Cactus Wren

Chapter Seventeen - Aftermath

Pulling into Sam Evan's property, I see the familiar worn down barn from our family day visit. Carlos parks the van and I see Sam approach from the house with another figure, this must be the Academy medic.

I step out of the van and Sam spots me straight away, a wide warm smile decorates his face. He quickly approaches me and wraps an arm around my shoulders.

"You alright, little bird? I heard there were shots fired during your little adventure tonight." Sam asks me. His words are playful but his tone shows true concern. I place one of my hands gently around him and pat his back to reassure him.

"I'm alright, Sam," I tell him with a small smile. "Let's make sure these girls are okay though." He nods and we walk to the back of the van where Carlos is helping the girls outside. I count all six heads and breath a silent sigh of relief.

"Come on inside, girls." Sam calls out to the group. "Let's get you cleaned up and find you something to eat, yeah?" Some seem to still be unsure of what to do, looking around Sam's house and property warily. I approach them with a smile and offer my hand to one of the younger ones.

"It's okay. This is Sam, he's a friend." I point to him and he smiles and waves. "We're just going to rest here until we can get a hold of your families." I tell them just as Travis, Eddie and the twins pull up in the Suburban. The twins jump out of the vehicle and approach with a few easy strides, and the girls' eyes light up with familiarity upon seeing them.

"Is everyone okay?" Matt asks. Michael is holding a hand to his side, I can see signs of discomfort lining his face.

"How about you?" I point to his side. "What happened?" I ask. Michael gives a rueful smile and shrugs one shoulder.

"Just a graze. I was wearing my vest so it's probably just some bruised ribs." Michael explains. I hear some small gasps and see the girls all step closer to them, a few asking if they can help him and others checking over Matt for any injuries as well. I just chuckle and Sam joins in.

Looks like they have a few fans.

x X x

We're now resting in Sam's house. The girls are taking turns in the bathrooms getting washed up after the Academy medic finished looking over them. They were a little malnourished and a few had minor contusions but over all, they were physically okay.

"They might show signs of PTSD after this but the Academy will provide them with any councilors they need." The medic tells me. She's an older woman that reminded me a lot of Miranda with her graying hair and motherly smile. I thank her for everything she's done before she leaves. I walk over to one of the couches where I see the girl's leader, who I found out is named Gabriela, is sitting with one of the younger girls asleep on her shoulder.

"How's it going, Gabby?" I ask her quietly, not wanting to wake the small girl.

"It's okay. We're safe, that's all that matters right now." She tells me.

"Do you need anthing?" I ask her and she shakes her head 'no'. "Are you sure?" I ask again. She hesitates a moment but I can see the question in her eyes. "What is it?"

"What's going to happen to me?" She asks.

"What do you mean?" I ask confused.

"The other girls... they have families to go back to, people that were looking for them," She tells me. "I'm a foster kid. No one is looking for me."

I give her a sad smile. "Don't worry, Gabby. Someone is looking for you, you just haven't met them yet." I reassure her. "We'll make sure that's you're safe and have someone to care for you. You've done a great job taking care of this group of girls, now let us take care of you." She gives me a small smile and nods.