21
Owen was nervous about something and Ianto frowned as he watched him sip his coffee.
"Hey Owen" Jared smiled as he settled and reached for a sandwich, "That fella of mine is just trying to get past the Ton."
They all laughed and waited for Carl to walk in, limpet attached and settle in a chair as the little boy kept up his stream of babble.
"Calm down" he laughed.
"Tonny bum go sleeps" Ton repeated slower.
"Er. Um." Ianto frowned, "Are you asking for a sleepover?"
"Yesh" Ton nodded eagerly.
"Ton, that bedroom you helped me with will be for their new baby, not you" Ianto said firmly.
"But me try!" he said calmly.
Carl laughed and squeezed, "Good idea. Get an expert's opinion. How about you come for afternoon sleeps? Then tonight you can still be in the Thomas Bed where your feet are happy?"
Ton considered this with a finger tapping his lip and Owen snorted as he saw Jack in the little man.
Finally he nodded and slid down to play.
"God! Little fellow is so damned cute" Carl sighed.
"Owen?" Ianto said softly, "Are you gong to tell me what's wrong?"
"A case from work" Owen sighed, "A little boy was found downtown trying to sell his toys on the sidewalk. Turns out his parents hadn't come home for almost four days and he and his baby sister were starving. He took Heddlu home and showed them the squalor and empty cupboards. The baby is only a wee eighteen month old, the boy is four. It broke my fucking heart!"
Ianto had paled as he thought about it, his heart going out to the babies, "But they're OK now, right?"
"They're in emergency care, Christ. I … it was too much. The baby was covered in filth because the little boy couldn't do her nappy. He just kept putting newspaper under her like a fucking puppy or something. Covered in newsprint and shit. He had to leave her to go scavenging in rubbish bins and beg. Christ."
Ianto reached out and took one of Owen's hands as he broke down and the other two men sat numb with horror.
"Poor babies" Ianto sighed.
"We need to find them somewhere, together" Owen snuffed, "Most fosters at the moment are just wanting the little girl, no one wants to take the little boy as well. He had some issues, ya know? God, what … what animal does that?"
Ianto looked over at Jared and Carl who were both hanging on every word.
"Who's got their file?" Ianto asked, hoping it was someone he knew.
"Dorothy" Owen sighed, "Dorothy Milne. You remember her?"
"Yeah, when I did that paper on learned habits she helped me out." Ianto nodded, looking again at the two men who seemed to be straining.
Ianto rose from the table and left the room leaving Owen with the couple.
"What problems does he have?" Carl asked.
"Trust issues, also incredibly clever. He tired breaking out of the hospital with his sister when he realized they might be separated. He's terrified of losing her." Owen shrugged. "Also she has development issues, seems the parents are on drugs and the mother consumed while preggers."
"Also food issues" Ianto said as he returned and sat, still on the phone, "Hold on a minute Dorothy."
He muted the phone and then looked at the two men.
"Foster with hopes of adoption" he said softly, "The parents have waived all right and signed them over to social services. Whoever takes these two, they take them together and hopefully forever if they fit."
"Oh my god, you have got to be joking" Jared reared back, "Did you just get us two kids?"
"He doesn't muck about." Owen smiled as his plan worked, "After all, your own Child Psychologist living next door? Really? Foster, then have your wedding you have planned. Then by the time the adoption papers are ready you will have all your ducks in a row."
"Shit, can we do this?" Jared looked at Carl with open hope. "Do we need time to think it over?"
"Yes. Yes, Christ, get those babies" Carl demanded, suddenly galvanized, "Get those kids to us. They will be … shit. We need so much stuff."
"Don't worry" Ianto muttered and they looked over to see him making a list, "I got you!"
Owen nodded happily as he took another cookie.
He knew Ianto would sort it.