28 Another Stray

Davis' P.O.V.

Lisa returned from her brother's house looking somber. I was concerned that perhaps she was thinking of children again. I hated that she was worried about this. She didn't deserve to have this happen to her, having gone through enough already.

"What's wrong?" I asked as she crossed the threshold.

"It's Liv."

My heart seized. Was the cancer worse than we thought? Was she at the hospital?

"What is it?" My voice sounded so serious, probably a little too demanding as I directed it at her. She must have understood it was due to my worry, as she didn't bite my head off for it.

"She's pregnant. They won't be able to treat her cancer until she has the baby. It's early, so hopefully it won't progress too much as she carries the baby to term."

Lisa seemed so far away, even though she was a mere two feet. She might as well have been a hundred miles away. Her brows pinched, and she nibbled at her lip as she thought.

"We'll be by her side through it all. She'll be okay. She has to be," I assured her and myself, because frankly, no one would survive her loss.

There was no way we're losing her.

"You're right." She nodded her head, but she chewed at her nail, obviously still worried.

"Come with me." I held my hand out, only to receive an arched brow from her. "We need to go out and distract ourselves. There's nothing that our worrying is going to do. She and Lucas will figure this out."

She gave me a quick nod as she took my hand. I could see she was still wary, not ready to let go of this worry, but she took a step forward, anyway. She trusted me, and that alone was enough to make me feel a bit better. There was one particular place that came to mind when I needed a distraction.

"Why are we here?" she asked, looking around at the park.

"You're going to enjoy nature with me. Let's go for a walk as the sun sets." I smiled at her, holding my hand for her to take again.

The ride over seemed to calm her a little, as she was no longer biting at her lip. I was determined to grace myself with that beautiful smile of hers before the sun set fully. Her smile brings such joy to my heart. I helped her off my bike, even though she didn't need it.

"Okay, my Viking. Why the park?"

"Inwood Hill Park is where I would always go when things were getting to be too much. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the fact that I'm surrounded by woods, but if I am close enough, I can still see the city lights. I'll take you to my favorite spot."

We walked hand in hand with the sunset to our right as we talked about our wedding plans. Lisa would shop with her mother and Liv soon, but the mention of Liv's name made her sad again. I steered the conversation away from anything that might bring Liv's name up, being careful not to bring up children either. I ended up talking about Jared and Izzy instead. That news was still fresh in my mind.

"When do you think Jared started talking to my Izzy?"

Lisa laughed at my question, making me smile. Goal accomplished.

"I am not sure, but probably not too long after we took him to your house. He seemed to like her from the moment he met her. I think they are cute together," she smirked, trying to tease me.

"Of course you do. I don't know how I feel about it, but Jared seems like a good enough guy. He's not a coward at least. If he wants to be with her, he's going to have to get stronger. Izzy should not be defending herself on her own."

"He will. There's no way he doesn't want to. You saw who he had to live with and grow up with. He's going to work hard to get stronger, just like I did. I think I understand him a little too well," she said as her smile faded. Her eyes were focused on the river before us as it reflected the city lights beautifully in its dark water.

The sun had fully set now, and I knew I needed to get us back home before it got too late. This wasn't exactly the safest place at night. Normally, I wouldn't be too worried if I was alone, but with Lisa here, there was a deep need to keep her safe. We must avoid dangerous situations even if we could get out of them, no reason to seek them out.

"You're probably right. He grew up in a house just like yours, only his brother was nothing like yours." Sometimes I forget how similar Jared and Lisa's stories are. "I am glad Lucas didn't turn out like your father. He's a good guy."

"He is," she whispered, tears misting her eyes again.

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad. It feels like I'm failing at keeping you happy right now."

"It's not your fault. Honestly, you're the only reason I am not ugly crying right now. You make me feel better by just standing near me, so don't worry about saying the right things. Talk to me the way you always would." She gave my hand a squeeze for reassurance.

"I love you, my warrior. You are such a perfect woman."

"Didn't I just say don't worry about cheering me up?" She teased me again, giving me a wink and a smile. Although the wink caused a tear to slide out. I quickly wiped it away with my thumb, kissing her forehead tenderly.

"I want your kid Davis, if that's okay with you" she suddenly admitted. "Let's try IVF, and if it doesn't work, let's get a surrogate."

"I will do whatever you want to do, Lisa. If that's the way you want to go, then I am all for it." I smiled so brightly at her. I can't wait to see those same blue eyes of hers on our child. Our child. She smiled back at me before the sound of her stomach growling broke the momentary silence. I laughed, but she blushed deeply.

"Don't laugh. I can't help that I'm hungry right now." She slapped my arm playfully as she spoke, making me laugh more.

"How about we head out and go get some dinner? What do you feel like eating?" I asked her as I grabbed her hand mid-smack and pulled her back the way we came. It's probably best we leave now, anyway.

"Hmm, how about a nice juicy steak," she answered, licking her lips hungrily.

"Perfect."

There was a sudden rustling beside us, so I picked up the pace, but Lisa dragged as she tried to get a look at what it was.

"Davis, wait!" she yelled at me, sounding so concerned.

"It's fine, Lisa. I'll keep us safe. Let's just keep going." I tried to reassure her, but she pulled at my hand that was firmly gripping hers.

"Davis, hold on." She pulled at me again, trying to free her hand.

"Lisa, we need to go. We can't investigate the sound. It's nothing good, I am sure."

I turned to look at her so she could see how serious I was being, but her eyes would not move from the woods. My eyes caught sight of what she was looking at, making me see why she wanted to stop.

I have got to learn to listen to her more often.

Lisa's P.O.V.

I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing. A small girl with the roundest cheeks and widest eyes peered at me from behind a tree. She looked so frightened as her eyes moved to Davis. He could look pretty intimidating to those that don't know him, but in this case it was working against us. I slowly took a step forward, trying to approach her without scaring her away. She could run away at any moment, and that would be no good for any of us.

"Hi sweetheart, are you lost?"

I used the softest tone I could, giving her a warm smile. She seemed ready to back away and dash off into the woods, but thankfully, she didn't. Her head shook no ever so slightly, answering my question.

"Where are your parents?" I asked her, wanting to get her where she needed to be. There was no way I was leaving here all alone.

She shook her head no again, but I wasn't sure what that meant. Was she telling me ‘no, don't come closer' or ‘no, she didn't know where her parents were'? I looked at Davis for just a moment, hoping he could somehow help, but he just seemed so lost staring at that little girl.

"Why don't you come with us, and we'll help you find your parents?" I asked her, almost close enough to reach her now. Again, she just shook her head no as her stomach growled loud enough for me to hear. How long had she been out here alone? "Are you hungry?"

This time she didn't shake her head, so I took it as a good sign.

"We can get you something to eat before we look for your parents. If you want?" Davis finally joined in.

The little girl stepped out a little more, allowing me to see her curly hair had matted in areas as if it hadn't been washed in weeks. She was dirty all over, and her clothes were littered with small holes. Her once pink shoes were now faded, caked in mud, and barely hanging on, tearing in spots. I felt a sharp pain in my chest at the sorry state she was in. It looked like she had not been home for a while, being out here alone. Where were her parents?

"Come on, I won't hurt you, sweet girl. Can you tell me what you like to eat? We'll get you whatever you want." I promised her, stretching my hand out towards her in hopes she would hold it.

She looked at it suspiciously for a good few seconds before very gently placing her hand in my palm. She felt so cold, and she stepped further into the lit path with me. I noticed she had scratches and bruises on her arms and legs. The more I looked at her, the more I saw what a terrible state she was in. I couldn't understand how a parent could allow this to happen to their child. Were they not out worried and looking for her? Why have I not seen a single missing poster for this child?

"What's your name?" I asked her, hoping by some miracle she would share.

She stayed quiet, unwilling to speak, but shook her head no again. She had some trauma, probably from having to fend for herself out here for god knows how long. I had to fight back my tears with all my might. There was no way I was going to make her feel bad. Davis had walked ahead of us, so he could call the police without the little girl knowing. Sadly, we couldn't just take her with us.

"Should we send the big guy over there to get you some McDonalds? Do you like McDonalds?" I asked her, pointing at Davis as I referenced him as the big guy.

Once again, she nodded her head yes. At least we were getting somewhere with her, even if it was something as small as she likes McDonalds. Davis hung up, coming towards me and whispering in my ear.

"They'll be here in a little while. Derek is going to come in the meantime and look around."

"That's great. The little one here said she likes McDonalds, so why don't you go get her something and we'll wait for you here?"

"I'll be back. Don't steal my fiance from me while I'm gone," he joked with the little girl, but she shied away, scared. I knew it made Davis feel bad, but he said nothing, giving the girl some space.

Davis left on his bike, causing the girl to jump at the loud sound of its muffler. She squeezed my hand tightly, seeming to have formed some sort of bond with me. I found a nearby bench and had us both sit there as we waited for Derek, the police, or Davis to return. Who would come first?

My question was answered ten minutes later when Derek's SUV came into view. He stepped down, but didn't approach me, just gave me a curt nod. I guess Davis told him where we had found her as he headed down the trail we were just on. Derek was smart in not coming over here to talk to the girl. She wouldn't have answered any of his questions anyway, and he would have scared her too.

"I'm Lisa, by the way. The big guy who went to get you food is my fiance, Davis. I know he looks scary, but he's a wonderful guy. You are safe with us, okay?" I tried to ease her worries, but she still seemed so lost and scared.

Even with all this caked mud and dirt on her, I could see how beautiful she was. Certain that when properly washed and maintained, her hair had beautiful ringlets, at least it seemed like it would to me. I sighed as she said nothing again. She picked up on my disappointment as she opened her mouth and uttered her first word since finding her.

"Calliope."

Her voice was but a small whisper in the air, almost making me miss her name. It was beautiful, just like her. At least her parents gave her a nice name.

"That's a beautiful name, Calliope. I love it. It's very unique." I smiled at her as her wide, light brown eyes stared up at me.

There was this deep temptation in me to just snatch her up and take her home like another stray I'd found on the street. Only she was not a pet, she was a human and I couldn't just take her to my house without permission. That was kidnapping, and I was no kidnapper, although at this point, was it kidnapping if her parents weren't even looking for her? I heard Davis' bike before he came into view with the food. He jogged over to us, sitting beside me to keep a decent distance from the girl. She was obviously still scared of him.

"Here you go, Darling. I got you nuggets and fries. They were my daughter's favorites at your age."

Davis handed her the food with a soft smile and the girl looked at me as if asking for permission to grab it. I nodded my head at her, seeing her grab the food so quickly her hands were a blur. Davis and I watched in horror as she devoured the food like she hadn't eaten in days, which could well likely be the case. I fought those tears back again as I popped a nice soggy fry in my mouth. I'm sorry, but those are the best.

"Calliope, how long have you been out here?" I asked her, hoping maybe she would answer again. She held up three fingers, to my horror. "Three hours?" I hoped, but she shook her head no. "Three days?" Again she shook her head no, and I couldn't stomach it anymore as I asked my question, really hoping she would say yes, even though it would still be terrible news. "Three weeks?" She nodded her head that time.

She had been out here for three weeks!

What had she done to survive? Had she been at the park this whole time? God, it was a miracle she had been out here by herself for so long without getting hurt. I shuddered at the thought of all the terrible things that could have befallen, that probably befell her. Unable to hold it back anymore, a tear slid down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away before Calliope noticed.

"That's a long time." Davis was trying hard to contain the rage he was feeling towards her parents. We both were.

"Did you run away from home, Calliope?"

She shook her head no to my question, which was both good and bad. But what exactly happened? And where were her parents now?

"Can you tell us how you got here?"

She made her fingers trail in front of her, telling me she walked.

"Do you know from which way you came?" Davis asked her this time, probably trying to get a feel for which direction she came from. She pointed towards downtown. At least we have a place to start. There was no way I was letting these parents off the hook when we found them.

God, help them because a Viking and a warrior were coming for them.