THIRTEEN

CHAPTER 1

i.

Thirteen years ago…

"Okay slugger!" said David, nodding at the small boy who was huddled on his couch,"Why don't you come with me and I'll show you to your room?"

He picked the boy's shabby backpack up off the floor, throwing it over his shoulder, and gestured with his head for him to follow him. The boy continued to stare at his own shoes, refusing to make eye contact, but he got to his feet obediently and followed behind the older man.

Jenny watched her husband usher the young boy out of the room, leading him down the hallway, and into the room they'd made up for him. She turned and smiled in a slightly nervous way at Miss Blenheim, the social worker, as she sat on her own hands to try to hide how anxious she was. She just wished that David would hurry back soon. He was better at this stuff than her. This was going to be their first time fostering a child, and she didn't want to do or say anything that might make the social worker think that she was out of her depth, or that she wouldn't be able to cope. She was scared and excited at the same time.

They had both wanted so much to have children, but life just hadn't worked out that way for them. Their attempts at adoption had fallen through as well, so fostering had seemed like an easier way for them to get to be parents, even if it was only for a short time. It wasn't ideal and they both knew that, but they were going to do everything in their power to make this work, and to create a family atmosphere in the house as best they could. They would both have preferred a much younger child, especially as they had no experience of dealing with teenagers, but this opportunity had come up unexpectedly and they'd decided to give it a go. How bad could it be? She had to admit it though, she was nervous about having a thirteen-year-old in the house and wasn't really sure where to begin.

David walked back into the living-room and sat back down beside his wife, taking hold of her proffered hand, and giving the social worker as relaxed a smile as he could manage.

"He's a quiet one, isn't he?" he said, looking a little concerned. "Haven't heard a peep out of him."

Miss Blenheim nodded a little solemnly and clasped her hands together on her knee.

"Kyle hasn't had an easy few years" she said, with a heavy sigh.

She looked back and forth between the faces of this eager looking couple. She thought they looked like kind people and all initial interviews had seemed very positive. She'd been reassured by the fact that they hadn't been put off when they'd been told that Kyle had behavioural problems and a very troubled past. Normally the newbie foster parents just wanted cutesy toddlers and babies, and many of them ran for the hills as soon as they found out that the children were older and that they might have issues. Looking at this couple in front of her now, she just hoped that she might actually have found somewhere for Kyle that might be a little more permanent, and people who might be more willing to try to help him. He needed some stability more than anything.

She gave them an apologetic smile before continuing.

"To be honest with you Mr and Mrs Summers" she said, "I haven't been working on Kyle's case file for very long. I've only had him for the last couple of months and… well… there are a lot of missing details… big gaps in his file… so I don't actually have a full case history for him."

She lifted her cup of coffee off the table and took a small sip, before placing it gently back on the table in front of her. She could see that the Summers were listening eagerly and patiently waiting for her to continue.

"What I can tell you is that Kyle's father is in prison, and his mother passed away a little over two years ago when he was eleven. She was an alcoholic and she had a number of abusive partners…I've been told that there was a lot of domestic violence in the home. Kyle hadn't been attending school for quite some time when she died… He'd just fallen through the net. From the time of his mother's death, until quite recently he was quite settled in a foster home just outside the city, but his case notes from that time seem to have gone missing. He was removed a few months ago, and he's been bouncing around the system since then, from one placement to another. No-one's quite sure how to deal with him because of his silence."

She could see that Jenny was looking significantly more nervous now and holding her husband's hand that little bit tighter, but she'd found that it was better to put the parents fully in the picture, and not to sugar coat things too much. They'd find out the truth at some stage, and it was better that she hadn't told too many lies at the outset. Forewarned was forearmed, and all that…

"He's not talking at the moment." she sighed, "I haven't ever heard him talk and I've been dealing with him for nearly three months… He's been checked over by various doctors… Child psychologists... It's not autism or anything like that... They think he's suffered some sort of trauma and this is what they call 'selective mutism'. They think he can talk, but that he just doesn't want to. It's his way of taking back some control over his life."

David cleared his throat, glancing at his wife's worried face, and asked Miss Blenheim in a concerned tone, "Do you know what happened to him? I mean the trauma they're talking about… Was it his mum dying? Or do they mean that something happened while he's been in care?"

"We're not sure. It's difficult to say… I've been told that he wasn't always mute… that he was talking until quite recently but then he stopped... but as I said, I've never heard him".

She was frustrated that she didn't have the information to be able to give them, and sad that she'd never been able to get Kyle to speak to her. He wouldn't even look at her, never mind confide in her what was bothering him. He seemed such a fragile child, so small and quiet for a boy of thirteen, that it was hard not to feel sorry for him. She looked at their anxious faces.

"Are you sure you can cope with this?" she asked, "It's probably a bit more than you'd bargained for, especially as first time foster parents..."

Jenny thought about the boy that had walked through their door twenty minutes earlier and felt a surge of motherly love towards him, especially now that she knew what a tough time he'd had. He'd just looked so small and so vulnerable.

When they'd been told that they were getting a thirteen-year-old boy she'd been frightened that he'd turn out to be more of a man than a boy, and that they'd be trying to deal with a rebellious teen right from the get go. Kyle had looked more like a child than she'd been expecting. He was small for his age, and scruffy in an uncared for way, with cheap second hand clothes that were too big for him, and he was painfully shy to the point where he'd barely looked up from his shoes for even a moment. Knowing now that he was mute as well, made her want to take him in her arms and keep him safe. He was clearly greatly in need of some motherly affection. She just hoped that she was going to be up to the job. The last thing that that little boy needed was more rejection.

She turned to look at her husband and began to nod as though she was trying to convince herself more than him.

"I'm willing to try if you are." she said, smiling a little nervously, "That poor boy just looks so lost."

She turned to face the social worker and gave her a decisive nod.

"You'd never imagine that he was thirteen either" she said, "He looks about ten! He could do with some feeding up"

David nodded in agreement and squeezed his wife's hand.

When he'd left Kyle sitting on the bed in his new room, he'd thought how frightened and lost he looked, staring at his feet in that defeated and broken way. The boy had just followed him there like a lamb to the slaughter, and sat down on the bed when he was told. He was as obedient as a well-trained puppy. It had nearly broken his heart to look at him. He wanted to be able to help him more than anything.

"I think Kyle needs somewhere to call home" he said, smiling sincerely, "...and people to look out for him. We'll do our best for him."

ii.

Present day…

Kyle set the last glass in place on the large group table, getting ready for the hen party that was soon to arrive, and looked up at the doorway of the restaurant. He caught sight of Tamara as she waddled towards him and couldn't help but smile. She was only a few weeks away from her due date but her belly was so big now that she looked like she could pop at any moment. She had that funny walk that heavily pregnant women get, which he thought was adorable especially because Tamara was so small, but he knew that she hated it and that she was incredibly uncomfortable. He headed over to the door to meet her, smiling from ear to ear, and with eyes shining like stars.

"You're supposed to be resting!" he said, putting his arms around her waist as best he could and leaning in for a kiss. "Am I gonna have to drive you home and get one of the girls to keep you under house arrest?!"

He said it in a teasing tone but the concern in his eyes gave him away.

"Kyle! I can't stay in the house forever!" she whined. "I feel like I'm going mad… Besides, I want pizza… and lots of it… and ice cream… I want ice cream!"

He laughed, looking at her hot and bothered little face staring up at him with big brown eyes, and sighed, "Alright… but then I'm getting someone to take you home. You know what the doctors have said… You're supposed to be on bed rest!"

He led her over to one of the tables and helped to lower her into the seat. She was having problems with her back and her blood pressure was higher than it should be. He was worried about her. He gave her a wink and went off to place the order for her favourite pizza before returning a moment later with a selection of ice cream. He knew that she'd want it first so he'd just gone and scooped it himself. Chocolate, Cookies and Cream, and Pistachio, always the same selection. She was never very predictable in her moods but he always knew exactly what she wanted to eat. He slid into the booth beside her and stuck a spare spoon in her bowl of ice cream to take a spoon for himself.

"Heyyyy!" she said, pulling the bowl away from him in an exaggerated and comical way. "You wouldn't eat your other customers' ice cream like that, would you?!"

"My other 'customers' pay for their food" he said, laughing as he dabbed some of the ice cream from his spoon onto the end of her nose.

She wiped it away, and grinned at him, before stuffing a massive spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.

"What's the point in marrying the owner of a restaurant if you can't scab some free food?!" she teased, speaking with her mouth full of ice cream, and deliberately trying to gross him out. "You know I only married you for the pizza?! Right?!"

He leaned across and started tickling her around her pregnant belly, and she squealed, pretending to try to get away.

"Stop Kyle!" she giggled, squirming as he tickled her, "Stop, you'll make me pee!"

He leaned in with a huge smile and kissed her instead, feeling the icy coldness of the ice cream on her lips.

"I love you, Mrs Braxton" he said, and then he leant down and planted a kiss on her baby bump. Pressing his ear against her tummy he said, "Hello in there! Are you listening? It's your daddy out here and I can't wait to meet you!"

Tamara looked down at her husband and smiled at him in a bemused kind of way. He'd really surprised her over the last few months. She'd always known that he wanted a family, and she was sure that he was going to be a good dad, but it was like all his Christmases had come at once when she'd told him that she was pregnant. He hadn't stopped smiling ever since. He was absolutely over the moon, and for someone who'd always tried to maintain a 'tough guy' persona, he certainly didn't mind acting like a soppy fool when it came to the baby. He'd tell anyone that would listen.

Here he was, kissing her tummy and talking to his unborn baby, in full view of the restaurant and all of his staff. He just didn't care who saw. She'd always known that he had a softer, more sensitive side, but it had really come to the fore with all this baby stuff. He was barely recognisable. She wondered what he'd be like when the baby finally got here.

One of the other waiters brought the pizza over and slid it onto the table in front of Tamara and Kyle, raising his eyebrows a little when he saw that Kyle still had his head pressed against her belly, and that he was singing softly with his eyes closed. She smiled at the waiter and rolled her eyes a little. She was embarrassed, even if he wasn't!

"Babe, I need to eat my pizza" she said, wriggling a little so she could reach the table, "Can you give the bub a little peace and quiet?"

He sat up again with a big dopey smile on his face.

"I made sure there were no onions" he grinned.

He stole a slice of her pizza and took a huge bite, smiling at her again with his mouth full.

"I'm gonna call Pheebs to take you home after you finish..." he said, "...and I want you curled up in bed when I get home or I'm telling Nate on you!"

iii.

Phoebe hung up the phone and rolled her eyes at Ash.

"That was Kyle" she said, sitting up and handing the bowl of popcorn to him, "He needs me to go get Tamara and frogmarch her home to bed. She's not taking this whole bedrest thing seriously."

"Why can't he take her home?" said Ash, looking a little annoyed. "The movie's only started!"

"Uggghhh" she moaned, standing up from the couch and smoothing down her clothes. "Cos they have a hen party in tonight and the place is going to be jammed in about half an hour. Someone else called in sick so they're understaffed… blah blah blah… long story short, he needs Super Pheebs to come to the rescue."

She peered at her reflection in the mirror on the wall by the door, and wiped away the black eyeliner under her eyes that was giving her a racoon look. Then she turned to face him with her head tilted apologetically.

"We'll watch it when I get back, okay?" she offered, "I'll only be about half an hour."

He shook his head, rolling his eyes and sighed loudly. She smiled at him and blew him a kiss as she skipped out to the hallway.

"Okay…" he shouted after her as he heard her leaving, "...but I'm eating all the popcorn!"

He pressed stop on the remote control, and began flicking through the channels to waste time until she came back. He picked up his beer and took a swig, thinking how inconsiderate Kyle was sometimes, and wondering why Phoebe always felt the need to help him out. He wondered if somewhere, deep down, she still had feelings for Kyle.

Ash continued to flick through the channels, wondering how long she was going to be and if they were really going to get to watch the movie at all tonight. He knew that Phoebe was a talker, and could almost see her now, plonking herself down on Tamara's couch to eat ice cream with her. God knows how long she'd be! He tutted loudly as he flicked from one rubbish TV show to the next.

"Say Yes To The Dress?" he huffed, flicking on to the next channel, "No thank you!".

He got excited for a second when he thought that Game Of Thrones was coming on, but quickly realised it was just a commercial for the new series. Flicking onto the news, he watched as aerial shots of a house in Melbourne were shown, but he'd just caught the tail end of the news story so he didn't know what had happened. Back to the studio, the newsreader was looking very serious.

"Police are appealing for information. Some twenty children are thought to have been fostered by Simon and Jessica Hames since 1999. If you or someone you know lived in the Hames foster home at any time from 1999 to the present, the police are asking that you get in touch with Melbourne police."

"Am I interrupting something?" laughed Kat, as she stood in the doorway of the living-room.

She eyed the bowl of popcorn, the 6 pack of beer, the bottle of wine, and the lit tea light candles on the coffee table, and gave him a wry smile.

"Looks like a romantic evening for one?" she asked teasingly. "Should I just leave you to it?"

"Pheebs had to do a favour for Kyle… Pregnant woman trouble apparently" he said, rolling his eyes in an exaggerated way. "She'll be back in a bit." he said, sounding unconvinced. He pulled one of the beers out of the cardboard holder and offered it to Kat. "Join me for one? Till Pheebs gets back?"

She took the bottle from him and slumped down in one of the armchairs with a heavy sigh. It had been a hard day and she was tired. She was grateful to see a friendly face and to have Ash to herself for a moment or two. She always felt at ease in Ash's company but it was never the same with Phoebe around.

"Thanks Ash" she said giving him a tired smile. "I needed this" she said taking a long drink from the bottle.

"Tough day?" he said, looking a little concerned.

He could see that she looked more stressed than normal and he thought that she could probably do with a hug more than anything.

"Wanna talk?" he asked, tilting his head at her sympathetically.

She shook her head and gave him a half-smile.

"Not really… just happy to have a bit of company… What are you watching?!" she asked, glancing at the screen and raising her eyebrows at him in surprise. "Are you watching The Kardashians?!"

"What?! No!" he exclaimed, frantically looking for the remote control. "I was watching the news when you walked in! I wasn't watching this!"

"Yeah right! Wait till I tell Andy and Kyle!" she snorted. "A romantic evening in for one, complete with lit candles and an episode of the Kardashians!"

She was laughing loudly now, enjoying the growing look of embarrassment on Ash's face and how red his face had gone.

"What's become of you Martin Ashford?!" she taunted, "I thought I knew you!"

He began to laugh, and resigned himself to the embarrassment of it all.

"What can I say Kat?!" he laughed, "It's top class entertainment… I've been thinking of getting butt implants like Kim's…"

He stood up with his hands on his hips and stuck his bum out in a camp and ridiculous way.

"I mean" he continued, "What do you think? It could be bigger couldn't it?"