Third Time's The Charm

Chapter 13

"Is there anything we need to do before our meeting with Joyce?" I asked, spitting the excess toothpaste into the sink. We were set to meet with Joyce in a little over an hour to go over Ezra's case. Maya and Joyce had been corresponding for several weeks now. The lawyer was doing her best to grant us an emergency foster license, working alongside Rebecca in an effort to permanently place Ezra in our care. 

"Um I dont think so. I've got all of our letters of recommendation, which also sent in an email just in case. The summary of our home inspection. All of our identification documents. What am I forgetting? I feel like I'm forgetting something," Maya said, emptying her backpack for the third time. 

"You're forgetting to breathe, bella," I joked. 

"I'm sorry. I think I'm a little nervous" she giggled. 

"I kind of am too, but I think I'm more excited than I am nervous," I admitted. 

"it's just all surreal. I am trying so hard not to get my hopes up but it's like he's already ours. I can't picture a life without him anymore. This needs to happen," she explained. I had no words. I felt relief and all I could do was hug her. I held her as tightly as I could. Although we had talked this many times over, there was still this little voice trying to convince me that Maya had only agreed to parenthood to make me happy. Not because she really wanted it. 

"you okay?" she chuckled, pulling me away from her so she could look at my face. 

"thank you," I smiled. 

"For what?"

"Just thank you," I reiterated, earning a confused look from the blonde. 

"okay, but we should get going," she chuckled. 

We drove to the law office in silence. I glanced over at the blonde sitting next to me a couple of times, she seemed to be lost in thought. I watched her for a minute contemplating whether or not to ask what was going on. She seemed to be at peace. She had a soft smile across her face as she watched the city go by through the car window. It was a look that I hadn't seen for months now. She seemed happy for the first time in a very long time so I decided to just leave her alone. We finally approached Joyce's law firm. I parked the car and we quickly made our way into the office.

As we walked into the building, we were greeted by a receptionist. The layout of the building somewhat resembled that of a small doctor's office. It had a lobby or waiting room and a back hallway lined with various offices. It smelled of old coffee and stale potpourri. The lighting was dim and the decor looked like it came straight out of a 90's office catalog.  

"Hi, we are here to see Joyce. We are Carina and Maya DeLuca-Bishop," I said.

"Oh yes, welcome. I'll let her know you're here," responded the woman behind the desk. We made our way into Joyce's office, taking a seat in the chairs that were placed in front of her desk.

"Hey you two! Nice to officially meet you," she greeted, stretching her hand out for us to shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," responded Maya.

"Prefect, so let's get straight to the point shall we. I gathered as much information as I could on the child but in all honesty the state doesn't have much of a background on him. Ezra Romano was born at Grey Sloan Memorial on September 5, 2017 and surrendered at a local fire station about a month later. The mother didn't leave anything other than a note stating who he was and how she could no longer care for him. Initial tests showed that he was severely malnourished and dependent on some sort of substance. The state believes that Ezra may have been a victim of neglect and possibly living in a meth house," explained Joyce.