Chapter 3- Something Real
Lux didn't know how long she sat there, but after a while the knocks on the door and the concerned questions dulled and she was left in silence, staring into space with no energy to move.
It had hit her. Her parents were dead. But, at the same time, it was like she was another person and it wasn't happening to her.
Lux didn't look up as she heard her bedroom window open. She knew who it was. Jones had perfected climbing the tree that led to her room years ago. He didn't say anything, and Lux couldn't help but be thankful that he knew her so well. Instead he simply sat next to her on the floor and placed a hand on her knee.
After another half an hour, Lux flinched when there was a knock at her door, and Jones helped her stand before opening it.
"Hi Lux." Fern stood on the other side, smiling sympathetically as Lux wiped her tears away, embarrassed. "How are you doing?"
Lux tried to force a smile as she shrugged, but it came out as more of a grimace. Fern nodded sympathetically, placing a comforting hand on Lux's shoulder. "We need to leave soon. Have you packed a bag?"
Lux shrugged, trudging over to her bed and grabbing a throw pillow. She held it close, tracing the stitching.
"Lux..." Fern truly did feel terrible for the poor girl, and as much as she may not want to at that moment, she had to do her job. "I can't begin to understand what you're going through right now, but I promise I will do my best to make this transition as easy as it can be for you."
Lux frowned to herself, trying to keep herself from breaking down once again as her lip quivered. "But what about my house?" Her voice cracked as she whispered. "My parents? I have to take care of things. The f-funerals. I haven't even told their friends they're- that they..." She couldn't bring herself to say they were dead.
"Lux." Fern sighed, stuck at how to comfort her. "We'll just deal with one thing at a time right now, okay?"
Jones nodded in agreement, stroking back Lux's hair before drawing her into his arms. Lux gripped him back tightly, sniffling into his shoulder. "And we'll help with the arrangements. You're not alone, babe."
Lux nodded into his shoulder, drawing in a few deep, shaky breaths as she gathered herself. She pulled back a few minutes later and shakily made her way to her closet, grabbing a bag and slowly beginning to fill it with her clothes.
Cate fumbled through her purse as she attempted to find her ringing phone, somehow managing to balance Brooke on her hip and steer the shopping trolley as she answered.
"Hello?"
"Catherine Cassidy?" Cate frowned, balancing the phone on her shoulder as she unlocked her car. She hadn't been Cassidy since before she was married.
"Yes, this is she." Cate placed Brooke in her car seat, smiling and playfully bouncing Brooke's favorite toy monkey in front of her before standing up and beginning to load the shopping into the boot.
"This is Fern Walters from Portland Social Services. I'm calling in regards to the baby girl you gave up for adoption in 1994."
Cate felt as though someone had just punched the wind out of her. Her mind was reeling as questions flooded through her. "Is she okay?" Cate didn't even register the words as they came out of her mouth.
"I think it would be best if we talked in person. Preferably as soon as possible. Would it be possible for you to meet me at Nob Hill Police Station?"
Cate didn't even think before responding, her heart pounding in her chest at the dismissal of her question. "I can be there in twenty minutes."
"Great. I'll see you soon."
Cate didn't reply before the line went dead, and she simply stood there in shock, frozen. It was only when Brooke began to cry that Cate was torn out of her gaze. She picked up the baby and bounced her close, trying to calm both her daughter and herself.
Baze fumbled down the side of the couch in search of his phone, swearing to himself when he noticed the time. It was close to 6pm and the bar was already filling up.
"Hello?"
"Is this Nathaniel Bazile?"
Baze was half-half listening as he headed back downstairs and began to serve. "Yeah?"
"My name is Fern Walters. I'm a social worker for Portland Social Services. I'm calling about the baby you and Catherine Cassidy gave up for adoption in 1994."
Baze froze, his attention now completely on the conversation. "Did you just say baby?"
"Oh. I'm sorry. This is Nathaniel Maxwell Bazile, correct? Date of birth February 18, 1978."
"Uh, yeah..."
"Did you have a child with Catherine Cassidy in 1994?"
Baze paled, ignoring as a few of the annoyed customers tried to order. His attention was now fully on the conversation. He didn't have a child. He couldn't. He told Cate to take care of it.
"I, uh, Y-Yeah."
"It's very important that I meet with you as soon as possible. Would you be able to meet me at Nob Hill Police Station?"
Baze nodded, running a hand through his hair as he tried to process everything. "Yeah."
"Great. I'll see you soon."
Baze hung up the phone and acted without thinking, grabbing his keys and rushing to his jeep. He had never been to that police station before, but somehow he found it without thinking and rushed inside.
Cate was still in shock when she pulled into the car park of Nob Hill Police Station. She unloaded Brooke's stroller before placing the baby inside and rushing into the building, instantly spotting the front desk.
"I'm looking for my daughter." Cate couldn't stop the words as they flew out of her mouth.
The clerk looked up patiently. "What is your daughter's name, ma'am?"
Cate froze. She had no idea. "I uh... Fern. Fern Walters told me to meet her here. She's a social worker."
"Cate?" Cate turned at her name, instantly recognizing the voice.
"What are you doing here?" Her voice held more fear than anything else; fear for her daughter, fear for Baze finding out he had a daughter.
Baze rubbed his head stressed, trying to figure out that question for himself. "You tell me. I get a call from some social worker claiming we gave a kid up for adoption in 94? News to me."
"She shouldn't have called you." Cate mumbled, more to herself than to Baze.
Baze found Cate frustrating him; reminding him too much of high school. "Well is it true. Do we have a kid?"
Cate nodded, making eye contact through her tear-blurred eyes. "A daughter." She whispered.
Baze starred at Cate in shock, not knowing how to react. "A-a daughter?"
Cate nodded, picking up a sleeping Brooke and holding her close as if she were a safety blanket. Baze softened slightly, noticing how uncomfortable she looked. "What's her name?"
"I-uh, I don't know. I gave her up for adoption."
Baze nodded, turning away from Baze to take in the information. He didn't know whether to be furious or relieved.
"Excuse me?"
Cate and Baze turned as a woman approached them, frowning. "Catherine Cassidy?"
Cate nodded, torn back into reality. "Yeah, yes." She hurriedly placed Brooke back in her stroller before holding out her hand to Fern. "Cate."
Fern shifted her attention to Baze, confused. "And you are?"
"Oh!" Baze held out his hand nervously. "Nathaniel Bazile. Baze."
"It's nice to meet you both." Fern smiled relieved, signaling for Cate and Baze to follow her. "If you want to follow me, we can talk somewhere a little more private."
They quickly made their way to a small room, Fern signaling for Cate and Baze to have a seat on the couch opposite herself.
"I'm sorry." Cate spoke before Fern could, her voice cracking. "But what are we doing here?"
Fern sighed, looking between the two. "I understand you gave your daughter up for adoption on August 4, 1994?" Cate nodded slowly while Baze didn't respond. "Her adoptive parents died today, and to be honest, the two of you are her only option, save foster care."
Cate and Baze mirrored each other's expressions, both in shock and completely speechless. "H-How?" Cate whispered after a few moments, her voice cracking as she struggled to hold back her tears.
"When you signed your daughter over to the state, a permanent release of rights wasn't signed or filed therefore meaning you are still, legally speaking, her parents. As there is no mention of custody in the adoptive parents' wills, and Lux has no living relatives, there are no other options."
"That's her name?" Baze was still in shock. "Lux?"
Fern nodded, smiling tiredly as she watched the parents take in the new information.
"So what does that mean?" Cate picked Brooke back up as the baby started to fuss, calming her. "I mean, what happens now?"
Fern looked between the parents, deciding how to respond. "If it's possible, both I and the courts believe it would be in Lux's best interest, to have temporary joint custody granted to the two of you."
"You mean, to live with us?"
"Because we don't live together-"
"I'm married. I have a family-"
"I didn't even know I had a kid until today-"
Fern waited until they were finished before responding. "Like I said, if the two of you are either unwilling or unable to look after Lux, she will be placed in a temporary group home tonight before we can find a more permanent foster placement."
"Foster care?" Cate asked in shock, no longer able to stop herself as a tear ran down her cheek. She wanted her daughter to have a better life than the one she could give her at sixteen. Her parents weren't supposed to die, and she sure as hell wasn't supposed to end up in foster care.
"There's got to be something else. Didn't her parents have friends or someone else who could take her?"
Before Fern could respond, Cate jumped in, her eyes wide with realization. "I'll take her. I want to. I need to."
Fern smiled relieved and was about to respond but Baze interrupted. "Wait, you said joint custody, right? She can stay with me too?"
Fern smiled and nodded. "If you both meet the standards, you will be granted temporary joint custody." She turned to Cate, pen ready to write on Lux's clipboard. "You said you were married?"
Cate nodded, suddenly worried that Ryan, Max and Brooke would affect the situation. "Yeah, uh, Ryan Thomas." She waited until Fern had written the information before continuing. "We also have a five year old son, Max, and Brooke." She nodded to the baby in her arms.
Fern smiled kindly at Cate and Brooke, before facing Baze. "Do you live alone?"
It was clear that Baze was nervous too as he answered, shaking his head. "I've got roommates."
"Uh huh..." Fern was clearly hesitant, but she really had no other option. She really didn't want to put Lux in foster care. "Alright. Well if you'd like to come with me, I'll introduce you to Lux."
All three stood up, and when Baze noticed Cate struggling to push Brooke's stroller while balancing her in her arms, he nervously stepped in and took over. Cate smiled slightly at him, grateful, before turning back to Fern. "I need to talk to my husband first."
Fern nodded and smiled reassuringly. "Of course. We'll give you a few moments privacy."
Baze and Fern made their way out of the room, closing the door behind themselves. Cate began to cry a second later, overwhelmed although she didn't really know what she was feeling.
She instinctively held Brooke tighter as she grabbed her phone from her bag and speed dialed Ryan. "Hey." Ryan answered cheerfully. "Where are you?"
"Ryan..." Cate trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"Cate? What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"No." Cate hiccupped, quickly swiping away her tears. "She's back Ryan. She needs me."
"Babe, you're not making sense. Who's back? Who needs you?"
"My daughter." The words came out as a whisper, but couldn't have felt more right.
"What are you talking about?"
Cate knew that Ryan understood; that he just needed clarification. She had tearfully spilled everything a few months before they had gotten married; at least everything about the baby she gave up when she was in high school. "Her adoptive parents died, and her social worker- she gave Baze and I temporary joint custody."
"Who's Baze?"
"Lux's father. From high school."
Ryan was really trying to keep up. "Lux is your daughter?"
Cate nodded, and although Ryan couldn't see her, he knew she had. "Where are you, Cate?"
"The police station."
"Okay. Just hang tight, okay. I'll get Alice to look after Max for a while and I'll meet you there."
"No, Ryan, wait." As much as she wanted him here, she knew this was something she had to do on her own. "We'll meet you at home, okay?"
Ryan was about to protest, but stopped himself, sighing. "Okay. What can I do?"
Cate couldn't help but smile at how amazing he was. "I, uh, I don't know. We need to figure out some sort of arrangement with where she's going to live, so I'll call you as soon as I know."
Ryan waited a few moments before responding, clearly in shock himself. "Alright." He sighed. "I love you, babe."
Cate nodded, not sure how to react. Ryan was taking everything amazingly well. She couldn't help but worry that this was way too much. "I love you too." She breathed.
"It's going to be okay, Cate. We'll figure this out."
Cate nodded, her tears returning as she hung up the phone. She gathered herself quickly before placing Brooke in her stroller and making her way out of the room nervously.
Baze stuck his hands in the back pockets of his jeans as he followed Fern down the hallway nervously. His eyes widened and he found himself in complete awe as they came to a stop by a small bench, or more so, a teenager sitting on a bench.
Baze frowned, looking her over. She had blonde hair. She couldn't be his? Could she?
"Lux, this is Nathaniel Bazile." Fern waited until Lux looked up before continuing. "Your biological father."
Baze coughed, clearing his throat and holding out his hand. "Baze." He offered lamely. Lux shook it loosely, shrinking slightly as he starred. "So you're Lux?"
Lux frowned confused and shrugged slightly, nodding though she didn't give a verbal response.
Fern left them alone for a few moments to get to know each other, although they simply remained in an awkward silence, neither knowing what to say or do.
Cate spotted her immediately, freezing in her path as Fern approached her and lead the way. Both Lux and Baze looked up as the new arrivals approached, both as lost as the other.
"Lux, this is your biological mother-"
Lux cut her off, surprising all three adults. "You're Cate." Both Cate and Lux looked confused, although obviously for different reasons. "Cate Cassidy. From the radio."
Cate nodded surprised, while Fern watched relieved. Baze, however, looked slightly jealous. "Yeah." Cate acted on instinct, hesitantly sitting on the bench on the other side of Lux, Brooke's stroller next to her. "You listen to the show?"
Lux nodded, slightly grateful to have her attention off of her parents, even if it was only for a few seconds. "I used to. My mom and I-" She stopped herself, noticing what she had said.
Cate's heart broke as Lux fought back tears, and she instinctively reached forward and placed a comforting hand on Lux's forearm. Lux looked surprised at first, but didn't pull away.
"Lux, Cate and Baze have offered to take temporary joint custody of you." Fern was careful with how she worded her statement. "You'll be staying with them for a while."
Lux starred at her hands, building emotional walls. What was she expected to do? Say thank you to the people who had given her up in the first place? Be grateful when all she wanted was to go home, crawl up in her parents bed and wait until this nightmare was over? Instead, she just nodded.
Fern smiled at Lux reassuringly, relieved. "If you need anything, just give me a call, okay?" Fern handed Lux her business card, watching as the teenager took it slowly. "And I'll be by in a couple of days to check up on you."
Lux nodded, and Fern turned her attention to Cate and Baze. "I'll leave the paperwork at the front desk, and I'll be in touch soon."
Cate nodded, both she and Baze accepting their own copies of Fern's business card. The three watched as Fern headed off, no one knowing what to do.
