Nepenthe {joshler}

iv.

josh chews on his lip and jigs his leg as he waits outside adrian's office. ashley can't stop fidgeting with her watch, it's cracked and hasn't worked in eight months but she seems determined to suddenly make it work now. abigail sits in jordan's lap and chews on her cat stuffie, her other hand is playing with jordan's fingers shaking them around.

josh thinks if he strains he might be able to hear voices from inside the office, but he can't make out what they're saying.

"you have to understand that these kids have been through a lot of trauma. jordan has some permanent physical health issues that you're going to have to watch for. abigail barely talks and her development has suffered a lot, she's small for her age and she's already been held back a year at school.

this is only your second time fostering and although the oldest two are almost legally adults they're still in desperate need of someone to take care of their needs properly.

they aren't like your last foster child, they don't have a father to come rescue them, he's dead.

i appreciate that you're passionate about keeping them together but this is a risk, if you're in any way not sure or ready for four kids, then please tell me by the end of today, because josh only has four months until he ages out of the system and then i can't guarantee he's allowed to see his siblings anymore." adrian explains and the couple sat opposite him give him serious expressions.

"we understand, but we've seen their file. we were made clear on their situation completely and we know what we're signing up for and the only thing that can make us change our minds on this, are those kids themselves." mrs. dun says clearly as her husband holds her hand in solidarity of her statement.

adrian doesn't want to acknowledge the flicker of hope in his chest, just in case everything fell apart in these next crucial hours. but he smiles nonetheless, as he shuffled papers and stands up from his desk.

"in that case, all that's left for me to do is to introduce the children to you and see if they take to you or not." he explains and the adults nod, but he can see the nervous glance they give one another.

ducking his head out of his office door, in a soft voice, he calls the four siblings into the room.

ashley fumbles to do her watch back up and abigail whines and reaches out for josh to take her from their brothers lap.

josh takes a deep breath, swinging abigail around in his arms until she's clung to him like a koala bear. ashley slips an arm around jordan's own to help guide him into the room.

all four siblings duck their heads, not making eye contact with the two strangers, standing opposite them. josh quickly sits on the faded leather couch at the back of the room, and ashley plops jordan next to him, before perching on his other side.

the strangers smile, before sitting down opposite them, and adrian pulls up a chair himself.

"kids, why don't you introduce yourselves?"

josh clears his throat awkwardly. he brushes hair from abigail's face, so she can peep out, from where she was tucking into his neck. "i'm josh, i-i'm seventeen, the oldest um and this is abigail, she's just shy, um she's eight, the youngest ob-obviously."

"i'm ashley, i'm sixteen." ashley interrupts, seeing josh's anxiety spike, making her forget her own. she nudges jordan in the ribs when he doesn't speak.