-9-
May closed the door of her apartment and leaned back against it, dropping her bag to the floor at her feet. She leaned her head back, closed her eyes and drew a long breath. She was past exhausted. The twenty-three hour flight home, on a transport plane, was less than accommodating. Three hours of debriefing afterward was just as unpleasant. She showered and changed at the base then collected her personal belongings from holding.
As soon as she flicked on her personal cell the pings and chimes of messages, texts and calls not answered played a symphony she had no desire to deal with after everything else. But waiting until tomorrow would only make it worse. She swiped through the few texts from her father, reminding her she promised to visit on her next trip to the west coast. She cringed at the fact she had been in LA only two weeks ago and had not kept that promise, but the lay over was only two hours and…well, he didn't need to know. A second text reminded her of a dental appointment next Tuesday and her dry cleaning needed to be picked up before it was considered a charitable donation. Of course there were those ridiculous bits that thanked her for paying her utilities bill and telling her about some damn sale at some damn store she never stepped inside. It gave an option to text back 'stop' to receive no more but she'd done that more times than she cared to count. There were several missed calls from a number she had no intention of returning.
What the hell was than nun calling her about? She'd made it clear she was done with the whole situation and the fact that she could not get that kid out of her head was not going to change her mind. If she let herself get more involved things could get very complicated for everyone and everyone would end up hurt, not just that kid. Melinda May had spent the better part of her life building walls that would keep out any emotion that might jeopardize her ability to focus on her job…and only her job. And yet every time she got within five feet of that kid those walls started to tremble and she was not about to risk everything because of it. St. Stephanie kept pushing but May could see right through that and meant to keep her distance. She had no time and no patience for a kid.
There was one voice mail. 'Damn!' she grumbled when she recognized that nun's voice. She only asked that May return her call, but there was something in her voice that sounded a little off…a little desperate. But it was after nine and the woman didn't say it was urgent or she needed an immediate call back. May flicked off the phone and jammed it into her pocket. She'd call in the morning when she was at least semi-rested and would not chew the woman's head off within the first three words. She made one stop at her office, frowning at the absence of her assistant. There was one note on her desk…one note to call one number she immediately recognized…St. Agnes Foundling Home.
What the hell did that nun want that was so urgent?
May didn't care. She was tired. She was sore. She was pissed.
She jammed the note into her pocket, grabbed her bag and stormed to her car.
The weather did nothing to improve her mood and the insanity it caused with traffic only made it worse. She used every word in her unsavory vocabulary to scream at other drivers from the base garage until she pulled into her own parking space under her building.
Now she stood in the dark, just breathing in the scent of home…the quiet of home…the home of home. She had no intention of even moving that damn bag. It could lay on the floor right there in front of the door until tomorrow or the next day or until she felt the need to leave her apartment.
The mission had been more difficult than any of them had expected and they barely got out with their lives. It was miraculous they had not lost one team member. Now, she had a three day mandatory leave. It was routine after such a mission. That dope, Coulson, was off to some comic book convention nonsense in Manhattan. It talked her ears off about it all the way back, even asked her if she'd be interested in going along. Yeah, like she wanted to bump elbows with a bunch of wacko adults dressed up in tights like preschoolers out trick or treating. She laughed to herself wondering what the pale nerd would look like in a superhero cape and mask. She swore if she showed her one more Captain America card she was going to grab a parachute and take her chances. She couldn't even imagine what possessed the powers that be to partner them for any reason, other than maybe it was because he gave her a lot of comic relief.
After a few minutes, she pushed herself away from the door and walked through the dark into the kitchen. She filled the kettle and placed it on the stove then shrugged off her leather jacket and draped it over the back of the nearest chair. Tea was a good choice now…something to warm her…something to calm her. She scanned the tins in her pantry looking for just the right combination. Her father's blend of wolfberry and jujube seed seemed her best choice. He'd given it to her to help the irritability that caused mental fatigue. He told her it helped her mother with the same difficulties. It always worked, but she figured it was because it reminded her so much of him and how he always just knew how to help her relax or at least face that which caused her stress.
It would take at least twenty minutes to steep it properly, giving her time to get out of these clothes and throw on a robe before climbing into her own bed for the first time in four days. Hell, any bed…she'd been sleeping against the side of a rock or leaning against a tree dozing for a few seconds at a time. She wasn't hungry but figured it would be wise to eat something light so she stepped around the refrigerator and pulled it open. Her supply of yogurt was dwindling and she made a mental note to stop at the grocer to replenish it. Turning back she glanced at the small cupboard above her washer.
She'd get rid of those damn red sneakers on the same trip.
The screeching tea kettle took her attention away from the small box that still rested inside that cabinet. She pulled the kettle from the heat and poured it over the tea she'd already added to a small china cup. The pungent odor wafted up immediately. She smiled at the mental vision of Baba's approving nod then stopped when she heard a slight sound that was not just the settling of an old building renovated to look a lot newer than it was.
May knew every crack and pop her home made, even during a storm and that was not rain hitting the large sliding glass doors that lead to her terrace. It tapped a few times then stopped, tapped once more then went quiet, almost like someone attempting to send some crazy coded message. She stood in the middle of the kitchen and stilled her breath, stilled her own heart beat in order to hear the slightest movement.
For several seconds it was silent…as silent as a the storm outside could be but she used her training to tune out all of that and listened only to what was behind it…not the sounds of traffic or the large clock in the living room, not even the buzzing of the electricity that buzzed through her home or the hum of the refrigerator. The phone in her front pocket vibrated a soft 'vvvvvv' that she ignored with a silent growl as she waited to hear that sound again. She didn't have to wait much longer. It tapped again…twice…then a rapid paradiddle…then again…then once…once…once…one, two and then silence.
Her trained ear tracked the sound to the bedrooms off the kitchen. She moved with silent stealth in that direction. The sound was too light for a person and it was next to impossible an animal had gotten into the apartment. The only animal within miles was that damn cat the lady across the hall kept. There were times it got out and yowled at her door, but there was no way that scraggily thing could get in. She remembered once, as a child, a squirrel had gotten into their house in rural Pennsylvania. It made a lot of scratchy noises and took forever to trap and release, but there were no squirrels in this part of the city. Unless the damn thing was knocking on the window.
May remembered standing over the box and staring at the tiny frightened creature. It had dark nails and held its paws in front of its body in an odd prayer fashion, almost like it was begging. Its big black eyes seemed filled with tears that wouldn't fall. Immediately she pushed away the same image of that damn kid looking up at her…questioning why she hadn't returned…hadn't called…hadn't checked to be sure she was keeping her nose clean.
The tapping chased away the thoughts and she moved further into the darkness of the hallway off the kitchen. She paused listening again to the small sound drowned out by a long roll of thunder. The wind whipped wildly following the flash of lightening that followed and May caught a glimpse of the dark shape outside the far window of the first bedroom. The tapping grew more frantic with the wind and her ears honed into the spot where it tapped against the glass.
She stepped slowly, keeping herself out of the line of view of anyone who might be there…outside…on the fire escape. She couldn't imagine why anyone would be there in this storm and relaxed thinking it was probably something that slipped down from the fourth or fifth floor…something a neighbor might have put out. The family in the top apartment had teenagers that made it a point of using the back grates as a private spot to visit with friends and often left items that dropped down. They'd been warned several times, but it continued. Last summer she'd wrestled a large duffle bag from the grate outside her window after the large brass buckle cracked the glass. The parents paid for the repair and brushed her off with a half-hearted apology.
The light tapping suddenly woke up the frustration she had almost put to bed. If there was damage again and this storm made a mess…she'd have more than words for those piss-poor excuses for responsible adults. She moved closer, with more determination and less apprehension just as a flash of lightening lit the sky. May stopped, refusing to believe what she thought she saw in that split second of illumination.
It sure as hell was not a duffle bag resting against her window. It was definitely not a cat or a squirrel. She marched to the window and banged against it with her knuckles, hoping to wake the vagrant and dismiss them without the need to contact security or worse. The wide, frightened eyes that started back at her almost knocked her off her feet.
She unlatched and opened the window in one fluid movement, catching the small child as she slipped forward in the opening. Grabbing the half-awake child she yanked her inside and stood her in front of her, still holding the shoulder of her sodden jacket as a dripping back pack tumbled in behind her. She gave the kid a rough shake, without thinking.
"What the hell!" was all she could manage as she took one look down at the thirty foot climb from the alley below. She slammed the window closed and shook the kid again at the same time. "How the hell did you get…? How long… What the hell, kid? Are you suicidal?"
Mary Sue blinked a few times and shook off the fright that had awakened her. The little girl didn't even remember falling asleep nor did she know how long she'd been against that window. May was shouting and shaking her and she couldn't answer because she was shivering too much and all the water was dripping on the clean carpet and…and…she was wet…the other kind of wet…because there was nowhere else to go and she couldn't hold it anymore and she hoped, really hoped she had done that kind of wet on May's clean white carpet.
May drew a breath, stung by the look of shear terror in the kid's eyes. She released her grip on the little girl's jacket and let out a disgusted sigh as the child's feet eased to the floor. The woman hadn't released she was holding her from standing on her own. She closed her eyes and drew a very deep breath, rolled her hands into fists and rested them on her hips then turned and took a few steps away. With her back to Mary Sue, she took several more breaths and released them slowly. When she turned back the little girl had not moved. She stood in the same place, wiping the streams of water that fell from her hair, ran over her eyelashes and dripped off her chin. Occasionally a tremor would shake the little body with a force May could barely believe. She took a quick step toward the child then stopped with the little girl jumped back.
Slowing her steps and dropping to her knees in front of Mary Sue, May took one slow breath. She reached out slowly and took one of the little girl's ice cold hands into her own. "You're soaked kid." She attempted a weak smile that the child did not return. In fact it scared her that Mary Sue looked at her as if she did not know her or wasn't sure if she should or could reply. May scrunched up her nose in a grimace. "You don't smell so great either."
Mary Sue dropped her head. "I peed." She mumbled in a soft whisper.
May looked at the window…at the storm…then back at the condition of the child in front of her. "Yeah," she sighed, "I probably would have too."
Letting out a puffy breath, May tugged the soaked jacket from the kid and dropped it to the just as soaked spot on the floor. "Let's go," she ordered as she stood and headed toward a door next to the window where Mary Sue had rested for quite a while. She pushed it opened and flicked on the light, then stepped inside. A second later she stepped back to the doorway and glared at the little girl who had not moved. She raised her eyebrows in a silent question, but still got no response. "Now, kid, let's move. Get yourself in here." She tried not to sound like a drill sergeant but old habits died hard.
Mary Sue swallowed hard and took a small step, feeling the squish of the water leaving her shoe as she did. She'd have to walk about six feet to get to the door and it was all across one of those soft white rugs. That would make a lot of wet, dirty foot prints, not to mention all the water that was dripping off of her. At least, she hoped it was water.
May wasn't about to ask again. She marched back to the child, slipped her hands under the kid's arms and held her out in front of her, walking to the large bright bathroom and depositing her on the tile floor. She let out a breath, pushed her hair back and flipped on the water in the biggest bathtub Mary Sue had ever seen. It glugged out loudly and May dumped something from a large bottle into the water that made it get a little quieter. Then she turned and put her hands on her hips again, shook her head and reached for the child who threw up one arm in self defense. May stopped, mentally kicking herself for once again moving too quickly and too harshly for a kid too used to being knocked around.
"It's okay," she spoke softly as she again knelt down in front of the little girl. "I'm just…just…" She didn't know exactly what she was…angry? Surprised? Frustrated? Confused? How the hell could she explain all of that to this kid? She turned back and leaned over to turn the water off then turned back very slowly.
"Let's get you out of these things." She reached to pull the wet t-shirt off the little girl, but stopped when Mary Sue quickly grabbed the same and took a half step back. She looked at May with wide questioning eyes.
May smiled. "Hey, kid you don't have anything I've never seen and you're not going to peel those soaked things off without help. So, how about we help each other?" She raised her brows in question and waited while the little girl tried to wriggle out of the shirt that stuck like extra skin to her skinny arms, now shriveled with the cold water.
After a few moments and a lot of effort, Mary Sue stopped and asked for help with only a glance. May nodded and pulled the arms and neck openings wider with a gentle tug then wrestled the shirt over the child's head. The grayish camisole followed. May took a quick breath at the sight of the child's ribs that should not be as pronounced as they were. What the hell? Didn't they feed these kids?
She swallowed her renewed anger and smiled as she lifted the child to sit on the closed toilet seat. She untied her shoes and slipped them off, staring at the mismatched socks underneath. One barely reached the girl's ankle and was bright orange with blue stripes. The other was at least a size too big and dark with a hole in the heel as well as the ball of the foot. May stretched them wide and pulled both off adding them to the pile.
"I'm s-sorry 'bout the shoes." Mary Sue shivered with her arms wrapped around her middle. "T-the m-marker got all r-r-runny in in the r-r-rain." Her teeth chattered as she tried to explain.
May shook her head as she helped the child stand. "I've got something to fix that." She winked at the child as she slipped the light cotton slacks over her nonexistent hips and wrestled them off, leaving the faded, off color, frayed panties in place. She noticed for the first time the long gash along the child's thigh that matched the tear in the pants. She looked at it with concern. It was deep enough for stitches, but it was nasty.
Mary Sue leaned over to look as well. "I g-got c-c-caught, w-w-w-when I climbed on on the d-d-dumpster. It w-w-was sha-sharp."
May could not even imagine what kind of nastiness could have transferred from a dumpster used by gawd knows who or for what. At least the rain had washed it clean…if the rain was even clean. It didn't matter because she intended to soak this kid until she sparkled. Of course that meant removing that last article of clothing. She took a deep breath and rested her hands on her own thighs.
As if the child understood she sighed. Mary Sue knew she'd had at least one 'accident', maybe more than one while she was out on that window. The first happened when she slipped off the wet dumpster and scraped her leg. It just happened because she couldn't stop it. The second time was when May banged on the window real hard and she knew the warm water on her legs was not rain. She sniffled once then pushed her fingers under the weak elastic band on her waist. The undies didn't exactly slide down. They more rolled into a band and fell in a plop at her feet. She bent quickly and snatched them so May wouldn't have to touch them. Sr. Regina said that was disgusting when it happened last year.
It was an accident. She just waited too long and then Polly wouldn't unlock the door and she didn't mean to go on the hall floor. Sr. Regina made her mop it twice and spray it with something that made her cough for a long time. Then she had to change herself while Sr. Regina watched, but didn't help. She made her throw away her clothes and put on one of those diaper pants things that the toddlers wore, but that was after she whacked her bare bottom a couple times. Polly was there too and she laughed for a long time and told all the other kids what happened. Everybody laughed at her all week cuz they knew she had to wear those dumb diaper pants things until Sr. Regina said she could have underwear again. Polly was in charge of making sure she did and made her go to the lavatory every twenty minutes. Sister said she'd get two whacks for every accident. She didn't have any but Polly lied and told the nun she did…twice. So she got two whacks two times and had to wear the dumb pants two more weeks. Then Sister Stephanie came back from visiting her mother and made it stop.
She hoped May wouldn't tell on her.
May tried not to stare at the fading bruises on the child. She smiled and lifted the little girl into the large tub seeing the long yellowish green bruise across her backside for the first time.
She was going to hurt that nun.
Mary Sue eased herself down into a cloud of wonderful smelling bubbles and the warmest water she'd ever felt. The gash on her side stung but she didn't care, the water made her cold body feel better as soon as it touched her skin. She sat bolt upright in the center of the tub but slowly relaxed and let herself run her hands through the soft water and mounds of bubbles.
May let out a breath and ran a hand through her hair. She let out a fluttery breath then turned and picked up the sodden mess on the floor with just her finger and thumb. She dropped what might have once been considered clothing into the waste basket and set the small wet sneakers on top then turned back to the little girl.
"You stay right there. Do not even attempt to get out until I come back. Got it?" She commanded gently.
Mary Sue nodded.
xx
May moved to the laundry room, took one look at the mess in the waste basket and dumped it into the trash. She turned up her nose at the odor, pulled the bag from the can and made a quick trip to the back hall to deposit it in the incinerator chute. Once back inside she filled a small basin with warm water, added some of that oxidized powder and dropped the sneakers in to soak. She drummed her fingers on the top of the washer.
"Now what?" She asked herself, out loud. The kid couldn't stay in the tub and she certainly couldn't go stark naked. Her mind spun with all she needed and what she had to do. "Damn!" she spit as she pulled her phone from her pocket and opened the message app. She poked the number she needed and waited for the call to be answered.
Sr. Stephanie's voice was calm but May could hear the anxiety she tried to hide. "May," the woman breathed. "Mary Sue has gone missing. I've called the police but I don't have any idea where to tell them to start. She's been gone all day and now this storm. I thought maybe she might try to go back to where you two spent the day and…"
"I've got her." May interrupted, silencing the woman.
"She's with you?" The nun's voice was a combination of relief and confusion.
"Let's just say, I found her about twenty minutes ago." May started to explain.
"Thank the Lord," Sr. Stephanie had tears in her voice. "Is she hurt? I will wake Father Simon and come for her right now. Thank you, May. I am so sorry for this situation. I assure you it will not happen again."
"She's wet and cold and probably hungry. I've got her soaking in a warm tub." May assured her. "It's almost ten, Sister. By the time you get here and back it will be after midnight. This storm has everything running slowly. I'll keep her for the night and bring her to you in the morning." She stopped for a moment then added. "I'd still like a word with Regina." She grit her teeth saying the name.
"I cannot put that responsibility on you, May. It is highly irregular. I'm sure Father will not…"
"There's no problem," May insisted. "She's already here and there's no reason any of use need to go out in this. She's warm and safe." May meant that in more ways than one. Who knew what waited for that little kid if she was left with those crazy women.
Sr. Stephanie hesitated, letting the conversation fall silent for a few seconds before she agreed. She would contact the police and let them know Mary Sue was safe. There would be forms to file and questions to answer, but for now she was satisfied all was well. May was right it was a long trip across town and back and it was late. The best thing for all of them was to let the child stay where she was and sort things out in the morning.
May hung up the phone and let out a sigh of relief…one relief. She immediately jabbed another number into the phone and waited the few seconds for an answer.
"Piper," she barked then continued without waiting for a reply. "I need you to go to one of those stores that sell everything and stays open all night."
"Okay," the voice came back confused but alert. "Is there a problem."
"I need you to pick up a couple pair of little girl's jeans and some of those shirts kids wear and a couple packs of girls underwear – tops and bottoms. And socks, however they sell them, a few packs of those too. And pajamas or nightgowns or something kids wear to bed." May rambled off rapidly.
"Okay," Piper answered again, now clearly confused but knew enough not to ask when May gave an order. "What size?" She asked slowly.
"Size?" Now May sounded confused. She let out a breath through her nose. Size? How the hell should she know what size?
"Yeah, how big?" Piper resisted the urge to ask why May, a single no family no attachment woman, suddenly had a need for children's clothing. "Any size?" She tried. Maybe it was some kind of charity thing.
"Small," May answered back. "Probably size eight, is that a size?" May wasn't sure. She never purchased kids stuff. "I don't know get a couple sixes and some eights. I think ten is too big. Yeah, sixes and eights."
"Okay," Piper repeated. "They'll be here when you return."
"No!" May answered quickly. "No, I need you to go now and bring them here as soon as possible."
"Now?" Piper almost squeaked. "Right now?"
"Now," May repeated. "Go." With that word she hung up and set the phone on the kitchen table then picked up her very strong, luke warm tea and drank it all in one sip.
xx
Mary Sue sat at the kitchen table wrapped in two large towels. May had come back to the bathroom and helped her scrub clean then washed her hair twice with shampoo that didn't smell like the same stuff you clean the dishes with, but more like flowers. She told the little girl it was jasmine and lavender and it would make her hair soft and shiny. May was very careful not to get soap in her eyes. She let the dirty water drain out of the tub then filled it again with very warm water and let Mary Sue soak some more. When she held up a big white towel, the little girl stood and allowed her to lift her out of the very big tub.
May patted her dry. She didn't rub hard and almost knock her down like the big girls did when they helped with bath time. She rubbed her hair gently, too. The only bad part was when she put medicine on the big cut on her leg. It stung bad, but May blew cool breath on it and told her it would only sting for a bit. Then she put more medicine on that didn't sting and wrapped a bandage around her leg so it would stay there.
She dried her hair with a real hairdryer and wrapped her in two big dry towels. One went around her chest twice then tucked in behind her. The other, May put over her shoulders like a shawl. After that she scooped her up in arms and started for the kitchen.
"I could walk." Mary Sue said, but she secretly wished May wouldn't put her down.
The woman shook her head. "Your feet are clean and the floor is cold. Let's keep them apart." She smiled and carried her all the way to the kitchen then set her down on one of the chairs at the table. There was a small bowl of soup and a cup of tea. Both had steamy swirls drifting up from them.
Mary Sue looked at both then up at May.
"I know it's late, but you need to warm up the inside of you before you go to bed." She nodded toward the bowl as she handed Mary Sue a spoon. "And that tea is a special recipe my Baba uses to keep the sniffles away."
Mary Sue looked at the spoon for a second then took a small taste of the soup she hoped didn't taste like fish. She smiled and took a full spoon taste. It was chicken with rice, lots of rice not just a little bit like at St. Agnes. It had carrots and chunks of chicken too. She took a few more spoons full, set the spoon down and tasted the tea laced with an extra dollop of honey. She swallowed, wiped her mouth with the napkin May had set on the table and sat back on her chair.
"I ain't got no clothes." She could see her back pack on top of the washer from where she sat. "They's all wet. I gotta wait til they dry?"
"About that kid," May paused as she sat next to the child with a fresh cup of her own tea. "I couldn't save them. They were too far gone."
Mary Sue blinked a few times, swallowed and looked at the soup for a second before responding. "I can't go back naked. I'm already gonna get punished real bad. If I ain't got no clothes…" She just shook her head.
May took a deep breath and let her hand drop on the table. This kid talked about getting punished like she just expected it, like it was supposed to be part of her everyday routine. Mary Sue mistook the reaction for anger. She dropped her head to her chest and her hands to her lap.
"You gonna hit me now." She sighed heavily.
May stood and moved to the child's side, squatting down next to her. She turned the little girl to face her and looked into her eyes. "Listen kid, what you did was pretty stupid and gawd knows what could have happened. My momma would have spanked my butt purple," she took a breath as Mary Sue let out a sigh and nodded in agreement. May took the child's hand in her own and rubbed her thumb over the small palm. "But no, kid I am not going to hit you. I think…" She wanted to say she believed the little girl had enough hits, but stopped herself. "You don't need to worry about that." She smiled then grew serious. "But, don't your ever, EVER pull a stunt like that again or I might just have to imitate my mom." She smiled again and tapped the little girl's nose, causing her to blink. "Finish your soup," she pointed toward the bowl as she stood.
Mary Sue turned, picked up her spoon and continued to eat as the doorbell chimed and May moved to answer it.
xx
"Hey, boss," Piper whispered as she handed May the first of several large bags. "You didn't specific how many so I got five of each."
"Thank you, Piper." May actually smiled but did not open the door to admit the other woman.
"You're not going to tell me what this is all about, are you?" Piper smiled as she passed the last two bags through the slightly open door.
"Good night, Piper," May glared. "Thanks again," she eased the door closed then collected as many bags as she could carry and moved to the kitchen.
It took three more trips to get all of them to the bedroom.
xx
By midnight, Mary Sue was clad in brand new right out of the package Little Mermaid undies, a starch white camisole and pajamas that fit. They had real colors and no holes and they smelled fresh. The pants were all colored stripes and the top had a goofy character with orange hair that poked right up straight. May didn't know what it was called and they both laughed at the silliness of it.
May led her back into the room wear she'd slept by the outside window. She drew the blinds and made the room look smaller and quieter then she pulled down the blankets and the sheet so Mary Sue could climb in with just a nudge of encouragement. She waited until the little girl got comfortable on the fluffy pillows then tucked the blankets around her. May sat on the edge of the bed for a second then held up one finger and hurried out of the room. When she returned she held out a small soft Panda to the little girl.
"Maybe you need a friend for company. I know you don't usually sleep alone." May smiled as the child took the toy and snuggled it down next to her.
Mary Sue took in all the feels and smells of this room and this bed. It smelled like outside in the fresh air and the blanket didn't scratch because there was a sheet between it and her skin and it felt so soft she just wanted to feel it with her bare toes. The pillows were soft and didn't sink down flat and there were no bumps under her, just a mattress that felt just right.
May sat on the bed again and watched her for a moment before once again tucking the blankets around her. She let her imagination wander for just a second. How different could her life be with this…no she wouldn't go there…?
"You know we have a lot to talk about in the morning." She said calmly. The little girl nodded with a slight frown. "There's going to be a lot of questions you'll need to answer and Sr. Stephanie is probably not going to be very happy."
Mary Sue shook her head and hugged the panda tighter.
"You know I have to take you back." May said without looking at the little girl and felt her nod her understanding. The woman took a breath as the child yawned. "Okay, you get some sleep and maybe we'll see if Carl's has those pancakes you like before we go back."
A smile spread over the little girl's face as she curled into a ball and cuddled the panda. May stood and looked at her for a moment before quickly placing a soft kiss on her temple. Mary Sue smiled without opening her eyes and was asleep before May crossed the room and turned out the light.
She left the door open.
May slept on the sofa, just in case the little girl woke in the middle of the night.
