The Sister Between Them

Chapter 31

The night was long, and they were all exhausted come morning. They ended up taking turns sitting with Gavin. He mainly slept but would wake up occasionally, and Rocco wanted to make sure he never woke up alone.

Rocco was waiting in a small room for the doctor to come and talk to him after Gavin's final tests. Alyssa never ended up coming back, which surprised no one. He was ready to get Gavin home, even though he dreaded what the week ahead would bring.

Dante said the best bet is to hold off on making any significant changes until after the weekend trip. He'd tell Alyssa they would sit and talk when he got home. Until then, he planned on moving into the guest room and tolerating the situation as best as possible.

There would be a lot to figure out, including living arrangements, but Dante's advice to put all that aside right now made sense.

"Good morning, Mr. Romano." Dr. Dayton's deep voice pulled him from his thoughts, and he looked up at the man as he entered the room.

"Morning," Rocco said.

"Is your wife here?" The doctor asked.

"She had to leave a family emergency." The lie tasted as bitter as it felt to cover for her, but he had to protect Gavin.

"I hope everything will be okay," Dr. Dayton said sincerely.

"Thank you," Rocco said. "Did Gavin test okay?"

"Wonderfully." "Gavin looks great." Dr. Dayton confirmed.

"Can I take him home then?" Rocco asked.

"Of course." The doctor confirmed.

"But before you go, I have to inform you that because Gavin was brought in as a result of drugs, a report must be made to social services." The doctor sat across from him, and Rocco felt his stomach knot up.

"What does that mean? Could I lose my boy?" Rocco was ready to get Dante in here right away, he started to stand, but the doctor held up a hand to calm him.

"Nothing like that is going to happen." He assured Rocco. "They go off my report. I don't see this as anything more than a horrible mistake; I can clearly see how cared for and loved Gavin is. I have no cause for concern."

"So social services isn't going to come here or anything?" Rocco asked.

"No." He confirmed. "A note will be made in Gavin's chart, however, and remain there. If a pattern ever was to occur, it's documented that way."

"Okay," Rocco said quietly, both relieved and not at the same time.

"Let's get your boy checked out so you can get him home." The doctor said warmly, and Rocco followed him back to the lobby.

A mark in Gavin's file commemorating how terrible of a father he was didn't exactly make him feel better. But at least no one was going to take him away. He glanced at the waiting area. Dante was looking into space, and Lexi was asleep against his shoulder. Dani was sitting on the other side of him; she looked exhausted, like she could barely keep her eyes open.

He felt a warmth through him. They all waited with him all night because they loved Gavin as much as he did. All this time, he thought he had to find a way to make it work so Gavin would have a mom and dad, and not have a sad childhood as he and Dante did.

He failed to see how much love his son had in his life. He'd give anything for him to have all this and a great mom, but he doesn't. He'd do better from here on out. He swore to himself. Gavin would never suffer due to his bad judgment regarding Alyssa ever again.