by Avelyn Paige
Natalie sobs beside me, and Grace wraps her arm around her shoulders, pulling her into her side.
“They got the bullet and stopped the bleeding. They fixed it as best they could.” GP sighs. “He’s in a medically induced coma, and will be for the next few days. His heart needs time to heal, and he’d be in too much pain if they let him wake up now.”
“Is he going to live?” Grace asks.
“It’s too early to tell.”
I look over at Stone Face, whose anger always seems to simmer just under the surface. “What happened to Henry Tucker?”
“Cops arrested him before we even got there,” he bites out. “He’s locked up at the station tonight, but will probably be off to county before lunchtime tomorrow.”
I narrow my eyes and step closer so only he can hear me. “We can’t let this slide.”
“Oh, we aren’t. Trust me. But once he hits county, it’s going to take some effort to get to him. It won’t be easy.”
“Mr. Grant?” a nurse calls from the locked door leading down to the patient rooms. “Your niece would like to see you.”
I make my way toward her, squeezing Grace’s hand as I go. I don’t know what to think about Lindsey and this whole baby thing. I mean, she’s a grown ass woman. She can make her own choices. She taught me that back when she was just a teenager. If I had to describe Lindsey in one word, it would be independent. But if it was Karma’s baby that she lost? That’s a whole different story.
I follow the nurse down the hall and around the corner. Finally, we stop outside of the room. “She’s very emotional,” the nurse warns, and then, without even giving me a chance to absorb that unwelcome information, she shoves the door open and steps inside.
Lindsey’s curled on her side, a pillow clutched to her chest. She’s not crying, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see she’s been doing a lot of it recently.
Her head lifts when she sees me, and she starts to cry. “You’re okay?”
Moving to her side, I wrap her in my arms. “I’m okay, darlin’. Are you okay?”
Her voice breaks as she tells me, “I lost my baby.”
I don’t know what to say, so I say nothing other than, “I know, sweetheart. I know.” Holding her tight, I ignore the pain I feel from my own wounds and rock her gently from side to side.
“Nothing’s ever going to be the same again, is it?”
And that’s when I realize that no, it won’t be. The cops have arrested Henry. Karma’s in a coma. Lindsey will never have children, which is something she’s always wanted. And my kids will never have peace until they know he’s gone. Not in jail, but gone.
As a father, I need to make sure my kids get their peace, no matter what.
Grace
I never thought this day would come. The day I would walk into my office for the last time. While a part of me has pangs of sadness for all the years of work I’ve lost to this place, the future in front of me lessens it.
I scan the four walls that are filled with memories. Good, bad, and in-between.
I’ve done good things here.
I’ve seen the worst.
I survived.
I pull out one of my desk drawers and double check that all of its contents are securely nestled in the box on my desk. A noise draws my attention to the door. Eric leans against it with a frown on his face.
“Grace,” he mumbles before shoving his way inside.
“Eric.”
“I thought I’d come see you off.”
“That’s nice of you,” I lie. He’s only here because it’s mandated for anyone who puts in their notice.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” I hear it in his voice that he wants me to reconsider.
“It is,” I declare. I broke the rules. All the rules, actually. And to be honest, it felt good that I helped bring a family together instead of tearing it apart with a lot of help from Eugene and his club. “It’s time, Eric. I’m ready for a change.” More like, there’s no way in hell they’d allow me to stay employed here when they figured out whose bed I’m sharing. It’s not like I can hide the big beast of a man from this side of my life. They could call my judgment into question as a key witness for future cases because of my association with the club. No. This is the best thing for all of us.
“What will you do now?”
“I have a job offer. A good one.”
“Oh, wow. That was fast. Any place I know?”
“Nope.” Grabbing a photo on the edge of my desk made by one of the kids I’d helped reunite with her dad, I stuff it into the almost overflowing box. “It’s the change of pace I need. After so many years, it’s going to be nice to help people again.”
Eric arches an eyebrow in confusion. “We help people every day.”
“Eric, be honest. When’s the last time you felt good about our line of work? When you really felt like you helped protect the happiness of the kids who come into our care? Don’t you get tired of watching families being torn apart over some technicality?”
“We are helping them, Grace. We protect them from abuse. Homelessness. Poor living conditions. Happiness isn’t a factor in what we do.” Taking a deep breath, he shrugs. It’s like he’s reading the recruiting handbook back to me verbatim. The old Grace would’ve believed every single word of his spiel. I know better than that now.
“I thought being in their shoes would help provide a deeper perspective into what they’re going through, but do you know what I realized? The system hasn’t changed. A lying parent can rip away the rights of the other parent whenever they want. We send a child into foster care when their grandmother wants to care for them. How are we protecting them?”
“We’re bound by the law, you know that.”
“Well, I’m tired of laws that only work for those who know how to manipulate them to fit their own agenda.”
“Jesus, Grace. Is that how you see it?”
“You really are blind to it all now. It’s a shame. You used to be such a good advocate for these kids, but the life of bureaucracy gets us all, I guess.”
“Where is this coming from? This isn’t the Grace Halfpenny I know. What’s changed?”
What hasn’t changed about me? I’m happy. I have a family. It may be a little non-traditional, but it’s a family. One that looks out for each other in their own ways. It’s not the kind of family I was looking for, but it’s the one I’ve needed all along.
“Family. I have a family for the first time in my life.” He stares at me again with confusion. “That’s where I’ve been, Eric. I wasn’t sick. I was protecting my family, and do you know what I learned? That the last few weeks have been more fulfilling to me than the last ten years I’ve spent here.”
Shoving the last stack of my personal files into the box, I place the lid on top and pick it up.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have to pick the kids up from school. My keys, badge, and anything else you need are in the top drawer of the desk. Have a nice life, Eric.”
I hurry toward the door and shove my way past him without even saying goodbye or looking at him. I stare straight ahead, all the way out of the office and to my car. My mind is elsewhere, and I don’t even notice the man leaning against my car.
“Where the hell have you been?” Greg’s voice cuts into the haze. I jump out of my skin, nearly dropping the box.
“Jesus, Greg! Where did you come from?” I exclaim, trying to keep the box from tumbling onto the ground. “You scared the crap out of me.”
“I could ask you the same thing.” Pushing away from my car, he takes the box from my hands and sets it down on the ground next to my feet. “You been dodging me?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been busy the last couple of weeks, Greg. Things have been a bit complicated with work.”
“I didn’t know ‘work’ rode a motorcycle. Shit must be different at the office since the last time I stopped by.”
“How did you know?”
He scowls, his weathered face
looking serious. “Someone has to look out for you. I saw him bring you to the office. He treat you okay? Because if he doesn’t, I can still kick an ass or two at my age.”
I try not to laugh at the thought of Greg squaring off against Eugene. It’ll only upset his cranky ass even more if he thinks I’m laughing at him and not at the idea of it.
“He does, and he’s done so much for me.”
“You love him, don’t you?”
“I do,” I admit. “He’s rough around the edges, but he sees me for me. He understands me, as crazy as that sounds.”
“That’s good, Grace. But the offer still stands. He hurts you, I’ll show him what they taught me in Nam.”
“I’ll let him know. How about I bring him with me next week? I’ll bring enough burgers for all of us.”
“I won’t be there.”
“What do you mean?” What’s changed in the last couple of weeks that Greg isn’t going to be in his normal haunt? I check him over, and nothing has visibly changed.
“I’m going to the VA.”
“You’re what? Oh, Greg, that’s great. What made you change your mind?”
“You’re taken care of now.” How did that stop him from going to the VA? I’ve been after him for years, and that’s why?
“You refused to go because of me?” How in the world would I be the reason behind that? “I don’t understand.”
“I had a daughter once. Elizabeth. Bitty, as I liked to call her. When I came home from the war, she and her mother were both gone. I tried to find them, but I never did. I went to war, and she left me without so much as a goodbye.”
“I’m so sorry,” I nearly sob. “I had no idea.” He never really talked about himself or his family. How much more do I not know about him?
“You remind me of her.” My heart shatters inside my chest. He’s been through so much, and I never even scratched the surface of how bad it’s been for him. I knew he was alone, but not like this. Not in this way. “You even smile like her.”
“If you ever want to find her again, I might be able to help. There’s so many different ways to track someone down now.”
“I’ll consider it.”
As he walks away, I call out, “You never answered my question, Greg. Why am I the reason you didn’t go to the VA?”
“Someone had to watch out for you, and now that you’ve found yourself a man, I can finally retire from the post.”
“I don’t know what to say. I didn’t know that’s why you didn’t want to go.”
“Don’t go making a fuss about it,” he scoffs. “You gotta make me a promise, though. You’ll still come to visit me. Bring him. He and I need to talk about how fast he rides that bike of his with you on it.”
“You know I will. You’re family, Greg. It would be my honor for you to meet Eugene and the kids.”
“Kids, huh? Getting a pre-made family to boot? Well, good for you. It’s about time someone made an honest woman out of you.” If he only knew just how dishonest Eugene had really made me.
“They’re going to need a grandpa figure in their life. Think you might want to be that for them?”
“Grandpa?” he considers it. “I like the sound of that. Bring the kids with you too.”
“When do you go?”
“I’m on my way there now.”
“Would you like a ride?”
“Nah,” he answers with a dismissive wave. “They’re supposed to send some van to collect me and my things. You let me get settled in for a couple of days and then come by.”
Walking over, I hug him. He’s stiff at first, but then he hugs me back. “Thank you for watching out for me.” Releasing me, he backs away, shaking off the faintest look of sadness.
“Now don’t go getting all emotional on me. I better get going before I miss the keepers from the VA coming to get me.” Picking up my box, he hands it to me. “Don’t forget your promise, or my burgers.”
“I won’t.”
I watch him walk away before I let the tears flow freely. Knowing that he’s going to be safe and looked after is the best last day of work gift I could have asked for. He’s a good man who’s had a hard life. It’s high time he got to enjoy his golden years.
Unlocking the car door, I slide the box into the passenger seat. The top goes askew, and the edge of a file that I had tucked away into my personal effects peeks out.
The file containing my last act of helping someone in the system had failed. A system that’s taken a year to even consider his right to access his birth records. Records that have been in our system since he was adopted from foster care at the age of two.
“Tyson Jackson, it’s your lucky day.”
I flip open the file, my phone at the ready to call him. While it rings, I finger out the copy I’d made of his birth certificate. My eyes scan the names as he picks up.
“Hello?”
All that escapes my lips is a gasp when I see the names listed.
Judge
“Make a left here,” Grace says, pointing at a side street that’s definitely not going to help us get to our destination.
“Put your finger down, woman,” I tease. “I know where we’re going.”
“I have a stop to make first.”
“A stop where?”
“Don’t you worry about it. Just make a left. You’ll see when we get there.”
Natalie’s head pokes up over the back of the seat. “Are we not going to see your friend? I thought that’s where we were going.”
“You and me both, kid,” I grumble, but I follow Grace’s directions, and once the coast is clear, I make a left.
She settles back in her seat, a smile plastered on her face, her hair blowing in the wind from the open window. She looks so different this way. No skinny skirts and tight buns. Instead, she wears ripped jeans, sandals, and a white shirt that shows off just the right amount of cleavage for my liking. And I like.
Her hair is loose, her lips are shiny with gloss, and if the kids weren’t sitting in the backseat of this truck, I’d be pulling over to the side of the road to show my appreciation.
“We are,” she assures us. “Greg’s looking forward to meeting all of you.”
“Is he like your grandpa or something?” Natalie asks.
Grace considers that. “Kinda,” she replies. “More like a pseudo-uncle.”
I look in the rearview mirror just in time to see Nat’s nose crinkle in confusion. “A what uncle?”
“A pseudo-uncle,” she repeats. “Like a pretend uncle. Or a stand-in uncle. He’s not my real uncle, but he takes the place of one. That’s why he wants to meet all of you. He said he wanted to meet my new family.”
That word bounces around the inside of the truck with the weight of a bowling ball.
“We’re your family?” Natalie questions, her eyes wide and filled with more hope than any thirteen-year-old girl should have to feel. And if I’m being honest, I’d like to hear the answer to that question too.
Smiling, she turns in her seat and reaches back, placing her hand on Natalie’s knee. “Mr. Judge and I are in a new relationship,” she tells her. “And I honestly can’t make any promises on what will happen with that.”
I frown, but wait for her to finish.
“But I know I love him very much. And I love you and Kevin very much too.” She’s never told me she loves me before. We’re still so new, and everything has been so crazy. But she loves me. Those words hit me like a rocket, sending jolts of happiness through every single part of me.
But she’s not done yet. “The four of us have been through more together than most biological families have been. No matter what happens between Mr. Judge and me, nothing will ever change that. We’re a family. All four of us. That family will grow as we do, but there will always be the four of us, no matter what. Okay?”
Natalie swallows and nods, her eyes filled with tears.
“You okay with that, Kev?”
Kevin stares out the window. “Yeah, that�
�s cool.”
All I can see of him is the side of his cheek, and it’s flushed a bright pink that’s not usually there. Grace’s words hit him as hard as they’d hit me.
“Oh, we’re here! Turn into that coffee shop right there.” Grace’s quiet, reassuring voice is gone, and now it’s just plain excitement radiating off of her.
“What’s going on, woman?” I ask, turning and searching for a place to park.
“You’ll see.”
Once I park the truck, she turns to me, her face bright and beaming. “I have a surprise for you. For all of you. Come on.”
Her excitement is infectious, but I’m not a big fan of surprises. I get out of the truck, my mind whirling with all the different ideas on what sort of surprise could be waiting for us inside a coffee shop.
The kids and I follow her inside. Pausing, she looks around before making her way to a couch and loveseat set up with a coffee table between them.
I frown when I see the man sitting on the couch jump up as Grace approaches. I know this guy. It’s Ty something or other. We’d shared a jail cell recently. But how the hell does he know Grace?
Ty has a young boy sitting on the couch beside him, his face covered in chocolate from the donut he’s shoving into his mouth.
“Ms. Halfpenny,” he greets with a nod, his gaze darting over to me with recognition. I relax a little at the formality. She obviously doesn’t know this guy well if he doesn’t even use her first name.
“Mr. Jackson,” she returns, her voice suddenly all business. “Thank you for meeting me.”
“Yeah,” he replies, a little irritated. “I don’t know why you wanted to, though. The judge still hasn’t ruled on my case.”
Grace moves and waves us closer, inviting us into their conversation. “Mr. Jackson, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Eugene Grant.”
He looks as confused as I feel. “Hey,” is all he says.
Kevin curls his lip and looks to me, clearly not understanding what the hell is going on, either.
