Chapter 12 #2
I kissed her temple before I said, “It’s not like I’ll be raising her alone. Adding one more to our bunch isn’t going to make the slightest difference.”
“Are they going to let you keep her?” Dad asked as he watched Mom walk around the chair Darcy was sitting in so she could get closer to the bed. “Catch us up.”
Mom sniffed as she ran her hand over the sleeping toddler’s hair and then asked, “What did Amethyst say?”
“Her test came back positive, but we knew it would just by the smell of her clothes. She’s relatively healthy but has a horrible diaper rash and a respiratory infection.
Amy is confident the IV she’s got her on now will clear her lungs up, though.
They gave her something to help her sleep about an hour ago. ”
“Oh, sweetie,” Mom said as she stopped trying to fight the tears. She leaned down and kissed Rev on the forehead.
“Nix has already nicknamed her Buttercup,” I told them with a smile as my sister walked around me to stand beside the bed. “She’s not a big fan of me or Darcy, but she already loves him.”
“What did the cops say?” Dad asked.
“She’s going to get charged with violating the restraining order even though Darcy opened the door and let her inside.
When they arrested her, she had shit on her, so they called Brawley over.
Max sniffed around for just a few seconds before he alerted, so they searched her car.
There was evidence inside the car: a couple of pipes and baggies, that sort of thing, and a damn gun. ”
“And it wasn’t her car,” Darcy added. “Or her gun.”
“Those facts are gonna come into play, I’m sure,” I said flatly.
“Fuck. That woman needs an incredible amount of help. I assume you’re on the CPS radar now?”
“Yeah, but not like you’d think. They confirmed that she really did list my name as the father and has been doing it consistently with all of the financial aid that she’s applied for ever since. How the state hasn’t come after me for child support yet is beyond me.”
“So, what’s their stance on this?”
“Rebecca’s gonna have charges because of this, and her listing me as Rev’s father was the best thing she could have done.
As far as they’re concerned, she’s already officially my responsibility, so if they decide to do a home visit or whatever, I’ll jump through their hoops until they tell me I can stop. ”
“This is such a clusterfuck.”
“And to think this is what it’s come to after we welcomed her into our house for years,” Mom said sadly. She looked over at Darcy and asked, “How are you doing in the midst of all of this?”
“It was definitely a shock when she walked in smelling like she did and said the little girl was Crow’s, but in my heart, I knew she was lying.
There’s no way he would have a child out there in the world, especially in circumstances like that, and not move heaven and earth to keep her close by.
Other than that, I’m thoroughly confused about the situation, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. ”
“We haven't been able to talk about it,” I explained. “With doctors,nurses, caseworkers, and I don’t even know who else flowing in and out of here, I haven’t had a chance to tell her about Rebecca.”
“She was my closest friend for years. Her parents were horrible people, so she spent almost all of her time at our house during our years in elementary and middle school. But when we started high school, she changed into someone that I barely recognized. I tried to stay in touch with her, but she took a completely different path than I did, so I was excited when I found out she’d gotten a scholarship and moved into the dorms. Everything was fine for a while, but she eventually flunked out and didn’t have a place to go or any family that would help her, so I called and asked Crow to step in. ”
“She called Phoenix first,” I tattled.
“And he told her to kick rocks,” Dad retorted as he gave me a knowing look. “Not sure I’ve ever accused that boy of being the smart one, but in this instance, he won the prize.”
Mom shook her head and nudged Dad with her elbow before she explained, “Crow helped her time and time again, even when he should have stopped trying, but things got really weird. Raven was on the road with the band, traveling all over the place to promote their album, and they inevitably lost touch. Then someone started stalking Raven, sending her horrible letters and packages, and even threatening her life. We were so busy trying to protect her that we didn’t notice just how far Rebecca had spiraled out of control. ”
“She added a gift for Raven in a care package I sent her, and that’s how she found out where she was staying,” I finished.
When Darcy’s eyes got wide, I said, “Rebecca was her stalker, but she was good at multi-tasking. When she realized that she wasn’t going to become part of our family through Raven —”
“She was part of our family for years!” Mom interrupted.
“There’s really no way to know exactly what she was thinking,” Dad said, trying to soothe Mom.
“She decided to get into the family through me. When I didn’t take the bait, she made work a living hell by stirring up shit and then acting innocent until I found out she was on drugs and fired her ass.
” I chuckled before I said, “And then she tried to convince anyone that would listen that I had gotten her pregnant.”
“Oh, wow,” Darcy whispered.
“By then, the cops were onto her, but she took a plea deal,” Raven explained.
“The prosecutor asked if I would agree to letting her go to rehab rather than risking a jail sentence that could cause her to lose her baby that was not my niece or nephew. I agreed, and the last we heard, she was doing really well. She hasn’t tried to contact me since and —”
“How did she manage to get your name on the birth certificate?” Dad asked.
“I have no idea, but I’m glad she did. And thank God she showed up at the house. Otherwise, Rev would have ended up in the system, at least for a while.”
“We’ll get Marcus on it. He’ll watch the progress of her case and make sure that she can’t just snatch her up and take her away.”
“I won’t let that happen,” I assured my dad.
“None of us will. It’s one thing if she’s sober and staying that way, but it’s a whole different animal if she’s half-cocked and self-medicating with whatever substance she can find.”
“What about her parents? Would they want to raise their grandchild?” Darcy asked.
Raven shook her head and explained, “Her father is in prison until forever as far as I know. He’s not even up for parole until something like 2050, and her mom died of a drug overdose during our senior year of high school.”
“Damn.”
“She’s mentally ill, and the drugs make that so much worse. If she can get clean, start therapy back up, and get straight, she would be a great mom. She’s really sweet when she’s sober and stable,” Raven told me.
“Other than lying, stalking, lying some more, stealing anything that’s not nailed down, threatening to kill you, and tarnishing your brother's reputation, she’s a peach.” Mom frowned at Dad, and he shrugged before he asked, “Where’s the lie?”
“It looks like she’s in more trouble than even she can bullshit her way out of,” Mom said sadly. “But that’s her bed to lie in.”
“Or the county’s,” Dad chimed in.
“No, looks like this is a federal thing,” I corrected.
Mom rolled her eyes before she said, “Right now, there’s a little girl who probably hasn’t known much stability.
” Mom frowned at Raven when she started to interrupt and said, “I’m sure Rebecca has loved her the best she can, but what she’s exposed this child to can’t be forgiven no matter how much you used to love her, Ray. ”
“How long will it be before she’s released?” Dad asked.
“Amethyst said it would be at least three days.”
“And she’ll be sleeping for a while?” When I nodded, Dad ordered, “The two of you should go home and get some sleep. We’ll stay until you get back. I called Kale, and he’s going to the bar to make sure it doesn’t fall down without you there to run it, so you’re covered there.”
“My place is Griffin-proof, but I’m going to need to get the house set up for a toddler.”
“I’ll get your grandmas and aunts together to take care of that,” Mom assured me. “Although, I’m sure Brighten will be on top of it as soon as she wakes up.”
“Probably.”
“What size clothes is she in?” Raven asked.
“I have no idea. They took what she’d been wearing,” I told them.
“They didn’t fit her very well anyway. She’s very slim,” Darcy pointed out.
“That won’t last long,” Dad assured her.
Mom laughed before she said, “Your Gamma already called Amethyst and got the details on what she should be eating. I’d bet she’ll be here within an hour to deliver food for her.
” Mom looked at Darcy and said, “My mother-in-law has such an aversion to hospital food that she won’t allow anyone to eat it.
She sends meals to any of us that have the misfortune of being admitted, and now that her boys are getting older, she’s even started following whatever dietary restrictions the doctor has for them. ”
“I’ve met her a few times and just adore her. She’s so sweet. It doesn’t surprise me that she’d do something like that.”
Dad snorted, and Mom managed to keep a neutral expression as she nodded in agreement.
“You kids must be exhausted. Get out of here and let us take a shift. Sleep until you’re rested, and then come back. If we get tired, we’ll call in backup.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I said as I stood up and stretched the kinks out. I held my hand out to take Darcy’s before I announced, “Oh, another big thing happened last night.”
“Bigger than becoming a new dad?” my father asked.
“Darcy finally admitted that I’m irresistible and she can’t live without me.”
“That is absolute bullshit,” Darcy scoffed. “I didn’t say anything like that.”
Dad grinned as Mom and Raven burst out laughing. I squeezed her hand before I said, “Close enough.”