Little Gaskarth

Part 4

Alex's POV
Charlotte and I sat watching TV well we waited for Jack to bring food. Within 15 minutes Jack came waltzing in with two McDonalds' bags.

"Well hello friends..." he grinned, I laughed.

"Hi Jack, this is Charlotte. Charlotte this is Jack." I introduced, Char giggled shyly.

"I brought food kiddo!" He sang plopping down on a chair next to me. I took one bag, putting pancakes and a hash brown in front of Char. She just looked at me quietly. Jack and I separated out our food and we both started eating well we talked about his day. I looked over at Charlotte and she was just watching us eat.

"Char, you can eat..." I suggested tilting my head.

"Oh okay." She smiled nodding, as a kid I would just scarf down everything, never wait. We ate in comfortable silence until Rian and Zack walked in.

"Hi, guys." Rian grinned those pearly whites, Charlotte was more focused on tearing pieces of pancakes to eat.

"Hey this is Rian and Zack, guys this is Charlotte." I introduced, they said smiled at each other and we all started talking, just normal conversation. Char silently watched us all talk, until the social worker walked in. Before she could start talking Charlotte waved her over and whispered into her ear, Ms. Thompson nodded in response. She helped Char out of the hospital bed and then she shyly walked into the bathroom.

"Well hello, Mr. Gaskarth and company these papers are for you. They are custody paperwork, the doctor will be in with her discharge papers and I will see you guys out." Oh, this is really happening. I'm gonna take my daughter to my home and raise her. How the hell do you do that? This is crazy.

"O-okay." I smiled and nodded taking the papers and pen for her.

"Alex?" Charlotte called, I looked up at her standing in the bathroom doorway.

"Yeah, kid?" I responded she dipped her head down when our eyes met.

"I need help washing my hands, I can't reach the sink..." I nodded and hopped up from my seat, step stool. Remember to get a step stool.

"Okay darling, come here..." I smiled we walked to the sink and I definitely have no idea what I'm doing but... we can figure it out. I picked her up and held her with one hand around her waist, I used my other hand to turn on the water. I have no clue what she knows, every kid knows how to wash their hands, right? That's like the number one thing to learn. Charlotte washes her hands kind of half hazardously, that's a kid thing. She has more important things to do than perfectly wash her hands.

"All done Alex." She spoke, I nodded.

"Alex..." Charlotte asked I hummed a response putting her down.

"Where do you live?" She continues looking up at me, I thought for a minute.

"I live in a house," I responded, wiping the sides of the sink of water droplets.

"Do you own it, like it's all your?" I nodded, Charlotte seemed lost by my response.

"No one else lives there?" I nodded again, lost in why she was asking so many questions.

"And we wouldn't move every month?" That's when it hit me, when she lived with her mom they moved a lot. No stable home.

"Charlotte, explain what you are saying to me," I asked kneeling down to her level. She thought for a minute and sighed.

"Alex, mommy and I never stayed in the same place for a long time. And we lived with a lot of people too. Strangers. Mommy didn't have enough money to stay in the same place." She trailers on and off, trying to verbalize what her life has been for years but lost with her 3-year-old vocabulary.

"Charlotte, we are gonna live in the same place for a long time. But we will travel a lot, that's what I do for a living. I play music." I explained, she nodded along.

"I know that, will I have my own bed?" She asked in response, tilting her head.
"Yeah, you will." I smiled, she looked down.

"But I'll have to sleep alone? Normally I sleep with mommy." She sighed nervously.

"Well if you want you can sleep in my bed for a little then, okay?" She smiled at me and nodded. She then turned and walked back into the room I followed her. I helped her back into the hospital bed after sitting down and finishing the paperwork given to me by the social worker. I gave her the papers and she left the room.

"So Charlotte what do you like?" Rian asked flashing her famous pearly white smiled, but she immediately looked away and sighed.

"Um...uh... I don't know." She responded unsure of herself. We all continued looking at her as she thought.

"I like it when mommy used to read to me. But that was a long time ago. We used to draw and sometimes get ice cream but all that was a long time ago." She spoke fast looking away from all of us. Like she was uncomfortable with explaining it and none of us knew why. But before anyone could question it, both the doctor and the social worker walked into the room and started talking at us. Telling me about how I need to find a pediatrician, how Charlotte is underweight, and how I can't leave the state for 30 days because she will be visiting for a house check. I nodded along and internally panicked.

"—Also she needs clothing." Well, I don't have clothes here.

"Oh, Zack and I got some, there in the car," Rian said hopping up, I nodded and he went off to get some.

"Charlotte, you are gonna go home with Alex. Are you okay with that?" The social worker asked Char nodded and smiled. Soon Rian returned with a target bag with clothes tossing it in my lap, I opened it and started pulling stuff out. I'm the bag there was pink overalls and a long sleeve black and white striped shirt. I took off the tags and laid them out on the bed, then looking up at Rian.

"Shoes?"

"Shi—Crap..." He corrected looking at Zack, both their faces showed they forgot about that.

"It's okay, I'll just carry her... is that okay?" I asked looking up at the social worker, she nodded.

"I need help getting dressed..." Charlotte quickly mumbled, I looked at her and thought for a second.

"Uh okay, it's okay I'll help you." I smiled reassuringly, her eyes met mine. Something she seems to avoid often. I picked up the clothing and help her out of the bed, after going into the bathroom.

"Let's get you out of this." I smiled, untying her hospital gown.

"—and now shirt overhead. Right arm in," I spoke helping Charlotte put her arm in.

"And left arm... good job." I smiled, she giggled.

"Alex, do you have a wife?" I paused and took a deep breath.

"No, I do not. It's just you and my love." She smiled at me. I think she likes the idea, I do too. I can just focus on trying to be a dad if I can. She pulled on the short overall bottoms and I clipped the bottoms on it.

"All done, I think we've got this." I smiled and High-fived.