Jacob yawned as he debated between a Kit Kat bar and a bag of Cheetos. He'd been waiting in the emergency room all morning and wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. The woman, or Ms. Moses as the doctors called her, was still in surgery. She had a brain bleed, badly broken arm, and numerous deep lacerations. It would be a long road to recovery, but Jacob was optimistic. The Rez hospital may have been small, but it had some of the best doctors in the state. They'd have Ms. Moses back to new in no time.

Jacob returned to where his parents were sitting with a Coke, Kit Kat bar, and a bag of Cheetos. Not the most nutritious breakfast, but it was definitely tasty.

"Really?" Sarah Black, Jacob's mother said. "That's what you're having for lunch?"

Jacob shrugged. "A guys gotta eat."

Sarah grabbed the bag of Cheetos and started reading the ingredients list. It looked like she was eating her lower lip for lunch. Sarah was a bit of a health nut. She ran every day and didn't believe in feeding her family anything available in a vending machine. Having a bottle of Coke was no better than drinking rat poison.

"Jacob did save a life last night," Billy Black, Jacob's father said. "I think he's earned a little treat."

Unlike his wife, Billy had a bit of a sweet tooth. He always had an emergency stash of junk food hidden in the garage. Tofu night didn't sit well with him. He believed a meal wasn't complete without a juicy steak and a slice of cake for dessert.

"Fine, suit yourself. Don't come crying to me when your teeth rot out of your head." Sarah rolled her eyes and gave the Cheetos back to Jacob. "Did you know that a diet high in sugar has been associated with a higher risk of developing acne?"

Doctor Call entered the waiting room saving Jacob from yet another lecture on the dangers of processed sugars.

"The surgery went well," He said with a smile. "She's awake and talking."

"That's wonderful!" Jacob said, beaming from ear to ear. "Can I see her?"

"In a few minutes, " Doctor Call said. "There are a few things we should talk about first." He turned to Mr. and Mrs. Black. "Have you located her parents yet?"

"No," Sarah said. "We've been calling all the local tribes, but no one is missing a child. It would be helpful if we had a name."

"She's still disoriented from the surgery," Dr. Call said. "We haven't been able to get much out of her. She does not appear to recall her name or where she came from."

Jacob was no neurologist, but he knew that was a bad sign. How could Ms. Moses have forgotten the most basic fact about herself? It would be impossible to find her family now. All they had to go on was that she appeared to be around 15 years old and partially Native American. Everything else, including how she ended up in the woods, was a mystery.

"It may be for the best that you haven't found her family." Dr. Call said. "Some of her injuries are suspicious."

"Suspicious how?" Jacob asked.

"I suspect some of her injuries occurred before she ended up in the river. The fracture in her wrist was minor, but I am concerned about her upper arm." He gave Jacob a folder with an X-Ray of Ms. Moses's arm. "We call this a spiral fracture. It's caused when a child is grabbed by the arm and pulled or twisted. I suspect it's at least two months old and was never treated."

"The poor girl," Sarah whispered. "Who would do something like that to her?"

"She is underweight and we found old fractures in her skull and ribs." Dr. Call continued. "One injury could be an accident, but this many points towards child abuse." She looked down at the floor. "We should call CPS."

"No," Billy said firmly. "Not after what happened last time."

Three years ago, a new teacher at the reservation school reported students coming in dirty and bruised. She didn't know about the before school soccer matches that often became a little too intense. During the CPS investigation, Jacob and several other children were removed from their homes. It took three months and several thousand dollars in legal fees to get the children out of foster care. Jacob still had nightmares about being taken away from his parents. The elders agreed that all future accusations of child abuse would be investigated by the tribe.

"She cannot stay here forever," Dr. Call said. "She will probably be released on Friday. Until we figure out what's going on, she'll need a safe place to stay."

Jacob looked at his parents with pleading eyes. He couldn't stand the thought of Ms. Moses ending up in foster care. Living with strangers in foster care was far more dangerous than the woods at night.

"No way," Billy said.

"You're already eating us out of house and home," Sarah said. "The last thing we need is another mouth to feed."

"Please," Jacob begged. "She can sleep in Rebecca and Rachel's old room."

Jacob gave his parents his best puppy dog eyes. That same look had preceded the addition of several stray dogs to the "Black pack." They were already running an animal shelter. How much more work could a human teenager be?

Sarah looked at her husband and sighed. "Just until we figure out where she came from."

Jacob fist pumped and Dr. Call smiled.

"You can come and see her if you'd like," Dr. Call told Jacob. "I'm sure she'll want to thank you."