Their Reserve

A promise to listen?

The two of them make most of the hospital smile with their antics, they are totally inseparable and with how protective Damien is of Cass you can't help but love them. Plus find them super cute, not that you should say that to Damien, he will just scowl at you. He looks like when a puppy growl, so cute!

Cass doesn't talk to anyone other than Damien, even then the only thing she ever says is his name. He might talk more, but not to us, he only talks to Cass when she starts to panic or needs something explaining. He reads her body langue, and they have entire conversations without saying more than ten words.

Cass is suspiciously good at reading people, something that only comes from years of having to do that for safety. Even that thought makes me sad, because that's so many of my brothers, that's Sang, that's even Jess to an extent (her dad was not good news, even though she didn't know him for long). I can never forget how lucky I am, having parents that love me and support me, even if the originals didn't.

I know that something's happened to 'Cass' in the past, we know that's not her real name. Yet, it's the one she wants to use, so that's the one we are going to give her, you can tell she's never had many choices in the past. Which is why I think I'm cautious when a man walks in, with a picture of her.

He looks desperate, distraught, worried, lost. All in all, he is doing a very good job of being a parent looking for their lost child, which is the story he tells us. Then he holds out a picture. It's Cass, though he tells us her name is 'Sophia'. He then tells us that she ran away a few months ago and that his been looking for her ever since. That explanation does explain the fact she was half starved when she came in. But the long-term injuries, when asked about them, he winces, tears actually filling his eyes as he says that his wife used to hurt their daughter, hence why she ran away. He then explains that he has divorced his wife and has now taken sole guardianship of his daughter.

The nurse in with me is instantly their comforting him, telling his it's not his fault, even as he sobs. He story is very feasible, very, very feasible, and something we have seen so many times. It makes sense why she wouldn't tell us her real name, why would she want to go back to somewhere she's been abused. I call the other nurse to ask her to bring a cup of tea and tissues in for him. We still have paperwork to go through, but it looks like we found Cass's... no Sophia's proper safe home.

Damien is going to be devastated.

It takes almost two hours to go through everything, it all checks out, social service checks him off. Yet there is something off about him. I can't say what it is, because I don't know myself, but something, maybe it's just that I don't want one of my favourite children to leave the hospital.

We head to the desk to file the last few pieces of paperwork when I catch sight of C... Sophia out the corner of my eye. I see her see me, she half smiles, which is a new thing, then she see's the man, Mr. Jackson next to me, she full on flinches a foot back. Before I can catch her, before we can explain that her mother is gone. That she is safe. Damien has taken her hand and they have both vanished from the room. Mr. Jackson gives the nurse a thin smile, barely hiding something, not sure if it's frustration at the time it's taking or if it's to do with the feeling I'm getting from him.

I almost don't tell him about the fact his child just ran from him, but the nurse, Casey, from in the room with us, points out the fact that C... Sophia has just run through the door opposite.

This starts a hospital wide search. One which yields no results. When I finally end up outside Phil's office, I'm utterly exhausted, doing this on hardly any sleep is stupid, it's something that I really should get round to correcting soon...

When I knock on his door, he answers but doesn't pull the door fully open.

"Yes?" he doesn't look as tired as I feel, but it's not far off.