Page 14 of Rome for the Holidays
The woman cop walked over to her, “Come on hun. Do you have a coat? It’s almost Christmas time. And it’s freezing out.”
Harper shook her head, and the woman sighed, “Wrap that blanket around you, you are going to be cold.”
Harper did as she was asked, and then stopped when she walked by the back door, “W-will you d-do me a f-favor?”
The woman looked over at her, her eyebrow raised, and Harper said, “W-will s-someone bury S-saul? A-alfonso threw h-his body o-outside and h-he should b-be buried.”
The woman’s face softened, “I will have my husband bury him. Okay?”
Harper nodded, and then followed the woman out into the night.
She sat quietly in the car as the woman drove her across town, “I’m going to have the hospital check you out.”
Harper shook her head, “I-i c-can’t pay f-for it.”
The woman sighed, “Are you sure?”
Harper nodded, and the woman drove to a home on the outskirts of town and Harper looked around, “W-where are w-we?”
“I told dispatch about you and that we needed to find you a place to live for now. This is my house. We don’t have many foster homes here, and the ones in town that we do have are for small children, but my husband and I are qualified for fostering, and my house is set up for a teenager.”
Harper looked down, “I-i don’t w-want to b-be a b-b-other.”
The cop looked over at her, slowly reaching out and grabbing her hand, “Sweetheart, you could never be a bother. You didn’t ask for this to happen; to have a mother like yours. For men to try to come into your room to hurt you. You have only been surviving. Not living.”
Harper felt the heat of tears swim in her eyes as her vision got blurry, knowing that only Rose, Vincenzo, and her teachers from long ago had cared for her.
The cop squeezed her hand, “My name is Jackie. Come inside the house. My husband is awake, but my kids are sleeping. They will love having someone else around the house.”
Harper didn’t know what to say, so she followed Jackie into the house, her head down and holding her belongings close to her chest.
She didn’t want to get her hopes up.
Jackie opened the front door after unlocking it, then waited for her to follow.
Harper swallowed hard, then almost jumped when the door shut behind her.
She didn’t know what to expect, but Jackie turned on a lamp next to a huge, fluffy chair and a man came walking down the hall.
He was tall, had a big red beard, and was smiling.
His eyes were kind, and he stayed a few feet away from her, raising his hand slowly and waving, “Hi. I’m Joey.”
Harper lifted an eyebrow, “I-I’m Harper.”
Jackie walked over to Joey, hugging him. Harper watched in awe as Joey hugged her back, his face full of love for his wife.
Harper felt her eyes prick and she turned away, not sure what she would do, or where she would go, but this home didn’t need a girl like her.
Jackie touched her arm, making Harper jump.
“Hey, it’s okay. What’s wrong?”
Harper shook her head, “I-i just h-haven’t been i-in a h-home that h-has l-love. I-i didn’t w-want to r-ruin it.”
Jackie’s face went soft, “You could never ruin it. We want you here. We have a room for a foster kid, we just haven’t done it before. We wanted older kids because we knew that no one gives them a second chance. You were meant to be here Harper. I’m just sorry you dealt with so much first.”
Jackie gently hugged her, and Harper leaned into her warm embrace.
