Discovery

by Char Webster

  “I’m not a social worker,” Kate replied, and went back to saying nothing.

  After a minute, Alex asked, “Then what are you?”

  “Someone who’s a good listener,” Kate replied.

  Alex rolled her eyes and said, “Yeah, they all say that, and then they tell you what to do and what you’re doing wrong.”

  “Have you had a lot of people telling you what to do?” Kate asked.

  “What do you think?” Alex asked sarcastically.

  “I really don’t know, so I’m asking you,” Kate said quietly.

  “You really want to know?” Alex asked with a little less sarcasm.

  “Yes, I really want to know,” Kate said, looking directly at Alex for the first time.

  “Everyone. Everyone tells us what to do and how to act and no one ever asks us what we want,” she said defiantly.

  “What do you want?” Kate asked.

  After a long couple of minutes of silence, Alex said quietly, “I want my parents back, but that’s not possible, is it?”

  “No, it’s not possible, but that doesn’t mean you don’t still want that. And that’s okay.” Alex just stared at Kate, not saying anything. Kate continued, “What else do you want?”

  After another moment of silence, Alex uttered, “I don’t know.”

  “Well,” Kate said, taking a pause. “Maybe you need to think about that and let me know.”

  “Why? Why do you want to know? Why do you care?” Alex asked in an accusatory voice.

  “Why do I want to know? Well, you said it yourself. No one else asks you what you want, and I am giving you the opportunity to think about it and let me know,” Kate said plainly. “Why do I care? I care because I don’t like seeing you hurting and, whether you want to acknowledge that or not, you are hurting, and I want to help.”

  “Why?” Alex asked again.

  Kate paused and looked at Alex pointedly. “Because you need someone on your side to help you or you will be separated from each other, and I don’t think you want that.”

  “They can’t do that. It’s in my parent’s will,” Alex exclaimed as she jumped up. “They can’t separate us.”

  Kate watched the emotions play across Alex’s face: defiance, fear, and now horror. “They’ll go to court to have the will nullified. If that happens, you all will go to different homes and your sister will most likely be adopted out.”

  “THEY CAN’T DO THAT!” Alex screamed as tears started to run down her checks.

  Kate stood up and approached Alex to give her a hug. Kate was thinking to herself, I really want to help this girl.

  “Do you really want to help me?” Alex asked. Kate looked at the girl in surprise, thinking it was almost as if she could read her thoughts.

  “Yes, I really want to help you, Alex,” Kate said as she slowly put her arms around Alex to hug the frightened girl. Alex was stiff at first, but then she pulled Kate into a tight hug. Kate could feel Alex start to relax.

  They talked for several more minutes than ventured back into the building.

  As they approach the front hall, Kate got bombarded with feelings of hatred, anger, distrust, and cunning. The emotions smacked into her with such a force that she took a step back and blocked Alex. She stiffened and retreated a few steps. Kate wondered if Alex could feel it too.

  The emotions were coming from the couple speaking with Dawn. Kate studied the couple from down the hallway. They were both dressed very expensively and a bit lavishly—overdoing it for a trip to Family Services. Their ages were difficult to tell exactly, but they seemed to be in their late forties or early fifties. The woman had dyed-blonde, shoulder-length hair and too much makeup for the daytime. She wore a light-pink Gucci suit with matching Gucci shoes and a Chanel bag. Her diamond earrings were the size of dimes, and her wedding ring was even bigger. She was fighting aging, but was still attractive.

  The man had medium-brown hair that seemed a bit long for his clothing style and age. He was wearing an expensive suit, and a perfectly matching shirt with French cuffs and diamond cufflinks. The pocket square matched the tie he wore. A Rolex peaked out of his sleeve. Kate was shocked when he turned slightly and half of his face had scars that looked like they were from burns.

  The man turned toward Kate and Alex. Kate saw a cruel, calculating look in his eyes before he turned back toward Mrs. Johnson. A minute later, he ushered his wife out the building and they left. Kate was still trying to recover from the onslaught of negative emotions when they entered the room with Zach and Madison.

  Kate and Alex joined the kids on the floor, and the four of them built a block fort. Kate chatted with the kids, trying to get to know them.

  Maddy climbed right onto Kate’s lap, and both Zach and Alex looked at her in shock. Kate guessed from their looks that Maddy was usually more reserved with people.

  Kate engaged Zach in a conversation about soccer and how she had played a little when she was younger.

  “What position did you play?” Zach asked.

  “I switched on and off between left and right wing,” Kate replied.

  “Wow, you must have really good ball control with both feet,” Zach said, impressed.

  “I was pretty good once,” Kate said.

  “Did you play in college?” he asked, interested in the topic.

  “I did for a while, but my classes were demanding and something had to give. So I gave up on soccer,” Kate explained.

  “That’s too bad. You could have been like Carly Lloyd and won the World Cup,” Zach exclaimed. Carly Lloyd was also from South Jersey and helped the US National team win the World Cup against Japan.

  “I was never that good,” Kate said with a laugh. She looked over at Alex and noticed that the girl seemed much more at ease. It wasn’t going to be as hard as she thought to help these kids. They were great. They just needed someone on their side to listen to them.

  Dawn came to the door for Kate. The two of them returned to the room next door and observed the children once again.

  “So what do you think?” Mrs. Johnson asked.

  “I think she’s a very frightened and confused girl who is seriously hurting and feels like she has no one to turn to,” Kate replied, pausing to look directly at Dawn. “I want to help her.”

  “I knew you would. I’m really glad I called you. I’ve never seen her so calm—and without a look of annoyance on her face,” Dawn commented.

  “We had a little chat,” Kate said with a small smile.

  “Well that’s a good thing because I think I found them another foster home,” Mrs. Johnson told Kate.

  “Really? So soon?” Kate said, surprised.

  “Yes, you may have seen them when you were walking in with Alex. The Brooks have a large adopted family but are very well off and can afford to foster a few more children,” Mrs. Johnson replied.

  Panic and a feeling of devastation hit Kate like a tidal wave. She didn’t take the time to figure out why she was feeling that. She just blurted out, “No, the children can’t go with them. They should come live with me.”

  Kate was stunned that those words had come out of her mouth, but as soon as she said them, she knew that she had meant them. She could continue to help Alex and she could keep them together until their guardian could be found. She also felt a massively protective urge to keep them away from Mr. and Mrs. Brooks.

  Mrs. Johnson was completely stunned by Kate’s outburst. “Umm, Kate, you caught me by surprise. I’m not even sure how to respond.”

  “Dawn, my parents fostered several children over the years, and they left me their big house when they went to Africa to build their medical clinics. It has five bedrooms, so there’s plenty of room. You can come out and inspect it. I completed the foster parent classes as part of my master’s thesis project, and I have the summer off so I could work with the kids all summer. It would be perfect.”

  “Kate, have you really thought about this?” Dawn asked. “It’s a lot of responsibility for someone so
young.”

  Kate stiffened. “Are you questioning my qualifications?” she asked a little coolly.

  “Not at all. I just want you to realize how much time and commitment this will take,” she replied.

  “I want to do this,” Kate said with finality.

  Dawn looked at the resolve on Kate’s face and gave in. “Okay. I’ll get the paperwork together. You can tell the children.”

  “I want to take them tonight,” Kate told her.

  “Okay, but I’ll come out to the house tomorrow for a visit,” Mrs. Johnson said as she hurried to her office.

  Kate sat down on the nearest chair and wondered how exactly all of that just had happened. She was going to be a foster mom to three troubled kids. Cindy was not going to believe this. She could hardly believe it. She got up and went back to the other room to break the news to the kids.

  Kate kept thinking Wow, I’m going to be a foster mom as she walked into the other room.

  Zach and Alex both looked up, and Zach exclaimed, “You’re going to take us!” Alex looked at him in horror.

  Quickly Alex said, “You have a happy look on your face, so it looks like you have good news.” Kate just looked at both of them, slightly confused. There was something odd about these kids. Just as she was thinking that, Maddy came up and grabbed her leg and said “Up,” with such a cute look on her face that Kate lost track of what she had been thinking.

  Alex stared at her brother and thought, What are you doing? Zach looked at her with a quick, Sorry.

  “What are you sorry about Zach?” Kate asked, looking up from Maddy. Both Alex and Zach stared at her with their mouths wide open.

  Alex recovered first and said, “He bumped into me.” Zach just continued to stare. Again, Maddy said, “Up, up,” drawing Kate’s attention once more.

  Kate smiled and picked the little girl up, settling Maddy on her hip.

  She brought her attention back to the two kids in front of her. “I do have good news. At least I think that it’s good news. I want to be your new foster mom.” She paused. “What do you think?”

  Zach quit staring and smiled a huge grin. “That would be cool.”

  Kate turned to Alex who looked a little bit nervous. “Alex . . .” Kate prodded.

  Alex took a breath and said, “Yeah, that’s cool.”

  At that moment, Maddy hugged Kate around her neck with a squeeze and Kate looked down at her with a smile.

  Kate turned back to the two older kids, and she caught a look that they shared between them. Kate thought she knew what was worrying them. “Look, I know you guys are scared that it’s going to end up like all the rest of the places you’ve been shuffled around to, but I think that this can work. I want to help you guys, and you need a chance at a good home where you can stay together. If we all work together, this can be that place.”

  Both kids nodded but remained quiet. Just then, Mrs. Johnson came back with a stack of papers for Kate to sign. “Kate, look over these papers while I take the kids to get their stuff. We have a car seat for Maddy that you can have.”

  With that, Dawn ushered the two older kids out into the hallway to get their things.

  ~*~*~

  Dawn leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples. She had a headache, and it was just going to get worse. She had to have a conversation with Mr. Brooks. Dawn picked up the phone and dialed.

  The phone rang twice and Mr. Brooks answered with a brisk, “Yes.”

  “Mr. Brooks. This is Dawn Johnson from Family Services.”

  “Hello, Mrs. Johnson. Are you calling to arrange for the children to be picked up?” Mr. Brooks asked eagerly. He wanted these children badly. It would almost make up for the one who had escaped him, and he was still angry about that. The child would be an adult now and it would be even harder for him to find him or her. He still didn’t know if the child was a male or female.

  “I’m calling to tell you that we found a place for the children. I just—” She didn’t get any more words out when Brooks yelled, “What? What are you saying to me? You had better be confused and are now going to tell me when I can arrange to pick up the children.” He was not even attempting to disguise his anger.

  “I realize that you wanted to give the children a home, and we appreciate your offer, but the children were placed somewhere else today,” she said calmly. “Thank you very much for your—” Once again, she was cut off while speaking.

  “Stop right there. I DO NOT want to hear another word unless it is to arrange for the children to be picked up immediately,” he yelled into the phone.

  “I understand you must be disappointed, but I can assure you, the children have been well placed,” Dawn said quickly. She couldn’t wait to get off the phone. He was starting to really creep her out, and she was glad that the children wouldn’t be going to someone who could get so angry so quickly.

  She could hear his heavy breathing on the other end of the line and was prepared for him to continue to yell. She was very surprised when he sedately asked, “Who have the children been placed with? I want to make sure that they are well provided for, and I would like to offer financial assistance.” The smoothness in his voice was too serene for how angry he was before. She didn’t like the sound of it.

  “We don’t give that kind of information out, but I assure you that they will be well provided for,” Mrs. Johnson said soothingly, not wanting him to freak out again.

  “Well then, thank you for calling, and please let us know if anything should change. We would still like to have the children in our home,” Mr. Brooks said with a false calm. She could still hear the tenseness in his voice.

  “I will keep that in mind, thank you.” Dawn hung up with a very uneasy feeling.

  She sat there for several minutes thinking about the phone call. Something was definitely not right with that man. Her gut told her that he could be dangerous. Maybe she should look more into the Brooks family and all of the adoptions they had arranged over the years. Dawn grabbed the Taylor children’s file and shoved the entire thing in her shoulder bag to take home. She never took files home because they were supposed to remain at the office. Only duplicated pages could be removed from the building, but something told her to take the file with her when she left for the day.

  ~*~*~

  Brooks paced his den with a glass of single malt scotch in his hand. He couldn’t believe that stupid woman had given those children to someone else. Those children were his. Their gifts, when developed, would be just what he was missing. He poured himself another glass of scotch and resumed pacing the room like a caged animal.

  Glancing around his den, he barely noticed the shades of hunter green and brown that adorned the walls. His wife had added wainscot panels halfway up the walls and chair rails that she insisted were fashionable. He walked over toward the bookcases that held his pristine leather-bound editions that he never allowed anyone to touch or read.

  He was furious, and needed to find an outlet. The scotch was not helping, and Brooks had already put a hole in the wall of his office next to the fireplace. If it was not repaired by the time he got back there, he would happily take out his frustration on whoever was left in the room.

  He picked up his desk phone and it was immediately answered by one of this security guards.

  “Sir.”

  “Bring me Vincent. NOW!” He slammed down the phone and began pacing again. He hated to wait.

  Two minutes later, Vincent was escorted into the office with guards holding each of his arms securely, while he struggled violently against them. Brooks looked at the young man with distain. Vincent ceased struggling and faced Brooks defiantly.

  “After everything I’ve done for you, you try to escape!” Brooks shouted getting close to Vincent’s face. The young man didn’t flinch or even show any reaction at all. He simply stared ahead.

  Brooks backed up a step and grinned almost manically. “It would’ve been nice to have someone who could make things grow with a wave of their h
and, but you’ve outlived your usefulness.”

  He turned toward the guard on the right. “You know what to do. Just make sure the others know he is being taken to another estate.” Brooks walked toward the window, but turned back to add, “And Maurice, don’t let him escape again, or you will share his fate.”

  Chapter Four

  Two hours later, Kate and the three children pulled into the driveway of the house. Zach and Alex both had big eyes looking around at the Victorian home and grounds. “Wow, it’s really big,” uttered Zach. “Will we all get our own rooms?”

  Alex rolled her eyes, “Zach, you always get your own room, even when we have to share. You’re a boy. I usually have to share with Maddy.”

  “No one is going to have to share a room,” Kate replied with a smile as she helped Maddy out of her car seat. The little girl squealed and ran up to her brother, who was checking out the porch.

  “We really don’t have to share?” Alex asked tentatively.

  “You each will get your own room. Tomorrow we’ll evaluate the stuff you have and make a list of what you will need,” Kate told them as she unlocked the one side of the double door.

  “You’re going to take us shopping?” Alex said in shock.

  “Yes, I’m going to take you shopping. I’m sure there are tons of things you all will need.” Kate had just finished saying that when Zach began to groan so loudly it sounded like he was being tortured.

  “Do we really have to go shopping? I hate shopping,” Zach complained.

  “Oh, so you don’t need any new sneakers or soccer cleats?” Kate asked nonchalantly.

  “Soccer cleats?” Zach repeated hopefully and asked, “You would really get me some?”

  When Kate nodded, he looked excited for a second and then said, “But, I don’t need any. I’m not on a team.” His enthusiasm was slowly changing into sadness.