and then. . .

just as The Teen stopped vomiting (and yes, it came out the other end instead) (hooray! I get to take the sample in that the doctor wanted), his little sister - previously known as Smallest Person, now Mini-Teen - phoned

in tears

distraught

she'd taken the wrong bus home by mistake, didn't realise, was distracted by chatting to some girls from her school, and before she knew it was on the other side of London
.

lost and all alone

she's tiny, she doesn't look eleven and a month, she's weighed down by her school bag, swamped by her uniform. . .

floods and floods of tears
.

totally distressed, frightened, panicked

I could hardly hear what she was saying thru the sobs - I was already waiting at the bus-stop, since she was unusally late and I was getting worried; but, sensible girl, she'd remembered all those talks we'd had when she was little more than a toddler - about stranger danger, and not getting in the cars of people offering you sweets or puppies but finding a mummy with children, or a policeman, or an "old lady" (anyone with more wrinkles than I have, basically, is "old" in her books) and she'd found a "nice old lady" with a mobile; and, more recently, when I discussed things that might go wrong on the journey - even tho she told me in no uncertain terms that she didn't need them and she'd be fine - when she'd discussed my idea of writing "emergency numbers" down in her school diary with her father, XCH had written some numbers out for her, in her jotter. . .
.

. . .except he'd written the wrong details besides the numbers, so she'd been phoning the wrong one (but reverse charges, in a phone box - clever girl). . .
.

eventually, totally overwhelmed by her growing panic that noone was answering the phone, she talked to a lady at the bus stop who lent her a mobile and Mini-Teen - my youngest, my smallest, my darling girl - called mine
.

which I answered - even tho I didn't recognise the number
.

so we talked, and I told her she'd done the right thing by finding someone to help her, and to try and calm down a little because now we'd made touch and it would all be alright, but I knew it was very scary and a horrible feeling but try not to worry, she'd done the right thing and it's going to be alright, I'm very proud of you for being so sensible, don't worry, try not to worry, everybody makes mistakes, no you're not silly it's just one of those things that happens, it feel awful but you're not lost you just don't know where you are but now I do and that's good, breathe a little, you'll be home soon and we'll have a huge hug and a lovely cuddle and then everything will feel better, let me talk to the nice old lady whose phone you're borrowing, yes she'd only just started at school, made a mistake, easily done, no the other end of the bus route, thank you yes please oh if you could get on the bus with her and bring her to me that would be fantastic, oh you are coming in this direction anyway well that's great, thank you so much for helping her, I'll be at the cinema bus stop and I'll get on the bus there, thank you so much, can I talk to her again, it's all right darling that nice lady is going to bring you back home, before you know it you'll recognise where you are and that will feel good, yes I'll go to the cinema and wait for you there, stay on the bus and don't get off with anyone else, I'll get on at the cinema, I know it feels dreadful but it's going to be fine now, it's going to be all right, try not to worry darling, everything is going to be alright, I love you sweetiepie
.

it's going to be alright
.
.

Mini-Teen got back safely and is now tucked up in her bed, in her home; I'm in The Tower, wishing I'd been able to cuddle her all night long