For Day 3 of OQ Realms Week: Hyperion Heights.
Cursed Name Dictionary:
Regina = Roni
Robin = Oliver
Roland = Everett
Marian = Corrine
Zelena = Kelly
Roni knows it's wrong. Kelly would chew her out if she knew where she really was and not "meeting with a potentially new liquor supplier". She thought the idea of Roni adopting was stupid anyway. She wasn't a kid's person. Kelly would never be the aunt to gush over Henry or bring him to the zoo. That was okay. Roni didn't need her to be. She was his mom. At least she was going to be before social services changed everything.
They claimed she wasn't stable enough. That Henry deserved more than a loft above a bar. It didn't matter that Roni could prove that she could provide for him. They didn't care that Henry had been placed with her when he was 3 weeks old. His birth mother had attempted parenting but couldn't handle it, so relinquished him to a Safe Haven station. Roni had just completed her care classes and Henry was her first foster child. She hadn't pictured a baby; she didn't have anything for a baby. Luckily, one of her employees had a son that had just about outgrown everything and lent it to her.
Roni had him for 6 months. She held him on her hip while she served drinks to the day crowd. At night, she rocked him to sleep. They spent countless hours in the park. When he was old enough, she put him in the swing. That gummy smile melted her heart. Roni knew deep in her heart that all she wanted was to raise this baby boy and nothing was going to stop her. His birth mother had signed away her rights. The 6-month mark had just past, making her no longer Henry's legal parent. He could officially be all hers.
A part of Roni blamed Victoria Belfrey. She was far more respected and trusted. If she said that Roni couldn't raise Henry, then everyone would believe her.
And just like that, Henry was ripped from her arms. No matter how hard she cried fought or screamed, he was gone. Roni had a chubby cheeked infant hole in her heart that nothing could fill. Not work, not nights out with Kelly or her other friends. She wanted her son back. If that wasn't possible, she needed the next best thing at least.
Seattle was huge, but Hyperion Heights was a tiny Hamlet. Charles Weaver was known as the most corrupt detective throughout. He'd do anything for a few bucks. Roni took her savings and he was able to tell her exactly where Henry was placed after her: Oliver and Corrine Sherwood. Oliver worked for Belfrey Towers, one of the top architects. Corrine was a doctor, though she had taken a leave at the hospital to care for their new foster son. They had struggled to have a child and had suffered several miscarriages according to Weaver. Henry lit up their world.
"Every Saturday, Oliver has the day off," he explained. "They take him to Camelot Park."
The very same one Roni had when Henry was in her custody.
That was how Roni found herself sitting on a bench, clutching her black leather jacket to her. She'd recognize Henry anywhere. He had gotten a bit bigger in the two months since he had left her, but those beautiful hazel eyes gave him away. A woman with tan skin and dark curls knelt beside him in the grass, seemingly not caring that it could stain her white linen dress. Beside them was a man with dark blonde locks, blue eyes and deep dimples. Henry clapped his hands when the man placed some blocks in front of him. Tears brimmed in Regina's eyes. How badly she wanted to swoop in and take him home with her, where he belonged.
"Henry," the woman, Corrine-she presumed-cooed. "Look at the block. It's red. r-ed."
"He's only eight months, dear," the man, Oliver, reminded her. He had an English accent. "I doubt he'll be speaking yet."
Corrine lightly rolled her eyes. "Never too young. He can understand what we're saying."
"Very true." He lightly pecked her lips and Henry leaned back into them, making them laugh. "Do you want a kiss too, lad?" Oliver swooped the baby into his arms, pressing a sloppy kiss to his cheek. Henry let out a squeal of delight. "Ahh, there we go. That's my boy!"
Corrine snapped a photo with the polaroid camera from her bag. Roni felt her breath catch. Henry would always be hers, in her heart. But realistically, he wasn't hers to claim. At least…not anymore. Corrine and Oliver were his parents. They would care for him. They would love him. She had to believe that.
"Goodbye, Henry," she whispered. "No matter what anyone tells you, I will always love you."
*x**x*x*
Wine was good. Bobrun tasted better.
In the weeks since Corrine died, that was all Oliver felt he could survive off of. Occasionally, he forced himself to snack on the casseroles that his co-workers from the Towers dropped off but he mostly left those for Henry.
Oh God, Henry.
In one moment, Oliver had been on top of the world. A pregnant wife he loved, in labor with the miracle baby that they never thought would occur. The foster son that they never had a chance to adopt.
Now, it's all gone to hell.
The social worker told him it was for the best. Henry needed more. Oliver could barely focus on his biological son. Henry needed foster parents that could devote time to him.
"Better yet," she had sneered. "Not ones that'll drown themselves at the bottom of a bottle."
Oliver tried to argue. He tried to say he was all Henry knew, but it was no use. Henry was taken from his home. He lost two of the most important people in just a three week time span.
Everett cried from the nursery. Oliver pushed himself up out of the arm chair, letting the bourbon fall to the side table and headed in there. He lifted the baby from the crib and pressed a kiss to his forehead.
"It's just us now, Everett," he whispered. "And I don't know what's going to happen."