the night of the first goodbye
"Wait, I think I forgot my hat," Ruby says as Castle starts the ignition of the packed car.
"It's in your backpack, kiddo," Rick tells her. The girl doublechecks and then responds with a deflated "oh" when she sees it there.
"Just be careful, babe," Ruby overhears Kate whisper. "It's really icy."
That was an understatement. After the snow storm over the previous weekend, temperatures plummeted into single digits with windchills in the negatives. Then, they rose again to just above freezing, leading to a mass-melt, and now, it was frigid again. The result was that even with copious amounts of sand and salt, the roads were covered in a layer of dangerous black ice. The conditions were so unsafe that the New York City social worker that was supposed to accompany them out to the suburbs had to cancel after slipping down her front steps that morning. Instead, the Castles were tasked with driving to New Jersey at dusk on their own to meet Ruby's new case manager, a young woman named Olivia, at Michelle's house.
"Do you want to drive instead?" Rick whispered back to Kate. In the month Ruby had lived with them, she learned quickly that Kate was the driver in the family, but she was making an effort to hand over the keys to Rick more often. Tonight's weather conditions would be a true test of the woman's resolve in her husband.
"No, it'll be okay," Kate assures him. "Just reminding you to be careful."
"Always," Rick says in a playful, sarcastic tone.
After a few minutes on the road, Ruby gets that nagging feeling again. "I think I left my math textbook at the loft," she says.
"You're starting at a new school next week, Rubes," Kate reminds her. "You returned your textbooks this morning, remember?"
"Oh, right...sorry," Ruby says after that reminder.
"That's okay," Kate tells her. "You've got a lot on your mind."
"What do you guys really think about my aunt and uncle?" Ruby asks.
"What do we really think?" Rick repeats. "Well, we've been telling you what we really think. They seem like really kind people."
"And they are really excited for you to live with them," Kate adds.
"They told you that?" Ruby asks.
"Yes," Kate assures. "Your cousins are, too."
"I'm kind of excited about that," Ruby shrugs.
"Oh, yeah?" Rick asks.
"Yeah. Alexis is like the closest I've ever had to a sibling, but she's twice my age," Ruby says. "I like that they're my age."
"Yeah, and Clare is happy to have another girl in the house so she's not surrounded by stinky boys all the time," Kate jokes. "She already moved all of things to one side of the bedroom so you'll have plenty of space for yours."
"I'm just nervous," Ruby admits, the anxiety in her voice undeniable.
"That's completely normal and understandable," Kate tells her. She reaches her hand back for the girl to grab onto and Ruby does with a slight smile. "We're always a phone call away."
"But you'll be so far away," Ruby sighs.
"Hey, not that far," Rick says. "Only about an hour. That's not even a good nap."
"I guess you're right," Ruby shrugs. "What if I need something?"
"Well, Michelle and Greg will be there to help you. Or your cousins, if they can," says Rick. "And Olivia your new social worker will be there for you, too."
"And we're always a phone call away," Kate says again.
"Right," Rick says. "You have lots of people in your corner, kiddo."
That notion soothed Ruby's anxieties a bit, until the car hit a patch of black ice that sent them into a temporary skid across the empty roadway. Ruby and Kate instinctively grab for the handles above their windows as Rick masterfully regained control.
"We're okay," he assured them, steadying the car as they approached a red light. "Plows haven't gotten to this intersection quite yet."
As heart rates returned to normal resting rate, Ruby scanned her brain for anything else she might have left at the loft, but she draws a blank. "Is Olivia going to be at the house tonight?" She asked.
"She's supposed to be," Kate nods. "Hopefully the weather doesn't deter her."
"But either way, kiddo, you have her number and she said you can call or text anytime," Rick says with a reassuring smile.
Kate heard it again and again, each time she was on a call or meeting related to Ruby's case, the city employees, case managers, and social workers were constantly commenting about how unique the situation was. She understood that it was unique, in some ways more complicated than a typical foster case, and in some ways less complicated, but what really stuck with her was the fact that all she and her husband wanted to do was give Ruby a warm, loving home. Even when they'd done that, it felt like the system was working against them. Even a couple as privileged as she and Castle could not avoid the inevitable pitfalls of the American foster care system. It was maddening, to think that Ruby was one of the lucky ones.
Ruby, lucky.
It would almost be laughable if it weren't so sad. As she and Rick helped Ruby and her aunt, uncle, and cousins unload her belongings, Kate was once again reminded of how unique the situation was. Temporary caretakers weren't ever expected to drive their foster child to their next placement. But she and Rick were happy to make the drive to New Jersey, even in the dreadful conditions, because it meant they were afforded another unique opportunity: to say goodbye. As sad as they were, it brought a great sense of closure to be able to help Ruby move into her new bedroom, to hang up clothes on her side of the closet and stack her books on the shelf next to her bed. As sad as they were to be saying goodbye, they also knew how incredibly lucky they were that this wasn't a forever goodbye. They'd be able to see Ruby again, when she wanted to see them. And who knows, maybe they'll actually be able to adopt her like they'd hoped to, if that was what she wanted.
"Kate, I forgot it!" Ruby exclaims while frantically looking through her bathroom bag. "Oh, god, I knew I was going to forget something important!"
"Hey, deep breath, Rubes," Kate says. "What did you forget?"
"My medication! You know I can't go without it," the girl's face was turning redder with panic as she unproductively rummaged through her toiletries.
"It's okay, Ruby, we can call to get you a new prescription in the morning," Michelle says to try to get the girl to calm down.
"Yeah, it's okay, Ruby," Clare says. "Just take a chill pill."
"No, I can't miss a dose," Ruby says with certainty. "And it could take days to get another prescription filled. And it's expensive. I need to go back to the loft to get it."
"Ruby, hey, it's right here," Kate says after a quick glance over at Ruby's bathroom bag. "See? Right here."
"Oh," Ruby says, almost laughing in relief. "Sorry, I'm just a little stressed out."
"Nothing to be stressed about," Michelle says with a kind smile. Kate knew the woman meant well but "nothing to be stressed about" was just a bit of an understatement.
Ruby had no more frantic shuffling left in her for the night as the sky became pitch black and the wind made the already miserable conditions even worse. Inside her new home, the bulk of her belongings were put away in their proper place and a hum of suburban tranquility filled the heated air. Olivia the social worker had arrived to see how Ruby was settling in, and to run through what the next few days had in store for her. After she made sure everyone had her phone number, Olivia told Ruby about her new school, her new doctors, her fresh start in New Jersey.
It was approaching 9PM when Rick and Kate finally got the courage to say their goodbyes, trying to keep them as short and sweet, and tear-free as possible. Of course, it was Castle who broke first, but he saved it by saying "hey, Ruby. Idaho?"
Ruby chuckled as she released from their hug. "That's kind of an interesting one, actually," she says. "They don't technically have a state animal, but they have a state horse, a state amphibian, and a state raptor, which feels kind of excessive."
"Okay, but you didn't answer the question," Rick says in a sarcastic tone.
"The horse is an Appaloosa, the raptor is a peregrine falcon, and the amphibian is the Idaho giant salamander," Ruby says. "Oh, and not that you asked, the state vegetable is a potato, but that one makes sense."
"Oh, kiddo, am I going to miss you," Rick sighs, lovingly patting Ruby's shoulder as she reaches for Kate.
There is so much Kate wants to say to the girl, but she elects for short and sweet. "Always just a phone call away," she whispers, and Ruby nods. "Love you, kid."
Ruby's eyes started to fill with tears as they pulled apart. She smiles and says, one last time, "I'll miss you guys." Rick and Kate offer a sad wave as they pull open the car doors. "Be good," Rick says before he closes the driver's door and starts the engine.
It takes a few awkward moments for the car to heat up enough before it was comfortable to drive in, so they sat there in the driveway as Ruby watched and waved.
"Kate, if I told you how many times I thought about packing Ruby back in the car and driving far away in the last few hours..."
"That would be kidnapping, babe," Kate says, but she grabs for his hand that rested on the gear shift. "But, uh...me too."
a/n: this marks the end of the first part of this story, so next chapter will be an interlude that picks up where the prologue left off. as always, i really appreciate your comments and feedback :)