OVW Comment Fic Party Prompt Response: Shatter
Title: Shatter
Characters: Kat Reynolds
Universe(s): A Safe Harbor
Timeline: This takes place present day
Rating: T+ (for language and some content)
Notes: This is the response to this prompt in the Comment Fic Party over at openveinwriting. Once again, it got too long for comments, so I moved it over here!
A couple of beers and some shots into the night at a crazy party, and Kat was already leading a blonde bombshell by the hand into the back of the bar. The night was still pretty young, and it didn't get much better than this.
Her name was Marcy and she had come back to Safe Harbor to finish her degree over at SHU. She was studying nursing assistance, and said she'd started on her degree years ago but got tangled up in some asshole boyfriend who'd promised he'd marry her and treat her like a princess if she just quit school to be with him (Kat assumed having gross amounts of children would have followed). She'd believed him, they'd got engaged, and then he bailed two weeks before the wedding.
Kat liked to hear a girl's problems. It provided a sense of a connection without anything messy like actual commitment. Made the fucking mean a little more.
She led Marcy through the thick crowd of people dancing in the middle of the bar and they made it to the back. There was a broom closet there that was always empty. Kat commandeered it often, to the point where it became known, in some circles, as The Scratching Post. Where Kat took you to scratch that itch. Yeah, that itch. It was a terrible name, and it made Kat roll her eyes every time she heard it.
They stepped inside and Kat fumbled along the wall for the light switch as they locked lips. Even drunk, everything Kat did was executed expertly, with near military precision. Watch the lip pressure. Not too much tongue. Always keep your hands moving. Build it up.
Kat's hook-ups had become legendary across the lesbian bar scene. She always gave, sometimes received. It was a fun game to guess how many chicks Kat had banged across town. The number was always exaggerated-- though not nearly as much as one might have thought.
Marcy was handsy, sliding them down Kat's back to firmly grip her ass through her jeans. She used her teeth, to the point where Kat was sure her bottom lip was going to be swollen when she went into work tomorrow. She broke her lips away from the blonde's in order to attach them to her neck, one of her hands sliding up her stomach under her blouse. The blonde moaned her encouragement, arching her back so that her chest jutted forward in Kat's direction, and she reached behind herself to unfasten her bra.
Kat tugged the blouse up over her head. Holy shit. This chick's tits were glorious. Round and firm and perky, with pretty pink nipples that tightened under every one of Kat's touches. She kissed her way down Marcy's neck, past her collarbone, until she was able to take one of the firm pink nipples between her lips.
This chick was eating it up, loving every minute of it, making these sexy fucking high-pitched keening noises that echoed throughout the small space of the closet. She was one of those chicks that could have an orgasm just by having her breasts stimulated. Lucky for her, that was something Kat was exceptionally good at.
She knew Marcy came when she felt manicured fingers dig in hard to the back of her neck, and the chick's sounds reached a fever pitch. Without giving her too much time to recover, Kat tugged her skirt up over her hips and started planting a trail of wet kisses all the way up her trembling thighs.
Her cell phone rang. She ignored it and it buzzed that it went to voicemail.
Seconds later, it rang again. Another voicemail.
The third ring, Kat groaned in annoyance and in between ragged breaths, Marcy told her she should probably get it.
Kat fished her phone out of her pocket and answered it in irritation. "Yeah, what is it?"
"Kat, where the fuck are you? I've been trying to call you for like 20 minutes. We've got a situation down here at the shelter."
It was Christian calling from the shelter. No. Fuck. No. This wasn't happening. This was the first night off Kat had had in weeks.
"Uh, sorry, Chris, I'm sort of right in the middle of something right now--"
"For fuck's sake, Kat, tell the chick you'll give her an IOU. We need you. Lacey went out of town and she's not answering her phone, and we've got a brand new arrival, this six-year-old kid that won't let anyone with a Y chromosome near her."
"Shit." Kat rubbed her hand over her eyes. She wasn't wasted, but she had definitely had more than a couple of drinks tonight and she was still feeling it. "You do know you're asking the most androgynous volunteer to be there--"
"Kat."
"Fuck. Alright, fine, I'll be there as soon as I can."
Kat shoved her phone back into her pocket, and stared up at Marcy, whose breaths were still ragged, and her tits were still looking fucking amazing and just begging to be sucked some more. Fuck. Why did this have to happen now?
"Sorry, Marcy," Kat sighed, getting to her feet. "I've got to go. Emergency."
Marcy definitely looked disappointed, but she smiled, and she tugged her shirt back down so that she was decent again, and re-adjusted her skirt so that she was covered. "It's alright, Kitty Kat. You can make it up to me another time. I already slipped my number into your pocket."
Oof. "Kitty Kat". She'd have to talk to her about that next time she saw her.
Kat smiled her signature charming smile, took Marcy's cheeks between her hands, and gave her one last mind-blowing kiss-- just enough to keep her looking forward to next time.
---
When the cab pulled up to the front of the shelter, all of the outside and inside lights were on, and there was a police car parked out front. While this wasn't an unusual sight at the shelter, it was almost never a good sign. Police involvement either meant there was some sort of domestic disturbance within the shelter that needed addressing (this usually involved an abusive parent being escorted off the premises, or in some extreme cases, arrested and forcefully removed) or a police report regarding some sort of vandalism was being filed.
Kat paid the cab driver and stepped out of the car, smoothing down the ends of her clothes. She still smelled like booze and cigarette smoke, and knew she was definitely not looking the part of a dedicated employee who dealt with kids everyday. Hopefully the cop that was there wouldn't recognize the smell of the joint she had shared with Marcy earlier.
She walked up to the side door and knocked, waiting for Christian to come and let her in. She heard footsteps, saw him move the curtain aside to see who was there, and then he unfastened the deadbolt and threw the door open. "Thank fucking God. I thought you'd never get here."
"It's good to see you too, Chris," Kat replied, stepping inside. "Give me a fucking break, man. It's my night off."
"Yeah, I know," Chris ran a hand through his hair. "Look, Kat, for what it's worth, I am sorry that I had to call you on your night off, alright? But you have to believe me when I say I wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been absolutely necessary."
"Yeah, I know," Kat sighed. "So what's the deal? Why are the cops here?"
"They're in the other room," Chris replied, motioning for her to follow him. "But first," he reached into his pocket, retrieved a pack of gum, and handed a couple of pieces to her, "you smell like a damn ashtray."
"Fucking. Night. Off," Kat replied, taking the gum anyway. It would help her breath to not smell so much like booze anyway. She unwrapped the pieces and stuffed them into her mouth.
"Officer, this is Kat, she's another one of the volunteers here at the shelter," Chris informed the cop standing in the common area as they walked into the room. The cop was female, in full uniform, gun at her side. She had short-cropped brown hair and severe-looking features. Kat instantly stood up straighter when the woman turned to her.
"Nice to meet you," the officer held her hand out. "Deputy Reeves."
"Uh, yeah, it's nice to meet you too," Kat shook her head. "So... what's going on here?"
"Child Services and Safe Harbor PD responded to a phone call earlier today from a concerned neighbor about a child screaming from the house next door. When we got to the house, we promptly arrested the father, who's been charged with child abuse, child neglect and endangerment, not to mention drug possession, drunk and disorderly, resisting arrest and assaulting an officer."
"Ah," Kat nodded. "I wondered where you might have gotten that shiner. I've gotten a couple myself. Occupational hazard when dealing with those types."
"Unfortunately," Deputy Reeves' lips curled in the slightest of smiles. She was a dyke, alright, and if she didn't scare the shit out of Kat nearly as much as she did, she'd have her in bed before the end of the night. "Anyway, we searched the house and found the daughter. Five years old, and she was hiding in the closet. Wouldn't let any of our male officers near her. Had to get a female Child Services worker to come in and pick her up to go to the hospital."
"She won't let any men near her at all?" Kat asked.
"No," Chris spoke up. "The kid completely freaked as soon as she saw me. I've got Mac and Eric hanging out in the break room until we get this sorted out. The kid is completely spooked, Kat."
"We had a brief psych eval done on her," Officer Reeves continued. "We highly suspect she's been subject to sexual abuse for a long period of time. The departmental psychologist says she's so traumatized that she perceives any and all men as a potential threat."
"Fuck," Kat rubbed her hand over her eyes. "Jesus Christ. Five years old? This kid should be watching fucking Sesame Street and drinking juice boxes and... you know, being a kid. Fuck."
"I agree completely," Deputy Reeves replied.
"So... why am I here?" Kat asked, looking at them both. "I mean... I look just as much like a dude as these other guys do, and Deputy Reeves, I'm sure you've been able to make contact with her?"
"Only briefly," Deputy Reeves answered, "I was able to get her over here, but as soon as we stepped inside she ran away terrified. She's hiding in a bathroom right now, sitting in the bathtub. She won't let me, or any of your coworkers near her. Child Services doesn't have any people they can lend us right now."
"It's just you, Kat," Chris replied. "You've got to try. Please."
"Look, I'll try," Kat held her hands up. "But I can't make any promises." She turned to the officer. "What's her name?"
"Rose."
"Rose. Okay. Got any advice for me?"
"She likes stuffed animals. And apple juice. The hospital wasn't able to get her to eat too much, and I'm sure she's hungry, but she did gulp down some apple juice, so... you might try to bring her something to eat?"
"No one else has tried to offer this kid food?"
"Of course we have," Chris spoke up again. "She won't take it from us, Kat. Like I said, she's spooked."
"Alright," Kat again sighed. She was tired, and now that the adrenline of her evening had worn off, all she wanted to do was go back to her place, curl up under her sheets and sleep for the rest of the weekend.
She walked into the break room, waved at Mac and Eric, and started to go through the cupboards. She found a box of animal crackers and going through the fridge, she found a juicebox of apple juice and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from the batch they had made as an afternoon snack for the rest of the kids earlier.
Nudging the fridge shut with her hip, Kat carried everything with her and walked to the closet to grab one last thing. They kept a reserve of new and donated toys in a cardboard box in the closet for new arrivals. Searching through the box, Kat found a small brown teddy bear with a red ribbon around its neck, and she shoved it under her arm before she walked down the hallway to try and make contact with the little girl.
She stood outside the bathroom door and turned to throw a glance at Christian over her shoulder. He held his crossed fingers up to show her he was rooting for her. She sighed and gently knocked on the door, then slowly turned the doorknob and poked her head inside.
The little girl was sitting in the bathtub, her knees drawn tightly up to her chest, and she cowered behind the shower curtain when Kat opened the door.
"Rose?" Kat asked, carefully poking her head through the door. "Hi there. My name's Kat. I heard you were new here and I was wondering if I could talk to you."
The little girl stared at Kat through wide eyes, eyes that had seen far too much for her young life, and she didn't say anything.
Kat cleared her throat, not sure if there was any point to this or not. She had no idea if she was going to be able to get through to this poor kid where so many others had failed. "Um, hey, listen, so... I thought you might be hungry." The little girl's eyes lit up at the mention of food, but when Kat made a step toward her, she cried out in alarm and tightly gripped the shower curtain as if it would protect her.
"Whoa," Kat held her hands up in surrender, and the teddy bear fell from under her arm. "Okay, look, I'm not going to hurt you."
The little girl's eyes fell to the teddy bear that was now on the floor, and she momentarily stopped shaking. Kat followed her gaze to the floor to the bear, then back to the little girl, then back to the bear.
"Oh," Kat bent down and picked up the bear. "Would you like to have this little guy? Someone told me you like stuffed animals."
Rose kept her eyes glued to the bear, but she still looked a tad apprehensive of Kat.
"It's okay," Kat shot the little girl a smile, taking another small step toward her. This time, the little girl didn't shy away. Kat stopped once she was in front of the bathtub, and she knelt down so that she was eye-level with her. "Here you go."
She reached out for the bear, and shot a doubtful look at Kat, who just smiled patiently at her. So she reached out and grabbed the bear, tucked it between her arms, and her lips curled into the tinest of smiles.
"See?" Kat smiled back at her. "Not so bad, right? Now, I also heard you like apple juice, and that you're probably hungry. Is that true?" The little girl nodded, watching every move Kat made from the top of the teddy bear's head. "I brought you a juice box," Kat replied, handing it out to her. "And I also brought you a box of animal crackers. Those are my favorites." Rose shot her a funny look, and Kat grinned. "What? You don't think grown-ups can like animal crackers too? Am I too old or something?"
This time, the little girl nodded, and then they both started laughing. The little girl's laugh was delicate and magical and contagious. Kat instantly felt horrible for ever not wanting to come into the shelter tonight because just hearing the little girl's laugh made it all worth it.
"Hey Rose," Kat started, unwrapping the straw that came with the juice box and inserting it for her. "Would you mind if I sat in there with you and your new teddy bear?"
The little girl took the juice box Kat offered her, and took a sip. She glanced down at the space beside her in the bath tub, and she slid her tiny body over to give Kat some more room.
"Thank you," Kat smiled at her, crawling into the bathtub alongside her. As Rose sipped at the juice box, Kat opened the box of animal crackers and held them out to her. Rose quickly grabbed a handful. "When was the last time you had something to eat, Rose?"
The little girl took a sip of juice and chewed a mouthful of animal crackers, before going in for more. She was too hungry to answer her. Kat's heart ached.
"Go slow, sweetie," Kat told her. "I brought you a sandwich, too. Peanut butter and jelly. Do you like peanut butter and jelly?" The little girl nodded, and Kat held out the sandwich, which she quickly grabbed.
For about thirty minutes, Kat sat in the bathtub with the little girl, mostly in silence. Rose finished her juice and all of the animal crackers, and half of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She was sleepy now, and Kat was wondering if she would let her pick her up and take her to a bed for the night.
"Hey Rose," Kat whispered. "You look sleepy. Would it be okay if I picked you up and tucked you into bed for the night?"
The little girl suddenly shot up, her eyes wide and alert, and she shook her head rapidly. Kat felt like an asshole. She had probably been abused at night time, maybe even in her bed.
"Hey, it's okay," Kat assured her. "No one's going to hurt you here, Rose. I promise. You'll always be safe here. It's just me, some of my friends, and a lot of other little kids just like you. I'm sure they would like to play with you some time. Would you like to play with some other kids?"
The little girl thought about this, then nodded slowly.
"I'm sure you'll make a lot of good friends here," Kat smiled at her. "But can I tuck you into bed now? I promise you'll be safe."
It took a long few moments, but finally, Rose nodded, yawned, and she held her arms out to Kat. Kat carefully lifted her up into her arms, stepped over the lip of the bathtub, and carried her out of the bathroom down the hallway toward the bedrooms.
An empty bed was already made up with fresh sheets and pillows, so Kat pulled down the blankets and gently lay Rose down on the mattress. Making sure she was comfortable, she tugged the sheets up to her chin and tucked them all around her tiny body. She sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled at her. "There. Snug as a bug in a rug. Are you warm enough?"
Rose nodded, hugging the teddy bear securely between her arms. Her little eyes were droopy and sleepy, and Kat knew she'd be asleep within minutes.
"I'll just be down the hallway if you need anything, okay?" Kat asked. Rose nodded. Kat smiled at her and got to her feet. "Goodnight, Rose. I'll see you in the morning." She turned to leave but stopped when she felt something tugging at her pantleg.
When she turned around, Rose was gripping her pantleg with her tiny hand, and Kat turned around and walked back toward the bed. She sat back down on the edge of the bed and looked at Rose, who was now sitting up. "What's wrong, sweetie?"
The little girl lunged forward and wrapped her tiny arms around Kat's waist. For a moment, Kat was too stunned to do or say anything. Then she gently wrapped her arms around the little girl's shoulders and rubbed her back.
"Kitty Kat," she heard the little girl whisper in her ear. Kat pulled away from the embrace and smiled at her, giving her nose the gentlest of taps.
"I don't usually let people call me that," Kat raised an eyebrow. "But it sounds cuter when you say it," she winked. "Do you think we can be friends, Rose?"
The little girl nodded. She smiled bigger this time, to where Kat noticed her front baby teeth were missing.
Kat leaned forward and kissed her forehead, getting to her feet. "Goodnight, Rose. I'll see you in the morning."
Before she walked out of the room, she heard a tiny voice say, "Goodnight Kitty."
She walked into the hallway, closed the bedroom door behind herself, and then slowly, silently sunk against the door, holding her hand against her mouth so she wouldn't make a sound. The tears came before she could ever try stop them. Her shoulders wracked with silent sobs and she held her head between her knees as her breaths came out shakily and ragged.
By the time she walked back out to the common area to meet back up with Deputy Reeves and Christian, her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed. She explained everything, shook hands in parting with Deputy Reeves, and then walked into the break room for a much-needed cup of coffee.
Christian followed and motioned for Mac and Eric to give them a minute in private. "Kat. Kat, are you okay?"
Kat poured herself a mug full of coffee and took a long sip. It tasted horrible. She turned to Christian, silent streaks of tears beginning to fall down her face again. "No. No, Chris, I'm not."
Characters: Kat Reynolds
Universe(s): A Safe Harbor
Timeline: This takes place present day
Rating: T+ (for language and some content)
Notes: This is the response to this prompt in the Comment Fic Party over at openveinwriting. Once again, it got too long for comments, so I moved it over here!
A couple of beers and some shots into the night at a crazy party, and Kat was already leading a blonde bombshell by the hand into the back of the bar. The night was still pretty young, and it didn't get much better than this.
Her name was Marcy and she had come back to Safe Harbor to finish her degree over at SHU. She was studying nursing assistance, and said she'd started on her degree years ago but got tangled up in some asshole boyfriend who'd promised he'd marry her and treat her like a princess if she just quit school to be with him (Kat assumed having gross amounts of children would have followed). She'd believed him, they'd got engaged, and then he bailed two weeks before the wedding.
Kat liked to hear a girl's problems. It provided a sense of a connection without anything messy like actual commitment. Made the fucking mean a little more.
She led Marcy through the thick crowd of people dancing in the middle of the bar and they made it to the back. There was a broom closet there that was always empty. Kat commandeered it often, to the point where it became known, in some circles, as The Scratching Post. Where Kat took you to scratch that itch. Yeah, that itch. It was a terrible name, and it made Kat roll her eyes every time she heard it.
They stepped inside and Kat fumbled along the wall for the light switch as they locked lips. Even drunk, everything Kat did was executed expertly, with near military precision. Watch the lip pressure. Not too much tongue. Always keep your hands moving. Build it up.
Kat's hook-ups had become legendary across the lesbian bar scene. She always gave, sometimes received. It was a fun game to guess how many chicks Kat had banged across town. The number was always exaggerated-- though not nearly as much as one might have thought.
Marcy was handsy, sliding them down Kat's back to firmly grip her ass through her jeans. She used her teeth, to the point where Kat was sure her bottom lip was going to be swollen when she went into work tomorrow. She broke her lips away from the blonde's in order to attach them to her neck, one of her hands sliding up her stomach under her blouse. The blonde moaned her encouragement, arching her back so that her chest jutted forward in Kat's direction, and she reached behind herself to unfasten her bra.
Kat tugged the blouse up over her head. Holy shit. This chick's tits were glorious. Round and firm and perky, with pretty pink nipples that tightened under every one of Kat's touches. She kissed her way down Marcy's neck, past her collarbone, until she was able to take one of the firm pink nipples between her lips.
This chick was eating it up, loving every minute of it, making these sexy fucking high-pitched keening noises that echoed throughout the small space of the closet. She was one of those chicks that could have an orgasm just by having her breasts stimulated. Lucky for her, that was something Kat was exceptionally good at.
She knew Marcy came when she felt manicured fingers dig in hard to the back of her neck, and the chick's sounds reached a fever pitch. Without giving her too much time to recover, Kat tugged her skirt up over her hips and started planting a trail of wet kisses all the way up her trembling thighs.
Her cell phone rang. She ignored it and it buzzed that it went to voicemail.
Seconds later, it rang again. Another voicemail.
The third ring, Kat groaned in annoyance and in between ragged breaths, Marcy told her she should probably get it.
Kat fished her phone out of her pocket and answered it in irritation. "Yeah, what is it?"
"Kat, where the fuck are you? I've been trying to call you for like 20 minutes. We've got a situation down here at the shelter."
It was Christian calling from the shelter. No. Fuck. No. This wasn't happening. This was the first night off Kat had had in weeks.
"Uh, sorry, Chris, I'm sort of right in the middle of something right now--"
"For fuck's sake, Kat, tell the chick you'll give her an IOU. We need you. Lacey went out of town and she's not answering her phone, and we've got a brand new arrival, this six-year-old kid that won't let anyone with a Y chromosome near her."
"Shit." Kat rubbed her hand over her eyes. She wasn't wasted, but she had definitely had more than a couple of drinks tonight and she was still feeling it. "You do know you're asking the most androgynous volunteer to be there--"
"Kat."
"Fuck. Alright, fine, I'll be there as soon as I can."
Kat shoved her phone back into her pocket, and stared up at Marcy, whose breaths were still ragged, and her tits were still looking fucking amazing and just begging to be sucked some more. Fuck. Why did this have to happen now?
"Sorry, Marcy," Kat sighed, getting to her feet. "I've got to go. Emergency."
Marcy definitely looked disappointed, but she smiled, and she tugged her shirt back down so that she was decent again, and re-adjusted her skirt so that she was covered. "It's alright, Kitty Kat. You can make it up to me another time. I already slipped my number into your pocket."
Oof. "Kitty Kat". She'd have to talk to her about that next time she saw her.
Kat smiled her signature charming smile, took Marcy's cheeks between her hands, and gave her one last mind-blowing kiss-- just enough to keep her looking forward to next time.
---
When the cab pulled up to the front of the shelter, all of the outside and inside lights were on, and there was a police car parked out front. While this wasn't an unusual sight at the shelter, it was almost never a good sign. Police involvement either meant there was some sort of domestic disturbance within the shelter that needed addressing (this usually involved an abusive parent being escorted off the premises, or in some extreme cases, arrested and forcefully removed) or a police report regarding some sort of vandalism was being filed.
Kat paid the cab driver and stepped out of the car, smoothing down the ends of her clothes. She still smelled like booze and cigarette smoke, and knew she was definitely not looking the part of a dedicated employee who dealt with kids everyday. Hopefully the cop that was there wouldn't recognize the smell of the joint she had shared with Marcy earlier.
She walked up to the side door and knocked, waiting for Christian to come and let her in. She heard footsteps, saw him move the curtain aside to see who was there, and then he unfastened the deadbolt and threw the door open. "Thank fucking God. I thought you'd never get here."
"It's good to see you too, Chris," Kat replied, stepping inside. "Give me a fucking break, man. It's my night off."
"Yeah, I know," Chris ran a hand through his hair. "Look, Kat, for what it's worth, I am sorry that I had to call you on your night off, alright? But you have to believe me when I say I wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been absolutely necessary."
"Yeah, I know," Kat sighed. "So what's the deal? Why are the cops here?"
"They're in the other room," Chris replied, motioning for her to follow him. "But first," he reached into his pocket, retrieved a pack of gum, and handed a couple of pieces to her, "you smell like a damn ashtray."
"Fucking. Night. Off," Kat replied, taking the gum anyway. It would help her breath to not smell so much like booze anyway. She unwrapped the pieces and stuffed them into her mouth.
"Officer, this is Kat, she's another one of the volunteers here at the shelter," Chris informed the cop standing in the common area as they walked into the room. The cop was female, in full uniform, gun at her side. She had short-cropped brown hair and severe-looking features. Kat instantly stood up straighter when the woman turned to her.
"Nice to meet you," the officer held her hand out. "Deputy Reeves."
"Uh, yeah, it's nice to meet you too," Kat shook her head. "So... what's going on here?"
"Child Services and Safe Harbor PD responded to a phone call earlier today from a concerned neighbor about a child screaming from the house next door. When we got to the house, we promptly arrested the father, who's been charged with child abuse, child neglect and endangerment, not to mention drug possession, drunk and disorderly, resisting arrest and assaulting an officer."
"Ah," Kat nodded. "I wondered where you might have gotten that shiner. I've gotten a couple myself. Occupational hazard when dealing with those types."
"Unfortunately," Deputy Reeves' lips curled in the slightest of smiles. She was a dyke, alright, and if she didn't scare the shit out of Kat nearly as much as she did, she'd have her in bed before the end of the night. "Anyway, we searched the house and found the daughter. Five years old, and she was hiding in the closet. Wouldn't let any of our male officers near her. Had to get a female Child Services worker to come in and pick her up to go to the hospital."
"She won't let any men near her at all?" Kat asked.
"No," Chris spoke up. "The kid completely freaked as soon as she saw me. I've got Mac and Eric hanging out in the break room until we get this sorted out. The kid is completely spooked, Kat."
"We had a brief psych eval done on her," Officer Reeves continued. "We highly suspect she's been subject to sexual abuse for a long period of time. The departmental psychologist says she's so traumatized that she perceives any and all men as a potential threat."
"Fuck," Kat rubbed her hand over her eyes. "Jesus Christ. Five years old? This kid should be watching fucking Sesame Street and drinking juice boxes and... you know, being a kid. Fuck."
"I agree completely," Deputy Reeves replied.
"So... why am I here?" Kat asked, looking at them both. "I mean... I look just as much like a dude as these other guys do, and Deputy Reeves, I'm sure you've been able to make contact with her?"
"Only briefly," Deputy Reeves answered, "I was able to get her over here, but as soon as we stepped inside she ran away terrified. She's hiding in a bathroom right now, sitting in the bathtub. She won't let me, or any of your coworkers near her. Child Services doesn't have any people they can lend us right now."
"It's just you, Kat," Chris replied. "You've got to try. Please."
"Look, I'll try," Kat held her hands up. "But I can't make any promises." She turned to the officer. "What's her name?"
"Rose."
"Rose. Okay. Got any advice for me?"
"She likes stuffed animals. And apple juice. The hospital wasn't able to get her to eat too much, and I'm sure she's hungry, but she did gulp down some apple juice, so... you might try to bring her something to eat?"
"No one else has tried to offer this kid food?"
"Of course we have," Chris spoke up again. "She won't take it from us, Kat. Like I said, she's spooked."
"Alright," Kat again sighed. She was tired, and now that the adrenline of her evening had worn off, all she wanted to do was go back to her place, curl up under her sheets and sleep for the rest of the weekend.
She walked into the break room, waved at Mac and Eric, and started to go through the cupboards. She found a box of animal crackers and going through the fridge, she found a juicebox of apple juice and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from the batch they had made as an afternoon snack for the rest of the kids earlier.
Nudging the fridge shut with her hip, Kat carried everything with her and walked to the closet to grab one last thing. They kept a reserve of new and donated toys in a cardboard box in the closet for new arrivals. Searching through the box, Kat found a small brown teddy bear with a red ribbon around its neck, and she shoved it under her arm before she walked down the hallway to try and make contact with the little girl.
She stood outside the bathroom door and turned to throw a glance at Christian over her shoulder. He held his crossed fingers up to show her he was rooting for her. She sighed and gently knocked on the door, then slowly turned the doorknob and poked her head inside.
The little girl was sitting in the bathtub, her knees drawn tightly up to her chest, and she cowered behind the shower curtain when Kat opened the door.
"Rose?" Kat asked, carefully poking her head through the door. "Hi there. My name's Kat. I heard you were new here and I was wondering if I could talk to you."
The little girl stared at Kat through wide eyes, eyes that had seen far too much for her young life, and she didn't say anything.
Kat cleared her throat, not sure if there was any point to this or not. She had no idea if she was going to be able to get through to this poor kid where so many others had failed. "Um, hey, listen, so... I thought you might be hungry." The little girl's eyes lit up at the mention of food, but when Kat made a step toward her, she cried out in alarm and tightly gripped the shower curtain as if it would protect her.
"Whoa," Kat held her hands up in surrender, and the teddy bear fell from under her arm. "Okay, look, I'm not going to hurt you."
The little girl's eyes fell to the teddy bear that was now on the floor, and she momentarily stopped shaking. Kat followed her gaze to the floor to the bear, then back to the little girl, then back to the bear.
"Oh," Kat bent down and picked up the bear. "Would you like to have this little guy? Someone told me you like stuffed animals."
Rose kept her eyes glued to the bear, but she still looked a tad apprehensive of Kat.
"It's okay," Kat shot the little girl a smile, taking another small step toward her. This time, the little girl didn't shy away. Kat stopped once she was in front of the bathtub, and she knelt down so that she was eye-level with her. "Here you go."
She reached out for the bear, and shot a doubtful look at Kat, who just smiled patiently at her. So she reached out and grabbed the bear, tucked it between her arms, and her lips curled into the tinest of smiles.
"See?" Kat smiled back at her. "Not so bad, right? Now, I also heard you like apple juice, and that you're probably hungry. Is that true?" The little girl nodded, watching every move Kat made from the top of the teddy bear's head. "I brought you a juice box," Kat replied, handing it out to her. "And I also brought you a box of animal crackers. Those are my favorites." Rose shot her a funny look, and Kat grinned. "What? You don't think grown-ups can like animal crackers too? Am I too old or something?"
This time, the little girl nodded, and then they both started laughing. The little girl's laugh was delicate and magical and contagious. Kat instantly felt horrible for ever not wanting to come into the shelter tonight because just hearing the little girl's laugh made it all worth it.
"Hey Rose," Kat started, unwrapping the straw that came with the juice box and inserting it for her. "Would you mind if I sat in there with you and your new teddy bear?"
The little girl took the juice box Kat offered her, and took a sip. She glanced down at the space beside her in the bath tub, and she slid her tiny body over to give Kat some more room.
"Thank you," Kat smiled at her, crawling into the bathtub alongside her. As Rose sipped at the juice box, Kat opened the box of animal crackers and held them out to her. Rose quickly grabbed a handful. "When was the last time you had something to eat, Rose?"
The little girl took a sip of juice and chewed a mouthful of animal crackers, before going in for more. She was too hungry to answer her. Kat's heart ached.
"Go slow, sweetie," Kat told her. "I brought you a sandwich, too. Peanut butter and jelly. Do you like peanut butter and jelly?" The little girl nodded, and Kat held out the sandwich, which she quickly grabbed.
For about thirty minutes, Kat sat in the bathtub with the little girl, mostly in silence. Rose finished her juice and all of the animal crackers, and half of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She was sleepy now, and Kat was wondering if she would let her pick her up and take her to a bed for the night.
"Hey Rose," Kat whispered. "You look sleepy. Would it be okay if I picked you up and tucked you into bed for the night?"
The little girl suddenly shot up, her eyes wide and alert, and she shook her head rapidly. Kat felt like an asshole. She had probably been abused at night time, maybe even in her bed.
"Hey, it's okay," Kat assured her. "No one's going to hurt you here, Rose. I promise. You'll always be safe here. It's just me, some of my friends, and a lot of other little kids just like you. I'm sure they would like to play with you some time. Would you like to play with some other kids?"
The little girl thought about this, then nodded slowly.
"I'm sure you'll make a lot of good friends here," Kat smiled at her. "But can I tuck you into bed now? I promise you'll be safe."
It took a long few moments, but finally, Rose nodded, yawned, and she held her arms out to Kat. Kat carefully lifted her up into her arms, stepped over the lip of the bathtub, and carried her out of the bathroom down the hallway toward the bedrooms.
An empty bed was already made up with fresh sheets and pillows, so Kat pulled down the blankets and gently lay Rose down on the mattress. Making sure she was comfortable, she tugged the sheets up to her chin and tucked them all around her tiny body. She sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled at her. "There. Snug as a bug in a rug. Are you warm enough?"
Rose nodded, hugging the teddy bear securely between her arms. Her little eyes were droopy and sleepy, and Kat knew she'd be asleep within minutes.
"I'll just be down the hallway if you need anything, okay?" Kat asked. Rose nodded. Kat smiled at her and got to her feet. "Goodnight, Rose. I'll see you in the morning." She turned to leave but stopped when she felt something tugging at her pantleg.
When she turned around, Rose was gripping her pantleg with her tiny hand, and Kat turned around and walked back toward the bed. She sat back down on the edge of the bed and looked at Rose, who was now sitting up. "What's wrong, sweetie?"
The little girl lunged forward and wrapped her tiny arms around Kat's waist. For a moment, Kat was too stunned to do or say anything. Then she gently wrapped her arms around the little girl's shoulders and rubbed her back.
"Kitty Kat," she heard the little girl whisper in her ear. Kat pulled away from the embrace and smiled at her, giving her nose the gentlest of taps.
"I don't usually let people call me that," Kat raised an eyebrow. "But it sounds cuter when you say it," she winked. "Do you think we can be friends, Rose?"
The little girl nodded. She smiled bigger this time, to where Kat noticed her front baby teeth were missing.
Kat leaned forward and kissed her forehead, getting to her feet. "Goodnight, Rose. I'll see you in the morning."
Before she walked out of the room, she heard a tiny voice say, "Goodnight Kitty."
She walked into the hallway, closed the bedroom door behind herself, and then slowly, silently sunk against the door, holding her hand against her mouth so she wouldn't make a sound. The tears came before she could ever try stop them. Her shoulders wracked with silent sobs and she held her head between her knees as her breaths came out shakily and ragged.
By the time she walked back out to the common area to meet back up with Deputy Reeves and Christian, her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed. She explained everything, shook hands in parting with Deputy Reeves, and then walked into the break room for a much-needed cup of coffee.
Christian followed and motioned for Mac and Eric to give them a minute in private. "Kat. Kat, are you okay?"
Kat poured herself a mug full of coffee and took a long sip. It tasted horrible. She turned to Christian, silent streaks of tears beginning to fall down her face again. "No. No, Chris, I'm not."