Chapter 10 - The House on Willow StreetThe first time Tessa visited the temporary foster-care agency, she wore the only dress she owned that wasn't faded from repeated washing.
It was dark green, knee-length, and slightly too large.
Noah wore a clean blue shirt and the same work boots he used for sanitation shifts.
They sat side by side in a waiting room with beige walls.
Tessa kept smoothing the fabric over her knees.
Noah noticed.
"You're going to wear a hole in it."
She stopped.
"Sorry."
"You don't have to apologize."
She looked around.
"Do you think this is a mistake?"
Noah considered the question.
"Coming here?"
"Yes."
"No."
She smiled faintly.
Then he added, "I just don't want you getting your hopes up before we know what we're talking about."
Tessa nodded.
The couple had contacted the local agency after learning that the baby was in protective care.
They were not relatives.
They had no automatic right to see him.
They couldn't simply request custody because they were the people who found him.
But Tessa wanted to understand what it would take to become qualified foster parents.
At the very least, she wanted to know how children like Finn were cared for.
A placement specialist named Claire Donovan welcomed them into a small conference room.
"Tell me what brought you here," she said.
Tessa glanced at Noah.
He nodded.
"We found a newborn near a trash collection point," she began.
Claire's expression softened.
"I heard about that case."
"We've been thinking about him ever since."
Noah cleared his throat.
"We understand we can't just take him home."
"That's correct."
"We're not asking to skip anything."
Claire nodded.
"Good."
She explained the licensing and approval process.
Training.
Background checks.
Home assessment.
Interviews.
Medical and financial information.
Safety requirements.
References.
The goal was not to find wealthy parents.
It was to determine whether applicants could provide a safe, stable environment and meet a child's needs.
Tessa listened carefully.
Then she asked, "What if we don't have much money?"
Claire smiled gently.
"You don't need to be rich. But we do need to understand your household's financial stability and your ability to care for a child."
Noah shifted.
"We're both on administrative leave right now."
Claire made a note.
"Is that temporary?"
"We hope so."
"Then we'll discuss the situation honestly and see what options are available. Becoming approved resource parents takes time. And approval would not guarantee placement of a particular child."
Tessa nodded.
"I understand."
Claire looked at them.
"Why do you want to do this?"
Tessa opened her mouth.
Then stopped.
She had rehearsed several answers.
Because they wanted a family.
Because they cared.
Because they believed every child deserved a home.
All true.
None complete.
Finally she said:
"Because when we first heard that baby crying, I almost walked away."
Claire remained still.
Tessa's eyes filled.
"And I don't want fear to decide what kind of person I become."
Noah reached for her hand.
Claire listened without judgment.
Then she asked, "Do you understand that foster care often focuses on safely reunifying children with their families when that is possible?"
Tessa nodded.
"Yes."
"And that a child placed with you might later leave your home?"
Tessa swallowed.
"Yes."
Noah looked at her.
He knew how much that answer cost.
Claire continued.
"Then the question isn't simply whether you want to love a child. It's whether you're willing to support a child's needs even when the outcome isn't what you hoped."
Tessa looked down.
She thought of Finn being carried into the ambulance.
She thought of how fiercely she had wanted someone to hold him.
"I think that's what love is supposed to mean," she said.
Claire smiled faintly.
"It's certainly part of it."
That afternoon, Tessa and Noah returned to their apartment.
Their rent was still overdue.
Their work situation remained unresolved.
Nothing about the meeting had solved their financial problems.
But for the first time since discovering Finn, they felt they were doing something constructive.
Noah sat at the kitchen table with a notebook.
"We need a plan."
Tessa raised an eyebrow.
"A real plan?"
"Yes."
He wrote three headings.
INCOME. HOUSING. TRAINING.
Tessa smiled.
"You sound like Claire."
"She made sense."
They began calculating expenses.
Rent.
Utilities.
Food.
Car repairs.
The small emergency savings account.
Noah had been offered a temporary maintenance job through a former coworker.
Tessa had an interview at a local recycling center.
Neither position paid as well as their usual work, but both might help them avoid falling further behind.
"We can do the training in the evenings," Tessa said.
"If our schedules work."
"We'll make them work."
Noah put down his pen.
"Tess."
She looked up.
"What?"
"What if Finn goes back to his mother?"
Tessa was silent.
She had thought about that question constantly.
The news had reported that the mother had been identified.
Some people online demanded punishment.
Others speculated about desperation or mental illness.
Tessa refused to join the argument.
She did not know Rachel Vale.
She knew only what had happened to Finn.
"I hope he goes wherever he's safe and loved," she said.
Noah nodded.
"And if that's not with us?"
Tessa took his hand.
"Then helping him still mattered."
That evening, a letter arrived from their employer.
The administrative review had concluded that the couple acted appropriately in calling emergency services and following dispatch instructions.
Their suspension was lifted.
They would be paid the scheduled hours improperly withheld during the review.
Noah read the letter twice.
Then handed it to Tessa.
She stared.
"Does this mean we're going back?"
"Tomorrow."
She laughed.
Then cried.
Noah hugged her.
For several minutes, they stood together in their tiny kitchen.
Their problems were not over.
But one frightening possibility had passed.
Then Tessa's phone vibrated.
A message from Detective Shaw.
Mrs. Cole, the baby's mother asked us to convey her gratitude for your assistance. This does not require a response.
Tessa read it slowly.
Noah looked over her shoulder.
"What's that?"
Tessa handed him the phone.
He read the message.
Then looked at his wife.
"What do you think?"
She sat down.
For several moments, she could not speak.
Finally she whispered:
"I think I want to ask her one question."
Noah waited.
May you like
Tessa looked toward the dark window.
"Why did she leave him there when she could have carried him home?"
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