be anywhere from two to ten. Just little buggers that will be in the system if you don’t do this.” He called him a few choice names, then said he’d take them. “I was hoping you’d say that. I think that your sisters have already adopted them into the family.”
“Great. Now, if I have a mate out there, she’s going to be running to town because I’ve already got too many kids for two people to handle.” Pete laughed. “All right. They can stay with me. But I’m also going to need some help with them. Where is the little boy now? The infant?”
They brought him in a few minutes later. He was a tiny little thing, and even with all the machines hooked up to him, Ewing knew that he more than likely wasn’t going to make it. Reaching down to take him out of the little crib, careful of the wires, he pulled him close to him and had the officer slice a hole in his hand.
“He’s not taking it. If he doesn’t, Pete, I’ll call my—he is taking it in now.” When Pete left him, he was told by the nurses that they didn’t have a name for the baby. But they thought that he’d been released as soon as a few days ago from being born. They thought his name was Williams, who was the most recently released baby that would have been about the time frame of his age.
The girls slept through the night, again thanks to the meds they’d been given. Every once in a while, one of the nurses would come for Billy, what he decided to call the little man, and change and weigh him. Every time he was brought back to him, it seemed to be about every four hours, he’d give him a bit more of his blood to help him out. He didn’t know what he’d do if the little guy went to another family. His hold over him would be great if he kept feeding him to live.
Ewing thought to himself that, at this point, he didn’t care. When he could, he walked to the room next door to check on the three children there. They were all girls but for the infant, and he couldn’t help but kiss them on their forehead while they were resting. Just as the sun was coming up, realizing how he’d not slept a wink, his family joined him to help spread out being with the kids. Also, they had brought him some much-needed food.
Between rooms, he was learning a great deal about the family. The three children, not counting Billy, were six, seven, and eight years old. Their names a little fuzzy on that since most of the time they’d been called hateful names instead of their names, so he decided to call them, by oldest to youngest, Harper, Lily, and Patty. When they woke up, he’d call them what they wanted but it helped him be able to keep the six of them straight while talking to his family and the staff about them. Christ, he wished more than ever that his grannie was around. She’d be getting such a kick out of all these kids around. She’d also have a bit of advice for him on how to care for them.
Coming back from the bathroom, he noticed that Beth was talking to Patty. As soon as he sat down to get comfy, Patty asked if he would adopt her too. It took him a few minutes to realize that these kids expected him to raise them as his own.
“I don’t know where your parents are. Do you?” Patty shook her head and said she’d not seen them in weeks. “You’ll be staying with me and the rest of my family if the police allow it. I’m a single man and don’t know a great deal about children, but we’ll get through it.”
By evening, little Joey was taking his bottle well and looking better all the time. He was a cute little guy and, like all the other children, had a head full of curly blond hair. Amelia used some of her magic to give Rachel some semblance of hair, and it made them all happy. By the time that lunch rolled around for them, Ewing needed a break just to get out of the hospital. The smells were getting to him, and he didn’t want to sit around for too long before he started getting sore.
He was surprised when the doctor from the emergency department joined him. He asked her if she was doing all right, and after telling him that she was finished with a double shift, she asked him why he’d take on so many kids.
“My grandparents. They really were my grandparents. Unlike these kids who have no idea who they belong to, my grandparents took us all into their homes and raised all six of us. It had to be hard on them, they were already in their mid to late seventies by then, and six rambunctious boys couldn’t have been easy. I promised my grannie that when I was older, I would do what she did and not leave anyone, children especially left alone if I could do anything about it. I have the means, the house as well as love enough to go around. Besides, I’m thinking that some of these children will find their own parents, and I’ll just have a couple. Not that it matters, really. I’d love to have a houseful of kids.”
“You aren’t married.” He smiled and shook his head. “You’re a bear. I’m to understand, too. Wealthy and smart. Yet I don’t think you’re doing this for any other reason than you want to. Not to show off to some woman.”
“No, I don’t believe that if the right woman came along, she’d care about how many children I’m raising. She’d just be happy that I’m not going to have to work thirty jobs to put them through college when the time comes. So that I can be there to change diapers and make dinner.” She asked if he could do either of those. “I can, as a matter of fact. Changing the diaper isn’t something that I’d say I was a pro at, but I do get the right parts covered up. I have to read the box once to remember how to put a diaper on right, but like I said, I get there. Are you looking for the job?”
He knew she wasn’t his mate, but she did tell him that she had enough going on without adding a bunch of kids to the mix. After telling her how he’d come upon the first two little girls, it was like a sudden spring thaw when he suddenly had six kids. Standing up when he felt the children waking up, he told her that it was nice meeting her.
“Pauline Dixion.” He didn’t know what she meant. “I’m married, happily so, but that’s my name. Pauline Dixon. Call me if you need advice or help. I’m one of eleven children in my family.”
Ewing was still laughing as he made his way into the hospital again. As soon as he walked into the room, all five of the kids tried to get onto his lap. As soon as the last one was settled, or as settled as he could be with five beautiful little girls surrounding him, he closed his eyes. Just a small nap, he told himself. He realized that he was going to need to do this more often, take a nap when he could, or he’d never get any sleep. Smiling, he let sleep take him under.
