Everchanging

Applesauce

!!TW!! Child abuse/neglect, drugs, talk of psych-ward, SA/Rape, Death

To be honest, Sakonji didn't know what he was thinking. If his mother was still around today, he was sure that the woman would give him a scolding of a lifetime because, what the actual hell was he thinking?

It hadn't been that long since he moved into this jurisdiction, only having been in this apartment for about two months. He hadn't made any new friends nor connections; he barely knew his new coworkers and he was only partially friendly with the doctors that he had to interact with on a near daily basis. He wasn't a people-person, but he did like a raise, so he had taken the new position.

Being a detective wasn't easy, especially not when he moved to a small town. They were low on police strength so sometimes he was forced to do some cases that were below his pay, and this was one of those moments.

"Hey, don't touch that!" He swiped the beer glass away from the baby, lavender eyes blinking at the empty space it created. His house was a mess. He was a single bachelor; he didn't see the point in keeping things tidy when he was barely even home most of the time. So, what in the hell was he thinking bringing a baby back to this dump?

It was just...his heart hurt when he looked at Sabito. The baby had been on respirators and gone through stomach pumping and God knows what else until he was finally stable enough to be left alone for the night. That was until they discovered that, when left alone, the boy would weep for his mother as if she was coming back. Hours and hours passed, and he would still cry until his voice was hoarse and he couldn't cry anymore. So, Sakonji chose to stay with the baby in the hospital during nights just to keep the nurses and doctors sane.

He had to be monitored for a long time, even after being discharged. This whole incident would probably impact him for the rest of his life, and it made a fire light within Sakonji when he looked at the boy. Who could let their not even two-year-old son eat meth? What if he had died?

"Can you stay here and play while I clean up a bit?" The baby was almost weightless and Sakonji swore he could feel his ribs as he sat him on the couch, placing the toys that one of the nurses gave him in front of Sabito. It seemed the child was used to being left alone to his own devices since he did as he was told, letting the man clean up the apartment.

It had been almost a month since his parents abandoned the baby, but they were quickly found a few weeks after, unresponsive in a drug den. The little chance of reunification had been squashed and now they were working on figuring out where to put the little boy. He was a good kid, quiet and a good listener. He was cute too, and it seemed like he was aware of it. He would flash gummy smiles at the nurses when asked, but only if he was bribed with a sucker. Sometimes, when the doctors scolded him, Sabito would flutter his lavender eyes and pout his squishy lips until he was forgiven. It was entertaining to watch, Sakonji didn't know children could be this socially aware until he met the baby.

He didn't talk much either, but that might be just because he was young. However, he didn't make much noise. Sometimes he would squeak until he got someone's attention, or he would cry, but other than that the boy was silent. It was unnerving, Sakonji didn't know much but he did know that babies were supposed to be loud and annoying. And Sabito was neither.

His social worker had spoken of next steps, saying that the boy would probably be placed into a group home until he could be found a foster. But Sakonji wasn't that stupid, he knew that being fostered wasn't always guaranteed and the boy was just a baby. It felt wrong to just toss him to the wolves like that.

Sakonji had been lucky, having a loving mother and father who left him wanting nothing. They supported all his choices and helped him when he stumbled. Even when his mother passed two years ago from breast cancer, his father was still there to support him during the heartache. But Sakonji had a cousin who had grown up in foster care. They weren't that close anymore, but he could recall being close when they were younger.