Gloria shakes her head. “The doctor said he can shower right away. He said as long as he keeps the water at a cool temperature, and is gentle with his hands, everything will be fine. And Carson has the ointment and more bandages in the bag he was carrying. He needs to keep the burns covered for a few days, at least. And the doctor wants to see him in a few days, too. I’ll text you the appointment information tomorrow when her receptionist sends it to me.”
“Okay, yeah. That sounds good.” I scrub a hand through my hair. The tightness of the Tit Peepers t-shirt I’m still wearing is more irritating now than it was earlier. “And how is he doing with the rest? With his parents?”
She blows out a heavy breath. “He’s keeping it pretty close to the vest. Kids like Carson... sometimes they don’t feel safe enough to express their emotions. He’ll be seeing a therapist as soon as I can arrange it.”
“That’s probably a good idea. Can you add Jared to that, too? I have a feeling he’s more upset about his foster parents disappearing than he’s letting on.” The poor kid’s been shuffled out of more foster homes than he can count.
“Already on it,” she says. “The therapist’s office will call you to book an appointment sometime in the next week.”
“Good. There’s…there’s one other thing I was hoping to talk to you about. I was actually planning to call you on Monday, but since you’re here now...”
She nods, the smile on her face telling me she already has an idea of what I’m planning to say. “You’re in luck. I have a minute to talk.”
“I thought maybe we could make Jared’s stay here a little more permanent? Since no one knows where his biological parents are, and since this latest set of foster parents appears to have ditched him... Maybe he could stay here? For good. Or, you know, until he goes off to college or whatever he decides to do after he turns eighteen.” He’s an excellent fighter, and I’ll support him if that’s what he decides he wants to do, but he’s also one of the smartest kids I’ve ever met, and could do damn near anything else he set his mind to. “He can train with me if he wants to, but instead of this being an extended training camp, it could just be home.”
The grin on Gloria’s face grows to epic proportions, her genuine happiness shining from her features. “Nick, you haveno ideahow badly I was hoping you would suggest that. I think this would be the perfect place for Jared. I’ll get the paperwork started as soon as I get back to the office.”
The worry that had been weighing on me magically lifts, and my smile grows to match Gloria’s. “Thanks, Gloria. I appreciate it.”
She gives me an appraising look, claps me on the shoulder, and says, “You’re a good guy, Nick. These boys are lucky to have you.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I know there’s a shit ton of paperwork we need to do before we can make any of this permanent. But I still want to get the ball rolling.”
“You’ve already done the hard part. I’m confident I can push this through quickly.”
She walks to the door without further preamble, and I watch as she gets into her car to drive away. I’ve heard some horror stories about social workers, especially those who work with kids and foster parents, but Gloria is one of the good ones. I’ve never doubted for a single second that she has Jared’s best interests at heart, and she’s never once made him, or me, feel like a burden for asking questions or needing help.
If she thinks it’s a good idea for Jared to stay with me, then I’m confident I’ll be able to pull it off.
For now, though, I need to focus on Carson and how I can help him settle in. And after that, how I’ll support him as he grieves the death of his parents.
With a fortifying breath, I head upstairs to start on the first part of my task. When I get to Carson’s room, I’m surprised to see Jared making the bed, and Carson nowhere to be found. Jared sees the confusion on my face.
“He’s in the shower,” he says, jerking his thumb toward the bathroom. “I gave him some of my clothes to change into and threw his old stuff into a trash bag until we can get it into the laundry. The smell of smoke was giving both of us a headache.”
Yep. I made the right decision. Jared deserves to stay here until he’s old enough to decide where he wants to go. It’s time for him to have a home. I’m so glad I’m able to provide it.
“Thanks, kid. I appreciate it. How’s he doing? Does he like the room alright?”
He shrugs. “He’s not talking much. That’s pretty standard when it’s a kid’s first time in foster care, though. No matter how they get there, it’s almost like they can’t believe it’s really happening.” He smooths the duvet over the bed and fluffs the pillows. “It’s really nice of you to let him stay here. He said he didn’t have anywhere to go now that his parents are dead.”
I nod, scrubbing a hand down my face. “Yeah, that’s what Gloria said, too. She said he doesn’t have any family who could help. There’s no way I wouldn’t let him stay here. I got certified as a foster parent so you could stay for your training camp, but I guess it comes in pretty handy in this situation, too.”
Jared barks a mirthless laugh. “I bet you never thought you’d get stuck looking aftertwokids that no one wants when you agreed to bring me here.”
My stomach drops.
“Hey.” I grab his shoulder and turn him to face me. “I want you here. Both of you. So enough of that ‘kids no one wants’ bullshit. Got it? You are welcome here for as long as you need.” I rub a hand over my forehead. I think I have a headache coming on. “I can’t believe I’m spilling the beans already, but I’m working it out with Gloria so that you don’t have to leave here until you want to. If it were solely up to me, you could stay here until you’re eighteen, or longer if you want. But you know better than anyone that we need to cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s on the paperwork before we can celebrate.”
He swipes at his eyes with the backs of his hands, fighting back a smile the whole time. “You’re serious? I can stay in Tuft Swallow?”
“Yes. As long as you promise me one thing.”
“What?”
“That you drop the whole unwanted kid thing. Because I want you here.”
He grins, sniffling back the tears I’m sure he wants me to ignore. “Yeah. Yeah, of course. I can do that.”
