Author's notes:
Hi! ❤ It's nice to be sharing with you another chapter again. Your words are always so kind and encouraging. I feel very grateful. You really did make a difference, motivating me to keep working, do research, re-write scenes until I was pleased with the result and I want to thank you for that. If I was writing just for myself, I would not have had the motivation to be so thorough or write as many chapters as I did.
But, just like everyone else, I also have other responsibilities in my life. Last month, very unexpectedly, I was presented with an opportunity to take on completely new duties. I agreed, feeling very grateful and eager to begin working.
I'm telling you about this because this decision has already affected my writing schedule. I don't have as much free time as I used to and I am more tired.
Perhaps as I get used to the new responsibilities, it will turn out that finding the time to write will not be as difficult as I now imagine it will be. Or perhaps it will be even more difficult. I have no idea. But I did give this dilemma a lot of thought and the 24th of April seems to be the most reasonable deadline I can set for the next chapter.
In case I won't have the new chapter ready, I will still of course update author's notes for this chapter and tell you what to expect.
The illustration you can either find on my DoodleAddicts account (…/vincentthecat) or on the story Rooftops of New York that I post on Archive Of Our Own (VincentTheCat).
Chapter 24 "Receptive Hearts"
"Your Love will abide forever;
for You have established yourself in secret places
seeking out receptive hearts."
Psalm 9 (poetic rendition by Nan C. Merrill)
"…His blood test results are good, nothing is fractured, he's as healthy as only a kid can be, there's really no point in keeping him here longer than we agreed upon."
June looked up, hearing doctor John Graham's frustrated voice from the corridor. She opened the door. A woman in a wrinkled dress stood beside John, her hair was a bit messy, and there was a pleading look in her puffy eyes. In her hands she was clutching sheets of paper, and June frowned at the recognition of the adoption agency logo on them. "But you don't understand, if you let him go now, they will―"
"I'm sorry," John interrupted her. "I have other patients to look after, and honestly, if I had been in the decision, I would have insisted on forty-eight hours, not seventy-two. So please, just stop― stop bothering me." Without waiting for an answer, he turned on his heel and headed for the staff room. Seeing her, he stopped. "Morning June," he said.
"John," she nodded, turning her gaze away from the poor woman staring after them. "What's this about?"
He waved his hand in irritation. "Nothing. Just― nothing."
They walked in silence, and when they reached the staff room, John held the door for her.
"Thank you," June said mildly, entering the room. As she busied herself looking through the charts, John slumped down on the chair. He sighed in exasperation.
"Alright, was I being too harsh―"
June shrugged slightly. "I don't know what this is about. Usually parents are happy when they hear that their child is healthy."
"Not this one, she's not." Her colleague shook his head.
After finding the right charts, June sat at the table. "Well. Do you know why?"
John shook his head again. "Some messy case. The kid's apparently under arrest and the moment we let him out, they'll take him to the juvi. That woman you saw was not even his mother, nor was she any relative in fact." He lowered his voice in indignation. "Elizabeth Burke. Apparently she's the wife of an FBI agent who arrested him. Oh, yes! The FBI's involved in this too. For two days now there has been a guard duty on the corridor. And guess what's more― they haven't even told us the kid's real name. I had to estimate his age, and you know how hard it is to make an estimation for sure. He's registered as John Doe, if you believe it," he snorted, then stood up.
"But my hands are clean. As I've repeatedly told her, there is nothing more I can do. If she had not insisted so much on keeping the kid longer, I would have overruled that decision and would have let him out yesterday. But no, I agreed. We needed to keep him under observation longer. And now she wants me to stall again. Well, I won't stall." The man huffed, then gulped down cold looking coffee, took the chart from the table, and headed for the door. "He's just blocking the room."
June stood up. "Do you mind if I take a look at his chart?"
John turned around. "Why?"
She shrugged.
John rolled his eyes. "He's healthy. There's absolutely nothing wrong with him."
"I know," she said.
"Well, then why do you―" he paused, then smiled tightly. "Right. I forgot who I was talking to. Fine. Take a look." He crossed the room to the cabinet, opened one of the drawers, and fished out the chart. "But be careful. Give them a hand, they will take the whole arm, right?"
/\_/\
='x'=
She really should go back. She should go back. Neal needed her by his side, not here, on the corridor.
Elle closed her eyes tightly, then hid her face in her palms. She felt weak. She did not think she had ever felt so weak. And she knew that Peter felt the same. On the two occasions she saw him, he obviously tried to hide it, but he could not hide the facts. Or what the social services had told them. What processing times of adoption agencies were. It was all a mess.
Neal needed their assistance now, and they could not help him. Returning to her prayer, she rested her back against the cold hospital wall. Even though I walk through the valley of shadow and of death, I am not afraid; for You are ever with me. She clenched the rosary tightly in her fist. You are ever with me.
Suddenly a hand touched her shoulder and Elle opened her eyes. She stared at the concerned eyes of the woman in doctor's uniform. "Are you alright?"
Rubbing her eyes, Elle smiled. "Yes, I am― thank you." She read the badge. "Doctor June Ellington? Do you work in pediatrics here?"
"Yes, I do," the doctor smiled back. "But please, call me June."
"Elle," Elle said and they shook hands.
"Elizabeth Burke?" the woman asked.
Elle nodded a bit confused.
"I wasn't here during the weekend, but doctor Graham filled me in," June explained.
"Oh."
"Do you need coffee? Or tea perhaps?"
"I don't really know―" Elle paused. She took a deep breath. Neal needed her. "I have to go back. I left Neal only with Satch and he might get nervous if I don't come back soon and―"
"It will only take a minute," June said. "And we can bring coco for Neal."
"…I think he prefers milk."
"That we have too," June chuckled. "Come."
/\_/\
='x'=
After having nodded at Jim, Peter opened the door to Hughes's office. "You wanted to see me, sir?" he asked.
"Yes, please, Peter, come in," Reese said, gesturing him to the chair.
Peter felt his stomach tighten as he detected the almost inaudible note of worry in the older man's voice. He closed the door, took a seat, then watched his superior close his eyes and rub his forehead for a moment as if trying to focus his thoughts.
Finally Reese opened his eyes again and locked his gaze with Peter's.
"How's Neal?" he asked.
Peter felt himself stiffen. So his gut feeling was correct. It was about Neal. He cleared his throat.
"Good," he said. "His blood test results are good. When I spoke to doctor Graham yesterday, he seemed to believe that Neal was a picture of health," he allowed himself a small smile.
Reese smiled back tightly. "That's good news," he said, then, after drumming his fingers against his desk for a moment, added, "What about his name? Have you tried talking to Neal again?"
Suppressing a grimace, Peter met the man's eyes squarely. "We tried, Reese," he said quietly. "I wrote down all the rationales why it's a good idea for us to find out his real identity. But for whatever reason, Neal does not want us to know his surname. Maybe he is protecting his mom, though it's just my theory. When he got upset, we had to stop asking." He shrugged a bit helplessly. "I can't force him to tell me the truth, Reese. If I do, I risk losing all the little bit of trust he still has." One thing that Peter was determined never to do again was to compromise on his choices regarding Neal.
Reese gazed at him for a moment longer, then looked down at the papers on his desk, then back at Peter. He sighed. "And adoption agencies? Any word from them?"
Peter shook his head. "I'm afraid we're asking for the impossible," he said. "The process takes six months, minimum. Usually it's more like one to two years. And the fact that we still don't know Neal's name or whether he has any surviving family members―" he paused. "But understand, Reese. However helpful that information would be, I can't force it out of him. You have no idea how afraid of me he is. Or how close to the edge he is. I feel like Satch and Elle are all that keeps him sane right now."
"But they won't be there for much longer," Reese reminded him. "In twenty-six hours we have to take him to the juvi."
Without saying anything, Peter clenched both fists. Then he breathed deeply and met Reese's eyes. "And that's one more reason why I can't force it out of him. The only way we can stay in touch with Neal, is if he is on board with the idea. But if I piss him off right now, you know how it might end. He might start rejecting phone-calls, visits, throw all our advice away…" Peter rubbed his forehead. "He's just a kid, Reese. Doctor Graham believes he's not even twelve."
Reese furrowed his forehead, clearly surprised. "How's that?"
"He still has some baby teeth left."
"And you agree?"
Peter pursed lips. He was hardly qualified to answer such a question. "Well. From what I understand there is a certain chance that even an adult may still have baby teeth… But the chances are low. And putting Neal's skills aside, he does act a little bit young. The way he got attached to Elle," he shrugged again. "Of course, the abuse he endured must also play a role in his behavior, but still." He shrugged. "Perhaps he is eleven-years-old? I don't know."
Reese was silent for a long moment, then finally sighed. "Alright, Peter. I understand. The reason I'm asking is because I had a very angry visitor this morning."
"Oh?" Peter sat up straighter.
"Agent Fowler came here to inquire whether I realized that Elle was staying in the hospital with Neal. He seems to believe that you are not only interrogating Neal against his legal rights, but also behind the team's back."
The words made Peter snort. He was certain that if it were up to Garret Fowler, Neal would be kept in the box until he told the man everything he wanted to know. As was the case, Neal asked for a lawyer and then through his lawyer informed both the OPR and the FBI that any questions they might have, would have to be asked via written correspondence. Given the shock that Neal was in when they found him, Peter felt very proud that he had managed to convince Neal to at least this part of his plan.
"And then he demanded your removal from the case," Reese continued, and Peter bristled. His removal? Was it that bad? "I told him I'd think about it, but I'm not a fan of such rush decisions. Still, I promised that I would look into it… And meanwhile, I had to agree to double duty outside Neal's door. One of Fowler's man will be joining our guard."
Peter felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. What was Fowler's deal? "He won't try to interrogate Neal, I hope?" he asked quietly.
Reese shook his head. "If he does try, you have authorization to remove him from the hospital."
Peter nodded a bit thoughtfully. Fowler had only three men. Leaving one in the hospital would severely restrict his movements. If the OPR agent was willing to sacrifice one of his subordinates just to keep an eye on Neal, then…
Peter's phone rang. "I'm sorry―," Peter paused, recognizing the number. He met Reese's eyes. "It's Elle."
/\_/\
='x'=
Cindy's little brother looked very discouraged as he gazed at her and their other two siblings.
"C'mon, Moz! Don't give up!" Alex cheered. "You can do this!"
Crossing his arms, Mozzie rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks―"
"But no talking!" Sam, their youngest sister, reminded them all, and Cindy hid a smile as Mozzie almost rolled his eyes again. After three months of not seeing him, he seemed so grown-up to Cindy. They all did. She felt a familiar pang of pain in her heart.
"You were eating," she said aloud. "Eating bread."
Mozzie looked at her for a moment with a perplexed expression on his face, then took a quick look at his charade card again and nodded to himself. "Alright," he said. "Let's try this."
He took Alex's hand and motioned for her to sit down, and then did the same for Sam and Cindy. They sat in an almost perfect circle.
"We're sitting― we're―"
"We're praying!" Alex said as he put his hands together.
Mozzie nodded enthusiastically, then moved a bit over and pointed to the empty spot next to them.
"Jesus?"
"The Holy Spirit? We're praying with the Holy Spirit?"
Mozzie shook his head in despair.
"With the angels!" Sam exclaimed and he smiled slightly at her, just the way he always did when she spoke. But it clearly was not it either. He got up and run to the exit. A moment later he was back carrying shoes.
He set them in the empty spot and gestured at them. "Daddy's shoes!" Sam cheered and laughed.
Neither Cindy, nor Alex, nor Mozzie were able to stay serious.
"Dad? Father?" Cindy asked, chuckling.
Still smiling, Mozzie nodded energetically.
"We're praying with dad. Like daily prayer or something?" Alex asked, and Mozzie put his hands together, nodding. Then, he resumed pretending he was eating something round.
"Bread," Cindy and Alex stated simultaneously, and then chuckled.
Her little brother almost rolled his eyes again. Then, patiently, he put his hands together, pointed to their dad's shoes, then to the top of his head, then up and down―
"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name―" Mozzie nodded enthusiastically, making the gesture of eating again. "Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," Cindy and Alex continued together. Mozzie held both of his thumbs up. They were clearly getting there. "Give us this day our daily bread―"
"Oh!" Cindy exclaimed. "Daily bread?"
"Yes!" their brother moaned in relief.
"Daily bread," Alex chuckled. "Seriously―"
Mozzie handed them his charade card. "Yeah!"
Cindy chuckled. "Oh, this is from Matthew," she noticed, as she read the quote under the phrase.
In a sudden burst of affection, Sammy jumped on Mozzie and threw her arms around him. "Our Daddy in Heaven loves us!"
"Hey!" Mozzie exclaimed, catching their youngest sibling, and then, holding her tightly, span around in a circle. Sam was delighted.
"Again!" she demanded, giggling.
"One last time and then we go back to playing charades," Mozzie said. "Deal?"
"Deal," Sammy chuckled.
"I wouldn't trust such deals," Alex's mumbling was barely audible, and Cindy smiled back at her little sister.
"Alex, I missed you so much," she said reaching an arm to her.
Alex smiled slightly, then moved closer so they could hug each other. And as they did, Cindy wondered once again how she ever would leave them again. She pulled a bit away from her sister. "I love you."
Alex smiled back. "Love you too," she said quietly.
Mozzie, with still giggling Sam in his arms, slumped to the floor next to them. "Alright, little-though-not-so-little sis, your turn!"
Alex shook her head at her brother, then stood up. But just as she reached into the bag to pull out a card, the phone rang. It was Cindy's.
"Sorry," she said, standing up, then walked over to where it was charging. She raised an eyebrow. It was mom.
/\_/\
='x'=
Hearing the four variations of "Hi, mom," June smiled. Then her smile faltered as Sam immediately added. "Are you coming back now?"
Her little daughter was still lamenting her mom's return to work.
"Not yet, sweetheart," June answered. "But I will be home at 7 PM. Ask Mozzie to show you his watch."
"When this hand hits the number seven," June heard her son's muffled voice explain.
Taking advantage of the fact that her youngest daughter's attention was focused elsewhere, June quickly asked. "Cindy, can I talk to you for a minute?"
/\_/\
='x'=
"Sure," Cindy says, turning off the loud-speaker and Alex purses her lips.
What is so important that their mom cannot share it with them?
When she glances at Moz, she can see the same expression in his eyes for a moment. But just as he notices her gaze, he glances at Sam, still in his arms, and Alex turns her head away.
With a sigh, she hugs her knees. He should not always be so understanding, she thinks. Dad cancelled on him the last minute and did Mozzie even say a word of protest? No. Because he never does. He is always fine, and that is exactly why he is always left out. If it turned out that another sick kid needed Cindy more than they did…
Alex flinches when Sammy decides to change her seat and launches herself onto her.
"Kid!" she protests, then sighs, as the little girl hugs her.
"Make me a T-rex!"
She smiles. "Later, okay? We'll make a bunch of T-rexes later." Or perhaps sooner, if Alex has guessed correctly why their mom called Cindy mid-work.
"No," Sammy shakes her head, still hugging Alex. "I just need one. And then a diplodocus."
"Well, I have no idea how to make an origami diplodocus. I would have to learn."
"Okay!"
Alex feels herself straightening up when their sister comes back holding her phone. She sees uncertainty and anxiety on Cindy's face and it makes her heart beat faster.
"Mom would like to talk to you," Cindy says quietly.
/\_/\
='x'=
"No, not another sick kid!" Mozzie bursts out before June can say anything. Then he immediately regrets it. He did not mean to shout. But Alex seems to be on his side.
"We're kids too, you know?!" his little sister says just as passionately as he did before.
Mozzie can sense immediately how uncomfortable Sammy has become. He really should not have shouted.
"Is the kid dying? Because unless he's dying, Cindy stays here and that's it," Alex continues, and Mozzie puts a hand on her shoulder.
"Byron was supposed to come with me to the observatory and at the last minute canceled the meeting because of some kid too. It's the same kid, isn't it?" he asks in a calmer voice.
"It is," June says. "This little boy is very frightened and he really needs someone to cheer him up and watch over him while his mom-to-be is away."
As he looks away from the phone, Mozzie purses his lips. He does not want to know more. If he does, he knows he will start feeling sorry for that kid, and right now he wants to feel sorry only for himself. Unfortunately, his sister became interested in June's words.
"What do you mean by saying mom-to-be?" Alex asks.
"Well. This boy has no one, and Elle, the lady at the hospital, along with her husband, Peter, would like to give him a family. But in order to do that, they need to go to the Found Pearl, talk to Patricia. That's why I involved your dad too. And that's why now I'm asking Cindy for help. Neal is very scared of being left alone in the hospital and right now he needs a bunch of people with good hearts to help him out."
Mozzie looks back at the phone. Then, his gaze shifts to Alex and he notices that all the hostility is gone from her face. They look at each other for a long moment.
"I promise to make it up to you. Tomorrow's a day too," Cindy says.
Mozzie looks at her. Tomorrow, from what he remembers, she is supposed to meet her friends from high-school. Is she about to cancel this meeting for them? If he had friends he would never cancel on them.
"And Moz, dad will take you to the observatory. He was looking forward to it," June says.
"He does not have to," Mozzie shrugs, looking down at his hands.
"He wants to," June reassures him, and Mozzie shrugs again. It does not matter anyway, he tells himself. It is not that he cares so…
"Do Elle and Peter need help with anything else?" he asks quickly before anyone else can feel the need to be nice to him. "You know, with preparing their house for a home study, paperwork or… Just something."
"No, Mozzie, thank you so much for asking," June answers. "It would mean a lot to me if you and Alex just took care of Sam for the rest of the day."
Feeling relieved that at least today, he would not have to get to know any new people, Mozzie nods. "Okay." He glances at Alex.
"Sure, mom," she says, and Mozzie feels awe over how easily that word has just left her mouth. He does not think he will ever be able to call June that.
/\_/\
='x'=
"Alright… Yes, if you need anything, go to Helen. The dinner― alright," June chuckled. "You're the best team in the world. I love you…. Be back at 7PM. Okay, bye! Yes, Sammy, I love you too! Bye!" she chuckled again and as the phone call ended, she met Elle's gaze.
"Alright," she said, reaching out to squeeze her hand gently. "Cindy will come. She should be here in less than an hour." There were happy sparkles in her eyes and her smile was contagious. "What did Peter say? Can he make it to the meeting?"
Elle rubbed her face as new tears filled her eyes. June must have been given an angel's heart, and she did not seem to even know it.
"Yes," she heard her voice say. "He can."
June squeezed her hand again. "Then everything's fine. If all goes well, after the meeting they'll go straight to your home. Did you say you had a friend who can get everything ready?"
Elle nodded once again. "Yes. Jones's on it. I've given him a list…" she took out her phone and scrolled down to the message. She showed it to June. "It's been sent from… Helping Hand… Or Heart? I'm sorry. All these names sound so similar."
"That's alright," June smiled, reading the document. "But just to be sure I'll send you the list from Found Pearl, alright?"
Elle nodded, wiping the tears off her face again.
"Done. Sent."
"I've got it," Elle said, looking down at her phone. She quickly forwarded the message with a little explanation to Jones.
"Alright, and now let's go to Neal," June said and helped Elle stand up. "You've got this, mom," she said, still with that angelic smile. "And you're not alone."
/\_/\
='x'=
So? What do you think? Satch asks.
Neal glances down at the dog but keeps silent.
Come on, Satch whines in frustration. Not every plan I come up with is that bad.
"True words of a fed's dog," Neal says, smiling, and Satch, a bit foolishly, sticks out his tongue. The sight is so funny, Neal has to chuckle. Shaking his head, he jumps off the windowsill and then, still smiling, scratches the Lab behind his ear. "That was mean. I'm sorry."
Satch slips his snout under Neal's palm. Well then. Tell me what drive do you want to steal?
Taking a quick glance at the agent sitting in the corridor, Neal lowers his voice. "You see that black Honda Civic?" he asks barely audibly. "That one."
Satch seems surprised. Why?
"Well," Neal whispers excitedly. "I saw the guy who drove it yesterday and―" he pauses as the lady he thought he would never see again opens the door.
Satch spins around and whining happily, runs up to Elle. He did not think she would come back either.
/\_/\
='x'=
The moment she opened the door, Satchmo ran up to her, whining happily. Smiling, Elle petted the dog, then walked over towards the child.
"I'm sorry I was gone so long, Neal," she said quickly. "But I've met an unexpected friend – doctor June Ellington," she sat down on the floor and handed Neal the bottle of milk June had given her. "And in the last half an hour she has done what I could not even hope to accomplish in all my phone-calls to the agencies yesterday."
Elle smiled, perhaps realizing for the first time the truth, the gladness in the news. Was it even possible? She ran a hand over her face, then chuckled a bit in disbelief. "We have a meeting, Neal. Today. And if things go well, they will do a home study today as well."
/\_/\
='x'=
Neal looks down at the bottle of milk in his hands, then back at Elle. He thought…
As tears fill his eyes, he has to duck his head. He feels so stupid.
"Sweetie?" Elle asks quietly and Neal takes a deep breath, trying to calm down.
"Hey, it's alright. It's good news. Perhaps not what I hoped for, running out after doctor Graham like that. But still, very good news." She reaches out and gently strokes his hand. "This means that if everything goes well today, all that remains for me and Peter to become qualified to adopt you is a pre-adoption training and a first aid training for me. Look." Neal hears her get up, then the rustle of paper and he knows immediately what Elle wants to show him. The notebook.
The notebook that agent Burke gave him the first day before driving to the hospital. The notebook that the adults have almost filled up with their notes and plans by now. Neal gulps.
"Things can always go wrong, which we have to keep in mind. But if all goes well, in less than two weeks we should be fully qualified to adopt you." She places her hand on his again in a way that Neal now finds so familiar.
Finally, as the tears fade, Neal has the courage to look up. First his gaze stops on the bottle of milk, then on the notebook opened on the page with the list of ninety-three adoption agencies from all over New York, and finally he meets Elle's eyes.
He thought he would never see her again. He thought she had left for good.
/\_/\
='x'=
There were two of them. Not just from the FBI, but also from the OPR. Cindy glanced sidelong at her mom, but she seemed calm. And really, why shouldn't she be? They were not doing anything wrong.
"Purpose of the visit?" the OPR agent asked.
"I'm a volunteer," Cindy answered, wondering why the awful feeling in the pit of her stomach was so familiar.
"Well. Can't you be volunteering anywhere else?" the man asked.
Cindy said nothing. Even though she was twenty, she suddenly felt like a little girl again. The little girl got scared of the stone-faced guards, who regarded her and her mom in silence, deciding whether or not to allow them to see dad.
"Agent Burke says it is alright," the FBI agent told his colleague and Cindy, once again felt awe when she realized that the people they were helping were from the FBI.
"Her volunteer pass is good and there's no contraband," the man nodded at the two thoroughly searched board games she had brought.
Cindy felt her shoulders relax as the OPR agent shifted his hostile gaze from her to his colleague. There was clearly some tension between them and Cindy shifted her weight again, wondering a bit absently what Alex and Mozzie would say when they heard what their board games had gone through. But then again, perhaps they would never know. Mom, after all, did not even tell them that the reason why everything had to be done today was because the boy was going to juvenile prison tomorrow.
Finally, the OPR agent seemed to make up his mind, because, with a slight nod, he gave back her ID along with her volunteer pass, and stepped back. The FBI agent opened the door and held it for them. Her mom motioned for her to come in first, and Cindy, still feeling a bit light-headed, stepped inside.
/\_/\
='x'=
"And this is Cindy, June's daughter. I've told you about her, Neal, remember? She's going to stay with you and Satch until I come back."
Looking at the smiling girl, Neal feels a bit embarrassed. Stay with him? He is not a baby. Maybe Satch, but not…
"Nice to meet you, Neal," Cindy holds out her hand and Neal takes it.
"Yeah," he says, feeling his face flush and really hoping that it does not show.
"And this must be Satch," Cindy chuckles, patting Satch's head. Whining and sniffing intensely, Satch licks her hand. "He probably can sense Bugsy," she says, meeting Neal's eyes again. "We have a pug, a really small creature, but just as lively."
Neal smiles back.
"Before I forget," Cindy opens her backpack and after rummaging through it for a moment she fishes out some crumpled paper and gives it to Neal. "This is for you, from Sammy. She's my little sister and she really wanted me to give it to you."
Looking at the sheet of paper with the origami T-rex plastered on, Neal does not know what to say. The T-rex seems to be wishing him to get better and is surrounded by somewhat shapeless flowers. He looks at Cindy again.
"She's four-years-old," she says. "Though the T-rex is my other sister's creation, Alex. She's around your age, I think, and she is constantly despairing over the fact that every T-rex she makes for Sammy, Sammy gives out," Cindy chuckles.
"Anyway. Do you like playing board-games? I've brought two with me, and since the guards outside, after a thorough search, have clearly decided that there is no contraband in them, I think we should be safe." Still full of this joyful energy, she sits down on the camping mat that Elle insisted on and agent Burke brought in on Saturday.
"Which one first?" she asks, and Neal, still a bit dumbfounded, sits cross-legged in front of her.
"Um," his gaze shifts from one board-game to another. He has never…
"I've also brought the cards," Cindy says and Neal feels relief wash over him.
Smiling, he looks up. "Okay." He is totally going to destroy her in poker.
Author's notes:
Thanks for reading! I hope the chapter was alright.
Cindy in the TV series was June's granddaughter, here she is her daughter. The same is true for Samantha, who is two or three years younger than she was in the TV series. Mozzie and Alex have been adopted by June and Byron (who, of course, unlike in the TV series, is alive). I thought that Mozzie could be two years older than Neal and Alex one year older than Neal.
Once again thank you for accompanying me on this journey, thank you for every kind thought you've given me and I wish you many joyful days ahead. ❤
Next(27.02.2022): Chapter 25
❤ Replies to guest reviews from the previous chapter ❤
Mj, yes he will. Thank you so much! ❤
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='x'=
Guest, thank you! ❤ :)
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Macy, thank you! I'm also glad you enjoyed the last chapter. ❤ Take care!
Next(24.04.2022): Chapter 25 "The Last Hours"
Update(19.02): I'm very sorry. I won't be able to update the story on 27.02. There's a lot going on in my life right now and before I will be ready to share chapter 25 with you, first I need to finish writing drafts for the next couple of chapters. The plot in my head got complicated again and before I post "The Last Hours" I need to see where my ideas will take the story. I don't want to back myself into a corner.
I should have the chapter ready by 24.04. I wish you all the best. ❤ Hopefully, see you in April!