Adopting a son who looked absolutely nothing like you had been quite a chore for Brooke. She often had to walk around with his legal adoption papers (now wrinkled and crinkled in every possible way) in order to prove to skeptical people on the street that he actually was her son. Being so used to this sort of treatment, Brooke's hand immediately went to the clasp of her purse to begin the search for these very same papers. Just because the woman started off nicely didn't mean she was going to be very nice once she had thoroughly accused Brooke of kidnapping. "Thank you," Brooke said with a polite grin.
Then, something struck her. She had a terrible memory for names though she couldn't help but find this woman awfully familiar. She remained still for a moment as she examined the woman's face. "Do I know you from somewhere?" Working at the hospital had its downsides. You saw so many people roll in and out of there all the time. It was miraculous you could even remember a single face before your shift was up. "My name is Brooke Hopkins. I'm a nurse at the ER. And this is -- Rufus?"
He had disappeared. He had been sitting there one second and the next he was gone. "Rufus!" She felt a light tug at her thigh. When she glanced down under the table, there was Rufus, looking up at her with big, crystal clear blue eyes. "Oh, Rufus, baby, what are you doing down there?" She promptly pulled him out and sat him on her lap. The boy simply clung to her, refusing to look over at the woman. Brooke shook her head a bit. "Sorry. He's a bit on the shy side. This is Rufus. My son."