Week 9 - UDC 3 - Saturday Conversation

41. Purple

The man seated on their front steps reading a file was unexpected as Chelsea opened the door to take out the trash. She studied him, then shrugged and did her morning chore. Coming back from the trash can, she lingered and waited for him to look up. When he did, his gaze went to the house across the street for a minute, and then back down to the file. Then his paused and looked at her, as if just realizing she was there. "Oh. I'm sorry, Miss Lowell. I was going to knock, but I got lost in thought and it was early when I got here."

Chelsea frowned at him, wondering how he knew her, but she didn't have any idea who he was. "And you are?"

"Trying to put myself in your shoes," he told her honestly and glanced across the street again. "And I can imagine Mr. Finney sitting here, holding a traumatized nine-year-old, waiting for him to come around."

She got closer and actually looked at the file resting on his knees. "Your name, sir, since you know mine."

He blinked, startled. "I didn't... I'm sorry. Alan Jenkins."

"And you have Pete Mitchell's social services file because...?"

Alan chuckled. "Well, I've been his case worker since Harry transferred to the Arlington office. Of course I do. And this is awkward."

Slowly, she sat down beside him. "I'll take the awkward, Mr. Jenkins."

42. Orange

Her gaze went to the house across the street momentarily, then back to him. "If you want to imagine being in my shoes, though: also imagine yourself four months pregnant and worried about your neighbors."

Alan nodded. "Don't think I'd get to be pregnant, but noted."

They lapsed into silence for a minute or so before she shook her head. "What brings Social Services to my door on a Saturday, Mr. Jenkins?"

He sighed. "Pete wants to see you both, Ma'am. He rarely asks for things, and he was emotional yesterday because..."

Chelsea frowned and glanced across the street again. They'd gotten new neighbors over there in the three years since, but... "Oh. Wants to see us, hmmm?"

"Yes." He pulled a piece of paper from the file and handed it to her. "Mrs. Bradshaw was also agreeable."

"I thought he was staying with Mr. and Mrs. Tatham?" Chelsea wondered as she took the paper and studied what was written there, smiling at the duck stationary.

"You," Alan started to say, staring at her. "How do you know that?"

"Dorinda is a friend of my sister's," she told him. "We didn't want to let Harry take him, Mr. Jenkins. We didn't have a good choice in the matter, Nicky had colic, and Pete had nightmares that left him tired and disoriented if woken in the middle of them. It happened a lot."

43. Green

He'd known that, but to hear her explain it, her voice breaking with emotion... "I'm sorry. Dorinda gives you updates, huh?"

"Yes." She frowned. "I still can't believe he'd be treated like that by Naval families who should know better."

Oh. She really did know what had gone on before Harry had given up. "You're right. He was staying with the Tathams until yesterday, and it might have been backwards for how it happened, but he's got a new placement now. You'd like them, I think."

Chelsea jumped when the front door opened behind them, and she glanced back to see Noah looking at her with concern, Maggie on his hip. "Noah, what do you think about going shopping tomorrow?"

"As opposed to this afternoon? That's fine. Why?"

She motioned to Alan, who was studying him. "He wants to arrange a meeting with Pete. Why a grocery store, Mr. Jenkins?"

44. Silver

Alan shrugged. "Somewhere neutral. I'd have said here, but I don't know how he'd take that, exactly."

Noah frowned at him, then looked across the street. "Right. Somewhere neutral is better. Here." He handed Maggie down to her and went back inside.

Chelsea chuckled as Maggie looked at Alan and then hid her face with a squeak. "It's all right, Maggie. This is Mr. Jenkins. He's a friend."

"Don't know," Maggie said into her shirt.

"That's okay. I'm new."

"If Noah's doing what I think he's doing, you're going to have a lap full of toddler," Chelsea muttered after a moment of thought. "Might want to close the file, Alan."

45. Copper

Sure enough, Noah came back outside with another two year old and deposited him into Alan's lap. Alan stared back at the red-haired little boy, then looked up at his father. "Uh..."

"This is Nicky," Noah said simply, smiling when Nicky reacted and hugged the social worker. "Thought so."

Chelsea rolled her eyes at him. "Really?"

"You remember how Nicky reacted to Harry, right? Even at three weeks old, he really didn't like him."

Alan paused. Had this man really just tested him with a two year old? He smiled at Nicky, who grinned up at him excitedly. "That makes sense. Nicky, huh? You'll love Nick Bradshaw, then."

"We will?" Chelsea wondered.

"He's the reason that the placement happened the way it did... does Pete normally fall asleep on people he's only known two weeks?" They both shook their heads in the negative. "Thought so, too."