String Boys by Amy Lane

Author:Amy Lane [Lane, Amy]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: gay romance
ISBN: 978-1-64405-339-3
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2019-05-28T04:00:00+00:00

NURSE OSBORNE led them back down a couple of corridors to a quiet waiting room that was hard to spot from the main corridor and told them to stay. She came back shortly with a harried-looking white woman in her early thirties, wearing jeans and a T-shirt and a fuzzy brown ponytail, and a rather severe-looking doctor, his East Indian features lean and narrow, his eyes flinty with condemnation.

“Your son is a drug addict,” the man—Doctor Takeri, his name badge proclaimed—said. “His blood work came back with high concentrations of opioids. We told you this.”

Linda nodded.

“We notified the police, but the fact is, your son went off the road and hit a tree. There was minimal property damage, and only the car’s occupants were injured. He’ll be charged with driving while impaired at the very least, and you will need to get a lawyer in order to keep him out of jail.”

Linda gasped. “Police? Why has nobody—”

“Because we were waiting for the blood work, you understand? Now about the child—”

“The child lives with her parents right now, is that correct?” The social worker stepped forward. Trisha Alford. She probably had a lovely family, but Seth clutched Chloe closer to his chest.

“Yes,” Linda said, sounding dazed. “Her mother leaves her with us a lot.”

“Does she work outside the home?”

Linda and Kelly exchanged looks, and they both shook their heads.

“She says Matty should provide.” Linda’s weariness was palpable.

“Mrs. Cruz, I know this is hard to hear, but that child can’t go home until we’ve checked the home out for drugs and drug use. And I’ve got to tell you, hearing that girl screeching away, I’m not really hopeful that we won’t find it in both parents. Are you prepared to take care of that little girl?”

Linda nodded. Without hesitation, she nodded. Seth swallowed and clutched Chloe a little tighter. This baby needed Kelly’s mom right now. Kelly needed his mom right now.

Nobody needed him.

In fact, he might be the biggest danger to the Cruz family, next to Matty’s drug use.

Ms. Alford’s next words confirmed it.

“We’ll need to check out your house,” she said. “She’ll need a space for a crib, even if it’s in an adult’s room—”

“Will my son Kelly’s room be okay?”

And for the first time in forever, Kelly and Seth met eyes. “Poor Agnes,” Seth mouthed, and Kelly smiled.

It was small and strained, but Seth could do that much, at least.

“There’s room for a crib and a changing table?”

“Yes,” Kelly said decisively, his eyes never leaving Seth’s. Seth knew. They both knew what this meant. It meant that Kelly wasn’t just staying home for junior college. It meant he was staying home until Lily and Lulu got old enough to help in the same way Kelly could. It meant he was home until Agnes left for college, and that he’d be helping his mother with the rent for years to come.

It meant that their amorphous time in the future, that had seemed so close, had just become a world away. It had dropped off the horizon.

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