Standing at the entrance to the hospital, Temperance debated calling a cab as she watched her sister read on the bench. Neither of them had much to go back to except a barely furnished apartment in a cockroach-infested building. Their slumlord of a landlady refused to pay for the needed repairs or an exterminator to clean the building up, and she worried constantly about Kennedy’s health and safety.
As she glanced around, a woman walked over to her. Dressed in business attire and holding a briefcase, the woman looked them over and shook her head. “Ms. Rubin?”
“Yes?” Temperance asked, her fear spiking.
“I’m Talia Willis from Child Protective Services,” the woman explained.
Temperance shook her head, “I’m sorry, but you’re mistaken. The family court granted me full custody as her only li
