The E.R.

 by: Miguel Sanchez

© 2005-2008 by the author

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Barry and I worked our way to the corner and I saw him head towards a red car. We hid behind some hedges and watched him as he left. He took a different way out and I lost sight of him. I saw him come out and head away from us and I felt totally dejected. Barry and I stood up and walked up the street to find TJ and Freddy. I was about to cross the street when I heard the boys yell for me saying, “We got it, we got it.”

Chapter 8

I stopped and looked and Freddy was the first to reach us. “We got the license plate number,” Freddy said almost out of breath.

TJ came walking up grinning from ear to ear. We saw a drink machine and I got each of us a cold soda to quench our thirst. We started towards the car when TJ pulled out a piece of paper with a license number written down on it. “Damn, no wonder they didn’t know what to look for,” I said looking at the number.

“Why did he put that on his car,” TJ said.

“I’ll lay you odds he didn’t,” I said putting the paper back into my pocket.

We found my car in the alternate lot then I got on my cell phone and called Pat. His office said he was on the street but would have him call me. I unlocked the car and started the engine just as my cell phone rang. I answered it and Pat said, “What’s up Mike?”

“Meet me at my house in about thirty minutes,” I told Pat.

“Why?” Pat asked.

“I’ll tell you when you get there,” I said. “Right now I have three tired boys in the car and I want to get them home.”

“What are you up to Mike?” Pat asked.

“See you at the house,” I said. “Bye.”

I hung up and then left the parking lot. The traffic wasn’t that bad so it only took twenty-five minutes to get there. Barry had fallen to sleep and I had to carry him into the apartment. I put him in his bed and got him undressed then covered him just as I heard someone knock on the door. I closed his door then came out and saw Pat standing there. TJ and Freddy were sitting on the couch but I was still thirsty from my run so I headed to the kitchen to grab a soda. “Come on in here Pat so we can talk and not disturb Barry,” I said sitting down at the kitchen table.

Pat came in with TJ and Barry and sat down and I could tell he was wondering just what was going on. “Alright Mike, spill it,” Pat said once everyone was seated.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. I looked at Pat and said, “Do you remember the license plate number I gave you last night?”

“Yeah,” Pat said. “It also came back not on file to that car.”

“And I think I know why too,” I said handing Pat the piece of paper. “I think you were looking for the wrong car. Read the plate number.”

Pat looked at it and said, “I’ll be damn. 1HT-VETTE.”

“Yep,” I said. “We saw that same car again today. Have there been any 66 Mustangs reported stolen?”

“I don’t know,” Pat said taking out his cell phone. “I’ll see what I can find out.”

TJ handed Pat the cordless and I heard a pair of small feet come into the kitchen. “Did we wake you son?” I asked looking at a half awake Barry.

“No,” he said crawling up on my lap. “I didn’t have you in bed with me to snuggle with.”

Pat was on the phone several minutes and when he got off he said, “Nope. No 66 Mustangs have been reported stolen in the past two weeks.”

Freddy looked up and said, “Think this guy has a friend who owns one?”

“That is a possibility,” I said. “He takes the plates off his car and puts them on the Mustang.”

Barry looked at the paper with the plate number on it then said, “That’s not very smart.”

TJ got into the act by saying, “Nobody ever said this guy was smart Barry. Although doing something like that is just calling attention to your car.”

“Maybe that’s just what he wanted to do,” I said. “Maybe he wants people to concentrate on that car so much they won’t be worried about him.”

“Well such is not the case,” Pat said. “I have them running that plate and they’ll call me as soon as the state wide computer comes back up.”

It was getting late and Pat was about to leave when his cell rang. He was listening intently to what was being said on the other end then he closed it and said, “We finally got a name and address on the car but there is a twist. We sent a patrol car buy the address but the house had burned down. We know who the owner is, now we just have to find him.”

I was holding Barry and fighting to stay awake. I had a couple of ideas but was too tired to even think. Pat left and I locked the door and carried my boyfriend to bed. I laid him in bed then quickly relieved myself so I could join him. I crawled in and felt him scoot back against my chest with his butt. I wrapped my arms around him and we drifted off to sleep.

Barry and I slept like babies all night and didn’t wake up until almost nine the next morning. I wiggled out of Barry’s grasp so I could make it to the bathroom without having an accident. I was about to flush the toilet when I felt my little lover’s hand on my leg as he stood up to it and started going. We got dressed then went down to the kitchen so I could put on the coffee. I was about to pour my first cup when TJ and Freddy came into the kitchen. I got my coffee poured then started fixing breakfast for my hungry crew. After breakfast we just relaxed and took it easy. TJ came over and sat on my lap and said, “Dad, what are you going to do about Barry and me?”

“What do you mean son?” I asked totally confused by what he was asking.

“I mean for the next two weeks,” TJ said. “School is closed.”

I had totally forgotten about that. I had been at the hospital for over 15 years and I had six weeks vacation a year. I was scheduled to work tomorrow and didn’t know if they could get someone to cover my shifts for two weeks on such short notice. I was good friends with all the nursing supervisors so if there was a way I could get the time off they would find it. I looked at TJ and said, “I forgot son. With everything that’s been going on, it slipped my mind. I’ll call the hospital and see if I can get the time off.”

I called the hospital and one of my better friends was working. She pulled the schedule for the Emergency Room and for the next three days there was more than adequate staffing on during the day shift. This would give her enough time to see to the other days. I had my time off. I just had to stop by the hospital and sign my vacation sheet.

Pat called later that day and they weren’t having any luck tracking down the owner of that car. Pat said, “We’re having some problems again with the state wide system. It’s making cross referencing things slow.”

“Have you thought of staking out that parking lot for the Mustang?” I asked.

“That is an option,” he said. “I just have to sell it to the Captain for the overtime.”

“I think that might be about the only option you have considering you don’t have anything else to go on,” I said feeling really frustrated.

Pat said he would see what he could do but he would have cars check the lots as much as they could until the stakeout was approved. I found out later that the stakeout had been approved but the guy never returned to the boardwalk fair while it was in town. Time was passing pretty quickly and the man had yet to resurface but on the bright side to all this there weren’t any new reported cases of gonorrhea.

School was out and once again I had the problem of how to care for my boys while I was at work. One afternoon when Freddy was at the house he said, “Hey TJ, have you ever been to the recreation center? They have all kinds of things there and they even have lunch.”

I talked with Candy and it was a great city program and it kept the kids safe. I had them enrolled and I felt good to know they were being looked after while I was at work.

I had just gotten home from work one afternoon when there came a knock on the door. I opened it and there stood Todd Freeman. “Good afternoon Mr. Cummings,” he said.

“What brings you out here?” I said letting him in.

He came in and we went to the dining room to talk. “I’ve been assigned your case now.” He said as he pulled some files from his satchel.

He was about to speak when TJ and Barry came in from the recreation center. “Hi Dad,” the boys said as they raided the fridge for sodas.

I gave each of them a hug then said, “I don’t know if you know Todd here. He’s been assigned your cases.”

“Let’s see here,” Todd said. “TJ it looks like you’ve been here about 4 months now. Is that about right?”

“Yes Sir,” TJ said looking nervous.

“Has everything been going alright for you?” He asked. “Are there any problems?”

“Everything here is fine,” TJ replied. “It’s great here. I don’t want to leave. I have a Dad that loves me and cares about me not like that bastard of an Uncle.”

“That’s one thing I want to talk with you both about,” Todd said. “We’ve done some investigating with the help of the police and we’ve learned that the guardianship your Uncle had for you wasn’t registered with either us or the court and as such isn’t legal. What this means is that you’ve been declared a permanent ward of the state.”

“I’M NOT LEAVING HERE!!!” TJ shouted. “YOU ALL CAN GO FUCK YOURSELVES AT SOCIAL SERVICES. I’M NOT LEAVING MY DAD AND BROTHER.”

I looked at TJ and said, “That’s quite enough young man. You don’t speak to adults like that.”

I could see TJ shaking with both fear and anger. He looked at me the dove into my arms as the dam of tears burst. “It’s not fair Daddy,” a weeping TJ said as he wrapped his arms around me and started sucking his thumb.

Todd waited for TJ to calm down so TJ would understand what he said. I held this now little boy and rocked him as he cried while a shocked Barry looked on. Once his tears quieted Todd continued saying, “First off TJ, no one is suggesting you leave here. Did I even say that to you?”

TJ just shook his head and I popped him lightly on the butt. “No Sir,” he said.

“Do you know what being declared a permanent ward of the state means?” he asked.

“Yes,” TJ said looking at him. “You’re gonna put me in an orphanage.”

“No that’s not what it means,” Todd said looking at TJ. “What that means is the state has total custody of you, not shared custody with your Uncle. It also means that we can start to look for a family who would want to adopt you.”

TJ sat upright when he heard that. “I have a family who wants to adopt me,” TJ said. “Mike does and he’s even talked with a lawyer.”

“That will make my job a little easier then,” Todd said as he looked at me. “But your job Mike just got a little harder. “It’s long been the stand of Social Services to place children in adoptive homes that have 2 parents. We’ve also seen the increase in divorce so that is getting harder and harder to do. But you have another thing going against you and that’s the fact you’re gay. Yes, I know and so does the office but that doesn’t make you an unfit foster parent. It will however make it harder for you to adopt TJ. Who is your lawyer?”

“Fred Billings,” I said.

“Good man,” Todd said. “He’s had clients of several of my cases. It is the policy of Social Services is to deny adoptions to gays and lesbians but personally I support them as long as they are fit and loving people. The fact that you are established in your job, have no police record and a nice apartment will go along way added to the fact you have Fred in your corner.”

“I’ll contact Fred in the morning so he can get the ball rolling,” I said.

“Tell him anything he needs from us he will have to subpoena,” Todd said. “Our policies have changed since he last had an adoption from us.”

I looked at TJ and said, “Feel better now?”

He turned several shades of red and said, “I’m sorry Todd.”

“Apology accepted TJ,” he said. “I know that kids get attached to some of their foster parents and don’t want to leave. I’ve spoken with your teachers at your school and they told me your work and grades really improved when you started staying here so that tells me a lot about you guys as a family. Now Barry, you’re next.”

Barry had been watching and listening to the goings on so he was somewhat prepared for what Todd had to say. He sat up and said, “OK but first, what’s going on with my parents? Have they been found yet?”

“That I don’t know,” Todd started. “But here is what I do know. The police have issued warrants for their arrest and we have begun termination of parental rights proceedings. All this is going to take time and because of this we’re going to have to change your status with us. In stead of being classified as an emergency placement you’re now going to be classified as a long term placement.”

My asshole sucked wind when I heard that because I wasn’t a long term foster parent. I was a short term emergency foster parent. “Hang on,” I said. “You’re not going to take Barry are you?”

“No Mike,” Todd said. “I hated to do it but I changed you from an Emergency home to a Long Term Placement home. We need more emergency homes that’s why it was such a hard thing to do.”

“What happens after you do that thing you’re doing now?” Barry asked.

Todd smiled at Barry’s innocence and said, “Well after your parents have had their parental rights terminated you can be put up for adoption.”

“Un unh,” Barry said. “You’re not putting me anywhere. I’m staying right here with Mike.”

“No son,” I said looking at Barry. “What Todd means is that I will be able to adopt you if that is still what you want.”

“You know I will,” Barry said. “I’m not gonna change my mind.”

“Didn’t think you would son,” I said.

Todd got his papers and started putting them away saying, “I think that covers all that I have Mike. I guess I’ll be hearing from your lawyer soon as you get ready to adopt TJ.”

We headed to the door as I said, “I’ll call Fred tomorrow and schedule an appointment to sign some papers so he can file them.”

Todd left then TJ said, “I’m glad he’s gone Dad. I’m hungry.”

I fixed the boys dinner then we talked a little about the events of the day. “Mike, do you think they will ever catch that guy that tried to take me?” Barry asked as he cuddled on my lap?”

“I hope so,” I said as the phone rang.

TJ answered it and by the way he was smiling it had to be Freddy. They chatted for a few minutes when TJ asked, “Dad, can Freddy come over tomorrow afternoon?”

I thought for a minute then said, “Sure son, he can come home with you and Barry from the recreation center.”

The next day I called Fred and he cleared a spot for me at 4:30. When we got there he was going through the stuff he got from social services. His secretary led us back to his office and opened his door after knocking. “Hi Fred,” I said as I went in.

“Afternoon Mike, TJ,” Fred said looking up. “And who are these two young men?”

“This is Freddy Phillips,” I said first. “He is TJ’s boyfriend. And this young man here is Barry Langston.”

I was about the finish my introduction when Barry said, “He’s my boyfriend.”

“Barry,” I said looking at him. “I thought we agreed that that information was not to leave the house.”

“Gee Mike,” Barry said. “He’s your lawyer right? He can’t say anything. You know, it’s because of that lawyer thing.”

“You mean privilege,” Fred said giggling. “Yes son, you’re right. I can’t say anything. I’m going over what Social Services sent over and I don’t see any reason we can’t get TJ’s adoption fast tracked onto the docket.”

“Sounds good,” I said. “How long are we talking about?”

“There is the home study,” Fred started. “Then you and TJ will have to see a psychologist and finally TJ will have to have a full physical.”

I didn’t like what I was hearing. “Who does all that?” I asked.

“I have people I use and they are very good,” Fred said. “I’ve use these people before and Social Services knows they are above reproach. I’ll call them tomorrow and get things moving.”

Fred handed me a couple of papers I needed to date and he had TJ signed a few also then we left and headed home. I was excited about the prospects of adopting TJ but scared my sexuality was going to come out in open court.

To be continued...

Posted: 06/20/08