Infinite

"Ms. Gurewitz, with Arch being part of the foster system, there is a different procedure. This is a private institution which means there's a tuition fee and more paperwork. Without his legal guardian, I'm not sure how it's going to work," Teresa explained, sounding unsure of how everything would differ compared to children with legal and biological families.

"I'm his temporarily legal guardian," I answered, trying to fill her in the best I could on how this all worked right now, "Arch is in my care and I make all the decisions when it comes to his well being. We have plenty of money to pay for him to attend here and I know he'll do exceptionally well because of everything that he's been through. He's a brilliant boy and I don't want his situation to stop him from getting the same opportunities as other children."

"I understand completely," she said, "Arch seems like a strong boy and I would hate for his situation to keep him from attending here and our sister school when the time comes around. I would just be uncomfortable starting the paperwork without knowing without a doubt that you're allowed to enroll him here." She crossed her legs and stopped speaking for a moment. "Perhaps we could schedule a conference with his caseworker so that we both get confirmation and the go-ahead?"

It was a good suggestion. The only concern I had was that Lyla Ains would tell us both that Arch couldn't attend a private school while in the foster system and Teresa Gillian would kick him out before I even got a chance to fight for him.

"I'd prefer we schedule something as soon as possible," I responded, knowing that it would be hard to work around my work schedule without having someone to watch Arch during the day, "My personal schedule is flexible, but there's not a lot that I can do with Arch tagging along."

"I'm free about one tomorrow," she replied, "I have a couple of parent meetings in the morning and late afternoon but I'm sure we can fit it in. Will you be able to get ahold of his caseworker by then?"

I nodded. "She's very on top of things," I said, "Arch is one of the lucky ones."

Teresa nodded and motioned towards me. "I can tell that just by seeing the kind of family he was placed with. It's rare that a foster family would take the time and spend the money to enroll a child in a private institution."

I shrugged, wishing there was more I could do for him. "Arch deserves all the attention in the world," I breathed, "I don't even want him to get lost in the crowd or feel as though nobody is there to root for him."

"I understand. There are a lot of students here who would be lost in public school. The older kids who attend our Spring and Summer programs go to some of the best schools in the state, but if they were to attend public schools they would be overshadowed by children who struggle in school instead of excel," she said, having seen plenty of children struggle with school systems.

She stood up and held her hand out to me. I got up and thanked her for her time, saying that I would call her in the morning and leave a message on whether or not Ms. Ains could make a meeting tomorrow at one.

"Thank you for your time," I said one last time, "This is really the type of program that I want him to attend and I hope it all works out."

She smiled brightly and nodded animatedly. "I do too. I'm very excited to get to know Arch. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow." She told me just to go through the doors at the end of the hall and I would find Arch outside on the fenced in playground with the older kids who were all dressed in uniforms.

I walked outside and sorted through the children for the one that was mine. It was getting pretty dark and despite the flood lights that were pointed down on the playground, deciphering one kid from the next was still a bit challenging. I was surprised to see him sitting on one of the many swings, watching some other kids as they raced around the jungle gym in matching athletic attire.

I walked over and leaned against the wooden pole that held the circle of swings up. "What's up, baby?" I asked, reaching out to muse his shaggy hair, "Why aren't you playing with the other kids?"

He slid off of the low swing and shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't want to," he stated.

I frowned but pulled him close to my side, deciding that we could talk about it when we get home. As we walked around the building on the sidewalk, heading to the car, I asked him what he thought about coming here on days I would work. "It would be fun, wouldn't it?" I asked, "It seems like there's a lot to do and it's super nice."

"I've never gone to a place like this," he admitted, although I already knew that, "What if they find out I'm not like them?"

The parking lot was lit incredibly bright and it wasn't all that dark yet, so I could see Arch's worried expression. I stopped walking and grabbed his arm to stop him too. I kneeled down in front of him and tried to make eye-contact. "Sweetheart, what do you mean?" I questioned, having no idea what he thought was so different about him compared to the other kids here.

He looked at me through big blue eyes, his bangs falling all the way down to his eyebrows. "I don't know," he mumbled, "I'm just different."

"Arch, you are no different than any other person in that building," I stated firmly, putting my hands on his little shoulders, "You are just a smart, just as special, and just as loved as every other kid out there."

He frowned like he didn't believe me. "But I don't have family," he said, admitting what he was really thinking.

"No, you don't have a biological family," I stated, "but you have me and Ronnie and that's something that nobody else has and we love you just as much as every parent out there, if not more."

He still had a frown on his face. "Then why won't you adopt me?" he asked, not trying to prove a point at all, but simply curious because he was young and didn't understand.

I pulled him into a hug. It was obvious that he was upset and I didn't have the answer that would fix everything so I just held him to me, hoping he would feel just how much I really cared about him.

After a good couple of minutes I asked if he was ready to go home and get something to eat.

"Yeah, I'm hungry and tired," he agreed, walking over to the Escalade with me.

The clock on the dash said it was between five-thirty and six pm, which explained why we both felt so worn out. We got home just minutes after six and lugged ourselves inside. Arch went straight to the couch and turned the TV on, flipping through channels like a very small, teenage boy.

"Toss me your shoes," I told him as I took off my heels by the door. He yanked his tennis shoes off his feet and threw them over. I dropped them into the closet with my own.

"How about we change out of these clothes and then we can make something to eat?" I suggested, glad that i'd stopped by the store and got just a few things the other day, "Then we can watch TV and fall asleep on the couch."

He agreed and we both took to the stairs slowly. Arch was giggling and being dramatic as I got to the top. He laid down in the middle of the staircase and claimed he couldn't go on anymore. I laughed and told him he'd have to sleep there tonight before I went into my room.

"Tell me when you want to change clothes," I said as I closed the door, "I'll be there in ten minutes." I stripped out of my dress and located my phone, dialing the number that was programmed in.

Lyla Ains answered as I pulled shorts over my legs and onto my hips. "Hello, Atticus?" she asked, having saved my number as well.

"Lyla," I greeted politely and happily so she wouldn't think something was wrong, "Are you busy? I just need a few minutes of your time."

I heard her shuffle on the other end before she answered. "No, go right ahead. What do you need to talk about?"

I explained to her that I was trying to enroll Arch into a private, early learning daycare facility and the woman in charge needed confirmation that I was able to do so legally.

"What kind of place is it?" Lyla asked, sounding skeptical, "There are pretty strict rules about who can watch foster children."

Her words made me nervous. I pulled one of Ronnie's t'shirts over my head and sat down on my bed, worried. "It's called Nicolas Play School," I told her, "It's a daycare learning center for gifted children - well, the program Arch is accepted into is for gifted children. It's not specifically for gifted children. Please don't tell me that I'm not allowed to enroll him in private school."

"You can, but is Nicolas Play School actually considered a school or is it only a daycare facility, because private schools are allowed, however; daycare providers have to be provided by the state when it comes to foster children," she explained, making me nervous and then allowing me to relax.

"It's an early learning school," I explained, "It's not just a daycare."

Ms. Ains and I talked about what it really was and by the end of our conversation she was fairly sure that Arch would be allowed to attend. She'd been researching on the internet and in their databases, and I was sitting back holding my breath. She wasn't shy about voicing her concerns, however.

She started, "Atticus, you do realize that when Arch gets placed the permanent foster parents have the right to choose which school he attends and will be able to un-enroll him from Nicolas as soon as he's in their custody.

"I realize that," I replied, "but I also know that most parents want what is best for their child and when they find out that Ronnie and I have paid for it, I doubt they will eject him from the program."

"You would be surprised, Atticus, many foster parents believe in the public school system and wouldn't advocate placing children in programs like these. You might be fighting a losing battle when the time comes."

I sighed and shook my head. "Ms. Ains, while Arch is with me I want him to have the best education. The one he deserves. He's an incredibly smart boy and if I can get him on the right track while I have the chance, I'm going to do it, no matter what happens." I continued on and told her how this program would help Arch be accepted into an early start program once he started actual grade-by-grade schooling. "He'll be able to start first grade instead of kindergarden. This summer program is going to replace an entire year of regular kindergarden and he'll be able to go straight into the class that is his level."

Lyla Ains was silent on the other end of the line and for a moment I thought that we'd lost connection. Until she softly sighed, realizing that I wasn't going to give up on this. As long as I had the right to enroll him in a private learning facility, I was going to.

"Unlike public schooling, you'll be completely responsible for the price of these private school programs. If he starts at a private school next year, you or his permanent foster parents will be responsible for that cost and I'm doubtful that whatever family he gets placed with will have the means to continue that education."

"I'm not worried about that right now," I said, "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now I need to you to either meet with the head of education at Nicolas or fax her a letter explaining that I can enroll him."

I was practically bouncing. The thought of Arch not being allowed to participate in this program because of his situation broke my heart and I didn't want to explain it all to him. He was no different than any of the other children, and I was desperate to make that true.

Ms. Ains was busy all day tomorrow with another case, but she promised to fax her letter over in the early morning so that it would have already been read by the time Arch and I would go back to enroll him in Play School.

"I will talk to you soon," I concluded with Lyla and she ended the conversation with a few words for me to pass along to Arch. I left my phone on my bed and walked back out to the second floor, which overlooked the main floor of the house.

Arch was gone from the stairs, so I headed into his room which was left of my own and saw that was he riffling through his clothes, looking for something to wear to bed.

"Wrong box," I said as I walked in. I went over to the box near the closet and pulled it open, exposing Arch's pajamas that were packed right on top. "Good news," I announced as I pulled them out, "You're in the clear to go to Nicolas for the Spring and Summer."

Arch changed into more comfortable clothes without commenting on my news. I wasn't sure if he wasn't excited or if he was just nervous, but I would wait until another day to talk about it.

We went downstairs. Arch detoured to the couch but I continued on into the kitchen to make us some kind of dinner. I settled on frozen pizza and fries and stuck them both into the oven before heading out to drop down onto the couch beside my new roommate.

After just a little while, Arch turned his entire body so that he was sitting facing me with his feet up on the couch. "Can we call Ronnie?" he asked, pulling his knees up to his chest, "I want to talk to him about my school now."

I smiled at the thought that Ronnie and Arch had grown extra close in the time Arch had been with us. While they'd always been pals, they were now each other's confidants and Arch now had a male figure in his life who he could look up to.

"I guess so," I said, drawing out the words like it was such a hassle to call the man I loved, "I wonder where they are." I stood up because I'd left my phone on the bed upstairs. When I got to the first step I told Arch that I'd bring the phone down to him in few minutes.

I closed my bedroom door and moved to sit on the bed. I dialed Ronnie's cell phone number and grinned automatically when his voice met my ears. Despite being busy, I hadn't realized how much I'd already missed him.

"Ronnie," I greeted into the phone, "Arch and I wanted to call to say goodnight before you guys got too busy."

"Atti, hang on a minute," he said amongst the noise making it hard for me to hear him. He shouted something and it got noticeably quieter although there was now a lot of laughter in the background. Ronnie shouted a few playfully harsh words at his friends and then the sound cut out completely and I assumed he went into his room. "Sorry, baby, the guys are way out of control tonight."

"That's okay," I said, wrapping my free arm around one of my legs, "Has everything been okay so far? I'm surprisingly more nervous for you guys than I thought I would be."

Ronnie chuckled on the other end. "Atti, I've toured before this. There's nothing for you to worry about, he soothed, although he was amused by my nerves, "I promise."

"I'm not going to stop worrying for six months," I admitted, smiling in spite of my self, "Who knows what you guys are getting into on the road. No women, no worries, right?"

"Yeah, well that's not the only thing we don't get," he said and I could hear the smirk in his voice, "You're definitely going to have to come visit sometime because six months is a crazy long time. Wait, how did Arch's thing go today?" he asked, seeming to remember out of no where.

"It was a little bumpy, but we worked everything out," I explained, "We thought there might've been a problem since we're just fostering him but everything turned out alright."

"That's great! Is Arch excited?"

I frowned and turned my head towards the balcony that looked down on him without even thinking about it. "Actually, I'm not sure," I replied, "He was very stoic today and I could hardly get anything out of him. He said he wanted to talk to you about it."

"Really? Does he miss me that much already?"

"We both do," I muttered, pushing off the bed so I could take the phone down to the little boy, "It's very strange being back in this house without you. If it weren't for the pictures, it would almost feel like we never happened." I walked down the stairs and looked at the pictures that were hung along the same path to the living room.

Ronnie sighed and I could hear in his voice that he was feeling as somber as I was, wishing there was someway to bridge the gap between us and bring one of us to the other. It was now that I could see what everyone was talking about when they asked how I handled him being who he was. Up until today we'd been together almost everyday and our lives were the same, but with Ronnie driving farther away from me with every second, minute, and hour I could feel the emptiness that came with loving someone who couldn't be home.

I imagined that this was a fragment of how Military spouses felt when their husbands were called away from them. Of course their worry and emptiness was intensified by the fear and possibility that he or she might never return, but I could somewhat understand the longing that accompanied their absence.

I walked over to the couch and handed Arch the phone. "I'm going to check the food, let me talk to him when you're done."

Arch took the cell phone and excitedly launched into a conversation about Ronnie's tour, even though it'd just begun. In the kitchen, I put our dinner on plates sat on the counter for a few minutes, giving Arch a moment to talk with Ronnie without me hovering and hearing every word.

"Atticus!" Arch shouted from the couch, "Ronnie wants you!"

I got up and carried a plate in each hand. Arch was still smiling when he saw the food. I set his on the coffee table in front of him and took the phone, putting it up to my ear. "Hey, baby."

"I just wanted to double check that you have everything worked out about the school," he said first thing, "Arch is more excited about it then he's letting on."

I was relieved. "That's good to hear. He's been keeping it all bottled up over here." Arch was pre-occupied by dinner and cable that he wasn't listening to a word I was saying. "We're going back tomorrow to get everything finalized, then we're heading out to meet another band."

"Arch is going with you?"

"He's going to have to," I replied, not too concerned about it, "I doubt they can get him in there tomorrow. Plus, I still need to buy his uniforms and pay the tuition fee."

Ronnie shuffled around in his back room. "How much is it going to cost? Can you cover it, because I'm more than willing to pay that if it comes down to it and it's more than you're thinking," he offered, causing me to smile at the concern in his voice.

I sat back on the couch and took a bite of my fry as Ronnie trailed off. "I've got it and we're fine, Ron. I can take care of us, so don't worry about it."

He made a small noise that suggested that he didn't believe me. "Well, I just prefer being there to make sure that everything is actually alright. This is a pretty huge deal and I wish I could be there to help Arch adjust."

"I think just talking to him about it is enough," I answered, looking over the little boy who sat next to me, "He's already in a better mood than he was earlier. We'll see how he feels about it all tomorrow and we'll give you a call."

"Okay," Ronnie agreed. I listened as someone came into his room and spoke. Ronnie asked him to give him one more minute and then he returned to our conversation. "Atticus, I've got to go. We're pulling over to get some food."

I held back a sigh. "Alright, be safe. I love you," I said, letting the conversation come to a close.

"I love you too and I'll talk to you soon. Bye Att." The called ended and my phone beeped, returning to Ronnie's contact in my phone. I touched the button that returned me the main screen and put it to sleep.

Pretty soon I would have to look over the guys' tour dates and find a time to fly out, but with Arch it would even more difficult to meet Ronnie somewhere. A hotel room would be exciting for him, but I wasn't sure if it was something a parent would do with their child.

"Arch," I complained when he continued to flip through the channels, "Just pick something, man, we can't wait fifty shows at once."

He frowned and turned his head to look at me. "But I want to watch everything," he stated, holding a piece of pizza in one hand and the remote in the other.

I rolled my eyes at his rebuttal. "Just pick something. The cable isn't going anywhere, I'm sure there will always be something to watch."

Arch flipped through a couple more times before settling on some show on the History channel. He scooted to the floor and sat directly in front of the coffee table so he had better access to his plate.

He was completely lost to the world as he ate and watched TV. I sat back and relaxed, feeling that taking care of him on my own wasn't as impossible as I had thought at first.

We finished eating dinner and watched TV for a few hours before Arch fell asleep on the couch with the remote cradled to his chest. It was almost ten when I shut the TV off and put the remote on the table. I scooped Arch into my arms and carried him upstairs to the room that was now his.

The bed was much too big and nothing in here suggested there was a child in the house, so I knew that we would have to redecorate, starting with something the right size for him to sleep on and then he would probably convince me to get him a television.

I held him with one arm and pulled down the blankets with the other. I laid him down and covered him up, satisfied with the fact that he was sleeping in my house, in his own room.

Keeping him forever hadn't been an option, but the longer he stayed in my house and the more it became his, too, the less I could even think about seeing another family call him their own.

In my room, I'd done basically the same thing Arch and I had done in the living room, although I got watch something that interested me this time. I texted Christina and made plans to have lunch in a couple of days and then was pleasantly surprised when Heather called, a picture of her son, Kyat, flashing on my screen.

"Heather, how have you been?" I greeted when I answered, thankful to have someone to talk to rather than just go to bed or watch TV, "How're Ky and Aiden?"

She laughed softly and elegantly like she always did and greeted me back. "They're good, we're all good," she replied easily, "I was just calling to see how you've been. Things must be pretty hectic over there."

I leaned back against my headboard and stretched my legs out. "I'm alright, really. I think everyone believes I'm going to fall apart now that he's not around," I answered, getting the same vibe from Heather as I did when I talked to Ronnie.

Heather scoffed like she couldn't believe it. "You are incredibly independent," she stated, "You can definitely handle yourself and that gorgeous little boy that you have. Ronnie is simply just nice to have around."

I chuckled and agreed with her. I slid off my bed and walked over to the mirror on the back of my closet as I spoke. "Exactly. I got Arch enrolled in a new school all by myself and everything," I said, half-joking about my own capabilities.

Heather softly cheered on the other end of the line. "Arch is starting school? Oh my gosh, he's getting so big, I can't believe he's the same little boy we met at the daycare."

"That's because so much has happened in the last year and a half," I murmured, sifting through the memories, "It honestly feels like it could've been a lifetime."

"I hear you, and that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," she agreed, before her tone changed. "Have you heard anything about Abigail Drewry since she gave up her son?"

"No..." I trailed off, horror in the pit of my stomach at the sound of that woman's name, "What's going on?"

Heather sighed before explaining what she knew about Arch's mother. "From what I've heard from people within the Welfare circle, she's not doing so well. Apparently she claimed that someone forced Arch away from her and she fighting to get him back. Nothing has been started yet because officials say that she's too unwell to care for a child."

"That's because she is," I stated, out-raged, "She's the one who never showed up to get him and who decided that she didn't want him anymore. No one took him from her!"

"I know that Atticus, I was there too, and nobody believes it, from what it sounds like. There's just a lot happening right now and she's practically losing her mind trying to fight for custody of him again."

I dropped down onto the edge of my bed, scared that there was some way she could possibly get him back. "They won't let her take him, will they?" I asked rhetorically, "I know biological parents have all the rights when it comes to their children, but they have to realize that Arch would be so poorly cared for if he ever went back to her."

"The officials realize that," Heather said, sounding pretty sure of her words, "You need to read the article though. Abigail went to some shitty news company with her 'story' and you should read the report they wrote about it. It wasn't a big news story or anything," she clarified, "I only heard about it because one of the women from the daycare knew everything happened with Arch."

Heather told me where I could find the story online and I grabbed my laptop and typed in the URL, wanting to find out what Abigail was saying about her son and where she believed that he was now. I couldn't believe that this would all spring up now, when Arch was finally getting settled in to our life. He had a lot going for him and I didn't want any news of his mother to ruin it.



I read the article so fast that I had to go back a second time and process what was written on the page. It was published in small local newspaper and hadn't made much fuss as at all, but Abigail Drewry's accusations disgusted me and made me nervous at the same time.

Pictures from when I first met Arch were at the bottom of the article and I wondered how anyone had the right to plaster his face on something like this. Mrs. Drewry certainly had no right. Arch was in my care not hers. He was in my house, not hers. And she did this to him.

I took down the name of the woman who wrote the article and found the number for the paper online. I emailed the story to Ronnie, knowing he would see it sometime tomorrow, and decided that I wasn't okay with Arch being the focus of a news story that made him sound like a missing person or kidnap victim.

I knew that Lyla Ains was unaware, so I made a note call her back tomorrow and inform her on what Arch's mother was doing and the lies she was spewing to anyone who would listen.

My protective instincts kicked in and I wanted nothing more than to shelter Arch from his own mother, who seemed to be raving mad in the days after her husband's death. The picture of her and Arch was an old one and I couldn't imagine that she was still that same person who absolutely adored the child sleeping in the room right next to mine.

She didn't even know him anymore.