"This is the second day in a row that the chickens have been acting weird," Troy muttered while sitting up in bed. "I checked everywhere. There are no foxes, no wolves, nothing. Why are they insisting on being this loud this early in the morning?" He sighed and rubbed his face before looking down at Shauna next to him. "You're feeding them enough, right?"
"Of course I am," Shauna said. "Clearly something's gotten them riled up."
"We haven't changed anything, so what the hell is their problem?"
Shauna sat up, giving a sigh of her own. "I would tell you to go check, but you broke your leg and I don't want you moving around too much."
"That hasn't stopped me yet."
"No, of course it hasn't, Sam."
Troy grabbed his crutches while getting out of bed. "I'll go take another look. Maybe I actually have to go down to the woods to see what it is. Maybe there's something looking at the chickens funny."
"You are not going into the woods on crutches, Sam."
"Then will you come with me?"
Shauna looked defeated. "I may as well because you'll do it regardless."
"Yes, I will, sweetheart." Troy glanced out the window while Shauna helped him get dressed, and said in a low voice, "It's definitely something in the woods."
"What makes you so sure?" Shauna asked.
"I… don't know. It's the same feeling I had when you crashed your car in the blizzard the year we started dating."
"Do you think someone's in trouble?"
"Maybe."
The two were quick to put their winter coats and boots on before heading outside. The chickens immediately flew and ran to the fence to see them, then went back to the northwest corner where they had originally been gathered.
"Well, now I definitely think they're trying to show us something," Shauna said. She stayed close to her husband as they made their way to the woods bordering their property.
Troy stopped, leaning on his left crutch in order to pull his gun out of his holster. "I feel like we're being watched. Shauna, take this, sweetheart."
Shauna nodded. "Do you think it's human or animal?"
"Something about it feels human."
"Maybe we should call the sheriff."
Troy held up his hand when he heard a rustling sound. "Wait."
"What?"
"Listen." He glanced at Shauna, listening carefully. More rustling came from a few yards ahead, and Troy saw a flash of blue. "There!"
"Stop!" Shauna shouted. "Who are you?"
The blue disappeared behind a tree. Shauna jogged ahead, and Troy spotted the blue running off again.
"Sam, it's a little girl!" Shauna said, turning back to her husband.
"What's a little girl doing out here in the woods by herself?" Troy asked. He limped forward on his crutches, being mindful of roots hidden in the snow.
The chase continued for several minutes until Troy heard a loud splash, followed by Shauna shouting, "No! She's fallen in the creek, Sam!"
Troy felt helpless in his current condition, and bit back a string of curses as he watched Shauna haul the girl out of the creek. His heart wrenched while listening to the girl's screaming and crying, demanding to be put down and let go.
"What are you doing here out here by yourself, lass?" Shauna asked. "Where are your parents?"
The girl didn't answer, and instead kept screaming to be let go.
"Quit screaming right now!"
Troy could sense Shauna was reverting back to her behavior with her siblings. "Sweetheart, let me try. Set her down." He knelt on his good leg to get on the girl's level.
The girl immediately pulled away from Shauna and hid behind Troy.
"Okay. I didn't think that would work," Troy said. He turned to face the girl. "We're not going to hurt you, sweetie. It's okay. Are you lost?"
No response. The girl was shivering, and tears were running down her face. She was soaking wet, and the large blue backpack was sagging from the water.
"We gotta get her inside." Troy struggled to stand, offering his left hand to the girl. "Shauna, could you take my other crutch?"
Shauna took the crutch, and walked ahead of them. The girl stayed close to Troy, shivering and looking frightened.
"No one's going to hurt you," Troy said softly. "You're okay."
The girl recoiled each time Shauna tried to get close to her, and Shauna gave a frustrated sigh. "Seems she's comfortable with you, but terrified of me. That doesn't make any sense."
"Not yet," Troy replied. He noticed the chickens had returned to normal when they returned to the ranch. "This is what they were making a fuss about?"
"I guess so."
Inside, the two got a fire started and had the girl sit in front of it. Troy managed to get the girl's backpack off, and opened it to find several changes of clothing, all wet from her fall into the creek.
"I'll get those clean and dry," Shauna said. She sighed and pulled Troy into the kitchen. "What do we do?"
"I don't know. I think we need to find out more about her before we make any phone calls. She's definitely traumatized by something, and all the clothes in her bag tells me she was running away."
"From home?"
"Probably."
"We need to find her parents, then."
"How do we know she's not running away from them for a reason? Let's give her time to rest and recover, and then ask questions."
"That'll be your job, then."
Troy gently touched Shauna's shoulder. "Hey, don't be upset that she doesn't like you. It's not your fault."
"How do you know? I shouted at her."
"You're used to that being your response from dealing with your siblings, and she's not Hitch's or Tully's or Moffitt's. Don't beat yourself up over it, okay?"
Shauna folded her arms over her chest. She looked down at the floor, muttering, "I would've made a terrible mother."
"No. No, no, no, you wouldn't." Troy leaned his crutches against the kitchen table in order to hug his wife. "No. You would've made a wonderful mother, sweetheart. We don't know what this girl has been through. Give her time." He kissed Shauna's cheek and smiled at her, trying to cheer her up. "I love you."
Shauna put her arms around him. "I love you, too."
The girl would only accept things brought to her by Troy. He didn't want to leave her alone, so while Shauna was out tending the ranch, Troy kept himself occupied by picking up the phone and calling Dietrich. He took a chair from the kitchen and sat by the phone, all the while observing the girl as she sat with a cup of hot chocolate in front of the fireplace, her back against the couch.
"Hello?" Dietrich said.
"Hey," Troy replied. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
"I am peeling an orange for Esther. That is her current craving. Oranges."
"Oh. Should I let you go, then?"
"It is fine, Troy. What do you want?"
"Guess what we found in the woods today."
"I am not in the mood for guessing games."
"Alright. We found a little girl. She looks to be about Jules's age."
"You found what?"
"You heard me."
"Now what? Did you call your sheriff?"
"Not yet. She's badly frightened. She doesn't really like Shauna, but she likes me."
"Strange."
"Yeah."
"And you thought I should be the first to know about this?"
"Yes."
Dietrich sighed. "It is nice to be thought of," he muttered.
Troy could hear Esther saying something in German in the background. He couldn't understand a word either Esther or Dietrich were saying, but he had a feeling it had something to do with the orange.
Eventually, Dietrich said, "I have peeled a lot of oranges today. I am tired of oranges. I cannot say that, though."
"Well, you have about five more months until the baby arrives. Get peeling."
"Shut up." Dietrich changed the topic. "So what are you going to do with the girl?"
"We don't know. She has to actually talk first. We know she can—she was screaming her head off when Shauna pulled her out of the creek. Now, she's completely silent. She won't even talk to me."
"It sounds like she is in shock. Is she being kept warm?"
"She's in front of the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate now."
"I hate to say it, Troy, but you will need to have patience." Dietrich went quiet for a moment. "Could I ask, what does she look like?"
"She's very pale, like she hasn't been outside in a long time. Her hair's about the same color as Tully's, but a bit darker and redder. It's not very clean, and she's overall really thin."
Another silent moment. "I had a dream last night about a red-haired girl walking with you on a busy street. That was all there was to the dream, or at least all I can remember."
"Do you think it means something?"
"Not sure." Dietrich sounded like there was more he wanted to say. He let out a breath before saying, "Do you not find it strange that this little girl shows up after you and Shauna realized you were unable to have children?"
"I do find it strange. We established that four years ago. Why would this happen now?"
"Well, remember it was seventeen years between learning of the prophecy and it actually coming into play for me."
"True, but I've also gotten over it. I have everyone else's kids, and in a few months, you'll have a baby."
"But they are not yours."
"This one isn't mine, either."
"Yes, but she could be the closest you will ever come."
Troy sighed. "It's nice to think about, but I don't think so. We don't know anything about her yet, and she seems to hate Shauna. It wouldn't work."
"Give it time. I doubt this happened for no reason. Nothing ever does."
Troy heard Esther in the background again, and Dietrich groaned aloud before responding in German. "What's all that about?" Troy asked, grinning.
"She wants another damn orange. My grave is going to smell of oranges at this rate!" Dietrich growled.
"Do you love your wife?"
"Yes! What kind of a moronic question is that?"
"Then start peeling those oranges, buddy."
"There are moments where I do not like you, Troy, and this is one of them."
"What do you want me to do? Tell you to stop peeling oranges and risk you getting banished to the couch for the next five months?"
"No, but please assure me that I will not touch another orange for a long time after this."
"Do you want me to make that a promise?"
"Yes."
"Alright. I promise."
"Thank you. Is there anything else you need?"
"Advice, I guess. What can I do to help this girl become comfortable around Shauna?"
"You need to find out why first. When you do, call me back. Maybe I will be able to help you."
"Okay. Thanks, Dietrich. Good luck. Maybe Esther will move on to another fruit tomorrow."
"I would rather not develop a hatred of fruit, Troy."
"Maybe you'll get lucky and it won't be something you have to peel."
"Oh, I sure hope so. Have a good day, Troy."
"You, too." Troy hung up, and turned his attention back to the girl sitting in front of the fire. She hadn't moved, but she appeared to still be shivering. Troy stood after getting his crutches. The girl jumped a little, turning to see him.
"It's only me, sweetie," he said, softly. "You doing okay?"
As he expected, the girl didn't answer. She resumed looking down at her mug, and Troy could see she hadn't drank very much of it. He wasn't sure what else he could do to make her comfortable. He opened a cabinet under a bookshelf, and pulled out a heavy blanket, unfolding it and limping back over to the couch to drape it over the girl's shoulders.
"I've had hypothermia," Troy said. "It's not fun. You'll have clean, dry clothes soon, I promise."
When he didn't get a response again, Troy decided to go make himself a cup of coffee, but before he could leave, he felt a small hand grab his wrist. He looked down to see the girl staring up at him. "You want me to stay?" he asked.
She continued to say nothing, and gently pulled him.
"Okay. I'll stay." Troy lowered himself to the couch. The girl set her mug down and climbed up next to him, covering herself with the blanket and getting as close to Troy as she could. He could feel bones in her back and shoulders when he put his arm around her. Were you out there for a long time, or were you being neglected? I hope that's not the case, or there's going to be hell to pay. He gently pulled the girl closer. You're safe now. I just hope you can see that.
The silence was broken by Shauna entering the house. The girl squeezed Troy tighter.
"You're alright. Shauna's not going to hurt you, okay?" Troy kept his arm around her.
"Has she said anything to you, yet?" Shauna asked.
"Nope. Not yet." Troy looked up at Shauna, saying quietly, "She really needs food and a shower, that's for sure. I really hope it's from being outside for a while."
"I hope so, too. I just wish we could figure out why she doesn't like me."
"We just have to be patient."
"That's a shocking thing to hear coming from you, Sam."
"I know."
Shauna didn't look sure what to say next. "Should I just leave you here with her?"
"I guess. It'll keep me off my leg, won't it?"
"That's true." Shauna looked down at the floor, then headed for the basement stairs. "I'll go check on her clothes." A few minutes later, she returned, holding a basket. She smiled at the girl, who was shyly peeking out from behind the blanket. "Here you are, lass, clean clothes."
No response.
"Don't you want to get dry?"
Troy looked down at the girl. "Seriously, sweetie, you'll get sick if you stay in your wet clothes. Go with Shauna. She won't hurt you.
The girl shook her head, and buried her face in Troy's shoulder.
Troy sighed. "Would you rather I go with you?"
She nodded.
"Okay." Troy went with the girl upstairs to the bathroom. He stayed outside the door, giving her privacy to take a shower before getting changed. When Shauna came upstairs, Troy offered her a weak smile. "Patience."
"It's hard to be patient when this hurts," Shauna said.
"I know, but I highly doubt this is your fault, sweetheart."
"What will get her to talk to us?"
Troy shrugged. "It's only been a few hours."
Shauna was quiet for a moment, leaning against the wall next to her husband. "Maybe we need a little help."
"Who do you think can help us?"
"Anah."
"You think Anah can help? We don't even know if this little girl's afraid of snakes. That could make things worse."
"Who else can read minds in this family?"
"I don't think we need that, but… it wouldn't hurt to have some help with this. Besides, Moffitt's good with kids, and maybe having Jules around will make the girl a bit more comfortable."
"That means we have to wait a little before they arrive, though."
"I know. I think we can manage. Who knows? Maybe she'll talk before they get here."
"I hope so."
The bathroom door slowly, and the girl looked outside into the hallway. Shauna headed downstairs, and Troy felt guilt crushing his chest, even as the girl took his wrist again. "Patience," he said aloud. "Patience." He looked down at the girl. "I might just name you that. Do you even have a name?"
The girl shook her head.
"Are you joking? Come on, you're, what, eight? Nine? Surely, you have a name, sweetie."
Another headshake.
"Be serious with me. I'm trying to help."
The girl's lower lip quivered. "How do I know you're not gonna send me back?"
"Send you back where?" Troy didn't press when the girl didn't answer. "Did you come from a bad place?"
She nodded.
"Okay. What made it a bad place?"
She looked down at the floor, still holding Troy's wrist.
"Did someone hurt you?"
"The car. It… crashed. Mommy and Daddy didn't make it out. I don't remember who, but… I was sent to an orphanage for girls only. The lady in charge was strict, so I ran away."
"How long ago were you sent to this orphanage?"
"I was three."
"When did you run away?"
"I don't remember."
"Do you remember the name of the town the orphanage is in?"
"You're gonna send me back!"
"No. No, I'm not, I promise."
Tears streamed down the girl's face. "This lady promised to adopt me and never did!"
"Okay, okay—Look at me, sweetie. I am not going to break my promise. I never break promises. Ever." Troy's heart broke at the outpouring of grief and trauma that had clearly built up in the girl. He knew how she felt, and got on one knee to get on the girl's level, making eye contact with her. "I am not going to send you back, okay? I need to know where you came from, so I can help you."
The girl was quiet for a few seconds. "Casper. I ran away from Casper."
"That's nearly twenty miles from here. How did you survive?"
The girl shrugged.
"I'm impressed you did." Troy gave her a slight smile. "Any particular place you were running to?"
She shook her head. "Just… away."
"I get that." Troy tried keeping his mind from turning to the night he fled Colonel Beckmann's camp, where his only focus was on getting away. He had no set destination, just away.
"Did you run away from home, too?"
"No, but I did run away from a… a bad situation, and I had no idea where I was going, just that I needed to get away."
Shauna started coming up the stairs, saying, "Jack and Vanora will be here in a few days. Do you want me to call anyone else?"
The girl threw herself at Troy to hide from Shauna.
"Sweetie, hey, it's okay. Shauna's not going to hurt you." Troy tried not to curse aloud at the fact that he could feel just how thin the girl was. "Come on, what's your problem with her?"
"I heard her talking," Shauna said. "What did she tell you?"
"She was orphaned when she was three, got sent to a girls-only orphanage in Casper, and eventually ran away. Apparently, the woman who runs the place is really strict, and there was also a woman who promised to adopt this girl but never did."
Shauna sighed. "I think I see what her problem is. She's only ever had negative experiences with grown women. That's why she's afraid of me."
"That makes sense, I guess. We can fix that. It'll take time, but we'll fix it. She needs positive experiences with you—"
"She has to let me be around her first."
"We'll work on that."
It had been a bit of a challenge, but Troy managed to convince the girl to sleep on the couch rather than follow him upstairs to bed later that night. He lay awake while Shauna was reading. A sigh from him prompted Shauna to glance at him.
"You alright, Sam?" she asked.
"Yeah, just… what happened today?"
"A little orphan girl showed up in the woods just outside our property."
"Yep."
"She's afraid of adult women because the only ones she has any memory of in her life haven't been kind to her."
"Uh-huh."
"She seems to have no name."
"Yeah." Troy rubbed his face. "I promised I wouldn't send her back, but what other option do we have?"
"Adopting her ourselves."
"Don't you think that would be a bit… sudden? Are we ready for that?"
"Sam, we've been ready for children for years. It's just that we can't have our own biologically." Shauna closed her book. "She really likes you. It would break her heart to send her somewhere else."
"But she doesn't like you, and I don't know how to help with that."
"Maybe Anah will be able to help when Jack and his family visit."
"If this girl isn't terrified of snakes. That's what I'm worried about."
"Have you told her that we'll have company over? Maybe telling her that Jack has a talking animal will make it less shocking."
"Maybe, but I'll have to emphasize that it's a talking snake."
"Yes." Shauna set her book on her nightstand, then turned out the light. She settled down next to Troy, resting her head on his shoulder and draping her arm over his chest. "It'll be fine, Sam."
"I hope so." Troy sighed. "Dietrich told me earlier today that he had a dream where I was walking with a little girl identical to the one we found. He also said that it's strange that we wanted children for so long, that never happened, and now one falls on our doorstep."
"That could just be a coincidence."
"Dietrich doesn't believe in coincidences, remember?"
"Do you think he's right in this case?"
"I don't know yet. It's just… funny to think that I have the opportunity right now in front of me to finally become a parent, and yet… I'm terrified. I don't actually know if I'm ready. She's been through a lot."
"So have you."
"That doesn't mean I could do a good job raising her."
"Let's wait and see what your friends say. I think you should call the rest of the family tomorrow and get their advice."
"That's a good idea." Troy pulled Shauna closer to kiss her forehead. "Thanks, sweetheart."
