one last try » taylor swift

Nine

Taylor

Grace slowly fell asleep in Karlie's lap, and this time we obviously chose not to put her in the room, because she could freak out again.

All of my friends really loved her, and that made me happy.

I always forgot that I wasn't her mom. I had a maternal instinct to act as a mother to her, and I guess I always forgot that I wasn't a mother to her.

I sighed out loud, forgetting that no one else could hear my thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Selena asked. She was always the first to be concerned.

"I just keep forgetting she's not mine," I complained. "I love her so much, and she's only been with me since this morning. It's kind of crazy, really. Early this morning I met her, and we've already gone through all of this."

"What are, um," Ed stuttered. "This might sound rude, but what are you going to do with her?"

I sighed again.

"I guess I'll have to talk with Child Protective Services. I can't just keep her without the police knowing," I explained.

"And who would she go live with? A foster family?" Karlie asked.

"I don't know," I admitted. "They'd probably have to ask her father what should happen to her, he's in the military, so he's deployed."

"Well, it's getting late," Ed said. "What's going to happen to her tonight?"

"I'm going to go call Child Services right now, I'll ask if I can keep her for the night," I said as I stood up.

Grace was still sound asleep on Karlie's lap.

I went to the kitchen and pulled out my phone, where I looked up the number to call, then waited as the phone rang.

"Hello, Child Protective Services. How may I help you?" A kind, but impatient-sounding, lady answered.

"Um, earlier a little girl was outside of my apartment, and I was wondering if it's okay to let her stay the night here, since she's asleep on the couch right now," I explained.

"I'm going to need your name, I have to run a background check," she said, irritated.

"Oh, um, I'm Taylor Swift," I said.

She chuckled.

"Funny. What's your real name? And what's your address?" She asked.

"I am Taylor Swift. I live on 155 Franklin Street in the Tribeca district," I said.

"Well, there's been no reported cases of missing children in your area," she said.

"Yeah, I know. She ran away because her mother was dead on her kitchen floor, and her mother had previously abused her. Her dad is deployed because he's in the army," I said, equally as irritated as her voice suggested she was.

"And why didn't you take her to the police station earlier..?" She asked, confused.

"I'm sorry, but the first thought to cross my mind was not, 'hey, let's take her to the police so they'll put her in a foster home with more abusive parents!' No. My first thought was to take her inside my house, warm her up, buy her some clothes that fit her, and love her, since she was needing some love. So I'm so sorry for caring about her instead of dropping her off in a cold, scary police station. My deepest condolences," I shot back, my voice rising.

I heard heels clicking, and Selena walked over to me, holding a finger up to her mouth, motioning for me to be quiet.

"Grace is going to wake up," she said, then giggled. "Also, you just slayed the person on the other line."

She high-fived me, then went out to the living room again.

"Well then," the lady from Child Protective Services said rudely. "I suppose you can keep her tonight. First thing tomorrow morning I'm going to need you and the kid in my office. We need to write a report and contact the father. Also, I know you're not Taylor Swift, so if you could please tell me your real name tomorrow, that'd be awesome."

I hung up, and went back to the living room.

"I'm going to sleep. You guys can stay here tonight," I said. "You can sleep on the couch or in the guest rooms, whatever you want."

I gently picked up Grace from Karlie's lap, and held her thin frame against mine.

I took her up to my room, and gently took off her clothes, then put on a onesie we bought at the store.

She didn't wake up, which surprised me.

I didn't want to put her in a room alone, so I tucked her into my bed then crawled in next to her.

For tonight, she could be mine.

---

I walked in to the Child Services building with a sleepy Grace on my hip.

Selena and Karlie and Ed insisted on coming as well, as they'd spent the night.

We walked in, and I went up to the desk.

The lady looked up, and her eyes went wide.

"You're-" she started. She had the same exact voice as the woman I had talked to.

"Taylor Swift? Yeah, I told you. This is Selena, Ed, and Karlie. And this is Grace."

"Um, please go to the office on the right, that's my boss. He'll help you figure everything out," she said, sounding much nicer today.

We walked over to the office, and since the door was open, I poked my head in.

"Please, come in," the man said.

We all walked in, and he motioned for us to sit.

"My name is Mark Andrews, you can call me Mark. It's a pleasure to meet all of you," he introduced himself.

I smiled.

"I'm Taylor, this is Grace. These are my friends," I said.

"So, how may I be of a help to you today?" He asked.

"I found Grace outside in the cold yesterday morning, and I took her in. I need to find out what her father would like me to do with her, if he has a specific place he would like her to go. Her mother is dead," I explained.

"Okay, do you know your father's name?" He asked Grace.

"Just Daddy," she said. "That's his name."

He smiled.

"Well, I'll send Grace's photos over to the police station and ask for them to try and locate the father, until then, Grace will stay here. Thank you so much for taking care of her, despite your busy schedule," he said.

"Oh, it's really not a hassle. She's perfect," I said. "Can we stay here with her? I don't want to leave her alone."

"We ask that the child is left under our care, that's what we are legally obliged to do. We will call you back when we have contact with the father, and will update you on Grace's situation," he said kindly.

I didn't want to leave Grace, but we were quickly led out of the building, and we were outside.

I exhaled, and I could see a cloud of warmth form in front of me.

We were all silent. Ed wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and I turned into him and sobbed into his chest.

I had known this girl for only a day, and I already loved her as if she was mine.

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xoxo, Alice