“Gina’s our friend. We want her here.”
“Yeah,” Hailee added. Gina had never seen Hailee’s jaw set so firmly. Always so in control and responsible, she’d yet to witness Hailee display a teenage attitude. This was the closest she’d seen.
The CYFD worker looked to Gina speculatively, and then peered out into the stock area. Eva was out of sight but Gina suspected she was listening beyond the door. Hopefully, she was praying.
“I want Gina to be here since we can’t reach my mom.” Hailee’s crossed arms and straight spine challenged the investigator.
Ms. Anderson conceded and they sat around the table to answer her questions. While she’d been rather aloof with Gina, she was warm and friendly with Hailee and Javi. Her questions weren’t easy, but the delivery was gentle. Both remained calm, though reticent to reveal too much. Before long, she handed them each a card.
“I’ll be in touch soon. You can expect me to stop by your home as I continue my investigation. I really need to reach your mother. In the meantime, please call me if you feel worried or scared, or if something doesn’t seem right. If you have trouble of any kind, please, don’t hesitate. It may not feel like it, but I am on your side, okay?”
They nodded faintly, both tracing the block printed font on the business cards in their fingers, absorbing the surprise of her visit. Gina ducked her head in front of them to get their attention. “I’ll be right back, okay?”
She followed the other woman out as quickly as the pain in her bruised knee would allow.
“Excuse me, Ms. Anderson?”
The woman turned to Gina and her demeanor remained one of quiet authority. She couldn’t decide if she liked her or not.
“Michele,” she asserted with a sadness in her eyes, despite her smile. The things this woman probably saw every day. And Hailee and Javi’s situation was mild compared to the others she’d likely investigated. Gina’s frustrations dissolved.
“Call me Gina. I’m sorry to keep you, but I was just wondering if there’s anything else you can tell me without the kids overhearing.”
“I really can’t tell you much. This investigation has just been opened. I intend to work with this family closely to determine what’s going on here. I have to substantiate the claims of multiple calls before I can move forward—”
“Multiple calls?”
“Yes. We’ve received several, which is why I’m here. Although the children look well cared for, there were a few red flags in their rather evasive answers I need to pay attention to. If you have specifics that could assist me, I’m all ears. You obviously care for them a great deal, and people like you can make all the difference in the world to kids whose home lives are less than ideal. If you’re concerned for their welfare and believe that there’s a cause for removal, please speak up. Silence can be devastating.”
Gina nodded soberly. She knew the truth of that all too well.
“I won’t prejudice your investigation. I have a lot of hope for them, if their mom can get the help she needs to work through her grief. Hopefully you can work some magic, but I’ll be praying.”
Michele’s smile was genuine and shimmered in her eyes. “Thank you. In my line of work, there are never too many prayers.”
Chapter 28
Gina’s hand trembled on the bottle of herbal anxiety relief pills she’d picked up at the natural foods market. In many ways, the out-of-control feelings that so often overwhelmed her had improved since knowing Jaydon. His presence was a calming agent, nearly as effective as breathing techniques and grounding exercises.
But in the weeks since they’d made the call and learned more about the Miller-Garcia family, she was standing on the edge of the abyss and praying for rescue.
Every time she felt like she’d gotten the worst of it under control, the anxiety monster roared from its closet and reminded her she hadn’t quite beaten it yet. This morning, she’d woken up drenched in sweat with her chest inexplicably tight and her face a mess of splotchy hot spots with a few bright red pimples to make her day start off extra special. Oh joy.
No surprise, really, considering Michele had emailed her last night to meet at Belinda’s request. She couldn’t imagine what was going on. Ugh. There’s no fear quite like the fear of the unknown.
Her phone rang, a saving grace of distraction that forced her to take a few deep breaths and refocus her attention.
“Hello?”
“Hey, babe. You doing okay?”
Thank you, Lord, for Jaydon. The man had a gift for knowing when she needed him and when she was freaking out. She could almost hear his prayers for her and felt their comfort.
“Mostly. Anxiety was bad this morning.”
She’d finally told him how bad it was and what her symptoms usually looked and felt like. She’d picked a few arguments the past week since she’d met Michele at the market, and he’d been left wondering what in the world was going on with her. Poor guy. She’d really jumped down his throat the other day for no reason.
He’d stopped by her place with dinner after work on Wednesday before heading to the church, knowing she’d forget to eat before going to the Johnson house. She’d been so glad to see him, but at the same time his unflappable demeanor had irritated her. How could he be so calm when she felt so conflicted?
She felt responsible for triggering this investigation and the stress that those poor kids were under. Hailee had broken down Tuesday evening, admitting her fear of separation from her brother. While she’d agreed that calling the authorities was necessary, since Jaydon had actually placed the call, her irrational, stressed-out mind assigned him all the blame.
Of course, it wasn’t his fault. It was Belinda’s for not being able to handle herself or seek treatment. How many times this month had Gina tried to reach out to the woman? How many times had Eva tried to get through to her, one addict to another? How many times had the kids begged her to seek treatment so they could be a family again? They’d all lost count. She insisted she was fine and didn’t need anyone to interfere.
“Babe? You still there?”
“Yeah, sorry. I’m still a little stuck in my head. Michele called and said Belinda asked that I personally meet with them at ten this morning.”
“Huh.” She pictured Jaydon running his hand through his beard. “Maybe that’s a good thing.”
“Yeah, maybe. I don’t know what to expect and that’s probably why I’m freaking out.”
“Probably. Have you tried your 5-4-3-2-1?”
Gina suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Years of therapy and learning the techniques and suddenly he was the expert? Chill, G. He’s just trying to help.
“Not yet,” she admitted with a huff.
His gentle voice soothed the irritation she tried to harbor toward him. He really was her perfect match in every way.
“Five,” his low voice rumbled.
“Five things I can see. One, a bird outside the kitchen window. Two, the trees blowing in the wind. Three, my cluttered table. Four, dirty dishes. Five, my shopping list on the fridge.”
“Four.”
“Four things I can feel. Okay, um, I feel cool air blowing through the vent. Two, soft sweater. Three, cold tile under my feet. Four, stressed.”
“That doesn’t count.”
“Fine. I feel…a headache coming on.”
“A little negative, today, but okay. Three.”
“Three things I hear.” She listed them.
“Two.”
Ugh, she didn’t want to do this anymore.
“C’mon, babe, almost there.”
“Fine. Two things I smell? I need to take out the trash and I burned my eggs.”
“Um, okay, that’s pleasant.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not feeling particularly pleasant right now.”
“Understandable. One.”
“I still taste toothpaste after brushing.”
“Hey, that wasn’t so bad, right?”
“Yeah. I guess. I’m sorry fo
r being a grump.”
“No worries. I love you, G. It’s going to be okay. God’s in control here. Don’t forget that.”
“I know. Pray with me?”
“You don’t even have to ask.”
Half an hour later, a calmer and more in-control Gina was knocking on the Miller-Garcia door. Belinda answered, wordlessly ushering Gina inside. Michele rose from the couch and extended her hand to Gina.
“Hi, Gina, it’s good to see you again.”
“Hi, Michele.” She looked from one to the other, her gaze questioning.
“Belinda? Would you like to open the conversation now that Gina’s here?” Michele’s demeanor was warmly professional.
“Yeah, whatever.” Her eyes were a storm of emotional conflict. Gina saw the sad resignation only half-hidden beneath Belinda’s armor.
“I didn’t just bring the kids to Albuquerque because I got a job here.”
“Okay,” Gina hesitated, confused. The woman seemed at odds. It wasn’t like Michele was a cop, nor was Gina, so why did she act like a criminal confessing to get a reduced sentence?
“I took the kids and left El Paso because we’d been investigated a couple times and I was afraid I’d lose the kids. I already lost my husband. I couldn’t lose them, too. I thought we could have a fresh start. Had a job, kids were doing great in school. But…after we moved, it was hard to deal with all the changes. I didn’t need much, just a little meds to help with anxiety and depression.”
“That makes sense. There’s no shame in seeking treatment from your doctor for that.”
“That’s what I tried to tell this chick.” Belinda nodded flippantly to Michele.
Michele’s eyes narrowed briefly and one brow shot way up. “If they were your prescriptions, we wouldn’t have a problem.”
Gina was thoroughly confused.
“Why am I here? I don’t understand.”
Michele gave Belinda a look. The woman rolled her eyes, switched her crossed legs, and flopped back in the couch like a broody teenager.
Shaking her head, Michele looked to Gina.
“Belinda has given me permission to discuss things with you frankly. And right now, we have a bit of a dilemma. In the year they’ve lived here, we have no reports on file. I haven’t been able to confirm specifics, but I did learn there were multiple investigations of some kind in Texas.”
“Because my neighbor was a nosy, self-righteous—” Belinda spat out a string of unpleasant words.
Michele raised an eyebrow, unimpressed and plenty irritated. “While I’m highly suspicious as to whether the torn-label prescription bottles in the bathroom are legally prescribed anti-depressants as she claims—,”
Belinda interrupted Michele with a loud protest. “Are you calling me a liar?!”
Michele ignored her and went on. “Mrs. Miller-Garcia has started a new full-time job, and the kids appear to be doing well in school and seem stable. Believe me, this is not typical when I’m called to make an investigation. But I can’t ignore the history in Texas and recent calls, so I’m tied.”
Michele turned to address Belinda. Her voice gentled and her eyes showed compassion.
“Belinda, I’m trying to help. I can see how much you love your children, but you’re not doing them any favors by self-medicating and checking out. They need you to deal with your grief and be the parent. You wanted a fresh start? Take it. Because if you don’t, we’ll obligated to intervene for the safety of the kids.”
Belinda looked like she was going to mouth off for a brief moment, but her gaze softened and her demeanor relaxed.
“Look, Michele, I appreciate you talking with me this morning. I’m sorry you lost your husband. It’s nice that you found a way to move forward with your life. But we don’t need you to investigate because there’s nothing going on.”
Gina couldn’t just sit there and listen to a lie. “Belinda, you know that’s not true. Two guys stopped Hailee in an alley a while back, demanding payment for what they supplied to you. She only came out of it safely because Jaydon was there to run them off.”
The woman’s eyes widened. She hadn’t a clue what her habit nearly cost her daughter. Gina expected defensive rage or snide retort. Instead, Belinda shocked them by bursting into tears.
“You don’t know what it’s like!” She wailed.
Michele placed a hand on her forearm. “I do. I know how the pain slices so deep you feel physically torn open by it. I remember the days where it was so overwhelming I couldn’t get out of bed, let alone go to work and face other people. But no matter how deep the grief over your husband, your kids are still here. They need you and they deserve better. You have to get help.”
Gina watched Michele deflate. This woman was incredibly kind. She wasn’t just doing a job here, she had a heart for hurting people. Gina felt a camaraderie of spirit toward the investigator. Michele sucked in a deep breath, and her facial features went from composed gentleness to unyielding authority.
“For now, I don’t have enough data. I’ve spoken with the neighbors, and no one’s talking. The police were not called about this incident in the alley—which I will be following up on—and Hailee refuses to talk about what happened, so there’s no legal record of it. Clearly you didn’t know about it, so I pray you’ll take this as a wake-up call. But from a professional standpoint, let me be clear. If you don’t want to risk further investigation or losing your kids, do something before it’s too late.”
Belinda was quiet. Her twitchy body language screamed the inner turmoil she was experiencing. Gina tried to ignore the constant tapping of one heel and the way it bounced Belinda’s whole leg. The woman was tight as an overinflated balloon—but if she burst, would it be in anger, grief, self-pity, or something else?
“I lost Mateo, I can’t lose my kids, too. But I don’t know how to get out of this pit.”
Gina scooted closer to Belinda, placing a gentle hand on her knee. The knee stopped bouncing and Belinda’s stormy eyes met hers.
“It’s okay. I’m here for you.”
Belinda looked surprised. She clearly wasn’t used to having people reach out to her in concern.
“I’ve actually been looking into some programs you might want to check into. My mom is a recovering alcoholic and user. She’s been working with a counselor and her sponsors in AA and NA and learning a lot. I hope you don’t mind, but since she works with Hailee I told her a bit about you guys. She wants to help however she can.”
Gina reached into her bag and pulled out a few sheets of paper. Jaydon did all the research but felt it would be better received coming from her.
“This one here is a slightly longer-term residential program that focuses on healing the whole person. While your body goes through treatment from the drug use, there’s individual and group counseling that work to understand the reasons people use and abuse substances. I even found staff there who specialize in grief and depression.”
Belinda looked from Michele to Gina, every emotion rolling over her in rapid succession. First there had been anger and resentment. Then she looked defensive, her armor clinking into place like Iron Man’s suit. Then, it all fell away and the woman wilted like a week-old cut flower.
Michele sat on Belinda’s other side, and Gina quietly reached for Belinda’s hand. “Listen. I know you’re angry with God and have been struggling a long time. But can I pray for you?”
The woman nodded, and Michele smiled softly. Gina spoke softly through her prayer and felt the presence of the Lord heavily in the room as if Jesus himself were there, his arms wrapping them all in a cocoon of peace. Belinda was a mess, Michele had a job to do, and it was totally weird how Gina had been pulled into it all, but there was no doubt He was doing something.
By the time Gina and Michele left Belinda, they had a plan in place and all three hugged each other. There was no doubt in Gina’s mind that the Lord was doing something major here. They’d expected her to resist, but maybe what Belinda had needed all along was peopl
e to come alongside her with support and encouragement.
Chapter 29
June
It all happened so fast, Gina felt like she’d blinked and woken up three weeks into the future with little recollection how she’d gotten there.
And now? She was a mom. A temporary mom, but still. She could hardly believe it, really.
In all of it, God’s fingerprints were everywhere. A sticky toddler loose in a room full of mirrors kind of everywhere.
Once Belinda made the decision to get treatment, they’d been surprised at how quickly the facility was able to take her. With no family to speak of and at Michele’s wise recommendation, Belinda named Gina temporary guardian.
Fingerprints—evidence of God at work.
After thorough background checks and verifying Gina’s home was a safe environment, Michele agreed that this was definitely an uncommon best-case scenario and an answer to prayer. Another social worker would check in on them often over the next couple months, making sure the kids were stable and adjusting, especially once Belinda came home.
Michele was brilliant with guiding them in the right direction and was quickly becoming a friend to Gina. Though her official time with them was over, they had plans to meet for coffee next week.
More fingerprints.
And Jaydon? He had been one of the best parts of it all. She’d already known the sweet man was great with kids, but he’d stepped into the role of parental figure/cool uncle like he was born for it.
When Gina needed another twin bed to put in her spare room? He’d found a donor from the church and they’d unloaded it and set it up, frame and all, the next day.
When they needed to work out transportation because Gina’s house was beyond their schools’ bus zoning and Hailee and Gina’s work schedules conflicted, Jaydon volunteered to pick up the kids every day and take them where they needed to go each afternoon. While he always had things to do at the church, his schedule was flexible enough to handle it fairly easily. The man was a gift straight from God.
Whatever Comes Our Way (Everyday Love Book 2) Page 22