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They all sat around the conference table with bottles of water and chatted idly. Henry was painfully shy, but he opened up a little when Talon mentioned Olly, and explained they were hoping to get a puppy when they moved into their new house with the yard.
Talon glanced at Finn and Finn nodded slightly. He knew Talon was leaving the questions to him. “Guys, we need to ask something.” He smiled gently at Elijah. “I can tell you’re in some pain. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t investigate that. We can wait until either your social worker, foster parents, or even your mom if you prefer, are contacted, but we need to check you over.”
Asa nudged Elijah’s arm. It was clear what he wanted. He swallowed. “I fell last night.”
“No, you didn’t.”
Talon was shocked because it had been Henry that spoke, and for the first time. Elijah shot him a look of exasperation, then looked at Finn. “He wasn’t there.”
“How did you fall?”
Elijah shrugged. “I was playing in the yard at the back and tripped. My fault.”
Just then the door opened and Charles and Doc Natalie walked in.
“We have permission for a general checkup,”Charles sent to both their heads. The doc and Charles were really good with both Asa and Henry. The doc explained that Charles couldn’t talk but he could hear fine, and that they just wanted to make sure they were okay. They wouldn’t be asking them to take off any clothes, because she could listen to their heartbeat through their shirts no problem. Elijah held back, but the other two seemed quite happy.
Eventually the doc turned to Elijah. “Your turn.” She smiled.
“He’s guarding his abdomen,”Charles commented.“Pretty sure Natalie’s noticed.”
“He looks a little green as well,”Finn said in Talon’s head. Talon knew Charles was letting them all talk to each other non-verbally. Natalie didn’t know Charles could do this, and that had to remain a secret. Although she might suspect something, she was careful not to ask.
The doc smiled at Elijah. “How about you stand up so I can see how tall you are?”
Elijah nodded and got to his feet, but maybe two heartbeats later, his face seemed to drain of all color. It was Charles who caught him.
Chapter Two
Talon watched Finn take charge of keeping the other two distraught kids from rushing to their brother while the doc fired off rapid instructions for an ambulance, and Talon called one. She pulled up his shirt, even glanced at his back. Surprisingly, he seemed to be bruise free. She did her checks, and related orders to Charles. The paramedics arrived at the same time as Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds, who had actually been at a pediatrician’s appointment for the baby.
The baby started crying in the middle of everything, and Finn offered to help as Henry also burst into tears and flung himself at Mrs. Reynolds. Finn swiftly took the baby and rocked her. The social worker arrived barely five minutes later, and said she would take all the kids.
The paramedics left with Mrs. Reynolds accompanying them after the social worker said she would bring the children. Talon had a brief conversation with the social worker, Helen Chivers, alone, while Finn and Mr. Reynolds calmed all the children down. She had worked with the Reynolds for the last five years and there had been no complaints. The Reynolds had always done short-term fostering up to that point, but the four kids had been there for the last three months. The state was applying to have them removed permanently from their birth mother and the Reynolds had even made noises about adoption. Even Elijah, who had proved to be achallenge.
Talon heard the air quotes loud and clear but could do absolutely nothing. He knew both Finn and he thought Elijah was hiding injuries, but according to Charles, he had all the classic signs of appendicitis. Even Asa and Henry had said Elijah had refused the food he had been offered in the last couple of days and been quiet.
Talon could understand that Elijah saw himself as the protector, or the older brother even of Asa, and knew he was worried about keeping them all together.
They all left at the same time, and there was nothing Talon could do to stop them. It seemed so quiet all of a sudden. He slid his arms around Finn’s middle and pulled Finn’s back snug against his chest. “I think we always assume the worst.”
Finn nodded but he didn’t reply, just sagged against him. They wrote up their reports while waiting for news.
“It explains Elijah’s behavior,” Talon added when the doc called as promised to say the scan had confirmed her guess and Elijah was being prepped for emergency surgery.
Finn stepped into Talon’s embrace. Adam had already left with Richard. “Can we go home?”
Talon grinned, having a sudden idea. “Absolutely.” Finn had already cancelled the principal’s meeting he had this afternoon, and they always worked long hours. It wouldn’t hurt either of them to have an early finish.
An hour later they were sitting in the yard of their new house. Finn had meant return to their apartment when he said go home, and Talon knew he’d expected that, but Finn seemed agreeable to visit their new home. Especially when Talon wiped the patio chairs that had been left with the property and produced the cheap bottle of bubbly and two plastic cups he’d run into the small store for on the way here.
“We haven’t christened the house.” Talon said.
Finn smirked. “We don’t have a bed.”
He passed Finn a cup and sat down, ignoring the alarming creak of the old wood. “You’re not happy.”
Finn’s eyes widened. “With the house?”
