Page 108 of Hot Stuff
I haven’t slept. Neither has Walker. We spent all night holding vigil over a sleeping little boy.
Micky.
He still hasn’t spoken much, single words here and there, but it’s progress.
After Shelby and Gannon returned last night with enough clothes to fill a wardrobe, blankets and sheets, and snacks as well as personal care items like soap and shampoo, toothbrush and paste, we set out making a room up for him.
He smiled a lot more when Gannon and Walker opened the big box filled with toys.
I have no idea how Gannon and Shelby managed to get all they did at that hour of night but I’m grateful because without them we’d still be floundering.
“You leave me any of that?” Walker asks as he enters the kitchen.
“Yeah, made a second pot.”
He’s freshly showered and I’m pushing to my feet and finding a place within his arms.
“Everything okay?” he murmurs against my temple.
“Yes. Just need a hug.”
“I can give you that.” He squeezes me. “I hope I’m the only one giving you them.”
“I got a call from Pa.”
“Oh?”
“He’s got us a meeting with a judge here. We can’t take Micky home—out of state—until we have him legally in our care.”
“You hear from Amos?”
“Yes. She’s not his co-guardian, and as far as he can find she has no connection to your cousin or his late wife.”
“Then how the hell did she get involved in this? Wait. Late wife?”
“She died in childbirth having Micky.”
“Fuck! He’s got no one?”
“Yes, he does. He has you. Me. Shelby. And his mom’s grandmother.”
“Where the hell is the grandmother?”
“In a home but from what Amos has found she still gets out and about with help. He also found who Micky has been with for the last few months.”
Pulling back, he looks down at me. “Who? How is Kristina connected to them.”
“It’s the woman who used to babysit Micky while your cousin worked. She’s the one who connected with Kristina.”
“How?”
I hated having to tell him this. It’ll piss him off and lay a boatload of guilt on his shoulders. “Sara, the woman who’s been taking care of Micky, came to your apartment months ago looking for you. She found Kristina instead.”
“So she what? Left him with her?”
“No. From what I know so far, Sara didn’t leave him, she took him back home with her. Amos is going to see her this morning. See if he can find out more of the details, but it looks like she had him until the day before yesterday when Kristina turned up and took him. Brought him here.”
“Jeez, this is seriously crazy. I will never be able to thank you for sticking through all this.” He shakes his head. “I won’t blame you if you want to back out?—”
