It was nearing eight o'clock that following morning and Adam was already on his second cup of coffee and soon to be on his third. He had tried to sleep, but his mind wouldn't shut off. He gave up at six and decided to get up and allow Victoria to get some sleep without him moving around. He had checked on Clay about twenty times in the past two hours. He was still sound asleep, he didn't even move from the spot he fell asleep in last night. Adam couldn't help but keep checking on Clay. He felt like a new dad all of a sudden. Having a child this young was new to Adam again. Hannah was sixteen soon, it had been ten years almost since he had a child this young. He was almost done with Hannah, they were two years away until she would be an adult and going off to college. Two years and they would be free to travel and spend their time together without a child around. Now they were taking on Clay, a little boy who had just turned six not that long ago. They were now twelve years away from having no children under their roof. He was forty-two, when he had Hannah he was in his twenties, he was young and had the extra energy. Now he was forty-two and almost starting all over again. He had no idea how he was going to do this, but at least this time around he had a stable job. He didn't have to balance going out on missions and training with having a younger child like he did with Hannah. For the most part he worked set hours with being a Green Team Instructor, which would be nice for Clay. It was a job Adam was taking on so he would figure out how to make it work. He wasn't about to send Clay off to some foster home, he deserved to have a loving family. Clay was brought into this family and they were going to make sure he stayed with them.
It was just after eight when Victoria came down and headed straight to the kitchen for coffee.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" Adam asked, as he sat there at the island.
"No, I've been drifting for about an hour now. I didn't hear Clay last night. I just checked on him, he's sound asleep. I closed his door all the way so we wouldn't wake him up. I didn't hear Hannah though, is she already gone?"
"Yup, left for school early for her big test today. She was gone about seven thirty. I didn't tell her about Clay. She knows he's here sleeping, but I told her it was because the babysitter didn't show. I didn't want to lie to her, but I also didn't want to drop a bomb on her before her test."
"No, you made the right call. She shouldn't have this on her mind all day. We can tell her tonight when we have more information. Did you call Social Services?"
"I did, they said they would be here around eight. I was going to wake you soon if I didn't see you."
"I better get dressed then. I don't want to look like I just rolled out of bed."
"You're beautiful." Adam said warmly.
Victoria leaned in and placed a quick kiss to Adam's lips before she headed off to get dressed real quick. It was only ten minutes later when the Social Worker and a detective were knocking at the door. Adam gave a quick look at his wife before he went and opened the door. He gave them both a friendly smile as he spoke. "Ma'am, Sir, please come in."
They both walked in and Adam could see them looking around, taking in the home. Victoria guided them all over to the living room as she spoke. "Would either of you like coffee?"
"No thank-you." Ms. Watson said, as she sat down.
"I am Detective Snowden with the Special Victims Unit. This is Ms. Watson with DCFS." Detective Snowden said, as he went and sat down.
"Adam Siever and this is my wife Victoria, we appreciate you coming down so quickly."
"When I received the message from my supervisor it stated that there was child abuse and human trafficking with a six year old boy. I thought it would be best to have Detective Snowden here so he can hear everything and it gets the ball rolling." Ms. Watson said.
"Yes, that six year old is Clay Spenser, he's currently asleep in our guest bedroom. I should start by saying that I work on the Navy base, I'm a Master Chief within DEVGRU. I was an active field operator, but I switched ten years ago to working as an instructor for Green Team, potential DEVGRU operators. Clay is the son of a new DEVGRU operator that recently joined three months ago to my old team."
"DEVGRU, that's Seal Team Six right?" Detective Snowden asked. This wasn't his first time dealing with a military member. He wasn't sure if this would fall under his jurisdiction or if he would have to pass this off to NCIS.
"Yes." Adam confirmed.
"I would really like to see Clay." Ms. Watson said.
"Of course, he's asleep right now. They didn't get back from the hospital until midnight. I can show you where he is and you could poke your head in, he really needs rest." Victoria said.
"That's fine." Ms. Watson easily agreed.
Victoria guided Ms. Watson up to check on Clay.
"Do I need to call NCIS?" Detective Snowden asked, once they were alone.
"I don't think so. As far as Ash Spenser, it'll be handled internally."
Adam was confident that the Navy and the Teams would handle Ash. They didn't need to get NCIS involved, unless Bravo went down that road, but that was their decision and not Adam's. His decision was getting Clay safe and making sure Uncle Matt couldn't hurt another child. Detective Snowden gave a nod and a few moments later Victoria and Ms. Watson walked back into the room.
"He's a cutie." Ms. Watson said.
"He is." Adam easily agreed.
Ms. Watson sat back down as she spoke. "Start at the beginning, what happened?"
Adam went through the whole evening and Victoria added a few things in from what she had seen during the previous time she had seen Clay. Both Ms. Watson and Detective Snowden asked their questions and finally thirty minutes later everyone was caught up on the situation.
"From my position, I will go back to the station and run the name for this Uncle Matt that you gave me. I will also be sending someone over to arrest his mother at her address. Moving forward, Clay might not need to testify or tell his story again. He is six, so we would like to avoid adding to his trauma with something like a court case. Generally, especially with his mother being addicted to drugs, people take a plea deal. I would imagine she is going to roll on him for a lighter sentence. He will most likely roll on someone else to save his own ass. Both will receive jail time and this Matthew will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life." Detective Snowden said.
"Good, I don't think Clay would be able to handle going through a court case like this." Adam said pleased that it would be one less thing that Clay would need to deal with.
"From my position, it won't be that simple and black and white. His mother is easy, we can have her sign away her parental rights given the charges. It could also be connected to a plea deal. So she is easy to deal with. Ash however, that is more complicated. He won't be facing charges for child abuse, because it would require Clay to testify in court that his father is the one that put the bruises on him. Any good defense lawyer could argue that there is no way to prove they came from Ash over a seizure. Or someone that Clay was around when he was at his mother's. Given Clay's age, no judge will want him in an open court to testify while his abuser is sitting right there. Given that he is a Serviceman, DCFS likes to work with the parents to help them so they can have their children back." Ms. Watson started.
"He could get Clay back after all of this? He knew Clay was being touched, he was going to hand him over to some work camp in Africa. How the hell is he going to be able to have him back?" Adam asked, pissed that Ash could actually get Clay back into his custody after everything.
"There is a process that parents go through in order to have the chance to have their children back. Without charges, we can't force him to terminate his rights. If he is not willing to give his rights up, then he has to go through the steps that need to be taken and he could have Clay back one day." Ms. Watson explained.
"How do we stop that? How do we protect Clay from ever being under the same roof as him?" Adam asked.
"With no other family, you would have to find someone that would be willing to sue for custody of Clay. But again, with no other biological family on either side it would be an uphill battle. Courts like to keep families together, now that doesn't mean it's not possible, anything is possible. The main concern right now is where Clay will be staying while this process happens. He technically needs to be placed within a foster family or group home until this situation has been resolved."
"No way, he can stay here. Why can't we have him? He knows us, he's trusting us, we know his medical problems, we know he needs a lot of love and he has some challenges coming his way, but we are prepared for that." Adam started.
"We have a soon to be sixteen year old daughter. We have never had any criminal record, we both work, we have a stable home. Clay would still be around our extended family. He has a bedroom here, he would be safe here. We would fight in court for him. That little boy became our son and we are not about to let him go now, not for anything." Victoria said with pure strength to her voice.
Ms. Watson looked over at Detective Snowden for a moment. "It's not my call to make, it's yours. But given everything the kid has been through, being in a place where he feels safe and around people he knows would be beneficial for him. And who better to protect him than a Navy Seal?" Detective Snowden said.
Ms. Watson thought about it for a moment before she finally spoke. "There will be a lot of paperwork you would need to fill out. I will have to put it all together at the office for you to pick up later. You both would need to go through a criminal background check, which I'm sure you will pass given Ms. Siever's job. Once that is complete an order will be made to a judge to grant you both temporary care of Clay. Meaning, he would be able to stay here with you until Ash is awarded custody once again of Clay. If you wish to have custody of Clay, then you would need to hire a family lawyer and sue for custody. My job as a social worker is to speak with Ash and provide him with a care plan that he will need to complete should he wish to have Clay back. He would be allowed to have supervised visits down at Child and Family Services where I would be supervising the visits. They would be set visits, typically two hours a week. He would have to attend anger management classes, parenting classes, domestic abuse classes as well. I will be visiting his apartment and seeing it firsthand how Clay has been living. In terms of you both, I will be coming by once a week at first to see Clay and check in on him. See if there have been any problems and to ensure he is getting what he needs."
"That's fine, we have nothing to hide." Adam easily said.
"Moving forward, if you are serious about keeping Clay and winning in court, you will need to take action to show that Clay is better off with you then with his father. That includes things like, a family doctor, keeping up with his medication and any medical tests that his doctor requests. He needs his own room, which you have stated he does. He needs a therapist so he can discuss what happened to him and start to heal from the trauma. He needs to be in school, public or private, it doesn't matter, but he can't be homeschooled. He needs to be socialised. Based on what you have said, he is most likely on the spectrum, so he needs to have a psychoeducational assessment to get a proper diagnosis."
"We'll make it happen. We are prepared to do whatever it takes to keep Clay with us where he will be safe and can be a happy little boy." Victoria easily agreed. It was all things that she had already thought about.
"Ok, I will have that paperwork for you to go over and sign later on today. I will be coming back next Wednesday to see Clay. I'll come by in the afternoon so he is awake. Here is my card." Ms. Watson said, as she handed the cards to Adam as she continued. "Call me if you have any problems or something comes up. I will also be speaking with Ash once he is back in the country."
"And you will keep us updated on Clay's case?" Adam asked Detective Snowden.
"I will, yes." Detective Snowden agreed.
They all said their goodbyes as Detective Snowden and Ms. Watson headed out. Once they were alone Adam looked over at his wife.
"Are you sure about this? Are you sure you are ok with Clay being here? I didn't exactly ask you before all of this started."
Victoria gave her husband an easy smile. "I would have been pissed if you brought that boy to anyone else. He needs a family, he needs to be kept safe and he needs love. We can give him that. I know we didn't have any plans on having more children. I know we have always been happy with having only Hannah and we were two years away from vacations and resorts. But I couldn't sleep at night if I knew that Clay was off in some foster home, or worse, back with Ash to be sent to Africa to some work camp to be abused and molested for who knows how many years. He is safe with us and he will be our son and we will love him and get him healthy and we will show him a whole new world." Victoria went and placed her hands on Adam's face. "Child free vacations and nude beaches can wait."
Adam gave a chuckle to that. "Nude beaches are probably just a bunch of ugly old men walking around hoping a woman shows up anyways."
"See, he's saving us from seeing old shriveled up penises." Victoria said with a bright smile before she kissed Adam.
After a moment she pulled back. "It's just after nine, why don't you call around for a lawyer and I'll get Clay up. We should feed him, he needs to eat more and we should see what his routine is so we can work around it and start getting him used to not being in the same one all the time. Once he starts school, he'll have a different routine."
"I'm worried about him in school. He's too smart for a six year old. I don't want him to be bored, I want him to get to engage his mind like he needs to. Maybe we should try and figure out an IQ test he could take before we figure out a school for him." Adam suggested.
"I think that is a good idea. I don't want him to be sitting in class bored and not paying attention. School is supposed to be fun and I want him to enjoy it. I'll get a list started on what we need to figure out and we will tackle it one at a time." Victoria easily agreed.
Adam gave a nod and Victoria headed off to get Clay awake so they could get some food into him. Adam went over to his office and started to make some calls to different family lawyer's offices.
Vic made her way into Clay's new bedroom. She couldn't help the warm smile on her face at the sight of Clay curled up asleep. He looked like a peaceful little boy, just like he should be. Victoria took notice of the room and she couldn't help but think they needed to make it more child friendly. A new comforter for the bed, some new sheets, there was a desk in the room, but they would need to get him a proper chair for it. He would need some clothes, books, toys, coloring, all of the things a normal boy his age needed. They could go tomorrow to get some things with Clay. Let him have the day to relax and just get used to being in their house for today. Victoria made her way over to the bed and she sat down on the edge of it. She moved her hand and stroked Clay's hair as she spoke.
"Clay, Sweetie, it's time to wake up."
She knew Clay was probably very tired, but she wanted him awake so he could get some food into him. He could always take a nap later. Clay gave a small groan as his eyes flickered open. For a moment Victoria could see the confusion on his face, before he looked over at her. She gave him a warm smile as she spoke.
"It's ok, you're with me and Uncle Adam at our house. Uncle Adam brought you here last night after the hospital, do you remember?"
Clay gave a small nod, as he went and sat up. He looked around, but he didn't see a clock anywhere. "What time is it?"
"It's just after nine in the morning. I know you went to bed late and you are probably tired, but I thought we should get some food into your belly. You can always take a nap later." Victoria said with a warm smile.
"Breakfast is at eight." Clay said and Victoria could tell he was a bit put off with having it late like this.
"Is that when you normally have it?" Victoria asked, patiently.
She knew there was going to be an adjustment period with Clay. He was set in a routine and they would need to work with him on creating a new one, especially with them finding a school for him to go to. It would be an adjustment period for Clay, but hopefully he would handle it well.
"Every morning."
"Can you tell me a bit more about your daily routine Sweetie?"
Victoria needed to have a better understanding of what Clay did in a day and just what they would be going up against. She knew they were going with the assumption that Clay was on the spectrum. She didn't know much about autism, high or low, but she did know routines were very important.
"7:45, wake up, breakfast at eight, brush my teeth at 8:15. Then lunch is at noon and dinner is at five. In bed for eight."
"Ok, and what about snacks during the day?"
"I only eat three times. Frosted Flakes for breakfast and peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch and dinner. There aren't really any snacks at Father's or Mommy's place."
"Well, there are plenty of snacks here. So if you are hungry, all you have to do is ask and we can find you something. What about what you do during the day when you are not eating?"
"I'm on my tablet. Ms. Google always teaches me something new."
"I am sure she does. A tablet can be a great tool to use to learn and have some fun. Well, today's routine might be a little messy, but it'll be ok. I don't have Frosted Flakes, but I do have pancake mix. Have you ever made pancakes before?"
Clay just shook his head and Victoria gave him a big smile. "It's a lot of fun. I think you'll like it. There's math and measuring and mixing, but you know what the best part is? Pouring syrup on them and eating em. Do you think you could help me?"
"I'm very good at math and measuring." Clay said, sounding excited to be helping and learning something.
"Perfect, because that is the part I always need help with. How about you go to the bathroom, I'm sure by now you have to pee. And I will meet you in the kitchen."
Clay gave an excited nod and they both got up and headed out. Victoria made her way down into the kitchen and started to grab what they would need. She grabbed the mixing bowl, the pancake mix, the frying pan and then she grabbed the folding step stool she had for when she needed to get items down from on top of the kitchen cabinets. That would allow Clay to be at the counter and to help her. It was only a minute later when Clay came into the kitchen, tablet in his hands.
"Why don't you place your tablet down at the table so we don't get pancake mix all over it?" Victoria easily suggested. She knew how important Clay's tablet was to him. It was essentially the only interaction he had in the day. His tablet was essentially his friend, parent and teacher all rolled into one.
Clay went over and placed it carefully down at the table before he went back over and climbed up the step ladder so he was now at the height for the counter. "What is that?" Clay asked, pointing to the pancake mix box.
"This is the box that the pancake mix comes in. On the back it gives you the instructions to follow for cooking it. So this mix only requires us to use water to make the pancakes. Now see right here?" Victoria said, pointing to the amount of servings. When Clay gave a nod she continued. "It tells you how much pancake mix and water you need to make so many pancakes. We're going to make extra then we need, because we can freeze them and just pop them into the toaster in the morning for breakfast. Hannah likes to eat them real quick on her way to school. So we are going to make the sixteen serving amount."
"That's not on the chart." Clay pointed out.
"It isn't on the chart, but do you know what two amounts would make sixteen?"
"The twelve and four. So we combine them."
"That's right. So cups are an increment of measurement when you are baking and cooking. It takes four quarters to make one full cup or three thirds to make one full cup. So if we were to combine the four, one cup and two quarter cups with the twelve, two cups and three quarter cups. Do you know what that would equal?"
Victoria wasn't too sure what Clay would know and what he wouldn't. She knew from Hannah that at the age of six she couldn't do fractions, but Clay was a bit different.
"One cup plus two cups, equals three cups. Two quarters and three quarters equals five quarters so then that would be one cup and a quarter. Making it four cups and one quarter cup." Clay said with a big smile.
"You are exactly right. You are very good at math." Victoria said with a proud smile.
"I like math." Clay said with a toothy grin.
"So do I. Uncle Adam likes Spanish and history."
"I love Spanish and History."
"Well then, you should get Uncle Adam to show you where he keeps his history books. They will make for a great read for you. For now, we gotta make these pancakes or we are never eating breakfast." Victoria said with a warm smile.
Her and Clay went through the process of measuring and mixing the pancakes. By the time Adam joined them, they were both sitting at the table eating breakfast. Victoria had a plate and some coffee for Adam all set for when he was finished making calls. Adam gave Clay a big warm smile as he sat down at the table.
"Morning Kiddo, how are you feeling?"
"Good. We made pancakes." Clay said with a big smile.
"I see that. They smell amazing and I bet they taste even better. Have you had pancakes before?" Adam asked, as he grabbed a couple. When Clay shook his head as he ate another bite, Adam knew he was liking them. "Are they better than Frosted Flakes?"
"They're fluffy, like clouds, but with syrup. I like syrup." Clay said and they both could tell it was his first time truly experiencing anything with a fair amount of sugar in it.
"Pancakes and waffles are one of my favorites in the morning. How did you sleep Kiddo?"
"Good. The bed was really soft. My bed isn't anything like that. Do I go back to Mommy's after breakfast?"
Victoria and Adam both gave each other a quick look. They knew they would need to tell Clay about staying here. They weren't too sure how well Clay would handle it though. It would be a big change and for children his age, change was hard. Given his mind, it would be harder for him.
"Well Kiddo, that is something me and your Aunt Victoria need to talk to you about. It's not safe for you to be at your mom's with her having to take so much medicine and with Uncle Matt. With your Father knowing what happened to you and looking to send you to a bad place, you can't go back to either place." Adam started gently.
"But where would I go? I always spend a week at Mommy's and a week at Father's. It's Mommy's week." Clay said confused and they could hear a slight panic tone to his voice.
"I know that is the normal routine and you have taken comfort in having a set routine. We know this will be hard on you for a bit, but we would really like it if you stayed here with us. You aren't safe with your Father or your Mommy and me and your Aunt Vic, we just want you to be safe. To have a proper bed, to get to go to school, to have proper food and a safe place to be with people who care about you. We would be honored if you stayed with us."
"But what about Mommy? She needs me to make food for her."
Clay wasn't sure how he felt about staying here. He liked the bed, it was really soft and the food was good. He didn't really know Uncle Adam and Aunt Vic very well, but they seemed nice. At the same time though, he was supposed to be with his mom and dad. That's what had always happened. It was lonely though and there were times where his belly was hungry and he didn't have food. He didn't like that his dad would drink and get mean and hit him. He really liked the idea of going to school. He had heard about it and watched shows about it, but he never thought he would get to go. It sounded exciting.
"You're mommy is pretty sick right now Kiddo. The best thing you can do for her is to give her some space so she can get better. She's going to go away for a little while, but she will get the help she needs to not be sick anymore." Adam knew Clay was smart, but that did not mean he wasn't still a child and should be treated as one. It wasn't a matter of if Clay would understand drug use and prison, it was about protecting his innocence and childhood.
"Where will she go?" Clay asked, confused.
"She will go to a place that will help her get healthy again." Adam answered.
"Like a hospital?"
"Kinda just like that ya. So, she won't be at her apartment anymore. You won't be able to live with her anymore. As for your dad, he has some things he needs to work through himself before he can be a true father to you. Your Aunt Vic and me, we want what is best for you. We want you to be in a safe place, with people who care about you, where you can just be a kid and grow and learn."
"We would love for you to stay here with us Clay. To become a part of our family." Victoria added with a warm smile.
Clay thought about it for a moment. He wasn't really sure what was going on, it was all confusing to him and he felt like he was missing something. However, he could also tell that he wouldn't really have anywhere to go if he said no. He did like being here and it could be nice to live here for a while, until his mommy was healthy again, then maybe he would get to live with her. His Uncle Adam and Aunt Vic seemed like nice people, they had a nice home, it might be nice to live here.
"Ok." Clay simply said.
Both Adam and Victoria gave Clay a warm smile. They didn't expect him to have a big rant with an answer. It did make them feel better knowing that Clay was willing to stay here.
"Good, we are excited for you to be staying here. Today, your Aunt Vic and me have to go out and meet with a couple of people, but I called Emma, she doesn't have school today, so she is on her way over here to watch you while we are gone." Adam started.
"Emmy is coming? Is she bringing Harry Potter?" Clay asked, as his eyes lit up.
They both gave a small chuckle to that. "She said she would."
"Tomorrow, we should go out and find some clothes for you and a few things for your room. I bet we could find dinosaur sheets." Victoria said.
"Not scratchy?" Clay asked.
"Nope, we will find super soft ones for you." Victoria answered with a warm smile.
They chatted a bit for the next thirty minutes before they started to clean up. Clay went into the living room with his tablet when there was a knock at the door. Adam went over and opened it, knowing that Emma would be on the other side. He gave her a warm smile of appreciation as he let her in.
"Thank-you for this." Adam said.
"It's no problem. I had the day off, the perks of getting your work done early. Is there anything I should know?"
Emma was a bit confused as to why Clay was over here and not at his dad's place. She was also not sure what was going on that she would need to watch Clay while Adam and Victoria were at meetings.
"He just ate pancakes, he got up about an hour ago. He might be tired today, he went to bed around midnight. We have to meet with a few people so we probably won't be back until after lunch."
"Ok, is everything alright? Did something happen to Uncle Ash?" Emma asked, still confused and now worried that something happened to the team.
"No, the team is safe. There's something going on with Clay's family life. He's going to be living with us for the foreseeable future. The team doesn't know yet, I don't want to tell them until they get back."
"I won't say anything. You go do what you need to, I got Clay." Emma said with a warm smile. She didn't know what was going on, but she did know that it was better for the team to stay focused when on a mission.
"Thank-you, we owe you." Adam said, relieved that Emma understood.
"Hey, you saved me from being bored all day." Emma said with an easy smile.
Adam gave her a smirk as he went over to the living room as he spoke. "Hey Kiddo, Emma is here."
Clay's attention snapped away from his tablet and over at Emma, who was walking towards them. "Emmy, did you bring Harry Potter?" Clay asked, very excited for her answer.
"Yes, I did." Emma said with a big smile, as she pulled it out of her purse.
"Ok Kiddo, Emma is gonna hang out with you and me and your Aunt Vic are going to head out. We'll be back shortly, ok?" Adam said, as Emma went and sat down on the couch.
"Ok." Clay simply said, as he curled up next to Emma so he could see any of the photos in the book.
Adam gave them both a warm smile before he turned and grabbed his coat, wallet, keys and cell phone, before him and Victoria headed out to meet with the family lawyer. They were going to do everything they could to keep Clay with them where he would be safe and loved. They weren't going to allow Ash to ever get Clay back, no matter what they had to do.