Dean watched as Mrs. Clarke or as they'd learned Kayla tapped away at the computer pen hanging from between her lips. Renee sat beside him her eyes glancing around the plain looking room her knee bouncing nervously and Seth sat on his other side completely relaxed in the chair rubbing Rhys's back. The toddler had a sinus infection that came with a runny nose, bark like cough and a fever. He whined pressing his face into Seth's shoulder smearing his snot over his shirt, "Awesome" Seth groaned grabbing a tissue from the box on his desk and wiping his little nose. "It'll be over soon champ"
Kayla laughed watching Rhys glare at his dad before dropping his head back against his shoulder. "He's so intelligent for his age" She said as she brought out a file and some loose papers. "Okay so I've went through your records and all that business" Dean's face dropped and Renee and Seth chuckled beside him "No! It's okay honestly nothing on your record would prevent you from adoption Dean. Everyone had a wild period" She smiled reassuringly at him making him sag with relief.
"It wasn't exactly a wild period I just" He began to ramble when Renee clamped her hand around his mouth, "I can handle him" She smirked squealing when he licked her hand. Seth watched with amusement as they bickered back and forth and Kayla sent him a smirk as she shook her head. "So, we can adopt him" Dean asked he was tired of the games, he wanted Colton safe with him. Nodding her head Kayla passed over a file that was detailed in all the way Haley and the man had violated their parole and how much time they could serve because of it. "This is without mentioning Colton at all so once we get all the evidence about him I'm positive they'll strip her parental rights and lock her up"
Renee read over all the charges and couldn't believe they'd allow someone like this to care for a child. "So how does Colton get out of there?" Haley at this point had already lost Rhys and Renee was positive she wasn't going to give Colton over without a fight. "I'm going to fax over all the pictures Seth and Dean took of Colton and his environment and the police and myself will open a case file. Then we're going to get Seth and Dean to check and make sure Colton is there and once that happens we'll send in our investigator she'll do up her report and then we'll get configured a date to arrest Haley and Jay, that's the man you all keep seeing"
Seth leaned forward keeping a grip on Rhys who was sleeping in his arms, "So who's this Jay guy?" Kayla reached into her desk drawer and pulled another file out, "Jason "Jay" Edgar he's as far as I can tell Haley's boyfriend they've been together since Haley first showed up in my system. He's got no relation to Colton though" Dean read the file his lips settling into a snarl, the scumbag had not only man handled Rhys but Colton as well. "He's going to jail for a good, while right?" Dean looked up and Kayla could see how his past made sense, his eyes had a wicked glint to them. "Yes, which brings me to my next issue. Colton will have to testify in court so you two will have to help him process and deal with all that. And Seth the judge asked if you were going to testify on behalf of Rhys?"
Seth looked up from where he had his face resting against the toddlers' forehead, "I honestly hadn't even thought about it. Do you think I should?" Sighing Kayla leaned back in her chair eyes flashing to Rhys who was buried in Seth's arms. You could tell by the way he slept so deep and the grip he had on his daddy he felt safe. "They'll both do more time if you do, it'll be justice for her hurting him for so long." Seth looked down at his son sound asleep in his arms, it had been almost 2 weeks since his last nightmare and he was deathly afraid that he would have one again soon. Those moments of pure fear, the screaming and shaking, they were Haley and Jay's fault and this was how he could help make sure they never did it again. Make them pay for ever laying a finger on his baby boy. "I'm in" He said softly kissing Rhys's forehead who moaned as curled into the warmth of his chest. Kayla wrote down something on a file then turned her gaze to Dean who looked back evenly "And Dean I'll need you to testify with Seth about Colton and all you saw" Renee held his hand as he squeezed it tight, even the boys didn't know that Dean had been made to testify against his own parents when he was small. It was eerily like the life Colton and Rhys had been forced to live. "You got it" He said nodding his head but Renee could hear the edge to his voice and ran her thumb across his hand. Kayla flashed all three a grateful smile and closed her laptop, "I'll get this all sorted out as quick as possible so we can get Colton out of there. For the final arrest, would you two be okay with being there? Someone Colton trusts because last time he went crazy and they had to sedate him"
Both Seth and Dean growled low in their throat at the same time, shaking his head quickly Dean looked over at Seth who nodded "We'll be there just give us some notice so we can get out of work" After saying their goodbyes they headed to a small sandwich shop just down the block for something to eat. Rhys was still asleep in Seth's arms his fever beginning to creep higher again, Seth winced when his lips touched his forehead "Shit he's hot" Renee reached over to the backpack Seth had laid beside her chair and dug for the Advil "Want this?" Seth looked down at Rhys then back up at the bottle "I'm not sure if I should wake him up or not" He admitted, the last time he had woken Rhys to give him medicine he screamed the house down. "If he screams we'll leave" Dean shrugged and it was only because of Seth that he'd even go. He'd listened to plenty of people let their kids scream for stupid reasons, Rhys had a damn good one.
Seth gently sat Rhys up on the table his little head rolling forward before he whined loudly his little brown eyes snapping open. "It's okay champ just need to take this okay?" Seth said softly taking the syringe that Renee passed him and pressing it to his lips. Rhys swallowed the medicine pressing his fists against his eyes and sobbing. Hugging him tight Seth began to rock him back to sleep; the whimpering began to fade off and Rhys passed back out in minutes. "Dude must be exhausted" Dean chuckled. Ordering their sandwiches, they talked about Colton and how the final arrest would go down. "I'm worried you're going to get into it with Jay or something" Renee whispered into Dean's shoulder, smoothing her hair with his hand he kissed her forehead shaking his head "I wouldn't do that, as much as I'd love to hang his intestines from the ceiling fan and hit high I promise to behave" Seth snorted at his description and the look of horror on Renee's face "Promising" She muttered glaring up at him.
"I can't believe I'm gonna be someone's dad" Dean said eyes fixed on Rhys who had tucked his little face into Seth's chest, his little lips pursed and his eyes twitching as he dreamed. "You guys are going to be great, I mean you're awesome with Rhys. He loves you as much as he loves me" Seth grinned, he was looking forward to seeing Colton and Rhys back together. He just hoped they could all help Colton the way they helped Rhys.
"I'm excited, I just wish I could meet him before hand" Renee wondered what Colton was like even before the adoption talk. She knew he had to be special for Dean to be so in love with him already. Finishing their meals, they drove back to the apartment, Dean carrying Rhys this time while Seth carried the bags. Feeling the toddler grip his shirt and curl into his arms Dean smiled down at him. He couldn't wait to get Colton here with him.
"Alright I'm going to pack it in, I don't think this one is going to wake up anytime soon. I'll see you guys tomorrow" Seth grinned carrying Rhys up to the spare bedroom. Dean and Renee sprawled across their bed upstairs listening to Seth talk to Rhys who had woken up when he was changed, as he rocked him back to sleep. "I love you, you change my whole life champ and all for the better. You're growing up too quick though, I'm gonna miss holding you like this. Gonna grow up big like your brother huh? Uncle Dean and Auntie Nae are going to get Colton out of their, daddy wishes neither one of you had to go through that but I promise you no one will ever hurt you again"
Renee smiled up at Dean who kissed her softly, "I hope we can get him out of there, I just get this horrible feeling whenever I think about it" She admitted pressing closer to Dean. "It wont be easy but it's worth it, he deserves a chance at a better life. No one ever bothered to save me when I was a kid, I had to fight through it on my own. We've got a chance to change his whole life Nae, give him a family. I mean him and Rhys can be brothers that don't live together but I want to give him siblings to" Renee climbed on top straddling his hips and staring down at him "Oh yeah? Maybe we out to practice" she whispered making him shift and groan.
"I definitely think you shouldn't!" Seth hollered from his room, making both separate and bust out laughing. "Later" Dean winked pulling her onto the bed and wrapping her up in his arms and settling in for the night.
Across town while they slept Colton laid across the carpet floor in his bedroom blood running from his nose. "Next time I wont be so fucking nice" Jay slapped the wall above Colton's head "Worthless shit" He snapped before slamming the door. Whimpering he dove on top of the hard mattress that sat on the floor in the corner and wrapped his blanket around him. "It was an accident" he whispered gripping the blanket tight. He had been vacuuming the floors just like mommy said when he sucked up one of Jay's cigarettes he had dropped. After ten minutes of constant blows he'd throw him here in his room with no supper. He could hear them yelling and things banging around, closing his eyes he dreamed of a family who loved him. Grown ups with hands that didn't hurt him, voices that didn't yell and eyes that didn't bore straight through him.
Little did he know his dream was closer then he thought.