''Wait, you know this kid''? Asked Mandy in surprise.

Calypso with tears in her eyes nodded yes. ''Yes, he is one of my students at the school where i teach'' she said softly. ''He hasn't showed up for the last two days and i could not reach his parents by phone''.

Mandy rested her paw on Calypso's shoulder and tried to comfort her.
''I was worried because i didn't hear from them, which is very unlikely from that family. When you just told me about a unknown child with both parents gone i just…i just..'' she tried to complete her sentence without crying, but it was a hard swallow just to speak at this moment. ''I just had this horrible feeling inside me and my brain was putting one and one together. Turned out my stupid feelings were right''.

Calypso started to have difficulty to stand. Mandy guided her to a chair that was set beside Mackenzie's hospital bed.
Calypso looked at the poor pup. She was feeling heartbroken to see one of her students in a sorry state like this. Especially a student who has never done something wrong, was always kind and had a bright future ahead of him. She told his parents that many times when they came to pick him up. They were always so proud of him. She remembered that she just gave him his rapport back last Friday. He was so worried about his results and even panicking when she handed over the raports to everyone. She remembers his overjoyed surprised by the amazing results he managed to get. She was so proud of him that he didn't rub his results into the other pupils noses after that. He just remained humble and happy for everyone. His friend Jack, who's scores were considerably worse, was even cheered up by Mackenzie when he told him that he would help him over the next course and that his report wasn't bad at all. The only student that he would tease was Bluey, and that was in good sport as she did it too at him. They had simulair reports and where both amongst the high scoring students of the class. It became a sort of competition they had to see who could get the best reults. He won this time by just one point at geography.

Calypso was still smiling as she thought about better times the pup had, when she was woken up from her trip to memory lane by Mandy.
''Hello, Calypso , are you alright?'' she asked worriedly.

Calpyso suddenly realised she wasn't at her school on a past Friday afternoon, but in a dark hospital room with a student of hers in a coma next to her.
''Yeah.. yeah i think i am alright''. She sighed.

''Calpyso, i know this is not the right time to ask or say but you got to help us''. Said Mandy who was now sitting next to her. Calpyso looked at her questioningly.

''You are the first and only person now who has identified this poor boy. Now we know who he is, we can give him more care as whe can look into his health insurance details and more important.. to warn his family''.

Calypso understood but a thought run in her mind. She didn't even know if Mackenzie had any family in the country. She knew that he and his parents moved from New-Zealand to Australia when Mackenzie was just one year of age. His father once told her that he and his wife were planning to move to Australia sooner to start a new life, but the pregnancy was unexpected as both parents were once told years earlier than they were both infertile. When that miracle happened they decided to wait a year to move so they could learn how to be parents. Mackenzie and his family went every summer and christmas, so twice a year, back to New-Zealand to spend some time with his grandparents and his aunt, uncle and their children. But that was all she knew. As far as she knew, he did not have any family in Australia.

Meanwhile Mandy took out her mobile work phone and was informing her manager about what happend. A hour later the room was changed and crowded. A couple of nurses and doctors stood now in the fully bright room. A room that was empty and dark just a hour earlier. Mackenzie was finally given the right medication and treatment for his condition as his health insurance could be checked and the insurance company gave green light for his treatment. Calypso was now sitting in a chair across the bed on the other side of the room. She had to make room for the doctors who were running around in the room. Calypso was actually appalled by everything. Just an hour ago nobody gave a flip about some unknown child, and now all of the sudden when they knew his name and that his parents provide a good insurance policy, everything was possible and they suddenly gave a damn about his well being. ''How many other people in this hospital are treated like this''? She thought to herself as she was wondering if she even wanted to stay a volunteer in an environment like this and how unfair the world really was. What if he never got the right treatment? He could have died. And how many others have died because of this?

She noticed that Mandy was walking up to her. Mandy asked her to come with her. Calypso stood up from her chair and walked with Mandy back to the nurses office. When Calypso walked into the office she noticed a Stabyhoun dog wearing a blue shirt with black tie standing next to the coffee machine, sipping coffee out of a plastic mug. When he noticed Calypso entering, he set it away and greeted her.

'Miss Shepherd?'' he asked.

''Yes that's me''. She answered while the two shook paws.

''Nice to meet you Miss. My name is Friso. I am a representative from the national child safety services council send in by the Brisbane department for child protection. You must be more familiar with my colleague Rupert who works as the school inspector in this town''.

''Ah yes Rupert. I know him well. Nice man'' she said to him. ''I'm guessing you are here for Mackenzie?''.
Both dogs set down on a chair as the Stabyhoun pulls up a briefcase that was standing next to him. He pulls out of it a notebook, a pen, some paperwork and his reading glasses. When he finished to put the glasses on his muzzle he continued speaking.

''Yes, that's correct. Thanks to you we could indentify him and now we can look further how to help him''.

''Why was that not possible before?'' Asked Calpyso.

''Well, we took examples of his blood and the blood of the two adults. It matched so we knew they were his parents. But we did not come further as their DNA couldn't be matched with any known DNA sample in the justice department. Which is good news ofcourse. It means they never got in serious trouble with law enforcement in their lives. It also meant we had no DNA matches or known fingerprints. And before you ask, both license plates of the car were completely melted, the wallets with identifications and other passes were completely destroyed by the fire, the father's face is gruesomely unrecognizable and they haven't got round to identifying the mother as her post-mortem examination is not scheduled until Thursday''. he said nonchalantly.

Calypso just stared at him blankly, wanting to ask why he gave so much detail. She didn't want to know all of that. A simple 'No it was not possible' would have provided. She just stared at him while he continued to speak.

''We are very happy that you have identified the body..uh sorry i mean boy ofcourse. He is not gone yet haha..ah. Yup. Sorry about that'' Friso laughed at his own morbid slip of the tongue, causing Calpyso to stare with anger at him.

''I'm here to ask you if you know if he has any relatives we don't know about and can confirm his home adress for us?''.

''Well. I know he has grandparents living in New-Zealand. And a aunt and uncle. But that's all i know. I never heard him speaking of other relatives in Australia. He is a only child living at 36 Walnut avenue'' she answered back.

Friso sighed ''Well, that's not any new information for us. Is there anything else we need to know about him that you think is important?''

Calypso thought. ''Well, he is friendly but not very font of strangers. So i don't know how he will react to this environment when he wakes up. He also doesn't like big changes in his life, so i don't know what you have planned but it has to be carefully be thought of with him and not without him''.

''Well.. he just has to get used to it'' Friso said. ''His life is going to change drastically and we are here to provide him with a future, not to make everything the way he wants it to be. That's not how life works.''.

Calypso looked at him. ''What are you saying?''.

''Well. According to information given to us by the local government of Brisbane he is a Australian citizen. His parents never registered him in New-Zealand. They got him an Australian passport so it means he is registered here and has an Australian social service number. They did that the minute they came to life here. Problem is, his parent did not do that for themselves. They lived here and were working tax paying citizens. And although they had Australian passports, they were still registered as citizens in New-Zealand''.

''So, why does that matter?'' She asked him.

''Well, it means he is Australian and has nothing with New-Zealand. He can't just go to there and expect that country to let him in. Even if he has family over there, he can't just go over there and live with them because of Australian and New-Zealand law. As a child he also falls under the Australian children safety law with forbids foreign adoption without consent from the parents or a caretaker approved by the child safety services council, until the age of eighteen when he can make that own decision if he wants to immigrate to somewhere else. Because both of his parents are gone and he doesn't have a caretaker, it means that as soon as he is fired from this hospital, he will be brought to a orphanage in Darwin and live there until he is eighteen years of age or is adopted in the meantime by a family'' Friso said in a serious tone.

Calypso was shocked. She knew the law but it did not cross her mind untill this point what the loss of both parents could mean to Mackenzie for his life.

Without thinking about it' Calypso asked: ''Friso, just a question. Is is possible for me to apply to become his caretaker for the time being''?

Friso looked at her with a frown. ''I think it is, but why would you want to get such a big responsibility when we have plenty of caretakers in our database we can provide him with?''.

''Please, Mackenzie needs someone he knows and can trust when he wakes up. His world has changed and thing won't be the same for him. The last thing he can handle is a stranger telling him he has lost everything and his life is going to change drastically''.

''Miss, you are his teacher. Therefore i suspect you know more about him than anyone else at the moment, but also the professional relationship you have with him between student and teacher will change if you also take on the role as caretaker of him. It's something that you musn't want. I do appreciate the offer...''

''No. I don't want to hear a no!'' Calpyso said angrily. ''I have promised myself to teach and help children whenever i can. That's the reason i became a teacher. That's why i volunteer here''. She paused for a moment and inhales deeply before continuing more calmly. ''You are right in one thing, i know more about him than anyone else at this moment. Therefore i'm the most suitable to help him in this terrible situation he's in. I will take care of him, and when the time is right… i will either find a way to get him back with his own family in New-Zealand or find a suitable family here in Australia for him. Please let me help him''.

Friso looked at her with a serious face. The room was silent apart from the buzzing of the lamps on the ceiling and the coffee machine that was cleaning itself.
Then he took off his glasses and nodded.
''When someone is right, they're right. I heard good things about you from Rupert. You have my full trust but i hope you know what you're doing'' he all said calmly and in a respectful tone.

He took out some papers from his briefcase and placed them on the coffee table. ''If you sign here you will be appointed as his caretaker for a period of a year. Because you are not a official caretaker employed by your office you are required to get someone else you trust as a second caretaker. You have a month to look for someone. If you can't find anyone, we will appoint the second caretaker. After the year is over we can extend this contract with a another year. After that, we will take custody of the child and put him up for adaption. As caretaker you are not allowed to adopt him in any situation to keep things professional''.

He looked at Calpyso who was holding a pen in her paw.

''If you agree with all of that, and think you can do this..then sign here and there please'' he said while pointing at two dotlines.

Calypso said nothing, but looked at him full of confidence and then signed the papers.

'I will help you through this misery Mackenzie, i promise' she thought.