Chapter 2 The child

“Huh!” The hunter turned around as he gently stepped close to the crash. “I think someone is alive…” He looked closely as his eyes dilated when he saw a child covered with black coal from the crash fingers moved. “She is alive!” He rushed over and pushed the few bodies off the child as he picked her up and rushed off to where his truck was, he put her into the truck and drove off, as he drove off he could see a police car and ambulance heading to where he had made the call. He knew this child needed an immediate checkup so there was no point in handing her over to them, so he decided to take her to the hospital where she would be checked on before anything would happen to her. He sat down outside the lobby as they carried out surgery on the child, a few moments later the doctors walked out and he rushed over to them. “How is the child?” He asked as he searched their eyes. “She is fine,” The doctor told him and the hunter breathed a sigh of relief. “There is no internal bleeding, all we have to do is wait until she wakes up.” The doctor told him and he nodded before the doctors left. “I have done my part, I should continue hunting, when the child wakes up, she will tell them who she is and they will return her to her family.” The hunter nodded to himself as he turned to leave the hospital, but he stopped since he felt uneasy. “I should at least stay until she wakes up, it would scare her if she finds herself in the hospital alone…” He paused. “No Nathan,” He spoke to himself. “You should leave now, the doctors will take good care of her.” “But, I should at least stay until her parents come to her. I can’t leave a kid that is just like my child alone in the hospital, not after she survived a crash.” He turned to look at the hospital ward. “I should just leave, everything would be fine, the nurses would take care of her, I have done my part, no need to stay.” Nathan nods as he turns to leave the hospital. “Sir, she is awake.” A nurse called out to him and he turned to look at her. “Your daughter is awake, you should go see her.” The nurse told him as she walked out and Nathan rubs his hands over his face. “She is not my daughter.” He said softly but the nurse was too far to hear what he had said. “Fine then,” Nathan exhaled sharply. “I will just see her and then leave.” He nodded and walked over to the room where the child was. Nathan saw the doctors doing the last check up on her, the child only lay on the bed in silence without saying a thing and the doctor looked over at Nathan before walking out of the room, Nathan followed behind. “Doctor, is anything wrong?” Nathan asked and the doctor exhaled sharply before breaking the news to him and leaving. Nathan looked over at the open glass at the child who was laying on the bed with her eyes closed as he remembered the doctor’s words. “I am sorry to tell you this, after the final checkup, we notice that she has suffered from an immense shock resulting in memory loss. I am afraid to say she doesn’t remember anything.” “Not even her name?” “Not even that.” The doctor told him. “Would she?” “Yes, it may take time, but she would, that would happen according to her will to remember, but most times if it is too traumatic, the child would shut off that part of memory forever.” Nathan shut his eyes as he leaned close to the wall. “This is bad.” He said softly as he exhaled sharply. Nathan walked out of the hospital as he got into his truck. “I am sorry kid, I don’t have much and I don’t need to feed an extra mouth,” Nathan was talking to no one in particular as he started his car engine. “Goodbye kid, I hope your real parents find you. Nathan drove off, he stopped at the crossroad as he waited for the traffic light to change before continuing his journey when his eyes caught on the news about the crash, he could read on it that there were no survivors. “Wait, she might be travelling with her parents, does this mean?” His eyes dilated. “Does this mean her parents died in the crash?” Nathan covered his lips with his hands. “Oh no!” His brows drooped. “Why does this have to happen? Why now?” He hit the steering wheel before turning around to head to the hospital. He walked into the room where the child was now awake, he sat close to the bed and looked at her face. “Why is this life so cruel, why would it take away your parents?” He thought to himself as he looked at the child that was staring at him like a stranger. Nathan took her hands. “I feel so sorry for you, Kid.” He said softly to himself as he exhaled sharply before patting her cheek. “Hey,” He called out to the girl. “Kid, let’s go home, I will take you home now.” He locked eyes with her with a smile on his lips. Nathan processed her discharged paper before carrying her to his truck, he fastened her seatbelt and smiled at her. “Let’s go home and make you a warm meal to eat okay.” He said softly as he started his engine and drove off. *** Nathan travelled a long journey back to the countryside, to where he shared a home with his child and wife. He pulled the truck over at a distance from his house, it was already getting dark, the sun was about to set and he could see his wife rocking their child to sleep in her arms. He looked over at the child on the passenger seat, she was fast asleep. Nathan rubs his hands through his forehead, swallowing hard. “I will have to keep you with us kid, no matter what my wife says, I would have to watch over you since you are alone in this world now, but don’t worry kid, you won’t stay that way since you have me, my wife and kid will be your mother and your sister.” Nathan thought to himself as he looked at the child before clutching the steering wheel and driving home. He pulled the truck over and stepped out of the car. “Hi, Sweetheart,” Nathan called out to his wife who made a small gesture with her finger for him to keep silent since their kid was asleep. “Welcome,” Paige mouthed with a smile as she watched Nathan walk over to the passenger seat, she was wondering why he was opening the passenger’s door and not the boot to take out the meat, but her eyes dilated when she saw him take out a sleeping kid in his arms. Nathan looked up at his wife, he was holding the child in his arms as Paige’s smiles disappeared and her brows knitted and her face turned ugly.