"What happened after you went to the doctor?"
"I was able to get in touch with her social worker, and she met with Jennie and Mrs. Willis this afternoon. After a good deal of begging on my part the social worker agreed to let her stay in the group home for a few days while she investigates placement possibilities. I just hope to God they don't put her into another foster care situation," Ryan sighed.
"Why not, Honey?"
"She was in two foster care homes after her mom threw her out the first time," Ryan said. "She ran away from both of them, and the second time she was on the street for more than a week. I spent every evening looking for her, and by the time I found her I nearly did beat her!"
"Good Lord, Ryan. What can we do to help her? I thought she was so jaded that she was past redemption. But it sounds like she's still pretty impressionable."
"I know, Hon. I'm really worried about her hanging out with the street kids. She doesn't have very much common sense, and I'm afraid her friends will lead her to do things she wouldn't do on her own."
"How does she do in school?" Jamie asked.
"When she's not making a point to her mother, she does really well. She's a very bright kid, Jamie. She's very creative and quite talented. She hasn't had much instruction since the high schools don't offer art anymore, but her drawing skills show a lot of potential."
"How about sports?"
"She hasn't done much, but I think she would get a lot out of athletics. Her school only offers the standard girls sports, and she's not interested in them. I think she'd do better with something like golf or tennis."
"I just wish we could do more," Jamie mused.
Ryan looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "You know, I would even be willing to be her guardian, but Mrs. Willis would fight tooth and nail to stop that from happening."
"Well, we'd have to have a very, very long discussion before I'd give the okay to have her move in with us, Hon," Jamie said, smiling at her partner's generosity but not at the thought of being a parent to a fourteen-year-old. "But I understand how much she means to you."
"I guess we just have to wait and see what happens," Ryan said. "I hate to feel so powerless, but in this situation I guess I really am."
"Yeah, I guess that's so." Jamie sighed and said, "If you think you're powerless, think how Jennie feels."
Part Ten
Jamie looked nearly as tired as she felt as she walked down the stairs to find her keys. She briefly regretted the fact that she hadn't gone down to her mother's house the night before, since that would have taken forty-five minutes off the trip, but Ryan had class this morning and they would have had to sleep apart, and Jamie was loath to be apart when it wasn't absolutely necessary.
Much to her pleasure, Ryan was in the kitchen making her a big bowl of oatmeal to give her something to stick to her ribs and get her through the morning. "I don't know if I can eat at five a.m.," Jamie grumbled as she sat down at the kitchen table.
"Come on, Love," Ryan urged. "You've got to eat, and this will give you a little energy."
"Okay, I'll eat it…but only because it's made with love," she decided, smiling up at her partner.
The first pair to tee off strode up to the tee box at eight o'clock on the dot. Jamie was scheduled for the fifth group, and she was in the process of limbering up on the driving range when Jim quietly approached. "Hi, Cupcake," he said softly.
She turned and gave him a generous smile. "Hi. I'm glad to see you, Dad." Looking over his shoulder she asked, "Are you alone?"
"Yes. Your mother is going to come over separately. I think these early tee times aren't to her liking," he chuckled.
"No big deal," she said. "If you're not into it, I realize that watching golf is a little like watching grass grow. I appreciate that she makes the effort." She smiled at her father and added, "I'm really happy that you made the effort too, Daddy. It means a lot to me that you flew across the country just to see me play."
"I wouldn't have missed this for the world, Honey. I'm so proud of you, I could burst!" he exclaimed with more enthusiasm than she thought she had ever heard from him. "I don't even mind that you're not playing for Stanford!"
She knew that sentiment was a lightly veiled jab, since he was a Stanford man through and through. Actually, her decision to attend Cal was the first real disagreement they had ever had, and she knew that he had always considered it a particular slap that she had chosen to attend Stanford's biggest rival. The thought flitted through her mind that her decision to attend Cal had allowed her to make more than one momentous change in her life, none of them particularly welcomed by her father.
Ryan's class was over at 9:30, and as soon as she could get away she went home and grabbed her car and swung by Jordan's. Next they headed over to Amy's, and then Michelle's. Most of the players were taking the bus to Palo Alto later that afternoon, but Ryan had talked a few of her friends into going down early to watch Jamie's match.
Traffic was not too bad on that Friday morning, and they were at the golf course by eleven. Jamie's foursome was on the 15th hole when they approached, and as she looked around, Ryan was delighted to see four more of their teammates already trailing the group. All four freshmen were raptly watching play when Ryan went up behind Heather and said, "Boo!"
The poor young woman nearly jumped out of her skin, but luckily Jamie had just rolled in her putt so the startled scream that came from her throat did not disturb anyone's play. Heather blushed furiously as Ryan put her arms around her for a hug. "This was so sweet of you guys to come!" Ryan declared as she hugged each of the other women. Ashley, Lauren and Cami all blushed at the praise, but Ashley admitted, "You should thank Heather. She's the one who got us organized."
Ryan gave her young protégé another hug, and this one caused the young woman to blush a deep pink. Catherine was also following her daughter's foursome by this time, and she walked over to the volleyball players to greet them all. Most of them recognized her, and after a moment of small talk she reminded them all of the party at her home after the game. Ryan stayed with her to talk privately while the Cal group followed Jamie to the next hole. "Do you really think this is a good idea?" Ryan asked, her anxiety beginning the get the better of her. "I can't imagine that Jim will like all of my friends hanging out at your house."
"Jim is the one with the problem, Ryan. Coddling him hasn't made things any better, so I'm going to live my life as I see fit. He's the one who has to change this time. It's his problem."
Ryan said hello to Jim as they caught up with the group, but she quickly grabbed her teammates and went to stand with the gallery along the fairway where the balls would land rather than standing close to the golfers. She didn't want to make Jamie nervous so she thought it best not to actually talk to her during the round, plus she wanted to give Jim as much space as she could.
She had never told Jordan the extent of the animosity that Jim had for her, but Jordan knew about Jim's edict that Ryan move out-which had obviously not come to fruition. The blonde woman stole glances at Jim occasionally, finally commenting, "Jamie looks a lot like her dad, doesn't she?"
"Yeah, physically, she does; but in my opinion, she gets most of her wonderful qualities from her mother. She's really special."
When she putted out at 18, Jamie finally looked up and made eye contact with her partner. Ryan gave her a brilliant smile and a wink, but waited patiently until Jamie shook hands with the woman she had beaten. Jim and Catherine were standing relatively close to the volleyball team, but when Jamie trotted off the green she immediately went to give Ryan a hug and a kiss. "That was so sweet of all of you to come watch me!"
"It was fun!" Ashley piped up. "I've never been on a golf course before."
"Well, I admit it doesn't have the drama that your games do, but the atmosphere is nicer." Turning to Ryan she lightly patted her stomach and asked, "Isn't it time for your midday feeding?"
To the chuckles of her teammates, she grinned indulgently and admitted, "I co
uld use a little snack. Can you go with us?"
"I have to stay until my team is finished. But you need to get a good meal in you now so you can digest it before your game. Why don't you guys go on and have lunch?"
"I hate to leave you," Ryan said.
"Go on now," Jamie smiled. "I should spend some time with my parents anyway. When the match is over, we'll have a late lunch together."
"Okay with you guys?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah, I'm starving," Jordan admitted. "And if I'm hungry, Boomer here is probably close to eating small animals."
"Let me suggest a few places," Jamie said, describing a few spots close to Stanford.
When the eatery was agreed upon, they began to say goodbye to Jamie. Giggles broke out among the group when Jamie asked, "Ryan, do you have enough money?"
"Yes, Mom," she grinned.
"Now remember to eat enough to get you through until 9:30."
"I will, Jamie," she said to the snickers of her friends.
"You play well tonight, Boomer," she added, standing on her tiptoes for a kiss.
"I will, Jamie," she said mechanically. That got her a hard pinch that she fended off by wrapping the pincher tightly in her arms. "I'm proud of you," she whispered while everyone looked away. "You played great!"
"Thanks," Jamie replied. "It meant a lot to me to have you here."
As Ryan released her, she looked over to Jim to wave goodbye. The unguarded look on his face was far less than friendly, but as soon as he realized she was looking at him, he forced himself to smile. "See you later, Ryan," he called out.
When they walked away, Amy said, "What's up with Jamie's dad? He looked like he was ready to kill somebody."
"I hope that's not the case," Ryan worried without verbal elaboration. 'Cause I'd be the victim!
By the time they had finished lunch, it was time to head over to the gym. Coach wanted them to spend an hour getting used to the court, so they practiced some low-intensity drills and worked on service technique for a while. At around three he released them until 5:30, but that wasn't really enough time to go anywhere, so most of the team dressed in their warm-ups and wandered around campus.
Ryan did not want to spend another afternoon looking through a campus bookstore, so she opted to hang out at the gym. "I think I'm going to take a nap," she decided.
"Are you going over to Jamie's?" Jordan asked.
"No. Since we didn't arrange that, I don't think I'd better. I don't want to seem like I think it's my home too."
"So where are you going to go?"
"I've had some of my best naps on the training table," Ryan said happily. "Care to join me?"
"Sure. It's better than looking at Stanford Tshirts for two hours."
When the student manager came in at 5:15, she had to laugh at the sight of the two six-foot tall women sound asleep on the five-and-a-half-foot-long training tables. They had fashioned pillows from towels, and even though the tables were too short, both women looked quite comfortable. At the first small noise that she made, Ryan's eyes popped open. "You two look happy," the woman said.
"Nothing better than a long nap before a big game," Ryan smiled.
Jordan woke a little more slowly than Ryan, but within a few minutes she was her normal perky self. "Now what do we do?" she asked. "We can't start warm ups until six."
"How about a little game of horse?" Ryan asked seductively.
"You're on, Boomer."
Jordan actually had a great touch for someone who hadn't played basketball in years. "Hey, you're damn good," Ryan said as her shot was matched again.
"Why's that?" she asked airily. "Just because I can keep up with you?"
"Well, uhh, yeah, I guess that is what I meant," she conceded with a little blush.
"To be honest, I played on my high school team. I was recruited by a lot of colleges, but I just liked volleyball better."
"You should come try to walk on with me," Ryan said, missing from center court.
"I don't think I can risk it," Jordan admitted. "I can't afford to blow out a knee."
"I see your point," Ryan said, her mouth dropping as Jordan swished it from center court, "but we would kick ass if we played together."
"Well, I would kick ass if I played alone," she said, patting Ryan on the cheek indulgently, "so I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have you tag along."
All three of the Evans family members rode down to Stanford in one car. On the way over to campus Jamie warned, "All of Ryan's family will be there tonight. Knowing Martin, he hasn't told the extended family about how you behaved this summer, Daddy, and I'm not even sure what the boys know, but don't expect a rousing welcome from him."
"I won't," he said with yet another fake smile, already feeling a little jealous of the man of whom Jamie obviously felt so fond.
Everyone was very warm and friendly to Jim even though there had been a buzz in the group when he appeared at the door with Jamie and Catherine. The family didn't understand why this was the first time the man had gone out of his way to attend any of the family functions, but they didn't show it. Tommy and Annie were in attendance together for the first time, and as soon as they were introduced to Jim they began to thank him enthusiastically for the use of his home for their little vacation. It was obvious to Jamie that her father had no idea that these people had been in his house, but his years of training as an attorney prepared him to handle the situation smoothly. As the young couple went back to their seats, Jim leaned over towards his wife and whispered, "Why do all of these people act like they know you so well? And who was the couple that stayed at the house? You've never mentioned any of this."
She shrugged mildly and said, "They're a lovely group of people, and they've welcomed me into the family, Jim. If you play your cards right, they'll do the same for you."
Martin and Maeve had been in line for refreshments when the Evans family had entered, and as they came back to their seats Martin made eye contact with Jamie and escorted his beloved up to meet Jim for the first time.
Maeve had given Martin a rather stern talking to on the way down to Palo Alto, finally convincing him that he should not even allude to the trouble that the lawyer had caused for Jamie and Ryan. Martin wasn't happy with the order, preferring to take Jim aside and tell him how close he had come to paying him a little surprise visit, but he knew that Jamie wanted the evening to go smoothly, so he agreed to keep his anger bottled up.
After the introductions, Jim tried to make small talk. "So, Jamie tells me that Ryan is quite the gifted athlete," he said with a smile. "Was she always involved in sports?"
Martin stretched his mouth until he could contort it into a reasonable facsimile of a smile. "Yes," he said without elaboration.
"Well, it must have been hard raising such a big family without your wife. You've obviously done a fine job," Jim commented, trying to butter up the stern-looking man.
"Thank you," Martin said, with his steely-eyed gaze never softening. The tense interlude was mercifully brought to a close as the game was set to begin. Martin pointedly picked out seats next to his brother Francis, four rows away. "Not a very friendly bunch, are they?" Jim asked his daughter.
"They usually are," she said softly. "They're just very protective of Ryan…and me." She patted her father's arm and said, "I have to go say hello to everyone. Be back in a few."
Caitlin hadn't been able to properly greet her friend, and just before the game started she made it clear that she wanted to go to her. The giggling baby was passed down the row, finally reaching her target. She threw her chubby arms around Catherine's neck, slobbering all over her extremely expensive sweater. "Since when are you a fan of babies?" Jim asked with a puzzled glance, wincing as he heard how harsh his words sounded.
"Since I realized what I lost by being so distant from my baby," she said with uncharacteristic honesty.
"It's drooling on your sweater," he helpfully pointed out.
"She may drool wherever she wishes. That's why God made dry clean
ers," she said.
He leaned back in his seat, staring at the interaction between his wife and the small child. "She looks a little like Jamie did at that age," he commented, sticking his finger out for the baby to play with.
Caitlin looked mildly interested in him, but she was fascinated by the heavy silver chain that Catherine wore around her neck, and she occupied herself by trying to make a dental imprint on the smoothly polished metal. "Yes, she does a little bit," his wife agreed. "Less so now than when I met her. She looked more like Jamie when her features were still a little indistinct. I suppose it was the blonde hair and the green eyes."
"That's a nice combination for a little girl," he said, once again trying to engage the baby. "I miss my little Jamie," he said softly as he trailed a finger down the baby's pudgy cheek.
"With any luck, we'll have a grandchild or two in a few years," she said lightly, now beginning to look forward to the possibility.
"Yeah," he said tersely. "There's always that to look forward to."
Catherine gave him a look and shook her head. "They are planning on having children, Jim. You have a few years to get used to the idea, but you're not going to dissuade them. I think they'll be fantastic mothers."
He nodded somberly, unwilling to even imagine his daughter being that adult. "I'm sure Jamie would be," he admitted.
"Ryan is the one," Catherine disagreed. "She had the proper example at home. Jamie will learn how to mother from her."
Catherine looked up when the three O'Flaherty brothers entered the gym. All three lumbered up the stairs, greeting everyone as they passed. Since Jim and Catherine were in the top row of the group, the men squeezed into the row behind them for their introductions. Conor, of course, was friendly, asking Jim all about his adventures in Washington. Brendan was very reserved, being formally polite-nothing more. Rory was his usual shy self, but he acted as though he bore no animosity towards Jim. After just a few seconds, Brendan indicated that their cousin Frank had saved them seats, and he and Rory climbed through the crowded bleachers to reach their spots.
Intentions - SF9 Page 30
