AUTHOR'S NOTES: This may be the last update for awhile. I'm starting the fall semester in school. I'll update as frequently as I can, but things may slow down until winter break. Be strong and take courage: the story's about half over.
A NEW BEGINNING – CHAPTER FOUR – DISCUSSIONS
Not telling anyone was easier said than done. After the Ducks' second game (which they lost), Connie, Kaley, Julie, Ken, and Adam had all expressed concerns about Charlie. In five more days, the team would be headed home and they would all find out.
Gordon knew the hard part about all this would be not socking Scott in the nose when they got back to Minneapolis. How could he treat Charlie that way? Had he abused Casey as well? That would be the real clincher. Charlie hadn't mentioned it, but if Casey didn't know her son was being abused, it was possible that Scott was also hitting his wife and Charlie was unaware.
It was well after midnight and Gordon was sitting in the hotel's lobby pondering the situation. Six o'clock was going to come early, but he couldn't sleep.
"Gordon?"
Gordon looked up, startled. "Michele." The team's tutor was standing above him. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Michele said.
Gordon pondered his answer. "Thinking," he finally said. It seemed like the most innocuous answer. "You?"
Michele sat down in the chair next to Gordon. "Being an insomniac," she sighed. "What's wrong with Charlie?"
Gordon snapped his head up, unable to contain his surprise. "What?"
"I saw you two in the locker room," Michele said.
Gordon stood up, took the teacher by the arm, and led him down the hall. "What I'm telling you has to be kept completely confidential," he said firmly, and then took a deep breath. "Charlie's stepfather has been abusing him."
Michelle's eyes filled, but she didn't look surprised. "I know."
"You know?" Gordon asked, trying to keep his voice down. "How?"
"I asked him what was wrong a few nights ago," Michele said. "I asked if there were problems at home, and he got all tense. He was exhibiting classic abused child symptoms." She wiped her eyes.
"We have to do something," Gordon said decisively. "We cannot allow Charlie back in that house."
Michele nodded in agreement. "Come with me."
Gordon obeyed. "Where are we going?"
"My room," Michele said. "I'm going to call my fiancé's sister. She's an attorney; she could help us."
"What's her name?" Gordon queried as Michele unlocked her door.
The petite teacher pushed the door open. "Stella O'Brien."
"Stella O'Brien?" Gordon followed Michele in and closed the door. "I went to law school with her. The only person I ever bothered to like, with the exception of Kaley's mom."
Michele sat on the edge of her bed. "Then you know how good she is." She picked up the phone, dialed a number, and waited. "Stella? It's Michele."
Gordon sat next to Michele, close enough to hear Stella's unmistakable Boston accent through the receiver. Gordon could picture the tiny blond sitting behind her desk overlooking Boston Harbor.
"Yes, Stella, your brother's treating me fine," Michele was saying. "Um, actually, everything's not OK. I'm in Norway with the Ducks, remember the team I tutored last year?...Well, their coach, Gordon Bombay…Yes, he told me…No, I'm not going out with him. We have a problem. I'm gonna let him tell you about it." Michele handed the receiver to Gordon.
"Stella?" Gordon said into the receiver.
"Gordon!" Stella greeted, her accent making his name sound like "Goahdin." "Michele tells me there's a legal problem."
"Yeah, there is." Gordon explained things to Stella.
The lawyer was silent for a moment. "OK," she said. "The first thing you'll have to do is get a restraining order for Charlie and his mom, and then they'll have to find another place to live. I assume Mrs/ Farquhar is going to divorce her husband?"
"Um, actually…" Gordon stammered. "She doesn't know."
"About the abuse or her plans to divorce her husband?" Stella asked, half joking.
"Either."
"Well, that complicates things," Stella said. "Is Mr. Farquhar abusing his wife as well?"
"Possibly," Gordon said. "Charlie says he doesn't know."
"You'll need to act quickly on this," Stella advised. "As soon as you get home, you and Charlie both should speak to his mom about this. And I mean as soon as you get home. Chances are good Charlie won't keep up his nerve for long."
Gordon sighed and closed his eyes. What a mess this was going to be. "Thanks, Stella." He hung up the phone. "This is going to be a long fight," he told Michele.
Outside, Adam stood against the wall. He didn't want to believe what he'd just heard. Charlie's stepfather? Abusive? So that's why Charlie's been acting so weird. All the pieces fell into place for the co-captain. I can't believe it! My best friend is being beaten up by his stepfather!