Let Me Know (Sean/Bailey S.)

[Joshua Bernstein]

Almost two weeks after the initial phone call was made alerting them of a potential match, Joshua Bernstein found himself waiting at the Child Services' offices with his partner. Sean had already known a bit about the girl through work, but she wasn't one of his patients and so this would still be a first meeting for all three of them.

To say the attorney was nervous would be an understatement: He was in his fifties, and his only interactions with children were with nieces and nephews. He'd written off any parental role decades ago, and while he was certainly interested in fostering he wasn't sure that he would really be any good at it.

What if he made a horrible first impression upon their potential foster daughter? If she disliked him and Sean enough then she could reject them, and rejection in any form remained one of his deepest fears.

He fidgeted with the cuffs of his shirt, a crisp blue dress shirt he had worn to work. He wanted a cigarette, but neither Sean nor their case worker would approve of that, he knew. Besides, there was a glaringly giant No Smoking sign in the lobby where they waited.

At least the foster care system itself hadn't rejected them; they had gone through the appropriate channels and received their three year foster parent license. He supposed that was a very good start regardless of whether they ended up being a good fit for this particular girl.

He still hoped fervently that they would be.

After what felt like an interminable amount of time the case worker arrived, pushing a strand of dark hair behind one ear as she ushered in a young girl.

"Bailey, this is Dr. Sean Neville and Joshua Bernstein. Gentlemen, this is Bailey Summers."


Josh uncrossed his legs and sat up slightly straighter, taking in the girl's appearance. She looked a bit like his younger sister had at her age, albeit with different coloring.

"Hello," He nodded, offering her one hand, "It's very nice to meet you."

[Bailey Summers]

First, Bailey hadn’t known if she should be happy or not when her social worker had told her almost two weeks ago that they had found a foster family for her, one that lived close to Hammel and who would be able to help her with her powers. That her future foster family consisted of two guys had been surprising too. A foster family for her? Bailey just hoped that her future foster family was more or less okay. There had been horror stories going around about awful foster families. Although Bailey never had really believed in them, she still didn’t allow herself to expect too much. But this was Hammel, and while Bailey hadn’t been long at Hammel yet, she had already learnt that things at Hammel were different. Maybe she could allow herself some hope?

Today Bailey would finally meet the two guys who were going to be her future foster parents for the first time. She nervously followed the caseworker who had fetched her from the school while she wondered what they would be like. Not wanting to make a bad first impression she had even changed into a set of fresh clothes, some blue jeans, a yellow tshirt and her favourite sneakers. The walk to the child service offices where they were waiting for her seemed to take forever. Finally they arrived, the caseworker opened the door to the lobby without giving Bailey a moment to gather herself.

It took Bailey only a moment to notice the two guys in their fifties waiting there. Her future foster parents? Bailey didn’t have to wonder for long as the caseworker started to introduce them. She curiously eyed them. They both looked neat and seemed to befriendly. “Could be worse”, Bailey thought. After a moment of hesitation she took the offered hand: “It’s nice to meet you too Mr. Bernstein!” Nervously Bailey shifted her weight from one foot to the other and back while she waited for what would happen next.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Two weeks.

Two weeks wasn’t very long. It was a pay cycle; it was half of a lunar cycle. It was less than half of a standard break at a full year school.

Still, these particular two weeks had been more important than most – the two weeks between the initial call from their case worker informing them of the potential match and the meeting date.

Today they would meet their potential foster daughter.

After receiving her information, Sean had taken the liberty of reviewing her file at Hammel, although he hadn’t followed her or arranged a meeting in advance. He didn’t want to do anything that might make Bailey uncomfortable, and nothing in her file – apart from the nature of her powers – warranted a meeting with the resident psychiatrist. So he had waited, although he considered himself prepared.

He had dressed down for this meeting, because he knew how imposing he could appear to a child. The telepath was still dressed nicely in a collared shirt with sleeves and a pair of pressed trousers, but he had chosen to forego the suit and tie.

Sean waited until after the case worker had introduced them, and after Bailey had taken Josh’s hand before offering his own large one to her. “It’s quite nice to meet you,” he said, echoing his partner’s sentiments.

He had heard her thought, which was a start. At least she wasn’t wholly opposed to the idea.

“How are you doing today?”

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh fell back slightly when Sean stepped forward, not wanting to overwhelm the girl. This did not stop him from firing off questions even after his partner had asked his own; he was a chatterbox at the best of times, and nerves only exacerbated this tendency.

"Are you enjoying your new school? Sean is a Hammel alum, you know, so he can probably give you pointers. I always enjoyed school, myself, there's so much to learn. Oh! I should have asked, do you like rabbits? We have a rabbit at home and she's very friendly, but if you aren't a pet person I can try and keep her out of your way. I know not everyone," and here he glanced toward Sean, "is an animal person."

However, he hoped that she would enjoy Mopsy's company.

More than that, he hoped that she would agree to stay with them rather than at Hammel, though of course he didn't want to pressure her into a decision regardless of his nerves. That didn't mean he wasn't already considering this possibility.

If she stays with us we should arrange a shopping trip. He projected mentally at his partner. If you don't mind changing the sheets and decor in one of the guestrooms. She might prefer to have her own mark on the place.

Having a telepathic partner was so useful at times.

[Bailey Summers]

After she had shaken Mr. Bernstein’s hand the other guy stepped forward and offered his hand to her as well. Bailey took it and shook it while saying: “It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Seanville! Bailey had been nervous since she had received the word that they had found some potential foster parents for her as she had waited for a chance like this for almost her whole life. After a moment of considering Bailey decided to be honest. She smiled shyly and admitted: “I’m quite a bit nervous actually, but good otherwise.”

So many questions! Did she enjoy her new school? Bailey only had been at Hammel for a few weeks and so far Hammel was better then she had expected and it was good to know that Mr. Seanville had been at Hammel too. ”It’s nice a nice place, better then I expected actually.” They had a rabbit? Until that moment Bailey never had considered living an animal, with no money on her own, there would have no way for her to care for one. For a moment Bailey didn’t know what to answer: “Uhh what...? I mean, that’s great, I don’t mind it!” Bailey said and smiled.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean’s question had been small talk, although he used such self-assessments as a legitimate means of learning about other people. He wasn’t looking to engage in interrogation; rather, he wanted the girl to grow more comfortable.

That was why he had only asked the one question.

With her answer, the telepath had learned that she was honest, since there was no other reason for her to admit that she was nervous. She was also unfailingly polite in her mannerisms, given her age. In that, she reminded him a bit of himself when he had first entered Hammel.

Since he had no intention of bombarding the girl with questions, he chose a role of active listening, responding to her answers in a way intended not to be over-whelming. “I’m glad that you’re adjusting well. Sometimes it can take a bit, but they do want to be welcoming.”

Especially to the children who had nowhere else to go.

Upon hearing his partner’s thought, Sean projected back to him so that they could have a telepathic conversation without involving anyone else. I had planned to do that. I want her to be comfortable, and for her to feel like our house is home for her. Any and all shopping trips are fine with me.

Not only for decorations, but also for new clothing. The foster system provided for new outfits but not to the same degree that young teenagers required – for comfort and for style. They would also need to get her some books and movies or toys, if she was interested in those.

Sean was prepared for the financial investment. He was more concerned about whether she would take a liking to them.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh couldn't blame her for being nervous. He was nervous, too, and he wasn't the one meeting potential new guardian figures. Potential new authority figures, although he supposed that they had somewhat less authority than a biological or adopted parent would, given that they still had to submit to inspections and the foster care license had to be renewed periodically.

Not that he objected to being under that type of scrutiny; he understood the need to keep children safe from potential predators trying to abuse the foster system.

"Oh, good." He exclaimed when she stated that a rabbit would be fine with her. "Mopsy is sweet, I'm sure you'll like her."

He was also glad that she was enjoying Hammel so far, although if she needed any help he knew that Sean would be both able and willing.

"Have you joined any clubs or sports? I believe Sean helps run one of them....what is it that you're adviser for again? Student activities council, was it?"