He snuggled against the uniformed cop. "Could I go home with you?" The boy peered up.
Ortiz chuckled. "Don't worry, mijo. We'll find you a place."
The boy finished off the pastry. "Please!" He wasn't sure, but he didn't want to end up with just anyone.
His mind flashed to a scary, shrilly voice.
"Something wrong?" Ortiz asked, noticing the change of expression.
The boy saw the leprechaun's face as clear as day, but he couldn't figure out who the little man was to him. He shook his head.
Another officer arrived with a cardboard box. "We found these for him," the man said, transferring the box to Ortiz.
"Thanks," Ortiz said. He looked into the box and saw briefs, socks, t-shirt, shorts, everything a boy could need.
Shielding the boy by standing and blocking him from view, he turned the box over to the boy. "Why don't you change into these?"
The boy took the box. He stared at the boy-sized briefs. They looked wrong.
"After all, we can't have you continuing to run around naked as a jaybird."
The boy swallowed and let the covering blanket slump to the floor. His naked skin became goosefleshed as he pulled on the briefs and hid from view a tiny nub and balls. Those should be bigger... He felt certain, although why he didn't know.
Once he pulled on the other clothes, he put his head back in the box to check again. He looked up at Ortiz. "There aren't any shoes."
"Guess they couldn't lay hands on any in your size."
He meant to tell the boy he looked fine, even without shoes, but he saw that the child services people had arrived.
A man and woman in plain clothes crossed the room. "Is this our little John Doe?" The woman asked Ortiz.
Her partner looked right past the boy and spoke to Ortiz. "Has he said anything? Do you know who he is or where he came from?"
Ortiz shook his head. "Says he can't remember."
"I can't!" The boy piped up. "I've tried."
The woman gave him a worried look. "We will get a doctor to look him over, but I think it best we get him settled in his new home first."
The boy hid behind Ortiz. "Don't let them!" He sounded panicked. "I want to stay with you!"
"Come on," the man said, closing a hand around one of the boy's thin wrists.
The boy tried to pull away, but the man's grip was too strong.
The boy's eyes filled with tears.
"Look, maybe he could stay with me and Alex and the boys for a few days," Ortiz said.
The woman frowned. "I've done it before, and you've already got us in the system," Ortiz reminded her. "Hasn't the little guy been stressed enough?"
"He needs to see a doctor," she said.
"I'll take him first thing in the morning."
The boy listened. He didn't want to see a doctor. Doctors give you shots. But he did want to stay with Ortiz, so he rubbed his tears away. "I'll be good."
"We know that, mijo," Ortiz said. "We're just making sure you have everything you need."
Finally, the pair relented and left the boy with Ortiz. "I'll change all the paperwork," the man said. "It's not a big problem, but you'll owe me a beer sometime soon."
"Deal," Ortiz said.