The following week every time Matt went to the centre he was accompanied by Sylvie. There was still no sign of Parker but Charlie really seemed to be warming up to the blonde paramedic. Matt had tried in the past to speak to the little girl but she always seemed wary of him; when he did ask her questions her answers always sounded rehearsed , as if someone had taught her exactly what to say. Her behaviour was eerily familiar, he remembered his mom coaching him on what to say before school. He remembered repeating a fake story to her about running into a door over and over until she was confident he wouldn't mess up. Even with his mother's help his teachers never did appear to believe his excuses but there was never much they could do. He often wondered what his life would be like if he'd let the truth slip. Maybe his mother wouldn't have spent over a decade staring at the same four walls every day. Maybe his family wouldn't have been torn into didn't want Parker to live with that same feeling of regret.
It had been three weeks since the fire that firstly raised Matt's suspicions. Every night Matt found himself replaying the call in his head in a desperate bid for paper the fire was nothing out of ordinary, and everyone involved had escaped with minimal injuries meaning there wasn't a real reason for anyone to investigate. Parker had sustained a minor burn on his arm while saving a little boy Matt presumed was his younger brother. The boy he heard being referred to as Tommy was about two years old, which was probably why'd he never seen him at the centre before. The existence of the little boy explained why Parker never stuck around at the centre anymore, he was too busy looking after his little brother. Matt had found it odd at first that Charlie never mentioned Tommy but come to think of it she never talked about her home life ; she didn't even mention Parker unless asked questions about him. The young girl hadn't been present during the fire she'd been at school which was where Parker should've been, Matt wondered if missing school was a regular occurrence for the boy. The children's mother hadn't been present either apparently she'd popped to the store quickly, a neighbour had called her after the fire and she turned up a few minutes before fifty one left the scene. But the woman didn't really seem that concerned. She almost seemed bored by the whole thing, it was as if her children's safety was an inconvenience. The way Parker nervously eyed his mother sent shivers down Matt's spine, he could practically feel the fear radiating off the boy. The blonde didn't understand how no one else could sense it. They all brought into the story that Parker had attempted to cook soup while his mother was out shopping. But the look in Parker's eyes told him otherwise. Matt had raised his concerns to Boden but the man believed his opinion was being clouded by his own personal experiences. Maybe he was emotionally involved but that didn't mean he was wrong. He didn't care what anyone said he wasn't to go give up.
Matt was clearing away some of the board games the children had been playing with when he heard a familiar voice, he turned around to see Parker stood in the doorway of the centre,
"Charlie lets go" the boy called as he looked over at his sister who was talking happily to Sylvie. The last few weeks had clearly taken a toll on the boy, there were dark bruises underneath his eyes and his clothes hung off his lanky form even more than usual.
"Hey Parker!" Greeted Matt slowly approaching the teen .When Parkers eyes landed on Matt the colour ran out of his face and his body stiffened.
"Come on Charlie we've got to go" he shouted again causing Charlie to look up in alarm before hurrying towards them Sylvie following close behind.
"Parker wait, how are you and your family doing? I'm really sorry about the fire" Matt said and the boy immediately sent him an anger filled glare.
"We're fine thanks" he snapped as he draped an arm over Charlie's shoulders and pulled her closer towards him.
"You know if you ever need anything we're here",
"Yeah right" Parker scoffed before starting to walk away but he stopped abruptly when Charlie turned back towards Sylvie with a bright smile.
"Will you be here tomorrow?" She asked in a hopeful tone that melted both Matt's and Sylvie's hearts.
"Yep I promise I'll be here whenever I'm not on shift" replied Sylvie and Matt smiles at the happinesses lacing her voice. He felt like the luckiest person in the world to have Sylvie by his side. He knew that just like him she wasn't going to turn her backs on Charlie and her brothers. They weren't going to let them down.
After their run in with Parker the boy stopped coming into the centre he'd linger on the outskirts of the car park, he was normally alone but sometimes he was accompanied by Thomas. The toddler was always wrapped up in Parkers thick jacket that was far too big for him, therefore leaving the teen in nothing but a thin sweater. Which was why Matt was in the centres store room searching through two big boxes full of donated clothes. The centre accepted donations for exactly this reason, it was quite a poor area and often the kids at the centre were in need of news shoes or a coat for winter, but couldn't afford to buy anything.
"Any luck?" Asked a gentle voice pulling Matt's attention away from the piles of clothes. Matt turned to look at Sylvie and give her a small shake of his head. Sylvie wasted no time in joining him on on the floor and raking through he donations.
"Are there any girls shoes? I think Charlie's are a bit too small for her",
"Yeah, try the small blue box over there" he responded before continuing his search.
Finally after twenty minutes they managed to find everything they needed, a pink pair of shoes with bows on the front and a green coat decorated with little blue dinosaurs. Matt understood what it felt like to grow up in a household where money was tight but he couldn't shake the feeling that financial issues weren't the only problems in the children's lives. But at least for now they could ensure the children were warm and comfy during the harsh winter starting to approach.
The next day before Charlie could run off home Matt called her back,
"Hey Charlie could you give this to your brother for me?" He asked kindly as he held out a blue carrier bag containing the items they'd found the previous day. But to Matt's surprise Charlie frowned,
"Parker says we're not supposed to take things from people".
"But were not strangers and it's completely free" explained Sylvie calmly as she approached the girl. But Charlie simply shook her head.
"Ok, we'll ask Parker and see if he'll make an exception" responded Matt, fortunate Charlie's expression brightened at his words. They followed the girl outside when she ran to meet her brother. Matt almost chuckled when the boy rolled his eyes as soon as they came in to view.
"Oh god, what do you want now?" Parker sighed as he readjusted Tommy on his hip, Matt really had no idea how the boy managed to carry Tommy for as long as he did. The toddler seemed capable of walking as he had done on the few warmer days they had recently. But on cold days like this one Tommy was always carried. Matt wondered if it was due to the fact the little boy was unable to walk properly while he was wearing Parker's jacket.
"We just want to help" smiled Matt softly .
"Uh Huh" scoffed Parker and Matt did his best to suppress a sigh. Parker's attitude reminded him so much of himself that it made his blood run cold, he desperately wanted to know what demons were tormenting the teen and he hoped they were nothing like the ones he faced growing up.
"Please for Tommy and Charlie ", Matt attempted to pass him the bag but Parker stepped back before replying in an angrier tone,
"We don't need your charity".
"Parker theres no shame in accepting help" ,
"We don't -" the boy paused when Tommy started squirming in his arms. Matt's heart ached as he watched Parker look at his little brother and sister with a tense expression; it was painfully obvious that they meant to world him and he was doing everything he could for them.
"Ok" Parker whispered quietly as if he didn't really want Matt to hear him. The teen then hesitantly held out his hand and Matt wasted no time in passing the bag over. Parker peered into the bag as best he could while still carrying Tommy.
"Here, let me", gently Matt took the bag back and pulled out the small green coat, while Parker unwrapped his brother from his jacket. The boy then took the item with a grateful expression and helped Tommy into his new coat, it was a little big for him but it was an improvement. Matt felt a warm glow in his chest when Tommy smiled widely after spotting the dinosaur on the front.
"Thank you" mumbled Parker as he put on his own jacket.
"Parker we care about you guys ok, if you never need",
"Yeah, yeah I know". And with that he walked off, Tommy still balanced on his hip and Charlie holding tightly onto his hand.
"He's one stubborn kid" mused Sylvie as they watched the trio disappear into the distance.
"That's what terrifies me",
"We're going to look out for them Matt I promise".