Chapter 10
"Can I go to work with you today?" asked Kenny as Kerrie put a plate of eggs and buttered toast in front of him.
Kerrie's heartbeat increased. "Maybe another day. Mondays are rough."
Mabel snaked around her, putting a fork in Kenny's hand. "You know, there's a day group in Hazard I think he would like. It's full of people like Kenny that go and enjoy themselves. I can take him. Get him out of the house to interact with his peers."
"Hazard is 30 minutes away, Mabel," Kerrie replied tersely.
The thin, older woman stood up a little straighter. "So? He sits here for 30 minutes, or he sits in my car for 30 minutes. He needs out of this house, Kerrie."
She shook her head before the words finished, leaving Mabel's mouth. "It's not safe for him to go that far."
Mabel stepped beside her at the sink, where she was washing the frying pan she had cooked eggs in. "I'm not trying to tell you how to take care of Kenny, because you're a great provider for him, but maybe take a step back and look at the situation. I think you'd find the worry is more your issues than Kenny's."
Kerrie straightened her back and set her face, prompting Mabel to rush a reply to herself. "Kerrie, he needs more stimulation than SpongeBob. And you need a life outside of this house and the center. The day program accepts state insurance. I can call myself and get him approved. They'd even allow me to sit and wait on him so he's not left without someone he knows."
Kerrie bit back the lashing that was on the end of her tongue. Mabel was only helping, but Kerrie could not stomach sending him off 30 minutes away instead of keeping him safe in their home. She shook her head again, rinsing the pan off, then placing it in the dish rack to dry. "I don't know, Mabel."
"How about I get him approved while you think about it? That way, if you decide to let him go, we already have it set up."
Kerrie opened her mouth but then was cut off. "It wouldn't hurt just to have it in place."
Glancing back at Kenny, who had a bit of egg already on his clean shirt as he ate, she considered the proposition. "You can set it up, but he doesn't go without my permission."
Mabel nodded her gray head. "Yes, of course. Thanks, Kerrie."
Kerrie was left to wash the last couple of dishes in peace. She didn't want to think about how quickly she turned down the idea of Kenny leaving the house. Mabel was one of the only people she trusted with Kenny on the planet. She wouldn't do anything to put him in harm's way. But ever since his heart attack, she kept adding more and more layers of protection. She couldn't live life without him. She might not be able to control what his heart did, but she could control keeping him safe outwardly, and their home was the safest place for him.
With a kiss on the cheek to Kenny and a quick hug to Mabel, she left those thoughts behind as she got in her truck, breakfast in her lunch box, and a thermos of coffee in hand.
As soon as Kerrie pulled up to The Church, she knew something must have happened over the weekend. Luke leaned against one of the four white pillars on the front stoop. The tired, disappointed look was all she needed to see to know it wasn't going to be good .
"Who did what, and what was it?" she asked as soon as she got out of her truck, it bumping up a little after she stood.
He chewed his bottom lip for a moment, then cast a glance at Sparrow. "A few guys from Sparrow were drunk as shit last night. Someone went to the store and got beer."
Dread filled her, lining her gut like lead. It was 7:45 on Monday morning, and she'd have to start it with this. "Which guys?"
"Bentley, Jones, and Cade."
"Shit, Jones is my new guy. Has he even been here a week?"
Nodding his head, Luke pushed off the pillar. "About a week, I think. Jones was the one that went to the store, and the other two just participated from what I understand."
"And they were the only ones?"
"Yeah, from the looks of it. There's not a lot of guys in Lower Sparrow right now."
Sighing, Kerrie shifted her thermos to sit in the crook of her other arm as she unlocked the front door. She was in for a long morning.
The morning staff meeting went about as well as she expected. The overnight staff report of the drinking incident was read aloud for everyone to hear. It was funny in an odd sort of way. Even though counselors had no control over what their clients did, it always felt a bit shameful when they acted out. Like their behavior reflected on them. The clients weren't children. They knew most only four weeks tops. They were grown men with free will, but still, there seemed to be a little cloud of responsibility hanging over the counselors' heads during those meetings.
The ultimate decision on what happened to those who broke the rules would be up to her and Wilson. Tyler would support whatever they decided and only give input if asked normally. Two were on Wilson's caseload, and the other was hers. All three were what they called "on legal," meaning they were court-ordered to complete the program or would have to finish out their remaining time in jail. Her client, Jones, would have at least nine months to lay down. He had two kids and a fiancée waiting on him back home and a job his soon-to-be father-in-law was holding for him if he completed the program. A lot was weighing on the kid's shoulders, and last night, he fucked it up. She hated this part of the job.
She walked up the steep steps to The Church's back door and opened it just as the clients were starting to leave their morning Reflection meeting. Some greeted her while others just nodded, and she let the three people who had been caught drinking walk by without mentioning anything. She would need to talk to Wilson first before addressing any of the problems. As she unlocked the door to her office, she could hear a clickety-click sound coming down the hallway and a feminine laugh.
Glancing over her shoulder, she caught a glimpse of the unmistakable silhouette of Bette Cooper, who was being accompanied by Luke down the hall. Her blonde hair was curled, bouncing lightly as she walked, and she wore a lilac buttoned blouse that Kerrie thought complimented her blue eyes. Her figure was subtle in a knee-length, flowy skirt accompanied by high heels. She looked so foreign in a world full of men and masculinity. A little rose among a sea of rocks.
"Kerrie, it looks like I'm finally going to be allowed to do work here at The Church. Tyler said we need to meet so I can figure out exactly where to start," she said, flashing a smile.
Irritation filled Kerrie. She didn't have time for this today. She was already going to have to deal with the drinking incident on top of needing to finish everything up for the end of the month, which was two days away. She didn't have time to teach this woman how to do a job that was supposed to be helping her. Tyler knew this would be a chaotic day. Why had he sent her here?
Shaking her head. Kerrie finished unlocking her door and walked in, calling over her shoulder. "I really don't have time for that today. I've got a lot to do."
She looked up at Bette when she got to her desk. She could tell by the way the blonde cocked her head to the side and set her feet that Bette was not happy with that answer. If the woman hadn't been carrying a large purse and tumbler, Kerrie was sure that she would have crossed her arms. "And I have a job to do. A job that needs your cooperation to work."
Kerrie bit her bottom lip briefly as she reached to turn on her computer. "I really don't have time. We had some guys get caught drinking last night, and we have to deal with that. Plus, I have notes and audits to finish, one new intake, and I need to reassign chores."
"Isn't that one of the tasks I'm supposed to be doing?"
"I don't know, maybe? Shouldn't you know what your job is?" snapped Kerrie as her computer logged on. She smacked the side of the monitor.
"Are you always a dick?"
Kerrie stopped mid-smack, her eyebrows knitting together as she stared at Bette. Who the hell did she think she was?
Luke shifted uncomfortably behind Bette. "Yeah, I'm going to go have a smoke. Walkie me if you need me."
Kerrie waited until he was gone before replying with a tight voice. "Did you just call me a dick?"
"No, I asked you if you always act like one. Once you confirm it, then I'll call you a dick. Until then, it's just speculation."
Kerrie could barely believe her ears. She really did just say that.
"Well?"
"I don't know who you think—"
A clapping of hands sounded, and both moved to look at the source. Tyler stood in the doorway, his trademark fake smile plastered all over his face. "Well, looks like we've already gotten started this morning, huh? Kerrie, I know there's a lot going on, but I need you to squeeze Bette in today. "
Anger bubbled within Kerrie. Why did no one seem to understand that she had things to do? Things that had to be completed on time. Things that would impact these three men.
She tried to take in a breath to lessen the tightness in her chest. It was like everything was compounding at once lately. Things kept going wrong, and not just at work. On Sunday, she checked on the basement apartment after Seth left. He had left it relatively clean, but the once pristinely painted white walls had scratches all over, and the toilet was running continuously. She spent the whole day painting and fixing the toilet. Even Kenny had helped, which worried Kerrie at first, but he seemed to enjoy having something to do. He sat on a stool while running a paint roller over the walls.
The thought of Kenny's wide, infectious smile as he awkwardly rolled the paint roller up and down, glancing at her every few seconds to see she was watching him, forced some of the anger out. She took another deep breath, ignoring the tingling feeling in her lungs, and then nodded. "I have to talk to Wilson about the issue over the weekend. Walter is going to do group for us so we can handle this. I guess I can squeeze some time in after that."
"That's so kind of you to find a little time," smiled Bette, sarcasm dripping off each word as she crossed her arms over her chest. Kerrie returned a tight smile, biting back a retort.
"Okay then, that sounds perfect. Call me if you need anything."
He left a thick silence behind, the air around them bogged down with tension. Seconds ticked by, which only made it worse. Finally, Kerrie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "How about you go get your things put away and come back here? You can sit in on the meeting with Wilson. You may as well see how things work in situations like this. I'm sure it won't be the last time. It never is."