Page 27 of Blade

“I have to go back to work, but I promised Allyson someone would take her home. She has to be back at the shelter by seven,” Rogue explained.

“Even if someone could just take me to the bus stop, I can catch the six-fifteen bus into town,” Allyson said.

“I’ll take you back, sweetie. No worries.”

Eloise squeezed my hand in gratitude.

***

“Thank you for giving me a ride back to the shelter, Mr. Blade,” Allyson said.

I had ulterior motives, but she didn’t need to know that.

“You’re welcome. Thank you for working so hard to check on Eloise. I know she’s thankful to have a friend like you.”

“Eloise is really good to me. She helped me study for my GED.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“I think it’s very cool you’re earning your GED.” I wanted to better convey how amazing it was that she was striving for better even in such a shitty situation, but I couldn’t. Emotions clogged my throat. Fuck, I was turning into a ball of mush.

“Thank you. I want to be a nurse.”

“Oh? That’s a great career. What a great goal,” I praised.

She straightened her shoulders at my praise and dammit, I wanted to shower her with more. It wasn’t fair that shitty things happened to such sweet people.

“Did you know Eloise wants to be a nurse too? She graduated high school, though, so she just needs to enroll in college.”

“I didn’t know that, how exciting. Maybe you two could be nurses together.”

My baby wanted to be a nurse? I’d move heaven and earth to make it happen.

“When you get your GED, will you enroll in college right away?” I asked Allyson.

“Yes. I will get a grant to help pay for it since I was in foster care and that will really help out because college won’t be so expensive.”

Fuck, another punch to my gut.

“You were in foster care?”

“Yeah.”

“I was too.”

“Really? Wow. You’re doing really well. You have a job and a nice truck.”

Damn. The things I took for granted.

“I do.”

“That’s good. Did you age out of foster care too?”

“I didn’t. I got out before then.” I didn’t tell her it was because I ran away at seventeen after I beat the fuck out of my foster dad.

“Oh! That’s so great.”

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