“All of my clothes are dirty except for my underwear, what do I wear to bed?”

“You can borrow a t-shirt. I’ll go get one while you go and have Carmen look at that cut okay?”

Shay nodded and looked up at Carmen.

“Does it hurt?” the Latina said as she motioned for him to sit down at the kitchen table and then grabbed the first aid kit from the bathroom.

He shrugged. “A little I guess. My side hurts more though.”

“Your side? What happened to your side?”

“That’s where the older boys kicked me when I was at the foster home.”

“Come here, move your towel down and let me see, ok? I promise I won’t touch it.”

Shay was hesitant at first. He didn’t know Carmen and he was afraid she would make fun of how skinny he was—like everyone else. But he decided that if Shane liked her, than he could try too, plus it hurt a lot.

As he lowered his towel, Carmen’s eyes got big. He had a bruise the size of a softball on the left side of his ribcage. She got up and started rushing around the kitchen while cussing loudly in Spanish.

Shane walked in with a t-shirt in hand. “Carmen, what are you doing? You’re scaring him.”

“Shane look at his ribs! I can’t believe that this happened!”

Shane looked from the massive bruise to Shay’s face. He started to cry.

“I-I’m sorry Shane. I didn’t mean to make her mad, honest. I swear! Please don’t get mad at me.”

Shane dropped the shirt and ran to scoop him up.

“Shh it’s ok. Hey don’t cry little man, she isn’t mad at you. She is just mad at the people who did this to you. I promise, it isn’t your fault. See? She even brought you a bag of ice to put on it. She isn’t mad at you.”

Carmen handed Shane the bag of ice wrapped in a dishtowel and then backed away—‘great’ she thought ‘first night here and I already made him cry’.

Shane carried the little boy over to the couch. “Come here, let’s put this ice pack on it,” she looked up at Carmen, knowing how confused and upset she was but not really knowing what to do about it at the moment, “Hey Car can you bring me that t-shirt?”