Page 101 of Silver Tears
His head snaps toward the boat. “Oh no! I left Eddy on the boat! You need to get Eddy for me!”
“Okay, shush,” I say, leaning over and attempting to settle him. “I’ll call Seb and ask him to ask those nice police officers to grab him off the boat.”
Charlie nods, relaxing and reassured. “Seb will look after him. I trust him.”
* * *
We arrive at the hospital, and they wheel Charlie into a bay where the nurses make a fuss over him and take his bloods and check his vitals. He laps up the attention, telling them all about his adventure and how he was able to run away.
The adrenalin that had been keeping me going has tanked and I’m exhausted, but I can’t wipe the smile off my face at seeing my brother safe and well.
“You have some more visitors,” the friendly nurse announces, and behind her my dad, Damon, and Luca, gather around his bed. Charlie looks at all three of them curiously.
“Are you policemen?” He asks them, and this brings a snicker from my older brother. “No, we’re not, little guy.”
“Charlie. This is Damon and Luca. They are your big brothers.”
Charlie studies them both before answering. “I’ve never had a brother before.”
“Well, now you have these two.” I’ll tell him about the rest later. I don’t want to overwhelm him.
Damon sits on the end of the bed and smiles at him, and Charlie interrogates him, asking how old he is and if he likes elephants. He notices my dad then, and he frowns, confused. “Is he my brother too?”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “No, this is my dad. His name is Adam.”
He nods his head, and I can see the cogs in his head turning. “Is he my dad? I’ve never had a dad.”
My heart breaks a little, and I blink back a tear. “No, he isn’t your dad, but he’s very nice and friendly.”
Charlie scrunches his brow, still looking confused. “But if my mum is your mum, then why isn’t he my dad?”
“It’s complicated, Charlie,” my dad says, stepping forward and smiling kindly at him. “I guess I’m kind of like your stepdad.”
Charlie nods his head, seeming okay with this. “Okay. Can I have some food now? I’m hungry.”
We all laugh. He must be okay if he’s asking for food. There’s a cough from behind us and a petite lady with long brown hair tied in a ponytail lingers by the curtain.
“Sorry to interrupt. My name is Ellen. I’m the duty social worker. Could I possibly have a word?” she asks, her question aimed at my dad.
“Of course,” Dad says. “Boys, will you stay with Charlie?”
“Course,” Damon doesn’t hesitate to reply. “He’ll be fine with us.”
We follow the social worker into the corridor and as she’s guiding us over to a small side-room; I spot Seb and the boys waiting in the corridor. My eyes meet Seb’s for a moment, and I smile at him to let him know we’re okay.
“Take a seat.” She looks at her small laptop screen. “So, your brother is Charlie Heaton date of birth fifteenth of the seventh two thousand and seventeen. Mother is Andrea Heaton and father is unknown.”
“That’s correct.” Anxiety gnaws at my guts. Why is she here? Is she going to take Charlie away?
“The doctors advise me that mum is going to be staying in hospital and there are concerns about drug and alcohol abuse.”
“She loves him though,” I jump in. “Mum hasn’t always been like this. She was a good mum, once.”
Ellen offers me a sympathetic smile. “I’m sure she was. Charlie is currently without a guardian, so we would normally look for an urgent foster placement for him. We would, of course, approach family first.”
I look over at my dad with pleading eyes. Praying he’ll save my brother.
“Look, Ellen. I am not a biological relation to Charlie, but I was married to his mother, and we have six children together, all who are half-siblings to Charlie. I have a house with plenty of bedroom space and the finances to support him.”