Room Enough To Love - J2 Mpreg - Chapter 6/?
Title: Room Enough To Love
Rating: PG this chapter
Author: angels3
Beta: munibunny
Word Count:5293/25829
Disclaimer: Unfortunately I have no claim to them.
Warnings: mpreg, talk of past abuse for center residents
Summary: Jensen and Jared have everything they've ever wanted. They have thier friends, family a beautiful daughter and twins on the way. Will an unforseen situation ruin all that or will they find they have more than they ever thought they did to give.
Author Note : I have no knowledge of medical practices in real life, nor fostering/adoption legalities. I do this for fun so I'm winging it.
Picture Bio
Chapter Index : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Jared disappeared to answer the door while Jensen stayed in his studio with the kids.
They'd decided earlier that since Jared had been the one speaking with Misha, he'd fill them in before Jensen and the kids were needed. They were hoping it would keep the kids from becoming too tense and getting more scared than they'd already be.
Jared ushered Misha and his wife, Samantha, into the living room, and took a seat across from them. He fidgeted a little, not really sure how to start the conversation. Samantha seemed to understand and jumped in, getting right down to business.
"So I hear there's been some new developments."
Jared smiled. "You could say that. I'm assuming Misha filled you in on everything so far?”
"He has except for last night."
Jared nodded and went on to explain how Jensen came to be at the studio, and what had happened after the kids had shown up.
"I'm sure that went over well," Misha commented when Jared mentioned Jensen going into the gallery alone.
"It wouldn't have if I'd known about it, but I had a late-night shoot and didn't get in until early this morning. I found Alex trying to sleep on the couch; two kids snuggled up in the bed upstairs, and Jensen sacked out in his clothes."
"Have you talked with Jensen about the fostering?" Samantha asked as she pulled out notebooks and folders.
"Yeah, he just wants to make sure we have the option of adopting them if you find there are no relatives."
"There are never any absolutes until the judge puts his signature on the adoption papers, but we always endeavor to give the fostering parent the first option of adoption if that's what they and the children want. Not all our parents who foster are in it to adopt."
Jared couldn't help but be confused by that, if not offended for all the kids put into that situation.
"Jared, you have to understand, if we didn't have parents willing to foster, we'd be drowning in abused and neglected children who would be further neglected by the system. We get some children when they're two years from adulthood, and these men and women take them in and give them love and support and, hopefully, get them on the right track when they go out on their own."
"I guess," Jared allowed. He still couldn't imagine taking a child in and loving them and not wanting to keep them. However, he could also see the gaps that could become overwhelming if there weren't people willing to fill them in and take a different approach of being more a friend and support system than a parent.
"Have they told you their names? Misha asked.
"Yeah, the little girl is Brayden. She's eleven and her brother is Xavier. He's six."
"Jesus Christ," Misha breathed, running his hands through his hair.
"Are there any signs of abuse that you could see?" Samantha asked as she jotted down notes.
"Not that we could see. They took a bath, but I left it up to Brayden. They don't really shy away from contact, not that we've offered much just in case since we don't know what they've been through. Brayden is a little more wary than Xavier, and he always looks to her for direction. The couple of times they've spoken about their parents, it's been in the past tense."
"What did they talk about?" Misha asked, leaning forward trying to release some of the tension settled in his shoulders.
"Brayden mentioned Xavier would watch their mom draw, but she preferred to read like her dad."
"So we're going with probable death then, I'm not getting the abandonment vibe like they'd been dropped off or left somewhere. I'll bet money there was talk of separating them, and they ran."
"Why in the world would anyone separate siblings, much less ones who've just lost parents?" Jared asked, horrified and angry.
"It's not something I agree with at all, but sometimes there are just no foster homes that can take two. Then there are times that the sibling bond outweighs the help that they can receive if they open up. There's a school of thought that if you separate them; it forces them to open up. I think it does quite the opposite, and the extra time should be given to build the trust, so they both open up."
"Damn stupid if you ask me," Misha grumbled.
Jared smiled. He was in total agreement with that statement.
"Well, no matter our thoughts on the wrongs and rights of it, these two have managed to stumble onto a pretty good situation as far as I can tell." Samantha sat back, shifting her papers into her case.
"Would you like me to go get Jensen and the kids?"
"That would be great. Is there somewhere I can sit and talk with the children alone?" Samantha asked, gathering the rest of her paperwork.
"Sure, you can use the media room. It'll be more comfortable in there. I'll show you the way and grab those documents so Misha can make sure we filled everything out correctly."
Jared left Samantha getting comfortable on the couch, and made a stop at his office to grab the paperwork before heading back to the studio to retrieve his husband and the kids. The room's mood had turned somber. Jensen was sitting on the couch with both kids curled up in the opposite corner.
"Are they ready for us?" Jensen asked when he realized Jared was standing in the doorway.
"Yeah, Samantha is waiting to talk with the kids while we talk to Misha."
Jensen frowned. Even though he'd known Samantha would want to talk to them alone; he didn't have to be happy about it. "Okay. Where's she at?"
"I put her in the media room, figured it would be the most comfortable for everyone. Misha's in the living room. I'm going to go ahead and take him the paperwork unless you want me to go with you?"
"No, I'll take them. I'd like to meet her before I leave her with the kids." Jensen smiled down at Xavier, trying to put him at ease. The little boy had been gripping his hand so tight he'd lost feeling in it.
Jensen tried to keep his nerves under wraps. He knew the children were already terrified, and if they got an inkling of just how worried he was, things wouldn't end well. Jensen took a deep breath and stepped into the media room, bringing Xavier with him as the little boy still hadn't released his hand. Brayden wasn't far behind, and Jensen was sure if her brother hadn't been ahead of her, she'd have dug in her heels and refused to go.
The woman sitting on the couch stood and smiled at the trio. She waited for them to move further into the room and then introduced herself.
"Hello, my name is Samantha."
Jensen took the offered hand and introduced himself; he held his breath not sure what either of the kids would do.
He was pleasantly surprised when Xavier copied him, telling Samantha his name, even if it was barely above a whisper. Brayden stepped around her brother and offered her hand as she eyed the woman for several moments before finally introducing herself.
Samantha waited until the kids had settled themselves on the other end of the couch before she took her seat again. Brayden and Xavier had squished themselves as far into the corner as they could, and it broke Jensen's heart to see them trying to disappear into the furniture.
"I'm going to be in the living room with Jared if you need me okay," Jensen tried to reassure the kids. He couldn't stop himself from running his fingers through Xavier's hair and tugging gently on Brayden's braid. Both kids looked up at him and nodded solemnly.
Jensen glanced over at Samantha finally nodding to himself and left the room before he couldn't make his feet move.
His morning sickness had eased off some, but he had the unpleasant feeling he was going to be revisiting the sensation before the day was over. He was grateful when Jared stood and wrapped his arms around him, backing them until they could both collapse onto the sofa.
"Hey, I know you're both worried about the kids, but Samantha is great. They'll be fine in there with her," Misha offered his own reassurances.
Jensen let out a long breath. He knew it wasn't going to do the babies or himself any good stressing about things he couldn't change. He'd just have to trust that everything would work itself out. Of course that didn't mean he wasn't above trying to push it along in the direction he wanted it to go.
***************
Jason watched as Melanie used several washcloths and sterile wipes to clean off the boy's face, neck and hands. The leaves and brush had already been combed carefully out of his hair, sealed up and handed off to the police that were waiting to take the kid’s clothes into evidence.
"When will they decide what they're going to do about all the breaks?" Jason broke the silence.
"Doctor Monroe is consulting with an orthopedists. They'll decide if any of the breaks need surgery, and if they'll set them now or wait."
"Wouldn't it be better to do it now?" Jason asked, confused.
"Most of the time the answer would be yes, but this poor thing has already had his fair share of trauma. His body is struggling with shock, too much, and it could shut down completely. It's always a balancing act in cases like his to make sure you don't do more harm than good."
Before he could ask any more questions, there was a light knock on the door and two men in white coats walked in. Jason recognized Dr. Monroe as the ER doctor, and the other man introduced himself as Dr. Phillips.
"I understand there's no family available," Dr. Phillips stated, looking over at the boy in the bed.
"Not at this time. We don't know who he is. Even if there were someone available, I don't know that I'd be comfortable with them making any medical decisions."
"So you think they might be involved?"
"There's always the chance and I'm not big on taking chances with someone else's life."
Dr. Phillips nodded, taking the chart that Dr. Monroe offered him and looking over it again. "Well, since we don't have anyone who can make medical decisions for him, and we have no positive identification at this time, we're going to treat him as a John Doe."
"Okay. Can you tell me what you're going to do for him?"
"Typically, I wouldn't, but I know Chris, and I'm sure he'll be here before we're out of surgery. Since I know just how patient he's not, I'm going to give you a quick overview so you can stall him for me." The doctor flashed a wide grin at Jason's groan.
"Sorry, son, there's always a price to pay for information, some not so pleasant as others. Since he's made some headway towards stabilizing, we're going to go in and try to set the breaks to his leg and arm. Once we see how that goes, we'll decide about his ribs. There was some pretty significant damage, but he's young, and I tend to think
he'll do better healing on his own than us going in there fiddling around with them."
"How long will the surgery take?" Jason glanced at his watch, checking the time.
"Really depends what we find when we get in there. It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours, unless we run across some complications. We're using a surgery suite, that way we can keep him sedated, no sense in putting anymore stress on his nervous system if we don't have to."
"They'll be down here in just a few minutes to wheel him up to the fourth floor. There're a couple of waiting rooms up there if you want to use one. I'm sure there's one that's empty this time of night," Dr. Phillips offered, knowing the man wouldn't be found far from his charge.
"I'll head up there when they come to get him," Jason agreed, retaking his seat as the doctors left.
***************
Samantha came back to the living room almost an hour after Jensen had left the children with her. She motioned him back into his chair when he made to get up and check on them.
"They're fine. I left them watching Finding Nemo, and I told them I wanted to talk to you for a bit. I'd like to tell you how the visit went before they get bored and come looking for you."
"Okay," Jensen agreed, even though he was torn between learning what Samantha had found out and checking on the kids.
"I promise it won't take long." She cleared her throat. "They've already established a bond with you, Jensen, and I'm sure with a little more time they'll do the same with you." She addressed Jared.
Jared nodded his understanding. "Did they tell you what happened to their parents?"
"They were killed in a car accident. Brayden didn't know very many details, just that they hadn't been in the hospital after. I'm assuming they died instantly or not long after, since the children were informed without ever getting to see them."
"Were there no relatives?" Jensen swallowed around the lump in his throat. As much as he'd come to care for them, if they had someone who would love them in their own family, they should be with them.
"Xavier didn't seem to know, but Brayden said there weren’t any. Now that I have their last names and where they're from, I can do some checking, and see what their circumstances were.
"What's their last name...
"Where are they from....
Jared and Jensen glanced at each other as they asked their questions at the same time. Jared shrugged and looked back at Samantha, waiting for an answer.
She smiled at them both. "Their last name is Thomas, and they're from Andersonville."
"That's on the other side of the state. How in the heck did they get all the way over here?" Jared asked, appalled at all the things that could have happened to them.
"Brayden wasn't very forthcoming about that, but Xavier said they walked a lot, sticking to wooded areas, mostly. I think there's more to it than that, but with this being my first meeting with them, I didn't want to push and have them both clam up.”
Jensen felt sick to his stomach just thinking about what Brayden's reluctance meant, but he knew there was nothing he could do now but love and support both the kids.
"So what's our next step?" Jared asked, trying really hard not to dwell on the details that they didn't know.
"Well, they need to be examined by a doctor, make sure they're in good health. I'd say overall they look decent, maybe a few pound's underweight, although I'm sure you'll have that taken care of in no time." Samantha answered as she made a notation in her notes.
"I'm going to file your paperwork as soon as we get done here. I don't foresee any problems with them going through, but I'll call you when it's all official," Misha spoke for the first time since his wife had come back into the room.
"Is there someone specific we should take them to, to have them checked out?" Jensen asked, as he ran through all the names at Avery's pediatrician, and the ones from the clinic trying to match up who the kids would respond to better.
"No, although I'd suggest a female with Brayden. I'm not sure that anything happened to her, but even if it didn't at her age, she may be more comfortable with one," Samantha suggested.
Jensen nodded, even as he continued to consider and discard physicians in his head. Jared watched him for a moment and then turned back to Samantha, realizing she had started gathering up all her notes and preparing to leave.
Jared stood, helping Jensen gain enough leverage to do the same. "Why don't you go check on the kids while I see our
guests out."
Jensen sighed, relieved that he finally had an excuse to check on the children. He shook both Misha and Samantha's hands, thanking them profusely for all their help before he made his way as quickly as he could down the hall.
Jared ushered their guests to the door, following his husband's lead and thanking them both. He cleared his throat, trying to decide whether to ask one last question, only to find Misha waiting patiently for him to voice it.
"Will there be any problems with the fact that they're from another county?"
"I wouldn't think there would be. There's not a child service department out there that's not overwhelmed. Honestly, they'll probably be relieved to have it off their plate," Misha explained grimly.
"How does Samantha deal with that day in and day out?" Jared asked, looking over at the car where the woman in question was waiting.
"She wants to help, even though she knows it's not always going to be fairy tales and happy endings. She truly wants that for all the kids, and no matter how much it breaks her heart, she just doesn't give up. Her success rate is envied state wide, so I don't think you've got a thing to worry about."
***************
Jared and Jensen spent the rest of the afternoon trying to bring a sense of normalcy back into the children's day. It hadn't taken long for Xavier to fall asleep curled up on the sofa with Sadie, the emotional drain finally getting the best of him. Brayden, still filled with nervous energy, had disappeared into the library room, and when Jared had stuck his head in to check on her, found her stretched out napping with a book propped on her knees.
He'd finally managed to talk Jensen into laying down, even though it came with conditions. Jared had crawled into bed behind his husband, keeping up his end of the bargain. Jensen shifted until his back was tucked up tight with Jared's chest and let out a huge sigh. The quiet wrapped around them, giving them some much-needed time to think and
reconnect.
"What are we going to tell Avery?" Jensen asked through a yawn.
"The truth." Jared smiled into Jensen's neck when his husband huffed.
"I know that. I mean how are we going to tell her?"
"We're not. I'll have to tell her unless you want to pick her up from Grandma’s."
"Crap, I hadn't even thought about one of us having to stay here," Jensen grumbled.
"I know; I'd rather both of us be there, but the kids have already had a rough day. I don't think meeting my parents after everything else would help, it's going to be hard enough bringing Avery home and making sure they all feel okay with the situation."
"I know you're right; I just feel like I'm leaving you to do the hard work. What are you going to tell your parents?"
"The truth." Jared snickered as Jensen made an aborted attempt to turn over.
"If I weren't so tired, I'd pinch you," Jensen grumbled.
"I guess the same thing I'm going to tell Avery, just in a different way. I mean, I can't see any other way of doing it."
"Do you think they'll be upset?"
"Upset, no. Worried, probably. They know carrying twins isn't easy for you. "
"I've been doing pretty good," Jensen argued.
"Yes, you have, but you're not even halfway there, and Dr. Agnit's already told you it was going to be a lot harder than with Avery."
"I know. I just want things to work out."
"They will, but you have to keep your stress down, and let me do some of the hard work. Okay?"
"Okay," Jensen agreed, trying to stifle another yawn.
"Get some rest while you have the chance. Once Avery gets home, it's going to be a whole new ball game,"" Jared
murmered around his won yawn.
***************
Jason was contemplating beating his head against the wall just to relieve his boredom, when the door to the waiting room was pushed open. His shoulders slumped when it was Chris instead of the doctor.
"I'm assuming from your lack of greeting they've not told you anything." Chris dropped into the seat beside him.
"No, it hasn’t been as long as the doctor said it could be. I was just hoping it would be over sooner."
Chris looked over at the man beside him. He'd not had many interactions with Jason, but Steve seemed to like him well enough. "You could head on home. I can stay until they get him settled."
"I'm not leaving until we find out how the hell he got into those woods and who messed him up like he was," Jason growled.
Chris inclined his head in understanding. "I thought you might say that. Cliff told me to let you know that Derrick would be by in a few hours to relieve you."
"Okay. I'm still not leaving."
"Yeah, Derrick is bringing your bag since Cliff figured you would say that."
The door opened again, and both men looked up. Melanie slipped into the room a sheet of paper clutched in her hand.
Jason stood, meeting her halfway. "Have you heard anything?"
"No, but it shouldn't be much longer. I was able to get you a copy of the boy's ID before they turned everything over to the police They didn't find it to start with because it was wedged inside his shoe." Melanie pushed the paper into his hand. "I've got to get back to my floor before someone needs me."
"Thanks for getting this for us."
"You just make sure you take care of him," She answered, smiling before she ducked back out the door.
"So the tales are true," Chris observed, amused.
"I'm sorry?" Jason asked distractedly.
"You can charm your way into all manner of trouble."
"I've no idea what you're talking about." Jason glanced up.
"So what's the boys name?"
"Steven Strait, he just turned nineteen." Jason handed the paper to Chris after he'd memorized all the pertinent details.
The door opened again before Chris could say anything, and Dr. Phillips walked in. Jason relaxed when the doctor smiled at him and gestured for them to take a seat.
"It's good to see you again Chris. I just wish it weren't under the same-old circumstances."
"I know what you mean, but with our jobs I don't see it changing anytime soon," Chris responded.
"Our patient did well; we didn't find anything we weren't expecting. He's going to have a long road ahead of him,
and he'll definitely have some physical therapy, but he's young so I'm expecting him to make a full recovery."
"Will he be back in the same room or are you moving him to another one?"
"He'll go back to the same room, but it's going to be at least an hour or more. He's still in the recovery unit, and we won't move him down until we can take the breathing tube out."
Jason and Chris both stood as the doctor did. "I'll let the desk know that you'll both be there when they bring him down," Dr. Phillips said as he shook both their hands.
They parted ways, Chris calling Steve to let him know what they'd found out so far, Jason, so he could get Ash working on Steven's background. When both had finished their respective business, they reconvened in the boy's room and waited for him to be brought back down.
***************
The nap did everyone a great deal of good. Xavier had regained his pep, and while Brayden wasn't as exuberant as her brother, she seemed to be a lot more relaxed. Jared left shortly after they'd all had a quick snack, and Jensen spent his time working with Natalie to reorganize schedules so he could take a few days off. It would take them some time to get the basics settled for two more children in their lives. He still needed to call Steve and see who was going to be at the clinic. If anyone was well versed with traumatized children, it was the doctors who volunteered there.
He wasn't really worried that their friends would support them, but just like Jared's parents, he knew they were going to be worried. Jensen had been thinking about Jared's desire for him to have some help. He hated the thought of not being able to do everything himself, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have someone help him with the tedious stuff. He could spend his time being with the kids instead of washing clothes and vacuuming.
Xavier came running into the living room distracting Jensen from his train of thought.
"Jensen can I take the dogs out?"
"Not on your own. Why don't you see if Brayden wants to get some fresh air, and I'll get my shoes okay?”
"Okay!" The little boy agreed before dashing out of the room in search of his sister.
Jensen smiled to himself; it was going to be interesting to see how Xavier responded to poop patrol.
*****
Jared spent his trip to his parents rehearsing what he was going to tell them. There wasn't any real way to tell them separately because as soon as he stepped foot in the house, Avery would be all over him. His parents would of course give him some privacy if he wanted to speak with Avery alone, but he had no illusions that as soon as they walked back into the room she wouldn't blurt out the new information. He resigned himself to kill two birds with one stone, and hoped things would go better than he expected.
As predicted, Avery attached herself to Jared's legs and refused to be swayed. He did the shuffle walk into the living room with her riding his left foot, giggling the whole way. When he finally collapsed onto the couch, she crawled onto his lap and planted a sloppy wet kiss against his cheek.
"I miss you Papa!"
"I missed you too Avery. Did you have fun at grandmas?"
"Yes!" The little girl exclaimed.
"That's good; I've got something to talk to you about. Can you sit down here beside me?"
Jared waited until she had settled on the cushion and glanced up at his mom who was standing inside the doorway. "You remember how I told you daddy was having two babies, and you were going to be a big sister?"
"Yup," Avery nodded her head, her curls bouncing all around.
"Well, what if I told you, you could be a big sister and a little sister all at the same time?" Jared asked, holding his breath for the little girl's reaction.
Avery screwed up her face in thought. "I be both?"
"Yes, me and daddy had some visitors come to his gallery, and they need someone to take care of them."
"What's their name?"
"Well, there's a little boy, he's not much older than you, only six and his name is Xavier. The little girl's name is Brayden, and she's eleven."
Avery tried several times to pronounce the names, but they were just too difficult for her. "I can't say 'em." Her lip wobbled a little.
"Hey, that's okay. When we get home we'll see if we can come up with some shorter names you can say. It'll be your special name for them."
"Weally?" The little girl asked, awed.
"How about you go get your stuff packed so we can go home, and you can meet them."
"Okay!" Avery shouted and scooted off the couch. She'd almost made it to the door before she slowed down, and came
back.
"Papa?"
"Yes."
"Where their daddies?" Jared heard his mom make a choked noise over his shoulder, but he ignored her, making sure all his attention was on his little girl.
"Well, they didn't have two daddies; they had a mommy and a daddy. You remember how we talked about all the different types of families?"
"Huh uh," Avery nodded her head. "But where are they?"
"They were in an accident, and they can't be here anymore." Jared cringed. There was just no right way to explain death to a four-year-old.
Avery thought for a minute looking sad, and Jared was sure she was going to cry, but his baby was always full of surprises. He watched as she got that look in her eye that made her look even more like Jensen.
"Then you can be their papa," She stated before skipping out of the room in search of her backpack.
"That's the plan munchkin," Jared mumbled, running his hands through his hair, and glancing up at his mom as she came fully into the room.
"What exactly have you gotten yourself into Jared?" Sherri asked as she took a seat across from her son.
"We were finally able to get our hands on the kids who were sneaking into the gallery."
"I figured that out on my own, son. What I'd like to know is at what point you and Jensen decided to keep them?"
"There wasn't really a point, I'd been thinking about it since we saw them on the security footage," Jared admitted sitting back on the couch.
"What did Jensen have to say about it?"
"We honestly hadn't talked about it until this morning. I didn't want to bring it up when it was only a hypothetical. He was stressed enough just thinking about them being out there alone."
"I'm assuming he'd been thinking the same thing?" Sherri asked her son quietly.
"Yeah, he didn't want to say anything, in case it wasn't something I was onboard with."
"Jared, you had to know that's what he was going to want to do."
"Mama, I've known Jensen practically all my life, of course I knew that's what he was going to want. That doesn't mean I didn't weigh all the pros and cons."
"How are you going to manage going from one to three, not to mention going from three to five in just a few months?"
"We'll figure it out just like other families have. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, and there won't be hiccups along the way, but I know we can do it. I wouldn't have even considered it if I thought we couldn't."
"Okay, then I guess I get to tell your father. He’s become a grandpa again a little earlier than we thought," Sherri stated just as Avery came flying across the room, her backpack dragging the floor behind her.
"Can we go now papa!" Avery asked, jumping up and down.
"Go get your coat first, I don't want you catching a cold."
"Then can we go?" She asked excitedly.
"Yes, then we'll go," Jared assured her.
"You give me a call when everything gets settled, I want to meet the newest additions," Sherri told her son as she gave him a big hug.
"I will mom, just as soon as we get everything worked out." Jared hugged his mom back.
Avery came running back into the room, her coat flapping behind her. "I got it!" she shouted.
It didn't take long for Jared to get her coat on and settled into her car seat, and then they were off for Avery to meet what he hoped would be her new brother and sister.
Next
Rating: PG this chapter
Author: angels3
Beta: munibunny
Word Count:5293/25829
Disclaimer: Unfortunately I have no claim to them.
Warnings: mpreg, talk of past abuse for center residents
Summary: Jensen and Jared have everything they've ever wanted. They have thier friends, family a beautiful daughter and twins on the way. Will an unforseen situation ruin all that or will they find they have more than they ever thought they did to give.
Author Note : I have no knowledge of medical practices in real life, nor fostering/adoption legalities. I do this for fun so I'm winging it.
Picture Bio
Chapter Index : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Jared disappeared to answer the door while Jensen stayed in his studio with the kids.
They'd decided earlier that since Jared had been the one speaking with Misha, he'd fill them in before Jensen and the kids were needed. They were hoping it would keep the kids from becoming too tense and getting more scared than they'd already be.
Jared ushered Misha and his wife, Samantha, into the living room, and took a seat across from them. He fidgeted a little, not really sure how to start the conversation. Samantha seemed to understand and jumped in, getting right down to business.
"So I hear there's been some new developments."
Jared smiled. "You could say that. I'm assuming Misha filled you in on everything so far?”
"He has except for last night."
Jared nodded and went on to explain how Jensen came to be at the studio, and what had happened after the kids had shown up.
"I'm sure that went over well," Misha commented when Jared mentioned Jensen going into the gallery alone.
"It wouldn't have if I'd known about it, but I had a late-night shoot and didn't get in until early this morning. I found Alex trying to sleep on the couch; two kids snuggled up in the bed upstairs, and Jensen sacked out in his clothes."
"Have you talked with Jensen about the fostering?" Samantha asked as she pulled out notebooks and folders.
"Yeah, he just wants to make sure we have the option of adopting them if you find there are no relatives."
"There are never any absolutes until the judge puts his signature on the adoption papers, but we always endeavor to give the fostering parent the first option of adoption if that's what they and the children want. Not all our parents who foster are in it to adopt."
Jared couldn't help but be confused by that, if not offended for all the kids put into that situation.
"Jared, you have to understand, if we didn't have parents willing to foster, we'd be drowning in abused and neglected children who would be further neglected by the system. We get some children when they're two years from adulthood, and these men and women take them in and give them love and support and, hopefully, get them on the right track when they go out on their own."
"I guess," Jared allowed. He still couldn't imagine taking a child in and loving them and not wanting to keep them. However, he could also see the gaps that could become overwhelming if there weren't people willing to fill them in and take a different approach of being more a friend and support system than a parent.
"Have they told you their names? Misha asked.
"Yeah, the little girl is Brayden. She's eleven and her brother is Xavier. He's six."
"Jesus Christ," Misha breathed, running his hands through his hair.
"Are there any signs of abuse that you could see?" Samantha asked as she jotted down notes.
"Not that we could see. They took a bath, but I left it up to Brayden. They don't really shy away from contact, not that we've offered much just in case since we don't know what they've been through. Brayden is a little more wary than Xavier, and he always looks to her for direction. The couple of times they've spoken about their parents, it's been in the past tense."
"What did they talk about?" Misha asked, leaning forward trying to release some of the tension settled in his shoulders.
"Brayden mentioned Xavier would watch their mom draw, but she preferred to read like her dad."
"So we're going with probable death then, I'm not getting the abandonment vibe like they'd been dropped off or left somewhere. I'll bet money there was talk of separating them, and they ran."
"Why in the world would anyone separate siblings, much less ones who've just lost parents?" Jared asked, horrified and angry.
"It's not something I agree with at all, but sometimes there are just no foster homes that can take two. Then there are times that the sibling bond outweighs the help that they can receive if they open up. There's a school of thought that if you separate them; it forces them to open up. I think it does quite the opposite, and the extra time should be given to build the trust, so they both open up."
"Damn stupid if you ask me," Misha grumbled.
Jared smiled. He was in total agreement with that statement.
"Well, no matter our thoughts on the wrongs and rights of it, these two have managed to stumble onto a pretty good situation as far as I can tell." Samantha sat back, shifting her papers into her case.
"Would you like me to go get Jensen and the kids?"
"That would be great. Is there somewhere I can sit and talk with the children alone?" Samantha asked, gathering the rest of her paperwork.
"Sure, you can use the media room. It'll be more comfortable in there. I'll show you the way and grab those documents so Misha can make sure we filled everything out correctly."
Jared left Samantha getting comfortable on the couch, and made a stop at his office to grab the paperwork before heading back to the studio to retrieve his husband and the kids. The room's mood had turned somber. Jensen was sitting on the couch with both kids curled up in the opposite corner.
"Are they ready for us?" Jensen asked when he realized Jared was standing in the doorway.
"Yeah, Samantha is waiting to talk with the kids while we talk to Misha."
Jensen frowned. Even though he'd known Samantha would want to talk to them alone; he didn't have to be happy about it. "Okay. Where's she at?"
"I put her in the media room, figured it would be the most comfortable for everyone. Misha's in the living room. I'm going to go ahead and take him the paperwork unless you want me to go with you?"
"No, I'll take them. I'd like to meet her before I leave her with the kids." Jensen smiled down at Xavier, trying to put him at ease. The little boy had been gripping his hand so tight he'd lost feeling in it.
Jensen tried to keep his nerves under wraps. He knew the children were already terrified, and if they got an inkling of just how worried he was, things wouldn't end well. Jensen took a deep breath and stepped into the media room, bringing Xavier with him as the little boy still hadn't released his hand. Brayden wasn't far behind, and Jensen was sure if her brother hadn't been ahead of her, she'd have dug in her heels and refused to go.
The woman sitting on the couch stood and smiled at the trio. She waited for them to move further into the room and then introduced herself.
"Hello, my name is Samantha."
Jensen took the offered hand and introduced himself; he held his breath not sure what either of the kids would do.
He was pleasantly surprised when Xavier copied him, telling Samantha his name, even if it was barely above a whisper. Brayden stepped around her brother and offered her hand as she eyed the woman for several moments before finally introducing herself.
Samantha waited until the kids had settled themselves on the other end of the couch before she took her seat again. Brayden and Xavier had squished themselves as far into the corner as they could, and it broke Jensen's heart to see them trying to disappear into the furniture.
"I'm going to be in the living room with Jared if you need me okay," Jensen tried to reassure the kids. He couldn't stop himself from running his fingers through Xavier's hair and tugging gently on Brayden's braid. Both kids looked up at him and nodded solemnly.
Jensen glanced over at Samantha finally nodding to himself and left the room before he couldn't make his feet move.
His morning sickness had eased off some, but he had the unpleasant feeling he was going to be revisiting the sensation before the day was over. He was grateful when Jared stood and wrapped his arms around him, backing them until they could both collapse onto the sofa.
"Hey, I know you're both worried about the kids, but Samantha is great. They'll be fine in there with her," Misha offered his own reassurances.
Jensen let out a long breath. He knew it wasn't going to do the babies or himself any good stressing about things he couldn't change. He'd just have to trust that everything would work itself out. Of course that didn't mean he wasn't above trying to push it along in the direction he wanted it to go.
***************
Jason watched as Melanie used several washcloths and sterile wipes to clean off the boy's face, neck and hands. The leaves and brush had already been combed carefully out of his hair, sealed up and handed off to the police that were waiting to take the kid’s clothes into evidence.
"When will they decide what they're going to do about all the breaks?" Jason broke the silence.
"Doctor Monroe is consulting with an orthopedists. They'll decide if any of the breaks need surgery, and if they'll set them now or wait."
"Wouldn't it be better to do it now?" Jason asked, confused.
"Most of the time the answer would be yes, but this poor thing has already had his fair share of trauma. His body is struggling with shock, too much, and it could shut down completely. It's always a balancing act in cases like his to make sure you don't do more harm than good."
Before he could ask any more questions, there was a light knock on the door and two men in white coats walked in. Jason recognized Dr. Monroe as the ER doctor, and the other man introduced himself as Dr. Phillips.
"I understand there's no family available," Dr. Phillips stated, looking over at the boy in the bed.
"Not at this time. We don't know who he is. Even if there were someone available, I don't know that I'd be comfortable with them making any medical decisions."
"So you think they might be involved?"
"There's always the chance and I'm not big on taking chances with someone else's life."
Dr. Phillips nodded, taking the chart that Dr. Monroe offered him and looking over it again. "Well, since we don't have anyone who can make medical decisions for him, and we have no positive identification at this time, we're going to treat him as a John Doe."
"Okay. Can you tell me what you're going to do for him?"
"Typically, I wouldn't, but I know Chris, and I'm sure he'll be here before we're out of surgery. Since I know just how patient he's not, I'm going to give you a quick overview so you can stall him for me." The doctor flashed a wide grin at Jason's groan.
"Sorry, son, there's always a price to pay for information, some not so pleasant as others. Since he's made some headway towards stabilizing, we're going to go in and try to set the breaks to his leg and arm. Once we see how that goes, we'll decide about his ribs. There was some pretty significant damage, but he's young, and I tend to think
he'll do better healing on his own than us going in there fiddling around with them."
"How long will the surgery take?" Jason glanced at his watch, checking the time.
"Really depends what we find when we get in there. It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours, unless we run across some complications. We're using a surgery suite, that way we can keep him sedated, no sense in putting anymore stress on his nervous system if we don't have to."
"They'll be down here in just a few minutes to wheel him up to the fourth floor. There're a couple of waiting rooms up there if you want to use one. I'm sure there's one that's empty this time of night," Dr. Phillips offered, knowing the man wouldn't be found far from his charge.
"I'll head up there when they come to get him," Jason agreed, retaking his seat as the doctors left.
***************
Samantha came back to the living room almost an hour after Jensen had left the children with her. She motioned him back into his chair when he made to get up and check on them.
"They're fine. I left them watching Finding Nemo, and I told them I wanted to talk to you for a bit. I'd like to tell you how the visit went before they get bored and come looking for you."
"Okay," Jensen agreed, even though he was torn between learning what Samantha had found out and checking on the kids.
"I promise it won't take long." She cleared her throat. "They've already established a bond with you, Jensen, and I'm sure with a little more time they'll do the same with you." She addressed Jared.
Jared nodded his understanding. "Did they tell you what happened to their parents?"
"They were killed in a car accident. Brayden didn't know very many details, just that they hadn't been in the hospital after. I'm assuming they died instantly or not long after, since the children were informed without ever getting to see them."
"Were there no relatives?" Jensen swallowed around the lump in his throat. As much as he'd come to care for them, if they had someone who would love them in their own family, they should be with them.
"Xavier didn't seem to know, but Brayden said there weren’t any. Now that I have their last names and where they're from, I can do some checking, and see what their circumstances were.
"What's their last name...
"Where are they from....
Jared and Jensen glanced at each other as they asked their questions at the same time. Jared shrugged and looked back at Samantha, waiting for an answer.
She smiled at them both. "Their last name is Thomas, and they're from Andersonville."
"That's on the other side of the state. How in the heck did they get all the way over here?" Jared asked, appalled at all the things that could have happened to them.
"Brayden wasn't very forthcoming about that, but Xavier said they walked a lot, sticking to wooded areas, mostly. I think there's more to it than that, but with this being my first meeting with them, I didn't want to push and have them both clam up.”
Jensen felt sick to his stomach just thinking about what Brayden's reluctance meant, but he knew there was nothing he could do now but love and support both the kids.
"So what's our next step?" Jared asked, trying really hard not to dwell on the details that they didn't know.
"Well, they need to be examined by a doctor, make sure they're in good health. I'd say overall they look decent, maybe a few pound's underweight, although I'm sure you'll have that taken care of in no time." Samantha answered as she made a notation in her notes.
"I'm going to file your paperwork as soon as we get done here. I don't foresee any problems with them going through, but I'll call you when it's all official," Misha spoke for the first time since his wife had come back into the room.
"Is there someone specific we should take them to, to have them checked out?" Jensen asked, as he ran through all the names at Avery's pediatrician, and the ones from the clinic trying to match up who the kids would respond to better.
"No, although I'd suggest a female with Brayden. I'm not sure that anything happened to her, but even if it didn't at her age, she may be more comfortable with one," Samantha suggested.
Jensen nodded, even as he continued to consider and discard physicians in his head. Jared watched him for a moment and then turned back to Samantha, realizing she had started gathering up all her notes and preparing to leave.
Jared stood, helping Jensen gain enough leverage to do the same. "Why don't you go check on the kids while I see our
guests out."
Jensen sighed, relieved that he finally had an excuse to check on the children. He shook both Misha and Samantha's hands, thanking them profusely for all their help before he made his way as quickly as he could down the hall.
Jared ushered their guests to the door, following his husband's lead and thanking them both. He cleared his throat, trying to decide whether to ask one last question, only to find Misha waiting patiently for him to voice it.
"Will there be any problems with the fact that they're from another county?"
"I wouldn't think there would be. There's not a child service department out there that's not overwhelmed. Honestly, they'll probably be relieved to have it off their plate," Misha explained grimly.
"How does Samantha deal with that day in and day out?" Jared asked, looking over at the car where the woman in question was waiting.
"She wants to help, even though she knows it's not always going to be fairy tales and happy endings. She truly wants that for all the kids, and no matter how much it breaks her heart, she just doesn't give up. Her success rate is envied state wide, so I don't think you've got a thing to worry about."
***************
Jared and Jensen spent the rest of the afternoon trying to bring a sense of normalcy back into the children's day. It hadn't taken long for Xavier to fall asleep curled up on the sofa with Sadie, the emotional drain finally getting the best of him. Brayden, still filled with nervous energy, had disappeared into the library room, and when Jared had stuck his head in to check on her, found her stretched out napping with a book propped on her knees.
He'd finally managed to talk Jensen into laying down, even though it came with conditions. Jared had crawled into bed behind his husband, keeping up his end of the bargain. Jensen shifted until his back was tucked up tight with Jared's chest and let out a huge sigh. The quiet wrapped around them, giving them some much-needed time to think and
reconnect.
"What are we going to tell Avery?" Jensen asked through a yawn.
"The truth." Jared smiled into Jensen's neck when his husband huffed.
"I know that. I mean how are we going to tell her?"
"We're not. I'll have to tell her unless you want to pick her up from Grandma’s."
"Crap, I hadn't even thought about one of us having to stay here," Jensen grumbled.
"I know; I'd rather both of us be there, but the kids have already had a rough day. I don't think meeting my parents after everything else would help, it's going to be hard enough bringing Avery home and making sure they all feel okay with the situation."
"I know you're right; I just feel like I'm leaving you to do the hard work. What are you going to tell your parents?"
"The truth." Jared snickered as Jensen made an aborted attempt to turn over.
"If I weren't so tired, I'd pinch you," Jensen grumbled.
"I guess the same thing I'm going to tell Avery, just in a different way. I mean, I can't see any other way of doing it."
"Do you think they'll be upset?"
"Upset, no. Worried, probably. They know carrying twins isn't easy for you. "
"I've been doing pretty good," Jensen argued.
"Yes, you have, but you're not even halfway there, and Dr. Agnit's already told you it was going to be a lot harder than with Avery."
"I know. I just want things to work out."
"They will, but you have to keep your stress down, and let me do some of the hard work. Okay?"
"Okay," Jensen agreed, trying to stifle another yawn.
"Get some rest while you have the chance. Once Avery gets home, it's going to be a whole new ball game,"" Jared
murmered around his won yawn.
***************
Jason was contemplating beating his head against the wall just to relieve his boredom, when the door to the waiting room was pushed open. His shoulders slumped when it was Chris instead of the doctor.
"I'm assuming from your lack of greeting they've not told you anything." Chris dropped into the seat beside him.
"No, it hasn’t been as long as the doctor said it could be. I was just hoping it would be over sooner."
Chris looked over at the man beside him. He'd not had many interactions with Jason, but Steve seemed to like him well enough. "You could head on home. I can stay until they get him settled."
"I'm not leaving until we find out how the hell he got into those woods and who messed him up like he was," Jason growled.
Chris inclined his head in understanding. "I thought you might say that. Cliff told me to let you know that Derrick would be by in a few hours to relieve you."
"Okay. I'm still not leaving."
"Yeah, Derrick is bringing your bag since Cliff figured you would say that."
The door opened again, and both men looked up. Melanie slipped into the room a sheet of paper clutched in her hand.
Jason stood, meeting her halfway. "Have you heard anything?"
"No, but it shouldn't be much longer. I was able to get you a copy of the boy's ID before they turned everything over to the police They didn't find it to start with because it was wedged inside his shoe." Melanie pushed the paper into his hand. "I've got to get back to my floor before someone needs me."
"Thanks for getting this for us."
"You just make sure you take care of him," She answered, smiling before she ducked back out the door.
"So the tales are true," Chris observed, amused.
"I'm sorry?" Jason asked distractedly.
"You can charm your way into all manner of trouble."
"I've no idea what you're talking about." Jason glanced up.
"So what's the boys name?"
"Steven Strait, he just turned nineteen." Jason handed the paper to Chris after he'd memorized all the pertinent details.
The door opened again before Chris could say anything, and Dr. Phillips walked in. Jason relaxed when the doctor smiled at him and gestured for them to take a seat.
"It's good to see you again Chris. I just wish it weren't under the same-old circumstances."
"I know what you mean, but with our jobs I don't see it changing anytime soon," Chris responded.
"Our patient did well; we didn't find anything we weren't expecting. He's going to have a long road ahead of him,
and he'll definitely have some physical therapy, but he's young so I'm expecting him to make a full recovery."
"Will he be back in the same room or are you moving him to another one?"
"He'll go back to the same room, but it's going to be at least an hour or more. He's still in the recovery unit, and we won't move him down until we can take the breathing tube out."
Jason and Chris both stood as the doctor did. "I'll let the desk know that you'll both be there when they bring him down," Dr. Phillips said as he shook both their hands.
They parted ways, Chris calling Steve to let him know what they'd found out so far, Jason, so he could get Ash working on Steven's background. When both had finished their respective business, they reconvened in the boy's room and waited for him to be brought back down.
***************
The nap did everyone a great deal of good. Xavier had regained his pep, and while Brayden wasn't as exuberant as her brother, she seemed to be a lot more relaxed. Jared left shortly after they'd all had a quick snack, and Jensen spent his time working with Natalie to reorganize schedules so he could take a few days off. It would take them some time to get the basics settled for two more children in their lives. He still needed to call Steve and see who was going to be at the clinic. If anyone was well versed with traumatized children, it was the doctors who volunteered there.
He wasn't really worried that their friends would support them, but just like Jared's parents, he knew they were going to be worried. Jensen had been thinking about Jared's desire for him to have some help. He hated the thought of not being able to do everything himself, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have someone help him with the tedious stuff. He could spend his time being with the kids instead of washing clothes and vacuuming.
Xavier came running into the living room distracting Jensen from his train of thought.
"Jensen can I take the dogs out?"
"Not on your own. Why don't you see if Brayden wants to get some fresh air, and I'll get my shoes okay?”
"Okay!" The little boy agreed before dashing out of the room in search of his sister.
Jensen smiled to himself; it was going to be interesting to see how Xavier responded to poop patrol.
*****
Jared spent his trip to his parents rehearsing what he was going to tell them. There wasn't any real way to tell them separately because as soon as he stepped foot in the house, Avery would be all over him. His parents would of course give him some privacy if he wanted to speak with Avery alone, but he had no illusions that as soon as they walked back into the room she wouldn't blurt out the new information. He resigned himself to kill two birds with one stone, and hoped things would go better than he expected.
As predicted, Avery attached herself to Jared's legs and refused to be swayed. He did the shuffle walk into the living room with her riding his left foot, giggling the whole way. When he finally collapsed onto the couch, she crawled onto his lap and planted a sloppy wet kiss against his cheek.
"I miss you Papa!"
"I missed you too Avery. Did you have fun at grandmas?"
"Yes!" The little girl exclaimed.
"That's good; I've got something to talk to you about. Can you sit down here beside me?"
Jared waited until she had settled on the cushion and glanced up at his mom who was standing inside the doorway. "You remember how I told you daddy was having two babies, and you were going to be a big sister?"
"Yup," Avery nodded her head, her curls bouncing all around.
"Well, what if I told you, you could be a big sister and a little sister all at the same time?" Jared asked, holding his breath for the little girl's reaction.
Avery screwed up her face in thought. "I be both?"
"Yes, me and daddy had some visitors come to his gallery, and they need someone to take care of them."
"What's their name?"
"Well, there's a little boy, he's not much older than you, only six and his name is Xavier. The little girl's name is Brayden, and she's eleven."
Avery tried several times to pronounce the names, but they were just too difficult for her. "I can't say 'em." Her lip wobbled a little.
"Hey, that's okay. When we get home we'll see if we can come up with some shorter names you can say. It'll be your special name for them."
"Weally?" The little girl asked, awed.
"How about you go get your stuff packed so we can go home, and you can meet them."
"Okay!" Avery shouted and scooted off the couch. She'd almost made it to the door before she slowed down, and came
back.
"Papa?"
"Yes."
"Where their daddies?" Jared heard his mom make a choked noise over his shoulder, but he ignored her, making sure all his attention was on his little girl.
"Well, they didn't have two daddies; they had a mommy and a daddy. You remember how we talked about all the different types of families?"
"Huh uh," Avery nodded her head. "But where are they?"
"They were in an accident, and they can't be here anymore." Jared cringed. There was just no right way to explain death to a four-year-old.
Avery thought for a minute looking sad, and Jared was sure she was going to cry, but his baby was always full of surprises. He watched as she got that look in her eye that made her look even more like Jensen.
"Then you can be their papa," She stated before skipping out of the room in search of her backpack.
"That's the plan munchkin," Jared mumbled, running his hands through his hair, and glancing up at his mom as she came fully into the room.
"What exactly have you gotten yourself into Jared?" Sherri asked as she took a seat across from her son.
"We were finally able to get our hands on the kids who were sneaking into the gallery."
"I figured that out on my own, son. What I'd like to know is at what point you and Jensen decided to keep them?"
"There wasn't really a point, I'd been thinking about it since we saw them on the security footage," Jared admitted sitting back on the couch.
"What did Jensen have to say about it?"
"We honestly hadn't talked about it until this morning. I didn't want to bring it up when it was only a hypothetical. He was stressed enough just thinking about them being out there alone."
"I'm assuming he'd been thinking the same thing?" Sherri asked her son quietly.
"Yeah, he didn't want to say anything, in case it wasn't something I was onboard with."
"Jared, you had to know that's what he was going to want to do."
"Mama, I've known Jensen practically all my life, of course I knew that's what he was going to want. That doesn't mean I didn't weigh all the pros and cons."
"How are you going to manage going from one to three, not to mention going from three to five in just a few months?"
"We'll figure it out just like other families have. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, and there won't be hiccups along the way, but I know we can do it. I wouldn't have even considered it if I thought we couldn't."
"Okay, then I guess I get to tell your father. He’s become a grandpa again a little earlier than we thought," Sherri stated just as Avery came flying across the room, her backpack dragging the floor behind her.
"Can we go now papa!" Avery asked, jumping up and down.
"Go get your coat first, I don't want you catching a cold."
"Then can we go?" She asked excitedly.
"Yes, then we'll go," Jared assured her.
"You give me a call when everything gets settled, I want to meet the newest additions," Sherri told her son as she gave him a big hug.
"I will mom, just as soon as we get everything worked out." Jared hugged his mom back.
Avery came running back into the room, her coat flapping behind her. "I got it!" she shouted.
It didn't take long for Jared to get her coat on and settled into her car seat, and then they were off for Avery to meet what he hoped would be her new brother and sister.
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