Chapter 6 Forever a David
Forever a David
"No!"
Terrence's eyes snapped open.
"Mama!"
He threw the covers back before he was completely awake.
"No! Jin!"
Beside him, Eva bolted upright.
"Tan."
Terrence was already moving.
He hurried into the hallway and reached the guest bedroom they'd prepared for Tan earlier that evening.
The night-light cast a soft glow across the small room.
Tan was sitting upright in bed.
His hair was soaked with sweat. His stuffed panda had fallen onto the floor, and both little hands were stretched toward the doorway.
"Mama!"
Terrence immediately crossed the room.
"Tan."
The boy flinched.
"It's me."
Terrence slowed.
He remembered enough from police training—and enough from raising his own children—to know that grabbing a terrified child could sometimes make things worse.
He crouched beside the bed.
"You're at my house."
Tan stared through him.
"They take Mama."
His breathing came fast.
"They take Daddy."
"I know."
"Jin say he come back."
Terrence's heart twisted.
Tan looked around the unfamiliar bedroom as pieces of reality slowly returned.
Then his face crumpled.
"He didn't come back."
Terrence didn't tell him everything would be okay.
He didn't make promises he couldn't guarantee.
Instead, he held out his arms.
"Do you want me to hold you?"
Tan launched himself forward.
Terrence caught him against his chest.
The little boy buried his face beneath Terrence's chin and sobbed.
Not the quiet tears he'd shed at the hospital.
Not the frightened crying he'd learned to hide at the Henderson house.
These were deep, desperate sobs from a child finally somewhere safe enough to release them.
Terrence sat on the edge of the bed and rocked him.
"I'm here."
Tan's fingers curled into the back of Terrence's T-shirt.
"Don't go."
"I'm not going anywhere."
Eva appeared quietly in the doorway.
She pressed one hand over her heart.
Terrence looked at her.
His eyes were wet.
Neither spoke.
They didn't have to.
After several minutes, Tan's crying softened.
Terrence wiped his cheeks.
"You want some water?"
Tan shook his head.
"You want Eva?"
Another shake.
Terrence smiled.
"Okay."
Then Tan whispered something so quietly Terrence almost missed it.
"Stay."
"I'll stay."
Terrence pulled the desk chair beside the bed.
Tan immediately became worried.
"No."
Terrence frowned.
"What?"
"Here."
He patted the mattress.
Terrence glanced toward Eva.
She smiled.
"Looks like you've been assigned."
Terrence kicked off his slippers.
"Yes, ma'am."
He stretched out awkwardly beside Tan.
The bed was designed for a child, not a six-foot-two police officer.
Eva nearly laughed.
"Comfortable?"
"Not remotely."
That earned the smallest smile from Tan.
Terrence pulled the blanket over him.
"Better?"
Tan nodded.
He reached down and found his panda.
Then, after a moment's hesitation, he pushed it toward Terrence.
"You hold."
Terrence accepted it solemnly.
"I'm being trusted with Panda?"
Tan nodded.
"That's a big responsibility."
Another tiny smile.
Eva kissed Tan's forehead.
"Goodnight, sweetheart."
She leaned down and kissed her husband.
"Goodnight, Officer Panda."
Terrence gave her a look.
"You're enjoying this."
"Very much."
She left the door cracked open.
Tan rolled onto his side.
"Officer Dad?"
Terrence's smile disappeared.
The name touched a place inside him he hadn't expected.
"Yeah, buddy?"
"God know where Mama is?"
Terrence stared at the ceiling for a moment.
He wanted desperately to give the boy the answer he needed.
Instead, he gave him the answer he believed.
"Yes."
"God know Jin?"
"Yes."
"Can He tell them where me at?"
Terrence swallowed.
"I believe He knows exactly where you are."
Tan thought about that.
"Tell Him."
"You want me to pray?"
Tan nodded.
Terrence rested a hand gently over his back.
"Father, please watch over Tan's family wherever they are. If his mama, daddy, brother, or anyone who loves him is looking for him, guide them. Keep Tan safe while we wait for answers. And tonight, please give this little boy some peaceful dreams. Amen."
Tan was quiet.
Then he whispered,
"Amen."
Within fifteen minutes, his breathing evened.
Terrence remained beside him.
He had promised to stay.
So he stayed.
Morning announced itself with children's voices.
"Why is Daddy in Tan's bed?"
Terrence opened one eye.
Ella stood in the doorway wearing purple pajamas, her pink bunny tucked beneath one arm.
Travis appeared behind her.
He burst out laughing.
"Daddy, your feet are hanging off!"
Terrence groaned.
"I noticed."
Tan opened his eyes.
For one terrifying second, confusion crossed his face.
Then he saw Terrence beside him.
His body relaxed.
Travis climbed onto the bed.
"Did y'all have a sleepover without us?"
Terrence sat up and rubbed his aching neck.
"It wasn't planned."
"Can we have one tonight?"
"No."
"Tomorrow?"
"No."
"Friday?"
"Boy, go brush your teeth."
Travis laughed and ran.
Ella climbed beside Tan.
"Good morning."
Tan looked at her.
"Morning."
She held Bunny toward Panda.
"Bunny sleep good."
Tan considered this important information.
"Panda too."
Terrence smiled.
Children had a remarkable way of making complicated things simple.
The weeks that followed brought adjustments for everyone.
Some were easy.
Tan loved Gloria's cooking.
He loved cartoons on Saturday mornings.
He discovered basketball with Travis and spent hours trying to make the ball reach the rim.
He learned that Ella would follow him almost anywhere if he agreed to play tea party afterward.
He loved sitting beside Harold in the garage while the older man repaired lawn equipment and explained every tool as though Tan were his apprentice.
Other adjustments weren't so easy.
Tan hid food.
Eva discovered it accidentally.
She was changing his sheets when she found crackers beneath his pillow.
Two dinner rolls wrapped in a napkin were tucked inside the nightstand.
A banana had been hidden behind a row of children's books.
She stood staring at them.
Then understanding came.
The Henderson house.
Hunger.
That evening, she didn't confront him.
Instead, she placed a small basket on the kitchen counter.
She filled it with applesauce cups, granola bars, crackers, raisins, and fruit.
At dinner she casually pointed toward it.
"Tan?"
He looked up.
"That basket is for you, Travis, and Ella."
Travis immediately reached for a granola bar.
"Right now?"
"After dinner."
He put it back.
Eva continued.
"If any of you get hungry between meals, you can take something from there. You don't have to ask."
Tan stopped chewing.
"Don't ask?"
"No."
"Anytime?"
"If you're hungry."
He stared at the basket.
Eva smiled and returned to her meal.
The next morning, the crackers disappeared from beneath his pillow.
A few days later, the dinner rolls were gone too.
Bath time brought another discovery.
Eva noticed Tan refused to remove his jade pendant.
"You can put it right here on the counter," she told him. "I'll make sure nobody touches it."
Tan immediately covered it with his hand.
"No."
"Okay."
"Jin say never take off."
Eva paused.
"Then we won't take it off."
She bought a waterproof cord the following day and had the pendant secured so Tan could wear it safely.
Terrence noticed.
"You fixed it?"
Eva nodded.
"It's part of him."
Terrence kissed her forehead.
"That's why I married you."
"Because I know how to replace necklace cords?"
"Among other things."
She laughed.
Anna visited frequently.
The first several visits were routine.
She inspected the home.
Interviewed the children.
Spoke privately with Tan.
Reviewed Terrence and Eva's schedules.
Checked sleeping arrangements.
Verified school plans.
The Davids completed mountains of paperwork.
Background checks.
Fingerprints.
Home assessments.
Training courses.
Medical examinations.
References.
There were moments when Terrence wondered whether the county wanted to know his shoe size and favorite cereal too.
But he never complained where Tan could hear him.
Because every form meant one thing.
The possibility that Tan could stay.
The county continued searching for Tan's biological family.
His name was entered into databases.
Officials attempted to trace immigration detention records from the raid.
Several people with the surname Lee were interviewed.
Nothing produced a verified parent or legal guardian.
Some records from the operation were incomplete.
Others contained misspelled names.
Language barriers complicated everything.
The trail seemed to split in a dozen directions before disappearing.
Terrence began making inquiries himself.
Carefully.
Legally.
He contacted officers who had assisted during the operation.
He spoke with community organizations.
He visited Little Chinatown more than once.
His badge opened some doors.
His face closed others.
Some residents saw the uniform before they saw the man wearing it.
Others were suspicious because Terrence was Black and clearly wasn't part of their community.
One elderly shopkeeper refused to speak at all after hearing Tan's name.
Terrence noticed the reaction.
"You know the Lee family?"
The man's expression hardened.
"No."
"You sure?"
"I said no."
Terrence handed him a card.
"If you remember anything, call me."
The man didn't take it.
Terrence left it on the counter.
As he walked away, he felt the shopkeeper watching him.
There was something there.
Fear, perhaps.
Or loyalty.
He couldn't tell.
What he did know was that the name Lee meant something in Little Chinatown.
Something people weren't willing to discuss with a police officer.
He didn't tell Tan that.
Not yet.
Nearly four months after Tan arrived, Eva received a call from Anna.
She was preparing dinner when her phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Eva?"
"Hi, Anna."
"I have an update."
Eva turned off the stove.
Terrence was helping Travis with homework at the kitchen table. One look at his wife's face made him straighten.
"What happened?"
Eva raised a finger.
"Go ahead, Anna."
"We've exhausted the immediate relative search."
Eva's heart sank.
"So nobody?"
"No verified family member has been located who can take custody."
Eva closed her eyes.
Somewhere, a mother might be grieving for her child.