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“I’m not saying no, I’m just saying we should discuss this some more,” said Bobby while he was draining the pasta over the sink.
“What’s there to discuss?” demanded Athena as she set the table, half an eye on their two kids playing in the yard along with their bonus child. “We got a call, the kid needs a home, we have the room, we take him in. We’ve done this before.”
“Yes, but we haven’t taken anyone on else since Chim’s adoption was finalized,” said Bobby. “And Eddie is over all the time so it’s like we have three kids already. It’s just a lot to decide.”
“Bobby, if you don’t want to take on this foster say so now so they have time to find him a different home.”
“No, it’s not that. Athena, you know it’s not that I don’t want to, but Chim and Hen have only just settled into a routine, I just thought we would have more time before we had another kid to take in.”
Athena set down the last plate and walked over to her husband. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. For a few moments they just stood there, quietly soaking up just being together, the two of them. Life had twisted them and bent them so many times before they had finally met up and they often took moments to just be together.
Both Bobby and Athena had been married before, had children before, and had lost everything. Bobby had lost his family when their apartment caught fire, Athena had lost hers when her ex-husband and children had been hit by a drunk driver and killed. Years and countless hours of therapy later they had found each other, married, and became foster parents.
Over the years, they had been part of the reunification process so many times and were so happy to be able to do that for those families. Their goal was always to see families together. With Hen and Chim, that hadn’t been an option and instead they were given the option to adopt, which they happily did. They hadn’t taken on any new kids for several months, which was why Bobby was surprised that Athena was so adamant about this one.
“He’s fourteen,” said Athena quietly.
“Oh,” said Bobby.
Because that was it.
“Okay, when will he be here?” said Bobby.
“Three days,” said Athena, reaching up, and kissing Bobby’s cheek before pushing away and going to call their kids in for dinner.
NEW KID
Evan Buckley was adorable. He was all big blue eyes and messy blond hair hiding a scowl and a pout. His right leg was in a thick white cast and while the still child sized crutches he had were adorable for their size, they were heartbreaking for their need. The case worker had also left a wheelchair for him since Evan wasn’t supposed to put any weight on his leg for several more weeks. Evan – or Buck, as his case worker said he wanted to be called – had been very quiet so far.
“We don’t have a lot of information about him right now,” said Margot, the case worker. “His leg was crushed under a car, which is how he came into our custody. His mother was on some pretty hard drugs. We are still looking for the father or other family. He hasn’t been very open with information but he also hasn’t been rude or violent.”
Shortly after that she had left Buck to settle in with his foster family. Hen and Chim were both instantly taken with Buck. Even though they were both about four years older, they liked the boy right away. Evan, for his part, was very interested in both of them as well. Chim had taken Buck right away and gave him a tour of the house, pointing out everything of interest and several things that were not of interest but were fun regardless.
“So Buck, do you want to meet our neighbor Eddie?” asked Chim after he helped Buck get settled on the couch. “He’s sixteen and really fun.”
Buck nodded shyly, not saying anything but he seemed happy otherwise.
“Chim, honey, maybe we don’t overwhelm Buck right now,” suggested Athena gently.
“Mom, Eddie isn’t overwhelming,” laughed Chimney. “Besides, he was really excited to meet Buck when I told him we were getting a new placement.”
“And he can still meet Buck tomorrow,” said Athena.
Before Chimney could respond that back door opened and Eddie walked in with a big smile and a large cardboard box.
“Hey!” called Eddie, walking in as though he lived there – which he practically did. His parents worked nights and often relied upon the kind hearts of Athena and Bobby to take care of their son.
“Hey Eddie!” said Hen, running over to the younger boy and helping him with the box. “Come meet Buck.”
“Hi Buck,” said Eddie softly, sitting on the couch next to the kid. “I’m Eddie. I’m 16 years old and I live next door. I’m friends with your big brother and sister.”
“They’re older than you,” said Buck in a stage whisper as though it were a secret that the 17 and 18 year olds were not aware of the age difference. “How are you friends?”
“I’m older than you and I’m hoping we can be friends,” said Eddie right back. “I brought some Legos. Do you like to build things?”
“Yes!” yelled Buck happily, leaning forward eagerly.
“Woah, careful there,” said Eddie, catching Bucky before he could fall off the couch. “Okay, let’s play.”
Athena and Bobby both sat back and watched the kids play together. Buck, despite being younger, was smart and happy to be included and the older kids were all too happy to include him. Hen and Chim knew how scary it could be to be in a new place with strangers and Eddie was just empathetic by nature.
By the end of the evening, with Buck all tucked into bed, Hen still reading in her room and Chimney playing video games in his room, Athena and Bobby were happy to fall into bed together and just reflect on the day.
“Buck seems happy,” said Athena.
“You and I both know that the other shoe is going to drop eventually,” said Bobby practically. “It’s new and scary, he’s behaved right now. When he settles in he’ll test the boundaries. They always do.”
“And we’ll handle it like we always do,” said Athena. “He can’t be any worse than when Chimney first arrived.”
“No one could be worse than Chimney,” said Bobby.
They could all laugh about it now but truly, Chimney had been a downright terror. He had just lost his mom, his dad had never been a part of his life and wanted to keep it that way, he was angry and lashed out in any way he could. Those first three months they lost so many plates that Bobby switched them to paper plates. Chimney yelled at everyone, he got in fights at school, and Athena and Bobby had to seriously reconsider if it was safe to keep Chimney. They wanted to help him but they also had Hen to think about. Chimney deserved a home but so did their daughter.
Luckily, Chimney started to calm down after Bobby showed up one evening with paper plates. Bobby didn’t say anything, he just set the plates in the cupboard and took out the remaining glass plates and set them on the counter.
“So you don’t trust me with real plates anymore?” sneered Chimney. “What, I break a couple and all of a sudden I’m an infant who can’t eat from a real plate?”
“These are yours now,” said Bobby calmly, gesturing to the glass plates they had left. “You can eat from them, throw them, whatever you want. They are yours. As a family, we will all be eating from paper plates. Now, after you put your plates in your room, set the table with the plates in the cupboard please.”
Bobby was never sure what exactly he had done or why those plates had been such a big deal, but shortly after that Chimney had started trying to get along with everyone. He had started going to therapy and actually talking, and things turned around for everyone.
NEW KID
Buck hadn’t loved his home life growing up but it was the only thing he knew. Maddie was gone before he really had a chance to know her. She ran away at 16 and never came back. She had been his only constant for the first few years and she left him behind. It wasn’t until he was being taken away himself that he realized she had left to save herself, not to run away from him.
The car accident had been awful. Being in the hospital alone was even worse. The pediatrics unit was disgustingly bright and cheerfully painted, his case worker irritatingly understanding, and Buck couldn’t even voice to her that being placed with a stranger was better than living at home one day longer. He felt bad about not feeling bad for getting removed from his parents care.
Laying awake in a new bed in a new house with a new family, Buck had to wonder if he was going to be returned to his mother. He didn’t want to go back.
There was a soft knock at his door.
“Come in?” called Buck after a long minute, realizing that whoever was knocking was waiting for his permission to open the door.
The door opened silently and Chimney stepped in. He left the door cracked open a bit and came over to the bed.
“Can I sit?” asked Chimney.
“Sure,” said Buck, pushing himself up and over a bit on the queen sized bed.
“Thanks,” said Chimney, hopping up on top of the blankets with a grin. “So, how are you feeling? But really. How are you actually feeling. Because if you want to break something I have a few plates.”
“I’m good,” said Buck with a small smile. “I’m not really a break things type of person.”
“Fair enough,” said Chimney, getting comfortable against the headboard next to Buck. “But really, how are you doing?”
“Okay I guess. It’s all pretty new.”
“Athena and Bobby are the real deal,” assured Chimney. “Trust me. They are kind and patient and they aren’t going to hurt you or return you.”
“I don’t want to be returned,” whispered Buck. “Is that bad?”
“Were your parents mean?”
“Yes? Maybe, I don’t know. Dad sort of just left when I was three and my mom has a drug problem. She’s mean when she drinks but for the most part she just does drugs. Her friends are worse.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Are you going to tell the adults?”
Chimney thought about it. Next to him Buck plucked at the bedspread.
“I’m not going to tell anyone if you are in not in danger,” said Chimney slowly. “But if you’re in danger, I have to tell Athena.”
“I’m not in danger.”
“Then I won’t tell without your permission.”
Buck nodded and picked at the bedspread some more. For several minutes it was silent and Chimney almost thought that Buck had changed his mind.
“My mom has a lot of bad friends,” whispered Buck. “Ava is the worst but her girlfriend isn’t much better. They always hang out and sometimes she comes over when mom is passed out or just out. Those times are the worst. Ava always comes into my room.”
Buck paused.
“Does Ava touch you?” asked Chimney, his heart in his throat.
Buck nodded, sniffing.
“That’s not okay, you know that right?”
“I don’t like it,” sobbed Buck. “But mom doesn’t believe me and when I tried to tell her she beat me for lying about her friends.”
“Did you tell your case worker?” asked Chimney.
“No! She’s not going to believe me. My mom – my mom said women can’t hurt boys and I’m lying and I can’t tell any lady because they are going to say the same thing.”
“Hey, hey, okay, can I hug you?” asked Chimney, slightly panicked. This was not what he thought was going to happen when he came to check on Buck. He thought that they would talk about foster care and how weird the whole concept was that you show up at a strangers house and play happy family for an uncertain amount of time – not that he was going to find out about Buck being sexually abused.
Buck nodded and leaned into Chimney’s side, curling up as much as he could with his leg in a cast.
“Okay,” said Chimney softly after a few minutes. “Okay, here’s what we can do. We can tell Bobby –“
“No! He’s going to send me away!”
“No he won’t, but listen first! We can tell Bobby and ask him to get you a male case worker, okay? I think they can do that if they know you’re uncomfortable with a lady. And if Bobby knows he won’t let you go back, I promise.”
“He’s not going to believe me,” whispered Buck.
“I believe you,” said Chimney, matching tone. “Bobby will believe you. He always believes everyone. He’s a firefighter, did you know that?”
Buck shook his head, still burrowed into Chimney’s side.
“He is,” said Chimney with a forced smile while all he wanted to do was throw up. “He saves people for a living. He can save you too. I promise.”
“But what is the case worker doesn’t believe me?”
“We could also tell Athena,” said Chimney with a shrug. “She’s a police officer. She’ll arrest the people who hurt you. And she’ll demand a new case worker. She is very protective and she can get stuff done, trust me.”
Buck shook his head. “She’s still a lady.”
“Yeah. Buck, I’m not going to make you tell anyone but if you do tell then they will work that much harder to make sure those bad people stay away from you.”
“You promise?”
“I promise. I promise you, you will never have to see those people again but you have to tell someone so they know who to protect you from.”
Silence fell around them again.
“Okay,” said Buck so softly Chimney almost didn’t hear him. “We can tell Bobby. But I’m not telling my case worker. She’s not going to believe me.”
“Will you tell them if we can get you switched to a guy?”
Buck nodded hesitantly. He could handle telling a male. The worst a man had ever done to him was leave – or yell a bit when on the street.
“So brave, kid,” praised Chimney, hugging Buck close. “Now, do you want to do it now and get it over with or do you want to wait to tell Bobby til the morning or later?”
“Now. If I don’t do it now I’ll chicken out.”
Chimney nodded in understanding. He pulled out his phone and called Bobby.
“Chim, you’re two doors down, why are you calling me?” asked Bobby when he picked up, sounding fondly exasperated.
“Hey Bobby,” said Chimney, his voice strained. “Can you come to Buck’s room real quick? Just you.”
“Be right there,” said Bobby.
He hung up and Chimney smiled down at Buck.
Bobby kissed Athena and got out of bed, grabbing a shirt and pulling it on while she watched.
“What’s going on?” asked Athena.
“I’m not sure but Chimney asked me to come to Buck’s room. Maybe a nightmare.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” asked Athena, sitting up.
“No, Chimney asked for me alone,” said Bobby, eyebrows scrunched in concern. “I’ll text you if you need to join us.”
Athena nodded and settled back down, picking her book back up to read while she waited.
When he entered the room, he wasn’t sure what he expected but the two boys cuddled up on the bed together was not it. Chimney wasn’t normally cuddly and Buck had not shown any inclination to wanting to be touched.
“Hey Bobby,” said Chimney, pulling Buck closer. “Why don’t you sit down?”
“Okay,” said Bobby, his confusion increasing and dread settling into the pit of his stomach as he pulled up the desk chair near the bed but not touching it.
“Buck, do you still want to tell Bobby now or do you want to wait?” asked Chimney softly.
“Can you do it?” begged Buck.
Chimney nodded before turning to face Bobby, keeping his arm firmly around Buck’s shoulders.
NEW KID
Buck’s new case worker, Ethan Williams, was likeable enough and, after a long interview with Buck and a police officer, he managed to help put through a restraining order on Ava while waiting for enough evidence for an arrest.
Bobby found Buck a male therapist to see and, after a while, Buck gave permission to Bobby to tell Athena what had happened to him.
“I don’t want her to think it’s her fault I don’t want to be in the same room alone,” admitted Buck softly.
“I’ll make sure she understands,” assured Bobby. “Now, go have fun with Chim, Hen, and Eddie.”
The older kids were taking Buck out to celebrate him living with them for six months while also giving Bobby and Athena space to talk and process what was going on. Buck was very excited. He loved tagging along with the older teens and was particularly taken with Eddie. The two had become fast friends and were almost inseparable now. Eddie had been a huge support for Buck as he started to cope with his life to that point.
“Do you think Bobby and Athena will adopt me too?” asked Buck as he sat at the table on the patio with Hen, Chimney, and Eddie.
“Are you up for adoption or are they trying for reunification?” asked Hen, dipping a fry in mustard.
“Adoption,” said Buck with a happy smile. “My mom signed over her rights officially.”
“Congratulations kid!” said Chimney, ruffling Buck’s hair.
“I’m not a kid,” grumbled Buck, though a smile tugged at his lips. “I’m almost 15.”
“Still practically an infant,” teased Hen.
Buck shot her a shy smile. He had trouble with most women but had never really minded Hen. He thought it was probably because she was closer to his age.
“But have they mentioned wanting to adopt me?” asked Buck eagerly.
“They haven’t said anything to me,” admitted Chimney.
“Me either,” said Hen. “But that doesn’t really mean anything. They didn’t talk to me about adopting Chimney until the paperwork was pretty much done. They play things pretty close to the chest, so just because they haven’t said anything doesn’t mean they aren’t planning something.”
Buck nodded and went back to his food.
NEW KID
“Buck, can you come in here for a minute?” called Bobby from the living room.
Buck, now 16 years old, came running into the room, his loose curls flapping as he ran, all long limbs and goofy smile.
“What’s up?” asked Buck after he launched himself onto the couch between Bobby and Athena, something he wouldn’t have dreamed of doing even a year ago.
“We just wanted to make sure you were fine with this,” said Athena. “If you don’t want to finalize the adoption we won’t be upset. You can still live here with us.”
“Are you backing out?” asked Buck, sitting up away from where he had been leaning against Bobby.
“Not at all,” said Bobby calmly, shooting his wife look. Buck had come a long way in trusting Athena but he was still jumpy as a human.
“Then why would you ask that?”
“We just want to make sure because once everything is finalized there’s no going back, you’re stuck with us forever, even if you get sick of us,” said Bobby. “And when you turn 18 that doesn’t change. We’re family, and no sheet of paper is going to change what is already true.”
“Yeah, but if you adopt me then you can share pictures of me like you do with Hen and Chim,” said Buck, blushing at admitting wanting that validation. “Like, on my birthday or, or when I graduate.”
“I’m excited to do that,” said Athena.
“Me too,” said Bobby, hugging Buck.
And when, a week later, they took a family picture, it was a race between all of the family members to post it first, tagging Buck for the first time.