Thanks to everyone who read and to Ghostwriter, Callisto's Moon, and MelsieR for reviewing.

Alex looked up from his spreadsheet at a light tap on the door frame and then shut his computer and waved Jamie and Sonja in. Jamie had one of the kitchen chairs tucked under his arm, and Alex rolled his own chair back a little and gestured for Jamie to set it down by the desk. "Thank you."

Jamie shrugged, not meeting his eyes. "Sure. I think I'm done here so I'm going to head for the station."

"Now?" He checked his watch, but he hadn't gotten that lost in budgeting for the upcoming months. "Your shift doesn't start for almost an hour."

Another shrug. "I've just got some stuff to do."

Alex looked at Sonja, who shook her head. "All right," he said after a moment. "I don't think I'll be going down to the station myself today, but do you want me to hold off on dinner this evening until you get home? There are burgers in the freezer."

"No thanks, I'll probably go to Caitie's or somewhere for a while after my shift."

"Okay, I'll see you afterwards, then."

Jamie nodded and turned, slipping around Sonja with a mutter that could only charitably be called a goodbye.

"Did something happen?" Alex asked when he was gone.

"No. He just...I have his files for you in my car, and he's not very happy about it."

"Why not? Uh, please,"he gestured at the chair. "I thought that it was standard for all foster parents to receive those files?"

"Thank you. And it is, but he's been here without you having had that information for a couple months now, and he'd very much prefer that it stayed that way. I'm aware that you already suspect the abuse, and he probably knows it too, but that's not the same as you having the actual records."

"Ah, right, I suppose the social service information would include that." It would have to, and even if it wasn't really something that he thought a lot about at this point he should have more information than just that Jamie didn't like adults touching him.

"Social services and medical records, I'm afraid."

That was more unexpected, and Alex felt his jaw tighten. "The abuse was that severe?" He'd assumed that there had been a foster father—or possibly more than one, given Jamie's reactions sometimes—who'd violated the regulations against physical discipline, but the idea that it had been something bad enough to require documented medical treatment moved it to an entirely different category. Then again, Jamie was a pretty tough kid. Given his reactions, maybe Alex shouldn't be surprised.

She dipped her head slightly. "Despite the occasional sensationalized story that ends up on the six-o'clock news, removing a child from his parents is never something that we do lightly. And unfortunately Jamie's is one of the cases where..." She trailed off with a shake of her head. "He should have been removed far sooner than he was."

"His parents? But I thought..." Alex frowned as he tried to remember exactly what Jamie had told him. "I thought that his mother left when he was fairly young and then he ended up in foster care after his father went to prison." Granted that Jamie had been pretty clear that he wanted nothing to do with his father the one time that Alex had asked, but there could have been any number of reasons for that.

"True on both counts, but I suspect that he left out the part where the charges against his father included aggravated child abuse and attempted murder."

Alex felt his nails bite into his palms and made himself flatten his hands. "He did. Does he have a therapist or someone that he talks to? He's never said anything." Even after five years there would be lingering affects after something that extreme, probably more than just an aversion touch, and even if he might not be having weekly appointments Alex would have expected some kind of regular check-in with a professional.

She grimaced. "After it happened he was automatically enrolled in sessions with a trauma therapist, but as far as I know he never even got to the point of acknowledging that it happened. We never found out if his mother was involved before she left or if it was only when his father was drinking that things got bad or really any details. And when that first placement ended badly and he was placed with a couple who couldn't find a therapist that would work around their schedule...well, by the time a placement was found that could the six months was past."

"Six months?"

"That's how long therapy is covered by social services without an ongoing recommendation from a doctor. I pushed for a waiver in Jamie's case and a a requirement that his new foster parents get him into treatment immediately, but given how the social services offices are set up that required approval well beyond my pay grade and it was denied."

As much as Alex wanted to ask if she was joking, the expression on her face made the answer perfectly clear. And if it would have required a recommendation prior to approval for payment, Jamie's reaction to the glasses already told him how that would have gone. Not that he didn't understand perfectly well that not everyone could pay for something like a visit to a therapist—or an optometrist—out of pocket, but if foster parents were being given a stipend it seemed fairly obvious to him that an initial therapy session to get that recommendation should have been a priority. "His brother couldn't help you?"

Her jaw tightened. "He also refused to acknowledge that their father had done anything wrong, and in his case there was no indication that physical abuse of any kind had ever happened. Sometimes abusers are equal opportunity offenders, but a single child being singled out and scapegoated isn't uncommon either. It's more typical for it to be the older child, but that's not always the case."

Jamie had said that he and his brother weren't close, that he didn't even know where his brother lived now, in fact, but Alex couldn't imagine something like that. Pete might have treated he and Cathy like annoying little pests sometimes growing up, but he'd never put up with anyone else trying to so much as push them around.

"Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if you don't see Jamie very much for the next few days," Sonja continued. "And don't be shocked if he still won't admit what happened even if you ask him a direct question."

Alex wasn't even sure how he'd broach the topic right this moment, but a disappearing act was entirely possible knowing how Jamie reacted when he was upset. He sighed. Hopefully Jamie wouldn't kick that off by missing curfew tonight. He wouldn't put up with it if it happened, whatever his past had been Jamie didn't need Alex to stop enforcing boundaries, but he was pretty sure that he wouldn't be too inclined to punish Jamie after what he was about to read either. "Is there anything else I should be prepared for?"

"Nothing anywhere near that serious. He said that he told you about his allergies?"

"And the asthma, yes. I got him a new rescue inhaler, but I want to get him in to see a pediatrician when I've got a chance."

"That would probably be a good idea," Sonja said. "Unfortunately given what happened with the optometrist, I suspect he's behind on some other appointments too. Other than that, well, you already know about his brush with the law last year, and then I doubt what's in his school report will be any surprise either. From what I've seen he's been doing better in his time here with you than he has since he started high school."

The fact that Alex had expectations and didn't have a problem making them clear probably had something to do with that, but there was no point in saying so.

"Now, I do still have a few questions for you."

"Oh. Of course."

"I understand that you split your time between the hospital and running the local ambulance services?"

"Technically the ambulance service is an extension of the city hospital, but yes."

"So your hours aren't particularly regular?"

"Day to day definitely not, although it's a little more consistent week to week."

"How does that work with Jamie's schedule?"

"Well, his curfew is ten on weekdays and eleven on weekends unless he's working or there's something happening that we talked about previously, and I'm generally home at least close to then so he doesn't push too often. And he knows he'll get called on it if he does. During the day he's generally at school or with his friends, and I am a little worried about how that will go this summer since I don't know much about his friends except for the girl who's also close to another member of the high school squad." Not that he really knew a lot about her either, but he was pretty well-assured of Val's judgment. Some of the other friends that Jamie had mentioned... "I'm afraid some of them, or at least some of what I've heard about them since he's never brought any of them to the house, makes me concerned," he admitted.

Sonja nodded. "That doesn't surprise me, but remember that these are the people he's been able to get close to across some rough years. They're the ones he goes—or at least went—to when he didn't have anywhere else, and even if it was just a leftover sandwich or a spot on the floor they've looked out for him. And he's looked out for them. I don't mean that you should condone them getting him involved in questionable activities if that's what you're concerned is happening, in fact I'd still very much like to know who put the idea to shoplift in his head last summer myself because it's absolutely not the kind of thing he'd have come up with on his own, but trying to separate him from any of them without good reason is likely to end badly. Even with a reason it would be difficult. And he is sixteen."

Alex nodded. Not that he approved in any way of Jamie being around people who were stealing or drinking or doing drugs or any of that, but he could already see how well forbidding Jamie to see his friends would not go. Better to make sure that Jamie, at least, was sticking to legal activities and work from there.

"Have there been any other incidents like after New Years? Either the incident itself or Jamie's reaction afterwards?"

"No. I mean, no, he hasn't stayed out all night that again either, but generally when something does happen we deal with it immediately and he doesn't get too upset. At least beyond the complaints." He could handle a complaining teenager. "I think I've only had to ground him...twice?...in the last two months. No, three times, but once was just for a weekend."

"Well, that's good news. And has he shown any signs of being willing to settle in more?"

"What do you mean?"

"I saw his motorcycle in the garage when he was giving me the tour, but do you know if he's considered bringing his other bike here? Or his guitar?"

"No. I offered, but he hasn't been interested." That had been back around the end of last year, though, so he probably should ask again.

She nodded again. "Would you consider letting him decorate his room a little more to his taste?"

"I'm sorry?"

"It's a very nice room, please don't mistake me, and it's he's clearly comfortable here, but he's also a teenager and I'm not sure 'spare room' would be his first choice for decorating."

"Oh. I guess I hadn't really thought about that," Alex admitted. Now that she'd mentioned it, it did seem kind of obvious. "No, I wouldn't mind." Not that he'd let Jamie do anything ridiculous like paint the walls black or anything, but he wouldn't object to a reasonable color beyond the beige that was currently all over the house except in his own bedroom. Or maybe Jamie would want to just hang posters up or something along those lines; the room that Alex and Pete had shared growing up had always had a rotating selection of decor of what was popular with children and teenagers at any given time. It wouldn't hurt to get him a new comforter and sheets and such that weren't the odds and ends that Alex had kept around for when his family decided to visit either. "When he does decide to talk to me again, I'll see what he'd like to do." It wouldn't make the conversation about the files any easier, but at least it might be something more pleasant to turn to afterwards.