Chapter 5
MARTY’S BACK ached as he cracked his eyes open the following morning.
He had sat in that damned hospital chair for hours last night, and even though he managed to make it to his own bed just after midnight, it hadn’t helped all that much.
He got up and showered quickly before grabbing a quick bite to eat.
He slid his laptop into his backpack before leaving the house and heading to the hospital.
He quietly approached Cameron’s room. Thankfully he was still asleep, and Marty settled in a chair next to the bed.
“Coffee?” a nurse asked him in a whisper, and Marty nodded. He needed it badly. The nurse returned a few minutes later and handed him a cup. “It’s terrible, but you get used to it.” He looked Cameron over for a second. “He didn’t move all night. The poor guy was exhausted.”
Marty thanked the nurse and sipped the awful coffee. It was one step up from sludge, but it was caffeine, and what he needed if he was ever going to wake up. He settled in the chair and just relaxed for a while.
“Mommy!” Cameron called out and sat straight up in bed.
“It’s okay,” Marty said. “Do you remember me from yesterday? I’m Marty.”
Cameron blinked and seemed to remember where he was. “Where’s the doggie? Did he go away too?”
“Dexter had to go home, but I’m sure he’ll be back up to see you. He’s a police dog, and he had to go to work today with Officer Grant.” Cameron’s shoulders slumped, and he laid back once more. “Are you hungry?”
Cameron nodded. “Okay. Let’s see what you can have for breakfast.” There was a menu on his tray, and Marty helped him order some pancakes with fruit and cereal. He dropped the menu off at the nurse’s station and asked for some juice.
“How is he? Does he want anything?” the nurse who had brought Marty the coffee asked. “We’ve all heard what happened to him.”
“He’s hungry, and we ordered him breakfast,” Marty said. “He seems okay. Maybe a little frightened and wondering what’s going to happen next.”
“I have an order for some blood tests, so we’re going to have to check that his kidneys and liver weren’t damaged… things like that. But once we’ve made sure he’s truly okay, we should be able to send him home in a few days.”
And there began the ticking clock. Marty had a lot to do by then if he was going to make sure Cameron went home with him and not back to some awful group home or something.
“Okay. That’s good to know.” Marty got the juice and returned to the hospital room. “Your breakfast will be up soon, but I got you some juice.” He opened it, and Cameron drank it slowly. “Do you have questions you want to ask?”
Cameron shrugged. “Where’s Binky?”
“What’s Binky?” Marty asked.
“My penguin. Mommy gave it to me.” Cameron answered. Thankfully Donald had left a card, so he left the room and gave him a call.
“This is Marty. I’m sitting with Cameron, and he’s asking for a stuffed penguin named Binky. Have you picked up his things from the group home?”
“Yes. I have it. There isn’t a lot. Apparently they had already packed his things because he was gone, and they just handed me a box.”
Great. “Can you please check? It was a gift from his mom, so it’s important.” He stepped out of the room as the line went quiet.
“I pulled off the road. Give me a second,” Donald said. “I’m checking the box. There are some clothes and some care items, a few pictures, but no penguin.” Shit. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll call you back.”
Marty shoved his phone in his pocket and sighed before going back into the room. Thankfully breakfast was delivered shortly, and eating occupied Cameron for the time being,
His phone rang again. The number was strange. “Hello.”
“It’s Donald. I went back to the home and told them what I was looking for.
The family didn’t seem to care, but I told them that they needed to find Binky or I was going to put their license under review.
It turned out one of the other boys had taken it.
Then I found out that other things were taken.
I added them to the box, and I’m on my way there.
I have forms for you to fill out and sign. ”
“I’ll be here,” Marty said and hung up. He didn’t want to promise that he had found Binky yet, so he remained quiet and let Cameron eat.
He ate a pancake and the fruit, but not the cereal.
Instead, Marty saw him slip the box under the covers of the bedding.
And the second pancake got wrapped in a paper napkin and put in the drawer of the tray.
It broke his heart that a seven-year-old felt he needed to hide food for later.
“Hi, Cameron,” Grant said as he came in the room with Dexter, who sat next to him until Grant said “free.” Then Dexter climbed onto the bed and lay down next to Cameron.
“He was just asking if Dexter was going to come visit.”
“I had a few minutes, so I wanted to stop in. We can’t stay too long, but I wanted to see how he was doing.
” Grant went to the bed and handed Cameron a small bag.
He looked inside and grinned from ear to ear before pushing the breakfast tray back and, one by one, setting out pieces of Lego as though they were precious.
“So far, so good, I guess, and Dexter is certainly a hit.”
Marty usually got to know people by sitting down with them, talking, asking questions, sharing a laugh, that sort of thing.
But with a seven-year-old, that wasn’t possible.
He was just going to have to learn through experience, which was a whole different thing. “And thank you for stopping to see us.”
Grant cleared his throat. “I stopped in to see both of you. We didn’t get to finish our evening, and I’m hoping that maybe we can do that soon.”
“I’d like that,” Marty said. He swallowed hard, his attention focusing on Grant’s full lips, and he wondered what they tasted like. Then he pulled himself out of his daydream. “Call me soon.”
“I will.” Grant stepped closer to the bed. “Say good-bye to Cameron,” he told Dexter. “We have to go back to work.”
The dog was amazing. He gave Cameron a kiss and then climbed down off the bed.
“Does he have to go?” Cameron asked.
“I’m afraid so. But Dexter will see you again.
Have fun with the Legos,” Grant left the room with Dexter next to him, and Cameron sighed like he knew that all good things came to an end way too soon.
But then he went back to the Legos, and Marty pulled out his computer and used his hotspot to log onto his email to check for issues.
Thankfully it was a slow day and there was nothing waiting for him.
He was just finishing up when Donald knocked on the door, carrying a box that he set on the other chair.
He pulled out a stuffed penguin, and Cameron held out his hands.
“Binky!” He smiled and cuddled the toy. It had definitely seen better days and had likely been used to comfort him a lot.
“You found it?” Marty said.
“Yeah, and I brought the rest of his things. I was also able to get the background check crossed off because it had already been done, like you said. So that part of the process was easy.” He handed Marty a small stack of forms. “Go ahead and fill these out.”
“Who are you?” Cameron asked.
“I’m Donald. I’m with Social Services.”
Cameron grabbed Binky and disappeared under the blankets in about two seconds. “What’s going on?” Marty asked.
“Don’t let them take me back there. Billy is mean, and he kicks and steals stuff.” He sounded in distress.
Marty gently placed his hand on top of what he thought was Cameron’s side.
“He’s not taking you there. Mr. Donald is helping me with all these forms and applications so that I can be your foster dad and you can come home with me to live.
You’ll have your own room, and I have a backyard that you can play in. ”
“And Billy won’t be there?” Cameron asked.
“Nope. No Billy. Just you and me.” Marty was excited. He’d always wanted a family of his own but didn’t really figure it was in the cards. He knew there were ways he could have children, but they were complicated and, in his mind, involved him having a husband and partner first.
“Good. Billy is a doo-doo head,” Cameron said as he came out from under the blankets. “He’s mean.”
Cameron went back to playing with the Legos while Marty and Donald reviewed the forms he’d need to complete.
Then, while Donald and Cameron had a talk, Marty got started on the paperwork.
It wasn’t as daunting as he might have expected, though there were questions about his background and family life as well as references.
He added a number of them, including his former foster parents as well as his father.
He expected that a lot of the info was for the background check, which had been done before, but he completed everything and signed all the forms before handing them back to Donald.
The social worker looked everything over, and Marty wasn’t surprised that Donald paused when he saw his references. “You were a foster?”
“Yeah, for three months in Baltimore. The family I was placed with was wonderful, and we’re still in touch.
She was the best cook. She always said I was too skinny, and the entire time I was with her, she tried to fatten me up.
I’ve still never had cornbread or greens like hers.
They were special, and she always makes some for me when I see her. ”
Donald tilted his head toward the door, and Marty followed him out. “Everything looks fine. A home visit will be necessary, but I can place him with you on an emergency basis, and we’ll conduct the home visit in the next week or so.”
“No problem. I need to get the room made up for him. It’s just a guest room now, and I want him to be comfortable.”
Donald rolled his eyes. “I was in that group home today, and I expect that Cameron would be more than happy with whatever nice room you have for him. I am going to have that place reviewed, because I did not like what I saw. Maybe a little pressure will encourage them to clean it up.” He seemed determined.
“I have a question. After breakfast, Cameron didn’t eat his second pancake or the box of cereal. He hid the cereal under the covers and wrapped up the pancake. We know he was malnourished when he was brought in. So maybe they weren’t feeding these kids enough too.”
Donald sighed. “Unfortunately that’s all too common.
If he was hungry, then hiding the food would be kind of expected.
That behavior is likely to pass once he knows he doesn’t have to worry about food.
He’s been through a lot. His parents died, and his grandparents on one side were too old, and on the other side, his grandmother is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s, so she wasn’t able to take him.
He went into foster care and stayed with his first family for almost a year.
Then she got pregnant with twins, and they didn’t think they could handle Cameron and their own babies.
After that he went into the group home, because that was all there was available.
He’s been moved a lot, and what he really needs is stability and what every child needs—care and love. ”
“I may not know too much about being a parent, and I suspect I’ll mess something up, but I will care for him.” That Marty was sure of. “I know the difference stability and gentleness can make.”
“And what about Officer Grant? Is he in the picture?” Donald asked. “He’s a really good guy. Carter has been working with him for a while, and they get along pretty well.”
“He and I just met a few days ago.” He was not going to explain to Donald that the K-9 officer made his heart beat faster every time he looked at him. That was something he was not ready to share with anyone. “But he seems like a stand-up guy.”
Donald nodded slowly, “He’s more than that. Red and Carter have been partners for years. They know each other really well. Both of them have said that if they had to get a new partner, they’d want Grant. He’s smart, and they know he’d have their back. That says a lot.”
“I know.” He was aware that Grant was a good guy… and sexy as all hell, but Marty wasn’t ready to let himself go down that path. Dating was one thing, but his past was littered with losers, and he didn’t want to add one more to the list, no matter what anyone said.
Marty returned to Cameron, who had made something with the Legos. He was about to explain when a nurse came in with the blood kit.
“No!” Cameron cried. “No poking.” He began to shake. “No poking.”
“Cameron, it’s okay. They need to do it so they can make sure that you are okay, and once they know that, you get to come home with me and see your new bedroom.”
Tears ran down his cheeks. “No poking.”
“I’m really good, and you’ll hardly feel anything,” the nurse said.
She got everything set up outside of Cameron’s line of sight.
Then she put on the stretchy band, and when she was about to insert the needle, Marty called him and told him to hug Binky.
By the time Marty put the penguin in Cameron’s other arm, the needle was in and she was drawing the blood.
“See, it’s over already,” she told him. “And you were good.” She put a dinosaur bandage over the spot and quietly left the room.
“Was that so bad?” Marty asked.
“Yes. But no more pokes,” he added, lip pooched out. Marty sure hoped there were no more. All he wanted was to take Cameron home so they could get settled in this new phase of his life.