I signed the petition at Joan's office on a Monday morning.
The form asked how long we had known Noah, how often we had seen him, and why we believed guardianship was necessary. I answered with dates, not adjectives. I wrote about the empty refrigerator, the missed school days, and the winter night when he sat outside our locked house because he was afraid to bother us.
I didn't write that I thought Grant was selfish or Elise was careless. I couldn't prove what either of them felt. I could only write what they had done.
The county scheduled a review for the following month. That gave us several weeks to gather documents and prepare for a hearing if the parents objected.
They did.
Grant's lawyer filed a response arguing that he was a fit father who had temporarily delegated care to rel
