A small Christmas offering for you all. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!
Another year, another Christmas Eve on the beat. PC Beth Green was sitting in the canteen with her partner for the evening, PC Millie Brown. With only an hour left on shift, they would finally be able to escape and celebrate the rest of the evening with their families. Well, Millie would be. Beth on the other hand was celebrating Christmas with a glass of wine and bad Christmas television. Her parents had gone abroad to stay with her aunt in America, and her sister had gone to her in-laws house. Her friends had invited her to spend it with them, but strangely she was happy enough just being on her own and celebrating with her family when they all returned in a week.
"Beth, Millie, you're up." Smithy said with a smile, striding into the canteen and pulling up a seat.
"Oh come on sarge, we've only got an hour left! Is this something that we can have done in an hour?" Millie asked.
"Yes PC Brown it is. Most likely anyway. Depends how complicated it ends up being. Anyway, I've had a call from an elderly resident, Mrs White, on the Farmeade. She was being nosy and spying on her neighbours when she saw a small child rooting through the bins. She's taken him into her house, so go get him, bring him here, find out the story." Smithy informed them.
"Oh God, that poor boy! Right, we'll go get him then. Come on Mils, you're driving." Beth said, standing up and draining the last of her coffee.
"Good girls. See you later. Let me know if there's any problems." Smithy said with a smile, walking out.
"What do you think the story is?" Beth asked Millie as they drove down the dark roads of the Farmeade.
"I honestly don't know. Runaway maybe? Or negligent parents who didn't notice their child was missing? Abuse? Who knows, there's so many possibilities." Millie said sadly.
"But it's Christmas Eve! I wonder how long the child's been out in the cold. We're gonna have to get him straight to FME." Beth said, looking out at the block of flats.
"I think Smithy pre-warned them, so we can get him straight in and start sorting paperwork out while they look him over. Ah, here we are. What did Smithy say the womans name was?" Millie asked as they got out the car.
"Mrs White." Beth replied, checking her notebook.
"Ok, lets go." Millie answered, walking up to one of the smaller blocks of flat. Beth pointed to the bins next to the entrance where the young boy had been spotted. Millie nodded as they entered, immediately being hit by the smell of urine and vomit.
"How delightful." Beth said, wrinkling her nose. They approached one of the bottom floor flats, Beth knocking loudly on the door. It was answered immediately by a woman who appeared to be in her sixties. The TV was playing Christmas hits loudly behind her.
"Thank God you're 'ere. Poor little mite was frozen 'e was! Dunno how long 'e was out there before I noticed. Bless his little soul! Come in officers." Mrs White ushered, standing aside to let them pass. "'E was so scared, wouldn't come with me at first. I convinced him with some chocolate though, no little kiddy can resist chocolate. 'Ere, follow me, 'e's in the living room."
The officers looked at each other before following her through to a small living room, a big tree proudly lit in the corner. "Mrs White, did the boy say what his name was? Has he spoken at all?" Beth asked, spotting a small boy sitting squashed up in the corner of the sofa, eating chocolate.
"No my darlin', not one peep! And please, call me Dottie, everyone does." she said with a smile.
"Thank you Dottie. So where exactly did you find him?" Millie enquired, pulling out her notebook and perching on the sofa, the opposite end to the boy.
"Well, you see, I was looking out a me window, cause I could hear shouting like, them bloody youths again. And I just spotted this little on, scrabbling around in the bins! Looking for food I reckon, look at the size of 'im! Can't have had a proper meal in months. Anyway, so I see's 'im out there, skin and bones, barely any clothes on 'im. So I bundled up and went out there. 'e jumped a foot in the air when I called 'im! 'E was terrified! I've got grandkiddy's, so I was prepared with my chocolate, like I said. I 'eld it out to 'im and 'e came running over, so I picked him up and bought 'im in 'ere. Poor mite." Dottie said sadly, shaking her head as she looked at the boy.
"Ok, thank you for taking him in Dottie. We'll talk him to the station and try and find his family." Beth said gratefully to the woman.
"I don't think 'e should go back to 'is family, do you?" Dottie said, a shocked look on her face.
"It's not up to us unfortunately. But we'll see. Thanks again Dottie. We might be round again to get more details if we need to." Millie said to the woman.
Beth approached the boy, crouching in front of him. His eyes flickered to hers as he shrunk back right into the corner of the sofa. "Hello sweetheart. My name's Beth, can you tell me what yours is?". There was no answer from the boy. "Do you like police cars? Because me and my friend Millie get to drive them! Seeing as you've been a good boy for Dottie, would you like to ride in one?". This time there was a tentative nod from the boy. Beth smiled at him encouragingly. "Good! And, how about you wear my hat and coat! They might be a bit big but they'll keep you nice and warm.". In answer, he shuffled forward to the edge of the sofa, allowing Beth to wrap her coat around him and balance her hat on his head. "You look like a real policeman! Come on then sweetheart, let's get you to the car. I'll carry you because you haven't got any shoes on, and I don't want your feet getting cold. Is that ok?". He looked at her, staring long and hard, before slowly raising his arms. Beth smiled at him, scooping him up and following Millie out of the flat, wishing Dottie a merry Christmas as they went.
"So? Any leads?" Smithy asked, entering the small room where Millie and Beth were working.
"I'm just checking through all the missing children files, seeing if there's any matches, but no luck so far." Beth said from her position at the computer.
"He's in FME now. He hasn't said a word to us so we have no idea what his name is or how old he is. The doc reckons he's about four judging by his size, but she can't be exact. She's checking him over then she's going to wash him and bag up the rags he was wearing. She's got some children's clothes so she'll dress him as well and give us a call when she's done." Millie informed him.
"Ok, well done ladies. You're free to go." Smithy said with a smile.
"Who's taking over?" Beth asked as Millie started to gather her papers.
"Will and Mel. Is that ok?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Of course, but if it's ok, I was wondering if I could stay and see this through." Beth asked.
"But its Christmas Eve PC Green." Smithy said with a confused look.
"I know, but I'm not doing anything for Christmas anyway, and this boy has no-one. Maybe some continuity with a familiar face will help him open up." Beth explained.
Smithy examined her long and hard before slowly nodding, "Fine. I'll put Will with you. Millie, have a good Christmas."
"Thanks Sarge, and you. Bye Beth, merry Christmas." Millie said, giving her friend a hug before she left.
"And you." Beth called after her.
"Bloody hell, poor boy." Will muttered after Beth had caught him up with the case.
"I know. He was shaking he was that scared. I've just called the emergency social worker, he's on his way in now. And FME have just called, he's ready now, so we can go and talk to him." Beth informed him.
"Lovely. Do you think social will be able to find anywhere for him?" Will asked, voicing what Beth was thinking. She shook her head sadly as they made their way to the FME's room. She knocked briskly on the door, opening it slowly. The boy was sat on the bed, legs swinging as he clutched a teddy bear. She smiled at him, happy when his lips curled up slightly back at her.
"Hiya mate, my name's Will. I like your teddy, I wish I had one like that." Will said softly to the boy. He looked unsure of Will, who stepped back. "I see what you mean." he said to Beth.
"So what's the verdict?" Beth asked, taking a seat.
"Severely underweight for his age. The soles of his feet are covered in cuts, some of which look infected from the dirt that's been in them. I've irrigated as best as I could, but he's going to need a course of antibiotics." she replied, looking sadly at the boy.
"Has he spoken yet?" Will asked.
"He was mumbling to himself as I was washing his feet down, and he's been crying. But he perked up when I gave him the teddy. His old clothes are bagged here ready to go to Eddie." she answered, indicating the bag at her feet.
"So he hasn't said what his name is?" Beth enquired. The doctor shook her head.
"Ok thank you doc, we'll get him to the soft room so he can play." Will said. Beth got up and approached the boy while Will got the evidence bag.
"Hi there again. Do you remember me?" she asked him quietly. He nodded, looking at her shyly. "Good. Will and I are going to take you to a nice warm room where you can play. Does that sound good?" He nodded again, lifting his arms up. She gently held him under the arms, standing him on the floor. He immediately clutched her hand tight in his own. Will opened the door for them, following them to the soft interview room. As soon as the door was shut behind them and the boy saw the toys, he let go of Beth's hand, running over and kneeling on the floor, pulling everything out.
"Look at that smile on his face. He obviously doesn't have this at home." Will said sadly, standing by the door with Beth.
"If we just knew his name we could help him better. Its so frustrating." Beth sighed.
"I know, but we're making progress. He's obviously taken a shine to you. Listen, I'll get us both a cuppa and get this young man some food. You'll be ok for a bit yeah?" Will asked.
"Yeah, thanks Will." she answered gratefully.
Beth observed the boy for a few minutes before slowly heading over to him. He was playing with some cars, racing them around him in circles.
"Wow, those are going really fast!" she said as she slowly sat cross legged next to him. He quickly looked up at her, flashing her a smile before returning his attention to the cars. "You like cars then?". He nodded at her, continuing to play. "Can I play with one too?". He paused for a minute, looking at her from under his fringe before handing her the small blue car.
"This one's my favourite." he whispered. Beth paused, looking at him closely. He had spoken to her!
"Why is it your favourite?" she asked him.
"Because blue is my favourite colour." he said simply, racing the car over her legs.
"Do you want to know what my favourite colour is?" she asked him. He nodded quickly. "Mine is yellow, because its bright and warm and it reminds me of summer."
"My room is painted blue." he said quietly.
"Your room? I bet its really nice isn't it. Where do you live, do you know?" she asked him, wondering if this could be the break they needed.
"I live on the Farmeade Estate with my mummy. She taught me that when I went to nursery. I don't go there anymore though." he answered. They turned as the door opened and Will returned with food.
"Here you go mate, I got some food for you. I got a nice burger and chips, and if you're good there's some chocolate as well." Will said, setting the food down on the small table in front of the sofa's. Beth stood, taking her tea from Will with a smile.
"He started talking." Beth said quietly, sitting on the sofa with Will.
"What has he said?" Will asked, looking as the boy wolfed down his food.
"He said that he lives on the Farmeade and he used to go to nursery but doesn't anymore. If the damn nurseries in the area were open we could have taken his picture round." Beth said in frustration.
"Well at least we know where he lives now. Smithy's talking to the social worker by the way. He's just got here apparently." Will informed her.
"Great. Let's hope his mum isn't the kind of woman I have pictured in my head and we can get him home for Christmas." Beth said.
"And what kind of woman have you pictured?" Will asked curiously.
"Either a drunk, druggie, someone who doesn't give a toss about their own child. Negligent. Abusive. The list goes on." Beth said stony faced.
"Let's hope she's the opposite of that then." Will said with a sideways glance at her. Someone knocked at the door, revealing themselves as Smithy when he stuck his head round. "Beth, a word please?"
"You alright with him?" Beth asked, setting her tea down.
"Yeah course, go ahead." Will said with a smile.
"Yes sarge?" Beth asked once she was outside the room.
"Jake Thomason is here, emergency social worker. I've spoken to him briefly about what I know, but seeing as you're the one who's been most involved I want you to come and speak to him." Smithy said, leading Beth to his office.
"Sarge, he spoke, the boy has spoken to me. He says that he lives on the Farmeade." Beth informed him.
Smithy stopped just outside his office, "Well thats something. Still no name?"
"No, but I'm hoping I'll be able to get it from him now that he's started talking." Beth answered.
"Ok, well go talk to Jake, tell him what you told me and we can put a plan together." Smithy replied.
"Smithy, if we can't find any relatives, I don't want him going into emergency care, not tonight. No-one will have him, not on Christmas Eve." Beth said quietly.
Smithy looked at her closely, "Well we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
Beth sat down in Smithy's office next to Jake.
"Hi, PC Green I presume? I'm Jake Thomason, emergency social worker for the night. Sergeant Smith has filled me on as much as he could on the case, and I've spoken to the doc who looked at him now. So I just want to get your impression." Jake said.
"First, please call me Beth. Ok, so we retrieved him from an elderly resident on the Farmeade who found him outside rummaging through bins. He hadn't said a word, looked severely undernourished and it was obvious he hadn't been cared for properly. We got him back here and straight to the doc, and you know what she said. He's in the soft interview room now eating, and when I was playing with him earlier he told me that he lives on the Farmeade. He still hasn't said what his name is or anything else that could help us find his family." Beth explained.
Jake nodded, jotting down the information on a piece of paper, "It might. If we showed him pictures of the Farmeade he might be able to identify which block he lives in, and from there it's a case of getting details of the residents and trying to identify him through that."
Beth looked at him sceptically, "It seems a bit of a long shot to me."
"What do you suggest then?" Jake asked, genuinely curious.
"I suggest that you let me keep on talking to him, try and get his name or anything else that might help us." Beth replied.
Jake considered her for a moment before nodding, "Ok. If you don't mind I'd like to come in and sit with you?"
"That's fine by me. What's going to happen if you can't find anyone?" Beth asked, already knowing what the answer would be.
"Emergency foster care until we can find a relative to take him." Jake said simply.
"So, did you like it at nursery?" Beth asked the boy as she sat down next to him again.
He nodded, "I got to play with lots of toys and they had nice food and the lady was really nice."
"Did you have lots of friends there?" she asked, handing him a car which he proceeded to zoom up the carpet.
"Yep. But Holly was my best friend. She played cars with me. And now I don't go anymore and it makes me sad." he said.
"Why don't you go anymore?" Beth asked.
"Because mummy said I was a big boy and had to go to school. I liked school though. But Holly wasn't there. And I couldn't play cars all the time." he answered.
"What school do you go to?" Beth asked, feeling like she was playing twenty questions with him.
"To Farmeade Primary School. And my teacher is Miss King. She's pretty." he said.
"Wow she sounds like a nice lady. So does that mean you're five then?" she asked.
He nodded proudly, "I was five on the first of October. I had a party, just me and mummy, but it was fun." he said with a smile.
"Its sounds like it was fun! So now I know that you're five, you love the colour blue and Holly was your best friend. How about you tell me what you're name is?" Beth said quietly, wondering if he would finally tell her.
"My mummy calls me little bugger sometimes but she laughs when she says it. But at school Miss King calls me by my proper name." he answered.
"And what's that then?" she pushed.
"Ben." he answered.
"Ben! I have a friend called Ben who's a police officer like me." Beth said with a smile.
Ben looked at her, his eyes lighting up, "Really?"
Beth nodded, "His name is Benjamin Gayle. What's your surname?"
"Ben Allen." he answered.
"Nice to meet you Ben Allen." she said, shaking his hand, causing him to laugh.
"You're funny." he said.
"Thank you! So are you. Now I'm just going to talk to my friends, you keep playing." she said.
"Right, come on, let's go look him up on the system." Will said, standing.
"I'll stay with him, don't worry." Jake said with a nod.
"Ben Allen, flat 16, block C, Farmeade Estate. Mother is Lisa Allen, few minor charges, nothing serious. Let's go check it out." Will said, printing out the details.
"I'll go and let Smithy know and meet you at the car?" Beth asked.
"Yep, see you in a minute." Will replied.
"Right this is it. Let's see what she has to say for herself." Beth said as they got to flat 16. She knocked loudly. There was no response. She knocked again, for longer this time. They waited a few minutes but there was still no answer.
"I'll run and get the enforcer. If she answers while I'm not here let me know. That's a bastard to carry up the stairs." Will said with a grin as he ran to the stairwell.
Beth knelt down, peering through the letterbox. There was a light on somewhere in the flat, and she could see twinkling Christmas tree lights. She couldn't hear any movement though. "Lisa Allen, if you're there open the door, it's the police." Beth shouted into the flat. Still nothing.
"Are you alright there officer?" a man asked from behind Beth.
"Do you know the woman who lives here?" Beth asked, straightening up.
"Yeah, Lisa and her boy. I haven't seen her in a few weeks though." the man said.
"What's your name sir?" Beth enquired, pulling her jot pad out.
"Edward Miller. I live across the hall. I heard you banging and thought I'd see what it was about." Edward answered.
"So you haven't seen Lisa at all in a few weeks you say?" Beth confirmed.
"That's right. I normally see her every other day taking her little one to school or when she picks him up. He's a good boy, her lad." Edward said with a nod.
"Have you seen Ben at all over the past few weeks?" Beth asked.
"No, can't say I have. Is everything ok?" Edward asked, his face scrunching into one of concern.
"We're not sure at the minute. That's why we're here, to find out if Lisa is ok." Beth answered honestly.
"Righty ho, I'll let you get on with it, don't want to get in your way." he said and shuffled back into his flat.
"Phew, I think I need to start going to the gym again." Will huffed as he emerged.
"Will I've got a really bad feeling about this. I've just been talking to a neighbour who say's he hasn't seen Lisa or Ben for a couple of weeks. There's some lights on in the flat but no movement whatsoever." Beth said worriedly, standing behind Will as he took position square in front of the door to Lisa's flat.
"We'll find out in a minute." Will said grimly, swinging the enforcer at the door. It took three swings for the door to finally bang open, and when it did the smell that escaped out was not good. The two officers looked at each other sadly before slowly proceeding into the flat. There was a pile of mouldy plates stacked in the sink, the fridge was wide open and full of gone off food. Will took the lead, heading for the back of the flat where the smell was strongest. He wrinkled his nose as he looked around the doorframe, gagging slighty at the sight. Lisa Allen lay dead in her bed, and had been for some time judging by the decomposition that had occurred. Will stumbled back out of the room, shutting the door to the bedroom.
"Will?" Beth asked, not having seen what was in there.
"She's dead. And for a good few weeks I'd say." Will said, walking back out of the flat and leaning against the wall.
"Oh God, poor Ben. I'll call it in." Beth said, walking a few steps away and making the call to Smithy.
"What's going to happen now?" Beth asked Jake as they arrived back at the station.
"I've called the office and we're trying to find a relative. In the I'm arranging for him to go to a care home while we find a foster family." Jake said.
"You can't put him in a home for Christmas!" Beth said in outrage.
"There's nothing else I can do Beth." Jake said apologetically.
"I'll take him home with me." she blurted out.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"I can take him home with me, just for Christmas. I've got a spare room, plenty of food, and some toys and clothes from when my nephews stay with me. They're a bit younger than Ben, but it's better than nothing." Beth explained.
"Beth you're not a registered foster parent. We can't just give him to you. We'd have to do an assessment on your flat and get someone to speak on your behalf about your suitability.
"Listen, its Christmas day in three hours. Do not put that boy in a home for Christmas. Please. Let him stay with me, just until Boxing Day. It'll give you time to find a relative and it'll mean he doesn't have to go to a horrible home." Beth pleaded.
"It's not as simple as that..." Jake began.
"It is! Smithy will vouch for me, you can come and look at my flat now if you want!" Beth answered.
Jake sighed, his misgivings melting away, "Right, I'll speak to Smithy and then you're going to take me to your flat so I can inspect it. And then, only then, I might be able to bend the rules."
Beth hugged him, then stood back, a blush creeping on her face, "Sorry, that was inappropriate."
Jake laughed nervously, clearing his throat, "It's fine. Let me go and speak to Smithy now."
"Thank you Jake. Seriously. And I'll go and tell Ben about his mother." Beth said sadly.
"Ben? Will and I have just been to your flat." Beth said slowly.
"Is mummy still sleeping? She's been sleeping for a long time." Ben said innocently.
Beth sighed, taking a deep breath before ploughing on, "Ben, your mum isn't sleeping. She's died Ben. Do you understand?"
"Died? I had a pet fish once that died and we had to flush him down the toilet. Is that going to happen to my mummy?" Ben asked, looking at Beth.
"No sweetheart. But it means that mummy is gone now. She won't be able to come back unfortunately." Beth explained.
"But where has she gone?" Ben asked.
"She's gone to Heaven." she said gently.
"Oh." he whispered. And then he started to cry.
"Here we go, this is where I live." Beth said, shutting the door and locking it, turning lights on as she walked through her flat.
"You have a nice tree." Ben said, slowly exploring the flat.
"Thank you, my nephews helped me decorate it." she said with a smile. After Jake had granted her temporary guardianship of Ben she had hugged him, again. She had then told Ben what was happening and explained that it was only for a few days. He had seemed to understand and excitedly went with Beth back to her flat.
"Where are all your presents?" he asked.
"Santa hasn't been yet." she laughed. She looked at her watch, seeing that it was just after midnight. "Oh, its very late. Come on, let's get you to bed, then in the morning Santa will have been!" Beth led a sleepy Ben to her spare room, helping him change into a pair of pyjamas that belonged to one of her nephews. They were slightly small but he didn't seem to mind. As soon as he was tucked in he was fast asleep. Beth exited the room quietly, pulling the door to behind her. She proceeded to the big black bin bag that she had left by the front door, pulling out presents. When she had called into Smithy about Lisa Allen's death, she had gathered up the presents that were under Lisa's tree and bagged them up to make sure that Ben had some presents to open on Christmas. She now started arranging them under the tree, adding in her own ones. She thought of how Ben would associate future Christmas' with his mother's death and felt a well of sadness in her heart. It wasn't fair. But at least Ben wasn't in the care home; he was with her and he would wake up and Santa would have been, and he wouldn't have time to think of his mother's death. Just giving him that one extra day of happiness and normality was all that mattered to Beth. She settled into bed, falling asleep with thoughts of Ben in her head.