Chapter 4 Welcome Home
Welcome Home
The Hendersons opened the front door before Anna Brooks had the chance to knock a second time.
Karen Henderson wore a smile that looked carefully rehearsed.
"Anna," she said with forced cheerfulness. "What a surprise."
Anna returned a polite smile.
"I was in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by for a routine follow-up."
James Henderson leaned against the doorway.
"Of course. Come on in."
The moment Anna stepped inside, her years of experience immediately told her something wasn't right.
The smell hit first.
Old garbage.
Spoiled food.
Animal urine.
Mold.
She kept her expression professional, but her senses were already cataloging everything.
The living room was cluttered with dirty clothes, empty fast-food containers, and overflowing trash bags. Several flies buzzed lazily around a stack of pizza boxes sitting near the television.
She glanced toward the kitchen.
The sink overflowed with dishes covered in dried food.
Cockroaches disappeared beneath the refrigerator when someone walked across the floor.
The refrigerator itself contained little more than a carton of expired milk, half a loaf of bread, ketchup, and a package of hot dogs.
Not nearly enough food for five people.
Anna quietly closed the refrigerator door.
"Would you mind if I spoke with the children?"
Karen forced another smile.
"Of course."
Marcus entered first.
He answered every question with a frightened glance toward James.
Lily followed.
She spoke so quietly Anna could barely hear her.
Finally...
Tan walked into the room.
He carried his stuffed panda tightly against his chest.
The moment he recognized Anna from the CPS office weeks earlier, his eyes brightened.
"Miss Anna."
She smiled warmly.
"Hi, Tan."
He walked over without hesitation.
She noticed immediately how thin he seemed compared to only a few weeks ago.
His cheeks had become slightly hollow.
His shirt hung loosely around his tiny frame.
She knelt to his level.
"How are you?"
He looked toward the kitchen where Karen stood pretending to wipe the counter.
Then back at Anna.
"I'm okay."
His voice wasn't convincing.
Anna gently smiled.
"Can we talk for a minute?"
He nodded.
They stepped onto the small back porch.
It overlooked an overgrown yard littered with broken toys and rusted bicycles.
Anna sat on the porch step.
Tan sat beside her.
For several moments neither of them spoke.
She had learned long ago that children often filled silence with truth.
Finally she asked softly,
"Are you happy here?"
Tan looked down at the porch boards.
"I miss Mama."
"I know."
"I miss Jin."
"I know."
"I miss..."
He stopped.
"...Officer Dad."
Anna blinked.
"Officer Dad?"
"The policeman."
"Officer Terrence?"
Tan nodded enthusiastically.
"He is nice."
A smile tugged at Anna's lips.
"Yes."
"He nice."
She gently reached for his bruised arm.
"It still hurts?"
He nodded.
"What happened?"
Tan hesitated.
His little fingers tightened around the stuffed panda.
Then he whispered,
"...Karen."
Anna kept her voice calm.
"What did Karen do?"
"She grabbed me."
"Why?"
"I dropped bowl."
His tiny lip trembled.
"It break."
Anna's heart sank.
She looked directly into his eyes.
"Did anyone else hurt you?"
He slowly shook his head.
"Sometimes..."
He whispered.
"...we hungry."
Anna felt tears threaten the corners of her eyes.
Children rarely lied about hunger.
"Do you get enough to eat?"
Tan quietly shook his head again.
"I give Lily food."
"Why?"
"'Cause she cry."
Anna wrapped an arm around his tiny shoulders.
"You've been very brave."
He looked up.
"I go home now?"
The question shattered her heart.
She couldn't lie.
"I don't know yet."
He lowered his head.
"I want Officer Dad."
Anna hugged him.
For just a moment...
She forgot she was a social worker.
She simply held a frightened little boy who desperately needed someone to protect him.
Inside the house, Anna completed the remainder of her inspection.
Every room revealed another concern.
Dirty bedding.
Broken smoke detectors.
Medication left within children's reach.
Bathrooms coated in mildew.
The more she documented, the clearer her decision became.
She closed her notebook.
"Mr. and Mrs. Henderson."
James immediately knew.
"What?"
"I'm removing all three children effective immediately."
Karen's face flushed.
"You can't do that!"
"I can."
"This is ridiculous!"
Anna remained composed.
"The conditions in this home are unsafe."
"They're fine!"
"They're fed."
"They have beds."
Anna met her eyes.
"They deserve better than surviving."
James stepped forward.
"You have no proof."
Anna calmly listed each violation.
The insects.
The lack of food.
The physical injury.
The unsanitary living conditions.
The unsafe medications.
Neither James nor Karen had an answer.
Within thirty minutes, Marcus, Lily, and Tan were buckled into the back seat of Anna's county SUV.
As they pulled away from the curb, Tan looked back only once.
He didn't wave.
He didn't cry.
He simply held his panda and watched the house disappear.
By early evening, Anna had successfully found emergency placements for Marcus and Lily.
Tan was the only child still without a home.
She spent the next two hours making phone call after phone call.
Every foster family was full.
Several were out of town.
Others had already reached the maximum number of placements allowed.
She rubbed her tired eyes.
The clock on her dashboard read 7:04 p.m.
There was one name she hadn't called.
Not because she doubted them.
Quite the opposite.
She didn't want to place pressure on a family with two young children unless absolutely necessary.
She picked up her phone.
Terrence answered on the second ring.
"Officer David."
"Terrence, it's Anna Brooks."
His voice immediately became serious.
"Is everything okay?"
"I removed Tan from the Henderson home."
Terrence closed his eyes.
"I knew something wasn't right."
"You were right."
Silence settled between them.
Finally Anna spoke again.
"I have a favor to ask."
"Go ahead."
"I've exhausted every emergency placement."
She took a deep breath.
"Would you and Eva consider taking Tan tonight?"
Terrence didn't answer immediately.
Not because he was uncertain.
Because he wanted to ask one person first.
"Hold on."
He covered the phone.
Eva looked up from helping Ella put together a princess puzzle.
"Who is it?"
"Anna."
Eva immediately stood.
"Is Tan okay?"
"He is now."
Terrence smiled softly.
"They removed him today."
Relief washed over Eva's face.
"Thank God."
Terrence continued.
"They don't have anywhere for him to go."
Eva didn't even let him finish.
"When do we pick him up?"
Terrence laughed.
"I thought you might say that."
She walked over and gently took the phone from his hand.
"Anna?"
"Yes?"
"Tell Tan..."
Eva's voice filled with emotion.
"...tell him he's coming home."
Anna smiled through tears.
"I think that's exactly what he needs to hear."
Forty-five minutes later, Anna's SUV turned onto a quiet street in South Central Los Angeles.
Unlike many neighborhoods outsiders assumed were dangerous, this block reflected years of hardworking families who took pride in their homes.
Children rode bicycles beneath glowing streetlights.
Neighbors laughed while finishing backyard barbecues.
Music drifted softly from a nearby porch.
The David home sat near the center of the block.
Warm lights shone through every window.
A porch swing gently rocked in the evening breeze.
Flower beds lined the walkway.
A basketball goal stood beside the driveway.
It didn't look like a mansion.
It looked like something far more valuable.
Home.
Tan stared through the window.
"Pretty."
Anna smiled.
"It is."
The front door opened before she even parked.
Terrence stepped outside first.
Eva followed closely behind.
Behind them came six-year-old Travis and four-year-old Ella, both wearing pajamas and peeking curiously around their parents.
Then another couple emerged from inside.
Terrence's parents.
Harold and Gloria David.
Three generations stood waiting beneath the porch light.
Not because they had to.
Because they already believed one frightened little boy belonged somewhere.
And tonight...
They intended to show him exactly where that place could be.