A New Life in San Francisco

Chapter 4; Josh McKay

James first became aware of a bright light. Even through his closed eye lids it burned at his eyes. Before he even tried to open that slight protection he heard familiar voices. Sam and Jackie and surprisingly Gemma, his unofficial student advisor.

The first though that went through his mind was why were the only three people that he knew in San Francisco and that he actually liked enough to trust be in the same room and why was he only just waking up.

He cracked open his eyes and gasped as the light burned straight into his eyes. As they adjusted he realised that the three familiar voices had gone quiet as if they had only just realised that he was awake. He took in the room as it slowly slipped into focus. And he almost groaned as he realised that he was in a hospital bed. His hand flinched as he almost reached for the bed side table for his glasses before stopping himself when he remembered that the action was pointless. He hadn't needed glasses since he had completed the Animagus transformation for the first time.

Two faces suddenly blocked out the light as they hovered over him. Gemma stood to his left whilst Jackie was grabbing his hand rather roughly as she hovered over his right side.

"How are you feeling?" Gemma asked him causing him to look at her strangely.

"What do you mean? Why am I here?" He frowned at the two of them as if they were hiding something from him.

"Sam brought you here this morning, you've been asleep most of the day." Jackie told him, "You came back this morning and collapsed. The Doctor said you were stabbed by some sort of glass shard."

The night before swam into clearer view. The Dementors and then the fight as a Panther that had ended in those witches and wizards destroying it and him getting stabbed by a piece of glass. Then he remember apparating and then walking home and he vaguely remembered Sam's voice and then this room.

He was interrupted from responding when Sam walked into the room closely followed by a white jacketed Doctor. "Good evening Mr. Evans. My name is Doctor Motak." The older man spoke kindly. "How are you feeling?"

Harry almost answered with his usual fine before actually trying to think about it. He took in his body and realised with a start that he couldn't move his right arm but then realised that it was because of the tight sling that held it across his chest. He moved it as far as possible and cried out as the motion sent waves of pain up his right side forcing the air from his lungs. He took deep breaths before looking back at the Doctor.

"My side hurts." He muttered before blushing at how pathetic he sounded, he hated showing weakness.

"I'm not surprised, you have a six inch gash starting from your seventh rib. Whatever stabbed you did so pretty deeply." The Doctor told him, "By the time the ambulance got you here you had already lost four pints of blood. It's a good thing you found your way home by yourself or else you would have probably died."

"Thank you, Sir." James told the man sincerely.

"Right now, your not to attempt to move your arm, it will only prolong the healing if you do. I'm going to be placing you on a course of antibiotics to stop any infection in the gash and also I will be issuing you with some mild painkillers to be used sparingly if the pain gets any worse."

"When can I leave?" James asked him quietly and then winced at the reminder of how many times he had asked that same question of Poppy Pomfrey.

The Doctor almost looked like he was going to laugh before a stern look covered his face. "Don't be hasty, Mr Evans." He told James. "You nearly died, we are keeping you in at least over night. We'll see how you are in the morning before deciding when to release you."

"It's my first day at work tomorrow though," James told the Doctor whilst trying to prop himself up on his right elbow to see the Doctor properly. He abruptly fell back again as a sharp pain tore through his left side. Gemma was at his side in an instant pushing him back again.

"We'll have to wait till the morning to see wont we." The Doctor told them with a frown before leaving the room.

"So, James, what happened?" Sam asked him bluntly as soon as the door closed.

James inwardly flinched at the oncoming lie but knew he would have to. "I don't remember, I was on my way back to the flat with the food when I felt a sudden pain in my side. I think someone stole the food." James put on a frown, "I don't remember much after that apart from thinking about getting back to the flat."

Gemma gave him a quick hug though it was very one sided, even without James' arm being in a sling. They were interrupted from anything else when a nurse entered the room followed by two police officers.

"I'm sorry," she spoke to Sam, Jackie and Gemma, "these two gentleman need a few minutes with Mr. Evans to take a statement."

"We'll need some privacy." One of the officers told the group simply. Jackie squeezed James hand briefly before she left with Gemma and Sam behind her.

James spent the next ten minutes describing every faked detail that he could supposedly remember. He made sure that there wasn't anything that could be used as evidence or leads in case they decided to look into it more carefully but he felt that he was pretty convincing. Eventually they left and Sam, Jackie and Gemma re entered.

They chatted aimlessly about anything they could think of, James discovered that Gemma had been at the college when the ambulance had arrived to pick him up and had followed with Sam to the hospital, they had called Jackie from there and she had come as soon as she could. It worried James slightly, this was the first time that their friendship had been truly tested and he was scared that the same thing would happen. He had to remind himself though that Hermione and Ron had already known him as the famous boy-who-lived when they had met him, whereas Sam and Jackie had gotten to know him properly before becoming friends. Gemma of course was a bit of an oddity, she had just appeared one day and had always been trying to help him, whether it was just comfort, for college or now for work.

After about half an hour of chatting the same nurse came back to tell the others that visiting hours were other and only family members could stay. Of course they kicked up a big fuss over it but James assured them that he would be fine and eventually they agreed to go.

"Sam?" James called just as he was about to leave. "Can you call Paige Matthews to let her know what happened?"

"Sure thing James, I'll swing by in the morning and see you. I'll take you to work too if they'll you out." Sam assured him.

"Thanks."

"Think nothing of it, now gets some rest." Sam laughed lightly as he left to room to catch up to the others.

James sighed and put his head back down on the pillow wincing at the strain it put on his side. What he wouldn't give for a magical hospital over months of painful healing but then he reminded himself that he would put up with pain twice this bad to stay away from the Wizarding world. His eyes drifted shut as he thought about those Witches and Wizards that had destroyed the Demon on Alcatraz, had they been saving him or had they been there for the same purpose as himself.

Third Monday morning of July

James woke as the Doctor from the night before entered his room. For an instant he was confused, like he always was when waking up in a strange place but he soon realised what was happening.

"Good Morning, Mr. Evans." The man greeted him neutrally, "Lets get a look at that gash of yours and we will see if you can leave. Mind you I don't like the idea of you going to work, but I think you're the sort of person that would go regardless of your health."

James didn't give a response to that as the Doctor had already started undoing the sling holding up his arm as if he wasn't expecting an answer. For the next fifteen minutes the Doctor examined everything about the gash and eventually started to re-bandage it explaining carefully to James how to do so.

"I don't see any signs of complications. I want to see you back here in one week, but if you get any continuous pain from it you are to check yourself into a hospital immediately, do I make myself clear, Mr. Evans?"

"Yes, Doctor." James said before realising what the Doctor had just implied. "Does this mean you're letting me out?"

"Yes, Mr. Evans," The Doctor sighed, "Though normally with a wound like yours we would keep you in for a couple of days under observation, but since it is your first day and that you will be in a setting that doesn't require any serious stress on your side I will allow it."

"Thank you, Doctor." James smiled and actually got a small one in return.

"You're welcome to leave as soon as your friend arrives to collect you. Though I will leave a form at reception for you to sign on your way out." With that the man left. James tried to get up to change but realised that it was a hopeless prospect so instead settled to wait for Sam to arrive and help him.

San Francisco Social Services Centre.

James struggled through the door to the centre with the help of Sam, who as well as supporting him was carrying James' jacket and a few files and boxes of reference books and knickknacks that they had swung back to James' flat for on the way, within them the files that Paige had given him on Thursday that he had dutifully read from cover to cover on Friday.

"Hi Courtney!" James greeted the shocked looking receptionist cheerfully.

"Oh God, James, Paige told us what happened but we didn't actually expect to see you in so soon!" The woman stood and came around the desk.

"I'm fine really, just a bit unsteady at the moment." A disbelieving snort from his best friend reminded him of his presence. "Oh sorry, Courtney, this is my best friend, Sam. Sam this is our receptionist Courtney."

"Hi, Sam." She received a smile in return before continuing, "Why don't you take James to his office and get him settled there, I'll send someone with his boxes in a second and I'll let Paige know that you're here." She took the boxes from Sam, setting them on her desk and disappeared through the large glass double doors leading into the main office.

James waved his good, right, arm towards the doors to direct his friend towards his office. On the way he received many well wishes from people he had never met, obviously the news of his 'stabbing' had spread quickly.

They reached his office with little trouble and Sam lowered him into his seat behind his desk just as a one of the social workers walked in with his two boxes and after he had placed the boxes on James' desk and left Paige walked in with a concerned look on his face.

"James! You shouldn't be at work so soon, you were stabbed just twenty four hours ago." She almost yelled looking firstly at James' sling then his side and finally looking eyes with him as she continued. "You should be at home resting."

"The Doctor only said I shouldn't do anything with my left arm, I can do that just as easily here as I can at home." James knew he didn't have her convinced so continued. "Besides if I have trouble here I will be surrounded by people that can help, if I go home I'll be on my own if something happened." He gave Sam a pointed look to tell him to shut his mouth as he opened it to argue that last point. Paige missed that look and sighed and James knew he had her.

"I may not like you being in so soon, but I am glad you are. The police have ordered the McKay's here at ten." She said referencing the case that James had already looked up. "I'll come get you before I go to meet them, I'm hoping you could take the boy away and talk to him, see what you can discover while we do the official business with his parents."

She was about to leave but turned around as she reached the door with a rather dark look on her face. "I don't like the look of this case, there is too much evidence pointing towards the abuse but the kid doesn't trust easily and the other child is too well looked after. Even so, I've already talked to a Judge, we have a possible two o'clock session if we want it."

James nodded slowly, he'd picked up the same things from the case files. Though he'd never met the family it was suspiciously like his aunt and uncle, though probably not for the same reasons. The ten year old was looked after brilliantly by all accounts but the eight year old seemed more the servant than anything.

James sighed and settled down again pulling one of his boxes to him. "Haven't you got that interview this morning with the museum?" James asked Sam, having almost forgotten after the weekends events.

"Yeah, but I called the Professor and explained what happened, so he postponed it until this afternoon." Sam explained. He had an interview to become the Museum's Professor of Artefacts' apprentice and James knew just how important this interview would be for his best friend.

"Still, you should go get ready, plus I'm sure that Jackie would like an update on me by now." James watched in satisfaction as a look of horror passed over his friend's face. Obviously he was supposed to have let Jackie know how James was. "Don't worry, Sam, I'll be fine here. I'll try and get a lift back with someone and if I cant I'll call you for a lift. Ok?"

"Are you sure you'll be ok?"

"I'll be fine, now go!" James told his friend sternly. They shared a quick, though careful hug before Sam started for the door. "Oh, Sam, not that you need it but good luck."

"Thanks." His friend whispered before slipping out of his office.

James spent the next half and hour setting up his office. With his side like it was he couldn't do much, but after an Assistant Social walked past his office door and saw James trying to plug in a small CD player on one of shelves he offered to help. Between him and Kevin, the assistant social worker, they managed to transform his rather bare office into something more like James' style. It was in a rather informal setting. His main desk and chair were pushed up to the far window, but still so that he could sit behind it and see the office door and window. The single book shelve was now filled with several reference books as well on a couple fiction books and even a couple of children's reading and colouring books. The two filing cabinets stood empty though they were now covered in a few plants that Kevin had liberated from different parts of the building.

The main part of the room was the two comfortable chairs that sat on either side of a small table to one side of the room. A place that James could talk to people without having to talk over his office desk. A handy thing to have, especially when talking to young children.

Before Kevin left he told James to yell if he needed anything at all in the future as his desk, though in the main office, was the nearest to James' office. James spent the next half an hour, rereading everything on the McKay case, there were several reports to the local police station from concerned neighbours over the years, all followed through but cleared. Also there were medical reports from several trips for broken bones and severe cuts, all checked up and 'honestly' reported as accidents.

Finally, there were several reports of anti-social behaviour from Josh, they were suspicious in nature but they did hold weight, he had several banning orders on both properties and commercial centres. James flipped through them again and was forced to notice the same thing he had the last time he looked. One of the witnesses for each occasion was his older brother Kyle. Why would an older brother stand witness against his own younger brother. And also, how could an eight year old get such a reputation?

James was interrupted from his thoughts when Paige knocked on his open office door. He looked up and smiled warmly at her. She looked over the files strewn across his desk and nodded in approval that he was taking this case seriously. He got to his feet as she stepped into the room.

"Courtney says that the McKay's are here. They've brought both children with them, though we only asked for Josh." She told them.

"Shouldn't Kyle be in school?" James asked.

"They're waiting in the lobby." She told him and he limped over to the door way. She offered him a shoulder to lean on but he mutely shook his head in response before straightening and walking normally out of his office, looking much like a perfectly healthy person if it wasn't for the sling holding up his left arm. As they walked down the corridor, through the main office and into the lobby she answered his question. "I haven't been to see him yet but according to Courtney they believe that both boys should be involved and since it is so close to the end of the year a day off school shouldn't be a problem."

"More like Kyle had a tantrum because Josh got off school and he didn't." James muttered remembering Dudley's tantrums when he didn't get something one of his friends had. Paige didn't say anything but she snorted with laughter obviously having come to a similar conclusion whilst looking into the case.

They both walked into the lobby side by side to face what they knew would be a tough case. Courtney was chatting to a small family on the other side of the small area but turned and gave them a strained smile when she saw them coming.

"Good morning Mr. McKay, Mrs McKay!" Paige smiled kindly at the parents. James looked over the small family. Mr. McKay was standing closest to him and Paige and came forward to shake Paige's hand then James'. Mrs McKay nodded but didn't move toward them. Instead she seemed to prefer to stand right beside the smaller of the two boys who James recognised from the files' photos as Josh. He looked every part the 'hooligan' that the file suggested he was. He was wearing torn loose jeans that seemed far to big for him as well as a black hoody.

In contrast Kyle looked every part the sensible child, he wore smart 'church-going' clothing that he really didn't look comfortable in. He stood on the other side of Josh to his mother as if protecting him but he obviously wasn't happy to be there even if it got him out of school.

James looked back over to the black haired Josh and looked thoughtfully at him, biting his lower lip as he realised just how similar he looked to James in his early youth. He shook himself out of his daze as he realised that Mr. McKay was talking to him.

"I'm sorry, Sir, I missed that." James told the man simply as if it was a daily occurrence.

The older man looked irritated for a moment before plastering a smile on his face. "I was just explaining Josh's lack of suitable clothing."

"Yes?" James said when he realised that the man wasn't going to actually explain it to him.

"As I just told this fine lady here," Paige giggled politely, "We tried to get him to wear something a tad neater but he really wasn't interested." He sighed dramatically and James noticed that his wife shook her head sadly as if this summed up Josh completely.

James looked at Josh's face to see an almost cold look, a strange look for an eight year old. The boy looked at James with a fierce expression as though he could think of a hundred better places that he could be at that moment.

"Now, Mr. and Mrs. McKay, James here is going to look after the two boys this morning while we have a chat about young Josh. Don't worry," she assured the parent when they gave her a confused look. "James is trained in looking after kids, they'll be safe with him."

"Just as long as Josh doesn't give him any trouble." Mrs. McKay told them both.

"I will be fine, Mrs. McKay." James told the woman kindly. "Now, boys, why don't you follow me into my office? Courtney if you could get someone to bring us a couple of glasses of lemonade?" He suggested to the boys and then turned to Courtney.

"Sure James, I'll be right there with them."

Just as he led the two out of the lobby and into the main office he heard Mr. McKay remind the two to stay together and not be separated. James didn't look around but he thought it sounded like he was only talking to Kyle and not Josh. Surely if Josh was the rebellious child he would have directed it at him and not his abiding child.

James sat behind his desk to rest his aching side as they entered the room. He looked over the two boys and smiled at Kyle, though it was faked, as the older boy sat down on one of the chairs without asking. Josh remained standing.

"Why don't you take a seat, Josh?" He asked the boy with a real smile on his face.

Without waiting for his brother to sit, Kyle turned in his seat to face James. "Why's your arm in that thing?" He asked rather rudely.

"I hurt my side yesterday, the sling's just to keep me from aggravating it." James didn't miss the look that passed over Josh's face. It was obvious that the boy knew that the sling wasn't to protect his arm but his side.

"Josh, you seem to know what my sling does." James told the boy. "Have you much experience with these things?" Josh shifted in his chair, automatically putting some more distance between himself and his older brother. He opened his mouth to answer but was beaten to it.

"Josh is always hurting himself, mum says its because he's careless and always acting up." As soon as Kyle had given his answer Josh's face became expressionless.

Kevin walked knocked on the open door and when he received a smile from James walked in and placed the two glassed of lemonade on the small table in between the two boys. James stood and pulled Kevin aside to whisper in his ear. He got a nod from the slightly older man so turned to Kyle with a smile, duly noting that the boy had already drained his drink whereas Josh hadn't even touched his.

"You are quite the fidget aren't you Kyle. How about you go with Kevin here for a tour of the office?" James asked the boy who frowned obviously recounted something his parents had told him. "He can get you another drink as well." James bribed.

He quickly got an agreement as the overweight boy leapt out of seat and forgot all about his parents' orders in favour of a sugary drink. Kevin led the boy out of the room and closed the door with a snap behind them.

James slowly settled himself into the now vacated chair and sighed as it took pressure off of his side. He looked at the expressionless boy across from him.

But no matter how good the boy was at glares, cold looks and expressionless masks, he was nowhere near as good as James and couldn't hide the pained look in his eyes. Especially against James' slight legillimency skills that he had gained in Azkaban that told screamed at him with two things. The first and most relevant thing was that the boy was hiding pain, not rebellious thoughts. And the second and the most worrying was that the boy was scared of reprisals.

"Now that you censure is gone, Josh, how about you drop that mask of yours and we can get down to business."

Josh's eyes widened slightly and part of his mask crumbled but he was able to keep it up. "Censure, Sir?" He asked obviously unsure of the meaning.

"It means someone that controls what you say." James explained with a sigh. "In your case, Kyle was brought along by your parents to stop you saying something you shouldn't."

Josh seemed to accept that rather than deny it but didn't offer anything so James prompted him.

"What don't they want you to tell me, Josh?" He asked kindly but the boy just looked at him expressionlessly. "Ok then, how about we have a look through a copy of your file and you can tell me about the things in there?"

He didn't get a response but the boy was obedient when James asked him to grab the now shut file on his desk with McKay written on it. He laid it flat on the table top.

"This, Josh, is a record that we keep on a case. This one involves all of your family but mainly yours." James explained without opening it. "We add everything to it that we can find about the case. What do you think yours is about?"

"My behaviour?" The boy's voice was scratchy rather than soft like most children and very unsure, not right for a boy that was supposed to be such a 'hooligan'.

"That's half of it, can you guess what the other half is?" James asked but only received a shake of his head. "It is all about your families behaviour. You family is here today to discuss not only your behaviour but also, and more importantly, about their behaviour towards you." A panicked look passed across the boy's face and he glanced down at the file. "Is there something you'd like to tell me about that?"

"No, Sir." Josh muttered.

"Let's have a look and see what is in here then shall we?" James asked and opened the file to Josh's school reports. "According to your teachers you are top of your classes in everything but Sports and Drama, you are a year above at Art and Maths. And your Principal has you down as a nice boy. Though there are a few things here that mark your record. There is your home room tutor's recommendation that you see a councillor and also a few fights involving your brother and his friends. Why did Mrs. Michaels want you to see a Councillor?"

James knew very well why as it was written on one of the report cards that Josh's parent would have received and then again in his permanent file when he didn't actually attend the appointment that his parents had booked for him. James met the boy's eyes as he tried to think of an answer.

"Did you know that your parents were advised to take you to one?" James asked and received a shake of the head. So they set an appointment and made it look like Josh had skived off of it by not telling him about it. "Can you guess what your tutor wanted you to go for?"

"My behaviour problems?" This answer seemed to be Josh's automatic response, everything seemed to be blamed on his 'behaviour' though so far James only had the parents word that there was a problem with his behaviour. That and a few behavioural orders by the police that were suspicious in themselves.

"No, Josh." James looked straight at the boy. "Mrs. Michaels wanted you to see a councillor to sort out your shyness as well as your flight symptoms. That's your tendency to run and hide from questions by your teachers." James explained at Josh's confused look.

"Why do you think you are here, Josh?" James asked.

"Because my parents have to speak to Mrs. Matthews about my problems." Josh offered, obviously remembering what he had been told by his parents.

"That's not true, really it is the other way around. Your parents were told to bring you in to discuss the problems but it is they that are being studied. Not you." James got a confused look. "You are here so that I can find out what is really going on in your family and address the matter."

Josh looked scared for a moment. "There is nothing for you to worry about, it will be impossible for them to lie their way out of this office Josh, everyone here is trained to see problems beneath the surface even if you don't want us to see them."

"But there isn't a problem with my family, Sir."

"Lets have a look at the next section shall we." James said turning to another part of the file, the one containing Josh's behavioural orders. "Do you know what these are?"

Josh nodded looking at them. "There are five," James continued, "each for a different area that you are not allowed to go to. Attached to them are the incident reports that led to their being issued."

Josh nodded having been told about them when they were issued. "I've noticed one thing about them," James told him whilst fanning them out and highlighting the witness reports. "In every case the witnesses were either your brother, his friends or younger children in you school. Why is that?"

"I don't know." Josh told him obviously lying.

"I know your lying, Josh," James said looking the boy in the eyes. "I can see it in your eyes. You know what I think, I think that these should be your brothers. That or his friends."

Josh's eyes wondered and James knew he had hit the nail on the head, but knew not to push the boy into a direct answer so soon. He flipped to the next section of the file and continued as if he hadn't just tricked the boy into revealing a life long hidden truth.

"Now, I know you wont know about these. They are letter sent to the police that they forwarded to us." James said producing fours letter and stapled to each an official statement. "These are letters from concern citizens. The first is from your school, written by Mrs. Michaels. The others are form Nigel Dawson, Nicola Weathers and Tina Wellbridge. Do you know these last three?"

Josh nodded and James decided this time to make the child actually give an answer verbally. He raised an eyebrow in question and Josh caught his meaning. "Miss. Weathers and Mr. Dawson are our neighbours. Mrs. Wellbridge owns the shop on the corner. I go in there sometimes when I have to buy something for my mum."

"Well they all noticed something wrong and with so many reports we sent people out to take official statements, that why we have a file on you. With these for testimonies, especially your neighbours ones who have both actually seen your father hitting you, all I need is your own testimony and I can move to have their custody of you revoked. You'd be moved to wherever you would be happiest or into a foster family that myself and Mrs. Matthews would choose for you."

A glimmer of hope shone in the boys eyes but it went as if the boy had remembered a threat from his father.

"Did you parents tell you never to discuss what they do to you to anyone?" Josh shook his head violently but James just kept looking at the boy until he lowered his head in a small nod. When Josh looked back up he had tears on his cheeks. James stood in an instant and moved to the side of the table to crouch before the crying eight year old, regardless of the pain that shot up his side at the quick movement. He grabbed the boy hands in his right hand and Josh latched onto them as if he hadn't had any intimacy in years.

"Do you parents strike you?" James asked looking into the boys eyes again to show how sincere he was. This time he got a quiet yes. "For what reason?"

It took a couple of attempts this time to get a straight answer but eventually Josh got the words out. "When I don't get the chores done, or don't do what they say, or when I do better then Kyle in school."

"What do they do to punish you?" The boy almost gratefully described to James everything his father of mother usually did to him when he was bad.

"Can you show me your arms Josh?" James asked looking at the boys eyes again.

He took one hand out of James right hand and pulled up his left sleeve showing an array of cuts and bruises working their way up his exposed arm and then under his sleeve again.

"When was the last time he did something to you?" James asked.

"Last night," Josh burst into tears then launching himself into James for a hug that James responded to regardless of the pain it caused him. "It was a warning of what would happen if I told someone something bad today."

"Don't worry, Josh, I wont let them hurt you again. Today is the day your life will change. One last thing Josh, is there anything he had done to you that is worse then the cuts and bruises." James asked, dreading the worst.

"He broke my arm once." Josh said and James almost let out a sigh of relief but covered it as a sorrowful one. "He said it was for being a freak. Kyle was thrown off of the playground climbing frame when I was six and they couldn't work out how it had happened. Kyle broke his arm."

"So your father broke yours?" James said in understanding. "Ok, Josh, I need to go and talk to Mrs. Matthews but I will be back. I'm going to call for Kevin and he'll look after you while I'm gone."

Josh looked panicked for a second so James assured him. "Kevin's a very nice man, he wont let you out of his sight." James stood and walked to the desk. "I need my hand Josh." James laughed kindly to lighten the mood as he tried to reach his phone but Josh shook his head and clamped on to James' hand even tighter as if scared to lose him.

"Ok then, Josh, you can do it then. Just press the circular button at the bottom of the number pad." Josh did as told and Courtney's voice came across the speaker.

"Yes?" She asked. Most people obviously didn't use this system in this office.

"Courtney, its James. I cant leave here, but can you find Kevin and Kyle and tell Kevin come to my office. Can you keep Kyle with you there though and I'll collect him in a minute?"

"Sure thing, James." The line went dead and James sat on the edge of the desk to ease the pain in his side.

"Are you ok, Sir?" Josh asked him in concern.

"I'm fine, just hurt my side is all. And you can call me James now, ok?" He smiled at the child and got one in return.

"Ok, James!" The boy said happily. Just then the door opened, Josh ducked to James' other side before James could react. James smiled at Kevin.

"It's ok, Josh." James said pulling Josh out from his side. "You remember Kevin, he brought you that drink you didn't touch." Josh seemed to look at the glass as if he had only just realised it was there. "Kevin, can you watch Josh for a while, I need to go discuss matter with Paige." Kevin nodded and held out a hand for Josh who after looking at James for a second took it and went to stand by his side.

James grabbed the file off of the desk but turned to Kevin as he left. "He isn't to be taken out of this office under anyone's order but my own. Ok?"

"Sure." Kevin told him. "How about we try one of these books of James'?" James heard as he left the room.

James walked into the main office with a dark look across his face, as soon as he limped in silence fell across the room. James ignored all of them in preference to striding to the main lobby doors. He slammed them open and strolled into the room. James completely ignored Kyle who was sat in one of the chairs with a chocolate bar in his hand and looked at Courtney.

"Which conference room are they in?" James asked her simply.

"Number two." Courtney told him automatically, "Wait, James, what are you going to do?"

"Nothing permanent!" James snarled quietly with a smirk. "Kyle!" James raised his voice. The boy looked up from his chocolate bar and grudgingly got to his feet.

James limped off towards the conference room with Kyle strolling along behind him, when he reached the room he could see Paige in the room with the McKays but no-one else.

James slammed open the door making the three jump in their seats, the Mckays spun in their seats and Paige's hand flinched dropping her empty glass to the table top. "Paige, I need to see you outside now."