Leo was examining a corpse in the cutting room that had just come in. He tried to keep his mind on his work but his thoughts kept moving back to Erin, he just couldn't help but worry about her. He knew she was safe with Nikki but he still was worried about her.
"She'll be fine you know" Leo looked up and saw Harry looking at him from the other side of the lab
"I know" Leo forced a smile
"It's just that you've been distracted…"
"Harry I'm fine" again came the forced smile
"…It's just that you've been fondling that liver for the last five minutes and I'm starting to get a little worried" Harry grinned and Leo turned bright red, muttering something to cover his embarrassment as he put the liver down on a nearby tray
One of the lab technicians poked his head around the door of the cutting room and called to Leo "Professor Dalton" he said "There's a Robert Davies on the phone for you, he's returning a call you made to him earlier"
"Thank you" Leo smiled at the technician and started to pull off his gloves
"Problem?" Harry said looking slightly concerned
"Possibly" Leo said "I had a slight incident with Erin last night…"
"…A slight incident?" Harry questioned waiting for Leo to elaborate
"She got a little upset and hurt herself" Leo sighed
Harry nodded "Leo, you know it's quite usual for people who have gone through traumatic experiences to have trouble dealing with things, that's what she's getting the counselling for"
"I know…" Leo sighed "I just don't know if everyone else will see it like that"
"What she needs right now is a place where she feels safe and loved. If anyone can provide that for her then it's you" Harry said firmly
Leo smiled at his younger colleague's praise "I think this might take a while and I know you're finishing soon…"
"…So you want me to pop round to Nikki's to see that Erin's ok" Harry finished for him
"If it's not too much trouble" Leo returned
Harry sighed dramatically "I suppose not" he said grinning as he left the room
"Hi Robert" Leo said picking up the telephone receiver in his office "Thanks for calling me back"
"It's no problem" Robert's voice came back "I understand that it's going to take some time to get Erin settled"
"Last night…well I'm pretty sure it was just a hitch. Once I talked things through with her she seemed a lot calmer and last night was the first night she didn't have a nightmare"
"It's good that you got things sorted, it shows your ability to cope with situations if and when they occur. Did she say why she was upset?"
"She was worried that I wouldn't get custody of her and she was worried about school" Leo replied
"Worrying about the fostering process is clearly justifiable, she probably feels lost and confused about not knowing what going to come out if it. As for the schooling, well she never mentioned anything before…."
"I think she's been bullied. I'm looking into maybe transferring her to another school to give her a fresh start. She's only missed a couple of months of the term and she's a bright girl so I'm sure she'll catch up"
"Once again you seem to have gotten this all sorted, I think you've got the right idea there. I'll pass on her worries to the counsellor she'll be seeing and they'll be able to talk them through with Erin. I doubt this will affect you fostering Erin, you've shown a remarkable ability to deal with her effectively. We'll probably have to keep a close eye on her mental health though. Obviously there's going to be some issues there after all the years of abuse but at least we can sort it before it spirals out of control"
Leo sighed in relief and felt a weight lifted from his shoulders, Robert was going through a few more things with him now about Erin. But Leo felt a lot more confident that this was all going to get sorted out than he had in days.
Nikki and Erin were sitting in Nikki's living room curled up on the sofa when they heard a knock at the door
"I'll be right back" Nikki gave Erin a quick smile as she left the room, knowing the young girl didn't like to be left on her own
She walked to the front door and through the frosted glass panel saw an outline of a very familiar form "Harry?" she said as she opened the door
"Glad to see you haven't totally forgotten me then" Harry grinned as Nikki let him in the house out of the cold
"As much as it is nice to see you…" Nikki began
"You're wondering why there is a handsome man knocking at your door?"
"I would be if I could see one" Nikki giggled as Harry shot her a dirty look
"If it was anyone else then I would be insulted" he said breaking into a smile
"Seriously Harry…"
"Seriously Nikki" he grinned "Leo's been delayed at the lab for a little longer and he wondered if you wouldn't mind looking after Erin for a couple more hours"
Nikki nodded "That's fine and I'm guessing he sent you round here to check up on me?"
Harry nodded "And I've haven't had the chance to annoy you all day" he stressed the last part of his sentence and Nikki rolled her eyes
"Well you better come through then" she said leading the way into the sitting room where she resumed her place, curled up alongside Erin who relaxed immediately after she saw Nikki re enter the room
"Hey Erin" Harry said walking into the room "I hope you've been avoiding throwing yourself out of transport"
Erin frowned at him before breaking into a smile "I jumped" she said and Harry laughed, this was fast becoming their own little joke and he always knew it was a way to break the ice with Erin
"Leo's been delayed at the lab" Nikki said as she adjusted herself on the sofa "So you're going to be here until he picks you up, ok?"
"Oh…" Erin said slightly unsure at this revelation but Nikki flashed her a warm smile and she started to feel a bit more comforted
It was later in the evening and Nikki was getting slightly worried, Leo still hadn't rung and it was getting dark outside. It wasn't that she minded having Erin here; it was just that she knew Erin was still feeling unsettled and the best place for her to be was with Leo. She'd tried calling him a couple of times but all she got was his voicemail
"She's asleep" Harry said pointing to the sofa in which Erin was curled up in a tight ball was a small smile on her face as she dreamt
"Don't wake her" Nikki said draping a blanket over the girl to keep her warm "Let's go into the kitchen"
Harry nodded and quietly followed Nikki into the kitchen which adjacent to the living room, they left the door open slightly so they could hear Erin but not so much that she would be disturbed by their conversation
"I hope Leo gets back soon" Nikki said glancing anxiously at that clock
"I think he was sorting something out with social services" Harry said as Nikki got a couple of wine glasses out of a cupboard
"Do you think everything's going alright with the fostering process?"
Harry nodded "If anyone is going to get custody of Erin then its Leo"
Nikki nodded biting her lip in concentration as she poured a glass of wine for them both
"Did you two have a nice time doing your female bonding today?" Harry said with a grin
"Yes actually" Nikki smiled at the memories of earlier that day
"Been identifying with her have you?"
"We had some good girly chats"
"So basically you spent the whole day boring Erin to tears talking about shoes and handbags"
Nikki glared at him "Just because your fashion sense is stuck in 1983" she teased
"1983?" Harry questioned
"I couldn't think of any other year" Nikki shrugged "And this was the year on the wine bottle" she held it up with a sheepish grin on her face
Harry snorted with laughter at the expression on Nikki's face, the two of them chatted for a while longer, the effect of the wine making the conversation cosy and comfortable between the pair
Erin blearily opened her eyes a while later. She shrugged off the blanket that had been draped over her and sat up stretching her muscles as she did so
"The beast stirs from her sleep" a voice said and she saw Harry leaning on the door frame grinning at her
"How long was I asleep for?" she said ignoring his comment
"About an hour" he said glancing at his watch
"And Leo?" she said starting to look worried
"He's not back yet but he will be soon, Nikki's just giving him a quick call now" Harry said sitting down beside Erin "You've been picking at that, look it's scared" he said pointing to a small silvery scar on her hand which she'd sustained from falling out of Jane's car
"The scab was itchy" she shrugged "It barely shows anyway"
"You make an awful patient" Harry chuckled
Erin smiled and looked down as she started to pick at the dressing on her arm
"Ah!" Harry said picking her hands up away from it "Leave it alone"
"I wasn't" Erin began
Harry laughed "I've heard it a thousand times before"
"And I've told you a thousand times before to stop exaggerating" Nikki directed her comment at Harry as she walked into the room
"Did you get through to him?" Harry asked poking a squirming Erin in the ribs to make her squeal with laughter
Nikki nodded "He's been sorting things out with social services" Erin sat bolt upright at this news "It's ok Erin" Nikki soothed the girl "He said it went fine, he also said he's got some news to tell you when he gets here"
"What's that?" Erin questioned
Nikki shook her head "I don't know, he wouldn't tell me over the phone, we're just going to have to wait until he gets here"
A couple of hours later the doorbell rang and Nikki let a tired looking Leo into the hallway
"Thanks again Nikki for keeping an eye on Erin"
"It's fine Leo" Nikki smiled "But there's someone here who would really love to see you"
Leo smiled as he followed Nikki into the living room. On the sofa was a sleepy looking Erin curled up against Harry who was looking just as tired
"Hey you" he said giving Erin a gentle nudge
She sat bolt upright, all traces of tiredness gone and hugged him, Nikki and Harry smiled at each other as they saw the compassion between the two
Leo released Erin from the hug "I have some news for you"
Erin started to fidget on the sofa "What?" she said looking anxious
"Well I've spent the last couple of hours with social services and we've finally sorted something out…."
Author's note: The return of Harry! Because I know some of you missed him because he's not been in the last couple of chapters. But he's back and I will try and include him a bit more. Thanks to all who have sent me get well soon messages. My arm is still quite sore hence why this update took so long to do but it's done and I hope you all enjoy it.
