Chapter 2C

Morgan stood at his little cooker warming some soup, he had checked on Susan a few minutes ago and thought she would wake up soon. When he heard the bedroom door open he turned towards it smiling shyly.

Susan stood in the open doorway looking terrified.

“Hi, did you sleep well?” Morgan asked as cheerfully as he could. He was scared, if she screamed or whatever now he could be done for abduction or even worse.

“Um, yeah like a baby, uh how did I get here.” Susan asked softly.

“Uh you fell asleep against me on the beach and I couldn’t just leave you there.”

“So what, did you get your folks to pick me up?”

Morgan looked embarrassed. “Uh, no I carried you. Sorry but I had to.”

“Oh, sorry, um, what did your folks say when you brought me home.”

“No folks, just me.” Susan watched a shadow pass over Morgan’s face. “Anyway there’s soup almost ready, only a tin of mushroom, sorry. Um do you want to get a bath first?” Morgan waved a hand towards a closed door.

“Uh, please if you don’t mind, then I’ll get out of your way.” Susan clutched her pack tightly and disappeared into the offered bathroom.

While she was busy Morgan turned the soup down and stripped and remade the bed. By the time she came out of the bathroom looking cleaner Morgan had put two bowls of soup on the table along with a plate of bread and butter.

“Uh, I’d better get out of your way. Sorry to intrude and thanks for the bath and, well you know.”

“Um, why don’t you sit and at least have some soup at least before you go.” Morgan told her.

“Are you sure, I mean, I don’t want to cause you trouble. I mean you’ve been so...” Susan broke down in tears again. Morgan led her to the table and got her to sit.

After a moments hesitation Susan started in on her soup like she hadn’t eaten in a week, Morgan guessed that was probably the case.

“It isn’t true you know.” She said when she had finished the soup.

“What isn’t?”

“That I’m a slut who fucks around and got pregnant after a gang bang.” Susan looked like she was going to cry again before she pulled herself together.

“Sit there a minute.” Morgan went to his room and fetched a hairbrush. Standing behind Susan he started trying to brush the tangles out of her long blond hair.

“Do you want to tell me about it?” Morgan asked softly as he worked.

Susan sighed. “He was my first.”

“Who Graham?”

“Yeah, bastard told me not to worry, he would pull out, but he didn’t and that was all it took. At first when I told Graham I was pregnant he seemed pleased, told me he would look after me, so I told my parents.” Now her tears began again.

“The next day when I went over to see him I had people shouting at me, asking how much I ch ... charged, and calling me a slut. When I got to Graham’s house his d ... dad told me I had a nerve trying to blame it on his son.” Morgan knelt beside of her chair and held Susan until her tears slowed up.

“When I got back home I found that Graham had rung my dad and told him that I had been selling myself down at the beach and he had just stumped up a tenner like all the other guys. And my d ... dad b ... believed him. He t ... told me to get out, he didn’t want to ever see me again.”

“How old are you Susan?” Morgan asked her eventually.

“F ... fifteen, I’ll be s ... sixteen in a couple of months, then I guess I will have to go to the council and see if they can get me somewhere to live.”

Morgan looked thoughtful. “Well you can’t live on the beach until the council sort you out can you? I mean what have you been doing for food.”

“Um, I had about five pounds when I left, but that’s gone now. I’m sorry I can’t give you anything for the soup.” Susan yawned.

“Look I need to go and get some shopping and go to the laundromat. Why don’t you go back to bed for a couple of hours.”

“Um if you don’t mind I will, then I had better get going.” she whispered.

“You can stay here until you get yourself sorted.” Morgan told her gently.

“Are you sure, I mean what are people going to think of you?” Susan asked tiredly.

“Yeah I’m sure. I really don’t care what anyone thinks. Do you want me to take the stuff you were wearing to the laundry.”

“Please, if you don’t mind.” Susan yawned again as she stood up.