Survive and Conquer

by Andrew Grey

  “Did Eric ask to play with your dolls?”

  She shook her head. “He doesn’t play with them right.”

  “Maybe he thinks you won’t play with his Legos right. That was a gift to him. Let Eric enjoy them the way you did your L.O.L. doll. Okay?” It was only fair that Eric got a chance to play with his things too. Eric rarely messed with Rosie’s things. He wasn’t interested, and he usually shared his things with Rosie, eventually.

  “Okay.” Rosie left the room.

  “Rosie!” Eric groused a minute later.

  “You weren’t playing with these!”

  Newton pushed himself out of his chair to see what was going on. He arrived just in time to see Rosie tip the box of Eric’s Legos on the floor. Newton was seconds from going off like a rocket.

  “That wasn’t very nice. Those pieces are all part of Eric’s rocket ship, and he needs all of them,” Chase said really gently. “Do you understand? Maybe once he’s done, he’ll show it to you, because it’s going to be so awesome.” Chase smiled, and her petulant upper lip disappeared. “You wouldn’t like it if he took some of the pieces to your dolls.”

  Rosie nodded and began picking up the pieces and putting them back into the box. Chase helped her, and Newton sat down, taking deep breaths. The pressure seemed to be coming at him from multiple directions. He needed some quiet and maybe a little peace in order to let his head settle, but it wasn’t going to, and this stuff with his mother wasn’t helping.

  “Eric, would you take Rosie into the family room? I think your dad needs a little silent time.”

  Eric nodded and gathered his things in the box. Then he took Rosie’s hand and led her out of the room.

  Newton put his head back, his spirit spread so thin, he felt it was going to break at any minute. Chase gripped his shoulders. Newton stiffened as Chase rubbed up and down his arms before moving upward once again.

  “Did I tell you that when I was in college, I took a night course in massage and earned extra money as a masseur? It was part of how I paid for my degrees.” He slipped his hands below Newton’s neck, slowly massaging until Newton’s head rested in his magic hands. This was what he needed. “Just let it go. Take the stress and all those things that are running through your head and let them go. I know what happened today, but just close your eyes and think of where I’m touching you.” He continued working up the back of Newton’s neck.

  “It’s difficult.”

  “Then just focus on my voice. Let everything else go.”

  Newton closed his eyes, blocking out the light, concentrating on where Chase touched him. God, he wanted to lie down and let Chase have his entire body. This was heaven. Chase’s slow, gently tugs and the heat did amazing things with his muscles. “Chase….”

  “Don’t move.” Chase gently laid Newton’s head against the back of the sofa cushion.

  Newton kept his eyes closed. The kids were playing and not fighting; his head was quiet, at least for a few seconds. He had no idea where Chase was, but at the moment, he didn’t really care. He was relaxed, and the tightness in his chest was gone. Newton breathed deeply in and out as footsteps approached.

  Chase’s hands were back, slicked with lotion, and they started their amazing ministrations, working gently over his jaw, neck, and throat.

  “Oh God.” Newton breathed softly. “You don’t have to do this. I’m sure you have things to do.”

  “They’ll wait,” Chase whispered, stroking his skin. “I have my work at home, and I can do it tonight. Right now, you need me more.” He slipped his warm hands around the sides of Newton’s neck and over his upper chest.

  Newton breathed deeply, his skin heating as he wished they were alone and his shirt could magically disappear like they did in the movies sometimes. Yeah, that was it. In the movies they’d cut to the lovemaking montage, where sometimes you got a peek at the guy’s incredible butt. That was what he wanted—a love montage that lasted for hours. The thought was already raising his temperature.

  “You seem better.”

  “Yeah.” His thoughts settled back where they belonged, and Newton realized his head wasn’t running in flashback circles, the kids were being quiet, and he was truly relaxed. “Thank you.” Newton opened his eyes and sat up straighter. Chase’s hands slipped away, and Newton missed the touch almost immediately. “What did you come back for?”

  “I forgot my jacket,” Chase whispered, and sat down next to him on the sofa. Neither of them said much as Newton leaned against Chase, sighing softly as he tried to keep the wolves of his thoughts at bay.

  “Daddy!” Rosie hurried into the room and jumped up onto the sofa next to him. “I can’t get this on my doll.” She pressed a small doll and an even tinier set of shoes into his hands. “I can’t see it good enough.”

  Newton took the pieces and did his best to get the shoes onto the doll for her. She must have been happy because she hugged him, slid off the sofa, and raced away.

  Soon she was back with her dolls, playing on the coffee table. Eric came in as well and showed them how far he’d come along in putting together his Lego space shuttle before setting up shop on the other end of the table.

  Newton closed his eyes again, listening to the kids play and Chase breathe next to him. Chase’s arm slid around his shoulders, and Newton sighed softly, letting himself sink into this fantasy of a family. The three of them had always been a family—Newton knew that and had worked very hard to build that sense between them—but now he was realizing that there had been something missing… or someone missing. Someone to walk the path with him. Maybe Jolene was right. He had been alone for so long, he hadn’t given himself a chance to let himself have that one person to go through life with.

  Honestly, Newton had never thought he would have that. Even after all this time, he’d never let his heart sprout wings. He always kept his feet firmly planted on the ground and in reality. Newton took care of the kids and built a life for the three of them. That was what was important to him: stability and what was known and what he could count on. But maybe there was more to life than that. He saw others having it, but Newton tried not to take flights of fancy. Maybe he’d been wrong. Maybe he needed to give his heart a chance to soar.

  Chapter 4

  “CHASE,” MILTON said as soon as he answered his phone. “I need to see you in my office, immediately.”

  “All right,” Chase responded, then hung up his desk phone. He gathered his papers and a copy of the Anderson file, and headed down the hall to the senior partner’s office. His assistant ushered him inside and immediately closed the door.

  “I’ve been reading your case documents, and these aren’t a winning strategy.” Milton set down the file.

  “There’s only so much I can do. Some facts are above refuting and have already been proven in court. No subsequent judge is going to take them into dispute. We know this, and I have explained that to our client. Those parts of the case are already closed, and we know that family court is not going to allow us to reopen a criminal matter. What I’ve done is cast doubt on the mother’s competence. We have to make her the center of the case. The father has turned a corner in his life, and we are building evidence to support our case.” Chase stepped closer, opening his copy of the files.

  “I understand that. But you are never going to get her medical records. We can subpoena them all we want, but they are considered legally private unless she provides permission to unseal them, and she never will. Therefore, the three years of treatment could be said to be the result of our client’s son’s behavior.” Milton had a real head for cases and arguments.

  “I’m aware of that. I have a petition prepared to allow us to have a court-appointed doctor examine her and a psychiatrist to perform an evaluation. We need something that’s verifiable.”

  Milton nodded. “But that’s a huge unknown.”

  Chase sighed. “Yes, it is. But it’s all we have. Our client can pay as much as he likes and can come into court with our entire la
w firm sitting behind him. But in family court, it’s always what’s best for the child that matters. I’ve studied thousands of cases, and there is no record or precedent for a judge giving potential custody of a child to anyone with this type of situation. None.” He closed the file. “We never should have agreed to take this case, no matter how much money they threw at us.”

  Milton’s eyes grew stormy, but Chase didn’t back down. “The partners felt it was something we could win. And it’s a chance to set a real precedent.”

  Chase wasn’t the one who had conducted the initial interview. “The client has lied to us on multiple occasions.” He pulled out the client interview sheet. “Half of this intake sheet is either an evasion or a falsehood.” The unsaid portion was that the partners had been duped. But they weren’t going to like hearing that. “And because of that, this is our best strategy.”

  Milton sat back, his eyes becoming less threatening. “I see.” He folded his hands in front of him. He didn’t pick up the pages again or even move much other than blinking. “You’re the expert in this area. But we have to find a way to diminish the impact of their son’s past.”

  “There is very little we can do. It’s legally accepted as fact.” This entire case made Chase feel as though he were walking on quicksand. The situation was hitting too close to home for his comfort. As a lawyer, he knew he would have to take cases he didn’t like or agree with, but this one made his blood run cold. “I have a few ideas. I’ll add them to the case documentation and discuss them with the client.” There was nothing else he could do, and Chase felt that Milton was coming to understand that. Some cases weren’t winnable. It was part of Chase’s job to advise them about what he thought their prospects were, give advice, and then they ultimately made the choice of how to proceed.

  “All right.” Milton leaned forward. “You have a real sense for these kinds of cases, so I’m going to go with your instincts.” That was one hell of a compliment. “I’ll also speak with the other partners. You see if you can’t make the clients happy and the firm look good at the same time.”

  “I’ll do my best.” Chase left the office and strode to his own, putting on his game face to look as though he wasn’t upset and as though this damned case wasn’t unsettling his entire world.

  “William,” he said as he passed his assistant’s desk. “I’m going to need an hour, so don’t let anyone disturb me unless the world is coming to an end.” He needed a chance to think.

  “You have a meeting in fifteen minutes with one of the interns. Let me see if I can reschedule that to tomorrow. That will leave much of your afternoon free. Tomorrow is going to be busy, though.”

  “Just reschedule the meeting for four o’clock today. That will give me what I need.” Chase went into his office and closed the door, knowing William would take care of him. He could be a real bulldog.

  Chase collapsed into his chair and closed his eyes. This entire case brought his own issues to the front, and he wasn’t dealing with those well. His clients were trying to get custody of their grandson from their former daughter-in-law. Their son had physically abused their eight-year-old grandson. They claimed their daughter-in-law was unstable and a danger to their grandson. However, their son was scheduled to get out of jail in six months, and Chase was well aware that it was likely he would end up living with his parents. The entire case was a mess, and there was no good solution for the child. But the truth was, Chase believed that what his clients were saying about their daughter-in-law were exaggerations at best and possibly outright lies.

  He reorganized his file and set it on his desk, taking a deep breath and trying not to wonder about the child involved. As much as he loved to win cases—and he truly loved it—this was only a loser. Winning in court—making the best argument and having the judge not only get it, but select it as the better one and award his clients what they had sought—was totally awesome. It was why he did this job. Lawyers were supposed to be ruthless and do everything the law would allow to benefit their clients. And normally he was more than willing and able to go that route because what he thought and felt didn’t really matter. Chase could do what he needed to in order to win the case, or at least have a chance to win. This case….

  He read through what he had so far. It was a train wreck, not because he hadn’t done a good job, but because he found himself on the side of the argument he didn’t want to be on. Chase closed the file, slamming his hand on top of it. He wished to hell he had stepped back and let someone else handle it. Hank Reynolds wouldn’t have any trouble taking this case. He’d sell his mother up the river if he thought he could win. The man had no heart and no conscience. Maybe that was how Chase needed to be.

  Chase pushed his chair back and tried to clear his mind, but it was damned near impossible. He reached for his phone and sent a text to Newton, receiving a call back within seconds.

  “You okay?” Newton asked immediately.

  “Yes. I just wanted to hear your voice. How is Eric?” Chase glanced at his phone as his line indicated he had an incoming call. William must have answered it, because the line went dark and nothing came through his email. Chase leaned back and relaxed for a few seconds.

  “He’s doing well. Finished the space shuttle, and it looks great. He asked me to get him another kit. I think you really started something. He sat at the table for most of the evening putting that together. I’m going to go online and see what I can find.”

  “There’s a great Lego TIE Fighter. It has more pieces, and it’s super cool.” God, he wanted to get one of those for himself.

  “I see. Someone has been researching Lego building sets. I wonder why?” The amusement rang in Newton’s voice. “I used to love them when I was a kid.” He sighed. “I bet they’re still somewhere at the house.” A sadness sounded in Newton’s voice.

  “I take it you haven’t figured out a way forward.”

  “It isn’t likely to happen. She called the department and made a report about me. The reasons she gave were laughable, but I told my boss to send a caseworker to the house tonight so they can see that everything is as it should be. That way they can’t say that they’re playing favorites.”

  “If she continues, I’ll help you with a restraining order. At least it will put the system on notice that she’s the one with the problem.”

  “I hope it doesn’t come to that.” Newton seemed defeated, and Chase hated it. This was really hurting him, and Chase could wring Newton’s mother’s neck for that. But yet he understood it. Chase had encountered dozens of reasons why people took each other to court: greed, intimidation, power, to correct injustice. The list was as long as his arm. Why would he be shocked at religious conviction? In one way it was commendable, and yet hurtful at the same time.

  “So do I. But you have to protect yourself and the kids. If she’s gone this fanatic, then how likely is she to listen to reason?” He hated even suggesting it. She was Newton’s mother, after all. But people had been hurting one another in the name of religion for many thousands of years, so how would that change because people were supposed to be enlightened and modern?

  “I’ll think about it. If she continues, then the department will come down on her for making false and harassing reports.”

  “I really want to help.”

  “Just listening is helping,” Newton said. “And I wish I could help you, but I know you can’t even talk about it.”

  “Nope. But I was wondering if you’d want to have dinner? I could stop after work and get some carryout. Though I won’t get out of here until seven or so.” The pile of things Chase needed to do was growing, and wallowing wasn’t going to get them done.

  “Then stop by. I’ll have fed Eric and Rosie, so if you could bring grown-up food, I’d much appreciate it.” Newton paused and spoke to someone else. “I need to go. There’s a crisis brewing that I need to handle. Call me when you’re on your way.” His tone seemed brighter, and Chase found he had something to look forward to.

 
; “I will.” He ended the call and unlocked his computer, getting to work.

  CHASE KNOCKED quietly on the front door, and Eric opened it to let him in.

  “Dad hurt his foot,” he said, closing the door behind them.

  “Are you all right?” Chase asked when he found Newton on the sofa with his foot up and an ice pack on his ankle.

  “I’ll be fine.” Newton motioned Rosie over. “You need to go upstairs, take a bath, and get into your pajamas. Then you can come down here, and I’ll say good night.” He seemed drawn, and Chase had a pretty good idea that Newton was in pain but probably didn’t want the kids to be upset. “Eric will take his shower after you.”

  “But I want—” Eric said.

  Newton flashed him a look. “You’ve both been tired. Eric, go drink something and have the bag of chips I set out on the counter.” Rosie went upstairs and Eric into the kitchen without another word. The crinkle of the potato chip bag followed by the sharp crunch of the chips made Chase smile. Newton sighed.

  “Why are they being so docile?” Chase asked. It wasn’t like them to be that quiet.

  “I hurt my foot because I stepped on one of their toys, which they had assured me they’d picked up. Eric helped me to the sofa, and Rosie got me set up with the ice.” Newton shifted himself so he sat partially up, wincing as he moved his foot. “I should have been watching where I was going and the places I put my foot, but I went down, and they both feel bad about it. Eric had a rough night last night, so he’s really tired, and so is Rosie because she wakes up whenever there’s activity in the house, so going to bed a little early isn’t a bad thing.”

  He winced and waited for the pain to pass. “Are you done?” Newton asked when Eric came back into the room. “Did you get plenty to drink?”

  “Yes.” Eric held up the empty bottle, and Newton smiled and nodded.

  “Go throw it away and then show Chase your space shuttle.” Newton rested his head on the sofa.