s a m u e l
Samuel wanted to feel relieved when Mrs Lee came back with Harper but he just couldn't. He wasn't sure what kind of damage he had imagined the other boy to have done, but it wasn't this? It was way too much and he just couldn't understand how another child could have hurt their sweet little baby so badly, not just because Harper was a nice kid who most definitely hadn't done anything wrong, Samuel knew Harper wouldn't, but just because the bruises were so harsh it must have been very violent.
As Harper hurried up to them, or rather limped because he was clearly still in pain, Samuel's tears welled over as well. He never wanted his children to have to experience something like beating beaten. This had been completely out of their control, but still Samuel wished they could have protected him from it so badly. He couldn't even Respond to Roman's shocked comment, because he couldn't even really put words to how upset the bruises made him.
He placed a gentle hand on Harper's back and softly nut also slightly shakily murmured,
"It's okay baby, you're safe and we'll sort this out, it's going to be okay,"
They sat quietly for a while, sans for Harper's sobbing and the occasional sniffles from the little boy's parents. Samuel and Roman was just doing their best to comfort their little baby and it seem like Mrs Lee and Principal Davis were decent enough to allow them that moment. But it was abruptly interrupted by a knock on the office door. It was the vide principal who carefully informed that "Nathan's parents were ready to discussed what had happened," Samuel exchanged a look with Roman, they probably wouldn't be more ready to talk to them, at least Samuel wasn't crying anymore. So they confirmed that it would be okay, another set of chairs was pulled to the desk. Samuel scooted a little closer to his family, so Harper would know both his dads were there for him.
And so the other family came walking into the room. The father was a man at about Samuel's height, though probably a solid ten or so years older, he was pale tall, and was wearing a suit that fit a little too tight over his round figure. His expression was bored, slightly annoyed, clearly not pleased to be there. The child's mother was a shorter woman with a round face and a nice mousy brown bob cut, probably around the same age as her husband, she instead, looked genuinely worried. Nathan himself looked like he was about eight, maybe nine even. Not only was he much taller than Harper but he was heavier set so it was no wonder he had been able to do such damage. His hands were stubbornly shoved into his pocket and he was sporting a grumpy expression, and unlike Harper's his cheeks were completely dry.
They all sat down, Nathan between his parents, looking at the floor. The man reached out a hand to shake,
"Roger Marsh, I'm sorry this is how we have to meet," his tone was flat and dry, but not in the way Matthew's was, no this was clearly an intentional sign of expression, and Samuel seriously doubted he was especially sorry about anything but the fact that he had to be there.