The Perfect Child(17)
“She seemed more anxious than Christopher over the situation, but she was as eager to get Janie home as he was.”
“Did you discuss the potential challenges they might be up against if they were responsible for Janie’s care?”
“Absolutely.”
I’d always been honest and up front with them about Janie’s challenges. It didn’t do any good for there to be a mismatch between a foster parent and the child, so I made sure everyone knew what they were up against and could make an informed decision. It was my policy for every family.
“What kinds of things did you share with her? Could you please be more specific?” Luke smiled at me.
I was going in the direction they wanted me to go. They were only polite and nice when you were doing something they liked or giving them something they wanted. I’d been fooled before. I wasn’t going to be fooled again.
“They’d officially diagnosed Janie with child abuse syndrome. People always assume sexual abuse is the worst kind of abuse that a child can endure, but it’s not. It doesn’t have the kind of lasting effects that you see in kids who’ve been severely neglected. Don’t get me wrong. Sexual abuse is terrible, but the type of neglect that Janie experienced? That affects brain development.”
Ron eased his chair off the wall, returning all four legs to the concrete. “How did Hannah respond when you told her?”
“Hannah didn’t go into the situation blindly, not like Christopher did. He was convinced love would heal all Janie’s wounds, but Hannah was more realistic. She understood you couldn’t go through what Janie went through and come out unscathed. She walked into the situation with her eyes open and ready for any of the challenges Janie presented.”
“And what about Christopher? Did you ever present this information to him?”
“Of course.”
“But he wasn’t as receptive to it?”
“How do I explain this to you?” I took a minute. “He was fully aware of her potential difficulties and problems. He just didn’t care.”
It was what I loved the most about him. But it was also what had gotten him into the most trouble.
TEN
HANNAH BAUER
I only had ten minutes to fill Allison in on everything before she had to pick up Caleb from soccer practice, so I talked fast. “Do you think we’re crazy? It’s only temporary, until they find a permanent placement for her, but we thought it’d give her the extra time she needs to heal while they get everything else figured out.”
I’d just finished telling her how Christopher and I had applied to be emergency foster parents for Janie. It meant she would live with us after she was discharged until they found a family to adopt her. Neither Christopher nor I could stomach the idea of her going into foster care, getting settled with a new family, and then having to be ripped from that family to go live with her adoptive family. Staying with us would seem like a logical extension from the hospital and was the way we’d present it to her if our application was approved.
“You’re not scared?” Allison asked.
“Of course I’m scared. It’s going to be hard, but I think it’s something amazing we can do for her.”
Allison shook her head. “That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“You mean her situation?” I dropped my voice low so no one could hear. “Like whoever killed Becky coming back to kill Janie?”
“Or you and Christopher.”
“It does freak me out.” Christopher and I had spent hours going through different possible scenarios. We’d already made an appointment to get an alarm system installed in our house. “They still have no idea who killed her. Well, at least that’s what they’re telling us.”
I liked Piper as a person, but she wasn’t the best at keeping us updated on all the case details, and sometimes it felt like she was purposefully trying to keep things a secret from us.
“How do you know for sure that whoever hurt them won’t try to finish what they started?” Allison asked.
“We don’t, but she’s not going to be with us for that long. It’s not going to be more than two weeks—probably even less than that.” I leaned across the table and whispered, “And honestly, I think the police or FBI, something, is following us anyway.”
Her eyes grew big. “Are you serious? What makes you think that?”
I shrugged. “I just get this feeling, like I’m being watched. I don’t really know how to explain it. But it’s more than a feeling. Both me and Christopher have seen random unmarked cars following us and parked outside our house.”
“That doesn’t freak you out?”
“No, because I’m pretty sure it’s the good guys following us.” I smiled at her, trying to ease her worries. I would’ve felt the same way if the roles had been reversed. “And besides, it’s not like the investigation is going to end just because she gets out of the hospital. Who knows: they might catch whoever did this before she’s discharged, and all this time spent worrying will have been for nothing.”
“I think what you’re doing is really honorable.” I could still hear the hesitation in her voice. “But aren’t you afraid of getting too attached? What’s going to happen to you once they place her with a family?”