The Babysitter

Chapter 1: Don't Go Dirt-Bike Riding in Walmart

A/N: Completely revised story as of 6/13/23

Rowan huffed as she set the large box of stuffed animals down in the middle of the aisle. She glanced up at the empty shelves and then back down at the overflowing box of toys. She picked one of the stuffed animals up and looked at it. It was soft and relatively cute, but she didn't understand the high demand for these things. She looked at the brand name. SquishMallows. Is that the toy that kids were obsessed with these days? She looked at the price tag and her eyes widened. $30? And she thought that asking her Dad to buy her a $5 fidget spinner when she was younger was crazy.

She began restocking the shelves, filling them to the brim with the toys. She had turned around and started doing the same thing to the other side when she heard a loud motor. Confused, she looked up as the motor increased in volume.

Where the hell was that noise coming from?

She heard the screeching of tires before she saw what was making the noise. A small boy drifted into the aisle that she was in on top of one of the dirt bikes that the store sold a few rows down. The two of them made eye contact.

"Kid, you really shouldn't be riding that in here—"

Interrupting her with a twist of the handles, he sped towards her and the only thing that she could do to avoid being rammed into was to jump aside. She had completely forgotten the giant box of stuffed animals still behind her though, so unfortunately for the boy, when she moved out of the way he didn't have much time to react to his next obstacle.

"Woah!" The boy cried before swerving, attempting but failing to avoid the box. The bike crashed into the box, spilling the toys everywhere. The boy flew off of the bike, landing on top of the toys.

Despite the soft landing, he let out a scream that she was sure the entire store could hear.

Rowan rushed over to the boy who was clutching his knee, which was bleeding profusely.

Oh shit.

"Hey kiddo," Rowan said, dropping down on one knee. "Uh...you okay?"

"Mommy!" The boy cried as tears spurted from his eyes.

"I'll take that as a no..." She murmured. "Let me see your knee."

The boy slowly took his hands off of his knee, sniffling as he showed her the damage. Rowan gently grabbed the boy's leg, careful not to touch the blood as she looked at the source of the bleeding. The cut was the size of a dime. He must have scraped the skin against the bike as he fell off of it because he didn't land on anything hard when he came down. The cut wasn't deep though. The kid just seemed to be a bit of a bleeder.

"It looks like you're going to live," Rowan told him with a smile, trying to ease his nerves. Tears continued to fall from his eyes but at a slower rate than before. A small smile graced his face as he noticed hers. "Let's get you on your feet."

Rowan lifted the boy up and put him down slowly, observing how much pressure he was able to put on his leg. She let him go once he was completely set on the ground.

"How much does it hurt?" She asked.

"Only a little," he told her with a sniffle. He took a couple of steps forward and backward before looking up at her. "I can walk."

Thank god. "Alright, good," Rowan said. "Do you know where your parents are?" The boy shook his head. Figures. The boy probably snuck off from his parents without them noticing. "Let's go and find them then."

She held out her hand for the boy to take—which he did—and they walked through the store, looking for his parents. Rowan looked at the boy, noting his curly light-brown hair, green eyes, and tanned skin. She looked for anyone with similar features.