I remember the night I found him like it was yesterday…

He sat by himself, alone and shivering on the curb. I got closer to him, even going as far as sitting with him. He jumped at my touch.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, "I didn't mean to startle you."

He just looked at me. He wouldn't speak. He just…stared.

"Where's your mommy and daddy?"

The little boy shrugged.

"Do you have somewhere to go?" I asked.

All he did was shake his head. And in that moment, my heart fell to pieces.

"Would you like to come back to my place with me?"

He nodded. For some reason, he felt he could trust me. I guess I had one of those trustable faces.

"What's your name…?"

He held up his thumb and index finger on his right hand. So I called him L.

I couldn't leave him. L was just a kid. It killed me to see people just walk by him like he didn't exist.

"This is where I live, L," I said, opening the door to my one bedroom apartment downtown. Still nothing came out of his mouth and his expression remained blank. I guess that was to be expected. I sat L on the couch, "I'm going to make you something to eat, ok?"

L nodded. Almost excitedly. That's a start.

"Would you like to help me find something you'll like?" I asked.

L nodded quickly again, making himself wince a bit.

"Careful," I chuckled a bit, "You'll give yourself whiplash that way."

L and I went into my kitchen, searching for some sort of food to put in his belly. He was a curious one. That's for sure. L went through every nook and cranny of my tiny kitchen. He pulled on the bottom of my shirt.

"What is it?" I looked down at him, "Did you find something?"

L gave me a box of instant rice and a bottle of soy sauce.

"Is this what you want to eat, L?"

He nodded once.

"Ok," I smiled, "Would you like to help me make it?"

L shook his head and sat on the floor.

"Alright then. Why don't you go wait in the living room while I make this?"

L did what he was told and toddled over to the couch. He looked around the room, taking in his new surroundings. If I could only get in his head somehow. I'd love to know what he was thinking. Where he came from. If I was really the only one to have shown him any kindness…

I waited for the water to boil and poured the rice in. As soon as it was ready, I scooped some into a bowl and poured the soy sauce over it.

"L," I called, "Are you hungry?"

His little bare feet slapped against the hardwood floor. L nodded again, looking at his bowl of rice like it was the most beautiful thing in the world. How long had it been since this kid had a hot meal in his belly…?

I watched as L inhaled his bowl of rice like a Marine. My god, child…When his bowl was empty, he pulled on my shirt again. Very meekly, he gave me his empty bowl.

"Do you want some more, L?"

He nodded.

I wasn't going to say no. Who knows when the last time L ate was? I gave him more rice and went back to my own that was still a little over half full. And by the time mine was empty, so was his. Again. L looked over at me as soon as he was empty.

"Do you want another bowl?" I asked.

L shook his head, putting his hand on his stomach.

"Well, I'm happy to see you're full," I interpreted, "Can I have your bowl, please?"

L gave me his empty bowl, following me back to the kitchen, curious to what I was about to do with it.

I started running hot water in the sink and put the leftover rice in the fridge. And so full of wonder, L sat on the floor, watching my every move. He pulled at the bottom of my shirt again.

"Yes, L? What can I get for you?"

He pointed at the dishes drying in the dish rack.

"Do you want to help me put them away?"

L nodded.

And I smiled down at him, "Sure. You can help."

I got him a chair to stand on and handed him our bowls to put in the cabinet. He stood anxiously awaiting my next instructions.

"Alright, L," I helped him down, "Now, I want you to go into the bathroom and start running the bathtub, ok? It's right down the hall."

With a quick nod, L ran off into the bathroom and turned the water on. He still trembled beneath my hands as I gave him the fastest bath known to man, "I know it sucks, L, but it'll be over soon. I promise."

He kept very still as I rinsed him off. I might as well have been water boarding the poor kid! I got him redressed and brought him back to the living room, "See? All done. That wasn't too bad, was it?"

L looked almost traumatized. I was guessing he was still acclimating to everything. Poor baby. Who could've left such a lovable little boy on the streets like that…?

He got up from the couch and went over to my bookshelf, pulling out the thickest book he could find. L looked up ant me, giving me the book, "Excellent choice, L! Sherlock Holmes…This is a classic. Do you like detective stories, L?"

L nodded.

"Let's open this one, shall we?" I started reading, "A Study in Scarlet. Part one. In the year 1878, I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and proceeded to Netley to go through the course prescribed for surgeons in the army."

L listened intently as I kept on reading the accounts of Dr. John Watson and his initial thoughts of the strangely brilliant consulting detective Sherlock Holmes. He hung on ever word that came out of my mouth. Every sentence, every paragraph, every deduction. He soaked it up like a sponge. And I nearly jumped out of my skin when L snuggled his way into my lap.

I continued reading until I noticed his eyes getting heavier, "L, are you getting sleepy? Do you want to go to bed?"

L nodded, cuddling into me some more.

"Ok. We can stop here," I closed the book, "I wish I had a better bed for you to sleep in. The couch doesn't even fold out."

L shook his head, clinging to me.

"My bed?" I assumed. He nodded, not wanting to let me go. I couldn't say no to this little boy. There was no way, "Alright, L. Come on. Let's put you to bed, ok?"

He gave me another nod, holding onto my hand. I brought him into my bedroom and tucked him into bed. For whatever reason, L wouldn't let go of me. All night, he kept himself wrapped around my arm. A couple times, if I didn't know any better, I'd think I heard him weeping and whimpering in his sleep. And that killed me.

That's it. I had to keep him. I had to keep L. I had to keep him feeling safe and loved and no one was going to stop me. And may God have mercy on whoever tries to keep us apart. Someone obviously didn't want him. And now, someone does.

When I woke up, I still had L wrapped around my arm. My sweet, precious L. I didn't dare move him. I didn't want to risk waking him. Instead, I cradled him gently against me. The sun shone down on his adorable, angelic, little face. It should be illegal for someone to be this beautiful while they're asleep. All of a sudden, like some sort of switch was flipped, L's eyes popped open, looking up at me.

"Well," I smiled, "Good morning, sleepyhead. I thought you were going to sleep the day away."

Then, something happened that I never would've expected after L had been with me only one night. He smiled. And it was so beautiful…A wave of warmth crashed over me, radiating from the inside. L cuddled in closer to me, almost hugging me…Amazing what a decent night's sleep would do.

"What should we do today?" I asked, "We can do whatever you want."

L shrugged his shoulders.

"You're helpful, kid," I giggled, "Come on. Let's go have some fun, yeah?"

He nodded once, jumping out of bed. Although I wanted nothing more than for L and I to be together forever, I needed to tell someone about him. I had no rights to him. Yet, all the same, I had every right to him. I was there when the world turned their back on him. I was the one that didn't just walk by him like everyone else did. I started to think of him as my own son…This went on for weeks.

And we went everywhere. Parks, museums, shops. A stop outside the police station…And for a moment, I greatly considered bringing L in there. But I knew what would happen. They would try to take him away from me. And I didn't want to do anything that would take the smile away from that kid's face. This was probably the happiest he's been in a long time. Maybe even ever. Who was I to ruin that? Who were they to ruin that?

We hurried past, not even giving it a second thought. And that's where ice cream sounded like a good idea. Taking L into an ice cream shop was definitely an experience…His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, scanning over all the different kinds of ice cream in the deepfreeze.

"Which one do you want, L?"

He looked up at me all sparkly eyed, pointing at everything and anything he could.

"No," I shot him down, "Pick one, not the whole freezer."

L gave the cutest little pout and pointed to the rocky road tub.

"Ok," I allowed, "Excellent choice, too, I might add. Make it two."

L and I found a bench in the park and did that kid go to town…I only got him a single scoop and he ate it down like it was his last meal.

"Careful, L," I warned, "If you eat that too fast, you'll give yourself brain freeze and as far as mild irritants go, that one's the worst. It's right up there with getting lemon juice in a hangnail."

L slowed down with his ice cream, frowning once he hit the bottom. He showed me his empty bowl.

"That's going to happen," I broke the news, "I know. I'd never want it to end either, but we'd all be huge."

He giggled a little bit, throwing his sad, empty bowl away, but he still had a look on his face…

"What's the matter, L?" I worried.

"Why didn't they want me, Mama…?"

My heart shattered into oblivion. I had L for a month without him saying a single word to me and THAT'S the first thing to come out of his mouth? I did all I could do to keep myself from crying. I wrapped my arms around his little body, "I don't know, baby. I don't know. But you know what? That doesn't matter. What does matter is that you got me and I got you. And that I love you and that's not going to change."

L snuggled into me, "I love you, too…"

It was kind of nice to hear L talk now. Definitely made life easier for the both of us. Well, that and getting a new apartment. If L was going to stick around for a while, he couldn't keep sleeping in my bed. As much as we both would've loved for that to keep going on, I couldn't do it anymore. He was a little space heater…

It was the same routine every night. I'd make dinner, give L a bath, and read more of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. That kid definitely loved his detective stories. That's for sure. And I was starting to see a little of Sherlock in him. I'd try to get him to play with other kids, but no such luck.

And I had no problem with that. I understood what it was like to be an introverted kid. They tend to grow up to be introverted adults. And they can still live fulfilling lives. I had the best one ever. All I needed was L and everything would be ok…

I gave him one last look before I realized he had clocked out. Always in the middle of the story. I scooped L up in my arms and carried him off to bed, tucking him into his bed, kissing his forehead. I may not have been the one to make him, but I was the one that made him perfect…