Chapter 2- The Ingermans
Third person POV- a month later
Life at the Ingerman house has always been full of a lot of things, but the heart and soul of the family is always the wanting to help people. Which is why it has become a foster home for kids. Though recently it has become the go-to place for troubled teens.
George Ingerman is an entrepreneur who works for a company that requires a lot of traveling, but has managed to make it work by calling daily and not staying away no more than two weeks at a time. He's a patient man and does bring life to the house with his eccentric personality to make up for constantly being away from home.
The foster home is run by the woman of the house Helen Ingerman. She used to be a nurse before deciding to retire early to help abused kids by providing the stability and attention they've been denied for so long. It has however never stopped her from loving her own son and her recently adopted daughter.
It has been about eight months since they had anybody being fostered to them, which in a way is great that the Ingermans' services are not required.
It was about nine o'clock in the morning when a cell phone rang. Being a saturday morning the house was quiet and everybody was still in bed.
" Alright, alright" mumbled a tired Helen as she made her way downstairs to the kitchen where her cell phone is on the charger. She presses the answer button as she yawns " Hello"
" Hey Helen" said a female voice on the phone.
" Carrie Macdonald?" said Helen waking up instantly. " I didn't expect to hear from you." She knows Carrie from the social services building in Denver. They have become good friends over the years and knows that she would only call on short notice if there is a favor.
" I know Helen. Listen I have a teenage boy who needs a home for the next couple of months until his hearing on his custody, and I know you have your hands full with your daughter, Brenna. But I can't find any other available foster homes that will take him and placing him in a state facility is not what I want to do, especially with his circumstances. I would really appreciate it if you can take him." Carrie explained.
Helen hesitated. She wants to help but it was like her friend said, she did have her hands full with her daughter. She wasn't quite ready to take a foster kid yet after all that's happened. Even less ready with a teenager. However, it wasn't like she was in a tough spot before.
" Okay if you really need me for this one, I'll take him on. But of course I do need his file and tell me when you're taking him here."
" I'll drop off the file today, and I'll drop him off when he gets discharged from the hospital this monday morning."
" The hospital!" Helen gasped quietly so to not wake her family.
" I'm afraid so." Carrie said. " He suffered quite amount of injuries from his father in a car accident. Mostly a shattered left foot and broken ribs. His father is serving time a six month sentence in a court order rehab facility."
" The poor boy" Helen whispered.
" You will have to watch out for infection in the foot, and you being a former nurse I won't have trouble entrusting him to you."
" Alright, I guess I'll see on…..WAIT!" Helen realized.
" What is it Helen?" asked Carrie.
" Monday's the rehabilitation session at the hospital for Brenna. She can't miss the appointment." Helen explained. "How about I pick him up while she's at her session. It'll kill two birds with one stone."
" Okay, but I have to be there to discharge him as I am his guardian ad litem"
" That'll be fine and hey! you'll get to see Brenna again." Helen said.
" How is Freddy and Brenna?" Carrie asked.
" Well Freddy is doing great on the physics team at his school. He's been chatting about it nonstop and Brenna… She's going through a really tough time with the recovery and the rehabilitation. She's really depress, but doctor said it's normal at this stage. I just got to be patient and help her out when she needs it."
" Well hopefully things will get better for her and thank you so much for doing this. I'll see you and Brenna on monday."
" Ok I'll see then. Bye" and then the phone call ended.
" Alright, I guess I have to get this place ready, call George and warn the kids." Helen mumbled as she start making her way upstairs. As she passes by her daughter's room, she hears a groan from behind the door. She expects that her daughter's going another wave of pain in her. It's not the first time it's happened.
Helen opens the door just a crack to check on her. She sees her daughter's face beaded with sweat and all scrunched up as she tosses and turns under the giant quilt on top of her. Helen wishes that her pain could end but it's something that will take time and effort.
Right beside Brenna is a big dog named Sheeta sleeping on the bed. She's Siberian Husky dog with multied color eyes and beautiful pale gray and white fur. She's a rescued dog that took an attachment to Brenna. Even though Brenna doesn't admit it, the dog does bring good company. Because she's an older dog she is more calm and more motherly.
Of course Brenna's room is a disaster zone, but she's a teenager, and teenagers make giant messes. However it's not the first thing a person would see if that person stepped in to her room at this moment. In the room as the sun cracks through the blinds of the darkened space, The little bits of light would land on the carpeted floor near her bed. Exactly where the girl's pair of prosthetic legs lay with an unsettling shine.