Our Boys

The Right Family

Rachel Davis, a social worker for the West London area, had no idea what to do with her newest charge. The child was going to need special care once out of the hospital. He'd need someplace where he could feel safe and the media wouldn't find him. There was only one place that fit her criteria. One family who, thankfully, was still certified and on the books as an option: the Olatunji-Minter's.

JJ and Simon were two twenty eight year old men who had fallen in love during high school, having then gone on to take careers in YouTube, earning millions of fans and a lot of money. They weren't ungrateful though, and had wanted to share their fortune with others, especially children, of who they had four currently. While they no longer released as many videos any more due to their busy schedule they were still very renowned in the internet world and respected by many other YouTubers.

If she was going to accomplish this goal, her first plan of attack was to have a face-to-face meeting with her two old school friends. She called ahead to make sure the couple could meet with her and was pleased to hear they could have her over that very day. Once seated in their living room, she went to work.

Sighing, she twisted her fingers and glanced pleadingly at the two young men, knowing the effect those carefully planned 'nervous' actions would have on the softhearted YouTubers.

"I'm sorry to bother you, especially on such short notice, but I have a situation."

"Don't worry about it, Rach. You know you're always welcome out here," JJ assured her warmly with his signature wide smile.

"What's going on?" Simon pressed, unsure as to what could have Rachel in such a fluster.

"Well the services has just added a new child to my caseload. He was found a couple days ago, hiding in the backyard of the home of the triple murder/suicide case in Watford. I'm sure you've seen it on the news." At the men's nods, she continued. "He apparently was somehow related to the family, but no one is quite sure how, nor do they have any clue where his parents are, who they are, or if they're even alive. Honestly, we don't even know the poor child's name," she admitted, looking down into her lap.

"Why the hell not?! Was he hurt?" Simon demanded; he had no patience for people who hurt children.

"Actually, he managed to escape with some bruises, a laceration on his head which caused a moderate concussion, and some broken bones in his right foot," Rachel reported.

JJ was confused; he didn't think the kid should still be unconscious if that was the extent of his injuries. "Then why don't you know his name?"

"The reason we don't know anything, is because he hasn't made a sound since he was found. Not a single peep. We're not even sure he can talk. According to the doctors, though, there are absolutely no medical reasons as to why she shouldn't be able to speak. They suspect that this all stems from the psychological trauma he suffered in the incident."

"Shit," Simon muttered. He hated to hear stories of traumatized children. He and JJ had run a video game summer camp for foster children for the past few summers, they heard horror stories of what their campers had been through. Every year it made him grateful that they managed to save their four adopted sons before they'd been permanently affected by the overworked foster system.

"Poor kid," JJ lamented with sorrow. No child should ever be traumatized, especially not to the point where they won't, or can't speak.

"Yes. And he's so small," Rachel told them, looking into their eyes plaintively. "He's three or four at the most, and he's got the biggest brown eyes I've ever seen. They seem to reach into you, checking to see if you're going to hurt him too."