Sarah guided her siblings through the city’s morning bustle, their eyes darting nervously as they pushed their brother, who has Down syndrome, in a wheelchair. Officer Allan’s curiosity was piqued as he watched them. What were these children running from, and why were they so afraid?
The morning sun beat down on the city streets as four kids made their way through the park. Sarah, the oldest at 14, kept a watchful eye on her siblings.
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“I’m starving,” Lila whined, her small hand clutching her stomach. At just 9 years old, she was the youngest girl in the group.
Sarah squeezed Lila’s shoulder. “Hang in there, kiddo. We’ll grab some grub soon.”
George, 10, piped up from behind the wheelchair he was pushing. “Yeah, Lila. Remember those awesome muffins from yesterday?”
In the wheelchair sat Kurt, 13, his Down syndrome features softened by a wide grin as he looked up at his brother.
As they neared the edge of the park, Sarah checked her watch. 10:10 a.m. Right on time.
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Across the street, Officer Allan stepped out of his patrol car, stretching his arms above his head. “Man, I need a sugar fix,” he muttered, eyeing the bakery across the street.
Just as he was about to cross, Sarah and her siblings caught his eye. They were headed down an alley beside the bakery, looking around nervously.
Curiosity piqued, Allan watched as the tallest girl from the group knocked on the bakery’s back door. A moment later, she was handed two bulging paper bags.
“Huh,” Allan murmured. “That doesn’t look like fresh stuff.”
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The kids tore into the bags, pulling out day-old pastries with gleeful expressions. Allan frowned. Why weren’t these kids in school? He wondered. And why were they so excited about stale baked goods?
“Hey, kids!” Allan called out, hoping to help them.
The effect was instant. The tall girl’s head snapped up, her eyes widening in fear as she spotted his uniform.
“RUN!” she shouted, grabbing the wheelchair.
“No, wait!” Allan yelled. “Please stop!”
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Allan barely had time to react before they scattered. He watched as the tall girl went left, while the other two kids veered right, pushing the wheelchair at top speed.
In seconds, they vanished around corners, leaving Allan standing alone in the alley, completely baffled.
“What in the world?” he muttered, scratching his head. Something was definitely up with those kids, but how was he going to find them now?
Later, at the station, Allan’s colleague, Officer Hernandez, filled him in on the situation.
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“CPS has been looking for these kids for months, Allan,” Hernandez explained. “We didn’t have any leads until you spotted them. It’s weird, though. You’d think someone would’ve reported four siblings, one with Down syndrome, wandering the streets.”
Allan felt terrible knowing he could have helped the kids, but he scared them instead. “What else do you know?” he asked.
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“Their names are Sarah, George, Lila, and Kurt. Parents died earlier this year,” Hernandez replied. “They bounced around shelters. The kid with Down syndrome was sent to a foster home. Then they all took off together. They probably think they’re saving their brother by running away.”
“Any idea why they ran from their homes?”
Hernandez shrugged. “My guess? They don’t like being separated. But that kid with Down syndrome needs real care from adults. His siblings can’t handle that.”
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“That’s rough,” Allan sighed.
“Yeah, but now that you’ve spotted them, we can start searching. The cops on the case thought they’d left town.”
“Let’s find them and get them help,” Allan said, feeling a glimmer of hope.
For days, Allan and his colleagues staked out the park, bakery, and other spots around town. But the kids were nowhere to be seen. Allan began to realize they needed a new approach.
“Maybe we’re not doing this right,” he told Hernandez back at the station.
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“I think these kids are running because they don’t trust anyone to help them. Not even us. Something terrible must have happened to make them feel that way.”
Hernandez nodded. “So what’s your plan?”
“We need to talk to them as regular people. No uniforms. If we can get close to just one of them, maybe we can work out a solution.”
“They’re not dumb, Allan,” Hernandez chuckled. “I don’t think they’ll fall for the plain clothes trick.”
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“I know,” Allan said. “We just need to get close enough to talk. If one of us can approach the oldest girl, we might have a shot.”
“What about CPS protocols? We can’t do this without involving them.”
“Yeah, we’ll have to explain the situation. Make them understand that the kids don’t want to be separated. That’s probably what this is all about.”
Hernandez looked skeptical. “CPS has its own rules. We can’t promise the kids anything we can’t deliver.”
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“You’re right. But we can try,” Allan insisted. “I’ll approach the oldest girl. Maybe they’ll listen if I promise not to separate them.”
“Sounds like a plan. Want to set up a team?”
“Nah,” Allan shook his head. “Let me handle it. I reported them. Too many cops might scare them off for good.”
That evening, Allan stood outside the bakery in plain clothes, looking around for the kids.
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After two hours of waiting and searching nearby, he was about to call it quits when he spotted a familiar silhouette heading towards the bakery’s back door.
Allan quickly ducked behind the building, watching as an employee handed over baked goods to the girl. This must be Sarah, he thought.
As she turned to leave, Allan stepped out. “Hey, wait!” he called.
The girl spun around, eyes wide with shock. “Please, don’t run!” Allan pleaded. “I just want to help you!”
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Sarah looked ready to bolt, but her face twisted with anger. “You can’t help me! You can’t help us! All you want is to split us up!”
She started to run, but Allan was too close. He gently but firmly grabbed her arm.
“Let go of me!” she yelled, trying to pull away.
“Please, calm down,” Allan begged. “I’m the cop who saw you earlier. I want you and your siblings to be safe. Your brother has Down syndrome. He can’t live on the streets, and you can’t take care of him properly like this.”
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Sarah stopped struggling. “How do you know all that?”
“I’m a cop. Officer Markson. We’ve been trying to find all four of you for months, Sarah.”
“How do you know my name?”
“It’s our job, but you need to listen.”
Sarah glared at him. “Fine.”
Allan released her arm, keeping his hands up in a peaceful gesture. “First, I want to know why you ran. Why live on the streets instead of in foster homes?”
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Sarah’s shoulders slumped. “It’s because of Kurt,” she began. “The social worker sent him to this couple who fosters kids with disabilities. But they were horrible to him! They bullied him and treated him so mean. The last time we ran was because the social worker was going to place Kurt with them again, even after we told them what happened!”
Allan frowned, concerned about this bullying couple. Before he could respond, Sarah continued.
“We escaped to save him. I wasn’t in such a bad situation, but my siblings… they weren’t doing so well.”
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“They felt lonely and when we heard about Kurt… Our parents were doing great with him. He was in special therapy, and we were all happy. Together. But then…”
“I’m so sorry for what you’ve lost, Sarah,” Allan said softly. “I can’t bring your parents back, but I promise no one will separate you from your siblings again.”
“Why should I trust you?” Sarah asked, her voice wavering.
“That’s a fair question,” Allan smiled.
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“I just want you to give me a chance. I’m not here to hurt you or send your siblings back to bad homes. I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you all together in a good home. I know it sounds too good to be true, but I’ll fight for you guys.”
Sarah studied him for a long moment. “Alright,” she said finally. “What happens next?”
Allan’s smile widened. “Let’s go get your siblings.”
A few minutes later, Allan parked his car outside an abandoned house.
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But the moment he saw Kurt burning with fever, he rushed all the kids to the nearest hospital.
The doctors were alarmed by the children’s malnutrition and called CPS. Soon, a social worker named Mrs. Ramirez burst into the hospital room.
“Finally! You four have given us so much trouble!” she exclaimed, clutching her folders. “Time to go back to your homes!”
George and Lila ran to Sarah, huddling fearfully by Kurt’s hospital bed. Sarah looked pleadingly at Allan, who nodded reassuringly.
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“Hold on a sec,” he said, raising his hand. “Let’s talk first, Mrs. Ramirez.”
The woman bristled but complied when he showed his badge. “Fine. What is it?”
Allan took a deep breath. “Mrs. Ramirez, I’ve heard that Kurt’s previous foster parents mistreated him.”
“Oh, nonsense,” she scoffed. “The Johnsons are wonderful people. They always volunteer for the disabled kids, who are so hard to place.”
“Mrs. Ramirez,” Allan said firmly. “Kurt is not going back there.”
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“The last thing we want is for these kids to run away again, which they will if you send Kurt back to that home,” he continued. “I’m launching an investigation into that couple and their foster license. Because four kids don’t choose cold streets and leftovers if something isn’t seriously wrong.”
He leaned in closer. “And if I find any evidence that you or anyone else knew about these bullying claims and did nothing, I will find a way to press charges. Got it?”
Mrs. Ramirez’s face paled. She nodded silently.
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“Now,” Allan continued, “is there a way we can keep these kids together?”
“I’ll have to make some calls,” Mrs. Ramirez said. “They can stay in a group home until we find a foster family willing to take all four. Will that work?”
“For now,” Allan nodded. “We’ll check on them daily to make sure they’re okay. I don’t want them running off again.”
In the following days, Kurt was discharged from the hospital, and the kids were placed in a group home. Allan made sure they were treated well.
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A few months later, a newly licensed foster couple, Jason and Alina, expressed interest in adopting all four children. Allan met with them personally.
It turned out Alina had a brother with Down syndrome and knew how to care for Kurt. She and Jason were eager to adopt all four kids, as they were struggling with infertility and couldn’t have kids.
It took some convincing, but Allan finally persuaded Sarah to give the couple a chance.
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He promised to visit regularly and assured her they wouldn’t have to stay if things didn’t work out.
As the weeks turned into months, Sarah, George, Lila, and Kurt thrived in their new home. Jason and Alina showered them with love and attention, giving Kurt the care he needed while keeping all the siblings together.
Allan kept his promise, visiting often and watching with pride as the once-frightened runaways blossomed into happy, well-adjusted kids. At last, they had found the loving family they deserved.
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This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.