Our Boys

The Paperwork

The Olatunji-Minter's softly snuck out of the room. They shut the door gently behind them and agreed to come back to check on him every thirty minutes. Josh and Ethan left to read their comics in their room, and the displaced Tobi decided to watch a movie in the den. Simon and JJ however, still had paperwork to sign, and instructions on the boy's care to receive.

Rachel walked them through the paperwork as quickly as she could. They were already familiar with everything, so it didn't take nearly as long is it did the first- or even second-time for parents.

"Alright, that's it. Everything is now official," Rachel told them with a sigh of relief, putting away her files.

"Thank God," JJ moaned. "I was starting to get cramp in my hand."

"That's 'cause you never do any paperwork," Simon teased.

"Hey, we both know if we want the paperwork done right, you'd best do it. I, on the other hand, handle all the face-to-face dealings. Work gets done and everyone stays happy that way."

"I'm not that bad dealing with people."

"Yes you are," Rachel and JJ said as one. Despite the confident front he liked to put on, the truth was that the blond was quite shy when it came to meeting strangers on his own.

Simon glared.

Rachel ignored him and moved on to the other issues. "I covered most of the medical issues with Simon; his medication schedule, next doctor appointments, and such. You two must remember though, if he seems to be acting at all strangely, like he's dizzy, can't focus on things, or has extreme sensitivity to light, you need to take him back to the hospital. The doctors were almost positive it was just a mild concussion, but it's better to be safe than sorry. If he's still here when he gets his cast off in six weeks, you'll need to see that he gets the appropriate physical therapy, but the physical therapist will cover that when he comes around. The stitches will be coming out soon, but until then, remember, you can't get them or his cast wet."

"We know Rach. We've dealt with broken limbs and stitches before." The boys and their parents had all spent their fair share in hospital. A few years ago Simon had almost died...but that was a tale for another time.

"A reminder never hurts," she told them stubbornly.

"Ok, ok. Anything else?" Simon questioned.

"Um...not that I can think of right now, but I'll be calling for weekly updates, and if I manage to find anything else out about him, I promise to call as soon as I can. Oh, they have confirmed that the husband of the family he'd been staying with had been high. Apparently, he was a recovered drug addict who'd quit about fifteen years ago, before their first son was born. However, he must have slipped, because he failed a random drug test at his job a month ago and was immediately let go. The detectives speculate that he must have attacked the boy and his family in a drug educed rage, and once he came down and realised what he'd done, he killed himself." Rachel shook her head sadly.

"Shit. I can't imagine what life must have been like for the poor kid in that house for the last couple months," JJ murmured.

"And they haven't figured out where the kid's mother is yet?" Simon questioned.

"No sign of her yet. The phone records of the last six months or so didn't show any calls from unusual numbers, but they're only just starting to go over the family's financial records. Maybe they'll get lucky and catch a break there," Rachel suggested hopefully.

"I'm not sure if it would be a good or bad thing to find her. I mean, unless she's in hiding or something, there's no good reason to take off and not contact your son for months," Simon growled.

Rachel nodded her head in agreement. "I know, but we don't know what her reasons might be. Speaking of sons though, I've taken the rest of the day off, starting at two, so I have to be getting on my way. Joe and I are going to the aquarium. He wants to see the sharks."

"Sounds like a good time," JJ agreed.

"I hope so," Rachel told them smiling. "Oh, here are the those printouts on Clumber spaniels. Browse through them if you want. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, you know the numbers."

"Sure do," Simon confirmed, standing up.

"I'll just see myself out. Tell our boy I'll be around to see him next week."

"Will do," JJ promised. "Bye Rach."

Rachel turned to go, then spun around once again. "Oh! I almost forgot. I'll be leaving that car seat I brought him in on your front porch. You'll need it to drive him around in. As you know, it's the law that he be in one until he's tall enough."

"Thank you for that Rachel. We really appreciate it," Simon said sincerely.

"It's my pleasure. His safety means as much to me as it does to you. Well, bye guys. Good-bye Tobi," she called softly into the den on her way past, mindful of the napping child at the top of the stairs.

Rachel walked out the door, closing it firmly behind her, a smile on her face. She unloaded the car seat, and left it on the porch, right next to the door. This was a good thing, she thought to herself, a new start for the Olatunji-Minter family.

With a hopeful heart, Rachel Davis headed back into inner city London and back to her own son. She just prayed this would work out for everyone involved, and that they would manage to discover something about that little boy soon.