Brynes stood there flabbergasted as Rusty paced the room, unbelieving of the results.
"Let's talk this through, honey-"
"Talk what through, Mom? She's my half-sister!" Rusty cut off his other mother. "I... I neglected her and all along, I didn't know that my biological mom abandoned yet another child! Hope is going to hate me once she finds out who I am!"
Commander Flynn pursed her lips, the name still as effective as her former marital surname.
"Rusty, honey... Now, we know that she's your half-sister, we can make steps to legally make her ours."
"But what about Gary's parents? Did they even report her missing? Where's Sharon Beck, herself? Is Gary even in the picture?"
Sharon shrugged, honestly shocked herself about the whole situation. "I can get people to look into that."
"I gotta tell Hope who I am..." Rusty sighed, rubbing his face as he loosened his black tie.
Byrnes stepped into the conversation between mother and son. "She's just been abused, sexually, by a man. Do you really want to tell her she has a brother who is her lawyer. Even then, you won't be able to legally represent her anymore. Especially if you become-"
"Her legal guardian. I know all of this." Rusty said. "I am a lawyer, you know. I know the system."
"Sorry, yes." Byrnes blushed. "Did she have any indication of-"
"She showed me a picture of when I was her age. Then she said she wanted to find me. She needs me."
Byrnes nodded. "Commander, do you mind sitting in?"
"Not at all, Lieutenant." Sharon replied.
Byrnes bit her lip, leading the way back into the interview room to see Hope snacking on biscuits.
"Enjoy your burger, Hope?" Rusty asked with a watery smile as he sat across from her again. "Sorry, I left. I had to get something checked."
Hope nodded. "Who's that?" She asked, looking in the direction of Sharon.
"That's my adopted mom, Sharon. She's a commander so she's very strict."
Hope smiled. "Is she now?" She teased. "Will she tell me off if I make fun of her skirt?"
Sharon frowned, looking down at her blood red suit skirt. "What's wrong with my skirt, Hope?" Sharon asked with a teasing smile.
"It's too red. Doesn't fit your complexion. Momma always says red lipstick not skirts. I don't know why. Maybe because she didn't look good in it. I don't know."
"Well, I'll inform my husband to stop shopping for me."
"So, Hope? You know when you were talking about your brother?" Rusty started.
The girl nodded, placing her bitten biscuit down back on the plate. "Yes. Did you find him for me? Please say you did."
Rusty nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I did, Hope. Guess what?"
"He's coming? Did he say anything? Do I look okay?"
"Perfect," he whispered. "You look perfect."
"When is he coming?" She mumbled, looking away.
'Perfect' must have been a trigger.
"He's actually already here." Byrnes said.
"Is he?" Hope mumbled, twiddling with her hair. "Is he nice?"
Rusty took a deep breath. "I would hope I am. Do you think I'm nice?"
Hope gasped, looking up. "It is you...!" She breathed out, eyes wide. "I felt it in my bones. You are him!"
"Hello, Hope. I'm your big brother..." Rusty breathed out.
Hope smiled, latching her arms around his neck tightly. "Don't leave me. Protect me from the bad guys."
He inhaled her sent, closing his eyes. "I will never leave you. I'll protect you from everything." He replied, kissing her head.
...
Sharon watched as she and Rusty stood behind the glass window, watching a female officer question Hope, her answers the same as the previous two times she had been questioned.
This time, Hope seemed more nervous as she looked longingly at the window.
The officer followed her line of sight. "Don't worry, your brother is there. Now, can you tell me what you remember when your mother went missing?"
The door to the side room opened and Byrnes entered, holding a file. "Hope's grandparents reported her missing two years ago and the case was closed just three months ago after there was no hope of finding her. Until now. Four years ago, your former stepfather escaped police custody on his transferral and was last seen around the area where your mother and his parents lived with Hope. Around the same time, there was evidence that Sharon Beck went missing."
Rusty breathed out, covering his mouth as he closed his eyes to stop his tears. "I knew he'd find a way to hurt her."
"We don't know what may have happened, honey..." Sharon Raydor said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you go home and get some sleep? I can stay. I still have my emergency foster license on hand. I won't let her sleep here."
it was past five now and Rusty had been stressing for over six hours since he had been brought in.
"I can't leave her."
"I'm here. I'll make sure she is well looked after. Get some sleep, shower and come back refreshed."
So, Rusty found himself unlocking the door to his studio apartment at half past five in the morning. He placed his phone on charge in the kitchen before pouring himself a glass of water.
"You've been gone all night. Tough case?"
He turned, giving a small smile at his roommate, Leslie Reilly, a young blonde junior doctor who had looks that could kill. They weren't close but they did talk occasionally when they were both home. She mostly kept to herself and had been offered his office as a bedroom after leaving med school since paying for an apartment alone costed too much for her starting salary. He too, fresh out of law school, could not afford a place by himself so was glad when she had accepted four years ago.
"You could say that."
Leslie hummed. "Well, my shift starts soon so, I'll see you whenever." She smiled, grabbing her handbag and gym bag before leaving.
Thankful that she was gone, Rusty allowed himself to take longer in the shower, letting his tears mix with the water as he sobbed. When he was done, he got dressed in a clean suit and brewed himself a pot of coffee, one to go and one for the moment. Seeing that the time was only quarter past seven, he decided to go through his emails and answer some texts, replying to ones regarding his mother's upcoming birthday this weekend from his brother, sister and step-siblings. He rubbed his face. How could he even think about that when his little sister needed him?
There was a knock on the door and he stood up, answering it.
"Dad?"
Andy stepped in, his hands buried in his pockets as he briefly glanced around the apartment. After his mother and he had gotten married, he had started to call him 'dad' since step-dad and Andy got too overused. Also, he was the best father figure he had in his life so it worked, especially when Andy responded well to him calling that. Even Emily and Ricky had began calling Andy Flynn their father occasionally or rarely in Ricky's case since Jackson Raydor had died of liver failure five years prior due to alcoholism.
"Your mother filled me in. She sent me to check in you."
"I'm fine," Rusty shrugged, sipping his coffee. "Want one?"
Andy grimaced. "Only decaf tea for me from now on. Anyway, you look like you haven't even slept a wink."
Rusty rolled his eyes, closing the front door as he returned to the sofa for his laptop. "I'm a lawyer, I barely get my forty winks. Especially working with kids... Those are the hardest cases."
"I don't know how you handle it."
"I don't. I just try and help them in their healing process but I can't always make them happy again. But now, I have the chance to, with Hope."
"It's going to be a while until you get custody. We need to inform Gary's parents of her being found. And we need to know what happened to Gary and Sharon Beck. For now, you might have to keep your distance until we have gotten all the information we have to continue."
The blonde shook his head, standing up to put his empty cup in the dishwasher. "She needs me now. Not later. I can't keep my distance. I've let her down and I won't do it again. Plus, I promised her..."
Andy joined him by the sink. "I'm sure she'll understand. Even if you did get custody, is this the right place to raise a child? I'm sure your roommate would love the idea of another roommate."
"Sarcasm doesn't suit you. I could always move back home?"
After the wedding, Sharon and Andy along with a Rusty had moved into a four bedroom craftsman with a swimming pool and beautiful landscaped back garden. This had been seven years ago.
"As much as your mother and I loved you living with us up until you graduated from law school, I highly doubt we'd have the patience for your long showers, your midnight raids of the fridge or your car being parked in front of ours in the morning, restricting us from getting to work. Also, add a little girl to the mix? I think it's safe to say that we are not looking for more tenants at the moment," Andy chuckled.
"I can barely afford this place for myself, let alone a two bedroom for the both of us..." Rusty mumbled. "And I can't ask a Leslie to leave. She's been great and she really needs this place. It's close to her workplace."
Andy leant against the counter, folding his arms. "Look, let's not jump the gun here, Kid. You barely know her and you're talking about her moving in? What about the fact that she's been abused? Do you think she's mentally okay to live with a guy right now? Sure, she trusts you but Sharon said that she was triggered by something you said and immediately clamped up. Maybe she should get fostered then when the time is right, you will make the necessary steps to gain custody. But this will only happen if Gary's parents are not liable for custody anymore. Also, if we find your biological mother."
"Oh God... This is too complicated." Rusty sighed.
