Charlotte
***
The sun was streaming through the clouds when I came back, and I wondered how the night had gone.
There was no small figure waiting for me by the gate. I went on to her ward.
"Hello Charlotte!" she called, happily brushing Sammy on her bed. Sammy gave me a flip of the tail, but was too settled to get up and say hello properly.
"You have a good night?"
"Yup."
"That's great." The brushing continued unabated, girl and dog both content.
"So I've got an idea for you. Don't worry if you don't like it, I won't be mad."
She looked at me, some of the old tension stiffening her limbs. Sammy nudged her and she buried her hands in his fur.
"See, it's the weekend tomorrow, and I don't usually come into work on the weekends, unless they need me to. So I was wandering if you wanted to spend the weekend at my place."
"Your house?"
"Yeah."
"With Sammy?"
"Of course. It's his house too."
"I'd like that."
"Good. Me too. Alright, I got you these back, but we'll go to the shops and get you some more" I tossed her t shirt and jeans on her bed and watched her eyes light up.
"I'm gonna take Sammy for a pee while you get changed, ok?"
The dog ran madly from tree to tree, trying to decide on the best possible place for his liquid message. I wondered what I was going to do with this girl. No family, no history, no name… well at least she had a voice. That was a start.
I had told her a weekend, but only because I didn't want her to think this was forever. Truthfully, I doubted I would be bringing her back here. Emotionally, she needed to be back with her father. Surely he was looking for her, too? But I didn't even know where to start. And I knew I couldn't press her on it. We'd just have to take it slow.