Vivian held a hand over Leon's arm as a subtle reminder to calm down. She knew from experience that skittish people would clam up and withdraw if they felt threatened. She tried to soothe her upset mate so that he wouldn't scare Mrs. Norman further.
Leon took the subtle hint of his wife and calmed down. He had gotten worked up because he swore he would protect those vulnerable from harm. From everything he had witnessed today, it had angered him about the assault on this child, but he was upset because the child was so malnourished that he had been injured more than if he hadn't been. He hated to see a child in need be so neglected. He didn't want to outright jump to conclusions about this mother's parenting, but if she was starving her children, that would send him over the edge.
Julie was extremely nervous. She felt targeted by the crosshairs of neglect accusations hovering over her. When Erik's mate had said that her parents worked for the EEA and was a baby doctor, that had been the biggest understatement of the century. These two individuals were part of the most influential family in the entire country. They were also some of the wealthiest individuals this side of the Cascades, and that wasn't counting their families' combined wealth.
Erik was out of sorts and in a lot of pain, but he just knew that he was in trouble and his mom was about to get in trouble for his actions. Over the last month, while Liona had been grounded and unable to see him, he had come to realize just how much he relied on his mate's lunches. During the time he had been eating her food, there had been more food for his younger siblings since he had stopped eating at home as much.
Once he realized he wasn't going to be able to eat her delicious cooking, he hadn't brought it up with his mother or his sisters and continued to make sure they were fed as much as he possibly could. That meant he had stopped eating almost altogether. His meals comprised whatever he could get from the coffee shop or the fast-food places he worked. Those meager burgers and the occasional coffee to help chase the sleepiness away were all he had to sustain him.
Sleep had eluded Erik since the night he had spent with Liona, becoming very intimate with her. Although they hadn't done anything more than exploration, he couldn't get her out of his head. He longed for her by day and dreamed of her by night. These longings were beyond just missing her. He felt like a piece of him had been torn from him when he could not see her or get near her.
This feeling was something he kept locked away inside him. He saw it as his punishment for daring to want more of her and for his anger that he couldn't have her that night. He didn't know where that anger came from, but it felt like something deep inside him was raging, throwing a tantrum, wanting more than he should be allowed to want.
"Mrs. Norman, we aren't accusing you of anything. We are only concerned that the state your son is in could have been prevented had he proper nutrition. Are you aware that there is state assistance available to you? There are also several charity organizations that can fill the gaps between state assistance and what you may currently have available." Vivian tried to explain, but was met with disgust.
"That's all well and good on paper! But in reality, qualifying for state assistance panders to those with assets to their name! They don't accept nobodies; people like us! Charity? Bah! Again, they cater to only those that will look good on their taxes or for publicity. I guarantee you that not a one will help someone such as I or who has this many mouths to feed! But mind you! I NEVER; EVER have let a single one of my children starve!"
"They may be underweight, but they are by no means starving! I have worked my ass off night and day to provide for my children! They are housed, fed, and provided for! School, medical care, and clothes are provided for them. They may not have luxuries, but they are at least happy and as well adjusted as they can be, children!" Julie was near tears. She had done everything in her power to keep the law off her and from taking her precious children. Despite the way they were conceived, she loved every single one of them.
"Is their father in the picture? Can he help take some of the burden off of you?" Leon asked gently, but the fear in the air was quite palpable as soon as he mentioned the father. The pheromones were thick and scared. They were enough to make even Vivian startled. They both were mated and took custom suppressants so others' pheromones shouldn't affect them as much, but the instant fear reaction was so severe, so instinctual it overpowered them.
Vivian fought the urge to react to the strong pheromones. They shouldn't affect her and Leon, but they were so visceral that they could almost see them with how strong the reaction to the mention of the children's father being mentioned was. This concerned her greatly. Usually, only survivors of abuse felt such a knee jerk reaction to the mention of someone. Judging from the pheromone's strength, this woman feared this man and probably had been doing her best to protect herself and her children from him. However, this was just a theory, and broaching this subject would be a difficult and delicate matter.
"Mrs. Norman, are you alright?" Vivi gently asked. Before she could really ask much else, there was a clamber from the back of the trailer and an entire herd of children emerged, practically falling over themselves. They were obviously Mrs. Norman's other children, who were rushing to her side. The youngest wailed loudly in distress as the baby was carried by a girl who looked no older than her youngest twin daughters. Maybe twelve or thirteen at the most, given her height and weight.
"Don't bully our momma!" A little girl who looked no more than five stood with her arms spread wide in front of Mrs. Norman. She was adorable, with short sandy hair pulled into twin tails that barely stuck out of the hair ties. With striking green eyes, the girl tried her best to look brave, but was obviously scared to Vivi's eyes.
"Heather! Stop that!" Hissed an older girl, no more than ten or eleven, to Leon's eyes.
A very tiny little girl with her thumb in her mouth toddled over to Vivi. She looked down at this baby and smiled warmly. She looked so thin, but had a bit of a belly, like she had just eaten an enormous meal. To her surprise, the toddler clung to her pant leg and tugged. Vivi leaned down to see what the baby wanted and was surprised to be called her daughter's name. It caused her to laugh at the cute way it was said. The baby girl was barely old enough to walk or talk, but had mistaken her for Liona.
"Erik got hurt, Momma!" Another of the children cried as she attempted to climb over her brother. She looked about three or four. The children all looked sad and upset over their mother's pheromones, but were equally hurt by their brother's appearance as well. Leon counted six girls, ranging from around thirteen to maybe about ten months. The baby looked small, about three months maybe, and might have been a boy. For the size of this trailer, there were too many children in such a small space. With the children in the living area, it was very crowded and left not much room to stand, let alone sit on the mismatched chairs that Mrs. Norman had brought in from the kitchen.
"Let me be frank with you, Mrs. Norman. Your hands are obviously full with taking care of so many children. Let us look after Erik at the hospital tonight, at least for the sake of our daughter who is such good friends with him. At a later date we can discuss with you some options that will help you. We have resources available to us that can help you more than you think. We don't think it's such a good idea to leave your injured son here tonight. If you object, we can turn this into an official matter with the authorities." Leon was done. He had seen enough. The children loved their mother, their mother obviously loved her children, and there seemed to be extenuating circumstances that left Mrs. Norman in fear for her life. He and Vivian both swore to protect those vulnerable people that often fell through the cracks of society.
"Erik. Go with them…" Julie bit back a sob. They were right. She had her hands full. She only wanted what was best for her children, and this was the best option.