J A C K S O N

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"Jackson!" My heart warmed at the excited squeal that greeted me when I opened the door. "You missed out. Noah has been telling me stories and they are hilarious."

I walked over to the babbling girl and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. She had become so much more outspoken in the last couple of days and I couldn't be more proud.

She'd taken an extreme liking to Dr. Francis, or Noah as she calls him, and it worked out great for me because I've had to leave her much more than I would've liked to in the last few days.

This entire foster parent situation was a lot more complicated than I'd thought it would be and I've seen the inside of a courtroom more than I ever thought I would in only four days.

The good news is that the process was drawing to a close. Noah was right, they were desperate to dump Nerida somewhere. So they didn't care much about the logistics of the situation. Immoral yes, but it worked out in my favour. The fact that my lawyer was so persistent definitely helped too.

Michael was the best in the game.

All that was left to do now was for a social worker to visit my condo in order to ensure that the environment was ideal for a child. The intelligent part of me knew that my apartment was good enough for a seventeen year old but I still went a little overboard.

I wanted to ensure that things were absolutely perfect for Nerida, so I bit the bullet and brought my sister down to New York for a day.

Juliette was my younger sister and we had a good relationship, all things considered. She was the only family member that I was still in contact with. I tried to fly her in as often as I could so we could spend time together. However, I've recently been blowing her off. It wasn't anything personal, I've just been so busy with work and the stress was starting to get to me.

I didn't want to start snapping at her for no reason and put strain on our already fragile relationship. I started distancing myself.

So, she was quite surprised when I reached out and obviously couldn't shut up with the questions about the 'mystery woman' who was 'changing' me.

She's a smart girl and quickly realized that she wasn't getting jack shit out of me. I gave her full control over my credit card and we spent the entire day yesterday shopping for Nerida. She helped me prepare my guest room, as well as stocking up on groceries. We also bought some clothes and shoes to suffice until I can take Nerida out shopping for herself.

The social worker came this morning and whilst I was sweating bullets for this evaluation, she just came in, checked my fridge, checked where Nerida would be sleeping, tried to flirt with me and then left.

So I guess it went well?

Now my only concern was getting Nerida out of this hospital and into the safety of my home as soon as possible.

"I hope you had a fun time pumpkin," I said, taking my seat at the side of her bed.

"I did Jackie but I missed you," she pouted and grabbed my hand, placing it against her chest.

"Okay, I think this is where I take my leave," Noah announced. I've been really grateful for him through all this. He's been keeping Nerida company whilst I'm not here and I wouldn't be able to protect her if it weren't for him.

"Bye bye Noah, come see me later okay." Noah placed a kiss on Nerida's head, promised to visit her later and nodded in my direction before he took his departure.

I looked back at Nerida to find her already looking at me, the twinkle in her dazzling eyes as bright as ever. I just hope that our proceeding conversation doesn't take that sparkle away.

"Hey baby, there's something I've been meaning to tell you." She looked at me curiously and I took that as my cue to continue, praying for the right words to leave my mouth.

"So the reason that I've been gone a lot recently is that I've been making preparations for you to come stay with me." As soon as the words left my lips, I realized that I'd never asked Nerida if she wanted to come stay with me. I was basically forcing her into this and I felt horrible. Yes, I wanted to protect her but I also want to give her a voice. I need to make sure that she knows that she has choices in life and the right to make her own decisions.

It was too late now but I still wanted to ask. "Nerida, would you like to come live with me?"

She remained silent as she mulled over my words, a habit of hers I'd observed.

"Jackie, I would love to come stay with you but then my daddy would have to move all his clothes and stuff there too so when he brings food and stuff for me, he won't have to go all the way back home to bathe. Can my daddy stay with you too?"

My eyes softened and my heart ached, knowing that it was time I tell her the truth. It wasn't going to be easy but I had to take the bandaid off, as gently and as painlessly as possible.

I climbed into the hospital bed with her, occupying so much of the little space that she was basically laying on my body. My arm wrapped around her shoulder and she nestled into my chest, sighing quietly.

"Nerida, I don't know how else to tell you this so I need you to be patient and calm with me baby. Do you remember that I saved you from a fire a week ago?"

She nodded slowly and I felt the moment her mood plummeted to the ground. Gone was my bubbly baby and in its place was a traumatized little girl.

"Do you remember anything from the fire honey?"

She shook her head positively and murmured that she remembered a little bit. I urged her on.

"I remember sleeping and then I woke up feeling like I couldn't breathe. There was a lot of smoke in my room and I tried to get out but I think I fell asleep again. The last thing I remember is seeing your face. Then I woke up in the hospital."

"Nerida baby, when we found you in that burning house, we were only able to save you. Your daddy, he didn't survive."

Her eyes snapped up to mine and they were immediately filled with tears.

"Daddy is dead? He's not coming back?"

I wasn't sure if she sobbed or screamed but her body racked and she fell against my chest. My eyes glassed over at the pain and the sadness in her voice, wanting nothing more than to take all of it away.

I would do it in a heartbeat if I could.

Her sobs showed no signs of slowing down and I knew that nothing I said would console her at this moment. So I allowed myself to be there physically. I couldn't relieve her pain but I can show my support.

I shifted so her entire body rested on mine and I wrapped my arms around her tighter. She snuggled into my neck and stopped wailing but I could feel the hot tears running down the side of my neck.

She didn't deserve any of this.

~ ~ ~

It's been about a day since Nerida learned the truth and her spirits have not lifted. It was heartbreaking to see her so sad and I constantly wracked my brain for a solution.

I'd come up with something that I thought might work and luckily, today is the day she's getting discharged. I have her gift waiting for her at my apartment and I just hope it works.

Nerida was currently saying goodbye to Noah who was trying to reassure her that he would visit as often possible. She didn't want to leave the hospital but Noah said that her 'injuries' were healed enough for him to turn over the responsibilities to a bumbling idiot like myself. His words, not mine.

Out of the clothes that Juliette and I bought for her, I brought a simple blue dress, tights and a trench coat for Nerida to change into. It was late November and the weather was already starting to bitch. I was not taking any chances.

Nerida stood at about 5'6" and I well over six feet. So it's safe to say, she almost didn't reach my chest. She was like a little muffin next to me and it did nothing but amp up the protectiveness I felt for her.

I held a bag over my shoulder containing all her essentials from the hospital and held Nerida's hand in my next. We said a finally see you later to Noah before exiting the room.

The hallways were moderately busy and Nerida said hello to every person we passed. It was an adorable sight to see and not only was she bringing warmth to my day, but to everyone she greeted.

I realized that this might be the first time in Nerida's life that she's ever been around so many different people and it was probably extremely overwhelming. Yet she was so positive and happy.

As we stood in front of the elevator doors, Nerida bounced on her toes and I chuckled at her excitement.

"I've never ridden an elevator before Jackie," she told me, barely getting the words out with how fast she said them. I thought better of telling her that this is the fourth time she's ever ridden an elevator since she rode quite a few when she was unconscious. Instead, I stayed quiet and let her live her moment, enjoying the fact that she was acting like herself again.

We were fortunate enough to be the only ones on the elevator and we rode it to the basement level where my car was parked. I held her hand snugly as we walked to my vehicle, keeping my eyes peeled for any possible danger.

We got to my car, my darling Escalade, and I didn't expect Nerida to squeal. It echoed in the empty space and a laugh slipped past my lips as she jumped up and down.

"This is also the first time I'm going to be in a car! This is so exciting!"

I opened the passenger door and helped her in since it was a little tall for her. Although I do think everything might be too tall for her.

The ride was probably the most lively one I've ever had. Everything excited Nerida. Her face was smushed against the glass for almost the entire ride, only removing it to tell me what she saw.

"So many people," I heard her whisper a few times, absolute awe in her voice.

It was so heartwarming to see someone appreciate every little thing around them. It made me appreciate all the things I took for granted like the ability to go to school and ride elevators. Nerida was showing me a new side of things and I wanted to show her everything she never got to see.

I wanted to help her go through every regular experience that she was denied.

We got to my apartment building and Nerida, of course, marveled at how tall and shiny the building was. She also made sure I knew that this was only her second elevator ride ever.

We got to my floor and as we walked, my hands grew clammy wondering if she would like everything I prepared for her.

I opened the door to my apartment and let Nerida walk in first. She gasped, immediately noticing the view. The floor to ceiling windows were hard to miss.

She walked towards it cautiously and I watched as she stood there for a few minutes, taking in the New York skyline. I cleared my throat to snap her out of her reverie and she turned towards me with a sheepish smile.

With a slow stride in her steps, she strolled throughout the living area, passing her hands over the large grey sectional. I briefly wondered if she would figure out that all the pillows and blankets on there were just for her.

I was a minimalist, that much was certain, and my apartment reflected that. I wasn't home that often anyways, after all, I was a certified workaholic. So there never was a need for me to pay attention to the finer details of my home. Until now that is.

Nerida migrated to the kitchen and I stepped in, showing all the snacks and drinks I got just for her. I got a boatload for her to try since she's been missing out on so much.

I figured now was a better time than never to show Nerida her bedroom and the awaiting present.

I held her hand and led her down the hallways to the bedrooms. Mine was directly opposite hers and I told her this before opening the door and allowing her to explore.

Nerida wasn't a little child and I made sure her room reflected that. She expressed to me her love for pastel pink but I wanted the room to have a mature balance. Once I explained this to Juliette, I gave her free reign to decorate it as she pleased since I had no idea what teens these days liked.

I was only twenty eight years old but spending so much time with Nerida made me feel ancient.

Nerida seemed to really like the room, the number of blankets and pillows really seemed to do it for her. She'd dived right into her bed and wrapped herself up tightly, poking her cute little face out of the top.

I walked over to the bed and took a seat, placing a hand against her cheek. She smiled up at me and I felt that familiar tingle in my chest that told me what I felt for Nerida was far from innocent.

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