Heart Picked Chapter 1
Hey everyone. Since my little one shot went down so well I thought I would do a deep dive into a chaptered story. I got asked for more Mama and Papa Bobby and Athena so here we go. This is an AU, and it will be going over some topics that are triggering in nature so take a break talk to someone whatever you need. I will try stick to some cannon points but change some things around like Marcy and the kiddos.
Let's get started.
1998
"I can't believe this is our first sibling group of foster children," Robert says, holding his wife Athena's hand as they walk into the police station. Usually it is for work purposes but this time it was different. They had their first call, a boy and a girl who were 8 years apart taken from their parents after years of abuse and neglect. "I know, I feel unready even though we spent months getting things prepared," Athena says. They had jumped through a lot of hoops to get to this point, including having two bedrooms prepped and ready. Family felt important to them, and they were going to do anything to keep siblings together. All they knew was the boy is 6 years old and the daughter 14 years old.
The daughter is fiercely protective over the younger brother, and it meant there was a huge difficulty in getting any information let alone any fosters to take both of them in with the amount of trauma they had both suffered. There was a little bit of information from the father and mother but even they had started going no comment on every question they had been asked. All they had was the horrible conditions they had been found in coupled with the fact that there was a third kid who had passed away from cancer meant that they had put a lot of the pieces together. Two parents overwhelmed with the grief of losing their son taking it out on the two left.
"Maddie is fourteen years old, the eldest of the three. Daniel was the middle child and passed away in 1993 at eight years old due to juvenile leukemia. Evan is six years old and was born to be the donor match for Daniel and it unfortunately failed due to reasons beyond anyone's control. The parents have been consumed in grief ever since leaving the teenager to take care of the youngest," the social worker said, condensing the family background as much as she could even though it was the only thing that she could go on right now. They got them cleaned up and checked for any injuries, Evan had a broken arm and that was the worst of it. They had only just gotten them to eat lunch by the time Robert and Athena had gotten there.
"Okay so a lot of trauma involved for them both," Robert says, their backgrounds on being with both the LAFD and the LAPD respectively meant that they had plenty of experience dealing with and navigating through traumas. They know how they can best help the children who they are going to be looking after for the foreseeable future. They discussed the next steps in the care and then it was about to be time for the introductions. Robert and Athena were going to be taking them home regardless, but they wanted to make sure that the kids wouldn't see them as total strangers. It will take them a long time to build the trust, but any small steps will definitely work.
Robert and Athena walk into the interrogation room where the two children were sitting together in the corner of the room. The social worker leaves and Robert and Athena look at each other. Maddie peers her head around to look at them. Athena sits down on the floor and Robert follows. "Hello Maddie and Evan, my name is Athena, and this is my husband Bobby. We are just going to sit here," Athena says. They know that they were hiding in the corner because they were scared. This was their way of showing the children that they had nothing to be afraid of anymore and they were going to be alright. All they can do now is sit and wait for them to make their move.
It didn't take long before a blond head popped out from the corner of the table. The first thing that struck them was the birth mark on the young boys face. It almost looked like a bruise on the left side but didn't match the bruising on the rest of his face. "Hey kiddo," Bobby says. It took a few minutes until the boy slowly shuffled forwards. The bright red cast on his arm made it a little difficult to move around but he was a determined little kid. Maddie was just watching cautiously. She didn't trust Bobby and Athena at all yet, but they know she was going to watch how Evan responded. They thought it would have been the other way around with Evan following Maddie's lead.
Eventually Evan made his way over to Athena who had a teddy bear in her hands. They had no idea what to bring with them, but they figured a teddy bear would be a safe bet. "Hello Evan, do you want the teddy bear?" Athena asks and Evan nods with the ASL sign for please followed after. She holds out the bear and he cautiously takes it and holds it with his good arm. "We are not here to hurt you or Evan Maddie. I promise you that," Bobby says. There was a saying, never make promises you can't keep, but Bobby knew that they were going to be able to provide both kids with a safe space to grow where they are loved and not going to be hit or whatever the heck it was the parents did.
It took them half an hour but by the time the social worker came back they were ready, and the relationships were slowly starting to form. They were not going to rush into things, but they needed the kids to be ready for what awaited them when they left the police station. Maddie had managed to tell them that Evan was both yelled at and hit for speaking so it might be a while before he manages to open up. They have means of communication that are nonverbal, so they didn't seem to be worried. The parents seemed to be mad that Evan survived and was quickly reaching the same age Daniel was when he first got sick with no ill effects. Maddie was definitely the one Evan trusts most.
Teddy bear in one arm and Maddie's hand in the other they cautiously followed Bobby and Athena out of the interrogation room through the station. They had moved from Hershey Pennsylvania, another city within Pennsylvania before that whenever the suspicion became too great. There were questions because of the whole nature of Evan's birth, or at least that was the excuse they seemed to tell Maddie when the removal truck came, and they were to pack their things and move across the country to start a fresh where no one would suspect them. They had not accounted for the fact that the social workers were onto them by now and had the case transferred to Los Angeles.
That was where they were caught in the act due to neither child being enrolled into school. They went for the welfare check and that was when they were found in a house full of rubbish and all sorts. There was no other action they could take other than to remove the children which brought them to now. Bobby and Athena were now getting them into the car ready to take them home. Usually they would have stopped at Target or Walmart, but they thought better of it when they saw both children almost fast asleep in the backseat. It had almost been three weeks since they were in that 39 hour car ride, but the time zone change would have been harder on them. Jet lag hit them hard.
"Well, at least they trust us enough to be vulnerable. Sleeping is when you are at your most vulnerable after all," Bobby says, as they pull into the driveway with both kiddos out for the count. Carrying the six year old into the house onto the couch would be the easy part, the teen might be a little more difficult on the account they were told she slept lightly to keep her brother safe. Maddie woke up just as Bobby was lifting Evan out of his car seat. "It's okay Maddie, I am just taking Evan to the couch so he can have a nap for a bit," Bobby says, using the calmest voice he had. It almost felt like his fire captain voice but more like when he spoke to kids frightened.
"Thanks, I don't think I remember the last time that he slept like this. It was hard to get any peaceful sleep with what was going on around us," she tells him. Any little window into their world would help them understand what they could do apart from years of therapy to make those children feel safe and loved. "I could imagine, Athena can show you to your room and Evan will be right here," Bobby says, gently laying Evan down on the couch and getting a blanket from the box by the fireplace to cover him with. Athena showed Maddie to her room with the promise that she could decorate it however she wanted once they were both settled. The same would go for Evan.
In the next week or so they would probably end up going to the store, getting them shoes, clothes, toys whatever they wanted or felt like they needed. Right now it is time for them to feel settled and get used to their new normal. They have had too many changes to get used to as well as being uprooted from their parents to these new foster parents. Athena walked through to the living room after a couple of minutes. "I'm giving her some space to explore her new room and to have some time to herself," she says. They both look to the little boy sleeping on the couch with the teddy firmly tucked in his arm. It is true what they say about kids being resilient when it comes to the things they go through adapting to whatever life throws at them.
It make take Evan a little longer than most kids, but they were sure they could pull through. "I'll get started on the mac and cheese in a little bit. See if they are hungry in a little while," Bobby says, making a move to the kitchen. Athena sat down on the chair and got her mystery book she had started reading. She didn't want to risk turning the television whilst the kid was sleeping just in case he woke up. They don't know what could potentially risk a fight or flight reaction with either of them so they will allow them to tell them what is going on. She could hear Bobby in the kitchen whistling as he worked his magic in the kitchen making his famous macaroni and cheese.
The 118 firehouse had been trying to get him to jump ship and come to their firehouse specifically for his famous cooking recipes. He was sticking with the station he is currently captain of. He hadn't heard brilliant things about the current captain, and he wasn't going to be moving in a hurry. He was happy where he was, and his shift patterns would give him some stability he could give to the children. The same goes for Athena's shifts at the police station they wouldn't really need childcare once they get the daily routine down. They both get two weeks off to get a routine sorted and the children settled. The last thing they wanted was to have Maddie feel like she needed to be Evan's caregiver when she should be out being a teenager.
An hour after they first got into the house Evan woke with a start. "Hey Evan, it's alright sweetheart," Athena says, going to calm him down. Bobby watches from a distance as Athena's motherly instincts kicked in and she was soothing him and his fears. He was asleep when they first got here so no wonder he was so afraid. Athena was taking him on the house tour like she did with Maddie. That way he knew where everything was in case he needed anything. "And here is Bobby making us some dinner in the kitchen," she says with the small child in her arms as she walks into the kitchen. Bobby looks up from where he was preparing the salad to see the curious look on the kiddos face.
"I am making macaroni cheese with salad for dinner. If I point to the salad ingredients can you let me know what you like or don't like by nodding or shaking your head?" Bobby asks. The smile on the little boys face when Bobby knew what he wanted to ask was the best thing. They had their way of communication with him. Bobby found out that Evan pretty much liked all aspects of his dinner. He was going to ask Maddie a similar question, but he knew he would get verbal feedback. Evan seemed happy enough with physical contact from them, when Bobby touched his back he didn't flinch. Maddie walked in and saw how happier Evan looked being in the house and smiled.
For the first time since her brother's death she felt like they were both safe. She felt the love from Bobby and Athena and the care that they had been needing the whole time. "Hey Maddie, is everything okay?" Athena asks as she joined the hug group that had formed. Maddie looked up at them with tears forming in her eyes. Had they made a mistake by hugging them so soon? Was it too early? "Yeah, it is nice to have people who genuinely care about us for once," Maddie says, and Bobby holds back the chuckle as Evan nodded like crazy at his side in between the three of them. "We will be here for you as long as you need us to be sweetheart," Athena says. At least it wasn't tears of sadness falling down Maddie's cheeks.
Evan and Maddie went to go and wash up before dinner whilst Athena was setting the table. Normally Maddie would be the one setting the table, but Athena insisted that she did it so she can help Evan wash his hands since the big bulky cast on his left arm made it difficult. They didn't want him accidentally getting his cast wet which would mean that he would have to go and get a new one the next day. "Dinner's ready kiddos" Bobby calls, just as they make their way from the bathroom to the dining room. He smiled as Evan's eyes lit up when he saw the food with the little buttered bread roll on the side. Maddie had a very similar reaction; they couldn't remember the last time they ate a dinner that didn't come out of a can.
It was just easier for Maddie that way as she didn't know how to cook and raising her baby brother was no easy task. Her parents would complain about the noises Evan made until he was finally scared into silence. The only time he would say a word was whenever his mother and father were out of the room. She had faith that Bobby and Athena would be the ones to unlock Evan's voice again, embrace his bubbly personality and how kind natured he is. "Thank you," Maddie says, and Evan quickly followed with the sign for thank you. Bobby and Athena smiled as the kids dug into their food. Evan seemed to be right handed so the cast didn't seem to feel too bothering.
"You're welcome," Bobby says. Both Maddie and Evan finished their dinners and had a bit of bread too. They took their plates to the sink without asking. Well there was a bit of difficulty with Evan, but he tried his best. Bobby and Athena didn't let the kids take their plates though, they wanted them to still be kids and there was dessert on the way. It wasn't home made but they didn't care. Especially when Evan had chocolate pudding all over his face. "Aw you little mucky pup," Athena says jokingly when Evan looked at them with the biggest grin on his face. Maddie watched with an equally big smile. She didn't think she ever saw her little brother this happy.
Bobby used this opportunity to take a photo. The first of what he hopped would be many family photos. Athena cleaned him up and sent them off to the living room to play before bedtime. Bobby and Athena worked on the dishes and clearing the table. Bobby shows Athena the photo he had taken of the kids after the pudding. It was just their grins that made them smile even more. "These two are so precious. How anyone could neglect them is beyond me," Athena says quietly. Bobby nods in agreement as they both look at the photo on the camera. There were going to be a lot of questions for the pair of them whilst this goes on and not a whole lot of answers by the sounds of it.
"Grief affects people differently. I am not saying that to give them an excuse because there is no excuse that could ever justify what has gone on. It seems like it turned into emotional and physical abuse which there is no turning back from," Bobby says. He knows how it felt to lose a child, he lost his two children after making the worst mistake anyone could have done. Even then the blame wasn't put on him it was the building managers who had the worst fire safety anyone had ever seen. He used his grief to make himself a better person, to become sober and to start a new life where he wasn't going to go back to those old habits. He has worked way too hard to give up now.
"Definitely, now let's go enjoy some time with our babies," Athena says, putting her hand on his arm before walking towards the living room. They knew not to get to attached because this could only be temporary but the children need that love and sense of stability so they were going to get it. Athena's gut was telling her it wasn't going to be temporary, but she knew better than to say anything. It is only day 1 of them having the Buckley siblings and a lot can change with the ongoing court case. All they knew for certain was the Buckley parents are currently in jail whilst the investigation continues. It felt so rushed but they knew the more information they had the better they could help them settle for now.
Evan was making his teddy bear fly like a superhero by the time Bobby joined them in the living room. Maddie was watching whilst providing the sound effects whilst Athena was joking about how close to a building the teddy was to make him fly the other way. It had crashed into a building by the time he made his way to his wife and sat down. Despite the nap the six year old took earlier it was clear to see he was starting to get tired and ready to go to bed. Evan made his way over to where Maddie was sitting on the floor and sat on her lap. "Hey little brother, tired?" she asks and he nods. He put his teddy bear down so he could rub his eyes with his right hand. Working with a cast was more difficult than he first thought.
He is a stubbornly independent boy, that much was clear when he tried to put on his little onesie for bedtime. Bobby watched as he tried his best to get his left arm in the sleeve by himself and the tiniest little grunt of frustration as he was struggling. Eventually Evan walked over to Bobby for help. "It's okay Evan, you did really well by yourself to get most of the way there. The cast will be off in six to eight weeks, and you can do this all by yourself then," Bobby says. Gently pulling the stretchy fabric over the cast and then allowing Evan to pull the zipper up himself. It was all worth it for the sweet little grin with one tooth missing and the little thank you sign. This kid was going to make him have gray hairs Bobby knew it.
Evan raced out of the room to the bathroom. He was too cute to shout at this time, they were going to be introducing rules soon enough. For now all they were going to do is gently remind him to be careful whilst running. Bobby was expecting Evan to brush his teeth by himself but was surprised when Evan held out his toothbrush. Bobby took the toothbrush and for a moment was transported back to doing this for Robert Junior only a few years ago before the fire happened. The blond curly hair and bright blue eyes didn't help either, but he was beginning to love being a father again. "Right then Evan, bedtime," Bobby says, and he watches as Evan races again but to give his sister a goodnight hug.
Bobby tucked Evan into bed, making sure that the teddy bear he had was tucked in with him. He walked to the little bookshelf on the other side of the room and picked out a bedtime story. "Can't you sleep little bear?" he says, reading the title of the book he had chosen as he sat on the bed next to the child so he could show him the pictures. He can't remember the last time he was able to read a bedtime story. Or he could but chose not to because of what happened later on that same night. Those memories were too painful, but he was going to be okay, he swore to himself and to Athena that he was not going to be touching another alcoholic drink for as long as he had left.
"Once there were two bears, Big Bear and Little Bear. Big Bear is the big bear, and Little Bear is the little bear. They played all day in the bright sunlight. When the night came, and the sun went down, Big Bear took Little Bear home to the Bear Cave." Bobby says, looking to Evan who had a curious look in his eyes. Bobby continues reading out loud about the little bear who couldn't sleep. The little bear who turned out to be afraid of the dark. As he read through the story he heard the little yawn from Evan who was definitely heading towards the land of sleep. By the time he got to the end Evan was fast asleep. Bobby put the book down as was just watching him sleep for a moment.
There is a night light in the room, and nothing indicated to Bobby that Evan was scared of the dark, so he felt like he was able to leave the room safely. Maddie was in her room having some quiet downtime as she is a teen and doesn't need as much sleep as her little brother. Bobby joined Athena on the couch, and she had the TV on. "He fell asleep midway through the story," Bobby says. Every new thing they were going to do with the children was going to be nerve-wracking at first. "You're good at reading stories you know. If the firefighter career doesn't work out you could always be a children's book narrator," Athena says. She had known about the story, Bobby was too focused on dad mode to notice that she was in the doorway listening to him read to Evan.
"I'd rather keep my story times to the comfort of my own home with the children I love and care about," Bobby says. It might have been too soon to say that but you could not resist the cuteness of Evan Buckley and his sister Maddie. The teen needed a little more time to herself than her brother but it didn't mean that she didn't appreciate what they were doing for them already. She was having a harder time getting used to what happened in the last twenty four hours. Athena had a heart to heart conversation with her whilst Bobby did bedtime. She had already said goodnight to Evan and gotten a hug from the small child before he raced off to his bedroom again.
It was hard to tell how much of the situation Evan understood. He was only a year old when his life got turned upside down by the loss of his brother who by now was just a distant memory. Maddie being older understood everything that the cancer had taken both her brother and her parents, and she was angry that they had abandoned her and Evan so easily. Evan must have been thinking that their situation was normal, it was all he knew that was certain. All he knew was of hatred and disgust. They never wanted a third child, they had him because they felt like there was no other option. Maddie walked into the lounge shortly before her own bedtime and sat between her new foster parents.
Athena put her arm around instantly and smiled when the teen melted at the touch. She needed some love. She had been writing in her journal whilst she had some time to herself and it brought up a lot of emotions as she wrote about her day and how she was glad that she and Evan were free. "Are you alright Maddie?" Bobby asks, calmly. It was the calmness that she needed to lower her walls. She had to be the strong one for Evan even when their father grabbed his arm so hard she heard the bone snap. That was when there was a loud bang at the door and the "LAPD OPEN THE DOOR," shouts. It was hard to think that all happened that very morning and before she knew it her and Evan were bundled into a police car being taken to the hospital before the police station.
Evan had been having Tylenol every four hours since then. He didn't seem to be too bothered by the pain but he hadn't said a word since the police came in so nobody would know for sure. "I am fine now; he can't hurt us anymore. Dad had broken Evan's arm literally a minute before LAPD were at our door this morning," Maddie says. Wow it really had been a whirlwind of a day for them both, no wonder the kid fell asleep when they were on the way home today. There is a lot more to this story to come Athena feels. Hershey seemed to have a lot of information on the family which was a big help. They both hugged the teen who wiped some tears from her eyes before they could grab the tissues.
"Woah that must have been an intense morning. Don't worry though you and Evan are safe here now. We won't let anyone near you who you don't want to see or speak too," Bobby says. The same applies to Evan as well. They would have to speak to the police more and social workers over the coming weeks but if it wasn't in their best interests then they would just have to wait until another day. At the end of the day there is six years of neglect and trauma to unpack and it was going to take a while. They also had to get them settled into school in all of the chaos unfolding around them. Right now though it is just time to get to know them a little better and to see how they need supporting.
Soon enough it was Maddie's bedtime. She gave them both a hug before she went. They checked on Evan and he was still fast asleep in his bed. He had rolled over at some point but looked peaceful as if the seriously traumatic events of the day had not affected him yet. They weren't kidding when they said children were resilient. Evan knows where their bedroom is and where Maddie's is in case they are needed during the night. Bobby and Athena got themselves ready for bed and were settled under the sheets. They have the rest of the week off to get everything settled and organized. When they go back to their jobs the children will be starting school. It will probably be the first time Evan has ever been to school.
They'll take it one day at a time and see how it goes. Tomorrow they should be fine to go to Target and get some clothes and things that they chose. Right now they only had the very basics of what they would need for the ages that they are. They didn't have many toys either, but Evan was quite content with his bear tonight. They know that isn't going to work out in the long run. They can get a better idea of his likes and dislikes as well as Maddie's when they are in the store. Anything they can do to make the transition easier. For now it is bedtime for everyone and to go to sleep to make sure they are fully rested ready for what adventures await them tomorrow. They are sure to make many more fun memories.
The next morning
Bobby was the first one up and he knew exactly what he planned on doing for breakfast. Waffles, with the options to have fruit or syrup on top. Athena was still asleep and as he quietly walked past their rooms so were the children. It did look like Evan was one roll away from falling out of the bed though but he was probably going to be awake shortly so it wouldn't matter too badly if he did fall. Bobby would also be on hand to help calm him down if he did. Right now he was making the waffle batter and letting the waffle maker heat up. Once the batter was ready he moved onto the fruit. It wasn't going to be complicated, just blueberries, strawberries, and banana. At the last second he decided to see if they had any chocolate sauce too.
Was it a good idea to overload a six year old with sugar first thing in the morning? Absolutely not, but he was going to be the one to deal with the crash that comes along probably whilst their in the middle of Target. Bobby had made the first batch of waffles when a very sleepy Evan walked in, teddy bear in hand. "Morning buddy, I made waffles for breakfast. If you sit down I'll bring yours over," Bobby says as he gets a little wave. Not ready to talk yet, but that was okay. Bobby was probably going to need to give Evan his first dose of Tylenol this morning as well considering he could see pain in the young boys eyes. It made anger bubble up inside at the thought that someone would just go and break an innocent boy's arm for no reason.
Athena and Maddie were up and in the dining room whilst Bobby was helping Evan with the waffles which he realized he needed to chop up into bite size pieces before they put the topping on. "Morning boys and Maddie," Athena says, before pouring herself a cup of coffee. Breakfast was soon underway after the good mornings. Surprisingly Evan opted for fruit instead of the syrup or chocolate sauce that were options. Maddie went for the same but they did have cream with it so there was the little bit of sugar Bobby supposed. Not that he was willingly wanting them to have a sugar high and then crash afterwards. He isn't sure how either of them are going to cope with the shopping that is planned but they'll get through it all.
Hey new idea coming at ya. I hope you liked it there is more to come.
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