A Certain Kind of Hero by Kathleen Eagle

stash the remaining lunch meat inside.
    â€œEasy for you to say. Yours is on retainer.” She offered him the last of the plums. When he shook his head, she tucked the fruit into the crisper. “Did he sound as confident as mine sounded doubtful?”
    â€œOur attorney has dealt with the issue before. Yours probably hasn’t.”
    â€œI’ve heard about it, of course, but I’m not sure I understand… completely. ” She closed the refrigerator door, leaned back against it and stared him down across the narrow width of his kitchen. “You explain it, Gideon. Just what is it we’re dealing with?”
    He braced the heels of his hands on the edge of the sink behind him and took a deep breath, as though he’d been backed into a corner and now had to make an official statement. “The Indian Child Welfare Act was passed in 1978, and basically what it says is that the tribal court has the right to—” he lifted one shoulder, as though the right were self-evident “—become involved the way it just has. Used to be that Native American children were being siphoned away from their people, first into boarding schools, then non-Native foster homes and adoptions.
    â€œFinally, the people said, ‘no more.’” He tilted his head slightly, his eyes looking for the kind of understanding thatordinarily would have come naturally to her. Quietly, he told her, “They said, ‘You take our kids away, we’ve got nothing left.’ So recently they passed the law to protect Native families and to preserve the integrity of Native American nations.”
    â€œThis all sounds very—” she sighed, gesturing impatiently “—philosophical and political and…and it sounds like an interesting topic for discussion, but this is my child we’re talking about.”
    â€œI know.” He laid his hand on her shoulder in a gesture that was pure brotherly love. “I can’t see the judge taking him out of a good home after almost thirteen years.”
    â€œHe could do that?”
    â€œI don’t know.” Technically, the answer was yes, but the judge’s will to do it was another question, and of that possibility, Gideon could honestly say, “I don’t know.”
    â€œWhat do you mean, you don’t know? You’re a tribal leader now, for God’s sake. If you don’t know, who does? If you can’t do anything about this, who—”
    â€œRaina.” Gently he squeezed her shoulder, then let his hand fall to his side. “This is a complicated issue. We’re going to take it one step at a time, and—for Peter’s sake—you’re going to stay calm.”
    But he took half a step back, because her defensive stare accused him of taking something from her. “I think the judge is going to want Peter to have a chance to get to know his grandfather, but I don’t think he’ll decide to turn the boy’s whole world upside down, take him out of school, take him away from—” he glanced at the top of the refrigerator and the cabinet above it, searching the high places in his kitchen for some assurance to offer “—his mother. I just can’t see him doing that now.”
    â€œExcuse me, but I’d like to hear something a little moredecisive, a little more positive, than what sounds like a cloudy forecast from your crystal ball.”
    Stung by her sarcasm, he shrugged. “Call your lawyer back, then.”
    â€œI didn’t like…what I heard in his voice….” Tears welled in her eyes, and her voice came dangerously near cracking. Her lips trembled as she drew a deep breath, searching for something that would steady her. “…any better.”
    What he saw in her eyes embarrassed him, and he glanced away. It wasn’t easy for her to admit to a fear that might bleed her of her strength. He was afraid to touch her. He was afraid