"Wait, what? How? Why?"
"I'll explain everything when you get here, just please, please get here," Amanda pleaded.
"I'm there," he replied and quickly hung up the phone. He paused for a moment as he wondered what he should tell the boys. He didn't want to have to tell them that their mother had been arrested, but he also couldn't help thinking about the promise he and Amanda had made to them after revealing the truth about their marriage that they'd never lie to them again.
"Was that Mom?" Jamie asked worriedly. Despite Lee trying to reassure him that everything was fine, he'd seen the same concerned look on his face earlier.
Lee sighed again and decided to bite the bullet. "Listen, guys, there's been a bit of confusion down at the police station. Your mom was trying to do a good thing and make sure the people who were hurting Ivy wouldn't be allowed to do it again and...um...well, since those people reported that Ivy had been kidnapped and your mom was there..." He wasn't entirely sure that that was what had happened since Amanda hadn't given him any details, but he was pretty sure it was at least close to the truth.
"They think she took her when it was really me," Glenn inserted guiltily. "Man, I didn't want to get in trouble, but I don't want her getting in trouble for me. I should go with you...you know, turn myself in."
"No," Lee shook his head. "Because all that will accomplish is getting you sent back to a home and I don't want that."
"But it's my fault. I'm going!" the boy insisted.
"We are too," Phillip chimed in. "We can be witnesses or something that Ivy was already here when we got here."
"Yeah," Jamie nodded, echoing his brother's sentiments.
"I appreciate that, Fellas, but I don't think-"
"Forget it, Lee, we're coming with you," Jamie stated firmly. "This is our mom we're talking about."
"And my sister," Glenn added.
Realizing he was outgunned, Lee conceded. Maybe Phillip was right in his thinking that having multiple witnesses would help. "Okay, fine, but you do what I say when I say...all of you. You got it?"
When all three boys agreed, they headed out to rescue Amanda.
When they entered the sheriff's office, they were assailed by the sound of a shrill woman's voice nearly shrieking. "She's a goddamn liar! I didn't do a damn thing to that girl! If she's got bruises that other chick put them there! I just wanted to give that poor sweet little baby a good home and that ungrateful little brat just wouldn't' stop-"
"Excuse me," Lee interrupted impatiently. Guessing this had to be the abusive foster mother, he raised an eyebrow at the woman's use of "sweet' and "brat" in the same sentence to describe Ivy. He directed his comment to the deputy behind the desk, ignoring the irate woman. "I'm here for my wife...Amanda Stetson."
"You oughtta' tell your wife not to mess with other people's kids," the woman snarled at him before turning her attention back to the man behind the desk. "Now, when am I going to get my baby back?"
"Ma'am," the harried deputy began. "As I've already said, the child is in the care of Social Services until a full investigation can be done."
"And I told you, there don't need to be no damn investigation 'cause I didn't do nothin' wrong!"
"Again, we're trying to do a thorough investigation so that we-"
This time it was Lee who interrupted. "But you arrested my wife without an full investigation?" he questioned hotly as he extracted his badge and showed it to the deputy, glad that he had a habit of never leaving it behind. "Did you by chance happen to go through her personal effects after her arrest? If you did, you'd find a badge just like this one. Do you really think a federal agent would kidnap a child?"
The deputy paled and stammered, "I-I...uh...listen, I wasn't the one who arrested her. I was just here when they brought her in and...uh...I'm trying to make sense of this whole thing just like you are."
"You wanna' make some sense of it?" He nodded to the three boys and gestured for them to come forward. "I suggest you talk to these three and to the two girls. They can all tell you the truth and so can I. Not to mention a certain park ranger who ran the kids out of one of the cabins days before we ever arrived here. I'd also suggest dropping the charges against her and applying them where they really belong..." He glowered at the foster mother.
"Your dad is so cool," Glenn whispered in awe to the other two boys. "I so wish he was my dad too."
"Thank you, Sweetheart," Amanda said gratefully as she entered the room, "But the charges have already been dropped. "The doctor I took Ivy to came in and made a statement that the bruises were too old for me to have been the one to hurt Ivy and another deputy confirmed with the parks department that we only arrived yesterday after Ivy disappeared."
"Thank God," Lee uttered in relief as he reached to embrace her while the boys cheered behind him. "So, let's get your things so we can get out of here."
"No," Amanda shook her head. "I mean, yes, I want my things back, but we can't leave yet. When they arrested me, they took the girls. We have to go get them...or we have to at least try. There's an emergency hearing in family court in about an hour to determine what to do with Ivy since she was clearly being abused..." Amanda glared at the foster mother who turned white in response. "And with Sunny since they consider her a chronic runaway. I imagine Glenn will be brought into it too since he was the one who took Ivy away from her foster parents."
"Then let's get your stuff and get there then," Lee replied determinedly.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
An hour and a half later, after Lee and Amanda had filed the proper paperwork to request temporary custody of the orphans and presented the family court judge with the facts, corroborated by the doctor, the park ranger, and all the three children who were present, they anxiously awaited the court's decision. "Well, I have to admit, in all my years doing this, I've never seen a situation quite like this." He tapped the documents before him. "Clearly, the younger child, Ivy, can't go back to the foster home she was in and it's quite obvious that keeping the three children in separate homes isn't working. I'm appalled that anyone even thought it was a good idea."
"Me too," Amanda muttered under her breath.
"Mr. and Mrs. Stetson," the judge addressed them both. "After hearing your testimony, it's obvious that you care about what happens to these children, but are you quite sure you're ready to take on three troubled children that you've only known for a single day?"
Lee and Amanda smiled at each other and replied in unison, "Absolutely."
The judge nodded. "And your own children are okay with this as well?"
"Yes," Phillip and Jamie chorused.
"And you realize how disruptive this may be to your household?"
"If I may, Your Honor," Amanda spoke up meekly.
"Yes, Mrs. Stetson?"
"While you're right that it may be disruptive to take on three new children, I think it's a lot less disruptive for those three orphans for them to have a stable home instead of being bounced around all over the place. I know this may not mean much, but my husband grew up very much like that because he lost his parents young too, so if anyone can relate to Sunny and Glenn and Ivy, it would be him. And me, well, I've been a mom for years already and it's just second-nature to me now to do what's in the best interests of the children."
"Well, there is still the fact that you didn't report finding them right away," the judge countered. "That concerns me a bit."
"Your Honor," Lee interjected. "Maybe we should have reported it right away, but my wife and I, we're federal investigators and as such, we didn't want to jump to any conclusions until we knew all the facts. It wasn't until nearly bedtime last night that we discovered what was really going on and then my wife took steps to report it first thing this morning and got falsely arrested for her efforts."
"I'm aware of that. I have the sheriff's report here too." He paused as he weighed the options. On the one hand, he could leave them in the hands of Social Services without any guarantee they'd be any better off than they'd been before. On the other, he could grant the couple's petition for emergency custody and hope it wouldn't prove to be too much for them to the point that they'd sent the kids right back where they would still be in the same boat.
"Your Honor...Sir?" Jamie spoke up. "C-can I say something?"
"Go ahead, Young Man," the judge allowed.
"Listen, I...uh...I know my mom and stepdad aren't perfect and they probably screwed up by not tattling on the other kids, but they did it for the right reasons. They wanted to keep them safe." He smiled at Glenn as he remembered the younger boy's comments about how cool Lee was. "But you know something, when...uh...when Lee first started to get to know me and my brother, I was a big jerk to him...I mean a super, colossal jerk. I even once threw a basketball at him because I was so mad. But you know something...he never gave up on me and never gave up trying to let me know he cared. You can call these kids troubled...and...and maybe they are, but I was too when I first met Lee. My real dad was never there for me and I was such a jerk because I didn't think Lee would be either and I..." He faltered for a moment as he tried to come up with the right words. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, he was still there for me no matter how big a jerk I was and just knowing that, I can tell you that he'd do the same with these other kids. He's a really cool dad, especially for a guy who isn't my actual dad, you know?"
"Thank you." the man replied. He turned his attention to the other two boys. "Do either of you have anything to add?"
Phillip shrugged. "I just mostly agree with my brother. He was a real jerk to Lee and Lee just took it all and kept at it."
"And you?" The judge nodded to Glenn.
"I just wish he was my dad," the youngest boy answered softly. "He's a good dad and then my sisters and me...we'd never have to be split up again."
"Well, since you're all in agreement, I see no other option but to grant your custody request. I'll have the clerk get the paperwork drawn up for you to pick up the two girls from the county home."
The family erupted into elated cheers and embraced each other happily. "Yes!" Jamie whooped while he hugged Glenn. "I've got a little brother now."
"I'm afraid it's not quite that simple," the judge explained. "Your parents still have a lot of work to do to make that happen."
"We'll get it done," Lee assured him and then turned to his wife. "Let's get that paperwork so we can go get our girls."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Another hour passed by while they waited for the proper paperwork and drove to the county home and then waited some more for the girls to be brought into a large meeting room. As soon as they entered the room, Sunny glowered at them and snapped accusingly, "You said you wouldn't let this happen! I trusted you!"
"See? I told you she'd never agree to it," Glenn moaned worriedly. After all they'd been through, he just knew it had all been too good to be true.
"Why'd you come here?" she demanded. "Just so you can get rid of Glenn too? Congratulations! You guys are the same as everyone else just like I knew you would be." She took off running before anyone else could respond leaving Lee and Amanda staring at each other worriedly.