I just want to know they’ll remember me when I’m not screaming for their attention.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Bailey
NOW
Javi is playingwith bubbles on the deck with JJ and Marley, but I can see him looking back every couple of minutes to make sure I’m in his line of sight.
My palms won’t stop sweating as I try to keep my back straight under the scrutiny of my parents’ lawyer, Nora. My parents let me know last night they’d called her while Javi and I were on the beach with Kaitlyn, but the way she’s here first thing this morning makes me nervous.
Mom has a pen in her hand ready to take notes on the pad in front of her. She gives me a reassuring smile, but I don’t miss the look she shares with my dad. They’re nervous too, and it doesn’t make me feel any better.
“Why don’t you start from the beginning, Bailey? How did you meet Javi?” Nora asks, and I guess I should be grateful she’s here, but I’m terrified this conversation will end with Javi being taken back to people who don’t love him. No child deserves to grow up feeling unwanted.
I hesitate, trying to figure out how honest I should be right now. “It’s okay,” Dad says, keeping his tone soft. “You can tell us.”
“He tried to steal from me,” I admit, looking down at my hands. “I had a spot on the edge of a camp, and I woke up to him trying to unzip my backpack.”
“Camp?” she prods, and I swallow the lump forming in my throat as a layer of shame and guilt coats my skin. I don’t want to hurt my parents any more than I already have, but if this is how I get Javi help, so be it.
“A homeless camp in New York City.”
No one says anything, but I feel like I’m crawling out of my skin.
“Where is Javi’s family?”
I shift in my seat. “His parents died in a car accident, and he was living with his aunt and uncle. He ran away because they were hurting him.”
The chair Dad’s sitting in creaks next to me as he shifts, and I notice the subtle breath he inhales. His parents died the same way when he was a kid, but my great grandparents took him in, showing him love and kindness that weren’t offered to Javi.
“Did you see them hurting him?” she asks, and I lift my head, raising my guard.
“Javi had a black eye and fresh burns on his back and shoulders when I met him. He didn’t give them to himself,” I say, getting defensive. Is she implying I kidnapped him? His family told me to my face they didn’t want him. He was an inconvenience they never asked for. “I’ve never laid a finger on him. I kept Javi safe.”
“Bailey, no one’s saying you did,” Dad says, and I look out the glass doors to see Javi waving his arms excitedly while he tells JJ something.
“It’s what it feels like.”
Nora shakes her head, her hard exterior softening. “We need to keep going through everything to give us the best chance of explaining to a judge how he ended up here. Iwouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important, but the reality of the situation is Javi is a minor who was transported across state lines. We have a short window before it becomes a crime to have him here, and I need to make sure we have a case to make a plea for emergency placement.”
She’s here to help, I remind myself, trying to keep a grip on my temper. “I went by his home to confront them, and they told me they were relieved he ran away. Said he wasn’t worth the trouble and if I wanted to keep him, I could. He’s been with me ever since.” Anger surges through my veins at the reminder of the conversation with them. I don’t think there was anything that could have convinced me to leave him with them again. Not after seeing the marks on his frail body. “His aunt gave me a bag of his things, including his birth certificate and social security card. They’re in a sealed bag at the bottom of my backpack with a signed letter they’re giving up their rights to him.”
It was Luna’s idea for me to have something in writing, so I told them if they didn’t write it, I’d call the police on them for child abuse. It’s brief and to the point, with their signatures underneath. It was the first time I had said my full name to anyone in longer than I could remember.
Mary Torres and Miguel Torres grant all rights concerning Javier Torres to Bailey Walker.
“Can I see them?” she asks, and I nod, welcoming the reprieve from the line of questioning. It gives me a chance to breathe and collect myself further. They’re right where I said they were, and my hands are shaking when I walk back down the stairs and into the dining room. “It was smart to keep this in a sealed bag,” she says, giving me a nod of approval as sheflips through the documents. “Your parents mentioned Javi needs to see a doctor?”
I explain how we went to a free clinic and the doctor there said Javi needed to see a specialist for his heart. I felt guilty admitting the reason I came back was because I knew my parents had the resources to help him, but it’s not fair to admit I wanted a reason to come home when I’m not planning on staying.
“Is it enough?” Mom asks, setting her pen down.
Nora seals the bag and sets it down in front of her. “There’s a process that has to be followed when it comes to giving up your rights, and I’ll need to consult with a colleague who specializes in family law. I think it’s safe to say, even though they’re not on official documents, this letter should be enough to keep any charges from being filed against Bailey. No judge will want a case like this to come across the docket, and any prosecutor worth their salt will see the only person acting in the best interest of Javi was Bailey.”
I don’t care what happens to me. “Will he be able to stay here?” I ask, swallowing the lump in my throat.
“With your parents having maintained the requirements for their foster license, this letter, and the extenuating concerns about Javi’s health, I think an emergency placement would be approved. You said he was hurt when you met?” she asks, and I look over my shoulder at Javi.
