"Claudia," Michael said as he opened the door only to see her and a few
policemen with her.
"This is for your own good, Michael," CJ said as she walked into the house. "You said you never wanted to see anyone in your family get hurt. Well, guess what. One of your family members got hurt. And you know whose fault that is?" She looked pointedly at him.
"Don't you dare say that it's my fault that she acts out sometimes."
"What the hell is going on here?!" Kate yelled from the other room.
"I am doing your step-daughter a favor," CJ said flatly. "You touch her again, you will never see the light of day again. I'll make sure of that."
"Get out of my house," Michael said as he walked into the room in which CJ and Kate and a couple of police officers were. "And bring my daughter back here. Now."
"Sorry, Michael, but she doesn't feel safe here," CJ said. She started to walk out the door.
"I'll have you arrested! She is not your daughter!"
"Well you are acting as if she isn't your daughter either! G-d, Michael. I thought you were going to protect her against things like this. Looks like I was wrong. If she wants to see you, then I'll bring her over here, but unless she is arrested, don't count on it."
"Bring her back. Now." He said, his voice low and full of disgust.
She didn't say anything. She simply looked at him and walked out of the house. She walked up to one of the officers. "So what are you going to do?"
"Nothing, ma'am," he said.
"What?! But she has been abusing my niece!"
"There is no evidence to prove that anything has been happening here. All I can see is that your niece ran away. We can't arrest her mother--"
"Step-mother."
"We can't arrest her unless we have concrete evidence of abuse. I'm sorry."
"Not half as sorry as I am." CJ walked to her car and drove back to her apartment.
"Ha! I beat you again," Hogan said as she showed Simon her piece of paper.
"That's not fair. How can you make fifteen words out of 'President?'"
She shrugged. "I'm talented."
"Yes, yes you are." He smiled and was about to count the number of words he wrote down when CJ walked through the door.
"CJ?" Simon said as she came through the door. "How did it go?"
She took a deep breath, not wanting to scare Hogan. "Fine," she said in a monotone voice. She walked to her room.
Simon looked at Hogan. "I'll be right back, okay?"
"Okay," she said, getting nervous about what had happened.
"Hey, it's all right. Your aunt and I have everything under control, okay?"
She nodded. "Okay."
He walked into CJ's room. "What happened? Did they arrest her?"
She shook her head. "No. They said there wasn't enough evidence. What's even worse is the fact that my brother now basically hates me and will probably never speak to me again and doesn't believe anything about what happened." She wiped her eyes.
He sat down beside her. "Well, I guess that we'll keep Hogan with us for a few days." He didn't even realize he said 'us.'
"Yeah. But he said that he wanted me to bring her back to him right away or he is probably going to get me arrested. G-d, Simon, how the hell did this happen?" She looked up at him.
Hogan walked from the living room to the doorway of CJ's room and listened to what she was saying. 'My fault,' she thought to herself. "This is all my fault," she said aloud. She wiped her eyes and went to the guest room and lay down on the bed and started to cry softly.
"What do I tell Hogan," CJ said softly. "I mean, I can't just go and say, 'your dad doesn't believe anything I have said about you getting abused by your step-mother."
"Maybe that *is* what you have to tell her." Simon rubbed her back. "It'll be all right, CJ. I promise."
"Can you tell her? Please?"
He thought for a moment before saying anything. "Yeah, I'll tell her. But you have to promise to talk to her as well. You are her aunt, after all."
"Yeah. Thanks."
"No problem." He kissed the top of her head and went to the living room, only to find that no one was there. He walked back to the guest room. "Hey there. Mind if I come in?"
"It's not my house," Hogan said in a muffled voice since her face was in the pillow.
He walked into the room and sat down on the bed. "Come on, cheer up. You get to stay here for a few days, maybe longer. How cool is that?"
She looked up at him. "You don't get it! My father hates me now! He is never going to believe me about her hitting me. He is defending her! I have no place to live anymore. I'm an orphan." She started to cry again.
Simon put his arm around her and tried to comfort her. "Listen to me. You will always have a home. It may not always be with your dad but you have your aunt who is more than willing to take you in." He put his other arm around her and hugged her. "Do you know that?"
She nodded a little, "I guess. But what happens if he comes looking for me?"
"That's the other thing. CJ and I were thinking about getting some sort of restraining order. Just until this whole mess gets worked out."
She shook her head. "I don't want any of that. I just want to go home and pretend this never happened. I don't care if she is going to hit me again. I don't care anymore!"
"Yes, you do care, Hogan. You do." He said firmly. "I know you love your dad. And that's okay. He is your dad after all, but if he is just going to go on pretending none of this ever happened, I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay there. Not now at least. Okay?"
"Okay," she said softly. She sniffled and rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He looked up and saw CJ in the doorway.
"Mind if I have a go?" She walked into the room and knelt down in front of Hogan. "I love you. And I'm only doing this to protect you. Do you understand, honey?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Good." CJ kissed her head. "There is just one other thing that you are going to have to do."
"What's that?"
"Testify."
"What?! No! I can't. All that will happen is she will lie about everything and they will win and I'll have--"
"Whoa, slow down there. Nothing has been decided yet. For now, though, you are going to stay here. We will talk about all this court stuff later, okay?"
"Okay."
CJ sat down on the other side of her and looked at Simon, hoping this was the right thing to do.
TBC...
"This is for your own good, Michael," CJ said as she walked into the house. "You said you never wanted to see anyone in your family get hurt. Well, guess what. One of your family members got hurt. And you know whose fault that is?" She looked pointedly at him.
"Don't you dare say that it's my fault that she acts out sometimes."
"What the hell is going on here?!" Kate yelled from the other room.
"I am doing your step-daughter a favor," CJ said flatly. "You touch her again, you will never see the light of day again. I'll make sure of that."
"Get out of my house," Michael said as he walked into the room in which CJ and Kate and a couple of police officers were. "And bring my daughter back here. Now."
"Sorry, Michael, but she doesn't feel safe here," CJ said. She started to walk out the door.
"I'll have you arrested! She is not your daughter!"
"Well you are acting as if she isn't your daughter either! G-d, Michael. I thought you were going to protect her against things like this. Looks like I was wrong. If she wants to see you, then I'll bring her over here, but unless she is arrested, don't count on it."
"Bring her back. Now." He said, his voice low and full of disgust.
She didn't say anything. She simply looked at him and walked out of the house. She walked up to one of the officers. "So what are you going to do?"
"Nothing, ma'am," he said.
"What?! But she has been abusing my niece!"
"There is no evidence to prove that anything has been happening here. All I can see is that your niece ran away. We can't arrest her mother--"
"Step-mother."
"We can't arrest her unless we have concrete evidence of abuse. I'm sorry."
"Not half as sorry as I am." CJ walked to her car and drove back to her apartment.
"Ha! I beat you again," Hogan said as she showed Simon her piece of paper.
"That's not fair. How can you make fifteen words out of 'President?'"
She shrugged. "I'm talented."
"Yes, yes you are." He smiled and was about to count the number of words he wrote down when CJ walked through the door.
"CJ?" Simon said as she came through the door. "How did it go?"
She took a deep breath, not wanting to scare Hogan. "Fine," she said in a monotone voice. She walked to her room.
Simon looked at Hogan. "I'll be right back, okay?"
"Okay," she said, getting nervous about what had happened.
"Hey, it's all right. Your aunt and I have everything under control, okay?"
She nodded. "Okay."
He walked into CJ's room. "What happened? Did they arrest her?"
She shook her head. "No. They said there wasn't enough evidence. What's even worse is the fact that my brother now basically hates me and will probably never speak to me again and doesn't believe anything about what happened." She wiped her eyes.
He sat down beside her. "Well, I guess that we'll keep Hogan with us for a few days." He didn't even realize he said 'us.'
"Yeah. But he said that he wanted me to bring her back to him right away or he is probably going to get me arrested. G-d, Simon, how the hell did this happen?" She looked up at him.
Hogan walked from the living room to the doorway of CJ's room and listened to what she was saying. 'My fault,' she thought to herself. "This is all my fault," she said aloud. She wiped her eyes and went to the guest room and lay down on the bed and started to cry softly.
"What do I tell Hogan," CJ said softly. "I mean, I can't just go and say, 'your dad doesn't believe anything I have said about you getting abused by your step-mother."
"Maybe that *is* what you have to tell her." Simon rubbed her back. "It'll be all right, CJ. I promise."
"Can you tell her? Please?"
He thought for a moment before saying anything. "Yeah, I'll tell her. But you have to promise to talk to her as well. You are her aunt, after all."
"Yeah. Thanks."
"No problem." He kissed the top of her head and went to the living room, only to find that no one was there. He walked back to the guest room. "Hey there. Mind if I come in?"
"It's not my house," Hogan said in a muffled voice since her face was in the pillow.
He walked into the room and sat down on the bed. "Come on, cheer up. You get to stay here for a few days, maybe longer. How cool is that?"
She looked up at him. "You don't get it! My father hates me now! He is never going to believe me about her hitting me. He is defending her! I have no place to live anymore. I'm an orphan." She started to cry again.
Simon put his arm around her and tried to comfort her. "Listen to me. You will always have a home. It may not always be with your dad but you have your aunt who is more than willing to take you in." He put his other arm around her and hugged her. "Do you know that?"
She nodded a little, "I guess. But what happens if he comes looking for me?"
"That's the other thing. CJ and I were thinking about getting some sort of restraining order. Just until this whole mess gets worked out."
She shook her head. "I don't want any of that. I just want to go home and pretend this never happened. I don't care if she is going to hit me again. I don't care anymore!"
"Yes, you do care, Hogan. You do." He said firmly. "I know you love your dad. And that's okay. He is your dad after all, but if he is just going to go on pretending none of this ever happened, I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay there. Not now at least. Okay?"
"Okay," she said softly. She sniffled and rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He looked up and saw CJ in the doorway.
"Mind if I have a go?" She walked into the room and knelt down in front of Hogan. "I love you. And I'm only doing this to protect you. Do you understand, honey?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Good." CJ kissed her head. "There is just one other thing that you are going to have to do."
"What's that?"
"Testify."
"What?! No! I can't. All that will happen is she will lie about everything and they will win and I'll have--"
"Whoa, slow down there. Nothing has been decided yet. For now, though, you are going to stay here. We will talk about all this court stuff later, okay?"
"Okay."
CJ sat down on the other side of her and looked at Simon, hoping this was the right thing to do.
TBC...