Saving An Angel
By Jason Finigan

This story is completely fictional. Any similarities to any persons or events, past or present are purely coincidental. This story may contain scenes which involve sexual situations between young males. If this type of material is offensive to you, or it is not legal for you to be reading this type of material, please do not read any further. This story is copyright © 2007 by Jason. Please do not copy this story for distribution or post on any online server without the author's permission. Please send all your comments to: greywolf_0173@hotmail.com, or jasonfinigan@yahoo.com You can also visit my site at: jasonfinigan.bravehost.com. Thanks and enjoy the story.


Chapter 3

"Out of the question!" Tom said.

"Excuse me?" Ryan asked. "And on what grounds do you have to make that determination?"

"Mr. Adams," Tom said smugly. "You are a single male living alone. To put it simply, this undeniable fact makes you unsuitable to adopt Kyle. I'm sorry, but the CAS is a in the business of placing children in stable, god-fearing homes where they can be raised by a husband and a wife." There was a tense moment as I could see Ryan digesting what Tom had told him. I wish I understood what it was that Tom had just said, but from the look on Ryan's face, it didn't look like he had received the answer he was hoping for, as was I.

"I see. Let me ask you something else, Mr. Garreth," Ryan said calmly. "What if I was a woman and wanted to adopt Kyle? Would that be permitted? My neighbor is a single woman, and she has two adopted children, both of whom she adopted when she was single."

"Well, yes," Tom answered. "But that is a different scenario entirely."

"How so? You just said that it is in CAS policy to only adopt to married couples. Would that not then mean that the CAS ignored it's own policies with regards to my neighbor, and allowed her permission to adopt, knowing full well that she was not married? Also, I would like to point out one other fact, she is also an atheist. Does that mean that, once again, the CAS broke from policy to give permission to adopt to a non-catholic?"

Tom was now shifting slightly in his seat, obviously uncomfortable with the questions Ryan was asking him. "No, at no time have we ignored any of our policies when it comes to placing children in a stable household."

"Excuse me for saying this, but that is a contradiction," Ryan pointed out flatly. He then got up from his chair, and walked over to a desk in the corner of the living room. From the desk he picked up several pieces of paper. "I have here a copy of the guidelines of the Ministry of Youth and Children Services. I have highlighted three relevant sections of that guide," he said, handing a copy to Tom. "I'll start with the second paragraph as it seems to contradict your position with that of the Ontario government. It states quite clearly: All Ontario residents are able to adopt a child without discrimination on the basis of such factors as race, religion, age, ethnic origin, mental/physical disability, gender, sexual orientation, or marital status. Then there is the third paragraph, and it helps reinforce this policy: Under the Child and Family Services Act, an application to adopt a child can be made by one individual, jointly by two individuals who are spouses of one another, or by any other individuals that the court may allow."

By now I could tell that Tom was getting pissed. His face had begun to turn red and he was glaring at Ryan. Actually, I was enjoying this. I knew that Ryan loved me, but to see him letting Tom have it like this was really making me happy. Not because Tom was getting angry, but because Ryan really did want to adopt me, and he wasn't going to let anyone stand in his way.

"Finally," Ryan continued, ignoring the look he was getting from Tom, "the first paragraph reinforces those two paragraphs by stating: Children's aid societies, private adoption licensees and licensed domestic and international adoption agencies are expected to provide adoption services in accordance with both the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Ontario Human Rights Code."

"You think you're so smart don't you?" Tom spat. "Well, mister hot-shot, I'm his case worker, and it is my intention to return Kyle back to that group home where he belongs. I have with me a warrant for your arrest, and I will not hesitate to use it if you are not willing to relinquish custody of Kyle to me immediately."

There was no way I was going to go back to that group home, but at the same time I couldn't let Ryan get into trouble because of me. I was just about to bolt from the couch when I felt Ryan's hand rest on my shoulder. Looking up at him, I saw him smile at me, obviously knowing what I was thinking of doing. Reluctantly I settled back down beside him, and waited to see what he was going to do now.

"Mr. Garreth, you are giving me very few options right now," Ryan said, standing up.

"You don't have any," Tom said triumphantly. "Relinquish custody of Kyle to me now."

"I doubt that's going to happen," a new voice said from the entrance to the living room. "Ryan, don't say another word, I have the Executive Director of the Halton Children's Aid Society on her way over right now."

"Who the hell are you?" Tom asked.

"I'm Jerry Greibeck, Mr. Adams' lawyer. He's had his cell phone turned on the whole time, and I've been listening in on this conversation. I can tell you right now Mr. Garreth, you are on extremely thin ice." At that moment, I could hear a knock at the door. Ryan's lawyer went to answer it, and soon he and a young woman came into the living room.

"Tom, would you mind telling me just what in the blazes you are trying to pull now?" the woman demanded.

"Mrs. Jacobs, I'm doing my job."

"Don't give me that garbage," she interrupted. "This is the second time I've had a complaint lodged against you for your aggressive behavior. I am removing you as Kyle's case worker, and I'm going to take over from now on. Hand over Kyle's file Tom, then leave."

"But..." Tom tried.

"Now, Tom. Or would you like to be looking for a new job as well?" Handing over the folder he had in his hands, Tom stormed out of the house. Seconds later, I could hear his car start up and he drove away.

"I'm sorry about that Mr. Adams. My name is Anna Jacobs, I'm the Executive Director of the Halton Children's Aid Society," she said, holding her hand out. Ryan shook her hand and offered her the seat that Tom had vacated. "I want to assure you that all I want is what is best for Kyle," she said, opening the folder. "Ah, I see Tom had gone to get an arrest warrant for you. I assure you that he did this without my knowledge or consent." With that, she tore up the warrant and put the pieces on the coffee table in front of her.

She consulted the file again, flipping through a few pages. "It shows here that you left the home a couple months ago Kyle. I know there was an investigation, but from what I've just read in this report, I'm betting that there was no real attempt to find out what happened that caused you to run away."

"Mrs. Jacobs, Kyle has told me what happened at the group home, and I am in complete agreement with his decision to get out of there, even though I would have preferred it if he could have gone to the group home's staff to deal with things appropriately. From what Kyle has told me though, the staff there pays as little attention to the children as possible, and are mainly there for administrative duties. That is not the kind of environment that engenders trust," Ryan said.

"No, you are absolutely right. I agree fully with you there Mr. Adams. Tell me, what is it that you do exactly?"

"I own Adams Computer Consulting here in Burlington. I inherited it from my father who was killed, along with my mother, in a train accident near Montreal where they were going to visit my uncle and his family."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, so was I. It happened when I was nineteen years old, and I've been running the company ever since. We do pretty well for ourselves."

"I'd say you do," Anna said. "One look at this house is enough to realize that."

"Well, the house actually belonged to my parents, and like the business, I inherited it from them. "

"It's obvious to me that you are more than capable of financially supporting Kyle, and I only have to look at how he sticks to you like glue to tell that he's very fond of you. I have been told by your lawyer, Mr. Greibeck that you intend to file an application to adopt Kyle. Is this still what you wish to do?"

"Yes, it is, more than anything else I would be proud to have Kyle for my son." I was so happy that Ryan wanted to be my dad. I knew he loved me very much, and I loved him. Right then and there, after he had told the new worker that he wanted to adopt me, I gave him a big hug.

"Well, it's obvious to me that that is what he wants. Alright, here is what I'm prepared to do. After an inspection of your home to ensure that it is suitable, I'll need to interview Kyle alone before we can start the paperwork."

"You can use my study right over there for the interview," Ryan indicated, pointing to a closed door in the living room.

Anna took the folder with her as she moved about the house, looking in the kitchen, the bedrooms, the bathrooms, and pretty much every room in the house, except the study. During this time, Ryan and his lawyer were talking amongst themselves while I still held onto Ryan. I didn't really understand what they were saying, but I guessed it was about me, and how I could be able to stay with him.

A short time later, Anna returned and asked to see me in the study. I was nervous about leaving Ryan, but he reassured me that it was going to be okay. At first I thought we were just going to enter a small office, but when she opened the door we found that beyond it was the kind of room I would have expected in an old library. The room had to be at least ten feet tall and it was lined from ceiling to floor with books. On the far end of the room was a large desk, in front of which, were two leather chairs which looked really comfortable. Behind the desk was a large executive chair and windows that overlooked the backyard and the lake shore. Both Anna and I stood there in the room, just looking around at it in silence.

"Wow!" she said.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Well, lets get this over with Kyle," she sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk, and I sat in the other one. "First of all, can you tell me why you ran away from the group home? It looks to me like you were doing pretty well there until you ran away."

"It was okay," I told her. "I mean, I made some friends, and some of the people that ran the place were nice to me, but it just didn't feel like home there."

"I understand. You spent most of your life with your mother, and losing her was the single most difficult thing you've ever had to go through."

"Yeah, I miss her a lot. I want to go see where they buried her. Dad told me I could, but only Tom knows where she was buried," I told her.

"Don't you worry about that, I can get that information for you and you can go see her whenever you want."

"Today? I want my dad to come see her."

"You're calling Mr. Adams your dad?" she asked me.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I can tell he loves me, and I love him too. He told me that he cares about me and wants me to have a chance to grow up and be happy."

"Do you believe him?"

"Of course I do, why shouldn't I?" I asked her.

"I'm sorry Kyle, I have to ask these questions. It's plain that you both care about each other a great deal. I just want to make sure that this is what you want, and that Ryan will take care of you like a dad should."

"He has already. He fed me, and let me sleep in his bed the whole night, and he washed my clothes, and had me take a shower. Then we went to Zellers and he picked me up some really cool clothes to wear."

"Sounds like you and he had some fun," she said, smiling at me.

"Yeah, we did. He's pretty funny."

"You said you slept in his bed, where did he sleep?"

"Oh, he slept on the couch. When I woke up I was alone in his bed. He said he couldn't put me in the spare room because he hadn't put the furniture together yet."

"Yes I saw that, is that the room with all those boxes in it?"

"Yeah, I put my clothes that dad bought me in there too."

"I know this might be difficult Kyle, but I need to know as much as possible about why you left the home. I know it couldn't have been just because you didn't get along with some of the staff."

"No, but do I have to tell you?" I asked her, not certain yet as to whether or not I could trust her.

"Kyle, I promise you that whatever you tell me is not going to affect how I see you right now, or determine if you will stay with Mr. Adams or not. I also want you to think of this; telling me will help me make sure that whatever happened over there never happens again."

Deciding I could trust her, at least a little bit, I told her the whole story about how I had been attacked in the bathroom by Gary and his friends just as I had told it to Ryan. When I got to the part about Greg and his friends raping me, I could see a look on her face that went beyond furious.

"That dirty, rotten, good for nothing, piece of garbage!" she yelled, then realizing she had yelled that out loud, gave herself some time to calm down before continuing. "I'm sorry Kyle, I didn't mean to yell that out."

"It's okay," I laughed. "Ryan did almost the same thing, though I think you said it better."

"Thank you," she said, laughing right along with me. "Seriously though, we're going to have to get the police involved with this one before Gary does anything to hurt someone else."

"I hope so."

"Now, I need you to tell me what you want to do, Kyle. You don't have to go back to that group home. I'm in agreement with you that it's not a good idea in your case."

"I want to stay here with Ryan. He's been like a dad to me ever since I met him, and I love him. He is my dad." I told her.

She smiled at me, the stood up from her chair. "Okay then, let's go back out there." She led me by the hand back into the living room. Upon seeing Ryan still sitting on the couch with his lawyer beside him, I let go of her hand and ran to Ryan, jumping up onto his lap.

"Whoa there big boy," he said, smiling at me.

"Hi, Daddy," I said, pressing my head up against his chest.

"Hi, Son. I told you it'd be okay didn't I?"

"Yeah, she's really neat. And she's pretty," I said, looking at Anna.

"Why thank you Kyle," she said, blushing a little. "Anyway. I have seen the house, and it's very impressive. Two things concerned me however. First of all was the fact that you had Kyle sleep in your bed. Now he told me that you slept on the couch, which is fine, but I need to hear from you what your intentions are with regards to sleeping arrangements."

"Certainly," Ryan said. "While it's true that he did sleep in my bed last night, it was only because the spare bedroom hasn't been set up yet. I'm certain you noticed the room with all the boxes in it. Well, all of that is furniture that I had purchased for that room, but never got around to putting together. Now that Kyle is here, I'll be getting it all set up for him today. Later on he and I can go out to get things for him to personalize his room. I also need to get him a computer so he can do his school work."

"Good, that was my second concern. He's been out of school for the last two months and he needs to get back as soon as possible."

"I agree, but since I'm not his legal guardian, I can't do anything about that yet," Ryan said.

"I don't think we have to worry about that right now. Before I leave, I'm going to have all the paperwork necessary for you to sign which will make you Kyle's foster parent. You understand that this will only be temporary, at least until we can complete the adoption process."

"I understand," Ryan said.

"What does this mean? Is he my dad now?" I asked.

"He'll be your foster dad, Kyle. You're going to live with him for now and then he's going to adopt you."

"YIPPEEE!" I shouted and jumped off his lap and started running around the living room.

"Well I think that he's happy with your decision," Ryan said snickering.

"Gee, you think?" Anna said, laughing. After a few seconds of running around, I sat back down on Ryan's lap.

"There is just one other thing," Ryan said after I had settled down.

"Yes?" Anna asked.

"Do you have any problems proceeding with the adoption if I tell you that I'm gay?"

"No, none at all," Anna said. "My brother is gay, and my family has never had a problem with his sexuality, nor do I have any problems with yours."

"Thank you. After what happened with Tom earlier, I was afraid that it still would be a problem."

"No, not in the least. I'm sorry again for what Tom was attempting to do. Believe me, he broke every rule in the book today, and he will be disciplined accordingly," she said. Ryan, his lawyer, and Anna then began working on the forms that he had to fill out to become my foster dad. It took over an hour to complete, as there were a lot of papers for him to sign.

"Well Kyle," Anna said, looking at me. "It's official. Ryan is now legally your new foster dad."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I cried, holding onto Ryan with my arms wrapped around his chest.

"It's okay, Kyle. Hey, you must be pretty thirsty, why don't you go to the kitchen and go grab yourself a Coke, okay?"

'Okay, Dad," I said, happily walking to the kitchen to get something to drink.

"Now that that is out of the way," Anna said when I had returned, once again sitting down next to my new dad. "I have written a report on what happened to Kyle at the group home based on what he told me. I'm not going to ask him to repeat it for the police or the crown just yet, as it was difficult for him to tell it to me in the first place, but I do want to give a copy of this report to the police so that we can stop Gary from hurting anyone else."

"May I also have a copy of that report for my records, in case my client decides to pursue civil proceedings?" Jerry asked.

"Of course, if you have your fax number handy I can fax you a copy later on this afternoon when I get back to the office," Anna said. Jerry then handed her one of his business cards from his shirt pocket.

"Mrs. Jacobs," Ryan said, "I would like to know more information on the group home that Kyle was living at prior to his running away. Could you fax that to my lawyer as well?"

"That shouldn't be a problem," Anna said. "I'm not happy with the administration at that home, and I plan to start an investigation of my own into what's been going on over there.

"Thank you," Ryan said.

"Well, if that's everything, I should be going now," Anna said, standing up.

"Actually, there is one thing more," Ryan said. "Kyle wants to know where his mother is buried, do you have that information?"

"Oh yes, silly me," Anna said, reaching into the folder once more. "Here it is, she said pulling out a sheet of paper and handing it to Ryan. Ryan went over to the desk in the corner of the living room, took out a piece of paper and pen from the drawer, and copied the information down. Once he had done that, he returned the original sheet of paper to Anna, which she put back into the folder.

"Thank you for everything, Mrs. Jacobs," Ryan said, shaking her hand.

"It was my pleasure," she said, and then she and the police officer left, leaving Ryan, his lawyer, and myself in the living room.

"Alright Ryan, I didn't want to say anything, but just what the heck has gotten into you taking in Kyle?" Jerry asked.

"I don't know Jerry, but when I saw him in the bushes by the beach, I knew I couldn't just leave him there."

"No you couldn't. I know how you are. You have a heart of gold, Ryan. Just be careful. Taking on a child is a very serious responsibility. Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Ryan looked at me. "Yes," he said. "I'm sure."

"Very well then, I'll do everything I can to help you get this adoption through. Personally, I think you'd make a great father," Jerry said.

"Thank you," Ryan said.

"Now, what do you want to do about this group home?"

Ryan looked at me again with a serious expression on his face. "I never want to see that place ever again," I told him.

That seemed to make up his mind. "Take it down," Ryan instructed Jerry.

"Very well," Jerry said. "I'll get started on that right away then, and I'll leave the two of you alone so you can get done what you have to."

"Thanks a lot for coming, Jerry," Ryan said.

"Any time Ryan. It's good to be able to do something worthwhile for a change." Jerry then left, and it was just Ryan and me alone in the house again.

"I love you, Son," he said.

"I love you too, Dad." I ran up to give him a big hug and I felt him lean forward and give me a kiss on the top of my head.

"Now, how about you and I head over to the cemetery where your mother is buried?" he asked.

"Can we really?" I asked him.

"Yes we can, if you want to."

"Yes please," I said. "I really miss her and I never got to say goodbye. Besides I want her to meet you."

"That will be fine, Kyle. Go get your shoes on and I'll be right there." I did as he asked, and went to the front door to put on my shoes. A few minutes later, Ryan came over to the front door with something in his hand, and put his shoes on beside me. He then opened the front door and waited for me to go outside.

It wasn't as hot as it was earlier, but it was still fairly hot out. "Here you go kiddo," he said, placing a baseball cap on my head. I took it off to look at it and saw that he had gotten me a hat with my favorite baseball team's logo on it, the Toronto Blue Jays.

"Thanks, Dad!" I said. "I love it!" Putting the hat back on my head, I walked over to the car and waited by the passenger side door. Ryan unlocked the car and we both climbed inside. After starting the car, he backed it out of the driveway, and then drove along Lakeshore Road towards downtown Burlington."

"Your mother's grave isn't too far from here, Son," Ryan told me. "I know the site because my parents are buried there too."

"Oh. I'm sorry about your mom and dad," I told him.

"Thanks, Son," he said, a tear falling from his right eye. The rest of the drive was spent in silence, the both of us thinking about the people we loved who had passed away. I sort of knew what Ryan was feeling, as I missed my mother a lot. I never knew my real dad, so I really didn't have any feelings towards him, but I couldn't imagine how hurt he must have been to have both his mom and dad killed on the same day.

"Dad, can I see your parents too?" I asked him.

"Of course you can, Son. I know they would have loved to have seen you. I think they would have fallen in love with you as I have."

A short time later, Ryan pulled the car up to a small church parking lot that was located beside a large graveyard. I had never seen so many gravestones before, and I couldn't help but think of all the people that died and all the loved ones they left behind.

"Come on, Kyle, let's go find your mother," Ryan said, getting out of the car. Together we got out of the car and Ryan locked it. Then, putting his arm around my shoulders, he led me into the church. Just as we walked in the door, an older gentleman wearing a priest's outfit, just like the one's I had seen on TV, almost bumped into us.

"Oh I'm sorry, Sir," the man said. "My name's Father Dunn. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes there is," Ryan said, taking a piece of paper out of his pocket and handing it to the priest. "I'm looking for this gravestone."

Father Dunn looked at the piece of paper, then back up at Ryan. "Yes, I know this one. If you'll follow me, I'll show you the way." Ryan and I followed Father Dunn through the rows and rows of gravestones, until he stopped near the middle of the graveyard. There, marked by a small gravestone which had my mom's name engraved into it, was my mom's final resting place. "I'll leave the two of you in peace," Father Dunn said, and left us standing in front of my mom's grave.

Tears started to fall from my eyes as I looked down at her gravestone. Falling to my knees I began to cry. "Why mom? Why did you have to leave me? I miss you so much." I could feel Ryan kneeling down beside me, putting his hand on my back and rubbing it gently. He was the only person I had left in this world, and I threw my arms around him, holding onto him for dear life. He let me hold him, and I felt his arms wrap around me. In my ear, I could hear him telling me that everything is going to be okay. I wanted to believe him. I needed to believe him.

"Kyle, listen to me. You see this place here? This is your mom's new home, and you can come and visit her anytime you want. So long as you hold her in your heart, she'll never leave you, Son. She'll always be a part of you. She lives now in your memories, cherish them forever."

I looked up at Ryan, tears still in my eyes. "I will. I love her so much. You're right, Dad, I can feel her inside me."

"I know you can, Son," Ryan said. "Do you want to say goodbye to her for now?"

"No, can we just stay here for a bit longer?" I asked.

"Of course we can, buddy. Take all the time you need, I'm not going anywhere."

"Thank you, Dad," and together we stood, with me leaning up against my new dad in front of my mom's grave. Just the three of us, family.



I'm glad I ended this chapter on such a beautiful note. Kyle now has a foster dad, and he now knows where his mother is so he can visit her when ever he wants. Family is the single most important thing in a person's life, and they cannot be replaced. You may have noticed that I mention several paragraphs that have to do with adoption in Ontario, Canada. These are actual policies which regulates all adoption agencies. For further information about adoptions in Ontario please visit the following website: www.children.gov.on.ca/CS/en/programs/Adoption/default.htm.
Keep on sending me those comments. You can reach me at: greywolf_0173@hotmail.com or 
jasonfinigan@yahoo.com