Authors note: I forgot to put a disclaimer in at the start so….I don't own anything to do with Silent Witness but if I did Nikki and Harry would be together and there would be a lot more of those cute family moments between Nikki, Harry and Leo. Well I can dream!
The three pathologists tried their hardest to continue with their working day but they couldn't get the image of the terrified young girl out of their heads. The hours passed slowly and none of them could find the energy to distract themselves from the ever growing pile of paperwork that was accumulating on their desks. Soon their troubled thoughts were interrupted when DI Johnson entered the lab waving a file later in the early evening
"We found the mother" He said as he walked towards Harry and Nikki
"Karen Jones aged 39 mother of Erin Jones aged 17…you were right about her age Leo" James said as the older man joined the group
"…And the mother didn't report her missing?" the DI shook his head
"Apparently not. But there's something that worries me about this case. There's been a number of call outs for domestic disturbances at their home on Richardson Way, no charges were ever brought. On the surface they seem like the normal happy family but when you start digging deeper…well I'm not so sure, there's something not right about this"
"By the state of Erin she seems to have been on the streets for a while. She was showing signs of malnourishment" Harry said sighing "Someone must have noticed she'd gone. She's only seventeen, someone must have missed her"
"Sadly it doesn't seem that way, maybe she just didn't want to be found"
"Or maybe everyone gave up on her" Leo said sadly
"She looked so scared" Nikki said her eyes brimming with tears "She shouldn't have to be sleeping on the streets. No one should have to lie on the streets cold, wet and frightened because they think it's their only chance, no one…"
"It's ok" Harry said gently pulling her into a hug "She'll get help"
"I'm going to see her later this evening Nikki, I promise" Leo said gently and Nikki sniffed back the tears and nodded
DI Johnson stood up "I'm not letting this case go…as I said there's something not right about this and I am not going to let a girl as young as that be put at risk"
"Thank you" Leo said as the DI left the lab
"This has really gotten to you hasn't it" Harry said passing Nikki a box of tissues which she gratefully accepted
"She shouldn't have to feel alone in this world…she should be with people who love and care about her"
"You don't know that she isn't, there might be a reasonable explanation"
"What mother doesn't report their own child missing?" Nikki said angrily
Harry had no reply for that, he couldn't understand either.
"She'll be fine wont she?" Nikki said looking for some reassurance
Harry nodded "She's going to have to be. I don't know if the labs got enough money to keep you supplied in tissues"
Nikki gave a watery laugh and the two of the sat in close comfort, no words needed to be said between them. Their companionable silence was enough to get them through the moment.
True to his word, Leo walked into the hospital; the corridors were bustling with patients and medical staff as he made his way over to the reception desk.
"Hi, I'm looking for a Doctor Myles…"
"I'm guessing you must be Leo" a man said coming up to the desk and placing a stack of files down "I on the other hand am the man in question"
He shook Leo's hand and led him down the corridor "She kept repeating your name as she drifted in and out of consciousness when she was brought in. You're the one that found her right?"
Leo nodded "She was in the car park where I work curled up in a ball"
"Poor thing" the doctor sighed "I'm glad you're here. We still haven't been able to get in contact with her mother so it'll be good for her to have someone she knows and trusts here for her. She's a bit unsettled at the moment"
"She's awake?" Leo said his heart rising with this new found hope
The doctor nodded "About half an hour ago. She's a bit drowsy with the medication we've dosed her up with but other than that she's starting on the road to recovery"
Leo sighed with relief and the doctor smiled gently "They crawl into your hearts don't they?"
Leo managed a small smile "She's seem like a good one, I can't imagine what she's been through"
They paused outside the room "Neither can I…she's lucky you found her"
"Anyone would have done the same" Leo said modestly
"I doubt it, not to the extent you went to, anyway I'll be back to check on her soon but you're welcome to stay as long as you like" Leo nodded his thanks and entered the room
Erin was lying in a bed hooked up to numerous monitors; she had an IV drip in her arm pumping her full of warm fluids and medication. She was covered with lots of blankets and after a quick glance at the monitors Leo was relieved to see her body temperature was slowly coming back up. He sat down on a chair next to the bed and smiled gently at the young girl who acknowledged his reappearance into her life
"I really don't like hospitals" she murmured
"Best place for you at the moment, you wouldn't want to be out there tonight. Its not place for a young girl like you"
Erin gave a shrug and then asked "Why?"
Leo looked at her, slightly puzzled by the question "Why what?"
"Why do you care so much? Why didn't you just walk on by and get on with your life?"
"Because you needed help and I'm not going to let a bright young girl like you throw away her life"
"I'm not bright" she muttered
"I bet you are" he smiled "You've clearly got a knack for survival, you're a real fighter, the cold set in but you kept hanging on in there"
"Doesn't equate to brightness" she said darkly
"Well you must be doing something right. You've been through a lot and you're still here"
"Barely"
"But you're still here" he emphasised "After all of this, you're still here. Surely that must mean something to you"
Erin shrugged again "I don't know what to think anymore"
"Then let us help you. Erin, there are good people in this world, people who care about you and want to help you"
She shook her head, the tears welling up in her eyes "It's too late and it's all my fault" she said turning over so her face was away from his
"What's all your fault?" but he got no reply. Erin clearly had nothing more to say on the matter
Leo sat there in silence with her for a while longer until he saw Erin was asleep. He stood up and stretched. He went towards the door but not before turning back and finally saying "I'm not giving up on you Erin Jones. You just wait and see"
With that he left the room and shut the door. Erin turned over and opened her eyes, wide awake. She lay there listening to the rhythmic beat of the monitors as the last dregs of the days light faded from the room. The only thing that broke the sound of the monitors was the soft sound of Erin crying into her pillow.
