Finally, the rapid interrogation ends and Javi smiles, standing up. “It was great to meet you. I definitely want you on our team. Keegan has the financial packet all ready. Come see me when you’re done in here.”
With that, Javi disappears as well, and then it’s just the three of us, the fathers, sitting across from the man we can only hope will be good enough for our son. Monroe gives us a sweet smile, before laughing lightly. “So, do you three have any concerns?”
“I think you have a good understanding of what’s going on,” Keegan says, pausing for Monroe’s nod of agreement. “But we want to make sure you’ll feel comfortable working with him. He’s still non-communicative at times.”
“Trauma sadly has several effects. Robbing someone of their ability to speak is one of them. However, from what Anderson has said, one of you knows sign language?”
“I do, but Keegan and Marcus aren’t as familiar with it yet,” Carter responds.
“Alright, but that’s a valid option if we need to fall back on it. Right now, it’s giving Cole a way to interact with the world around him, and making him feel safe. Once we do that, we can hopefully dig into what happened, and start making the BigScaries, as I like to refer to those types of incidents, smaller. It’ll take time, but making him feel safe is the priority.”
All three of us dads seem to exhale at the same time, because fuck yes, safety is the priority. Nodding, I exchange a smile with my lovers that feels like the first truly hopeful one I’ve had in a long time.
Carter opens a file and slides a piece of paper toward Monroe. “This is what your compensation would be if you took this job. And I really do hope you take it. Our son needs your help.”
Monroe studies everything, before taking off his glasses and setting them aside. His eyes are startling, so pale they’re almost clear. “And I can appreciate that, but this package doesn’t work for me.”
“How so?” I cut in, desperate to make this work.
He leans forward and, with a sad smile, says, “It’s the requirement to live on-site. There is nothing that can sway me on that.”
“Unfortunately, it is for your safety,” I reply tonelessly, the hope from before leaving so quickly it’s almost as if it was never there to begin with.
“Wait,” Keegan interrupts. “Is there a reason living on-site is an issue? We promise not to intrude on your personal time.”
“It’s not that,” Monroe says with a blush. “It’s just…”
“Yes?” Carter presses, trying to figure out what’s going on. I mean, hell, we’ve accepted a serial killer. I’m sure whatever this guy has going on isn’t that big of a deal.
“Uh, I have pets.” He shrugs, somewhat helplessly.
“Oh, we love animals here! There’s already two very well-trained dogs, and I think we’re up to three kittens now,” Carter says. “I’m sure whatever you have would be fine.”
“Umm, they’re a little…unconventional?” Monroe looks off to the side, and panic pricks at me. The wordunconventionaldoes not bode well.
“And by unconventional, you mean?” Keegan’s tone is more cautious, but fuck if he shouldn’t be on this. I’m picturing all sorts of horrors, like snakes or spiders or something. Like, no way in hell am I here for that.
“Uh, well, Lizzie and Billy are goats. She’s five, and a good girl, and he’s four. He's a little more stubborn, but…he’s an angel when you get to know him. Really. But, they do take up space, and need an outside enclosure. Unfortunately, they can’t really be house-trained, and diapers aren’t necessarily the best idea.” From his grimace, I wonder how first-hand that knowledge is before dismissing the thought with a shudder.
“If we have someone come and recreate their enclosure, would that work?” I hold my breath. Goats aren’t exactly high on the list of things I love, but at least it’s not a snake. Or a spider.
“If you can assure me of Lizzie and Billy's safety, then yes, I’ll take the job. But, I’ll warn you, they require care, and they’ll need a lot of my attention, especially during the transition.”
Standing up, I hold out my hand, needing to shake on this. “We will do everything possible to help them—and you—get settled. We desperately want this to work.”
“Alright, then I’ll wait for further word from you. I do need to dash out though—I promised Lizzie and Billy I’d stop and get them some new treats.”
With that, the man disappears out of the room, and for a brief moment, I wonder exactly how worried we should be about the goats? It’s…nothing, right? The grimace on Keegan’s face tells me I probably should have asked more questions. Oops.
Carter’s face is cradled in his hands and for a heartbeat, I panic, until I realize he’s not crying, he's laughing. He raises hisface to look at us and just shakes his head. “We’re turning into a zoo. And that’s without our more interesting family members!”
With that, we all crack up. Whatever these goats are like, it can’t be worse than a serial killer psychiatrist. Then again, the guy has shown more sanity than some of us, so maybe I shouldn’t knock the serial killing… Oh well, if we end up needing to refurbish a zoo or something, that’s what we’ll do. Anything to keep this family together, no matter how many strange turns it takes.
With both Tennant and Javi occupied by other things, I manage to carve out a break in my schedule to visit the one person I shouldn't have to.
After a quick rap of my knuckles on the door, I push it open. Nico and Benjamin both look over as I enter.
Nico rolls his eyes. “No, go ahead and come in. We're not busy in here or anything.”
