BoJamesDuke

Zac nodded again a little, swallowing as he looked back out the window, his little knuckles gripping the toy he held close so tight they were turning white.

Zac swallowed a little, glancing up at him. "Dey didn't?"

Zac shook his head, cuddling his animal to him more and snuggling more under the blanket that he had over him, his thumb going into his mouth despite the fact that he was 7.

"No...dey'll be back dey said....dey said I just gotta keep waitin for dem...den dey'll be back..." Zac murmured like he'd been told it or he'd been telling it many times over.

"Mommy an' Daddy...." He replied quietly, pressing a little closer to the window, almost like he was trying to melt right through it to get outside and wait for them.

Zac nodded a little but didn't do anything else to answer him, his stuffed animal cuddled a little closer to his stomach.

"Not...m'lookin for someone..." Zac whispered gently, his eyes fixated out the window.

Eventually, Zac flicked a curious glance at him but nothing more than that. His little mind couldn't work out why Luke wasn't leaving like everyone else usually did when he ignored them.

Zack didn't answer, didn't even nod to show he had heard. He knew whoever was there would leave anyway, they always did.

The girl at the door watched sadly as Luke sat with him and Zack didn't even bat an eyelid at it. It was like no one else was in the room with him anyway...

Zack didn't look up as Luke came over, and it didn't look like he even heard Luke either the way he just continued to stare outside as if afraid to look away.

Eventually, the young girl just creaked the door open, stepping inside and letting Luke in, pointing over to the window. There was where they young boy was sat, a stuffed animal that wasn't recognizable from the way it was hugged against his stomach, clutched tightly in his arms. He had a blanket covering him, like he never left that spot not even to sleep in, his head resting against the glass as his eyes gazed around the area he was looking out of, only moving when a car started to approch and sinking back down again when it wasn't who he was hoping for.

"Sure you can....i'll take ya to him.." The girl said with a grateful smile, getting up and leading him up a staircase, going to a room and knocking on the door gently. "Zac...there's someone here for you..." She didn't get a reply.

"Then....we just keep trying to find someone who can connect with him...i'm sorry, I know its a lot to ask. You dont have to, there's always some fixin or something to be doin if you'd rather..." She said, looking up at him.

"Well...with so many kids here we just dont have the time to spend with him alone...he needs a friend...someone who is just special to him, who comes just to see him. He wont leave his room so he doesn't make any friends with the other children here..." She explained, sadly looking over his file.

"Yeah....his name's Zac...he's 7." She soon found his notes and opened it up, looking them over to check they were the right ones. "He's been here a couple of months now, brought here from chickasaw...his parents ran off and left him behind. All he does now is sit at his bedroom window and watch for them...."

"Well....at the moment I need help with all the children...but there's one in particular..." She said, trying to tame the hair that had fallen out of the bun at the back of her head, looking through the notes on her desk.

All around the old place there were kids running around after each other, groups of girls trying to play dolls while the boys deliveratly ran through the middle of their games. Others were dancing to loud music in the living room while more kids ran around in the back yard. The place was a mess though it was obviously well kept when the children were behaving. The girl led Luke to an office, having to prise children off her legs as she walked and they jumped on her trying to get her to play.

Looking to the flyer, a look of realization came over her face and she nodded happily. "Oh yeah! Yeah any help would be great, come on in."

Eventually a frazzled looking young lady opened the door, looking up at him with a sigh. "Hey there, can I help?"

As he knocked, an adult voice grew louder in among the children's, making its way towards the door. "Come on Billy now move out the way, Sarah dont eat that, Ricky if I have to tell you again to stop jumping on the couch you won't get any dessert tonight!"

Jesse nodded and waved as he left, sighing as he saw Luke's awkwardness. Shaking his head, he set about tidying up the house.

Jesse nodded with a small smile. "Just a lil bit....why dont you head on over to the orphanage and see what you can do...I'll get Bo to join ya when he gets back..."

Jesse frowned a little. "Luke...we's just had breakfast..."

Jesse smiled to him as he let go, albiet it a little reluctantly, patting his shoulder gently. "Now that ain't true anymore is it....you don't ever gotta be sorry for seekin out some comfort an' reassurance Luke...everyone needs it sometimes...from the most common of townsfolk to the president of these united states....dont make ya any less of a man."