Lost and found

Finding them

"I don't know," Kate whispered, her heart breaking for the child. She remembered the times when she got lost as a child, how afraid she was, wanting her mother. It was almost like she was lost now, still in search for her mother that she knew she would never find. But she could help this little girl find her father. "I'll help you find him."

"Has he left me?" The little girl asked, her bottom lip dropping.

"He's probably looking for you," Kate told her. "Come on out and we'll go find him." She offered the little girl her hand, which after a second she took.

"My daddy told me not to talk to strangers," She said biting her lip.

"Don't worry, I'm a cop," Kate said showing the young girl her badge. "My names Kate."

"My names Alexis." She said grinning. "I've never met a women cop before."

"Really? Women cops are the best there is," Kate whispered as Alexis giggled. At least the girl wasn't going into panic yet, but Kate could see the fear building behind her eyes.

"Did you come to arrest my daddy?" She asked.

"Has your daddy been bad?" Kate asked as the two of them walked over to the till, that would be the best place to start. Her eyes still scanned around the store, searching for a frantic father.

"My Grandma had to bail him out of jail one time," Alexis told Kate. "He stole a police horse and rode it with no pants on!" Kate's eyes widened as the younger girl let out a small giggle. That was an interesting way to get arrested, Kate couldn't hide her smile.

"Your daddy sounds interesting," Kate said as they reached the front of the till. The cashier looked up, offering them a small smile.

"How can I help you?" She asked.

"Hi, have you had a parent come by in search of their child?" Kate asked.

The cashier looked down at Alexis. "Yes, he's been searching for his girl for almost an hour. I believe he's downstairs with security at the moment. Would you like me to take her for you?"

"She's a cop," Alexis informed the girl.

Kate smiled. "Its fine, thank you."

Alexis held Kate's hand as they left the store together, she watched as it swung between them, something Kate never thought she would enjoy so much. "I told you we'd find your daddy." She told her.

"I knew you would," Alexis smiled at her. Kate's heart beat an extra skip, this girl hardly knew her and she trusted her. She could have cried and screamed, but instead she had trusted her to take her to her father.

"Can I ask you a question?" Alexis asked her.

"Sure," Kate said as they stepped onto the elevator, leading down to where the security post was set up.

"My daddy told me that being a cop meant you got to catch bad guys, have you caught any?" She asked.

"I have," Kate smiled. She didn't want to tell the young girl too much about her work since it could likely scare her and it didn't seem appropriate with her age. The small fiery red head only looked about five.

"I think my daddy wants to be a cop," she said.

"Is that why he stole the police horse?" Kate asked as the little girl giggled again.

"No, he was just being silly," Alexis said shaking her head.

"Are you the grown up of the house then, little miss?" Kate asked.

"Someone has to keep him behaved," She said making Kate bite her lip to hold back her laughter. It was adorable seeing this little girl act like a parent to her father.