The Nurse's One Night to Forever

“Hmm...” She pretended to be considering his offer. “I may have to think on this one. Captive or honorary medic... Decisions, decisions...”

Having finished gathering the trash and stored all their belongings properly in their kayaks, the boys had come over to make sure Stephen was okay.

Kyle patted Riley’s leg. “Being a pirate is a lot of fun.”

“Says the kid with no ulterior motive!” Justin teased.

“Kyle just likes Daisy, right?” She smiled at the boy as she pic

ked up all the pieces of dirty gauze, then turned her gloves inside out as she took them off, capturing the gauze inside.

“Daisy is pretty cool. When I grow up I’m going to have a dog, too.”

Not as a child, though—unless one of his foster families happened to have one, and then he’d have to say goodbye to it whenever his time was up with that particular family.

Riley’s heart squeezed at that reality. How many homes had Kyle been in over the years?

She fought the desire to hug the boy to her. Although he seemed a bit smitten with her, she didn’t think he’d appreciate any show of affection in front of his friends.

That she even wanted to hug him surprised her. She’d never been around kids much—mostly felt uncomfortable when she was. The fact that she’d come today, was enjoying being with the boys and felt a connection to them was shocking.

Perhaps it was because she felt a kind of affinity with them? Because she understood what it felt like to have a parent abandon you.

“Is Stephen going to be okay?” the guide asked.

“He’ll be fine. He has a lot of accidents and Captain Brothers always fixes him,” Kyle piped up, before any of the adults could answer. “When I grow up I’m going to be a pirate captain doctor who has a dog!” the boy announced, and then, carefully holding on to the dog’s leash, told Daisy to come on.

Riley watched him skip off, happy as could be and unfazed by what had happened to Stephen. Unfazed by anything that had happened to him up to that point in his life, or giving a good impression of it.

In the meantime Stan had helped his son up off the ground and was holding his hand as Stephen tried walking. The boy limped a bit, with a few grimaces, but had no real difficulties. Father and son went off to get ice from the cooler to put on the area.

“What’s his story?” Riley asked as they walked away.

“Kyle’s or Stephen’s?”

She’d meant Kyle, but realizing Stephen must have a story, too, she felt her heart quicken. “Both.”

“Stan and his wife adopted Stephen when he was four. He’d been in a dozen or so foster homes, but no one wanted to keep him because of all his accidents.”

“That sounds ominous. Just how many accidents has he had?”

“During his lifetime?” Justin shrugged. “Hundreds, I imagine, based on what I know from the past few years.”

“Why?”

“He has poor balance and he trips easily. His pediatrician isn’t sure if it’s from the drugs his mother stayed on while she was pregnant with him or if he suffered shaken baby syndrome or some other ailment. They haven’t been able to pinpoint any specific abnormality that’s causing the issue—they just know that he has balance and coordination issues, which leads to a lot of accidents for an active kid.”

Watching Stan check on Stephen’s gashed knee, his eyes full of love and concern for the boy, Riley mused, “I didn’t realize Stephen was adopted.”

“Stan and his wife fell in love with him during his stay with them as a foster kid. Fortunately they have great medical insurance, and the courts agreed Stephen was better off with them than in state custody.”

“Thank goodness.”

Justin nodded. “Stephen got lucky. Most of these kids aren’t ever released from their birth parents long enough to be available for adoption. The ones who are released are often too old to be wanted by the time their birth parents sign over their rights. Most end up going from one foster family to another, with occasional time spent with their birth mother or father in between until they lose custody again.”

Riley grimaced. “That’s terrible.”

Justin nodded.