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"Okay, Tex. Are you going to tell me what is going on in your head?" Tess is putting on her face cream and getting ready for bed. Her husband, Joel, lies on their bed, staring at the ceiling. "Even the kids noticed that you haven't been yourself this evening."
Joel sighs. "You remember Ellie? She was on Sarah's soccer team last summer."
"Course. Her father is Pastor David, and should not be allowed to be around children, let alone have one. She came here after practice a couple of times. Great kid with a wicked mouth on her." Tess smiles, remembering how Ellie had made her laugh. "Besides, you pester Sarah almost every day about whether she has heard anything about Ellie, yeah, I remember her."
"I do not pester, Sarah," Joel mutters. "I want to adopt, Ellie."
Tess turns around to face Joel. "What?"
"I used to work with David, who taught math at the high school. The dude is a monster. I worry that he is hurting Ellie." Joel sits up. "I know we said that Sarah and Evan were enough and we didn't want any more kids, but after today, I can't help but think that maybe our guest room could be used for Ellie."
"What happened today?' Tess sits on the edge of the bed. "Is Ellie okay?"
"Tess, she had a bruise on her cheek. I think someone hit her. Fuck, I think David hit her." Joel rings his hands, feeling angry, as the emotion rips through him.
"Joel, how do you know she didn't bruise herself doing something else? Maybe she got into a fight. Or practicing her soccer skills." Tess places her hand over Joel's.
"She would have told me if she got into a fight; hell, she would have been proud to tell that she kicked someone's ass. Plus, she had that look." Joel sighs. "It was the same look that Tommy and I used to wear after our father beat us. Besides, the girl flinches and hates being touch. I just know something is wrong. You said it yourself, David is a creep."
"Joel, if that is true that you know that David hit her, then you have to report that. You are her teacher and you're a madadated reporter." Tess looks in her husband's eyes.
"I am not her teacher anymore. I just let her hang out in my classroom before and after school and sometimes during lunch." Joel points out.
"Joel, still." Tess nudges him.
"A teacher reported my dad once." A painful memory begins to surface for Joel. "The social worker came and saw a clean home, food in the cabinets, and the fact that my father was a policeman, and closed the case. Tommy and I had to sleep on our stomachs and missed school for a week after. I ain't making no report."
"Times have change, Joel."
"Not that much, besides, her father is a connected man in this community, no one would believe me. I can't risk putting her in more danger."
"Then how are we going to adopt her if you won't make a report? Besides, Ellie's mother is alive and would maintain custody of her." Tess points out.
"I don't know. Maybe I will make a report if something else happens or if Ellie tells me that he is creeping her out. As for Anna, if she isn't stopping him, then he is just as guilty as she is." Joel flumes.
"Or Anna is a victim, too."
"She is an adult! She is Ellie's mother! It is her job to protect her daughter." Joel fights to keep his voice at a reasonable volume.
"It is not that simply, Joel. Anna is a good bit younger than David. I wouldn't be surprised if he groomed her." Tess lays a soft hand on Joel's back. "So, what do you wanna do? If you are serious about adopting her, I will look into it."
"Ya sure?" Joel asks, surprised. "We said no more kids."
"Ellie is fourteen, she is potty trained, and bright. I am not saying I want another infant, but a teenage is different." Tess is genuinely surprised that Joel and Sarah haven't had Ellie over every weekend, given their constant worry about her. "I think we would need to become foster parents first before the courts would let us adopt her."
"Then, I wanna become a foster parent so when someone finally catches on that David is a monster and Ellie needs to be removed, she can come live with us."
"Okay, we will sign up for classes tomorrow. But Joel, Ellie may never be removed, and even if she is, if she has family willing to take her may never become her foster parents."
"I know. I know, but we gotta try. That little girl deserves to have a home."
Joel and Tess sign up for foster care classes the next day. Their home already has locks on drawers, a fire extinguisher, and smoke alarms, so they passed the home inspection with flying colors. Once they get their foster care license, they have to say no to about a dozen children who need a home, which breaks their hearts, but they can't risk not having a spot for Ellie when she needs it.
During the next few months, Joel asks Ellie about her aunts, uncles, and grandparents and is relieved to learn that she does not have any that would be able to take her if she were removed from her home. Ellie becomes increasingly thinner as the school year progresses. When summer begins, Joel is delighted when Ellie and Sarah are on the same soccer team again.
Soon, school is back in session, and Joel observes, waiting for Ellie to come to school injured, waiting for the opportunity to take her home for good. When Ellie calls early on a Saturday morning because she was in the hospital, Joel feels relief for the first time since he saw the bruise on her face. When he finds out her parents are dead, he feels a certain level of guilt because he had hope for something like this to happen. On the drive to the hospital, he feels the same way he did when Sarah's mother was in labor or when he was on his way to meet Evan for the first time. He was on his way to pick up his kid.