William watched his biological mother pull away in a dark black vehicle and sighed largely, Carson watched him carefully out of the corner of her eye and put a hand on his shoulder when she saw him hang his head and stare at his feet.
"I don't get it." William said simply. "Why did she leave?"
Carson could think of a few reasons that might be plausible, but none of them would make William feel anywhere near better about being abandoned by his flesh and blood. "Maybe she just had to. . .I don't know. . .meet someone, or, something like that."
William looked sadly at his friend and bit his lip, and shook his head. "I want to know the truth, I want to know why she left me in the first place and I want to know why both of my biological parents seem to be ignoring me completely whenever I have any contact with them!"
Carson frowned and put her hand back to her side. "William, not everyone has loving parents. Not everyone has a hidden, and sincere reason for abandoning their own children. My mother didn't. Why can't you be happy with the mother you have? She seems more than enough to me. I don't know why you want to find out "the truth" when all it's going to do is make you hurt worse."
William rubbed his face and sat down at a bench that was outside of the cafe they had just left. "I'm sorry, Carson, but I want to know. If they left be because they didn't want me, then I'll forget about it, but I just want to know if they had a reason. Would you pass up the opportunity to find out if your mother had a reason for abandoning you?"
Carson gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. "My mother left me because she didn't care anymore, that's obvious. I don't have a family, Reed! The only people I have that are even close to being family are social workers and fellow foster children! I don't have any information on my parents, other than their names and the fact that my father is dead! You have it way better than I did when I was left alone, and you want to leave that behind? To what? Find "the truth"? I would pay to have a mother like yours, I would give up e-everything I own and more to have little sister again!" Carson started crying slightly here and rubbed at her eyes furiously. "M-maybe you've forgotten? But my little sister is dead or. . .or somewhere in a dark, forsaken place, l-lost without any knowledge, or very little, of what happened to her! A-and you're telling me th-that your family, that they aren't good enough for you? I'd feel really guilty if I were you, Reed. I'd feel like crap!"
William stood and embraced Carson letting her cry on his shoulder, he frowned into his friend's hair and rubbed her back softly as she sobbed.
"I'm sorry." He started as he closed his eyes and hugged her tighter. "I'm so sorry, Ellanora Carson. You're so strong sometimes it's hard for people to see what you've really been through. I admire that in you, and I get your point. Before we do anything to try and find out anything more about my family, we'll find your mother and try and find out what happened to your sister."
Carson sniffled loudly and pulled back to look into William's face. He was looking at her worriedly and he really did look just as upset as she was. William brushed a stray strand of hair from Carson's face and frowned at her blotchy red face, it was horrible to see her cry, especially knowing that he'd started her tears in the first place. If it made her feel any better, he certainly felt like crap now.
"Thank you, William." Carson said as she hugged him once more.
William squeezed her briefly and they both let go, he felt slightly less warm when he departed from her grasp and was wishing that he'd hugged her for just a few seconds more.
"I'm sorry." Carson said with a small laugh as William handed her a tissue. "I got snot all over your jacket."
William shrugged and smiled at her, happy to see her laughing instead of crying. William felt all warm inside when she smiled her usual, glowing grin back and started to walk back up the street.
William watched her for a second then followed after her, she was important to him, probably more than he'd ever realized at first. But he knew that she needed some sort of idea of what had happened to her once whole and happy family, and he would do whatever he could to give her the answers she needed, even if it meant following her to the end of the earth and back.
