Page 15

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Jillian

“Hey, Jillian, I’m Brick and this is my wife and ol’ lady, Ryleigh,” the tall man who bears a striking resemblance to RiffRaff says once I’m out of the SUV and at the clinic door. “And you must be Kimber. My dad has a lot of good things to say about you.”

My daughter bounces on her feet as she blows into her hands. “I like him a lot,” Kimber replies. “Hurry up, Mom, it’s cold out here.”

I roll my eyes at her antics. She seems to be rolling with the punches pretty well.

Once we’re inside and the alarm is deactivated, I lock the front door and the three of them follow me back to the medical bay.

“Oh, look at that pretty kitty,” Ryleigh says, walking over to Moby’s cage. “Who’s the sweet boy?” she asks, her fingers through the bars as Moby starts purring. “You’re so handsome,” she tells him as his purrs get louder and more prominent. “Okay, Moby, I’m here to work.” Turning, she asks, “How can we help?”

Kimber, who’s used to helping already has Mr. Pibbles on a leash and is heading out to the back section where we take the dogs to do their business. He’s got a cone of shame on, but still needs containment since he had to have surgery to repair a broken femur. Since his owners had to go out of town for work, he’s boarding with us so we can keep him as still as possible.

“I’ll go with her,” Brick tells me as he follows behind Kimber.

Once they leave, I show Ryleigh what needs to be done and as she cleans the cages being used, I quickly give the animals their second doses of medication. Then, we scoop the two litter boxes before we start the feeding process just as Kimber and Brick bring Mr. Pibbles back in. The other dog, Grumbles, is still too fragile to take outside so he’s currently using pee pads in his kennel, which is one of the larger ones. Dr. Webber will decide when he’s stable enough to be walked, but for now, he’s safe.

“It’s well-lit out there,” Brick states, walking over and grabbing one of the water dishes.

“Yeah, Dr. Webber is big on security since one of us usually has to come back at night to check on any patients we might have. We only do medical boarding, thank goodness, and of course, any of our surgical animals usually stay overnight so we can monitor them for any signs of infection,” I reply.

With four of us, we’re soon done and as we leave the clinic, Brick stops me and says, “Ryleigh and I will meet you at DFCS tomorrow. You’re not alone any longer, Jillian.”

“Thank you both so much. I honestly can’t wait to meet the rest of the club,” I reply.

“When Rory heard where I was going, she wanted to come too,” Ryleigh confesses. “I told her once you got to meet all of us, I was sure you’d love the extra hands.”

“Many hands makes light the work,” Kimber states, grinning at them. “That’s what Mom says all the time.”

Brick shakes his head with a grin on his face as he peers over at Kimber. “She’s not wrong. Okay, ladies, y’all head on home. I know tomorrow’s going to be a big day.”

“Mom, what if he doesn’t like us?” Kimber asks as we wait for Jo to call us back to the meeting room. I called the school early this morning and told the counselor what was going on and they excused her for the day so she could be here for the initial meeting with Callum. The four of us are sitting there and I know RiffRaff wishes he was here as he expressed that fact many times last night when we were discussing how this would happen on the phone. Truth be told, I kinda wish he was here as well. I’m obviously used to handling things on my own nowadays, but he gives me the strength I need as only a partner can do.

“He’ll like us, sweetie,” I reply, patting her thigh. “It’s gonna be just fine.”

From my lips to God’s ears, I think to myself.

Jo opens the door that goes to the back of the offices and motions for us. “Who are all of these people?” she questions once we’re standing by her.

“This is my daughter, Kimber, and my ol’ man’s son, Brick, and his wife, Ryleigh. They’re all family,” I reply. During her visit yesterday, I let her know that I was in a relationship and with whom and her eyes lit up because the club has a reputable reputation. They have a non-profit store in town that they open up around Christmastime to help not only the foster parents with gifts for the kids in their care, but also those in the community who need holiday assistance.

“So, Callum’s going to have family around him,” she says, sighing. I see her eyes get glassy then she clears her throat and attempts to get herself under control. “His foster mother has explained who you are, Jillian. I’ll leave it up to you to tell him who everyone else is, okay? I’ll be observing but won’t say anything unless necessary.”

We walk into the room where Callum is waiting with his foster mother and my heart flip flops when I see that he’s the male version of my sweet girl except for his hair color. She stands, smiles at me and leans down to tell him, “I’m just going to be outside, okay? Mrs. Jo will stay in here with you.”

The sweetest voice I’ve ever heard says, “Okay.”

Kimber waits until the foster mom leaves then walks over to Callum, crouches on her knees so she’s at eye level and says, “Hey, Callum, I’m your big sister and I’m very glad to meet you.”

“Kimber,” he breathes out before smiling. “Who is eberybody?”

I hide my smile at his pronunciation because I remember that phase from Kimber’s younger years. There were several sounds that gave her fits, so much so that for a bit, she saw a speech therapist to help. I make a mental note to see if he outgrows it since he’s still young enough to struggle somewhat.

She stands, takes his hand and walks over to me and says, “This is my mom. Her name is Jillian, but you can call her Jilly or even Mama J if you want. Then, she moves to where Brick is crouching down so he doesn’t scare Callum since he’s so tall and naturally intimidating with his shaved head and tattooed, muscular arms. “His name is Brick and he’s gonna be our big brother. His wife’s name is Ryleigh.”

Brick’s eyes are comically wide at Kimber’s pronouncement but to give him credit, he doesn’t bat an eye otherwise or refute her statement. It’s as if he’s aware of RiffRaff’s ultimate plan for us or something. “Hey, little man,” he says, gentling his booming voice as much as he can, I’m sure, although admittedly, it’s not much. He’s a big guy with a grumbly, growly sounding tone to his words. Still, his kindness and compassion shine through. “Do you like to fish by any chance? Because I can guarantee that once it warms up, my dad’s gonna wanna take you fishing on the docks like he did with me when I was a little boy.”

“I don’t know how,” Callum replies, his lips now trembling.

“It’s okay, we’ll teach you,” Brick promises.

Ryleigh and I crouch next to Callum, and I reach out and gently touch the spindly curls on his head, remembering when Kimber’s were all willy nilly like his are. “Callum, I’m so sorry about your mommy,” I tell him as he crumbles into my arms and silently cries. “Mrs. Jo says that you can come to live with me and Kimber, would you like that?”

Ryleigh is wiping away tears as she watches our interaction, then she wraps her arms around the both of us and whispers, “It’s okay to cry, little man. We shed tears for those we miss the most.”

“Yes, we do,” I add. “It’s always okay to express your feelings in our home, Callum. Just ask Kimber.”

Kimber giggles and joins our huddled group and says, “Trust me, I’m a teenage girl, and crying is sometimes a daily event. And when my daddy died, I cried a lot because I missed him so much.”

“Your daddy is in heaven too?” Callum innocently asks. His question brings home the fact that he’s too young to understand the connection between him and Kimber. He knows she’s his sister, however, how that relation is linked together hasn’t been digested in its entirety.

And… cue my own tears because it’s an unfortunate bond he shares with my daughter about their father, even though he’s still too young to grasp that fact.

“So, I hear you like motorcycles, Callum,” Brick says. “How would you feel about having a bed that’s shaped like one?”

Callum’s eyes light up and he nods his head, then his eyes dim. I’m sure his emotions are all over the place right now, especially since death is a hard enough concept for adults to comprehend, let alone for those whose minds haven’t matured yet. His whole little world has been destroyed and he understandably is having a hard time coping.

“But… but… if I live with you, Kimber, then Santa won’t be able to find me. I already sent him a letter that I moved, what if it’s too late to send another one?” he whispers. “What if Mama told him what I wanted, and he can’t bring it?”

“We’ll send him another letter and tell him where you are living now,” Kimber promises. “I’ll help you write it, okay?”

I’m so proud of her right now; she’s always been kind and tenderhearted but she’s showing a level of compassion toward her brother I wasn’t honestly expecting.

“We will?” Callum asks. “And it’ll make it to the North Pole in time?”

“Absolutely! I think I have his email address somewhere. There’s an elf up there who prints off the letters for Santa to read. Oh! Wait until you meet my best friend, Katie. She has a little brother about your age, too! This is gonna be so much fun when you come to live with us,” Kimber explains as if it’s a done deal.

Well, technically, I suppose it is because Jo mentioned yesterday that she wants him settled in before the holidays and we’ve literally only got about a week to go. Depending on how well this meeting between us wraps up, the judge, according to Jo, stated that he’d be willing to sign the appropriate documentation even though he’s out of the office for the holidays.

Jo comes over to us and says, “Callum, I’ll get Mrs. Foster to pack up your belongings if you want to go home with Jilly and Kimber. Then I’ll bring them to you along with pizza. You like fish on yours, right?”

I know she means anchovies and realize she’s teasing him when I see his nose wrinkle in disgust. “No, ma’am, Mrs. Jo. I like pepperoni and cheese.”

Jo winks at me then replies, “Then I’ll make sure to leave the fish off, okay?” She then turns to me and says, “He’s in a toddler car seat because he doesn’t weigh enough for a booster seat quite yet. Can I get your keys so we can move it to your vehicle?” Then she leans over and whispers, “I spoke to Judge Johansson, and he is approving a fast-track adoption. By the time New Year’s hits, y’all will be an official family.”

“Thank you,” I say, thinking that miracles truly do happen.

“Jilly, I’ll handle it for you,” Brick says, his voice full of authority as he holds out his hand for my key fob. “And if you give me your house key, I’ll go and get the bed so the prospects can put it together while you do the paperwork or whatever’s next here.”

I mutely hand him my keys, completely stunned at how he’s taking charge. I can see how much of RiffRaff is running through his veins since I’ve seen my ol’ man in action a few times already. He’s a take-charge kind of man and apparently, the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Ryleigh claps her hands together and gleefully says, “Time to go shopping!”

“Yes, it is,” I muse, my mind furiously spinning as I think about everything that has to be done. First, of course, Kimber needs to help him with his Santa list. I’ll suggest doing that while we’re driving home.

God, I wish RiffRaff was here.

Brick returns with my key fob then heads out the door, stating, “We’ll be at the house getting his room squared away.”

“Wait! You need the alarm code,” I advise as he and Ryleigh are at the door.

He turns and winks then says, “Pops already gave it to me.”

“Of course, he did,” I reply, giggling. He’s still taking care of me even though he’s so far away.