Camp Turnaround: Administration Building
July 2, 2010
(Cabot's POV)
I drove the two hours to get to the camp, parked the car, grabbed Tracy from her car seat, and headed into the administration building. I told the secretary that I was here to see Tracy Collins. She told me to take a seat. A few minutes later, the door to the warden's office opened and a face I never thought I'd see again walked out.
"Charlie?" I was utterly shocked! What was he doing here?
"Alex?" he replied… ok, so he remembered me. "My name's not Charlie anymore… it's Joe."
"You changed your name? Why'd you do that?"
"Well… I sort of had trouble getting a job after… well, let's not talk about that."
"No, let's talk about it. How'd a sex offender get a job as a warden in a girls' correctional facility? Better yet, did you steal your name or did you actually try doing something legally for a change?"
"I legally changed it… however, somehow my record was 'lost' in the confusion. I was able to get a job and a new identity all at the same time… So, how've you been? And what are you doing here?"
"Oh, well… I'm with social services. I came to observe how Tracy Collins acts with her daughter. I need to see if she has to participate in parenting classes here or not."
"Oh, good. So the baby's not yours!"
"No… mine was taken from me!"
"Alex, I'm sorry. I was stupid back then… maybe we should try to… you know… date again." I couldn't believe he was even trying this! He's insane if he thinks I'd ever give him a chance again!
"I've got a job to do, so if you don't mind… I need a private visiting room so I can observe their relationship."
"Sorry… but she only has 10 points. She needs 20 in order to hold her daughter. She only has 10… enough for a visit but…"
"Think about it Charlie" He interrupted me, telling me to call him Joe… "Charlie, do you really want me to come back again?"
He quickly led me out a door and down to one of the visitation rooms. He left me there and a few minutes later, he returned with my daughter. When she saw me her eyes lit up. "Ms. Collins, I'm Alexandra Cabot. I'm here from Children's Services. It's my job to determine whether you'll be ready to take care of your daughter again when you get out of here, or if you need to graduate from a parenting class first."
Camp Turnaround: Administration Building
July 2, 2010
(Liberty's POV)
I quickly began to understand her game. I nodded and stepped closer. I held out my hands and asked the warden to uncuff my arms. Reluctantly he did. I went over and picked up my baby girl from her carrier. I immediately started to cry. I held her tight and rocked her back and forth in my arms.
The warden looked at my mom and she nodded her head towards the door. He told us we had an hour and left. That hour was the best I'd had since I got to the camp. There were three generations of my family sitting together in one room. I told my mom what I'd discovered the day before in the warden's records and she told me how Tracy had been behaving.
I told her I was confused… "I thought Tracy was with Colin… what happened? Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine. Don't worry about anything. One of Colin's cases really took off and he needed to spend more time on it. We're having some great bonding time together though… just Tracy and nana."
My mom told me that she was gonna try to get me weekly visits with Tracy. That thought made my spirits soar. I was so excited! Now I had something to look forward to every week!
I cherished every minute of my visit… but it went by so quickly. The warden came in and told me it was time for my barrack's physical workout. He barely gave me enough time to kiss my little girl on the forehead before he walked me out to the fields.
Camp Turnaround: Administration Building
July 2, 2010
(Cabot's POV)
When Charlie came back, I told him that I wanted to speak with Tracy's commanding officer. He told me that it wouldn't be possible. Again, I threatened to come back if he didn't let me speak with her. He quickly consented, but told me that I'd have to wait an hour until she was through leading her barrack's workout session. He told me that from 4pm-6, the barrack had a "structured break" where they returned to their cells and the officer has some time to relax. He said that I could meet with her privately in her office/room at that time.
I thanked him and told him that I was going to leave the baby in Tracy's cell. He vehemently objected, but I told him that it was my decision. I explained that he may be in charge of his prisoners, but I was in charge of the child's welfare and if I determined it was safe for them to have some alone time… that was my decision. He finally consented… or at least said that he couldn't stop me.
I offered to spend the hour until I could speak with Olivia in the waiting area, but I think he wanted to get rid of me. He told me that I could go outside and watch Tracy's behavior during the workout session, as long as I was discrete. I quickly agreed and followed him out the door and onto the field.
Camp Turnaround: Open Fields
July 2, 2010
(Liberty's POV)
I was running sprints with the rest of the girls in my barrack when I saw a flash of blonde hair. I looked up, stopped dead in my tracks, and grinned. She hadn't left yet! She was still here! I stood there stunned, then began to move again when I heard Olivia screaming my number and telling me to stop slacking off.
I began running again, but my mind was focused 100% on my mom and daughter. Olivia made me do extra sprints to make up for my little break, but it was totally worth it. I saw her walk over to my mom and tried to figure out what they were saying, but I couldn't risk getting in trouble for stopping again. I kept running and by the time I was done, I realized that they were already finished talking.
At the end of the workout, when we all lined up to go back to our cells, I watched as my mom went to the back of the line and followed us into the Barrack. I walked into my cell and felt a pang of guilt as the door closed behind me and my daughter was on the other side of the bars. A minute later, my cell door opened again and my daughter was thrust into my arms. I sat and played with her as I watched Olivia and my mom disappear into her bedroom; the one place in the Barrack where I knew there were no cameras.
Camp Turnaround: Officer's Room
July 2, 2010
(Cabot's POV)
As soon as Liv closed the door, she wrapped me in a tight embrace. I kissed her softly and whispered sweet nothings in her ear. I'd missed her so much, but we needed to talk business too. I was torn between ignoring my responsibilities and ignoring my heart. I knew what I had to do. I had to take care of the business first. We sat on her bed and I felt my heart start to race. We kissed again and I was surprised to feel myself pull away.
"I love you" Liv whispered in my ear. The warm air from her mouth warmed my heart and I rethought my decision to put off our relationship until we were finished talking.
"I love you too" I whispered… "but I don't know how long we have, and I think we need to talk first… especially since I'll see you this weekend; right?"
"Of course" she whispered. "You're right." She sighed… I knew exactly how she felt.
"Liv, I found out several interesting things today. The most important is that Joe's not who he says he is… His name is Charlie. He's…" I trailed off. I wanted to shove the words back into my mouth. I tried, but no matter how much I wanted them to go back down, they forced their way out. "He's Liberty's father… and he's a sex offender."
"So, is that all the proof we need?" Liv asked, hopefully. I hated to disappoint her, but I had to tell her the truth.
"I'm afraid not. He claims that his record got "lost in the confusion" when he changed his name… and, he's served his time for his crimes. We can't arrest him based on past behavior. We need more… but I hate leaving Liberty with him so close."
Liv wrapped me in a hug and rubbed my back. I cried on her shoulder for a minute. She hushed me and told me that I was going to have to trust her. I responded that I trusted her with my life. She kissed me again and told me to stay strong.
Once I got through that, the rest was pretty easy. I told Liv about the records Liberty had seen and told her I'd make sure that there was a thorough investigation into their releases and their time at the camp.
Once the business was out of the way, we were free to continue where we left off. It was pure bliss, but it didn't last long. All of a sudden, there was screaming and fighting in the Barrack. We raced out of Liv's room and were shocked at the discussion we heard.
Camp Turnaround: Barrack B
July 2, 2010
(Liberty's POV)
I was minding my own business and playing with my daughter when I heard the volume in the Barrack start to rise dramatically. I heard at least four girls who were loudly complaining that I got to spend time alone with my daughter. The rest of the girls chimed in as well, even though it didn't affect them at all. None of them were mothers (as far as I knew). They were just taking every opportunity they could to bust my balls.
The girl in the cell next to me, number 8, was the most vocal. She started screaming that it wasn't fair that she hadn't seen her daughter in months and I'd seen my daughter twice in one day. All of a sudden, it was as if I couldn't control myself anymore. I had to stand up for myself. I had taken everyone's crap since I'd gotten here and I couldn't take it anymore.
"Obviously whoever got stuck with your daughter thinks she's better off without you" I screamed. "You obviously have a temper! Not the best thing to be teaching your daughter!"
"Oh really?" she retorted, "And you think that having your daughter sitting in a cell is a good thing? You're a drug addict and selfish as hell. Did you even think about your daughter before you abandoned her?"
That was the last straw! I couldn't take it anymore! "I felt horrible about what I had to do… but I left her to make sure that I got help so that I could raise her right! DID YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR DAUGHTER WHEN YOU ABANDONED HER?" I was screaming so loudly that Tracy began screeching and crying. I picked her up and rocked her.
All at once, I saw Olivia and my mom racing to my cell. My cell door opened and I stood in shock as my mother ripped my daughter out of my arms. I felt tears welling up in my eyes and thought about quitting, but I knew that I couldn't. Olivia began screaming, both at me and the girl I was fighting with.
"Numbers seven and eight! IF YOU DON'T STOP YOUR ARGUING RIGHT NOW, YOU WILL BE SEVERELY PUNISHED! Seven, you will lose all visiting privileges… and eight… well, I'll figure something out! NOW, EVERYONE GO BACK TO MINDING YOUR OWN BUSINESS! THE NEXT PERSON WHO SPEAKS WILL BE SENT TO ISOLATION FOR 24 HOURS!"
A hush fell over the Barrack and I watched, sobbing, as Olivia showed my mom and daughter out of the Barrack without so much as a goodbye.