Survive and Conquer

by Andrew Grey

  “Newton, remember that we’re there to help, but we can’t be the ones to do everything for each client.” She pulled to a stop. “It’s more than any of us can handle. All we can do is try to present the truth in cases like this. It’s what the court and the department expect of us. We aren’t a legal referral service.”

  Newton nodded. “I know that. But I’ve been on her side of things.” The fallout from 9-11 had been overwhelming, and aid and help had been slow in coming. He’d had health issues, coping issues, wasn’t sleeping, was in constant pain, sometimes unable to breathe, and he hadn’t known where to turn. The government and existing programs were overextended, and specific programs for survivors and first responders like him hadn’t gotten up and running yet. He hadn’t known where to go for help and nearly lost his life because of it. So he knew how Marcia felt to a degree. The wolves were at the door, and she was trying to fend them off. Newton’s wolves looked different from Marcia’s, but that didn’t mean they were any less frightening.

  “You know my mother tried to make accusations against me in a play to take my kids. That’s exactly what Marcia is going through. I had the wherewithal and resources to fight her. Marcia doesn’t. She’s relying on us to help her… and I’ll do my best to try.” He felt so very strongly about that.

  “Have you heard anything from the dragon lady?” Jolene grinned.

  “She has called and I talked to her briefly, but only to make sure she wasn’t dying or something. I have no interest in any of her self-justified delusions.” He had kids to protect, and Newton would do that, from the entire world if necessary. “I have everything set for a restraining order, thanks to Chase, and we’ll file it if she tries anything else. I don’t want to cause trouble that can’t be easily undone.”

  They pulled into the lot, and Newton thanked Jolene and took his bag right to his car. He waved, got in, and drove to the school, figuring he had enough time to pick the kids up.

  Newton snagged a parking spot right in front and was able to pick up Rosie and Eric just as they came out. They climbed into the car, chattering happily the entire time about their day. Newton smiled, half listening.

  “Did you feel good all day?” Newton asked Eric.

  “Yes.” Eric sounded so put-upon. “Mr. Fielding had story time, and we sat on the floor. I put my feet out like you told me to do, and my legs feel good. Can I go over to Brian’s house tonight? His mom sent a note with him to school.” Eric passed over an extremely rumpled piece of paper. “And Mr. Fielding sent a note home with everyone.” It seemed both pieces of paper were stuck together.

  “You can call Brian when you get home as long as you promise to behave and to call if you start feeling bad.” Newton turned onto their street and slowed, seeing his mother’s car parked in front of the house, along with another.

  “Gramma’s here,” Rosie announced.

  “Stay here,” Newton cautioned both of them, his defenses rising by the second. “Eric, look after your sister, and both of you stay in the car.” Newton sent Chase a quick text saying that his mother had paid a surprise visit, then got out, locking the car after him.

  His mother got out of her car, and another man stepped out of an old blue Camry.

  “What are you doing, Mom?” Newton asked.

  “This is Elder Marcus, and he suggested that the two of us try to come see you about raising your children the proper way.”

  “Yes, I think—” Marcus extended his hand, but Newton ignored it, turning away from him.

  “Mother, I have things that we need to do. Eric is going to spend some time with a friend. Rosie and I are going to bake some cookies.” He ignored Marcus altogether. His ultimate problem was with his mother, and he needed to deal with it there. “If you had called, I could have saved both of you the trouble.”

  “You know how I feel, and the elder agrees with me. It isn’t healthy for you to raise those children with a parade of men traipsing through your house.” Her tone was so haughty, it grated on his spine like nails on a chalkboard.

  “How you feel, Mother, both of you, is of little concern in this instance.” Now he turned to the elder. “I have no idea what sort of person you are, but pushing your nose into my family’s business has cost my mother dearly. She is not going to see her grandchildren again. A restraining order will be filed with the court tomorrow, and then she will be arrested if she comes within five hundred feet of us or our home.” Newton suddenly felt light-headed, and he took a step back. Now was not the time to have a flashback. He forced his mind and attention to remain where it was. “Now, both of you leave. This is 2019, not 1959. Your assumptions are insulting, and your beliefs and methods extremely outdated. And quite frankly, you are both ridiculous. Those are my children, and I love them more than life. I will protect them from narrow-mindedness, bigotry, and hypocrisy as much as I am able. In other words, I will protect them from the likes of you.” Anger welled inside him. “Now go.” He turned and went back to his car, about to pull open the door to get him and the kids away for a while when Chase’s car came to a stop behind him. Newton had never been so relieved to see anyone in his life, especially with the way Chase raced up to him.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I told them to leave,” Newton said, looking back to where the elder and his mother still stood. They were talking, and his mother’s shoulders slumped. When she caught his gaze, her eyes shone with tears. He knew she was probably crying, and Newton was tempted to try to work things out with her. She was his mother, after all. “Should I…?”

  “Nothing is going to change today,” Chase said softly. “She isn’t going to back down or change her mind as long as she has reinforcements with her. No matter how wrong her ideas, she thinks she’s right, and she’ll cloak herself in righteous indignation because of this elder.”

  Newton knew Chase was right, but it still hurt. After his ordeal and injury, his mother had been there beside him the entire way, and it left a cavern inside him to see how much she’d changed because of this pastor. Newton knew in his heart that if Elder Marcus had been a much more understanding and typical minister, his mother’s behavior would be different.

  “You’re right.” He stayed where he was as the two of them finally got in their cars. The elder pulled away, speeding past them, glaring as he did, as though he could make the fires of hell burn out of his eyes. His mother left as well, and only then did Newton get the kids out of the car and take them inside.

  “Thank you for coming,” Newton said once Rosie was settled and Brian’s mom was on her way to pick up Eric. “I know you have to go back to work, but I was wondering if you have a minute?” He motioned into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee, then took a seat. “I have a client, and I know you can’t help her, but I was wondering if you knew someone else? Her ex-in-laws are making trouble for her. They have made dozens of unsubstantiated calls to Social Services, and now they are taking her to court. She needs someone to help her, and it’s out of my area of expertise.” He poured them two mugs and brought one to Chase, sliding it across the table.

  Chase took the mug without drinking. “What’s her last name?” he asked, suspicion filling his tone.

  “Anderson,” Newton answered. “Marcia Anderson. I did an inspection today, and—”

  Chase checked his watch and stood. “I’m sorry, but I need to get right back to the office.” He turned to leave the room. “I can’t help this time. I’m afraid you’re going to have to look elsewhere.” He strode toward the front and left the house, closing the door behind him.

  Newton was a little surprised, but figured Chase had a meeting he needed to get back to, so he finished his coffee, took care of the dishes, and saw Eric off to his friends. Then he went in to check on Rosie to see if she wanted to bake cookies, but she was happily engaged in playing with her dolls, so he got out his laptop, made himself comfortable on the sofa, and got to work.

  “WHERE’S MR. Chase?” Rosie asked as she climbed onto the sofa to sit
next to him. “If he wants to come over, you can kiss if you want and I won’t look.” She covered her eyes as she giggled.

  It had been two days, and Newton hadn’t heard anything from him. That wasn’t necessarily unusual, although they did text regularly, but even that had stopped. Newton sent a message about having dinner tomorrow.

  I have to work really late. The caseload is really heavy right now. Maybe we can talk this weekend.

  Okay, Newton responded and didn’t receive anything more. It was puzzling to him, and Newton wondered if he’d done something wrong. Maybe all the honesty and the fact that Newton had the kids was too much for Chase after all, and he was pulling away. Newton could understand that he and his family were probably a little much for a lot of people, but he thought he deserved to be told what was happening.

  “Are you okay, Daddy?” Rosie asked. “You look like you could use a hug.” She climbed into his lap and put her arms around his neck, giving him a big hug. “Is that better?”

  “Yes, sweetheart. I feel much better.” He forced a smile and hugged her again. Maybe he was making way too much of this, but Chase was always responsive, and if he couldn’t talk, he’d tease and send happy faces through text. This was about as cold as the North Pole. Newton probably should have expected it. Loneliness and loss trailed around the edges of his heart, but he continually pushed them away. He had things he needed to do, and the kids needed him. That was where his mind should be, not running in circles over things he could do nothing about.

  That worked while he was busy. Dinner, baths, bedtimes, stories—all of it kept him occupied until the house was quiet. Then he sat alone on the sofa, wondering again.

  Newton sent Chase another message to tell him good night, and this time there was no response. Something was wrong, and Newton wondered what it was. His first instinct was to call Chase and get him to talk to him. But Newton had his pride like anyone else. Besides, maybe something had happened and that was why he wasn’t hearing from him. That thought got him worried, and his parental streak kicked in. Newton sent another message. Tell me what’s going on. Are you okay? He held the phone, watching the screen, hoping for a response. He didn’t get one for almost half an hour, and then his phone rang. Newton could almost hear the hesitancy in the ring as he answered.

  “I’m fine, Newton. There’s nothing wrong. I just need—”

  “I’m not one of your clients, Chase, and I don’t appreciate the distant, lawyer voice. If you aren’t happy or this is too much with me and the kids, just say so. You don’t need to give me the silent treatment. I think I deserve to know what’s going on, and if you don’t want to be part of our lives, that’s okay, but the kids deserve better than silence.” Damn, Newton wasn’t above using them as a little leverage.

  “Newton….” Chase’s tone had softened. “I don’t know how to handle this.”

  “Okay…,” Newton said softly. That told him plenty. “At least I can deal with that, and when the kids ask where you are, I can say that you have other things to do and that you’re still a friend, but we aren’t going to see you much anymore.” Eric and Rosie would forget about Chase eventually, and they would all move on. It sounded so easy in Newton’s head, but his heart ached at the thought.

  “It isn’t that,” Chase answered quickly. “The case you asked me to help with is my case.” He seemed almost pleading. “I’ve been talking about these people—not specifically, but in general terms—and now I find that we’re on opposite sides. I could have a potential conflict of interest, and then our different perspectives of the case could have its own complications. I’ve told you things about my case and how I feel. I was talking to my boyfriend, and now I could have been talking with a witness for the other side.” He began breathing heavily.

  “This isn’t a criminal trial. This is family court. You know how things work as well as I do. The judge asks most of the questions and directs where things go. But I don’t know what to tell you.” In a way Newton was relieved as hell. “But I have met Marcia exactly one time for a few hours. My report will be presented, and I might have to answer questions about it. But that’s all.”

  “You were asking me about an attorney for her?”

  “Yes, because she needs one.” Newton took a deep breath. “Jolene can take things from here, and I’ll switch some cases with her so I can step back.” That seemed like an easy solution to him. “I have some flexibility in my work, and we look out for each other.” He finally allowed himself to relax. “You aren’t dumping me?” he asked tentatively. God, the worry that Chase was leaving had hurt bone-deep, no matter how much he might have tried to play it down in his head.

  Chase laughed. “I panicked a little. This is the first real, serious… serious relationship I’ve had, and I don’t want to walk away from it, but for years all I’ve had is my career, and now this case—”

  “I know. With those despicable people….”

  “Yeah. It could have ruined everything, and I didn’t know what to do about it, so I pulled back to what was safe.” Chase sounded tired and worn-out, like he’d been through a wringer of his own. “And if I had only talked to you, we could have come up with a solution days ago.”

  Newton shook his head, even though he was sitting in an empty room. “Nothing can ruin anything… if we don’t let it.” The answer was as simple as that. “It all comes down to what you want.”

  “Sometimes…,” Chase said, and suddenly Newton needed to see him.

  “Are you home?”

  “I was just going to go to my house. I had so much to do, and… my head went in circles all day.”

  Newton imagined Chase sitting out in front of his house in the car. He didn’t know why, but thought that was where Chase was.

  “I wanted to go home, and after everything and then talking to you, my car sort of made its way over here.” There was a slight sniff in his voice. “I really just needed to come home and….”

  Newton got up, went to the window, and parted the curtains, and sure enough, Chase’s car was parked out front, with him sitting inside, the overhead light on. The line went quiet, and Newton set the phone on the table and slowly walked over to unlock the door. Chase came inside and immediately took Newton into his arms, embracing him in a strong hug.

  Chase shook a little in Newton’s embrace. “I wanted to go home, and when I did, the damned car took me here. I didn’t think about it, just let it take me. All I had to do was hear your voice, and it brought me here like a siren song.” Chase kissed him hard and deep, and Newton let himself go right into it, drawn to Chase’s heat. But he wasn’t going to let kisses and all the hotness surrounding him get him off track. He and Chase had some talking to do, and the man wasn’t going to get out of it.

  Newton parted his lips as Chase’s tongue pressed for entrance. Chase cradled Newton’s head, making his scalp tingle wherever Chase touched him.

  Okay, so maybe they could talk a little later.

  Newton leaned into the kiss, letting it take him away, giving himself over to it as his body reacted. Damn, he wanted this, and instinct and need were seconds from taking over. Newton pulled back, letting go of Chase, inhaling deeply to try to calm the raging desire that threatened to take him.

  “We need to talk,” he whispered. He managed to take a few unsteady steps toward the sofa, then lowered his body to the cushions.

  Chase sat beside him, turned slightly. “I know I should have just talked to you. But this damned case is driving me crazy. I don’t want it, but I’m stuck with the clients, and the firm is watching how I walk this damned tightrope.”

  “They can’t expect you to win,” Newton said. “There’s no basis for it.” Not from what he’d seen. “They’re only making her life harder. The judge is going to see that and isn’t going to be sympathetic to their cause at all, especially given what their son has done.”

  “Sometimes ‘winning’ is simply an outcome that doesn’t make the firm look bad. The partners took this case, and no
w we’re stuck with it. They thought it was going to be a groundbreaking situation to assert the rights of grandparents. But it’s just a mess.” Chase groaned as he laid his head back.

  “Then the solution is simple. Make your clients see reality. Make it harsh and as personal to them as you can.” Newton took Chase’s hand. “Give them something that they could really lose. They’re so intent on winning that there’s the chance they could lose everything.” He met Chase’s gaze, and he nodded.

  “I came close to it.” He leaned in to kiss him. “I know I’m a smart guy, but sometimes I can be really dumb.”

  “Fear does strange things to us.” Newton was about to stand, but stayed where he was instead. “You scared me, Chase. I didn’t think I was ever going to find someone who would accept me and my issues, as well as the fact that I have kids. But I did, and when I wondered if that was gone….”

  “It wasn’t. I needed a little time to come to my senses. I’ve only had my career for so long that when I thought it could have been threatened, I retrenched, and I did it badly, I know that. I’ve always done it. Mom says it’s because of what happened to me. When I’m under threat, I retreat back behind my walls, and I didn’t see it. But she’s right. Some people build walls and hide behind them. I did the same, but I put mine on wheels so they’re always with me.” Chase lowered his gaze, staring at the floor. “I guess I thought I was over all of that.”

  Newton patted his hand. “We never get over it. All we do is learn to live with what happened.” He was living proof of that. “How about we agree to talk before we overreact, okay?” He smiled slightly.

  “I think I can do that.” Chase drew closer once again. “What I need to do is remember what’s truly important.”