Moonlight Road (Virgin River #11)(30)

“You probably don’t have the worries you think you do,” Aiden said. “First of all, it’s very likely Art is just excited to be with an old friend. He actually lived in the same house with the woman for a long time and they’ve bonded. Sexual intercourse probably never occurred to him, but even if it did, chances are he’s infertile. It’s not uncommon for Down syndrome men to be infertile. Not always impotent, however.”

“She’s not Down’s, Aiden,” Luke said. “Can you help? Because I can’t get away from him long enough to go over to Fortuna and have a face-to-face with Ellen—Art always has me in his sights. Besides, look at Shelby. I should be close.”

“I’ll do this for you,” Aiden said. “But stop worrying about Shelby. You’re going to have plenty of time when she goes into labor. Maybe days.” He smiled. “It’s coming at you from all angles, isn’t it?”

“All angles. My mother is here with a boyfriend! My buddy Art is in love and doesn’t have a clue what that’s doing to his head and he depends on me to keep him safe. And my wife is about to explode!”

Aiden grinned. “Calls for a beer.”

“Don’t be funny, Aiden. How can I drink a beer when my wife is this pregnant and my helper is about to commit sex without his knowledge. Have you seen him lately?”

“Whew. We might want to slip a little Xanax in that beer,” Aiden said.

It was true that Art was very excited about seeing Netta. And he might even be in love. He was emotional and probably even hormonal about the whole thing, but as Aiden and Art chatted about the situation on the way to Fortuna, it was obvious that Netta was an important part of his past, his life, his experience, and he cared deeply about her. They liked the same television shows; they had worked together and helped each other and they both had lost their parents and were dependent on the state. Netta could read better than Art, but he wanted to teach her fishing. He also wanted to date her, but when Aiden explained that it would probably be best if they were just very good friends and spent time together regularly—watching TV, fishing and reading—Art accepted that so readily, it was probably what he thought dating was.

When Aiden arrived at the house where Netta lived, he introduced himself as Dr. Riordan, Luke’s visiting brother. He thought it might encourage Ellen and her husband, Bo, to open up a little bit, but they seemed not to need any encouragement. They had raised their three children, were grandparents and had three special-needs adult women in their care—all of whom helped in their bakery part-time, their skills varying greatly.

Iced tea was served on the patio while Art and Netta enjoyed being reunited and fled to the backyard, still within view. It didn’t take long to cut to the chase—Netta’s brain damage was pretty extensive, the result of an early-childhood near-drowning accident. She’d come a long way; walking and talking had taken years to accomplish. She was a very tenderhearted, calm twenty-seven-year-old who had the mental capacity of a ten-year-old, just about equal to Art’s. While both of them could identify a few words and most letters, neither could read very well.

The whole time Aiden visited with Ellen and Bo, Art and Netta were in the backyard, sitting on the edge of a sandbox for the grandkids, doing more staring at each other than talking.

“Your brother told me a little about how he came to be Art’s guardian,” Ellen said. “Of course, we got Netta when that group home was closed. It was a real difficult time for her—she lost her home, her job and her friends.”

“Art, on the other hand, ran away when he was battered,” Aiden said. “Luke found him digging through his trash. He had a big black eye.”

“That’s kind of unusual,” Ellen said. “I mean, for Art to run away like that—it’s enterprising. Wandering off or getting lost, that’s not uncommon. Has he been happy with Luke?”

“Very content, as far as the family can tell. Luke was single when he ran across Art, but he’s married now and expecting his first child soon. His wife, Shelby, and her whole family all love Art. But none of us has much experience with special needs or Down syndrome adults. Luke has some pretty obvious concerns—like when it comes to dating…”

“Sex?” Ellen asked. “Is that the concern?”

“Should it be?” Aiden asked.

“We’ll have to join forces to keep an eye on what’s happening with them,” she said. “If their relationship starts to look too serious, it might be enough to distract them. For now, being alert chaperones will probably do the trick. All of our women are on long-term birth control just for safety….”

“Because you’ve noticed some need? Sexual acting out, that sort of thing?”

Ellen shook her head. “No, Dr. Riordan—libido can be all over the map with special-needs adults—some seem to have a very active libido, sometimes masturbating or flirting or even trying to inappropriately touch a member of the opposite sex with no regard to boundaries. Our women really haven’t demonstrated any appreciable libido, but the birth control they’re on helps with that and with PMS. We also have to keep them safe from pregnancy by a predator. We do everything we can to keep them safe, but we can’t hide them from the world and the reality is, there are bad people out there who prey on the disadvantaged.”