After drop-off, my son’s teacher asked, “Why is your son absent today?”

What she didn’t know was that authorities were on their way. “Derek’s uncle needed workers,” she continued. “And we needed money for my lawyer, for my custody case to get Theo away from you forever.”

She jabbed her finger into my chest. I looked down at Theo and his shoulders were now shaking as he was definitely looking at his mom. “You said you were saving the money I made to buy me a birthday present,” he said. “I am,” she quickly responded, lying through her teeth.

The police showed up right in the middle of all this. The first officer out of the car held up his hand and told everyone to stay where they were. Three more officers got out and spread across the construction site moving between the workers and equipment.

One officer walked straight to Uncle Mike and started asking questions about who was in charge here. Another officer came over to me and Theo. Kneeling down to Theo’s level, she asked him if he was hurt anywhere.

Theo nodded, pointing to his shoulders. The officer looked at the red marks and then noticed the energy drink bottles sticking out of his pocket. She pulled out her radio and called for an ambulance, saying they needed medical evaluation and documentation on site.

I was shaking so hard I could barely stand but I forced myself to stay calm and answer questions clearly. I knew losing my temper right now would make me look bad when CPS showed up. The lead officer asked Maya and Derek to step over to one side of the site while he talked to me.

Theo kept looking back and forth between me and his mother like he was trying to figure out who was going to get in trouble for all this. The female officer stayed with Theo writing notes about his injuries and taking photos with her phone. She explained to me that documenting his physical condition right now was important evidence for whatever came next.

I handed the lead officer Theo’s phone and showed him all the messages from Uncle Mike. He looked at each one carefully, taking photos of the screen with his own phone. He asked me to email him screenshots as backup and said this was serious evidence, not just a family argument.

Derek tried to walk over and interrupt but the officer firmly told him to wait his turn and stay where he was. Uncle Mike started talking loud about how this was all a big misunderstanding. He said he thought he had proper permission from both parents to give Theo a job.

The officer asked to see his employment records and workers compensation insurance. He also wanted to see the permission slips Uncle Mike mentioned earlier. Uncle Mike’s face went pale when he realized they were actually going to investigate his whole business, not just this one situation with Theo.

Maya tried a different approach with the officers, saying she was teaching Theo valuable work skills and that lots of kids help out with family businesses. The officer cut her off and explained that an 11-year-old working construction with heavy equipment and dangerous materials was illegal no matter what any parent said.

Derek stood behind Maya with his arms crossed, not saying anything but looking more worried by the minute. I could hear the ambulance siren getting closer. It pulled through the construction site gates and two paramedics got out with their equipment bags.

They came over to where Theo was standing with the female officer. The paramedics examined him carefully, taking photos of every mark and bruise while asking him gentle questions about how he got each injury. Theo admitted he dropped a cement bag on his foot last week.

He said his shoulder hurt from carrying heavy loads but he was told not to complain or he wouldn’t get paid. The paramedics looked at each other with serious expressions. They told the officers they wanted to transport Theo to urgent care for a full evaluation and complete documentation.

The police agreed this was necessary for the investigation. I asked if I could ride with Theo and the paramedics said yes. The police stayed behind to secure evidence from the construction site and take statements from Maya, Derek, and Uncle Mike.

Theo climbed into the back of the ambulance and I got in next to him. He was quiet and scared, asking me if he was in trouble. He wanted to know if CPS was going to take him away from both of us. “I told him he didn’t do anything wrong and that I was going to make sure he stayed safe.”

I was fighting to keep my voice steady even though I was scared about the CPS visit that was supposed to happen in less than an hour. The ambulance pulled away from the construction site and headed toward the hospital. At urgent care, a doctor came in right away and started examining Theo thoroughly.

A nurse stood next to the doctor with a camera and a tablet, documenting everything with photos and detailed notes about each injury. They found bruising on Theo’s shoulders that matched carrying heavy loads. There were minor burns on his hands from handling materials.

The doctor said Theo showed signs of being really tired and dehydrated. She asked Theo about the energy drinks and looked very concerned when he said Derek gave them to him every morning. The doctor explained to me that giving high caffeine products to a child could affect his developing heart and nervous system.

While Theo was examined, I stepped into the hallway and called Principal Miles. I explained what happened and that police were now involved. I asked him to contact CPS and let them know this situation had gone way beyond a simple truancy case.

Principal Miles sounded shocked but said he would make the call right away. He promised the school would cooperate fully with any investigation. He also apologized for the old contact information that stopped them from reaching me sooner.