Part 12

He hated his job; considering his level of intelligence digging six feet holes in the ground at the crack of dawn, was the equivalent to watching paint dry. However it was a means to an end. Unfortunately his family came from a poor background; every single penny that his parents worked for went into the bills and the mortgage on their house, which meant there was very little left to help him pay for college. And he desperately wanted to go to college, as desperate as he needed air to breathe. So as soon as he finished high school, he went looking for work. However, the social climate dictated that not many people were hiring young black men- so he found his options were limited, therefore he had to take the first job he could get his hands on- and this so happened to be it. Harrison had been working as a grave digger, for little over a year now, and as much as he hated it- on the upside he had saved enough money to fund the first year and a half of college. Therefore by his calculations, two more years of digging would be more than sufficient to reach his end goal, and in that sense it was a sacrifice he was more than willing to make.

Having collected his plot orders, he heads to his first site. Sadly, the size of it indicated it was for a young child. Digging the kiddie plots, always put him in a sombre mood, but it also served as a harsh reminder that life was too short to waste. That's why it was vital to make the most of your life whilst you were still alive and breathing. And it was days like this, that made him even more determined to chase his dreams.

He zips up his jacket, shielding himself from the slight chill in the air. It had been a crisp morning, which meant the ground was wet with dew- which luckily for him, was the perfect conditions for digging.

But not the perfect conditions for sleeping in, as he was soon to find out.

After reaching his designated site, he spots her... A prone figure in the distance, lying down amongst the graves... Praying to God that whoever it was, was still alive and not dead… he throws his spade down to the ground and immediately rushes over to assist.

"Miss, miss... Can you hear me?"

He takes off his jacket and quickly covers her up; she was frozen through... Now feeling for a pulse; after his attempt to wake her fails, he is washed with relief when he feels it's faint beat. At least she was alive. So he starts to shake her, hoping to rouse her in that way instead... It has the desired effect, as she moans, mumbling something incoherent.

He breathes a sigh of relief... "Miss, we need to get you warmed up", he explains gently, as he picks her up and carries her to the office.

30 minutes later, a few blankets bundled around her and of hot cup of tea inside her, Olivia starts to come round, finally making sense... But with that had come tears and a very frightened young lady. Harrison had tried his best to console her as she explained how she came to sleeping in a grave yard last night. She doesn't go into specifics, but he soon gathers that her father had thrown her out the house, with nothing but the clothes on her back. Which he thought was pretty harsh. No matter what she had done, he's sure she didn't deserve to be treated in such an unjust manner.

"So, what are you going to do, where are you going to stay?"

She shrugs her shoulders; her shivering finally easing off, allowing her to get her words out without the chattering of teeth… "Honestly, I don't know… All I know is that I'm not going home… I can't, not after the way he treated me…"

"Is your dad always like that?"

"That's the thing, in all my years growing up he's never so much as lifted a hand in my direction… But then again, up until last night I could do no wrong in his eyes… I was his perfect little girl. And now…"

"His little girl wasn't so perfect any more?" He finishes off.

She smiles wistfully… "Something like that… But it doesn't matter now anyway, even if he said I could come back home, I won't. It is time for me to leave the nest…"

"Even so Olivia, there's leaving the nest, and then there's being left destitute- you don't even have a change of clothes, and the clothes you do have are soaked through."

"Its fine, I'll sort something out…"

"Look, why don't you come back to my house… You can have a hot bath, and have something to eat… Plus my mum's about your size, you could borrow some of her clothes until yours dry off…"

"Harrison, thank you, but I don't think…" she tries to dismiss his offer, but he won't hear of it, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Listen, I know you don't know me, but considering I just saved your life, the least you can do is trust me with it a little while longer… at least until you can sort something better out…"

"That's extremely kind of you, but I don't want to impose…"

"You won't be; I mean don't get me wrong, we're not exactly rolling in money, far from it in fact, but my folks would be horrified if they found out I just let you walk out of here, without offering a helping hand."

She can tell he's not about to relent, and if she's honest with herself, she would be a fool to turn him down. So she decides that she'll stay at his place, until she can get word to Fitz. "Fine, seeing as you insist, I'll take you up on your offer, just as long as your folks agree."

"Oh they will, don't worry…" He gets up, and heads to the door… "I'll just speak to my boss, and see if I can take my break early, that way I can take you over there now."

"Okay, but if it means getting in trouble with your boss, then I can wait…"

"Nah, Huck's a good guy, if anything he'll insist that I take you… Trust me, I'll be right back."

"Hey Harrison…" she calls after him, halting him in his tracks as her turns back round to look at her… "Yeah?"

"Just in case I forget to say it later… Thank you."

He smiles at her. "Don't mention it, I've got your back"