A Family Reunited

by Dorie Graham

  Frowning, she shook her head. “I couldn’t very well start from scratch without seeing how you’d done the original research. I thought a little consistency would be good, even if the new pieces go elsewhere.”

  He frowned in confusion. “So, you read my research files? I never published that research.”

  Her eyes widened. “I didn’t think you’d mind, since you were out of town. Finding the hard copies wasn’t too difficult. Your filing system makes sense...somewhat. The electronic copies were a little difficult, but then I found your password list and was able to log in as you and find them. I’ll email you the updated files when I’m finished.”

  He stared at her, stunned. Not only had she rifled through his desk, she’d stolen his log-in information and gone through his electronic files. This was too much.

  The electronic notes of “Call Me Maybe” sounded from within her purse. She pulled out her phone and smiled. “There’s Agnes now.”

  “I’ll let you get that, then,” he said.

  She nodded and moved away, already chatting to the director. Chase clenched his fists. The woman was out of control. He needed to put a stop to her meddling and he needed to do it now.

  * * *

  RESTLESSNESS DROVE ALEX from her bed after just a few short hours of sleep. To burn off the unwanted energy she went for a jog along the river. The trail was cool at the early hour and her legs felt strong. She ran until she thought she couldn’t run any farther and then she pushed herself to keep going.

  So what are you going to do?

  Make you guys not suck.

  And how, exactly, was she going to do that? Not that her family sucked. Well, sometimes they sucked, but sometimes she sucked, as well. Looking back, maybe going behind Robert’s back to find his biological father hadn’t been the smartest thing she’d ever done. Maybe she should have talked it out with him first.

  When those roots have been torn from the ground, it’s really hard to trust in them again.

  Regardless of what had happened with their mother and Charles McMann, they had been a strong family once. Could they be again? Somehow, she had to find a way to replant her roots. Did that mean considering staying in Atlanta? Was her family worth her reestablishing herself here? They would likely continue to knock heads over issues like her unauthorized search for her brother’s real father, or whatever else might come up as a result of them being people of differing opinions.

  Regardless of the outcome, though, she was glad she’d gone with Chase to see his aunt. The trip had definitely given Alex a new perspective on so many things. And she wouldn’t have taken back that afternoon with Chase for anything. If he were truly out of her life in that respect going forward, then at least she had the memory of that perfect afternoon with him.

  I’ll do everything in my power to make this better for you, Alex.

  If Chase could make an effort like that for her, couldn’t she make one for him? All he wanted was for her to mend things with her family. But was it too late? And how was she going to fix things?

  * * *

  “THANKS SO MUCH for coming by,” Chase said to Tony as he closed his office door and then cleared papers from a chair for his friend.

  “I decided to meet a client up the street for lunch, so this was on my way. Do you have the contract?”

  “I know this isn’t your area of expertise and I have the opinion of the university’s attorney, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to see what you thought, as well. It’s a donor agreement form signed by the husband of one of our benefactors,” Chase said as he handed the paper to Tony.

  “Even though it was his collection and he donated it, he always deferred to his wife as far as any issues of control,” Chase explained. “I believe that stems back to her family being among the original founders of the university. He did it as a wedding gift to her, as I understand.”

  Tony glanced at him, his eyebrows arched. “This gives the donor a sizable amount of control. Is that the norm?”

  “Shit, no, thank God,” Chase said. “I’d be pulling out my hair if that were the case. This was an unusual circumstance. The donation was made back in the late seventies and the collection was considered extremely valuable. The powers that be at the time were aching to get their hands on it and allowed these conditions. You’d never see anything like this today.”

  Tony leaned back and chuckled. “She’s sending you all over to Timbuktu and back with this, isn’t she?”

  “She is and I’ve been very patient, thinking it was in the museum’s best interest, but things need to change around here or I’m not going to make it.”

  “Well, rest assured, my friend, that this was binding to her late husband only. She isn’t named in this document and it even has a clause about all rights reverting to the museum upon his death.”

  “Yes, I saw that,” Chase said. “I wasn’t sure if her being his wife and inheriting his worldly goods would change any of this.”

  “The good news is that in this instance it’s clear-cut.” Tony handed him back the paper. “It’s up to you now to take back control. You have full legal rights to do so.”

  “Thanks. If I’m going to make any changes in the control over the collection there can’t be any question about the interpretation of the agreement,” Chase said and pulled out the manila folder with the provenance Paula Dixon had given him the other morning. “Again, I know this isn’t your area of expertise, but I’m curious as to what you think.”

  Tony opened the folder and scanned the contents of the first page, glancing up at Chase and shaking his head on occasion. When he’d finished reviewing all of the pages, he set aside the folder. He steepled his fingers. “Is this from a trusted source?”

  “I don’t know where she got this. She says it was in a crate left by her late husband, but I don’t believe it. I’ve had a funny feeling about it from the start.”

  “And what about the early ownership, prior to 1983? Were you able to validate the initial gallery?”

  Chase shook his head. “I found no existing record of such a gallery.”

  “I think you have your answer, then, my friend.”

  “Yes, that’s what I thought,” Chase said. “I don’t think she means anything underhanded by requesting to sell it. I think she just got a bum deal and is trying to make the best of it. She may not even know she was duped.”

  A chuckle escaped his friend. “I love how you see the best in others, Chase. That’s why you make a better curator than an attorney.”

  “Ah, but that’s why I have you to count on, my friend.”

  “That you do,” Tony said as he stood and shook Chase’s hand. “I’ll see you at the hearing, then.”

  “I’ll be there with bells on.”

  Chase relaxed back in his chair after his friend had left. Now that he had the upper hand with his beloved Mrs. Dixon, he wasn’t quite sure where to start. The museum was her life, after all.

  Surely, he could find a compromise and make a stand all at the same time.

  * * *

  THE MORNING WAS STILL YOUNG when Alex finished her run and headed to see her mother at the nursing home. She had a lot of ground to cover and starting with her mother seemed to make the most sense. She pushed through the main doors, near what used to be the receptionist’s desk before the health-care cost reductions eliminated the receptionist.

  The sound of tinkling silverware and murmured conversations drifted to her from the dining room. Smiling, she searched the early-morning diners for her mother’s familiar gray-and-auburn hair. The nursing home seemed to have a lot of nonsleepers. She’d probably fit in well here.

  The flash of a familiar smile caught her eye. Her mother sat on the far side of the dining room, sipping coffee with another woman. Alex wound her way through the tables, smiling at the other residents and exchanging a few morning greetings along the way. Her run had certainly improved her mood. She should probably take it up on a regular basis.

  “Alex!” Her mother rose
and extended her arms as Alex approached.

  Happiness filled her as she hugged her mother back. Whether they were in the current decade or not, this was the mother she remembered. She drew back, smiling.

  “Mom, it’s so good to see you so clear-eyed today.”

  Her mother frowned. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I guess I’m hit or miss, aren’t I?”

  “It’s okay,” Alex said. She gestured to her mother’s breakfast companion. “I don’t want to interrupt. I was just out and about and felt the need to stop by.”

  “This is Peg.” Her mother indicated her friend. “She actually works here in the front office, and when I come to, so to speak, I check in with her to see what’s been going on. She’s in that front office, and though she doesn’t catch everyone, she has a good idea of the comings and goings around here.”

  Tears pricked Alex’s eyes. Her mom was really her mom this morning, not the woman in the photograph or the one with early-onset Alzheimer’s. She was Mom. Alex shook Peg’s hand. “I’m Alex. It’s nice to meet you.”

  The woman rose. “We don’t know how much time she’ll have for this round. I’ll leave you two to visit.”

  Her mother frowned. “It’s not that I’m not thrilled to see you, but I understand you’ve been around a number of times recently. I’m just surprised you’re here.”

  She gestured for Alex to sit and resumed her seat, as well. “Although, what excellent timing. Please, catch me up on everything. Without the receptionist, it isn’t easy to keep track, but Peg says you and Becky are my only recent visitors. Oh, and she said Megan stopped by for a little bit yesterday, which was also a surprise.”

  She pulled a little photo album from her pocket and showed it to Alex. “She identified all of you from these.”

  Alex flipped through the pictures and laughed. “Those are from the late eighties, early nineties. I’m surprised she could still pick us out.”

  “Quickly, what are you and Megan doing here? What’s going on with Robert and your father? She hadn’t seen either one of them in a while and that’s a little unusual.”

  “Dad comes by?” Alex asked, surprised.

  Her mother nodded. “When Peg told me I’d been having a gentleman visitor, other than your brother, it took me a while to figure it out, but, yes, evidently he comes sometimes. I think it’s kind of sweet.”

  “I know he still cares about you,” Alex said. “He told me you were just about perfect.”

  “He said that?”

  “Yes.”

  “And what’s going on with you and with your brothers?” She waved her hand. “Just tell me, is everyone healthy and happy?”

  Alex met her gaze, but she couldn’t form the words. Should she tell her mother what was happening with Robert? Her throat burned and tears gathered in her eyes.

  Her mother gripped her hand. “Oh, my God, who is it? Someone isn’t well?” She bit her lip and her gaze darted away and then back. “It’s Robert. That’s why he hasn’t been by.”

  Agony etched the lines of her mother’s face. Alex closed her eyes. She shouldn’t have come. She shook her head. “He’s going to be okay. He has to be.”

  “If you thought that, you wouldn’t be so upset.” She squeezed Alex’s hand. “What is it?”

  “Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was nonresponsive to the original rounds of chemo, so he underwent a stem cell transplant, using his own stem cells.” At her mother’s confused look she added, “It’s like a bone marrow transplant, though less invasive.”

  “So, he got some of his own blood stem cells?”

  “Exactly.”

  “But he isn’t okay?” her mother asked, her voice unsteady.

  Alex shook her head. “The tumors started growing again shortly after the procedure. His oncologist wants him to undergo a second transplant, using donor cells this time.” Alex dropped her gaze. She’d started it, nothing but the entire truth would do now. “We were all typed, or our blood was typed to see if any of us could be a match.”

  Her mother stared at her, unblinking. “And none of you matched?”

  Alex shook her head.

  “Oh, my God, then what can be done?”

  “His doctor is continuing a search of the national donor bank. We’re asking friends to get typed. We’ll keep looking for a donor until we find one.”

  Her mother’s eyes rounded. “What about me? I’m his mother. He got half his DNA from me. That’s got to count for something. Can’t I get typed?”

  Alex again shook her head. “We talked about it and Robert won’t allow it. Your lucid periods are so rare, even if you agree to it and signed some kind of document while you were lucid, which I highly doubt is legal, he wouldn’t want to put you through the trauma. What are the chances you’d be lucid when it was time for the procedure?”

  Tears gathered in her mother’s eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “I understand. But what about your father? He got typed, too?”

  “Yes,” Alex said as the room blurred.

  “And he didn’t match, either?”

  Alex met her mother’s gaze. “No, Mom, Dad wasn’t a match.”

  “At all? You’d think a parent would be a good option.”

  “In most cases, but not here.”

  “Not here? You mean not with your father?” A frown creased her brow.

  “Normally a biological parent is a half match, but Dad wasn’t.”

  Her mother’s eyes widened. “Oh, my God, are you saying he isn’t Robert’s father?”

  Alex nodded, unable to speak through the burning in her throat. “Why? Why, Mom? I went to see Chase’s aunt Rena and she told me about Charles McMann.”

  “Oh, my God, Alex.” Her mother covered her face with her hands and her shoulders shook. “I did this. I did this to Robert. That’s why Jacob wasn’t a match and none of you were matches.” She pulled her hands away and straightened. “I didn’t know. I swear I thought he was your dad’s.”

  Alex gave her a pointed look. “My dad’s?”

  Her mother closed her eyes. “Oh, Jesus.” She shook her head. “I don’t know, honey, I’m so sorry, but I don’t.”

  Alex squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry, Mom. This isn’t why I came here.”

  Her mother wiped her eyes with a napkin from the table. She inhaled slowly. “I’ve screwed everything up for all of you and I’m guessing you want to know why.”

  Reaching across the table, Alex squeezed her mother’s hand.

  “It doesn’t matter. I thought before that I wanted answers. I thought that I needed to understand why you did what you did and that I wanted to know if this Charles was my father, too, but I’ve realized something over the past week or so. I realized it doesn’t matter.”

  “Oh, honey, I can’t tell you enough how sorry I am.”

  “I don’t think I realized until just this moment what unconditional love is. I’m not going to deny that I’m upset and that I’ve been angry with you over this, but I’m looking at you now and it’s killing me that this is hurting you so badly, so I guess that means I still love you, even though you screwed up royally.”

  Her mother shook her head. “I did. I really screwed up, and I don’t know what to do to fix it.”

  “It’s okay, Mom.” Alex stood and hugged her mother. “The important thing is that Robert isn’t alone in this. The silver lining is that we’ve all come back together to rally around him. We’ll keep searching for a donor and whether we find one or not, whatever is to come, we’ll meet it head-on, in one united front.”

  Her mother cried and hugged her. Alex blew out a breath and patted her back. This was what she’d come for. She’d needed the feeling of her mother’s arms around her. Whatever life had to throw at her now, she was ready.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHASE STARED AT THE SHINE of his shoes as Tony took a seat beside him. Had he been too industrious with the shoe polish? Tony had said to just be himself, to look nice, but not to dress in a power suit, so Chase had go
ne for dress slacks and a blazer, but he’d been nervous and maybe his shoes had turned out as more of a pair of power shoes to go with the power suit he hadn’t worn.

  “Nice shoes,” Tony said as he set his briefcase on the chair beside him.

  “Shit. I knew I overshined them.”

  Tony raised his eyebrows. “Relax. I think everyone is on your side here.”

  Chase nodded, but his nerves remained on edge. This wasn’t done until it was done and what if they decided that he didn’t make a good guardian for Kara?

  Justin Harris, Kara’s caseworker who had come by to do Chase’s home assessment, took a seat at the table across the aisle from them. Chase nodded to him, but the man simply stared back at him, his expression unreadable. A woman in a dark suit joined him, and Chase raised an eyebrow at Tony. Why did she get to wear a power suit?

  As though reading his mind, Tony leaned in and whispered, “You look like a dad, not a CEO.”

  Chase nodded imperceptibly. His friend had better be right.

  They all stood as the judge entered and took her seat at the front of the courtroom. Chase surreptitiously wiped his palms on his slacks and tried to appear fatherly, per Tony’s instruction.

  The judge motioned them to sit. “This is a hearing to transfer legal custody of Kara Marie Anders to Chase Mitchell Carrolton until said minor reaches age eighteen. Is Mr. Carrolton present?”

  “Here, Your Honor,” Chase said and stood.

  The judge consulted her papers. “And we have a Mr. Tony Abilene representing you.” She peered over her reading glasses as Tony stood and responded.

  She smiled at the man and woman at the other table. “And I see we have Mr. Justin Harris with the Department of Family and Child Services, and Ms. Greta Young as the court-appointed Special Advocate.”

  They both stood and nodded their greetings and returned the judge’s smile. Chase’s stomach knotted as they all resumed their seats. He inhaled slowly. Kara was already planning a celebratory dinner tonight. What if something went wrong?

  “I see a motion to no longer provide reunification services to the parents was filed some time ago.” Again, the judge peered over her glasses. “Are either of the girl’s parents here?”