BoJamesDuke

Zac was sitting on his bed with his jacket and boots on, still facing the window, George still hugged tightly in his arms. He glanced up as Luke held his hand out to him, swallowing a little as he gazed back outside worriedly.

The lady nodded with a smile "Yeah he is..."

It wasn't long before the lady had Luke's details and what the plan was for the trip out. She'd heard of the Dukes before and knew that they were indeed good people and so trusted Luke and his family to look after Zac while he was in their care for the day. "Well I think that's everything, I hope he's not too much trouble for you while your with him...he hasn't been out with anyone before besides his parents..."

The lady chuckled a little, shaking her head. "You could say that...there's usually more of us here but some of the other workers are on leave and the two that were supposed to be here today called in sick..."

Without batting an eyelid, the lady caught one of the children as he slid down the banister and put him gently on the floor, calling out a warning. "You are dangerously close to losing dessert and now your bedtime story as well!"

The lady nodded, heading out the room with him. "I just need to take your details so I know where to contact you if I need him back sooner for some reason..."

"Yes! Yes of course its alright, i'm sorry I'm just...amazed...no one's been able to get Zac away from the window let alone away from the orphanage...its amazing!" She said back, not shouting but just talking with excitement.

The lady's mouth dropped open, if it weren't attatched to her face it probably would have fallen to the floor. "You wanna take him out....and he wants to go with you?"

The lady looked up quickly, straightening her hair out as she stood up even quicker. "Oh hey, sorry I didn't see you there. I apologise for the mess...again...its hard to keep track of so many kids on my own...how did things go with Zac?"

The lady was once again up to her ears in children. All of them were pulling at her clothes, some were crying, others were screaming, others were simply yelling because all the others were and they wanted to add to the noise. She was trying desperatly to get some degree of control among them so she could find out what it was exactly they wanted but it was impossible with so many of them shouting at her at once. Sighing, she gave a sharp whistle which caught each child's attention in an instant. In the brief surprised pause, the lady barked out. "All of you sit down quietly right now or there will be no dessert after dinner tonight and I mean it! Carson stop pulling Tina's hair, Tyler stop bouncing on the couches, Penny turn that music down before I take that radio away from you!" With murmurs of 'Yes M'am' and other quiet grumbles, the kids soon settled down to quieter activites much to the relief of the worker who sank into a chair and ran a hand through her hair.

Zac nodded a little, swallowing hard.

Slowly, Zac uncurled just a little, looking down at George as he bit his lip. Sniffing softly, he gave a little shrug.

Zac didn't answer, just sitting cuddled in a little ball against Luke, his eyes still looking out the window except this time they didn't look like they were searching for something. Instead now he looked like he was just looking, perhaps watching in case his parents did suddenly come down the road but he knew in his heart of hearts that they weren't...that he was just like all the other kids in the orphanage...parentless and alone.

Zac snuggled just a little into Luke, not uncurling from his ball though.

"But I weally want dem back..." He said desperatly.

Zac looked up, his little tear stained blue eyes looking straight up into Luke's calmer, gentle ones. "You fink so?"

"Don't dey wove me no more..." Zack whispered in between his quiet sobs, his little shoulders shaking.

"Why'd dey weave me....was I bad?" He knew really Luke wouldn't know the answer, but Luke was the first adult in a long time to take any notice of him for more than 5 minutes. The first person who actually tried to get through him and even though he tried desperatly not to get attached to this stranger lest he get hurt again, he just couldn't help it. He was lonely with no one to talk to but George and no one who cared about him and he didnt want to play with the other kids. They were too noisy, always trying to get someone's attention. He just wanted one person to take an interest in just him...and right now that person was Luke.

"I dun wanna fwiend....I wan' my mommy an' daddy..." Zac whimpered back, more tears falling as he then choked on a childish sob, burying his head in his knees and into George.

"Dey will....dey haf to.." Zac said with a small whimper, a tiny tear dribbling down his cheek as he kept his stare out the window.

"I can't....dey'll leave again if I'm not here...den I won't see dem again.." The lost little boy said gently, his bottom lip quivering a little. The fear that they had already been on the occasion he had to leave the window for food or to use the bathroom always resided in his little mind, even more so though, the knowledge that in reality...they were never coming back. He had heard the workers at the orphanage talking, he knew what they were saying...if anything he was sitting at the window praying that they were wrong, begging his parents all the time in his head to come back and take him back with them. He didn't understand why he had been left all alone, he didn't understand what he had done wrong....but he had been waiting for months now...and neither one of them had come for him.

"No....godda wait fer my mommy an' Daddy...." Zac replied quickly, not willing to leave the window let alone the room or the orphanage itself.

Zac nodded again, once more sinking into his quiet state of just looking out the window.

"S'a monkey..." Came the soft reply, though nothing else Luke had said was answered. Zac didn't make a move to reveal the toy to Luke at all, and was now again staring fixedly out the window.

"George..." The little boy whispered a little, never relenting his hold even a little on the cuddly toy.