3- Nadina

"Yes," the young man behind the counter said as he peered at his computer screen. "We do have a double-occupancy room available on the first floor, just two doors down from the west entrance. Would that suit your needs, miss?"

Nadina smiled politely and nodded. "Perfectly," she said. Honestly, it was better than she had expected. Coming to a nice hotel like this without a reservation and asking for a ground floor room close to an outside door . . . well, she actually wouldn’t have been surprised if the guy had laughed in her face.

"Very well. And do you have an Honors Rewards membership with us?"

"No, I don’t. Actually, I’d like to pay the room up-front, in cash, if I may."

He flashed her a queer look, then pasted the friendly customer-service smile back onto his face and said, "Of course. . . ."

"If I incur any additional expenses during my stay, I’ll pay them in the morning when I check out."

It took just a few more minutes to settle her business at the front desk, then she rushed back out to her car. She glanced into the backseat first, reassuring herself that her precious passenger was sleeping safely and comfortably in his car-seat, then she drove around to the west entrance. It had been agonizing, leaving him in the car, but she knew she couldn’t risk bringing him into the hotel lobby with her. Even if he somehow managed to sleep through it, people would notice and remember a tall woman as dark black as she was, carrying a little white child. Not that it was any big deal these days, but still, people would remember them if asked about it.

Nadina carefully unfastened the buckles on his car-seat so as not to wake him, and gently carried him to the room and laid him on a bed. Then she quickly went back out to bring their bags in, loading her duffel bag, his backpack, and the four plastic shopping bags all onto her arms at once so as to make one trip. She felt uneasy leaving him alone for another moment, even if she knew he was sleeping securely in the room.

Once back in the room, she emptied the shopping bags and neatly arranged her purchases around the room, in the precise order and locations in which she would need them. Then she went and got the water running in the bathtub, making sure to test the temperature properly. She paused a moment to gaze at his sweet sleeping face, and reached to pet his messy, dirty ash-brown hair. Then she peeled off his stretched-out, grungy long-john style pajamas and tossed them into the wastebasket. She also threw away his over-saturated diaper before she scooped him gently into her arms and began softly singing him awake.

He slowly opened his beautiful hazel-green eyes and looked at her curiously. "Want my Mummy?" he asked.

Nadina smiled sadly at him. "She’s not here, my love. But I am with you." As expected, he didn’t cry or fuss at this news. Even at this young age, he seemed to instinctively accept Nadina’s presence as something comforting and safe. "It’s time for your bath now," she told him as she carried him to the tub.

"No," he argued. "No bath."

"Hush, now. You’re all dirty and you need a bath."

He didn’t argue any more. He just looked up at her with trusting eyes and allowed her to set him down gently into the water. Nadina wanted to cry as she ran the soapy washcloth over his battered little body, but she kept her fake smile on and kept humming her happy little bath-time song. Her heart broke with every bruise, every cut, every scar. This tiny body was barely three years old, and it had been beaten this badly. She hated herself for letting this happen. She had failed to protect him. While she had worried over the dangers of approaching him before the proper time, he had been hurt and she had not been there to help him.

When he was clean, she patted him dry with a fluffy hotel towel and put him in a fresh diaper. "Three years old and still in diapers," she clucked. "We need to get you potty-trained."

Next she sat him on the counter by the sink and turned him to face the mirror, draping the towel over his shoulders. "How about a haircut?" she asked as she picked up the comb and scissors she had laid within reach. "I promise I’ll make it look nice." She cut it very short, then sat him at the small table with a bowl of fruit and a cup of milk. While he ate she got herself changed and turned down one of the beds.

Nadina cleaned up his hands and face when he was done, then gathered him into her arms and playfully rubbed her nose against his, making him giggle. "Now why don’t we put some medicine on your boo-boos?" She laid him on the bed, and then lovingly treated every wound with antiseptic and bandages, and a magic kiss to make it better. When it seemed his entire body had been smeared with soothing creams and ointments and covered in bandages, she dressed him in the soft cotton pajamas that she had bought for him and snuggled into the bed beside him.

"From now on, I will always be with you," she promised as she planted a soft kiss on an undamaged portion of his forehead, "I will always protect you."