Phoebe
Wrightburg
Bill woke up around two in the morning when his phone was ringing. He grabbed it and sat up in bed.
"Hello?" Bill rubbed his face and just wanted to get back to sleep.
"The kids freaking out. We need you back down here asap."
He felt confused for a moment, but then last night came rushing back.
"I'll be there soon."
He got up and grabbed his necessities before heading out the door.
When Bill arrived at the station it was chaos.
He walked to the main area and they seemed to notice who he was. "Go ahead back." The smaller woman at the desk said.
He quickly went to Director Frances' office and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Bill walked in and Phoebe ran towards him.
"Hey. You're okay." She had tears streaming down her face.
"Scary."
"I'm really sorry. I had to go home."
He kneeled down to her level and she hugged him tightly.
"Left me."
"I didn't leave forever. Just for a little bit."
"Scary." She said again.
"I understand and I'm very sorry."
She just continued to hug him so he wouldn't disappear again.
He stood from the ground and lifted the child up too.
"So what happened?" Bill asked the director.
"She got frightened. She threw some things."
"Scared." Phoebe spoke again.
"I know. I'm so sorry."
He held her close and rocked her slightly.
Bill could tell that she was still tired, but she was fighting sleep.
She was ensuring that Bill wouldn't leave again.
"Go to sleep." He said to the child.
She blinked up at him.
"I won't leave." He sat down onto the sofa and she curled into him.
She fell asleep within the next few minutes.
"Do you have kids?" Director Frances asked him.
"Uh no. Never settled down."
"You want kids?"
"Yeah. Maybe someday." He still wasn't fully sure. His mom and dad had asked him this so many times.
A man came into the room and interrupted their conversation.
"Uh. I have some bad news." The man looked nervous.
"Okay." Frances stayed calm.
"We located her parents."
"How is this bad news, David?"
"They're both six feet under the ground." He said in a serious tone.
"Shit. Alright. Any other relatives?"
"Both of her parents were only children and their parents are also deceased."
Director Frances didn't seem to like this information.
"What about the kid? Does she have any siblings?"
"She has no siblings, but she had a foster sister when she was two."
"Well did you get her on the line?"
"She said she didn't want anything to do with her."
Director Frances ran a hand over her face then pinched the bridge of her nose. "Contact Wrightburg."
"What's Wrightburg?" Bill asked.
"It's a foster care system. They'll take care of her and find her a home." The woman explained.
"You can't send her there. She'll flip again."
"I can do as I damn well please, sir."
"What if I can take care of her?"
"She's not a puppy. She's a child and she needs a home."
"I understand that. I have an apartment. It's big enough for at least 3 people, let alone 2."
Frances didn't like that Bill was trying to argue back.
The other man was still in the room and she shooed him off.
"I'm being serious. You know if you put her into the system she'll think she's gonna be found or something."
"It doesn't matter what we think or even what we know. She's a child and she needs to be put into a place that can provide for her."
"I can do this." Bill felt so small next to this woman. Like all of his worth added to nothing.
"We're putting her in the system."
Bill just looked down at the child, upset he couldn't do a thing.
Bill sat there as time passed and eventually he had to get up to call work. He had to tell them he either wasn't coming in our he was going to be late.
A person from the Wrightburg place came to get the child and Bill was helpless.
"Don't let them take me!" She kicked and screamed.
He went up to the child and just hugged her.
"These are good people. They're gonna find you a nice family to stay with, but for now, you're gonna have to stay with them."
"Don't wanna leave." Phoebe had a steady stream of tears flowing down her face.
"You have to go." He said and stood up. He couldn't look at the child, couldn't face the fact that he couldn't help her.
She was looking at Bill for help.
"Go on. You'll be safe."
She just continued to cry and followed the person from Wrightburg.
"Hello?" Bill rubbed his face and just wanted to get back to sleep.
"The kids freaking out. We need you back down here asap."
He felt confused for a moment, but then last night came rushing back.
"I'll be there soon."
He got up and grabbed his necessities before heading out the door.
When Bill arrived at the station it was chaos.
He walked to the main area and they seemed to notice who he was. "Go ahead back." The smaller woman at the desk said.
He quickly went to Director Frances' office and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Bill walked in and Phoebe ran towards him.
"Hey. You're okay." She had tears streaming down her face.
"Scary."
"I'm really sorry. I had to go home."
He kneeled down to her level and she hugged him tightly.
"Left me."
"I didn't leave forever. Just for a little bit."
"Scary." She said again.
"I understand and I'm very sorry."
She just continued to hug him so he wouldn't disappear again.
He stood from the ground and lifted the child up too.
"So what happened?" Bill asked the director.
"She got frightened. She threw some things."
"Scared." Phoebe spoke again.
"I know. I'm so sorry."
He held her close and rocked her slightly.
Bill could tell that she was still tired, but she was fighting sleep.
She was ensuring that Bill wouldn't leave again.
"Go to sleep." He said to the child.
She blinked up at him.
"I won't leave." He sat down onto the sofa and she curled into him.
She fell asleep within the next few minutes.
"Do you have kids?" Director Frances asked him.
"Uh no. Never settled down."
"You want kids?"
"Yeah. Maybe someday." He still wasn't fully sure. His mom and dad had asked him this so many times.
A man came into the room and interrupted their conversation.
"Uh. I have some bad news." The man looked nervous.
"Okay." Frances stayed calm.
"We located her parents."
"How is this bad news, David?"
"They're both six feet under the ground." He said in a serious tone.
"Shit. Alright. Any other relatives?"
"Both of her parents were only children and their parents are also deceased."
Director Frances didn't seem to like this information.
"What about the kid? Does she have any siblings?"
"She has no siblings, but she had a foster sister when she was two."
"Well did you get her on the line?"
"She said she didn't want anything to do with her."
Director Frances ran a hand over her face then pinched the bridge of her nose. "Contact Wrightburg."
"What's Wrightburg?" Bill asked.
"It's a foster care system. They'll take care of her and find her a home." The woman explained.
"You can't send her there. She'll flip again."
"I can do as I damn well please, sir."
"What if I can take care of her?"
"She's not a puppy. She's a child and she needs a home."
"I understand that. I have an apartment. It's big enough for at least 3 people, let alone 2."
Frances didn't like that Bill was trying to argue back.
The other man was still in the room and she shooed him off.
"I'm being serious. You know if you put her into the system she'll think she's gonna be found or something."
"It doesn't matter what we think or even what we know. She's a child and she needs to be put into a place that can provide for her."
"I can do this." Bill felt so small next to this woman. Like all of his worth added to nothing.
"We're putting her in the system."
Bill just looked down at the child, upset he couldn't do a thing.
Bill sat there as time passed and eventually he had to get up to call work. He had to tell them he either wasn't coming in our he was going to be late.
A person from the Wrightburg place came to get the child and Bill was helpless.
"Don't let them take me!" She kicked and screamed.
He went up to the child and just hugged her.
"These are good people. They're gonna find you a nice family to stay with, but for now, you're gonna have to stay with them."
"Don't wanna leave." Phoebe had a steady stream of tears flowing down her face.
"You have to go." He said and stood up. He couldn't look at the child, couldn't face the fact that he couldn't help her.
She was looking at Bill for help.
"Go on. You'll be safe."
She just continued to cry and followed the person from Wrightburg.