Removal
I went down to the kitchen to find my dad talking with Alan about the situation. Alan was making buttermilk biscuits for lunch since there were so many of the family at home today, and I snagged one, hot and fluffy, slathering it with butter. Yum. "Don't worry, honey," Dad said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "We'll make sure that Imogen is safe and taken care of, and if she wants to explore emancipation, we'll help get her started. It's a sad situation. Foster families are better screened and funded than they used to be, but nobody can predict something like this."
"She thinks that there was an incident when they went away for Thanksgiving," I said. "The parents went to marriage counseling after that. I guess it's not going so well." The back food opened and Deri and Van came in, coming straight over for biscuits.
"Girls, I'm going to ask you to keep the noise level down this afternoon," Dad said, and both of them looked up alertly. "Lys's friend Imogen was hit by her foster father, and she's upstairs, where she'll be staying as long as she wants. She's exhausted and needs her rest, and probably won't want to answer a lot of questions. Mom is coming home early to help get Imogen settled in."
"That sucks," Deri said. "She was really nice at Thanksgiving." We sat down for lunch, talking about other things, then I went back upstairs, opening Imogen's door just enough to stick a note on the inside with tape, reminding her that I was the next door over and to find me when she was ready and/or hungry. I sent a mass text, telling everybody that Imogen was still asleep, more information to follow, and settled down in the window seat with the blouse I'd made with Uncle Steve, finishing up the handwork. I had just finished the hem when there was a tap on the door and Imogen poked her head in. I started to get up, and she came over just as I stood, and gave me a fierce hug.
"I can't thank you enough for what you've done," she said quietly, then letting me go. "I didn't know what to do. Justine called right after I got out of the building, and she didn't know either."
"Well, that's what grownups are for," I said. She would have smiled under different circumstances. "Are you hungry?"
"A little," she admitted, so we went downstairs where Alan was cleaning up, and he deftly fixed her a plate and gave me two more biscuits. I was a little abashed, but ate them anyway. I was going to have to stop eating so much or none of my clothes would fit. But it's rude to make somebody eat alone. Dad came in as Alan set a plate of cookies on the table, took away Imogen's plate after she declined seconds, and departed quietly.
"I'm so sorry this happened to you, Imogen," Dad said, sitting down and taking a cookie. "But I want to reassure you that you have a home here. I've gotten a lawyer for you so that you'll have somebody to guide you through the legal system and help you fully explore all your options. I've explained the situation and she's ready whenever you feel up to talking to her." He slid a business card across the table to Imogen. "I took the liberty of calling CPS. Your case worker is on vacation right now."
Imogen nodded. "She won't be back until the new year."
"I wanted to be sure that you don't get into trouble for leaving your foster home and to fully apprise them of the situation. So while they're getting started on the investigation, it won't go as fast or as smoothly until then. They did send me a formal acknowledgment that your residence has been changed to here until you have a chance to weigh in on your situation and whatever decisions are to be made are made."
"I don't even know what my options are," she said quietly.
"Basically, you could return to the foster care system, or you can file for emancipation. Frankly, I don't know which would be in your best interest, that's something you have to determine for yourself, with as much help as we can give you. There are potential pitfalls to both options. But never think you'll be navigating it on your own. Not only are your friends there for you, but we're also ready to do as much as we can for you. I hate the thought of a kid alone in these circumstances, and it's simply unacceptable for you to risk living on the streets. And you're not to worry about anything, Imogen. We certainly have the space for you, you're not draining scarce resources, and you're not a bother." He patted her hand and she looked a little dazed. "Diana's coming home a little early, so she'll want to check on you to see how you're holding up. I expect that you might feel embarrassed, but if you need something, you can always ask Lys and she'll make sure you have what you need and want. Our house rules are few, keep the noise level down is the main one. We get together in the library before dinner to have some family time, then dinner, then dessert and coffee or tea, whichever you prefer. Lys can fill you in on the details, and you're one of the family now." Dad steered the conversation into less emotional topics, asking about her classes and interests, then getting up and letting us finish the cookies in peace.
After that, I showed her a few places we hadn't gotten to while she was here for Thanksgiving, the pool, the gym, and the games room, then we got our coats and we walked around a few places outside, including the gazebo. "I like to come out here to think," I said. "It's really peaceful."
"It is," she said. "Anna, I can't thank you enough. We haven't even been friends for very long."
"But we are friends, and I'm in a position where I can help, so I want to. You know the others would do it too. You'll probably have other offers to help too."
"I feel safe here," she said, and I nodded. That is one of the primary functions of the estate.
"It can be isolating, but it is really safe, physically. And my dad can make sure you're protected legally, too, as much as possible. He actually really is interested in the foster care system, making sure that kid have good foster families and that the program is fully funded. There's a board made up of business and civic leaders that does fundraising for the program, and he's on it. They started it after the Return, because there was so much concern about kids being abandoned on the streets. So while he's jumping into action because you're my friend, you can also be assured that even if you weren't, if he heard about your situation--and he would, that board gets summaries of situations like this so they can allocate more resources--you'd be taken care of. They'd find you a safe place to stay and the rest of it while you're getting things ironed out. The main differences are in the quality of the housing situation and your legal help. So if you feel like you don't want to be here anymore, you have other options. I hope you don't, I'd like you to stay here until you get things figured out to your liking." A cold breeze blew light snow off some grasses near the pond.
"I am really relieved to have someplace to go," she said, then started crying. "I don't know what I'd do, otherwise." I put my arm around her shoulder and made sure she had tissues. I couldn't imagine how upset she was. You have expectations for people, and being hit by your father figure is so not in that. After she got through that storm, I noticed that she was shivering a bit.
"Let's go back to the house and warm up," I said, and we walked back. It was kind of slow going because of my crutches. but still. "One thing you should know, the house has a paging system. You say the name and ask, and if that person is around, the system lets them know that somebody's asking for them. So if you get lost, you can ask for Alan or me or anybody and we'll come get you. Or if you need anything. It's wherever the buildings are, and about ten yards out from any structure. That also means that if there's information you don't want anybody overhearing, don't mention the name, we can write things down, like if you want to talk about anybody's families." She nodded, enlightened.
"Also, I should warn you that Mom is probably going to go into mother hen mode when she sees you. It can be kind of suffocating, but it's also kind of nice. She's gotten a lot more outwardly caring since the kidnapping attempt, and it's bound to carry over to you. She is very conscious of people in trouble." We glanced at each other and I knew she understood; Wonder Woman is well known for that. "So I can pretty much guarantee that she's going to offer to take you shopping. I noticed your coat's not very warm," I said gently. "And if I notice it, she will too. If it's just too much for you, you don't have to, but I think that you should. She's changing a lot, now that things have been pointed out, and I'm not saying this to be grand and entitled, but we can afford it and there's no reason why you have to be cold. And don't worry about your job, we'll figure things out so you can get to and fro."
"My job!" She stopped stock still. "I completely forgot I was supposed to work today."
"Let's go in the house and you can call them, explain things." So we went into the library, and I sat and got my second wind, texting Miles about what had happened, and she called her work. I looked up at the loud, exasperated tone on the other end. Imogen was getting a pinched look on her face.
'Quit,' I wrote on a scrap of waste paper and pushed it over. 'There's always some place else and you might need time off to get things figured out anyway.' She hung up the phone and rubbed her head.
"I don't have to quit," she said sadly. "They fired me. Apparently it was really busy today, the manager was stressed out, said they only needed reliable people, and that was that. I didn't even get to really explain."
"What's that, Imogen?" Mom asked, coming in authoritatively. I explained briefly, and Mom shook her head. "I understand a manager being upset after a stressful shift, but firing someone who has good reasons for inadvertently missing work is not sound business practice or compassionate. Well, don't worry, dear, we'll help you find another job, but you should also feel free to take some time off to get settled in here and as you address your situation." She patted Imogen's cheek gently. "This has been terribly upsetting for you. Let's go upstairs and make sure you're settled in." She herded us into the elevator.
In Imogen's room, we could tell that Alan had been there; there was a water carafe and glass on the nightstand, an extra blanket on the foot of the bed, little touches like that. This room didn't have a fireplace, but it was nice. Clothing had been hung up and put away and some of her shoes were missing; I bet Alan was polishing them. Deri popped in as we were surveying the room. She patted Imogen's arm and said that she was right across the hall and to ask if she had any questions, then Mom went back downstairs and Imogen and I went to my room. I lit a fire that would take us up to about pre-dinner and we settled in with some books and our communicators to just sort of relax and take it easy. It had been an upsetting day. There were texts from everybody to answer, and we had a peaceable couple hours before we neatened up and Deri and I took Imogen downstairs for pre-dinner. Conversation was pretty general; by this time everybody was up to speed on the situation.
"All right, girls, you need to make sure you have enough supplies for next semester," Mom said. "Check and make sure you don't need to replenish the things you need for classes. This means you too, Imogen."
"I haven't gotten my course list, Mom," Deri objected. "I have an art elective."
"Well, aside from that," Mom said. "We can always stop off at an art store another time, but you should have a good idea of what you need for your other classes. Check your school portal again after dinner, dear. What classes are you taking, Imogen?"
"Um, chemistry," she said, nodding to me. "And English, history, and I'm taking stats. I have gym and I'm taking technical drawing too."
"Technical drawing?" Dad said, interested. "What do you want to do with that?"
"I took shop class last year and liked it, so I'm thinking maybe about doing construction. It would be a stable career and it pays pretty well."
"That's for sure," Dad said. "Construction firms can't hire enough qualified people these days. Was that why you liked working at Home Depot?" They'd talked a little about her job at Thanksgiving.
Imogen looked surprised; I bet she hadn't expected him to remember. "Yeah, I was learning a lot about construction materials and how they're used."
"Dearest, they fired her today for accidentally missing her shift," Mom told him.
"Well, Wayne does a lot with construction," Dad said immediately. "Take a couple days to get your feet back under you, and you can come into work with me and have an interview if you'd like. We could always arrange something so that you get experience not just swinging a hammer but in planning projects, other aspects of management as well as different kinds of construction. Get some experience and formal training, make sure that it's really the field you want to go into, then we can help you figure out your next steps." Imogen just had thanked Dad when Alan came in to announce dinner.
We had a roast with gravy, vegetables, and a salad for dinner, then more cookies in the library. Imogen took tea. Well, everybody's entitled to their preferences, even if they're wrong. Conversation was light and less personal; Imogen was looking a little overwhelmed. We went upstairs early and all three of us hung out in my room; Imogen and Deri by the fire. We played music and read, just relaxing. I really appreciated Deri's efforts; she made Imogen feel like she belonged and was accepted in ways that parents helping out a friend in trouble can't. I mentioned that I had a morning shift at work, and I knew that Deri would make sure that Imogen was taken under her wing while I was gone. I wanted her to feel supported until she found her footing. They dispersed to their own rooms when the fire started to die, and I answered Miles' text. I ran into him and Iris a lot walking around outside and he said they'd keep an eye out and be kind if they ran into her. He'd also talked to their parents, so they were in the loop as well. They'd be contacting Mom and Dad to offer their assistance if necessary. I went to be feeling exhausted after the upset but better than I'd thought.