It was time.
The moment was a little bittersweet for Aloisia. It had been a little over a month, and thus, social services had started looking for a good family to place little Naomi in.
She gave a last look at the little babe, who’s blue eyes stared up into her own. She knew she shouldn’t have gotten attached so quickly, but it couldn’t be helped. It was the first baby she had ever been in charge of, even if only peripherally, and she would always remember her.
“Mrs Naess, I hear you have found a new home for little Naomi here?”
The older woman just gave a warm chuckle, dispelling the edge that Aloisia had inadvertently brought into the conversation. “I dare say that we have found her a good home. A bit strict, perhaps, but the Voronins are a family in good standing and want their daughter to have a playmate and sister. She is just half a year older, so I expect she will find a fast friend in her.”
Aloisia took that statement in and thought about it for a moment. They probably can not have any more children of their own, then. Or do not want to have them. Voronin sounds slavic. And they have been described as strict. A slight pang ran through her, even as she couldn’t repress the thought that they might be dealing with Rialthra nobility here. In which case that wouldn’t put her in the easiest of situations. She’d be restricted in her choices and she’d be pushed to succeed. But similarly, she’d have better chances at actual success and it did sound like she’d have a family and at least one sibling at her side.
She dearly hoped they were not interested in adopting her only to make themselves look better in the eyes of others in their social circle. But there was always a bit of a risk of that. She bit her lip.
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“It is nice to hear that she’ll have a sister. Can you tell me a little more about the family?”
There was a twinkle in Mrs Naess' eyes when she replied, “I really am not supposed to tell you more, though I am glad to see your care for the little one. I assure you, they are as good a family as anyone could hope for.”
She reached over and squeezed Aloisia’s hand lightly, before continuing, “You know what? If you just give me your contact information, we can keep in touch and I can send you an occasional picture when we do our check ups.”
Aloisia was pretty sure Mrs Naess wasn’t handling this case by the books, but she was not about to let this chance pass her by. And so she replied with an eager grin, “I’d be happy to. It is always a pleasure to see a nice smile.”
She chatted a little longer and ended up exchanging contact information with Mrs Naess. The woman was unfailingly upbeat, something Aloisia could appreciate. It wasn’t something you saw often, particularly in a hospital. That wasn’t to say there weren’t any happy people around, but you get the point. Even if the staffing situation had improved over what she had heard it had been like in the past, it was still a stressful environment and not everyone that entered the hospital left it alive.
It was a sombre thought, but even with all the advancement the medical field had experienced, not everyone could be healed, no matter their age.
She shook her head a little, trying to banish the dark thoughts. Naomi at least had left the hospital hale and hearty. On a lark, she looked up the last name Miss Naess had let slip, trying to figure out whether her foundling had actually been placed with nobility.
Some quick searches for the family name later, she found some information. While the name Voronin didn’t seem to belong to a noble line, the name meant something along the lines of ‘son of the owl’ and was deeply rooted in slavic culture or even mythology. At least her guess for the region of origin was roughly on point. The family definitely hailed from Rialthra or one of its neighbouring countries.
Her curiosity sated, she went along with her nightly routine. She’d just have to trust that the social services knew what they were doing. In the meantime, she’d keep learning and save lives where she could.