I'm playing around with the idea of Connor Rhodes adopting a daughter. This story will contain mention of abuse, spanking of a child and strong language.

Thump, thump, thump. The sound of a young child's heart pounded as she raced through the woods, trying to get away from her chasers. Thump, thump, thump. Her pounding heart made it near impossible to breathe. Her legs felt like they were on fire, her feet stung like a million bees. She wanted nothing more than to just stop and hide. The fear that rushed through her prevented her from stopping.

"RIGHT THERE, GET HER!" A rough voice shouted from behind her. She glanced back at her chasers when she glanced back around, she found herself gaining on the edge of a cliff. She tried to stop in time, but her legs refused to listen, they ran her off the cliff. She didn't know how long she'd fallen before she hit a rushing river.

She tried to keep her head above the water, but try as she might, she kept getting pulled under. Last thing she saw before total darkness was a large rock that the mad river tried to throw her against.

"Do you think she's alive?" A concerned voice asked.

"I don't know, Issac." A rough hand poked the girl in the ribs, he smiled when the girl give a low groan. "I say she's still alive. Call 911, tell them to get out here now!"

"Will do, Richard." Issac pulled out his phone, then quickly punched in the number. "Yes, I need an ambulance out at the Starved Rock State Park. We have a girl here who washed up on the shore, she's unconscious." Issac said, frantically. "I'm not sure how old she is... My guess would maybe be thirteen... I don't know where she came from. We were out white water rafting and saw her on the shore. We need an ambulance now!" After giving the last few details to the dispatcher, he shoved his cell phone back into his pocket, then leaned down next to Richard.

"She's hypothermic if we don't get help here soon, I'm worried she won't make it," Richard whispered.

"You look like crap," Ethan joked when Connor walked into the doctor's lounge. His eyes scanned Connor, the man looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep in several days; Which wasn't uncommon for them.

"I pulled a double shift," Connor mumbled.

"You should take a short nap," Natalie glanced up from her baby book.

"Hey, guys!" Will shoved his way into the lounge. "Did you guys hear about that girl who was found a couple of days ago?"

Connor shook his head, "the only news I've gotten the past few days is, this patient threw up. This patient is complaining about a hurt knee, this patient is complaining about the noise." He scruffed.

"There was a girl who was found washed up in the Starved Rock State Park," Will explained.

"Wait, what do you mean, washed up?" Natalie's eyes filled with concern.

"A couple who were white water rafting came across a body laying on the shore. At first, they thought it was a log, then realized it was a child. They think she's around thirteen." Will glanced over at his crush, she looked like she was about to be sick.

"That poor child," Natalie laid her hand on her belly bump. "I couldn't imagine what her parents must be going through."

"That's just the thing," Will went on, excitedly. "They have no idea who her parents are. The child is still unconscious, so they can't ask her. The police checked missing child reports, but none were made. The park rangers went around talking to families, but no one has claimed her. The police think that she's a runaway who could have been from an abusive home. Or maybe even a foster child."

"If she was from an abusive home, she's going to have a hard time when she wakes up," Connor replied, a hint of sadness filled his voice.

"What's even better is, she's coming here! They decided to transport her here until she gets..." Will's voice trailed off, at the sound of Connor's pager started going off.

"Looks like that child is already here," Connor shoved his pager back into his pocket then rushed out of the lounge. Two paramedics pushed a gurney into the hospital, there laid a small child. A child who was no way thirteen years old, she had to have been younger than that.

"We had that same look on our face, Dr. Rhodes. She's extremely malnourished, which caused her body not to develop as a thirteen-year-old child should be." The paramedic replied.

"Put her in there," Maggie called, as she pointed to an empty room.

"What's her BP?" Connor asked, with Natalie following closely behind.

"Her BP is 90 over 60." He turned his attention to the child, "on the count of three." He waited until everyone was ready to transfer the child to the bed. "One, two, three." They gently lifted her up, then placed the fragile body on the bed.

Connor brushed the blond hair behind the girl's ear, "how much does she weigh?"

"She weighs 60 pounds," the paramedic sighed.

"A girl her age should be around 76 and 148 pounds," Will said, as he stood beside the others.

"The other hospital made her stable, they are just waiting for her to wake up." With one last look, the paramedic rolled his gurney away, leaving Connor, Will, Natalie, and Maggie in the room staring at the child.

TBC