Letting Him Save Me || ✎

Chapter 3

Clayton Reid POV

Miss Carter takes me back to the office to talk to Delia. I sit in a chair at Delia's desk and Miss Carter stands to the side of me with her hands clasped in front of her, waiting for me to say something to her,

"You may go now Miss Carter, your presence is not needed here." I say without looking at her.

She nods before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

I look at Delia and offer her my hand, "Hi Delia, my name is Clayton Reid."

She takes my hand and shakes it, "Hello Mr.Reid. What can I do for you?"

I retract my hand and set it in my lap before responding. "I'd like to know about all the kids you have staying here currently."

"Of course." She mutters as she pulls files from a filing cabinet behind her.

She lays the first file on the top of her desk, "Lukas James is the oldest at 17, he's been at this foster home for a little over six months. His parents went to jail and he got put in the system a few weeks before his 17th birthday. This is the only foster home he's been in."

I nod at her, and she moves the file to the side and grabs another file.

"John Bland is 14, he's been here for two weeks. His parents died in a car crash when he was younger. He got adopted for a couple years but it didn't end up working out so he was put back into the system. He's been to four other foster homes before this one."

She picks up another file, "Max Carmicheal is 16, he's been here for 8 months. His parents were teen parents and put him up for adoption, he's never been adopted out and he's only been to 3 foster homes his entire life. He's a really good kid so he doesn't get moved around a lot."

"What makes a kid need to be moved?" I ask.

"Well a lot of kids are problematic, they have PTSD, mental health issues so it's hard to find good homes for them. Or some kids like to fight or set things on fire or do drugs, or the foster parent chooses not to take them in. That's usually the only reasons kids get moved."

I nod, and she continues.

"Haley Maxwell is 16, she's been here for about a year. Her dad just dropped her off at a police station and never came back and her mom died when she was younger. No other family could be located so she was placed in the system. She's been to two foster homes before this."

She moves on to the second to last file, "Stella Garbor is 15, she's been here for 18 months. Her father was abusive along with her mother. Her mother was a heroine addict and dealer, and when teachers started noticing marks on her body DHS stepped in and placed her in the system when she was nine. It's unclear how many foster homes she's been to before this one, but this is the longest she's stayed at a foster home so I'm sure she's been to a lot of places."

I saw her picture in the file and recognized her as the girl who was running out the door when I first pulled up. Her story gets me thinking before Delia pulls me out of my thoughts by opening the last file.

"Twins Natalie and Ava Graham are 15 and they've been here three months. Their parents went missing four months ago and they hid out in abandoned yards before police found them and brought them here. This is the only foster home they've been too." She says closing the last file and putting it back in the filing cabinet it came from.

Delia turns back around and looks at me, "So are you looking to adopt?"

"I'm not sure." I respond.

"That's okay sir, you can always think about it and come back."

I nod and stand up to leave. I turn and shake Delia's hand before walking myself out.

Axel waits for me at the car, "I want to know everything about Stella Garbor, and keep an eye on her."

He nods, "Yes sir."

We both get in, "To the office sir?" Axel asks, looking at me through the rear view mirror.

I nod.

◇─◇──◇─────◇──◇─◇

2 hours and a meeting later...

I just sat back down in my office and start dialing DHS's number.

I sat on the phone with DHS for almost an hour, but Jane Carter will never be involved in foster care again.

I try to start on the paperwork that's in dire need of my attention but my thoughts are plagued with Stella Garbor. Thinking about what she's been through and what it must've felt like is a spiral of thoughts.

No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get her out of my head, any work I tried to get done just got drowned out with thoughts of Stella.

I picked up my cell phone and dialed Axel's number. He picks up on the second ring, "I want daily updates on Stella Garbor. From when she gets to school, every trip to the bathroom, when she gets home, what she had for dinner. Everything.."

"Yes, sir." He responds and I hang up.

I pushed myself finish all my work, and I did.

There's a short knock on the door and when I mutter a "Come in," Axel comes in holding two files.

"Here's everything we've been able to find on Stella Garbor, and here's what we've gotten on her today so far, sir."

I take it from him and set it on my desk pretending I'm not dying to read the details in the folder.

"You can go now." I say to Axel without looking up from my report. He nods before walking out of the office.

Once Axel closes the door, and I hear his footsteps fade away, I close my laptop and pick up one of the files.