sent me her
bear?"
Unable
to trust her voice, Alayna nodded.
Jack
shifted his gaze from the bear to Alayna. "But she never turns loose of
this thing."
Alayna
gave up trying to hold back the tears. "I know," she said, blotting
the tears from her cheeks with the heel of her free hand. "That's what
makes the gift so precious."
Only
then aware of the waterworks that were going on in front of him, Jack stripped
the towel from around his neck and traded it for the plate Alayna held. He
opened the door wider.
Alayna
dabbed at her eyes and her cheeks with the towel, trying to get a grip on her
emotions as she passed by him. "Thank you," she murmured gratefully.
Once
inside, she took a deep breath, determined to offer the apology that she owed
Jack. "I came to apologize for yelling at you today and accusing you
wrongly. When I saw you there with Billy and saw those cigarettes on the
ground—"
"He
has a scar on his forehead."
Startled
by the interruption, Alayna turned and saw that Jack had closed the door but
was still standing by it, his gaze fixed on the bear. For a moment, she thought
he was talking about a flaw on the face of Molly's Teddy … then she realized he
was talking about Billy. Wearily she combed her hair back from her face and
held it there. "Yes, I know. I've seen it."
"How
he'd get it?"
Alayna
dropped her hand, letting her hair fall, and sank down onto the sofa, feeling
every one of her thirty years. "His father. I didn't know he was the one
who put it there until today, though. When I was in town I went by the social
worker's office and asked to see Billy's file."
"Why?"
"Because
I need to know his history, in order to know how to better help him."
"No,
no," Jack said in frustration, turning to look at her, his knuckles white
as he tightened his grip on the bear. "Why did his father hurt him?"
Before,
she'd thought his eyes empty, lifeless, but at the moment they were full of
emotion. Rage, fury, indignation for a boy he claimed to dislike. "I don't
know why," she said carefully. "I just know that he did. Several
times. Billy was taken away from his parents when he was four. He's spent the
last three years in a succession of foster homes."
Still
frowning, Jack crossed the room, dropped the plate onto the old trunk that
served as a coffee table, then sank down on the sofa beside Alayna. He propped
his elbows on his knees, and held the bear out in front of him. "And
Molly?" he asked after a moment.
"Her
father is listed as 'Unknown' on her birth certificate."
"Her
mother?"
Alayna
looked from Jack to the bear that seemed to hold him in some kind of trance.
She lifted a shoulder. "They don't know. She had a history of
disappearing. She would leave Molly alone for days at a time. That's why the
authorities were finally called in. This time, though, she didn't return. She's
just … gone. No one knows where."
"What
will happen to Molly?"
"She'll
stay in the system until her mother gets her act together and comes back to
claim her."
"If
she doesn't?"
Alayna
shrugged again. "The courts will rule her an unfit mother, strip her of
her paternal rights and Molly will be put up for adoption."
"Will
you adopt her?"
Alayna
shifted her gaze to the bear and tried to swallow the wad of emotion that rose.
"I—I don't know if I'd be offered the opportunity. Rarely are foster
parents allowed to adopt the children who have been placed in their care. The
social worker made that very clear upfront." She drew in a shuddery
breath. "Plus, I'm single. They prefer to place adoptable children in
homes with married couples."
Jack
sat for a long time staring, then he turned his head to look at Alayna.
"How do you do it? How do you let them go?"
The
question was a difficult one, one that Alayna tried very hard not to think
about. She turned her gaze to her hands and slowly threaded the towel through
her fingers. "I don't know, yet. Molly and Billy are the first foster
children I've taken in." She drew in a deep breath
bear?"
Unable
to trust her voice, Alayna nodded.
Jack
shifted his gaze from the bear to Alayna. "But she never turns loose of
this thing."
Alayna
gave up trying to hold back the tears. "I know," she said, blotting
the tears from her cheeks with the heel of her free hand. "That's what
makes the gift so precious."
Only
then aware of the waterworks that were going on in front of him, Jack stripped
the towel from around his neck and traded it for the plate Alayna held. He
opened the door wider.
Alayna
dabbed at her eyes and her cheeks with the towel, trying to get a grip on her
emotions as she passed by him. "Thank you," she murmured gratefully.
Once
inside, she took a deep breath, determined to offer the apology that she owed
Jack. "I came to apologize for yelling at you today and accusing you
wrongly. When I saw you there with Billy and saw those cigarettes on the
ground—"
"He
has a scar on his forehead."
Startled
by the interruption, Alayna turned and saw that Jack had closed the door but
was still standing by it, his gaze fixed on the bear. For a moment, she thought
he was talking about a flaw on the face of Molly's Teddy … then she realized he
was talking about Billy. Wearily she combed her hair back from her face and
held it there. "Yes, I know. I've seen it."
"How
he'd get it?"
Alayna
dropped her hand, letting her hair fall, and sank down onto the sofa, feeling
every one of her thirty years. "His father. I didn't know he was the one
who put it there until today, though. When I was in town I went by the social
worker's office and asked to see Billy's file."
"Why?"
"Because
I need to know his history, in order to know how to better help him."
"No,
no," Jack said in frustration, turning to look at her, his knuckles white
as he tightened his grip on the bear. "Why did his father hurt him?"
Before,
she'd thought his eyes empty, lifeless, but at the moment they were full of
emotion. Rage, fury, indignation for a boy he claimed to dislike. "I don't
know why," she said carefully. "I just know that he did. Several
times. Billy was taken away from his parents when he was four. He's spent the
last three years in a succession of foster homes."
Still
frowning, Jack crossed the room, dropped the plate onto the old trunk that
served as a coffee table, then sank down on the sofa beside Alayna. He propped
his elbows on his knees, and held the bear out in front of him. "And
Molly?" he asked after a moment.
"Her
father is listed as 'Unknown' on her birth certificate."
"Her
mother?"
Alayna
looked from Jack to the bear that seemed to hold him in some kind of trance.
She lifted a shoulder. "They don't know. She had a history of
disappearing. She would leave Molly alone for days at a time. That's why the
authorities were finally called in. This time, though, she didn't return. She's
just … gone. No one knows where."
"What
will happen to Molly?"
"She'll
stay in the system until her mother gets her act together and comes back to
claim her."
"If
she doesn't?"
Alayna
shrugged again. "The courts will rule her an unfit mother, strip her of
her paternal rights and Molly will be put up for adoption."
"Will
you adopt her?"
Alayna
shifted her gaze to the bear and tried to swallow the wad of emotion that rose.
"I—I don't know if I'd be offered the opportunity. Rarely are foster
parents allowed to adopt the children who have been placed in their care. The
social worker made that very clear upfront." She drew in a shuddery
breath. "Plus, I'm single. They prefer to place adoptable children in
homes with married couples."
Jack
sat for a long time staring, then he turned his head to look at Alayna.
"How do you do it? How do you let them go?"
The
question was a difficult one, one that Alayna tried very hard not to think
about. She turned her gaze to her hands and slowly threaded the towel through
her fingers. "I don't know, yet. Molly and Billy are the first foster
children I've taken in." She drew in a deep breath
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