Unprotected (29 page)

Mary was outside sweeping the front step as Amanda pulled into the driveway. Justice was on the steps next to her playing with matchbox cars, wearing an expensive looking winter coat and matching hat, but no mittens. In the past two and a half months, Mary had formed a close bond with Justice, and had conjured some warmth for the other three kids. Anthony still couldn’t leave Larry’s side, and Angel was distant from both parents but stayed close to Blaze. They brought all four kids and a nanny with them for a two-week vacation in Mexico, so Mary was tanned, which looked out of place with her turtleneck and ski vest.

“Hey there, Justice,” Amanda said. “Cool cars. Looks like you made a race track.” She turned to Mary. “How are you, Mary?” she asked formally. She still was intimidated by her chill, but forced herself to try to be a grown up and a professional and talk to her anyway instead of shrinking away.

“Fine, thanks.” Mary put down her broom and walked inside, and Amanda followed despite the lack of invitation.

Justice trailed in after them and obediently stood on the rug by the door, waiting for her to strip off his jacket and boots. She threw them outside on the front step, too dirty for her house, but Amanda noted that she allowed him to walk to the kitchen with his muddy pant legs dragging across the wood floors.

A woman was sitting at the table with Blaze doing puzzles. Blaze popped up and ran to hug Amanda around her legs. She patted his back, and he ran back to the table, knocking off puzzle pieces as he sat. The woman reached down and picked up the pieces silently. Amanda knew that the woman was his skills worker, which was someone paid by the state to work with Blaze several hours a day on his social skills and daily care.

“We doing puzzles,” Blaze shouted.

“Inside voice, Blaze,” the woman said,

“We doing puzzles,” Blaze said, slightly quieter.

“Very nice, Blaze,” Amanda said, using a soft voice in attempt to encourage him to quiet down.

Mary said, “Jane, could you bring the boys downstairs for a while?” Jane silently started picking up puzzles pieces, but Blaze screeched, threw his body across the table and pushed the entire puzzle onto the floor, along with the centerpiece of fresh spring flowers in a white vase. Jane gasped as water from the vase spilled on the floor, and she looked almost fearfully up at Mary. Mary closed her eyes, took two towels out of a kitchen drawer and crouched on the floor to clean up the mess.

“Blaze, look what happened,” Jane said. “You need to come back …”

“I’ve got it,” Mary said tersely.

“Dr. Simons said we’re supposed to …” but Jane trailed off. Obviously Mary knew what Dr. Simons said, but her look told Jane to take the boys downstairs.

Amanda stood awkwardly with her files in her arms, wondering if she should help clean up as Blaze sprinted and Justice strolled downstairs, with Jane following behind.

Mary set her vase right side up and pushed on the towel to soak up the water in the carpet. She picked up the wet puzzle pieces and set them on the towel, and brought the whole mess to the kitchen sink.

Amanda stood in the doorway to the kitchen and asked if she could help.

“No, I’ll just leave it for now. Blaze makes fifteen messes a day, so I usually end up cleaning after they all go to bed.” Mary wiped her hands on a dishtowel. “Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee?” she asked, motioning to the fresh pot.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Amanda said. She followed Mary and sat at the kitchen table.

“How are things going now that Blaze has more help?” Amanda asked. Mary had been ready to give up on the kids in January, but Amanda went to her staff and asked for ideas to preserve the placement. She was able to set up regular respite care twice a month and qualified Blaze for PCA services.

“It’s definitely better, “ Mary said. She looked like she was going to say more, but stopped. “Any word on Anthony’s dad?” Mary looked down as she said it, and Amanda thought she sounded hopeful.

“His home study was approved,” Amanda said quietly. “His dad is ready any time.”

Mary nodded and sighed hard. “So that’s that? He just goes to his dad now?”

“We have court tomorrow, and I requested in my court report that the judge approve Anthony moving in the next week. His dad will be in court tomorrow, and he’s able to stay for the week. Max suggested that we have his dad spend a couple of afternoons here this week and get Anthony really comfortable with him before he takes him back to Michigan with him.

Mary nodded again. “This is going to be awful for Larry.”

“I’m sure it is,” Amanda said. “I really feel like we ask foster parents to do the impossible. We want you to keep these kids, treat them like your own, but be willing to let them go and not have any control about who, where, or when they go.” Amanda had discussed this situation for a long time at their staff meeting last week. Amanda was worried about separating the kids, but their mother was looking at a five-year jail term for violating her probation and selling meth again. Even without the jail term, she had told her attorney that she was done with her kids. They had no choice but to look to relatives for the kids to be with, starting with their four dads. Paternity had never been established for Blaze, but the other three had dads who received notice of the CHIPS hearings. Only Anthony’s dad responded, and he actually came to the initial hearing and spent time with Anthony. He had recently completed a successful stint through drug court, and he wanted his son. Amanda completed extensive paperwork to request a home study where he lived in Detroit, and he was cooperative with the process and the home study was approved. Amanda tried to keep Larry and Mary aware of the entire process, but there was so much for her to do that she often forgot to talk to Larry and Mary about the details until they asked. Larry finally started emailing Amanda at work every few days asking about progress on placements. It had become clear that Larry wanted to adopt the kids, but Mary’s position was harder to figure out.

Mary folded her hands in front of her face. “I suppose it’s terrible for me to say I’m a little relieved.” She didn’t make eye contact as she spoke. Amanda was surprised that she was sharing her feelings at all, because Mary was usually all business with Amanda. “It’s been difficult to go from no kids to four. But even with Blaze’s behavior, I feel like we could do this with the other three.”

Amanda took a deep breath. “Actually, I’m not sure it’s going to be three.”

Mary’s head snapped up. “Who?” she asked, without any pretense. Amanda knew exactly whom she was asking about.

“It’s Justice,” Amanda said, cringing, knowing his was the name she was hoping not to hear.

Mary put her head in her hands. “But he’s had the paperwork for months and hasn’t done anything. It’s going to take you months to check him out, and by that time the six months will be over. He doesn’t deserve a son he never even asked about.”

Mary assumed it was Justice’s father, a man who was recently released from prison and had not responded to any of the court notices. “It’s not him,” Amanda said quietly. “He has a cousin. It’s his dad’s cousin who took care of Justice after he was born for several months while Angel and Blaze were still with their mom. She just found out about the petition. She lives in Chicago now and is doing pretty well apparently …”

“No.” Mary spoke so quietly Amanda could barely hear her.

She paused for a moment. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you very well …”

“You heard me. I said no.” Mary stood up, grabbed the kitchen sponge and started cleaning the counters aggressively.

Amanda stared at Mary’s back and tried to figure out what to say. Was Mary saying no because she thought it was up to her, that she could stop this somehow? “She’s a nurse now, working at a hospital in Chicago. She has a son of her own who used to help take care of him …” Amanda hoped that explaining the situation somehow might help Mary feel okay about losing Justice.

“This is not going to happen.” Mary spun around angrily and looked at Amanda with tears and hatred in her eyes. “I will not let you take him just to send him off with some woman, a third cousin for Christ’s sake, who hasn’t seen him for three years. He’s happy here. He’s going to preschool and can write his name.” She gulped back a sob. “He calls me mom.” Mary pushed the tears off her cheeks with the palm of her hand. “You’re not taking him.”

Amanda stared back and had no words. She really didn’t know if Mary had any right to fight Justice’s eventual placement with his cousin. She didn’t know what her position was supposed to be. Mary hadn’t said a thing about fighting for Anthony, even though she had said that Larry would be devastated. “I can check with Zoe to see what your options are …”

“We will be hiring an attorney. Today. You can wait to hear from him.” Mary walked out of the kitchen and down the stairs toward the boys, seemingly to keep Amanda from taking Justice right now.

“Mary, you know that we have to follow the law. You are licensed by my office to provide care for the boys. You’re getting paid to…”

Mary wheeled around furiously. “You brought these children into my home. You asked me to keep them, to care for them. To be their mother.”

“Foster mother,” Amanda couldn’t help saying.

“You want us to care for them like they are our children, and then let them go when you say so, to some fourth cousin twice removed from bumfuck Egypt who hasn’t seen him for three years. I can tell you this isn’t happening. You are not taking him.” On cue, Justice came running up the stairs and wrapped his arms around her legs. Mary picked him up and held him close, his head on her shoulder. Amanda felt like a kidnapper.

“I’m sorry,” Amanda said quietly. “I’ll talk to my supervisor and get back to you.” Amanda hurried out the front door before Mary could say more.

* * *

Driving back to her office, Amanda dialed Jacob’s direct phone number at his desk.

“Terrance County Attorney, Jacob Mann.” Amanda smiled at his formal greeting.

“I am so freaking tired of feeling like an incompetent baby snatcher.” Amanda said by way of hello.

“If you work at it, you might become a good baby snatcher.” Jacob said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

“I doubt it. Remember the meth lab kids? Another relative came forward, this time for the four-year-old boy. You know we have to look at any and all relatives who come forward. I told them this from the beginning.”

“Told who? The kids?” Jacob asked.

“Not the kid. He’s four years old. I’m talking about the foster parents. Try to keep up,” It sounded like he was typing and not really listening.

“Okay, Snappy. Jeez. What did the foster parents say?”

“She said no, you’re not taking him. Like she can even say that.” Amanda groaned. “She can’t say that, can she? I don’t even really know. That’s the other thing I’m so tired of. I feel like I say ten times every day: ‘I’ll check and get back to you’ or ‘Let me ask my supervisor.’ For once I would like to know the answer to a situation without having to ask someone.”

“In other words, it’s just another day working for the county,” Jake said. “I expect not to suck at this sometime before I earn my ten-year plaque.”

“Well, if you suck too, don’t you think you should get someone else in your office to take my cases? Because I don’t think incompetence should work with incompetence.”

“Okay, first of all, I never said I was incompetent. And, second, you need to stop trying to get rid of me. I’m not going away, even if you get mean about it.” He paused significantly. “So are you asking me what to do about these foster parents who won’t surrender this kid?”

“I guess that’s what I’m asking. But I’m probably not asking yet. I was just trying to tell her that a relative has come forward. I’m not even sure this will pan out, but she needs to be aware.”

“Sure she does,” Jacob said. “This has to be horrible for her, to get attached to these kids and then have to let them go.”

“It’s more like ‘attached to one kid,’” Amanda said. “She’s pretty willing to let the baby go, but the one with the cousin who wants him is her favorite.”

“Well, no fair playing favorites,” Jacob said. “She lost my sympathy.”

“I know. And she’s not a very sympathetic character to begin with, but I still feel bad.”

“Yeah, well that’s why you get the big bucks, Amanda.”

“You’re no help on this at all. New topic—have you heard from William today?” Amanda was back at her office and pulled into a parking place right next to the building, and then sat in the car to finish her conversation.

“Yep, he emailed this morning from his laptop. They are going to send her home tomorrow, but she’s going to be on bed rest until the baby comes. He also said something is wrong with the placenta that means she needs a C section. Not terribly wrong, but not great either.”

“It’s called placenta previa,” Amanda said. “It means that the placenta is blocking the cervix.”

“Uh huh. And that is all I want to know about that.”

“You’re such a guy. I’ll see you tomorrow in court.”

* * *

Max was already gone when Amanda got back, so she found Zoe making coffee in the break room and told her about the meeting with Mary.

“Oh, yuck,” Zoe said. “This is going to get ugly.”

“That’s what I thought. What are we supposed to do?” Amanda asked.

“Take one step at a time. The cousin isn’t ready yet. Put everything in writing. And then get ready for a battle.”

“Well, that’s just great. I’ve been here for eight months, so I clearly feel ready for a big ugly trial,” Amanda said.

“You’re doing a great job, Amanda. Really great. I’ve seen how you talk to people, and I appreciate how direct, but still kind, you are. I think there’s a good chance you can talk them through this.”

Amanda smiled at the praise. Zoe was one of Amanda’s favorite people in the office. She was the easiest person to talk to, and she felt like a person Amanda would want as a friend. “Thanks. I hope so.”

“Where did you learn to be such a diplomat? Are you a middle child?” Zoe asked. It was a benign question for anyone who wasn’t a former client.