Pain

On The One Hand...

"Thank you for calling," said the young brunette woman named Linda Baker, who was now sitting in an armchair in Kelly and Dave's living room.

"We thought it was the right thing to do," Dave replied, but didn't look at Kelly.

"Yeah," Kelly muttered. Her voice was cold and anything but friendly. She looked at the young social worker. "May I ask what your plans are for Kiara?"

Linda Baker put down her cup of coffee and nodded. "Well, first of all, we're going to bring her back to the girls' group home and then-"

"Are you kidding me? You seriously want to take her back to the place she ran away from?"

"Kel..." Dave said with a warning tone in his voice. Kelly ignored him. "Do you realize why she ran away in the first place? Because she doesn't know anyone there. She felt alone. That's why she came to us. Do you really want to do this to her again?"

"Mrs. Wainwright, I assure you that I have only the best in mind for Kiara and her brother. Besides-"

"This is nonsense! If you did your job right, you would know that-"

"Maybe there is some way Kiara could stay with us. You know… officially," Dave interrupted quickly. Ms. Baker nodded slowly. "Well… you could officially submit an application. Then we would consider you as possible foster parents. But this process may take a while."

"How long?" Dave asked.

"A few weeks."

"And what happens to Kiara in the meantime?"

Linda Baker hesitated. "Normally we'd be putting her somewhere else..." She saw Kelly open her mouth to reply and quickly added, "But I can see that this case is special. And I see that you both care about Kiara. But please try to understand the situation from my point of view. I'm not sure if it's advisable for Kiara to stay here. This place will always remind her of what happened." She made a movement towards the window. Kelly and Dave followed her gaze and of course they understood. Dave nodded. "My wife and I have talked about it. And we are already planning to move."

"I see. After all this, I just want Kiara to be fine. And I can see that is the case with you. So I'll make an exception."

"What does that mean?" Kelly asked.

"Kiara can stay with you. But it's not official yet." She handed her business card to Dave. "In the next few days, colleagues of mine will be in touch with you to clarify all the necessary details for the provisional custody. If you have any questions, call me. Otherwise you will hear from us."

"Thank you, Ms. Baker," Dave said, shaking her hand goodbye. Kelly got up from the couch. "I apologize for my behavior. I'm just worried about Kiara and her brother."

Linda Baker also shook Kelly's hand and smiled gently. "It's all right, Mrs. Wainwright. You don't have to worry anymore. I'm here for you."

Kelly nodded gratefully. Dave led the social worker to the door and said goodbye to her. Then he returned to the living room and winked at Kelly with a smile. "You're lucky Ms. Baker doesn't hold a grudge."

"Shut up," she said, shaking her head, but smiled too. They heard quick steps above them and a few seconds later Kiara was running down the stairs. "Is everything okay? I heard yelling."