Who: Steve and Sarah What: First meeting Where: Hospital When: Early October Rating/Warnings: Low/None Status: Complete
Sarah had very much settled into her role at the various locations where she had temporary offices, the students of the local schools and universities were getting used to her and the womens shelters and charities she visited were much more open to her than they had been to begin with. She was beginning to make a difference and that felt very good.
Kira was settling into school, their new place had much more space than the previous one and everything was going well. Making her way to the childrens ward in the hospital she noticed a guy she hadn’t seen before, “You must be new” she told him with a smile, “Because I am positive I would have remembered you” she winked.
~*~
Steve loved volunteering at the hospital. He hadn't been doing it for very long, but once he'd heard the need for volunteer's there he'd jumped at the chance. He'd just finished reading to the kids, and was about to leave when a nurse caught him to ask him for help carrying some heavy boxes to the nurses station. Steve, of course, couldn't say no so he obliged her request.
He was just about to start on his way out when another woman spoke to him. He caught the wink, a blush creeping up into the apples of his cheeks and he gave her a sheepish smile. "I've only been here a few weeks, yes." He stuck his hand out, "Steve Rogers."
~*~
Oh now that was adorable, he actually blushed. This could be so much fun, she thought as she shook his hand, “Sarah Manning” she replied, “And I obviously need to change my hours so our paths cross more. I’m a child counsellor, so I’m here once a week just to check in with them all” she explained since she wasn’t wearing a uniform and it might have sounded a little odd if she hadn’t.
~*~
Steve smiled at her name, "Sarah's a real pretty name. It was my mother's name." Steve could fully admit that he'd been a momma's boy, and losing her had been hard. He chuckled softly and shook his head at her compliment. "That's good to hear." The kids needed people to talk to just as much as any adult. They were going through some pretty terrible things, and Steve couldn't imagine being in their shoes. "It's good that they have someone to talk to. How long have you been coming here?"
~*~
“Thank you” she smiled kindly, picking up on the use of the past tense when he spoke of his mother. “That was what I thought too, I tend to offer my help in different locations around the county. Schools, shelters, hospitals, I’ve been doing this for about 5 months now”
~*~
He gave a small inclination of his head in her direction as a way of acknowledging her thanks. Steve's brows rose slightly. Now that was impressive, and very kind of her to do. "I see, well, not only am I new to the area but new to this type of volunteer work. Back in New York I worked more with the Big Brother program and a couple of other things like that." Mostly dealing with troubled youth, or those that needed some sort of male figure in their life. Here he wanted to bring some happiness to the kids, to try and help their stressed out parents.
~*~
Well it wasn’t all selfless, she was getting paid a salary by the local government but she did put in way more hours than she should and was available on the work phone 24/7 for anybody who needed her. She cared a lot about all the kids she met. “Oh I’ve heard of that, we don’t have it in the UK but it’s something they should definitely look at” she replied, because there were so many kids who needed advice and guidance.
~*~
"Oh you don't?" Steve didn't know that. You really did learn something new everyday. "It was worth every minute, to be honest. I only hope that I helped a few of the boys along the way, you know?" Steve had kept in contact with a few of them over the years, and he probably should try to see if he could reconnect with them. So many kids out there needed just a little bit of help, and Steve was happy to help if he could.
"Where are you from in the UK, Sarah?"
~*~
“Nope but it’s a very good idea” she said, “I am sure you made a big difference in their lives. They were lucky to have you so many don’t feel like anybody cares” She’d seen how having just one person supporting a young teenager could make all the difference.
“London” she told him, “My foster mother came from Ireland but we lived in London”
~*~
It had surprised Steve to learn that some parents didn't come visit their children that often, either due to work or because of their other children. Steve knew how hard things could be if one was a single parent, but still, he would like to believe that his own mother would've come to visit him had he been -- well, he had been in the hospital plenty when he was a kid and she was always there.
He smiled softly, "Ah, I've heard good things about London, never been myself." There were a lot of places that he really wanted to go see, but unfortunately he hadn't had the chance. "And Ireland, I'd really like to go there one day too."
~*~
Sarah knew it was harder for some parents than others to visit their children but she herself couldn't imagine not being there for her own daughter if it was Kira in hospital. But she wouldn't judge she would just be there for those who had less frequent visitors.
“Ireland is very pretty, and London is certainly an experience” she grinned, she already got the impression that Steve was far too polite for London. The poor man would probably be conned.
~*~
"Oh, I could imagine so." Steve agreed with a nod, and a smile over at Sarah. "Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to go there." Steve could make the time, it was just getting the gumption up to go. He might try to see if he could take the time off next year, just to do some traveling. That could be a lot of fun, but he'd prefer to have a companion while traveling and not just going on his own.
Who knew? Next year could bring him a companion to do some traveling with. "So how long have you been in the States, Sarah?"
~*~
“I hope you do” Sarah said, she hadn’t done much travelling really mostly spending her time in London and Ireland before moving to the OC and that was because Felix was here.
“I moved out here in March” she told him, “My brother was already here so as soon as I could I moved myself and my daughter out”
~*~
He hoped that he did as well. Life was too short to live it standing still, and Steve felt that some of his life had been just that. He had served his country, had done some traveling with the army, but it wasn't the same as traveling for pleasure obviously.
Nodding, Steve smiled. "I understand. Family is important." He would always feel that way. "How old is your daughter?" He asked, head canting slightly to the side.
~*~ “He means the world to me, just don’t tell him. It’ll go to his head” she joked, “Kira is eight going on eighteen somedays” she added. She loved her daughter but sometimes she was too smart for her own good.
~*~
Chuckling Steve tilted his head slightly to the side, "Nothing will slip past my lips." He crossed his fingers over his heart in an X as if to solidify his promise. "Ah," he gave a small nod, "I see." Some kids grew up fast, and were wise beyond their years. Steve knew a little bit about that personally. "I know a little bit about that, but that likely had to do with the fact that I was a sickly kid." He shrugged, and then offered Sarah a smile.
~*~
“Thank you, I had a feeling you were trustworthy” she told him with a grin. “I’m sorry to hear that, but you look pretty healthy now so nothing too serious I hope” she added, Kira had grown up a little earlier than she should more because of Sarah’s situation but she was a good kid and appreciated the hard work Sarah had put in to get herself through school and then out here to live with Felix. Sarah considered herself very lucky.
~*~
Steve shook his head, "Nah, I outgrew my asthma." Most kids did, although Steve had had to have some special waivers when he entered the army. As it stood he hadn't had an asthma attack since he was young, and for that he was grateful. He offered her a smile, "It was very nice to meet you, Sarah. I hate to, but I've got to run." Steve still had a few things to do before he made his way home. "I hope you have a great day." He offered her a smile, giving a slight nod of his head and moved to start out the door.