LITMIR.BIZ

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out to a contact I have in Child and Family Services. Brittney will make sure we get this fast-tracked. When will Ruby be released from the hospital?”

      She wondered if the contact was a girlfriend, then dismissed the thought. “They’re keeping her overnight, but because of her youth, maybe two days to be safe. We have about a day to make this happen.” She got a pen from a mug that sat on her kitchen counter. Taking a seat on a stool, she started to complete the form. Name. Address. References. She brought up her head. “References?”

      Mateo walked over to her. “People who will vouch for you. April, I’m assuming. My cousin, Sherri. Do you have any family?”

      Page thought of her parents. The last thing she needed was her mother trying to talk her out of this. And her father had no contact with her. “None that I want involved in this. You’d agree if you knew my mom. That won’t hurt my chances, will it?”

      “It would look better if she could be included, but it’s not crucial.”

      She perused the rest of the application. “I fill this out, you call your friend, then what?”

      “I can get a home study done pretty quickly. We’ll get you fingerprinted and a criminal background check completed tonight, I hope. After that, it’s in the social worker’s hands.” He brought out his phone and made a call. “Hey, Britt. Mind if I ask a favor?”

      He walked out of earshot, so she returned to the application. It asked her about her financial details and medical history. She paused before writing cancer in the appropriate section. That wouldn’t keep her from being able to care for Ruby, would it? It had already claimed so much from her, that she didn’t need this to be stripped away, too.

      * * *

      MATEO ENDED HIS phone call and found Page working on the application. Her bald head bent over the form, she scribbled answers and didn’t seem aware of him watching her. What was she thinking? She had bigger problems to worry about than some pregnant teenager. She needed to stay focused on fighting cancer, not look after some girl she didn’t really know.

      And yet, he admired her for it. How many able-bodied and healthy people turned and looked the other way rather than make a difference in a needy child’s life?

      She glanced up at him—big hazel-green eyes in a thin, pale face. She handed him the form. “Can you check it over to make sure I’ve filled in everything?”

      He took the paper and examined it, reading it over with a critical eye. She’d given more than enough information, and he had a feeling that it would get approved despite her health issues if he got the case in front of the right judge. “You’re sure you want to do this?”

      Page nodded. “I haven’t changed my mind. I’m even more determined to help her.”

      “You haven’t answered why.”

      She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I was just like her at that age. Alone. Terrified. I ran away from home several times and lived on the streets until a cop found me and took me back. Maybe if an adult had seen my living situation, things might have turned out differently. I might not have married the first man who I thought could rescue me.”

      He looked at her for a long moment, seeing the grief in her eyes. There was so much more to her than he’d realized before. She didn’t need to be rescued because she took matters into her own hands. Did she not see that? He glanced at his watch. “I have a few friends at the police department who can take your fingerprints and run the criminal background check now. Do you have any plans tonight?”

      She gasped and stood up quickly. Too quickly. “I have to call April to let her know I won’t be making it to dinner. How long do you think this will take?”

      “After we get you fingerprinted, you should ready a room for Ruby. The more prepared you are for her to enter your home, the better.”

      She nodded. “I’ll fix up the guest room. Not that I have many guests, but you know.”

      “That would be a good idea. We want to show the social worker that you’ve considered everything, including opening your home, as well as your life, for this girl.” He put away his cell phone. “I can help you out with that.”

      He put a hand at the small of her back to nudge her out of the house. The contact, as light as it was, sent a bolt of awareness through him. What was happening to him? First, he’d been questioning what he always wanted to do with his life professionally, and now this. This was Page. He had no interest in her romantically.

      And yet, as he drove her to the police station, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. About everything she’d said back at the house. Sympathy for her story had opened his eyes to seeing her differently. Maybe he could see her like she’d asked him to.

      As they entered the precinct, he gave a wave to Sergeant Shelby Novakowski, who met him at the front desk and looked Page up and down. “What brings you by, counselor? Another client?”

      “Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking. Page needs to get fingerprinted, but for a criminal background check for her foster-care application.”

      Shelby turned to Page. “Foster care, huh? That’s a tough gig. Are you sure you can handle it?”

      Page bristled and gave a short nod. “I’m tougher than I look.”

      “Good. You’ll need to be.” She winked at Mateo and motioned to an empty interrogation room. “Go ahead and take a seat. I’ll see to this myself.”

      “Don’t you have staff for this kind of thing?” Page asked.

      Shelby laughed and pointed again to the room. “Consider this a favor. Now, go. Sit. I’ll be right there.”

      As Page had her fingerprints taken and the data entered into the system, and filled out the necessary paperwork, he joked with one of the cops on duty. It felt good to be at the station for a different reason than bailing a client out. He was relaxed and could chat with the officers, most of whom he knew by name.

      Once everything was taken care of at the station, Mateo escorted her back to his car. Page fastened her seat belt and turned to look at him. “Do you know all the cops?”

      “I know quite a few, but then that’s part of my job.”

      He drove them back to her house and volunteered to make up the guest bed with fresh linens. As he watched her prepare her place for her new charge, he had to admit Page was an interesting mix of strength and vulnerability, and he was drawn to her.

      So, there he was, tucking the ends of a cotton blanket underneath a mattress because he couldn’t leave her to do it alone.

      Page put her hands on her hips and surveyed the room. “This will do for now. Ruby and I can always go shopping if we want to later.”

      “You realize that you have a lot of big hoops to jump through first, right? This isn’t a guaranteed placement. There’s a chance that she’ll have to stay in another home before she can come here while we get everything approved.”

      Page paused in smoothing the surface of the blanket and looked up at him. “I thought you said we could get this fast-tracked so she could come here.”

      “That doesn’t mean it’s overnight.”

      Her optimism seemed to fade a little, and she sagged onto the edge of the bed. “Oh. I guess I figured you could make it happen that way.”

      “I’m a criminal lawyer, not a miracle worker.” She looked up at him with those big eyes, and he felt a punch in his belly. He knew he’d do everything he could to make this happen for her. He sighed. “I’ll do the best I can.”

      “Ruby is alone and pregnant, and I feel for her. No one should ever be alone in the world. I want to be sure she’s safe.”

      Mateo knew the feeling. Despite his own reservations regarding her health and her ability to care for herself, much less someone

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