Sweet Soul (Sweet Home 4)

“Lev?” Lexi pushed, and holding the girl closer to my chest, I confided quietly, “She’s the one who took my wallet, Lex.” I could see by the look on Lexi’s face that she still didn’t understand what was going on. Swallowing my pride, I confessed, “The other night, the homeless girl I called you about. It’s her.”

“The one you saw after the party is the same girl that took your wallet?”

I sighed. “I never went to the party…” I trailed off, and felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

“What?” Lexi pushed.

“I got to the party and, well, it just wasn’t my thing, okay? So I walked to pass the time. To make y’all think I’d gone.” I looked at the girl’s face and said, “She’s the homeless girl I called you about, Lex. The one that ran away when I went to make the call. I saw a guy attacking her in an alley when I was walking to get a coffee. I helped her. When I realized it was her, the girl who stole my wallet, I tried to be pissed. But then I really saw her: frightened, dirty, thin. I noticed she was sick and, well, hell, I felt sorry for her. I couldn’t leave her. She was so young to be out there at night, all alone.”

“Fuck, Lev,” Austin said from beside me.

I looked to Austin. “I couldn’t leave her there so I bought her coffee and food, and some new blankets. I tried to convince her to come with me.” I tipped my head in Lexi’s direction. “I tried to bring her to you. I thought we could take her to the center, but she wouldn’t come. She didn’t speak to me, not one word, but she was obviously terrified and cold, and weak… she reminded me of…” I swallowed, stopping my sentence right there. But I saw by the sympathy in Lexi’s eyes that she understood who I was talking about. Who she’d reminded me of.

“I couldn’t be mad at her for taking my rosary, Lex. Just look at her. I had to do something.”

Lexi turned to Austin and nodded her head. Austin didn’t say anything in response to her silent communication. Instead, he motioned for the manager to lead him into his office.

The minute they’d disappeared, Lexi pulled out her phone. “Who are you calling?” I asked.

“The hospital we work with, Lev. I’m telling them we’re bringing her in.” The girl moved in my arms. When I looked down, those big blue eyes met mine and the thought of this girl in hospital didn’t sit right with me.  I hated hospitals. I hated the idea of her in a hospital, once again alone.

Reaching out I took Lexi’s phone from her hand. “Levi—” she said in protest, when I pleaded, “Just send a doctor to our house. Let’s just take her home and have a doctor come out.”

Lexi stared at me for a few seconds, as I begged her with my eyes to understand. Sighing, she nodded her head. In minutes Lexi had called a doctor she knew, and he was meeting us at the house.

The door behind us opened and Austin walked out of the office. “He’s not pressing charges,” he informed, talking about the manager. I knew he’d paid him off. I was so thankful right now that my brother had money.

A part of me relaxed and I found myself staring at the girl again. A gentle hand landed on my arm. “Levi, we need to get her home, now. I’m still not convinced she won’t end up in hospital, but she needs medical attention immediately.” I nodded at Lexi.

Knowing the girl wouldn’t be able to walk, I scooped her up in my arms. My heart plummeted when I felt how light she was, but I rushed to the door, home the only thing on my mind. I heard Lexi quickly explaining things to Axel, but I was already at Austin’s truck. Hearing Austin click the locks open, I darted inside and placed the girl on my lap. The girl moved in my arms. As I glanced down, I thought I saw a flicker of clarity in her eyes. Her mouth dropped as if she recognized me and she was relieved. It looked like she wanted to say something to me, but no words emerged from her mouth.

Taking advantage of her attention while I had it, I found myself stroking a piece of hair from her forehead, and I assured her, “You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”

I wanted her to speak, to say something in reply. But she only exhaled deeply. As Austin and Lexi jumped in the front seats, the girl’s pretty blue eyes drifted shut.

She knew she was safe with me.

I held her tight all the way home.

* * * * *

My leg shook as I sat on the couch staring into nothing. I’d been staring at the clock on the wall of the living room, the minute hand seeming to drag as it made its tortuous way round the black roman numerals. The doctor had been with the girl in one of the spare rooms for about an hour.

Sighing at why it was taking too long, I sat forward, resting my elbows on my knees. Feeling eyes on me, I looked up and Austin was watching me from his place on the opposite couch.

“What?” I questioned. Austin sat forward mimicking my stance.

His dark eyes narrowed. “Just never seen you like this before.”

My stomach rolled. I hated being the center of attention. I shrugged, but my mind drifted back to the girl’s lost face as I sat in front of her in that alley. Thought back to the light touch of her hand over mine when I’d given her coffee and the blankets, when I’d told her I would stay. When I’d sat beside her and her head fell against my arm as she fell asleep.

Like a hot coal in the pocket of my jeans, I could feel her scribbled thank you note burning through the leather of my new wallet. I had no idea why I’d kept it, why it meant so much to me. Now that she was here, in my house, in our spare room, it somehow felt poignant.

“Lev?” Austin pushed.

Keeping my head downcast, I replied, “You should have seen how she was living, Aust. She was alone, soaked through from the rain, huddled against a dark wall in a stinking alley. Only after I’d stopped that asshole from attacking.” I shook my head and raked my hands through my hair. “She has nothing, Aust.” I lifted my head and pointed at us both. “If it hadn’t been for you, for your football, that could have been us. We were dirt poor. And without Mamma; if you hadn’t been drafted, what the hell would have come of us?” I flicked my chin in the direction of the spare room above us. “She’s living the life that could have easily been ours.” A lump built in my throat, and I sat back. “And she’s sick. Her eyes, how weak she is, her silence…” I cleared my throat and rasped, “She reminded me so much of Mamma that I couldn’t leave her. Helpless, you know? So I had to help her. I needed to, something within me compelled me to.”

“Fuck, Lev. Why didn’t you tell me?” Austin asked. I shrugged.

“When I came back from calling Lex, she was gone. I looked for her for the past few days after class and training, but I found nothing.”

“Until tonight?”

“Until tonight,” I concurred.

Silence bounced between us for several minutes, until I heard the murmur of low voices. I turned in the direction of the stairs. Lexi and the doctor were coming down. Unable to wait any longer, I got to my feet as they entered the living room.

Lexi’s eyes fell on me and she smiled.

“Is she okay?” I asked.

Lexi looked to the doctor, and he spoke first. “The girl has pneumonia.” My heart sank when he said these words, then it began pounding like a drum. The doctor continued. “At the moment it’s not bad enough for her to be hospitalized. I’ve given her a starter shot of strong antibiotics, and left a week-long course for her to take orally. I’ve also arranged for an IV to be brought in to rehydrate her.”