Whatever It Takes

Chapter 28


Neal looked at his mother, not knowing what else to say to her. She gave him a small smile, taking in everything about him, which made him want to squirm. He did everything he could not to give into that urge, making himself stay still and calm. Never let 'em see you sweat…..just like Mozzie always told him.

"You've grown so much, Neal. I can't believe how tall you are." Mara took a step in Neal's direction, causing him to stiffen slightly.

"That's usually what happens when a kid grows up," Neal answered, taking a small step backward. "It's been seven years."

"I know, honey. It's been way too long and I've missed so much."

Neal cringed when Mara called him honey. She had never used any term of endearment for him that he could remember, so to hear it now seemed so fake. It wasn't the same as when Elizabeth called him sweetie or Peter called him bud, or kid, or little man. Those were genuine and made him feel loved.

Elizabeth stepped forward and introduced herself to Mara, before suggesting that they all sit down. Mara sat on the end of the couch and Neal sat in Peter's chair, which was as far away from her as he could get without leaving the room. Jane and Elizabeth sat on the couch with Mara, while Peter pulled a chair from the dining room, placing it next to Neal.

An awkward silence filled the room as they all sat and looked at each other. Neal made himself sit still, not wanting Mara to know how unsettled he was feeling. He watched her closely, trying to get a feel for how she was feeling and what she was thinking, but he knew that she could hide her emotions better than he ever could.

"Neal, I know you don't understand why I've been gone for so long. Sometimes I don't even understand it myself, but things happened that put me on a path that tore me away from you and I had a hard time finding my way back. I'd give anything if I could take it all back."

"But you can't, can you?!" Neal said. "No matter what you say or do, it's not going to change what happened. You still left me. You never looked for me. And now what? I'm supposed to be happy that you're back? I'm supposed to act like everything's okay? I can't do that!"

"Honey, I want to apologize for everything that happened and I want to get to know you. You're my son and I love you. I always have." Mara looked pleadingly at Neal.

"If you loved me, you wouldn't have left me. You would have stayed with me and we could have worked everything out. That's what families do, right? They don't run out on each other when things get tough."

"I was in a bad place at that time in my life, honey. When your dad died, I just fell apart. I couldn't handle it."

"That's because you're weak and selfish," Neal snarled.

Peter cleared his throat, placing a hand on Neal's shoulder. "Neal," he chided. "Show some respect."

Neal shrugged Peter's hand off his shoulder. "Why? Why do I have to show respect to someone that I don't even know? What has she done to deserve my respect?"

Peter placed his hand back on Neal's shoulder, gently squeezing it. "She's your mother, bud, and a guest in our home."

Neal didn't say anything to this, opting to keep his mouth shut. He decided that if he couldn't show her respect, he would at least show her some common decency. That would have to be enough.

Turning back to Mara, Neal came right out and asked her the question that had been plaguing him from the beginning. "So, what do you want?"

Mara looked at him in confusion. "What do I want? I want my son back. I don't want to miss anymore of your life. I want to make up for lost time. I want us to be a family."

"I already have a family. I don't need another one." Neal could feel the faint stirrings of panic coursing through him, but the hand on his shoulder helped him to control it.

Mara turned to Elizabeth, giving her a warm smile. "I really appreciate what you and your husband have done for Neal, but you understand, right? He's my son. I want to take him home where he belongs."

Elizabeth started to say something, but Neal interrupted. "I belong here. This is my home now and I don't want to go with you."

"Neal, honey…"

"Stop calling me honey! You don't get to do that!" By this time Neal was yelling, his face red with anger. "You can't make me go with you."

Mara looked at Peter, Elizabeth and Jane before reaching into her purse. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this, but it seems I have no choice." Handing the papers to Jane, she turned to Neal. "These papers award me temporary custody of you until we can settle permanent custody. I know this has all come as a bit of a shock to you, Neal, but it's for the best. You belong with me."

Neal looked frantically at Jane. "Is that true? Can she do that?"

Jane inspected the papers that Mara had given her, a frown appearing on her face. "I'm afraid so, Neal. These papers are official." She passed a look to Peter and Elizabeth, who both wore similar looks of shock on their faces. "According to this court order, Mara is to assume temporary custody starting tomorrow."

With that being said, Neal jumped up and ran up the stairs to his room, Satchmo following closely. Peter started to call him back, but decided the boy probably needed a break. Turning back to the ladies sitting on the couch, he looked at his wife, who looked as if she might not hold it together for too much longer.

"We'll need your address, so we'll know where to bring him tomorrow." Peter's voice cracked on the last word. He couldn't believe this was happening. Ever since they started the adoption process, he and Elizabeth had talked over the what- ifs of this very thing happening. They thought they were prepared, but now he knew that they were woefully wrong. Nothing could have prepared him for the hole he felt in his heart.

Mara looked surprised at the fact that Peter asked for her address. "There's no need for that, Mr. Burke, I'll just take him with me today."

This time it was Elizabeth who spoke up, her voice stronger than Peter's had been. "No, you won't. The court order says tomorrow, so until then we have custody of Neal. He's staying here tonight."

Mara suddenly looked uncomfortable at the underlying tension in the room. She looked at Elizabeth as if they shared some common bond, two mothers fighting for their child. "I just want what's right for my son."

Elizabeth answered her with a conviction that scared Peter a little. "If you want what's right for Neal, you'll listen to what he has to say, too. If you force this on him, it won't work."

Mara stood up to leave, but before she got to the door, Elizabeth called to her. "We're going to fight this, just so you know. We're going to do whatever it takes to get him back. We're going to fight for Neal."

Mara left the house without another word.


Once the door shut behind Mara, Elizabeth fell back to the couch, tears filling her eyes. "What are we going to do?" She asked Peter and Jane.

Jane grabbed her hand, holding it tightly. "We're going to do just want you said, Elizabeth. We're going to fight for Neal. Mara may have gotten a judge to side with her initially, but we can win in the long run."

"In the long run? What does that mean? How long will Neal have to stay with her? How long until we can get him back?"

"Elizabeth, you know these things take time, but I promise I'll try to push it through the courts as fast as I can. In the meantime, you'll all have to be patient. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go set a few things in motion." After a quick goodbye, Jane left, promising to call them as soon as she had anything to report.

Peter immediately grabbed his wife and pulled her to him, hanging on to her tightly. "It will be okay, hon. We just have a bit of an obstacle to overcome, but we can handle it. For now, we should go check on Neal."

Holding on to each other, they walked upstairs to see how Neal was doing.


Once Neal made it up to his room, he threw himself on the bed. Satchmo jumped up next to him, laying his head on Neal's shoulder. Neal wrapped his hand in Satchmo's fur. He could still hear voices downstairs, so he picked up his pillow and placed it over his head, wanting nothing more than to drown out everything about this day.

Eventually, he heard the door open and close, and then a few minutes later, he heard it again. Figuring that Mara and Jane had both left, and that Peter and Elizabeth would probably be up to check on him soon, Neal sat up, resting his back against the headboard. He pulled himself together, his con man mask slipping over his face.

There was a soft knock on the door and after they heard him say "come in" Peter and Elizabeth gently opened the door. Neal could see that Elizabeth had been crying, a fact that made him really sad. Elizabeth deserved happiness, but it seemed that all he did was bring her grief. Maybe she would be better off if he left.

"What's for lunch? I'm starving." He tried to avoid the upcoming conversation, knowing that it would never work. It wasn't his best diversion attempt.

Elizabeth sat on the bed, while Peter grabbed the desk chair, placing it in front of Neal. "Neal, we need to talk about this. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Peter, really." Neal's voice was strong and convincing, but his eyes told a different story. "When do I have to leave?"

"Tomorrow, bud. But, listen….Elizabeth and I are going to do everything we can to fight this, okay? We already have Jane filing the necessary paperwork, so we just have to be patient. You'll go with Mara for awhile, until we can get this figured out."

"Sweetie, I know you don't want to, but maybe you should give her a chance. She's your mom." Elizabeth looked as if it physically hurt her to say this.

"She's not my mom, Beth. She gave up that right years ago and just because we share the same blood doesn't make it true."

"You're right, Neal, but people make mistakes. We all deserve a second chance, don't we?"

Neal couldn't argue with that. He, of all people, knew that people made mistakes. How many second chances had he gotten with Peter and Elizabeth?

"What about school? And the swim team?"

"We'll talk to Mara about all of that tomorrow. Your tuition is paid up, so there's no reason you shouldn't be able to keep going to school."

Elizabeth took Neal's hand in hers. "It's all going to work out, sweetie. We have to have faith, okay? It's going to suck for awhile, for all of us, but I know in my heart that in the end we will be together. It's what I've been praying for since the first day I met you."

Neal gave Elizabeth a watery smile, squeezing her hand in return. After talking through a few more things, they decided to go for a walk and find something to eat. Neal was determined to soak up every minute and every memory he could with Peter and Elizabeth.


That evening they sat at the table playing different board games and just enjoying each other's company. Neal talked more about his childhood, knowing that the information might help swing the custody dispute in their favor. Jane called at one point, telling them that she had submitted a petition for custody in their name and that hopefully she would hear something by next week. The court systems were always slow, but she was hoping that the extenuating circumstances of this particular case might move things along faster.

Peter brought out several sleeping bags and the three of them camped out on the living room floor, watching movies and talking through a large part of the night. Eventually, Neal and Elizabeth fell asleep, leaving Peter wide awake to ponder how it was that his life had changed so much in such a short time. He never thought he could love someone as much as he loved his wife, but now he realized it was possible. He suddenly realized that the next day was going to be one of the worst days of his life.


The next morning was just as painful as they all thought it would be. Elizabeth helped Neal pack up most of his things. He wanted to leave some of it in his room, for some reason, and Elizabeth didn't argue. Looking around one last time, Neal turned and left his room.

Once downstairs, Neal said goodbye to Satchmo, burying his face in the dog's fur. "Be good, Satch. I'll miss you, buddy."

Satchmo whined and licked Neal's face, knowing that something wasn't right.

Peter was taking Neal's bag out to the car, giving Neal time to say goodbye to Elizabeth. She knew that if she joined them on the trip to Mara's house that she would be tempted to tell Peter to just keep driving. She wouldn't be able to watch Neal step out of the car and step into that woman's home.

Turning to Elizabeth, he saw that she had something in her hand. "Neal, I thought you might want to take this with you. I want it back, though. It's one of my most treasured possessions."

Neal looked down to find Elizabeth holding the sketch of her and Peter that Neal had left for them the day he ran away. He had forgotten all about it, in the aftermath of everything, and was surprised to see it now. "I forgot all about that, Beth."

Elizabeth had put it in a beautiful silver frame, which she now handed to Neal. "I didn't find it for several days. The window had been left open after you climbed out, and the wind must have blown it and your note under your bed. It wasn't until you came home from the hospital that I found it when I was getting your room ready. I was going to say something to you, but after everything that happened, I didn't. Neal, your note said that you could take care of yourself and that we weren't to worry. I can't promise you that I won't worry, but you have to promise me that you'll take care of yourself, okay? You need to eat, even if you're not hungry. You need to get a decent amount of sleep. If you're not feeling well, you need to let Mara know. Don't drink too much soda and don't forget to brush and floss."

Neal rolled his eyes at the last one, but he loved her for saying it.

"Behave yourself, okay? You call me anytime you need to, I don't care what time of day or night. I'll always have my cell phone with me, just in case. And Peter and I have the schedule for your swim meets, so we'll be there. We'll get through this, sweetie. Just remember that I love you so much, okay?"

Neal knew that Elizabeth loved him, but that was the first time the words had been said. In fact, that was really the first time he could ever remember anyone saying those words to him. He was sure his mom and dad had said it when he was younger, but he didn't remember.

Neal hugged Elizabeth, burying his face in her shoulder. "I love you, too, Beth."

Without another word, he turned and walked out the door.


The drive to Mara's house was one of the most painful drives Peter had ever taken. For some reason, he kept playing over and over in his mind the first time he and Neal had been in a car together. Remembering it now brought a smile to his face, as he recalled how frustrated he had been with the kid constantly fiddling with the temperature controls, the window and the radio. Neal definitely had more energy than any one person had a right to.

The boy that was sitting next to him now was an entirely different boy. He hadn't said more than two words and as far as Peter could tell, he hadn't moved a muscle. Peter knew he had a lot on his mind, but the silence was gnawing at him.

"Did you get everything you need? You grabbed your swim bag? What about your art supplies?"

"I got it all, Peter. Elizabeth helped me pack, remember? She wouldn't let me forget the important stuff."

Silence reigned again for awhile, but then it was Neal that broke it. "Will you tell everyone that I said goodbye? I don't want Nana Cat mad at me for not saying goodbye."

"No, I'm not going to tell them goodbye, kid, because there's no reason to. You'll see them again as soon as we get this all straightened out."

Neal finally moved his eyes from the dashboard he had been staring at for so long, bringing them to rest on Peter's eyes. "Do you really think I'll get to come back home?"

"Neal, Elizabeth and I are going to do everything within our power to bring you home. Whatever it takes, son, I promise."

"Rule number two, right? No lying?"

"Rule number two." Peter took his hand off the steering wheel and ruffled the boy's hair. He was pleased to see a small smile at last.


They finally arrived at the address Mara had given them, pulling up next to a rather large house. Neither one of them made to move from the car. Just as Peter went to open the door, Neal stopped him with his words. "I have something to tell you. Remember that day you took me with you to work and left that young guy in charge of me? Well, I snuck into your office while you were gone and …..well, I looked through your desk and I found the file that you had that night at home. I know what's inside it."

Peter frowned at Neal. "You shouldn't have done that, Neal. There was a reason I didn't want you to see that."

"Is it true? Was my dad a dirty cop?"

"The evidence was inconclusive, but it looks that way."

"Why were you looking into that after all these years?"

"Neal, we need to arm ourselves with everything we can to gain permanent custody of you. I was looking into your mother, trying to find out everything I could about her. It turns out she was implicated in a scam that bilked a large amount of money from a local charity. There was never enough evidence to convict her, but I thought it might be something we could use against her. While I was investigating that, I came across several other schemes involving your father and your mother, but again there wasn't enough evidence."

For the first time in his life, Neal felt completely ashamed of who he was. It was apparent that, without even knowing it, he had followed in the footsteps of both of his parents. Maybe it was in his blood to be a liar, a cheater, a thief. Maybe he would never amount to any more than that. Maybe he deserved everything that had happened to him in his short life. Maybe he didn't deserve the happiness he had found with the Burke's.

Maybe he didn't deserve anything more than the legacy of a dirty cop father and a mother who gave up on him for most of his life.


Author's note: Whew! That was a tough one. I really didn't want to leave it right there, but it's almost five in the morning and I really should go to bed at some point.

A note about this chapter: As you all know, this is the first thing I've written, other than high school and college papers, so I am pretty new at this. I'm bound to make a few mistakes here and there, so if you catch any inconsistencies or plot holes, please let me know. It was brought to my attention by two readers (foxy11814 and a guest reviewer) that I had mentioned the note and sketch that Neal left when he ran away, but never mentioned it again. This chapter brings that back into the story and I hope it was somewhat believable. It wasn't how I planned on doing it to begin with, but it will have to do, I guess. Thank you, foxy11814.

Thank you all so much for the story alerts and story favorites. It makes me so happy to know that you are enjoying my story. I'm hoping to have some more action stuff in the next few chapters, but who knows. This story keeps taking me in directions that I never intended, lol.