"Rickie, come on. It's quarter after six and the Lone Ranger's on at 6:30. I want to listen."
In baby talk Rick replied, "Me listen too but me wet. Mama have to change my diaper."
"Moron!"
"If you're going to call me that baby name, I'll act like a baby. I've told you to call me Rick."
Janet stood with her hands in the dishwater almost catatonic for a few seconds. She had said that in the same biting, sarcastic tone she had used on the kids at school when she lived in Elkton before. Tears began to run down her cheeks. She ran into the living room and hugged her Mom. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please don't make me go away."
Dotty hugged back. "Why would we make you go away? We all love you, you know that."
"But I was nasty to Rick."
Larry called her over to him. He hugged her tightly. "You are really a member of our family now. You and Rick are acting just like all brothers and sister do. They fuss and insult one another sometimes. That doesn't mean they don't love each other."
"But I don't want to get into that habit again."
"You won't. Rick, do you ever fuss with Em?"
Rick was standing in the doorway and nodded at Larry, unable to speak. He also had tears in his eyes. He'd learned something. Janet had changed a lot in the month she had lived here but she was still a very scared kid. Just acting like a regular kid could set her off. He'd try to remember that. He wiped his eyes. "Come on, Jan. Let's finish the dishes."
As Janet walked through the door to the kitchen, Rick hugged her. She sniffled and hugged back. Soon the sound of clinking dishes and laughter came from the kitchen.
Things had happened quickly since that hug with Mary Collier at the First Presbyterian church in Detroit. Within minutes Janet was talking to Dotty Waverly on the phone. "Where's Larry? Did I call the wrong number?"
The news of the marriage frightened Janet. Would Larry want her since he was married? Would Dotty want her? Maybe with Rick and Em they had enough kids.
Her fear didn't last long. When she asked to speak to Larry, Dotty said, "Larry's in the field. Rick's with him and I don't think Em's old enough to go to the back of the farm by herself. Larry and Rick will be thrilled. But, are you all right? Where have you been?"
Janet wasn't sure how to answer all Dotty's questions. All she could think to do was say, "I think you better talk to Mary."
Mary explained what she knew. She had not yet asked how or why Janet had found the church. She was just as thrilled as Dotty that Janet had been found. After Dotty had gotten everything Mary knew, she asked to talk to Janet again.
Dotty spoke to Janet for a while, but what Janet remembered, afterward, was her saying, "We'll come and get you as soon as everything is worked out."
It took some but not a lot of working out. The nascent Child Protection People had already developed their arrogant, unfeeling attitude toward children and their own brand of condescending self-importance, that aura that would be their reputation for years to come. The agencies were so new in Michigan that clear guidelines had not been drawn by the legislature. Those guidelines eventually were set but would come to mean little. The Child Protection people would get a child privacy law passed and even people with the political clout of Tim Collier would find it impossible to learn what was going on; CPS did as they damn well pleased.
Tim had no problems convincing a judge to let him take Janet to Elkton. The CPS people complained that no home study had been done but Tim argued that the girl had been through enough and to delay longer would be cruel. If they wanted a home study, they could do it after the girl was there. Tim would vouch for the acceptability of the home for now. That was good enough for the judge.
Tim, Mary and their children drove Janet up to Elkton. The Collier children were a little older than Janet but they kept the very frightened, nervous girl reasonably occupied. Janet would ask about every fifteen minutes, "Are we there yet?"
Larry and Rick were in a front field, Larry on a tractor pulling a disk and Rick following with horses and a spike-tooth-drag. As soon as they saw Tim's car, Rick tied the horses to a fence post and Larry unhitched the disk. Both rode the tractor back to the barn. They were in the living room, waiting with Dotty and Em when Janet entered the house. There was a lot of hugging going on. Janet stayed reasonably composed but tears were running down her cheeks.
When major emotions had subsided, Janet ask, "How long can I stay?"
It was Dotty who answered. "You're a permanent member of this family now. There are still some details with the law but don't worry about it. This is your home now."
More crying and hugging.
After while, Dotty said, "It's almost three o'clock. I don't suppose you've had lunch. Let's go to the kitchen and see what we can find."
They found more than food. It took Janet a while before she could see everything. She was being hugged by Millie. When Millie finished her greeting, Janet saw: Freddy, Dallas, Marlene, Carol, Ellie, Danny Eicher, and Danny's cousin, Bobbie. Janet had told Millie once that she thought Bobbie was cute. Jack and Irene were there too as well as Larry's mom and dad. Sandwiches and what other goodies rationing would allow were already prepared. It was a welcome party for Janet. Janet was thrilled but flabbergasted. That first night, Janet decided to sleep with Em rather than have her own room. Maybe later, but for now she needed somebody. She had spent too many recent nights alone.
It took Janet a while to go to sleep. There was too much to process. Could this really be her home? She knew Larry loved her and she was pretty sure about Dotty. But Rick and Em acted like they loved her too. She knew Millie liked her but she was surprised that the other kids didn't hate her. They all were so nice to her. When the kids began to pair-up, Bobbie came quickly to her side. He acted like he really liked her. Could all this really be happening?