You frantically fumbled through your pockets for the house key, trying to get out of this exceedingly cold rain as fast as possible. It was a bit difficult to do so while holding a child in the other arm, but eventually, you were pushing the door open and entering the much warmer house. The heat in the home might be a little sporadic at times, but any kind of interior was more comfortable than the outside world right now.
You carried Ramona through to the kitchen, where you set her down in front of the table. She was still shivering a little, but in comparison to earlier, it was evident the hoodie had worked in warming her up somewhat. However, it was probably wise that her clothing was changed soon, what with it being pretty drenched at this point.
"Lemme get this off you." You said.
You crouched down and pulled the hoodie back up her shoulders, and in turn, she lifted her arms into the air to make it easier. Once the thick clothing was off and only a blue short-sleeved shirt adorned her torso, the colder air immediately met her mostly bare arms. She began cuddling herself, downtrodden eyes rising to meet yours.
All you could do was observe her for a moment. With the ceiling light of the kitchen now illuminating her more clearly, her predicament became even sadder. Her eyes were blotchy and red, likely due to her earlier sobbing. Her skin, at least the parts that weren't dirtied, was concerningly pale. Every time she breathed in through her nostrils, she sniffled, indicating that she may have caught a cold.
Something had to be done.
"Right..." You swiftly straightened upright. Ramona's gaze remained locked upon you. "I'll only be a minute."
Turning back towards the hallway, you flipped the switch on a nearby socket as you passed. You headed upstairs and practically charged your way into your bedroom, your target being the large wardrobe in the corner. Opening it, you dug through a variety of different boxes before eventually finding what you needed. Your old possessions. Your shirts, trousers, pajamas, and essentially every piece of clothing you wore as a child. Kyle always thought it was strange you kept these around, but you struggled to just throw away memories.
Now, these children clothes had a more important use.
You brought the box downstairs and placed it in front of Ramona, who observed it curiously.
"Let's get you out of those soggy clothes. Also..." You startled her a little when you grabbed the legs of the chair and dragged it over to the radiator against the wall. Her attention was soon grabbed by the sudden but very welcome source of heat. "It's pretty expensive to have this on, but...it should've fully warmed up by now."
She lifted her hands up in front of it like it was a campfire. The warmth that met her fingers was exceedingly soothing. In an instant, she scooted to the side, trying to get as much of her body as close to it as she could. Her shivering gradually eased up as the heat removed much of the cold from her arms and torso. She looked up at you and, for the first time, gave you a delicate smile.
"It feels nice..."
Her voice was so gentle that it sent shockwaves through your heart whenever she chose to use it. A girl as precious as her should've never been left alone like this. Promptly returning the smile, you wasted little time in removing her wet clothes, so she could appreciate the heat even more.
Kneeling in front of her, you grabbed one of her shoes and was immediately taken aback by how wet they were. Not just that, they were shockingly brittle too. The soles were visibly close to tearing completely, so you were slow in the way you pulled it off her foot. An alarming amount of water dripped out once you did, to the point where you could only gaze at the shoe and her thoroughly drenched black sock incredulously.
"I found those in a bin..." Ramona suddenly informed you, possibly picking up on your concern. You transferred that gaze straight up to her the moment she did. "Cuz I don't have any other shoes."
That swiftly reignited the questions you'd harbored since stumbling across her. How had a girl as young as her ended up on the streets? How long had she been on her own? You considered asking her right then and there, but as you looked back down at her foot and noticed the large holes around the heel portion of her sock, it was clear that there were more pressing matters to attend to first.
You removed her other shoe, which somehow dripped out even more water, and then proceeded to remove both her socks as well. Only by touching them for a mere second, your hands became both really damp and really dirtied. You couldn't help but lift them in front of your face in disgust. Ramona continued to sniffle as she watched you deliberate to yourself and examine the perfectly pristine children clothes in the box skeptically.
You looked back up at her, mostly focusing on the dirt encompassing her skin. "Maybe, uhhh...maybe we should get you washed up first."
It took a little while of booting the boiler with your foot until it finally kicked into gear, but eventually, you were pouring out a nice bath full of warm and soapy water, one that Ramona was currently sitting in. Something about the idea of a bath initially discomforted her, but the moment she entered it, the calming warmth and satisfying soapy smell relaxed her at haste. You went over her with a flannel and washed the dirt from her skin, all of which poured out in droves.
Fifteen minutes later, every part of her was cleaned and dried back up. She was sat in front of you at the edge of the bath, as you were dressing her up again, this time in a comfy pair of stripy, unsullied pajamas. As you were rolling her new white socks up onto her bare feet, the little girl grabbed the ends of her still dampened hair and hung it under her nose.
"Mmmm, your shampoo smells pretty." She commented.
"It's strawberry scented." You replied, grinning up at her. "I usually just buy boring, regular shampoo, but I bought that one on accident."
"A happy accident!"
There was a heartwarming amount of joy in the way she uttered that last sentence. Her voice still remained slightly brittle, but being cleaned and warmed up had obviously helped lift her spirits significantly. In just under an hour, you managed to make that happen. The pride you were feeling in your chest was only growing.
You snickered. "Yeah, I guess so."
Grrrughhhhh...
However, as quick as Ramona's smile appeared, was as quick as it faded. The loud gurgling sound swiftly grabbed your attention, right as she lifted her hand and began cradling her tummy, the source of such a sound. She glanced down at it briefly but soon locked her gaze upon you once more, where strangely, her eyes held that same...contemplative look from earlier.
However, not even really taking that oddity into account, you reached forward and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Shall we go back in front of the radiator in the kitchen?" You proposed. "I can make you some soup."
That look immediately dissipated. Her expression warped into a much more positive one.
"Okay..." She whispered, nodding.
A short while later, Ramona was sat at the kitchen table with a bowl of tomato soup positioned in front of her, also appreciating the warmth the radiator was providing from behind. She was shoveling the hot food into her mouth as fast as she could without burning herself, indicating just how hungry she was. As you sat beside her at the table, simply watching her, that detail was another addition to your list of concerns.
"You're really scarfing that down." You pointed out. She barely reacted to your words, choosing instead to focus purely on her meal. "Ummmm...when was the last time you had something to eat?"
Actually grabbing her attention that time, she swallowed and raised her head to contemplate the question.
"Dunno." She eventually answered. "I tried eating some bugs I found earlier, but they just made me feel all sick..."
"Bugs!?" Unable to say much more for a few seconds, you simply stared at her in shock, as she returned to her primary concern of spooning soup into her face. "Ramona, uh...how long have you been on your own?"
"Nearly a week, I think."
"A week!? Nobody has helped you for all that time?"
On this occasion, your question made her halt halfway through lifting the spoon to her mouth. Her pupils darted in your direction, and a weirdly frightened look appeared on her face. You obviously didn't anticipate such a reaction, so even though it was puzzling, you felt the need to backtrack. But, before you could change the subject, Ramona leaned forward and grabbed a firm hold of your wrist, just like she had done earlier...
"Can I stay here?" She asked, pleading eyes arching up into yours.
The question was delivered oddly, almost like it was a demand. However, her youthful voice still made it feel innocent in a way. All you could do at first was gaze down at her, as you considered what letting her stay would entail. You turned your head to look up at the clock.
Kyle would be getting home from his job soon. What would he say about having a little kid around the house? You were both barely getting by as it is, having to look after a child was only going to make your financial problems a thousand times worse. Not to mention the fact that you and him worked very long hours, meaning Ramona would be on her own a lot, something that wasn't strictly responsible or legal...
"Uh, I-I-I..." You stuttered your words helplessly, not really knowing how you could let her down gently. That task became ten times harder when you looked back into her desperate eyes. "R-Ramona, you c-can stay here for tonight, but I don't think--"
The front door swung open. In unison, you and Ramona spun around to face it.
Kyle's exhausted eyes widened in shock the moment he took in the sight before him. A little girl sat at his table.
"Who the FUCK is she!?"
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