The night was cold in the city of Riverton, the snow fell from the sky landing across the city covering it with a blanket except for the Riverton Bridge with the constant movement of vehicles on the massive bridge that led straight into the city surrounded by water. It was December 23 and throughout the city there was silence, a city all prepared for the upcoming Christmas with trees up and beautifully wrapped presents that laid waiting underneath the tree just begging to be opened, but there was one exception on a mansion with its lights still on at the street known as the “Street of Riches” for most of the cities wealthiest people lived on this street.
In this home there was constant movement from the servants waiting for the moment that the family comes home hopefully bearing with them a new born child. The clock was getting closer and closer to midnight as a limo pulled up outside, the driver of the limo exited the vehicle to open the doors of Frank Bergson and his wife Madison Bergson and in Madison’s arm was a new born child wrapped up warm in a blanket. The two parents’ left the vehicle walking towards the entrance of their house, the doors were opened by two maids as they were greeted by the staff and congratulated on the new child as they entered the main room of the building. Madison turned to one of the maids and asked “could you wake Timothy up, I want him to meet his new baby brother”, the maid nodded her head as she headed up the stairs to retrieve the 12 year old brother. Frank and Madison stayed where they were just staring at their new child as happy as can be. Both of the parents’ looked up at the stairs when they heard feet moving down them of the maid and their son Timothy still in a daze from just being woke up, the maid was holding Timothy’s small hand as they got to the bottom. The father walked over to Timothy and picked him up in his arms “hey son, would you care to meet your new baby brother?” Timothy rubbed his eyes and yawned at the same time and through that yawn there was a hard to understand yes. The father carried Timothy over to the mother and showed him his new little brother “Tim, this is your new little brother Harold, and as an older brother it is your responsibility to look after him, do you understand?” Tim nodded his head still in a daze, Frank smiled and said “that’s my boy.” Frank put Tim down and said “I swear it’s getting harder and harder to carry you every day, but that just shows your growing up son” as he pat Tim on the head . Frank looked back up at the maid and requested that she take Tim back up to bed, the maid nodded her head as he took the young dazed boy’s hand and lead him back upstairs as the parents’ were left downstairs as the clock starting ringing as both hands were on the twelve showing it was midnight and that Christmas was here.
The next morning the family head out to the city to get presents for Harold for the two parents’ believed that Harold would have been born closer to January so they weren’t prepared with gifts for him. There were very few toy stores open on Christmas but Frank pulled a couple of strings and was able to have one open long enough to get their son some presents without having the employees waste their Christmas there and could get home with their families. The limo pulled up to the toy store named “Toy Bucket”, the parents’ got out of the vehicle as Madison held Harold in her arms and Frank held Tim’s hand. The family walked in the store and was greeted by an employee and asked if they needed help to find anything. The parents’ told the employee that they were fine and didn’t need help; the mother got a cart and put Harold in the baby seat as Harold looked up his mother with a face of curiosity and wonder on his face. The father pushed the cart from aisle to aisle trying to find gifts for Harold, the two parents’ got to a baby toy aisle and looked around for an appropriate gift. As they looked Timothy came up to his mother and asked for a toy, the mother turned to Tim and said “no Timothy, we are here for your brother and you already have your presents at home so don’t worry you will get your new toys soon.” Timothy lowered his head as he walked away to go put away the new toy and the mother got back to looking for a toy for Harold. The mother found a rattle and wanted to see if Harold liked it so she turned around to the cart to shake the rattle in front of Harold to see if he enjoyed it, but Madison only saw an empty baby carriage, she looked to toward Frank hoping that her husband took Harold out of the cart “Frank where is Harold?” Frank turned around starting a sentence “he’s in the cart” as he turned around to see the empty cart and instantly darted to the front of store yelling “someone help, our child is missing!” and Madison stayed at the cart with tears building up in her eyes, not knowing that outside at the back of the store was their child stolen from them and thrown in the garbage, crying out to his parent’s but no one being able to hear him with a strip of duct tape around his mouth.
The toy store shut down after having the police come by and file a report for the family and as everyone looked around the store for several hours before giving up and believing who ever took their son was long gone and they would not be able to catch him. The toy store’s doors shut as the family left with the Madison crying and Frank was holding her in his arms and holding Timothy’s hand with a face that couldn’t understand why his mother was crying. As the family got in their limo a homeless man outside of the store heading to the back of the toy store with a shopping cart hoping to find something to sale for money in the garbage, the man’s name was Ezekiel Lewalski and he was trying to get money to buy food for the large group of homeless people that lived under the Riverton Bridge. He pushed the cart closer to the dumpster his raggedy coat blowing in the breeze and he shivered as the cold wind was on his face. He opened the dumpster and shock befell him as he saw the poor child covered with rats gnawing at the child’s small body. Ezekiel shooed off the rat’s and quickly picked up the little child that felt limp and had serious wounds on his left leg and left eye. Ezekiel stood out in the snow scared and trying to quickly think of what to do, Ezekiel opened up his jacket and took it off and wrapped the child in it to keep it warm and started running towards the front of the store trying to make up his mind of which was closer a hospital or the bridge, Ezekiel turned to the direction of the bridge and started running knowing that one of the people that lived under the bridge used to be a doctor and would be able to help the child.
Ezekiel was running at full speed with the child in his arms as he saw the wall of cardboard they made under the bridge to keep the cold air out, he ran through the entrance and started yelling “where is Dean?!” A man came out of one of the small card board houses “what is wrong?” Ezekiel ran over to Dean, “Dean this kid really needs your help, if you don’t do anything he will die.” Dean looked at Ezekiel “Zeke why didn’t you take this kid to the hospital?” Dean put his hand over his face “we don’t have the technology or resources to be able to help this kid”. Ezekiel tried to explain his reasoning “Dean, the bridge was closer than the nearest hospital and this kid doesn’t have that much time so you just got to help him.” Dean let out a sigh and took the child the child from Ezekiel and went into his cardboard house to do whatever he could to save the child’s life. Tabatha, Ezekiel’s wife came up behind him “what are you doing back so early, what’s wrong?” Ezekiel turned around to face Tabatha “I found a child in the garbage near death and I brought him back here to have Dean look after him” Tabatha put on a surprised face “and you didn’t take the kid to the hospital?”, “I already explained this to Dean but the bridge was closer than the nearest hospital.” Tabatha shook her head couldn’t believe what her husband did “fine” as she took his hand and they waiting outside of Dean’s cardboard house waiting to see if the child would be OK.
After a couple of hours Dean came out of the small cardboard home wiping off the blood on his hands. Ezekiel and Tabatha were sitting on the ground with Tabatha asleep on his shoulder. Ezekiel looked up at Dean expecting the worst, “Zeke the kid you brought me is going to be OK I was able to stop the bleeding to his eye and leg.” Ezekiel let out a sigh of relief and Dean continued “but soon we are going to have to give him up to authorities but right now moving him around isn’t an option that kid is in poor shape and the cold would kill him.” Ezekiel put his hand on Tabatha’s and held her tightly “Dean if it is OK with you, could Tabatha and I look after him?” Dean looked unsure of what to say “look Zeke” Ezekiel cut Dean off knowing what he was about to say “I know you don’t want us to get attached to the point where when it’s time to let him go it will hurt, but please Dean we have always wanted a kid but because of my inability to make Tabatha pregnant we can’t but now we have the opportunity to feel like parent’s even if it’s just a couple of days, please Dean I’m begging you.” Dean let out a sigh “alright Zeke you can look after the kid but as soon as he gets better we are taking right to the police, alright?” Ezekiel nodded with tears coming from his eyes happy that he could finally have a son.
