r o m a n
Roman was horrified to know what was going on with Letha's friend. He had never been able to comprehend how people like Manuel Ortega had been able to lay hands on their own children, and that complete confusion had only been re-enforced when he had had his own kids. Looking at his four little angels now, he couldn't imagine how anyone would want to hurt them, much less how
he could possibly cause them any form of harm.
Letha didn't respond to her papa's promises, at least not verbally. No, she just continued to cry really hard into Roman's shoulder. Roman rubbed both her back and Samuel's, trying to offer them both as much comfort as he possibly could.
That night, after the kids went to bed, Roman talked with his husband about how they could help Hugo. They both agreed to call the social services -- and the police -- the next day. They went into a police station following one of these phone calls to make a report. Since they had no evidence other than their word, the police went to the school and investigated Hugo. Then, after seeing the bruises, the little boy was taken to a hospital, and Hugo's mother was arrested.
The social services were going to put Hugo into foster care, but Roman, acting upon the decision he and Samuel had made, stepped in and offered to take the boy in while they sorted things out. He argued that it was much better for Hugo to be with people he knew than random people who could potentially cause him distress, and that he and his husband were the adoptive parents of four successful and bright children, and were therefore more than qualified for the job. The social worker, who was clearly desperate to keep another kid out of the foster system, agreed, and so Roman and Samuel filled out some papers and were legally declared as Hugo's temporary guardians.
Roman went with Hugo to his house to pack up his clothes and everything else he deemed important, and soon, he and Samuel were carrying the boy's things into their own home. It was late afternoon but London and Evan had picked up their kids so they could settle Hugo in and concentrate on him for the time being.
"This is your room," Roman said to the small child, opening the spare bedroom on the very top floor opposite his and Samuel's own. It was, like all the other bedrooms in the house, quite large. It was spacious enough for a double bed, a wardrobe, a dresser and a desk, and it had its own bathroom, though this was a bit smaller than all the others. Roman set one of Hugo's many suitcases down on the floor, then crouched down in front of the boy.
"Hugo," he said softly
. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now. I know you miss your mum, and you might be mad at Letha for telling us what happened. But you're safe now, I promise, you're safe now. No one here is going to hurt you, and you can stay here for as long as you need to. We're all here to help you, and we want you to be happy and comfortable. So if there's ever anything you need at all, please don't hesitate to tell us. We're going to look after you. I promise."