Ok, so just a few more chapters of set up, hope it doesn't get too boring. If it does, please review and let me know how to fix it.
"Today's the day," a middle aged woman said to her husband. They were in the lobby of an adoption agency filling out paperwork to meet some of the children. Her husband didn't have time to respond before the director of the home, a pinched, hard-looking woman named Mrs. Tompson, walked in.
"You can follow me, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson," she told the couple. They followed her into the nursery where children of assorted ages played and napped. The couple talked to several children before the woman spotted a toddler, perhaps about two, playing by herself in a corner. "Darrin, look," Elaine, the wife, murmured. The girl had fiery red hair and pale skin dotted with freckles. She looked sad and lonely, but there was something about her that spoke to Elaine.
"Oh, well, don't bother with her," Mrs. Tompson said. "Excuse me?" Darrin said harshly. Mrs. Tompson must have realized how it had sounded, and she rushed to explain herself. "She's, well, just take my word for it, she's a lot of trouble." "In what way?" Darrin asked. "She's a strange one. Ever since she came here she's had‒ medical problems. The doctors can't do anything for her, so she just runs up the bills."
Elaine looked over at the girl. She looked perfectly healthy, except maybe a little flushed. "How long has she been here?"she asked, her heart already warming to the girl.
"Since the day after she was born. Her mother died in childbirth, and they never found out who the father was."
"The mother's family didn't want the girl?" Darrin asked.
"Well, strangely enough, they were never able to find out who the mother was, either. There were no records of her anywhere, and she never told anyone her name, so that made it much harder to try to find any next of kin," Mrs. Tompson said, then she brightened a little and gestured to a little girl in the middle of the room. "Now, how about little Emily? She's a darling girl."
"What's her name?" Elaine asked. "Emily," Mrs. Tompson repeated. "No, the redhead," Elaine amended. "Well, Mallory Desdemona, but-" "I'd like to meet her," Elaine interrupted gently. Her husband looked at her hesitantly. "Dear, you heard what Mrs. Tompson said. Are you sure?" Elaine looked up at him pleadingly. "Oh, Darrin, it won't hurt to just talk to her," she said. He sighed and nodded.
Mrs. Tompson looked less than pleased, but she didn't say anything as the couple made their way over to the toddler. "Hello," Elaine said softly, kneeling down next to Mallory. The toddler looked up from her toys. Her young face had a sort of haunting beauty to it, and her coal black eyes searched Elaine's face warily. It tore at the woman's heart, seeing the child so uncertain at such a young age. "I'm Elaine, this is Darrin. What's your name?"
The girl just stared, her dark eyes piercing them. Elaine tried a new approach. "What are you playing?" she asked. The girl hesitated, then handed her one of the toys. It was strangely warm. "Who is this?" Elaine asked. The girl shrugged, still not speaking.
Darrin went to brush some hair off Mallory's face, then started pressing his hand to her forehead, concerned. "She's got a fever," he told Elaine. Elaine pressed the back of her hand to Mallory's cheek. It was burning. Suddenly, the girl curled up in a ball and started clutching her arms, sobbing in pain. "Go get Mrs. Tompson," Elaine said, and Darrin hurried off. Elain pulled the girl into her lap and held her, gently rocking her back and forth. "You'll be alright," she murmured soothingly, curling her torso protectively around the child.
The other children in the room had stopped playing and were staring. Mrs. Tompson and Darrin came over quickly. The director took one look and sighed heavily. "There's nothing we can do. We've been through this before. Well, I'm glad you got to see what you would be dealing with if you adopted her. I'll get one of the nannies to take her, and you can continue meeting with the other children."
"That won't be necessary," Elaine said, sharing a look with her husband. "We want her."