Chapter 2 – A new beginning?
"Jane, are you okay? Your wound hurts again?"
He didn't answer at once. He'd been out of the hospital for a week now, and the wound in his chest still hurt sometimes. However, that wasn't the actual problem right now.
"I… I don't think this is really a great idea, considering".
Lisbon placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I understand that's hard for you, Jane. Yet it's only for a while. Honestly, I believe it could turn into something good – both for you and the child. You've always been wonderful with kids. The little girl is alone and frightened. She'd been asking for you for all this time, you know?"
Jane sighed. The girl probably saw him as her savior or something like that. While he had actually acted more on an impulse than driven by any kind of rational thought.
He usually ran as far as he could from any psychopathic criminal holding a gun.
It was just… when he had seen him coming towards that little girl, he couldn't help but jumping between them and shielding the child with his body. Which had resulted with him getting shot twice in his chest.
The girl, on the other hand, had come through it all unscathed – and had also been spared from the sight of her mother lying dead on the concrete.
"Here we are". The social worker's cheerful voice broke into Jane's musings, and made him panic a little. There was no way out of it now.
"Daisy, greet Mr. Patrick".
He forced himself to look at the child, a familiar pang of sorrow brewing into his stomach.
She's as hold as Charlotte was when she died.
Yet the little girl didn't resemble his daughter very much. Charlotte had had golden curls and sky-blue eyes – his eyes. This girl's hair were strawberry blond instead, and her eyes could pretty much be described as sea-green. Strange, dreamy eyes – as if she could see something that wasn't really there.
She stared at him for a minute or two, then stepped forward and threw her arms around his waist, hiding her face into his vest. Just as if she had known him for all her life.
Jane stood there, dazed, feeling a lump in his throat. Then, a bit awkwardly, he hugged her back – much to Lisbon's relief.