© February 2013

Part Three

Chapter Five: The Ward

    Josie looked worried as she was led to the room she’d be stopping in while they weaned her off the cocktail of drugs Karen Jones had been feeding her. Emma and the others had been shocked and angry to hear about a couple of them.

     “I’m scared.” Josie said once they were in the room.

    The room was pretty basic, just a bed, a chair and a small bedside table, which Josie noticed was bolted to the wall, just like the bed was bolted to the floor.

     “I know you are sweetie, but it’s for the best, and Lisa will be helping you, as will I and the others.” Emma said as she pulled Josie into a hug. “I’ll be coming to visit you all the time as well, and soon you will be back at my house with me and Debbie.”

    Debbie, David and Lesley had all gone with Emma and Lisa to Josie’s room in the psych ward, so they all gave Josie a hug before they left to give Emma and Lisa some time alone with Josie. Josie stiffened up when David knelt down and pulled her into a hug.

     “Sorry kiddo, I didn’t mean to scare you.” David said after releasing Josie from his grip.

    Josie just gave him a nervous smile before letting Debbie give her a hug, which she enjoyed a lot more. Josie looked just as happy when she got a hug from Lesley before all three of them left the room, so Emma could sit with Josie for a couple of minutes while Lisa explained what would happen over the next couple of weeks.

     “Do I really have to stay here for the next two weeks?” Josie asked sounding very scared after Lisa had finished explaining what would happen over that time frame.

     “It may take a little longer to make sure you are over the worst of the withdraw effects, but we will do all we can to help you through it Josie.” Lisa said with a smile as she tried to reassure the child.

    Josie looked determined to get well as soon as she could so she could get out of this place. She thought it looked worse than the little room she had back at Karen’s, and that was saying something.

     “I need to go now, but I’ll be back a little later in the day to spend some more time with you.” Emma said as she rose to her feet with Lisa at her side.

     “I’m going to give you something to help you sleep Josie, but it will also help you deal with the side effects of not taking any of those other drugs.” Lisa explained as she picked up a needle and got ready to inject Josie with it.

    Josie looked scared to death as she watched Lisa jab her in the arm with the needle before Emma helped to place the child in the bed so she could rest. Emma then looked at Josie one more time before leaving the room and watching Lisa close the door to stop Josie trying to escape, as she knew Josie would once the drug withdraw got worse.

     “Are you sure there is no other way to help her other than locking her in here for the next couple of weeks?” Emma asked in a pleading tone.

     “I wish there was Em, but those are some pretty serious drugs Josie’s on, and we need to wean her off them very slowly, or she will be in even more pain than she will be anyway.” Lisa explained.

     “I’m still worried about Karen finding her here and taking her back.” Emma said looking worried.

     “There is no way that evil bitch can find her Em. We used Lesley’s last name, and they have all her contact details, so as not to leave a trail back to you or Debbie and I.” David said as he stepped over and pulled Emma into a hug.

     “There is no way Karen will track down a Josie Green and think she’s her Josie.” Debbie said.

     “From what you’ve said, I doubt this Karen will even worry about Josie until you don’t return her in a month.” David said with an edge of anger in his voice. “By which point I hope we have a plan to have her arrested.” He added.

     “Josie will be safe Em, I have a couple of close friends that work on this ward, and they have promised to take good care of Josie for me.” Lisa said in a reassuring tone that did help to make Emma relax a little bit, but she had formed a close bond with Josie already, and she wasn’t going to let anyone hurt this child anymore.

    Josie was sat up in her bed looking out the window in a dream like state when Emma and David returned later in the day, but the two of them sat with Josie anyway, David in the chair, and Emma on the bed next to Josie.

    Debbie had gone out for a drink with Lesley, but they had both promised to visit the next day to keep Josie company while Emma put the people to work at her father’s investigation company that she now owned since her parent’s deaths. Her father had hired some good people, and they took care of things so Emma could focus on running the other companies her father had owned at the time of his death, but she had also sold three of them to people that ran them for her father, as she had very little interest in doing so herself, and she still wanted to live her own life, not be stuck visiting Company after Company to see how things were going, just like her father was always doing. It had been while him and her mother were flying to one of the smaller Companies he owned, that their private jet had crashed, killing both her parents, leaving Emma the sole surviving member of the family, and now owner of her father’s legacy.

    Josie smiled up at Emma just before she cuddled up to her a little closer. Josie looked spaced out due to whatever it was Lisa had her on to help with the withdraw, so Emma wrapped her arms around Josie and she was soon fast asleep in Emma’s arms.

     “Debbie looked keen to get to know Lesley a little better.” Emma said in a whisper after they had sat quietly for some time. “I hope Lesley is trained to deal with her.” Emma added with a grin.

     “Lesley can take care of herself.” David smiled. “She’s had to deal with a lot since she came out to everyone.” He added with a serious look on his face.

     “Does she still see any of her family?” Emma asked.

     “No, none of them will have anything to do with her, not since she became Lesley the female.” David said looking angry. “She comes from a long line of military, so it didn’t go over to well when she told them what she planned to do.” He added with a frown. “I got into a fight with her father on the night she told them.”

     “What happened to make you get into a fight with her father?” Emma asked; shocked at what David had just said.

     “Lesley had hired a private room at a restaurant, and then invited her family over to meet the new her.” David started to explain. “It all started off fine as everyone thought she was just playing some sort of a prank on them, Lesley had dressed as a female a number of times in the past.” David said when he saw the puzzled look on Emma’s face.

     “Did none of them work out earlier then, that Lesley might be transgendered?” Emma asked.

     “I think a couple of her family had a pretty good idea about it, but most of them never saw it coming.”

     “So what happened with her father then?”

     “He had jumped to his feet and looked ready to punch Lesley, so I stepped in because Lesley wasn’t dressed for fighting, and I didn’t want her to break a nail.” David grinned. “She’d spent all afternoon having a makeover, and her nails had been lengthened, so she couldn’t make a fist, and slapping her father wasn’t going to stop him attacking her, so I stepped in and made him back off.”

     “Did you never feel like hooking up with Lesley? It sounds like the two of you are pretty close.” Emma said.

     “No, never.” David said with a shudder. “It would be like dating Debbie.” David added when he saw the way Emma was looking at him and thinking he had a problem with Lesley being a female. “Lesley and I are like brother and sister is what I mean, not that I don’t see her as a female. Besides, I’ve only ever had eyes for one girl.” He smiled as he looked at Emma with Josie wrapped in her arms.

     “I’m sorry that I played hard to get all these years.” Emma said as she looked David in the eyes. “I wanted to say yes to you so many times, but I was worried about spoiling my friendship with Deb’s.” Emma explained.

     “I doubt there is anything you could do to get rid of my sister.” David grinned. “But if you ever find a way then let me know, I’ve been trying for years to get rid of her.” He added with a chuckle.

     “I know you don’t mean that.” Emma frowned. “I’ve seen the way you run to her rescue when ever she’s in trouble.” She added looking smug.

     “I only do it to stop our parents complaining, and she does get into a lot of trouble.” He said in his defence.

     “You keep telling yourself that’s the reason, but I like the fact you play the protective big brother, even if you are younger than her.” Emma smiled proudly.

     “Okay you caught me, but please don’t let Deb’s know how I feel about her.” David said looking worried.

     “Too late for that, she’s already worked that out, and she loves you for it.” Emma giggled. “I’m glad that you stuck by Lesley as well, I like her.”

     “I won’t lie when I say that I do miss my old drinking buddy, but he’s still in there, kind of.” David said with a puzzled look. “Lesley is a much happier person than Les.” He added looking thoughtful as he thought back to the days when Lesley was still Leslie.

     “Did Lesley use to go to our school then?” Emma asked as she tried to remember David hanging around with a boy called Leslie.

     “No, we met in college when we got put in the same dorm room together.” David explained. “Lesley’s family wanted her to go into the marines like all the males in the family had done for years, but I found out pretty early on about Lesley’s dressing.”

     “Didn’t it bother you?” Emma asked. “How did you find out about it anyway?”

     “I was supposed to be going home during one of our college breaks, but I had a falling out with Deb’s, so I returned to the dorm room early and found Lesley sat on her bed reading a magazine while listening to music with her headphones on.” David shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “The door was locked, but I had a key, so Lesley didn’t realise I was in the room until she looked up and saw me stood there checking her out.

     “I bet that must have scared her to find you stood there looking at her?”

     “That’s one way of putting it.” David chuckled as he thought back to what happened. “She jumped up off her bed so fast that she ended up sat on her backside when the headphone lead got wrapped around the nightstand and they yanked on her head tipping her off balance.” He explained.

     “What happened next?” Emma asked looking interested to find out more about Lesley’s first meeting with David.

     “I helped her to get back on the bed and then I removed the sandal she was wearing to check her ankle because I’d noticed she was limping a little when she was back on her feet.” David frowned. “The sandals were new, so she wasn’t use to wearing them yet.” David added as he shook his head from side to side. “She got plenty of practice after that night though.”

     “What do you mean?” Emma asked totally engrossed in the story. “Did the two of you go out?”

     “It was some time after that first night I found her, before Lesley stepped out into the world, but at the time we both thought that Leslie just liked to wear women’s clothes, it was only later that She realised it was more than just the dressing up.” David sighed.

     “What happened?” Emma asked when she saw David’s troubled look.

     “I’d lost touch with Leslie after leaving the marines, but I got a call from him one night, or early hours of the morning, and something didn’t sound right, so I asked where he was and I went to meet with him, just to find him sat in his living room with a pistol sat on the table in front of him.” David said looking scared now as he thought of how close he came to losing his best friend.

     “He was going to kill himself?” Emma asked as she found it hard to swallow all of a sudden.

     “Yes, he’d had the gun in his mouth when he had a sudden thought that he couldn’t end it all without speaking to me one last time.” David said with a chuckle, but he didn’t sound very happy. “He said he needed me to understand the reason for what he was about to do.” David added looking confused.

     “So you were able to talk him out of it then?” Emma smiled.

     “I found out that he was really depressed and had lost his job due to lack of interest in being Leslie the guy anymore, and he was spending more time dressed as Lesley the girl, but he needed to eat, so was forcing himself to become a guy again, just to feel more and more depressed.”

     “How were you able to help Lesley become the woman she is now then?”

     “I helped him pack up all his things, or all of Lesley’s things, and I moved him in with me and gave ‘her’ a job working for my security company.” David said with pride. “I helped her to get in with some good doctors that knew all about the things she was going through, and I’ve been at her side ever since.” He added.

     “How come Deb’s never met Lesley before this morning then?” Emma asked looking shocked that David had managed to keep the two of them apart.

     “They have bumped into each other a couple of times, but it was normally while we were working, so Lesley didn’t have the time to introduce herself, but she’s known about Deb’s being a lesbian for some time, but she was a little like you, and didn’t want to rock the boat so to speak.” David said with a roll of his eyes like it was a stupid reason to not go looking for a relationship.

     “How do you think your parents will react when they find out Deb’s is a lesbian, and she’s falling in love with a transgendered person?” Emma asked as she tried not to giggle at the thought of David and Debbie’s parent’s heads exploding when Debbie took her new girlfriend home to meet them.

     “I think mum will be fine with it, but dad will probably disown her.” David frowned.

     “I’m sure your mum will talk him around again.” Emma smiled as she thought of just how smart their mother was. Amanda, Debbie and David’s mother had been a rock during the funeral when her own parent’s had died.

     “I get the feeling that mother already knows about Deb’s secret, but she won’t say anything until Deb’s is ready to speak about it.” David said looking thoughtful for a second or two.

     “She is one smart woman your mother.” Emma agreed. “And Deb’s isn’t that good at hiding things.” She added with a roll of her eyes.

     “Tell me about it.” David frowned. “But Deb’s was a good listener when I spoke to her about Lesley.” He admitted.

     “She’s not as air headed as she acts.” Emma smirked. “I think she just likes to let people think she’s a dumb blonde for some odd reason.” She added with a shrug.

     “What do you plan to do with this little monster then once she’s well again?” David asked as he looked at the sleeping form of Josie wrapped in Emma’s arms.

     “I’m hoping she will let me raise her as my daughter, or son if she finds out all this is just part of the cocktail of drugs that evil bitch had her on.” Emma added the last bit with a snarl as she thought of Karen Jones.

     “She’ll be one lucky kid to have you as a mother.” David smiled. “I hope you will let me be part of her life as well?” David asked looking hopeful.

     “I’d like that.” Emma smiled back. She thought that David would make a good father, but she felt a little sad that she would never be able to give him children of his own, and she wondered if he knew this already, or if Debbie had kept that a secret from him. “I think I should tell you something before we get to serious though David.” Emma said nervously.

     “If it’s about the fact you can’t have children, then don’t worry about it, I already know.” David said with a sad smile. “I was at home on the night you broke down and told Deb’s in her room.” He explained.

     “And you still want to date me?” Emma asked like she wasn’t worth dating because she wouldn’t be able to give him any children if things got to that point.

     “Yes, because it doesn’t make you any less of a female just because you can’t have children.” David said in a scolding tone. “Lesley will never have children of her own, but she’s still as much as a woman to look at as any other, so stop thinking of yourself as being any less deserving to be called a woman than any of them that can have children.” His voice had risen to the point of it making Josie stir in Emma’s arms. “Sorry.” He whispered when he saw the child move and let out a groan.

     “I wouldn’t worry about waking her to much, I don’t know what Lisa has her on, but its working wonders in making her sleep.” Emma smiled as she saw Josie settle again and start breathing more softly again.

     “Do you believe in fate?” David asked.

     “Not really, I’ve never believed in god or anything that can’t be explained by simple fact.” Emma shrugged.

     “I don’t believe in god, but I do believe in fate, and the universe making things happen for a reason.” He started to explain. “It’s like Lesley having the sudden thought about calling me to explain her silly reason for ending her own life, or the fact you couldn’t have children led you to care more than most about all the troubled children in the world.” He added as he looked down at Josie again.

     “I’d like to think that even if I did have children of my own, I would still want to help Josie.” Emma said as she stroked Josie’s hair.

     “True, but would you have had the time needed to help her get through all this?” He asked.

    Emma went to answer him with a yes, but then stopped when she realised the point he was making, and it would have been harder for her to give Josie the care she needs if she’d had children of her own to look after as well. “That’s an interesting point you make.” She said with a little smile.

     “That’s fate for you.” David said with a smug smile.

Chapter Six: Going Home

    Over the next several weeks Josie went through hell, but she was soon looking much healthier, and Emma and David would visit her every day. Josie slowly started to trust David more, and by the time she was ready to leave again, Josie was happy to sit on David’s knee while they laughed about some of the silly things him and Debbie did growing up, and Josie got to learn more about Emma, as she was always part of the story, being Debbie’s best friend since they were children.

    Emma had put her own life on hold while she helped Josie recover from the drugs, and so she could get the people at her Father’s Investigation agency to look into Karen Jones and the Nobles family.

    Karen Jones was an easy case for them to get arrested, but the Nobles were a little better at covering their tracks, and what Emma was able to uncover, still didn’t lead back to them directly. The thing that worried Emma though, was how some people that had trouble with the Nobles ended up dying in accidents. All the type of accident that could have also been a murder made to look like an accident. A broken neck after falling down some stairs, or a failed mugging, things like that, but all of them came after some trouble with the Nobles.

     “The Nobles rule this small town with an iron fist.” Emma said with a growl after she slammed the folder back down on the table and looked at David sat on the other side of it. “If we take down Karen, they will just send someone else to take care of Josie.” Emma added with a sigh.

     “You know they won’t want to leave Josie alive to take out some revenge on their son once she’s old enough to.” David said looking worried.

     “What if they thought she was already dead or a boy called Jon Vaines was?” Emma asked with an evil smile. “Do you think they even know that Karen is making him dress as a girl, and she rents him out to whoever wants him?” Emma added as the thought popped into her head.

     “That plan would fall apart the minute you couldn’t show them a body.” David pointed out. “And I’m sure they must have someone keeping an eye on what Karen is doing with him.” David added as he balled up his fists trying to control his anger over what Josie had been going through since the death of her sister.

     “Not if they have a murder suspect and no way for her to tell them where the body was buried.” Emma explained.

     “And just how do we get someone arrested for killing someone that isn’t dead?” David asked looking confused.

     “We give the police video evidence of said person doing the murder, but said person won’t be able to tell them where the body is buried because that part won’t be on the video.” Emma said.

     “And who do you plan to set up for this murder?” David asked, but he already had a pretty good idea who.

     “Our wonderful Miss Karen Jones.” Emma grinned.

     “How do you plan to get her caught on camera killing Josie?” David asked.

     “I work in the movies, and I’m sure I can get a couple of the people I know to help us stage a fake murder.” Emma shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.

     “Do you have any idea how insane this plan sounds?” David said as he sat back and rubbed the sides of his head. “And don’t forget that for any of this to work, it will mean Josie going back to Karen.”

     “Not if I can make myself look like her and then stage the murder scene while we keep her out the way, so she doesn’t have an alibi.” Emma said sounding excited about helping Josie get some revenge on Karen.

    Emma had been working as a stunt woman in the movie business before her parents died, and she still did the odd stunt when they needed a woman to do something dangerous that fit Emma’s build. Emma had got to know the special effects people on a number of big budget movies she’d worked on, and she knew they would jump at the chance to help her get some payback on Karen for what she did to Josie.

     “You’re really serious about doing this aren’t you?” David asked when he saw the look in Emma’s eyes.

     “Yes, deadly serious.” She smiled at her own bad pun.

     “I’ll help you look into this, but I won’t let you go ahead with it if I feel that the plan is flawed in any way.” David warned as he looked at the time and got to his feet. “We need to get over to the hospital and pick up Josie.” He added as he walked around the table and helped Emma stand.

     “It will work David.” Emma smiled as she let him wrap his arms around her and then he leaned down to give her a kiss. They had become very close over the past several weeks and all the time they had spent with Josie while she recovered from her addiction to the drugs Karen had her on.

     “I’m sure it will baby, but I don’t want any of it to blow back on you or me.” He said when they broke the kiss. “I don’t want to have to visit you in prison.” He added with a grin.

     “I’m sure we can come up with the perfect plan to stop that from happening.” Emma said as she looked up into his eyes.

     “Damn right we’ll come up with the perfect plan.” David agreed.

     “Let’s go and pick up my daughter.” Emma said just before she broke away from David and made her way towards her office door. Emma had come to think of Josie as her daughter, and she planned to make it a real fact once they had the Nobles off her back, and if Josie was willing to call Emma her mother.

    Emma and David could hear giggling coming from the room Josie was stopping in, and they entered the room to find Debbie and Lesley telling Josie some story that must have been funny, looking at the way Josie was rolling around on the bed giggling.

    Josie looked a lot different to how she looked several weeks ago when she first came to this place. She was still dressing as a girl, and it didn’t look like the drugs had anything to do with that, and Lisa had sat with Josie and spoke about her dressing. Josie had explained about it just feeling right to be dressed this way. Lisa had gotten Josie to speak with a couple of child psychologist friends she knew she could trust, and they had also said that Josie was most definitely transgendered.

     “You ready to get out of this place then Josie?” Emma asked as she sat on the bed next to where the child was still rolling around giggling.

     “Can I still come home to live with you?” Josie asked looking worried all of a sudden.

     “That’s the plan, unless you want to go live someplace else?” Emma asked with a smirk, already knowing the answer.

     “Please don’t send me away.” Josie pleaded as she threw her arms around Emma’s waist and gripped onto her.

     “I don’t plan to let you out of my sight, never mind sending you away.” Emma said with a pout as she wrapped her arms around Josie. “I also want to talk to you about something, but let’s get out of this place and go get some lunch.” Emma added as she got to her feet and pulled Josie to her feet with her.

    Josie was wearing a pink t-shirt and a denim skirt over black leggings, and she had a pair of ballet flats on her feet. Debbie had spent some time playing around with Josie’s hair and she had even added a little makeup to finish off the look. The end result was a much older looking girl than what Karen used to take around with her.

     “You’re looking very pretty today Josie.” David said as he walked on Josie’s other side to what Emma was walking.

     “Thanks Dave, but you should thank Deb’s and Lesley, they did all the work.” Josie smiled up at him as she walked along holding Emma’s hand.

     “They’ve made you look more like a fifteen year old rather that the thirteen you really are.” Emma agreed.

     “Anything is better than looking like an oversized five year old.” Josie shuddered as she thought of how Karen used to dress her.

     “There won’t be any more of that happening to you sweetie.” Emma promised.

    Josie wasn’t sure she could trust Emma fully yet, but in the short time she’d known this woman, Josie had had no reason not to trust her, so Josie smiled, happy in the knowledge that she now had someone fighting on her side.

    Once they were out at David’s car Josie got in the back and found herself sat between Debbie and Lesley, while Emma got in the front passenger seat next to David who was driving.

     “How far is this place we’re going to eat?” Josie asked after they had been driving for almost an hour.

     “I wanted to pick a place where I knew we wouldn’t run into Karen, or anyone that might know you.” Emma explained as she looked over at Josie sat between Debbie and Lesley. Emma saw Josie stiffen at the mention of Karen’s name. “I promise she will never get near you again Josie.” Emma added.

     “Neither will any of us.” Lesley said as she wrapped an arm around Josie and pulled her into a one sided hug. “Though I would like to spend ten minutes in a room with the bitch.” Lesley added.

     “Lesley...!” Emma said in a scolding tone at Lesley’s choice of words.

    Josie seemed to like the choice of words Lesley used though, as she sat giggling while she thought of Karen being beaten to a bloody mess by the tall woman sat next to her.

     “I’m sorry Em’s.” Lesley said sarcastically. “I mean the wonderful Miss Jones.” She added with more sarcasm.

     “Now you’re just being silly.” Emma frowned just before she started to giggle.

    David was soon pulling into the parking lot of a restaurant he knew the owner of and he got out and then helped the others to get out before he locked the car and then led them into the place where he was greeted by an elderly man in a nice suit.

     “David my old friend...!” The man shouted as he walked over and held out his arms to give David a hug like they hadn’t seen each other in some time.

     “Hello Peter, can you fit us in?” David asked.

     “I can always find room for you and your lady friends.” Peter smiled as he looked at the three women and the young woman David had entered with.

     “You make it sound like I come here all the time with different women.” David said looking nervous when he saw the way Emma was looking at him now.

     “I see you have the beautiful Lesley with you, but who are these three beautiful creatures?” Peter asked as he looked at Emma, Debbie and Josie. “You must tell me your secret?” He added in a fake whisper.

     “Hello Peter.” Lesley smiled as she stepped forward and gave Peter a hug and a peck on the cheek. Lesley had to hide a smirk when she saw the evil look Debbie was now giving Peter as he hugged her back while grinning over the kiss on the cheek he’d just gotten. “Stop trying to get David in trouble with his new lady friend. You know that he’s only ever come here with me.” She added in David’s defence.

     “I know, but now he has four very beautiful women on his arms.” Peter said looking shocked.

     “This is my sister Debbie, and her friend Emma, and this little thing is Josie.” David said as he pointed at each of them in turn.

     “You’re Emma...?” Peter said looking a little too excited about meeting Emma.

     “Can you fit us in Peter?” David asked before Emma could say anything. David’s tone said that he’d spent some time talking about Emma to this man, and Emma wondered what he might have said about her. “Some place where we can have a conversation without the other diners overhearing us.” David added with a knowing look that told Peter, David needed to talk business with his three guests.

    Peter clicked his fingers and a waiter ran over, Peter whispered something in the waiter’s ear just before the waiter ran off to do whatever it was Peter had just told him. Peter then led the five of them deeper into the restaurant to a large table far away from the other diners. David and Peter helped all the ladies to take their seats before David sat down.

     “Just wave the waiter over when you’re ready to order.” Peter smiled just before he left to go speak with another guest.

     “Peter makes you sound like quite the ladies man.” Emma asked while she looked at the menu she’d just picked up, but not bothering to look at him.

     “You heard what Lesley said to him, I’ve only ever come here with her.” David said in his defence, but with an edge of worry in there as well.

     “I don’t mind if you had, but I would be upset if you brought anyone else here, now we’re dating.” Emma smiled, but she had an edge of warning in her tone.

     “Why would I want to bring anyone else here, now I have you?” David asked with a look that said he questioned Emma’s sanity.

     “Good answer.” Emma purred as she leaned over and let David kiss her.

     “Do you mind, some of us want to eat.” Debbie whined from the other side of the table where she was sat next to Lesley. She did start to giggle though, so Emma and David just carried on kissing.

    Debbie wanted to kiss Lesley, but they didn’t want to start any trouble in Peter’s restaurant, so they settled for holding hands under the table instead.

    They were soon placing their orders with the waiter and then they all enjoyed the wonderful food the restaurant had to offer. Josie ordered a burger and fries, and she had to admit that it was the best burger she’d ever tried, and the fries were to die for Josie informed them all after she’d finished the mouthful she’d placed in her mouth.

     “Do you think you can find room for a desert?” David asked as he watched Josie push the now empty plate away.

     “Can I really have a desert?” Josie asked like it was a taboo for her to have anything like that, and it had been with Karen. Karen would only ever let Josie have a young child’s meal in the past, and then Karen would sit and eat a desert while Josie had to sit and watch.

     “Sure, order anything you want.” David smiled.

     “Can I have one of them?” Josie asked as she pointed at a child on another table with a large dish of ice cream covered in nuts and sauce.

    David answered Josie’s question by waving over the waiter and asking him to bring her one of those Sundays like the child on the other table was eating.

    Emma, David, Debbie and Lesley all smiled as they watched Josie get stuck into the ice cream when it arrived. Josie would let out a moan of delight after every little mouthful past her lips.

     “You make it sound like you’ve never had an ice cream Sunday before.” Lesley giggled as she watched Josie enjoying the desert.

     “Miss Karen never let me have desert when I went out with her.” Josie explained between mouthfuls. “She would make me sit and watch her and her friends enjoy them though.”

     “I really don’t like that Bi...” Lesley growled out, but stopped herself saying the word ‘bitch’.

    Emma waited for Josie to finish the ice cream and sit back looking full for the first time in a while before she spoke to her about wanting to adopt her in a fashion.

     “Josie, can I ask you something?” Emma asked looking nervous.

     “Have I done something wrong Emma?” Josie asked looking worried when she saw how nervous Emma looked.

     “No sweetie, you’ve done nothing wrong.” Emma said as she pulled Josie into a hug. “I just want to ask you something, but I’m a little worried about how you might react.” Emma explained.

     “It doesn’t sound like it’s a good thing you want to ask.” Josie said as she looked up at Emma while wresting her head on Emma’s chest.

     “I hope it’s a good thing, but that will be up to you.” Emma smiled down at Josie as she brushed some hairs out Josie’s eyes. “You see I got very ill as a child, and as a result was left unable to have children of my own.”

     “I’m sorry to hear that Emma.” Josie said sadly. “I think you would make a wonderful mother.” She added.

     “I’m glad you think so, because I want to be your mother.” Emma said before waiting to see how Josie would react to that.

     “You want me?” Josie asked, not sure she’d just heard Emma right.

     “Yes I want you.” Emma grinned. “I want you to call me mom, mother, mummy and all the other wonderful sounding things that mean you’re my daughter.” Emma added.

    Josie just looked up at Emma, trying to look for any signs that this was just another cruel joke being played on her, but all she saw was the loving, caring face of the woman she’d come to trust most in her short life, as she waited for an answer.

     “Yes mummy, I’d love to be your daughter.” Josie said as she threw her arms around Emma’s waist and started sobbing happy tears.

    Emma felt a warm fussy feeling when she heard Josie call her ‘mummy’. Emma was soon being passed a tissue by David, as she found herself crying happy tears as she held Josie in her arms. David, Debbie and Lesley all smiled and snuffled as they tried to hide the fact that they too had all been touched by this bonding moment.

     “But how will you stop them making me go back to Miss Karen?” Josie asked once she’d got her feelings under control again. “They always send me back to her.” She added with a snuffle.

     “I have a few ideas on how to deal with that, but for the time being, let’s go have some fun shopping.” Emma said excitedly as she tried to help Josie relax and not worry too much about Karen, or anyone else for that matter.

     “Can I get some more clothes like this mummy?” Josie grinned as she looked down at what she was wearing.

     “You can buy anything you like sweetie, the sky’s the limit.” Emma said pulling Josie into another hug.

    David waved the waiter over and asked for the cheque, but it was Peter that came back without it.

     “You should know by now David, that your money is no good here.” Peter smiled.

     “I can’t expect you to cover the cost of everything we ate.” David argued.

     “Did you all enjoy what you had?” Peter asked as he looked at the others.

     “Yes, it was the best burger and fries I’ve ever had.” Josie said with a grin. “And the desert was out of this world.” She added with a dreamy sigh.

     “Then that is all the payment I need.” Peter’s smiled widened as he waved off David wanting to pay for their meal.

     “Thank you peter, the food was wonderful.” Emma said as she gave Peter a peck on the cheek, just like Leslie had done when they entered the restaurant.

     “I’ll accept that as the tip.” Peter chuckled.

    He was soon getting an even bigger tip as Debbie and Leslie also gave him a peck on the cheek. Josie settled for giving him a hug.

     “Thank you for the lovely meal Sir.” Josie added as she hugged the man’s waist.

     “You’re welcome back here anytime princess.” Peter said as he hugged Josie back.

     “Thank you.” Josie smiled up at him, liking the fact he’d just called her a princess.

     “If you ever get bored with spending time with a good looking guy like David, then come give me a chance to show you a good time.” Peter chuckled as he looked at Emma.

     “Hey...! Go find your own girlfriend, you dirty old man.” David said with a chuckle as he playfully slapped Peter’s arm.

     “How am I supposed to do that, when you seem to have all the pretty ones with you?” Peter grumbled as he slapped David back.

    The girls all blushed, and David just chuckled as he thought about how it must look for him to be in the company of three such beautiful women. He couldn’t think of Josie in the same way, as she looked way to young for him, but he would be proud to have her as a daughter though, and he hoped that if he played his cards right, he might get that chance now that Emma had let Josie know how she felt.

    They all said their goodbyes and left the restaurant and got back in David’s car. David wasn’t looking forward to spending the afternoon wandering around a mall, but the fact he would get to spend more time with Emma made up for the torture to come.

    They were soon wandering around having fun with Josie as she got to try on fashions designed for girl her own age, and she found it even more fun to have Emma, Debbie and Lesley to help her learn about different things, and what went with what.

    Josie wasn’t sure how her new mother planned to stop Karen Jones from getting her back, but she knew that these four people would do all they could to help keep her safe. The one thing Josie still lived for, was to get Vengeance for her sister, Hannah, and with help from these people, Josie knew she now had a chance to do just that.

 

To Be Continued Next Friday  

 

Story by SaraUK

 

Edited and Posted by SamanthaK

    EDITORS NOTE: Please Comment and/or leave Kudos and let Sara know you like her work please, Any comments on spelling, grammar or the layout of the story please PM me “Samanthak” not Sara. Thank you