Charlotte

***

I ran in through the pouring rain, holding onto my trench coat tight and bursting into the building.

"Careful, there, it's slippery today," the clerk said. I smiled at him and made my way through the first two gates. She was standing at the third gate, waiting for me.

"It's raining," she said forlornly as I came in, "we can't go outside today."

"I know, and I thought how sad Sammy would be cooped up inside all day, and then I thought we'd be cooped up to, so I figured we may as well be cooped up together!"

I opened my trenchcoat and let go of Sammy, who dropped to the floor and promptly stood up on his hind legs, resting his paws lightly on my arm and wagged his tail, like he was expecting applause.

"You brought your dog here?" she asked in wonder, running her hands through his damp fur. Sammy turned to licked her cheek in acknowledgement, but kept his gaze on me, watching intently. I knew what he wanted.

"I even brought his ball!" I whispered, drawing it slowly out of my pocket. Sammy went entirely still, all his attention focused on it. I rolled it down the corridor for him and he sprinted after it madly, Pouncing on it and running back grinning, chin high, the caught ball on show.

"You want to throw it for him?" I asked her, and she nodded in delight. "Hold out your hand and tell him to drop it."

"Drop!" she said sternly, and he dropped it immediately into her outstretched hand. She didn't even flinch at the slimyness.

"Go on then," I said, taking off my coat and folding it up.

They played for hours. I knew Sammy was inexhaustible, but I wondered at the girl's fascination with such a simple repetitive game. Was she that starved for companionship she didn't care what she did? Or did she just really like dogs? Sammy was easy to love, but his ball mania soon made most people steer clear of him. Maybe her behavior wasn't a result of her abandonment. Maybe she'd been weird to begin with…

It was dark by the time I noticed the time.

"Oh man, you'll be later for dinner! I should let you go. Come on, Sam." But Sam didn't move, just sat happily by her side, leaning on her ever so slightly, and watched me, panting. The girl twined her fingers through his fur as if memorizing the feel of him.

"Sam?" I called, and Sam pricked his pointy ears, but moved no other muscles towards me. He'd found a friend, and had yet to be convinced I had anything better to offer.

"Alright, you're going to stay here the night are you?" I asked him, amused, but the girl spun to look at me, her face suffused with hope.

"Oh can he? Please? Can he?"

"Well…"

The girl and the dog looked at me with shining eyes.

"I guess I don't see why not. You have to let him pee before bed and bring him something from dinner, and make sure he doesn't annoy anyone."

She grinned at me.

"Ok!"

"Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow." The girl stood up and Sam immediately jumped on her bed, making himself at home. I laughed and waved goodbye, almost running into the head of child psychiatry in the corridor.

"Ah, just the man I wanted to see."

"That your dog in there? I don't believe we cater for canines."

"He booked himself in. Obsessive compulsive ball issues."

"I see."

"I wanted to talk to you about that girl."

"You are making amazing progress. I wouldn't recognize the girl that came in a week ago."

"Each day we make some progress, but each night she slides back again. I don't think this environment is helpful in her case."

"She's a special case alright."

"I want to try taking her home with me, see how that goes."

"You're sure about that?"

"Like you said, she's a special case. I don't want her sitting around here the rest of her life. I think we've got a better chance of finding her family this way. She really opens up when she's away from here."

"And I guess I either agree to that, or agree to take on your dog."

"Something like that, yeah," I grinned.

"You drive a hard bargain, Miss Charlotte."

"Thanks. I'll keep you in the loop."

"Sure you will. Goodnight."

"Good night."