Page 28 of Return to the Waratah Inn

“Nyreeda Houston?” A woman’s voice grabbed Reeda’s attention. It was Noreen. Reeda had met with her previously, and they’d spoken on the phone several times in recent weeks since Noreen had become Reeda’s case worker.

She stood to her feet. “Yes.”

“Come with me, please,” Noreen said.

Reeda pushed the pram after the woman down a short hallway and into a small office. She sat and immediately began rocking the pram again.

“Thanks for coming in to meet with me,” Noreen said. “I’m sure you had a busy day. And who is this little one?”

“No worries,” Reeda replied. “This is Noah, my nephew. My sister needed a little respite.”

“You’re a good sister,” Noreen replied. She shuffled some files on her desk. “I wanted to update you on how things are going. You’ve completed all your requirements to be a foster parent. However, my only concern is that your husband, Duncan, doesn’t seem to be involved in any of the meetings, aside from the initial one where we interviewed him.”

Reeda’s heart skipped a beat. Surely they wouldn’t hold that against her. “Yes, I know. He has a busy schedule as a doctor. Daytime meetings are difficult for him to get to on short notice, as he is usually booked fairly well in advance. He plans on being a very involved father, though. And I know he will be.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Noreen replied. “And I understand that some careers make flexibility difficult.”

“Will that change my prospects for getting placements?” Reeda asked, her breath catching in her throat as she waited for a response.

“No, it shouldn’t have any impact. We need foster carers, and you both seem like very qualified candidates. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to place you on the active list to begin receiving placements as soon as possible.”

Reeda’s heart skipped a beat. “Really? Wow, that’s great news. Thank you.”

Noah began to fuss, his plaintive cries plucking at Reeda’s heartstrings. She picked him up and held him to her chest as she returned to her seat. He wouldn’t hush, so she stood again, swaying gently.

Noreen smiled at the the two of them. “You’re most welcome. I know you’ll be a wonderful foster mother. Can I ask you a personal question? Other than the fertility issues, we’ve never really discussed what it was that drew you to fostering. Was there a catalyst of some kind?”

Reeda hesitated before answering. She’d thought about this a lot. It’d kept her up at night. She’d wrestled with the past, given herself over to the what-ifs, and had shaken off the guilt and blame before coming to the realisation that this was what she wanted. “I know what it’s like to lose your parents.” Noah began to cry again, his little cheeks turning red.

Noreen’s expression didn’t change. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thanks—it was a long time ago. They died in an accident that I survived. I was raised by my grandmother after that, along with my sisters. But if we didn’t have Nan, I know we would’ve had to go into foster care, since we didn’t really have any other close family. I’d like to think there would’ve been someone loving and kind who could’ve taken us in and given us a home.”

Noreen nodded. “That’s a very good reason to sign up. Thank you, Reeda.”

Noah’s cries rose in volume. Reeda looked helplessly at him, unsure of what to do next.

Noreen moved around the desk. “Did you bring some milk?”

Reeda nodded, reaching into the nappy bag for the bottle. She tugged it out of its coozie and handed it to Noreen. “I tried to get him to take it earlier, but he wouldn’t.”

“Let me have a try.”

Reeda relinquished Noah to Noreen, who settled him comfortably in her arms. She raised the bottle and touched it to his lips. Within moments he was quietly sucking with only the occasional hiccough to show that he’d been upset.

Reeda watched with a sigh. “You make it look easy.”

“It’s not so hard, you’ll get the hang of it. Don’t give up.”

Noreen passed the baby back to Reeda, who continued to feed him as they finished their meeting. As Reeda left the office with Noah, tears threatened. She’d made it through an entire meeting with a newborn, managed to feed and resettle him into the pram. Noreen had helped, of course, but still, she’d done it. And soon she would be a foster mother.

She was doing it for herself and Duncan, since they’d never been able to have children of their own. Her husband deserved to be a father. He had such a big heart and would be so very good at it. She was doing it for Kate and Bindi, who might’ve been separated from her into disparate foster homes as teens if it wasn’t for their grandmother’s kindness. And she was doing it for Nan as a way of thanking her for raising the three of them when they’d lost their parents. If only Nan were here now, Reeda knew she’d be proud.

Chapter Fifteen

March 1953

Newcastle