tide || detroit: become human (completed)

//epilogue//

(26 years previously)

Officer Hank Anderson stepped onto the doorstep, taking his hat off. He quickly smoothed down his hair, trying his best to hold back the tears and the ache in his chest. He pressed the doorbell, a ring carrying out throughout the house. An eruption of barks from inside the house sounded, a golden retriever stood in the window sill, barking at Hank.
A young, quite frazzled mother answered the door, a toddler on her hip as she brushed hair out of her eyes. From what Hank understood, she was one of Katrina's friends mom, Katrina had spent the day at her friends house. "You're Hank, right? You're here to pick up Katrina?" she asked
"Yes Ma'am." Hank responded.
The mother nodded in response "Just give me a moment, I'll get her. Please come in." She stepped to the side so Hank could step in. After Hank stepped in, she closed the door behind him and disappear to another room. Hank was left in the living room while the golden retriever paced around him.
"Uncle Hank!" Katrina exclaimed upon seeing him, running around a corner, running right towards Hank. Hank stooped down to wrap her up in a hug, holding her tightly as he swept her off the ground.
"Hey there Kat, are you ready to go?" Hank asked, letting her down on her feet.
"Yeah." Katrina nodded, taking Hanks hat from his hands, and putting it onto her own head
"But let's make sure you say thank you, and say goodbye first." Hank reminded her.
"Right." Katrina said, then turned back to the mother and thanked her for letting her to be over, then ran back to the other room to say goodbye to her friend.
"Thank you for having her over." Hank motioned to the mother.
"No problem, she's just so excited for her birthday, she won't stop talking about it." The mother laughed
"She is excited to be nine." Hank agreed. Katrina rounded the corner yet again, tugging a coat on.
They thanked the mother yet again, and left the house.
"Did you have fun at your friends house?" Hank asked, trying to generate a conversation "What's her name?"
"Her name is Casie. I don't really like her." Katrina said truthfully as Hank opened her passenger door for her.
"Why not?" Hank asked, concerned as she climbed into his police car.
"She's bossy and not that good at sharing." Katrina put simply, buckling herself in, turning back to face Hank
"Huh." Hank responded, then shut her door and walked over to the other side of the car, letting himself into the car.
"Yeah, Daddy was supposed to be here three hours ago to pick me up. I even counted." Katrina said, shifting towards Hank yet again. Hearing that hit Hank like a sack of bricks. She had no idea of what just happened, and he had no idea how to tell her. "Are we going to your house? Cause you said that we can hang out at your house once work is done and now work is done"
"Uh, yeah. We're going to have a sleep over at Uncle Hank's house. But we're going to your house first to get all of your stuff. You're going to be staying at my house for a while kid, are you okay with that?"
"Yeah, I like staying at your house." Katrina smiled "But can we go to McDonalds too? I'm starving."
"Sure kid, McDonalds then your house." Hank laughed, then started the engine.

...

Katrina sat on a hard metal folding chair, wedged between two caskets. The chair was cold and uncomfortable to sit on, no matter how many time she shifted around to attempt to get comfortable. She was wearing her nicest, but only dress she owned.
Her father's casket was draped with an american flag, and her mothers was covered in white roses. The stench of roses was so strong that it almost made her want to gag. Hank stood next to her, talking to people that lined up to see the caskets.
"This is their daughter right? Katrina? Is she doing alright?"
"Yes she is, But she isn't talking to anyone at the moment, she's so in shock. I'm looking over her for now."
"Oh god Hank, I can't imagine what it's like without your sister..."
The wreck was so bad that the morticians couldn't make her mom or dad look presentable, so therefore the closed casket funeral. Katrina couldn't understand just yet, she didn't understand the sadness that she was feeling, she didn't understand that her parents weren't coming back.
"Hey kid, do you need anything? Do you need to take a break?" Hank asked softly, crouching down to her height.
Katrina said nothing at first, just looking in the other direction as a response.
"C'mon, you gotta talk to me Katrina." Hank said, moving a bit closer to her
"I want to go home." Katrina replied, looking back at Hank.
Hank nodded, hanging his head a bit. "How bout this, we stay for just a little bit longer then we'll go back to my house and we'll celebrate your birthday tomorrow, is that okay with you, okay? Can you do that for me?" Hank asked
"I guess so."
Hank nodded, then hugged her one more time