Chapter 14
Julie had spent the last two hours trying to get hold of Melissa Cooper at Child Services. The main reason was to try and confirm if it was in fact Marissa. She hadn't been sure what she would say to her or how she would explain how Aunt Julie had found her after they had drifted apart of the last few years.
Julie had kept in touch with Marissa for the first few years after the accident. She had visited her and Cindy in Riverside regularly, but it had got more difficult once she had Frankie. When she enrolled in college, it became impossible. She had taken consolation in knowing first that Marissa was doing well and now had a pretty normal drama-free life, and secondly that she had become a better mother to Marissa's younger sister, Caitlin and to Jamie in the process. The whole plot to keep Marissa away from Newport and Ryan was the last truly 'Julie Cooper' thing she had done.
Now it seemed like everything was going to come crashing down on her. Ryan and Marissa would meet, and at the very least Ryan would know what she had done even if Marissa still didn't remember. There didn't seem to be anything she could do to stop it.
Melissa Hooper was out on case calls all day and didn't keep her cell phone on or check in for messages on these days. Julie had been told the best hope of reaching her was between 9 and 10 a.m. tomorrow.
Julie had decided that the best option now was for her not to be in the office, since she would most definitely be recognized by Marissa if it was her.
Julie walked down to Ryan's office and knocked on the door. When she entered he looked a little stressed and was staring at his cell phone.
"You ok?" she asked?
"Hmm? Um yeah?" Ryan said as if jolted back into the present.
"Good, listen, I have to go out to meet a client, so can you have Nate stay with Kim when that social worker comes? I probably won't be back for the rest of the day" she lied.
Ryan looked a little puzzled, but his mind was more focused on talking to Taylor now than how to deal with Nate when the social worker was there. "Yeah, sure, no problem" he said absently.