Page 84 of The Boss and the Adoption Mess
"So, Rosie stays with us for now?" she asks.
"I assume so. Sure, NSPCC could put her in foster care, but she’s used to me. And I have you."
Yeah, the timing really is perfect.
"This call will probably take a while. Go ahead and get some sleep—I’ll take care of everything."
"Oh, okay. Yeah, of course." Kim nods and heads for the door.
"If Rosie wakes up while I’m still on the phone…"
"I’ll take care of her," she says, already knowing what I was about to ask. I nod and watch her leave.
As soon as I’m alone, I call my lawyer, who sets out immediately to look into it.
Almost two hours later, we hang up—even though it felt like barely ten minutes.
I’m restless, wired with adrenaline. How the hell am I supposed to sleep now?
My mouth’s dry from all the talking. I need water before I even try. I leave the bedroom and walk carefully through the living area—cozy seating, kitchen, dining table. At first I don’t notice anything, but then something shifts on the couch. I stop, eyes adjusting to the dark.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, surprised to see Kim curled up on the couch. She sits up, wrapped in a blanket.
"I wanted to wait until you were done. In case Rosie woke up again." Sleepily, she rubs her eyes, gets up, and neatly folds the blanket before setting it back down.
I walk over to her—only the moonlight filtering through the window glass and the distant lights of Rome cast a gentle glow, allowing me to see her more clearly.
"You must be exhausted," I say. "I just wanted a quick drink, then I’ll try to sleep too—if I can."
"A little," she admits. Then: "What did your lawyer say?"
"He left right after our call to get a first look at the situation on site. He’ll go back tomorrow once Catherine’s sober."
I head toward the kitchen. Kimberley follows. "Tea? Juice?" I ask.
"Tea. I need to watch my levels," she says. I nod, put water on to boil, and she grabs two cups from the cabinet.
"He said my chances are good—like I thought. But he’ll need to talk with several agencies first. Next week’s going to be rough. For now, Rosie can stay with us since I’m her only relative. But family court has to decide if Catherine keeps custody. NSPCC will be involved and dig into everything. They’ll push to terminate her rights if they see a risk to Rosie’s safety—which they almost definitely will."
"Yeah, that’s pretty obvious," Kimberley says.
"I’ll need to file with social services to adopt Rosie. Before that, I can apply for an SGO—a Special Guardianship Order. That would give me parental responsibility if the court isn’t ready to fully take custody from Catherine. Kind of a stopgap if she goes into rehab or ends up in prison. If she ever gets clean and out, custody could go back to her."
"Hmm, I get it. They don’t want to split a mother and child if there’s still hope she’ll turn things around."
"Exactly. And in theory, that’s the right call. But they don’t know my sister like I do."
The water boils. I pour it into both cups while Kimberley drops the tea bags in.
"If Rosie stays with me, NSPCC will do home visits, interviews. With you, Steven, me—anyone around Rosie. Probably her daycare teachers too. They’ll also question Catherine’s friends and acquaintances to build a full picture." I take another breath. "Then family court reviews it all. Usually there’s a hearing, and I’ll be called in. Catherine might show up too, or at least her lawyer."
"Not yours, I hope?"
"I hope he can convince her to sign Rosie over in my care voluntarily, otherwise this could drag on forever. And that’s the last thing Rosie needs—living in limbo."
"Yeah…"
“It’s also possible the court rules in my favor and issues what’s called an adoption order. If my petition is granted, I’ll become Rosie’s legal parent.”
