The Perfect Child(18)
“I’m obviously going to get attached. I mean, we already are, but leaving the hospital is going to be her first step into the real world, and we want to make sure it’s a good one. She deserves that. What if she ended up in one of those messed-up foster homes and they screwed her up even more? At least this way, we know she’ll be as prepared and secure as possible until she goes into her permanent home.” Christopher and I had taken her to the park again yesterday, and it was everything we could do not to tell her that we were trying to bring her home with us for a while, since she was becoming more and more obsessed with seeing our house. Christopher had taken pictures of every room in it and shown them to her. But of course we couldn’t tell her until it was a sure thing. “I knew Christopher was going to be the best dad. You should see him with her. It’s about the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.”
“I know exactly what you mean. I fell in love with Greg all over again when I saw him with the babies. There’s something about watching them be fathers that makes you love them in a completely different way.”
“Totally. He’s probably going to have a harder time than me when it comes to saying goodbye because the two of them are already so close, but we can do it. She deserves to have a safe place to recover until they find her a home that’s a perfect fit,” I said with determination.
“I don’t know. I’m just going to be honest—it makes me a little worried.”
I held back the urge to laugh. Everything made Allison worry. Always had. She was the only kid I knew who had had an ulcer in elementary school.
“We’re going to be fine,” I assured her.
I was calmer than I imagined I should be, but we were doing the right thing. Christopher had been shocked when I had proposed the idea to him a few nights ago. I couldn’t blame him. I wasn’t usually that impulsive.
“Why not?” I had smiled. “Maybe it’s just what we need right now. A break to think about someone else for a little while and take our minds off of ourselves.”
“Theo would be so proud of you.” Christopher had laughed.
Theo was the leader of our infertility support group. He had a twelve-step background, so he was always saying that the best way to fix yourself was to get your mind off your own problems and help someone else with theirs. I couldn’t think of anyone who needed our help more.
“Really, though. We can let her stay in a cocoon a little while longer before she’s thrust into the world. We’ll give her an extra step of healing and care she wouldn’t normally get.”
“I’m totally up for it if you are,” he had said, his face filled with excitement.
ELEVEN
CHRISTOPHER BAUER
Becoming Janie’s emergency guardians wouldn’t be as simple as we thought it’d be. I called Piper and let her know we were interested. She informed us we’d have to go through a home study as part of our petition for guardianship. The first part meant meeting with us in person, and we agreed to meet at the hospital the following day.
She strode into Janie’s hospital room with quiet confidence, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, a bag strapped across her chest. Her chestnut hair was slung into a messy bun, graying at the roots. “Hi, everyone. I’m Piper.” She shook hands with Hannah first. Janie was tucked on my lap and hid her head when Piper spoke to her. “Hi, Janie.”
Janie didn’t move or respond. Piper had warned me that her previous meetings with Janie hadn’t gone well, so I wasn’t surprised when Janie didn’t speak to her. She liked most people, but there was something about Piper that Janie didn’t like.
“Can I get you some water or coffee?” Hannah asked. She was twisting her hair around her finger, something she only did when she was nervous or upset.
Piper held up a travel mug with the Starbucks logo printed on the side. “Thanks, but I’m good. Today’s visit is basically just for us to sit down and get to know each other better. You’re going to see lots of me in the next few days. You might think I’m coming to live with you, too, but I promise I’m not.”
We all laughed nervously, trying to ease the tension. She didn’t waste any time getting started. The next hour was like a grueling job interview focused on our childhoods, any past abusive experiences, our views on discipline, and any history of domestic violence. We filled out questionnaires on our medical histories, education, and employment.
There were specific guidelines the state required for all foster parents, and a home inspection was mandatory for anyone in our situation. Hannah took it all in stride, but she was really nervous for the home visit with Piper. So nervous that the night before she was still up scrubbing bathroom floors at midnight, even though she’d already been over them once. She’d spent the last three hours cleaning our house like an obsessive-compulsive person. Our house hadn’t been that clean since we had bought it. It wasn’t like we were messy people, but our house definitely looked lived in. The last thing either of us wanted to do when we got home after a long day at the hospital was vacuum the floors or do the dishes.
I stood in the doorway, watching her bent over on the floor with a bucket and washcloth as she furiously attacked the tiles. “Honey, I think that’s enough. There’s no way there’s a speck of dirt anywhere on that floor. We haven’t even walked on it since the last time you washed it.”