Chapter Fifteen
Even Grownups Make Mistakes
A/N: This chapter is the longest one so far, but I like it the most. Just like I said in the last chapter about not being a doctor, I am also not a lawyer or social worker. This chapter's also different because it's told from some new character's POV. Enjoy!
Ada Jeffries despised the little backwater town of Lebanon, Kansas. She'd been dumped here six months earlier after being told that she was "damn lucky she wasn't losing her job" in the City of Topeka Child Protective Services department. She'd worked there for nearly forty years when her new boss, a kid barely out of diapers in Ada's view, had called her into his office one day and said there was a "problem". Ada remembered the conversation as if it had happened yesterday.
"Ada, I'm transferring you." Sean had said.
"You're what? I retire next year! You can't transfer me!" Ada had protested.
Sean, with his little smug little face and his smug little suit and smug little demeanor, had opened a file folder on his desk. "Ada, I know you were used to pretty much free reign under Gene Carter, but I've been looking over your cases. In forty years, you've been the social worker for over five hundred families. Does that sound right?"
"Sure." Ada said. She hadn't been counting, but that sounded right.
"Take a look at this."
Smug little Sean had pushed the folder in front of Ada. Ada had taken it, and she saw that a good portion of the list was highlighted. She flipped through the list and her sense of dread became overpowering. But there was no way she was going down easy.
"What is this?" she demanded.
"In every one of those families, over forty percent of them, you removed a child for suspected abuse. That's over two hundred names. Every one of those cases was dismissed for lack of evidence." Shawn said.
"So?" Ada responded.
"Ada…" Shawn said, and Ada was reminded of how she talked to children. "Ada, removing a child from a home where they're not being abused is very traumatic. Taking them from a place where they're loved and cared for can damage them as much or more than an abusive home can."
"That's bull." Ada had said. "My job is to take children from homes where abuse is suspected…."
"No. Your job is to remove children based on evidence. You have a reputation of taking children first and then asking questions later. We're not working that way here anymore. Unless there's ample evidence saying a child has been abused or you actually catch the parent or guardian in the act, removal is not an option." Shawn said.
"Fine." Ada said, fuming. "I get it. But transfer?"
"I thought you might need to see what it was like." Sean said. "To be taken from your home and put in a place you don't know. Look, to be honest, I wanted to fire you. But I'm not completely heartless. If I fire you, you lose your pension from the city. So you've got two options. Take the transfer and finish out your year, or resign right now."
So here she was, at Lebanon Elementary School, doubling as the resident guidance counselor and social worker for the school. The principal of the school was thrilled to have her, even if all Ada generally did was sit in her office and shuffle papers all day. But there was one student who had caught Ada's attention since she'd arrived at the school. Evelyn Winchester. Ada had only been at the school for a couple of days when the little girl had gotten into a serious wreck. She'd been in the hospital for a few weeks, and come home right after Thanksgiving.
But why had she stayed out of school until after Christmas?
Ada was bothered by that. But other than being out of school for longer than necessary, Ada could find no evidence that anything bad was going on with her. She was a straight A student, appeared to be happy and well-adjusted, and was one of the best behaved kids in the school. But that hadn't stopped Ada from opening a file on Evelyn. She'd talked to Evelyn's second grade teacher, who had nothing but glowing things to say about Evy. Her current third grade teacher, Mrs. Jackson, also loved Evy. She had called her "one of the brightest kids I've ever had." It made Ada sick. No kid was perfect. And no parent either, which was another focus of Ada's investigation. Sam Winchester was Evelyn's brother, as was Dean Winchester, her other emergency contact. But Evelyn called them "Daddy" and "Uncle Dean". Where were her parents? Her real parents? She had been unable to find any evidence that the two parents listed on her birth certificate even existed, much less when or if they had died.
A thought had occurred to Ada. An epiphany. Maybe it wasn't entirely the accident that had kept Evelyn out of school. It was plausible-big brother gets sick of taking care of little sister day after day, gets upset and impatient, and does something to her that he later regrets. She hadn't been able to shake that feeling, that something was going on with Evelyn. Ada finally decided to talk to Evelyn herself. She sent a note to Mrs. Jackson to have Evelyn come to her office when the class was having their free time. Evelyn showed up and knocked timidly on Ada's door. Ada prepared herself for the upcoming talk, and got up to answer the door.
"Hello, Evelyn. Come in."
"Hi." Evy said nervously.
"Come on in, sweetie. Sit down." Ada said as she sat down behind her desk. "I'd like to talk to you about something."
"Am I in trouble?" Evy asked.
"No, sweetie. You're not in trouble." Ada said. Evy finally took a seat, and Ada began. "How are you doing, Evelyn?"
"I'm okay." Evy said. "I don't really like to be called Evelyn though."
"Why not?" Ada said. "That's your name, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but I just don't like it." Evy said again. "Can you call me Evy please?"
"Sure, sweetie." Ada said. "I'm sorry about that."
"It's okay." Evy said, more awkward than nervous now.
"So, I just wanted to talk about some things. How are you doing since the accident you and your daddy were in back on Halloween?"
Evy shifted in her seat. "I'm better now."
"That's good. I bet it was scary though, right?" Ada asked.
"Yeah, it was." Evy said. "I don't like talking about it."
"Sweetheart, you seem nervous. Are you okay?" Ada asked.
"Yeah, I just don't know you. And I don't want to talk about the accident." Evy said, trying hard to be respectful like Sam would want her to.
"Okay, we don't have to, sweetie." Ada said. "We can talk about something else. What can you tell me about your parents?"
Ada's unexpected question made Evy's intuition kick in. Something was very wrong here. "Can I go back to class, please?"
Ada sighed. "Sure, sweetie. Go back to class."
Evy jumped off the seat and practically ran out of the room and back to her classroom. Evy was relieved the unexpected interview was over, making a note to herself to tell Sam about it when she saw him at dinner that night. She thought she had done the right thing by ending the interview. That Ada would leave her alone, not ask her about the accident anymore.
How wrong she was.
Ada sent another note to Mrs. Jackson to hold Evy after class. She made a call to Lebanon social services, informing them that she was removing a child from her parent's custody. She bit her tongue when the head of the department asked if she was sure, and Ada said she was. Five minutes before class let out, Ada was waiting patiently at the door of the classroom with the other social worker, whose name she had already forgotten. The bell rang, the door opened, and kids started pouring out. Ada heard Mrs. Jackson's voice over the crowd.
"Evy, stay behind for a second, honey."
The crowd thinned, until eventually no one else came out. Ada nodded at the other social worker, and they both went into the room. Ada was surprised to see another student, Lillian Summers, waiting with Evy. Ada gently told Lillian to go ahead and leave.
"I can't leave. My mommy's picking both of us up today. I have to wait for Evy." Lillian said.
"Evy won't be going home today, sweetheart. You can leave now."
Ada had seen children react badly to being removed from parents before, but she was not prepared for the full frontal assault of both children screaming. Between Lillian screaming that "You can't keep her here!" and Evy screaming "What do you mean I can't go home?", Ada could barely hear herself think. Mrs. Jackson spoke up from her desk.
"Lily, come here, sweetie."
Lily walked over to the desk, where Mrs. Jackson pulled her aside and whispered something into her ear. A crying Lily nodded and left the room quickly. Ada stared at Mrs. Jackson, deciding to confront her later on what she had said to Lily. Evy was at the desk, still crying and frozen in fear. Ada began to explain to her what was going on.
"Sweetheart, you're going to stay with another family for a couple days while we sort some things out." Ada said.
"No! I don't want another family." Evy said loudly. Suddenly the soft spoken, nervous child Ada had seen in her office a few hours earlier was replaced with a new girl entirely. "Let me go. I want to go home."
"No." Ada said in a tone she had mastered over years of work in this field. She was firm but not unkind, at least not in her view. "No, you're not going home right now."
"What in the hell is going on here?"
Ada turned to the doorway of the classroom, where an angry looking Linda Summers stood. Ada quickly put everything together. Mrs. Jackson had sent Lily outside to get her mother and tell her to come inside. Ada knew she was a lawyer, but she was prepared for a fight.
"Aunt Linda!" Evy yelled from her seat, jumping up and running over to her.
Linda felt Evy shaking as she placed a comforting hand on her head. "Are you okay, Evy?"
"They're saying I can't go home." Evy said without looking up.
"What?" Linda asked, rounding on Ada. "And who are you?"
Ada produced a badge from her pocket, one that was barely used anymore. "Ada Jeffries, Lebanon Social Services."
"And what exactly is going on that makes you think it's okay to practically kidnap this child?" Linda asked. She was quickly going from mother mode to lawyer mode, while still trying to comfort a distraught Evy.
"We don't need to talk to you." Ada said. "The only person we're required to contact is her parent or guardian."
"Guess again. You're talking to her lawyer." Linda said. "Now I'll ask you again. Why are you taking this child?"
"We're not kidnapping her. We have a court order." the second social worker said, producing the said court order from his pocket.
Linda looked it over quickly. "Sam is suspected of abuse? And kidnapping? Are you serious? You two are crazy!"
"There's a court hearing on Monday. If you have concerns, you can speak to the judge then." Ada said. "But she is coming with us right now."
The second social worker walked to Evy and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, sweetie. Everything's gonna be okay."
Evy started swinging the second he started leading her away from Linda. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screamed.
Linda wanted to fight just like Evy, but it wouldn't do any good right now. "If you don't let me calm her down, she will beat the hell out of him."
"Calm her down. But don't take her." Ada said.
"I should." Linda said. "But I won't." Linda got on her knees. "Evy, come here, baby."
Evy walked over to Linda, tears streaming down her face. "I want to go home."
"I know." Linda said. "But you can't right now, sweetie."
"Then can I go with you?" Evy asked.
"If it was up to me, I'd take you straight out this room and right to your daddy, honey." Linda said. "But I can't do that. I know you're scared, but you need to go with Mrs. Jeffries."
"Why?" Evy said. "Why can't I go home?"
Linda wanted to tell her the truth, but it would scare Evy even more. "Listen, baby. Do you trust me?"
"Yeah." Evy said.
"Okay. You're going to stay somewhere else for the weekend. I don't know where, but I promise you'll be safe. And it's only for two days. Maybe not even that long, but I can't promise that. But I can promise you this. I'm going to do everything I possibly can to get you back home as fast as I can. Okay?" Linda said, fighting back her own tears.
Evy shook her head and started crying even harder.
"Hey. Evy, look at me. Do you remember how you and Lily met?" Linda asked.
"Yeah." Evy said, barely getting it out through spilling tears.
"It was the first day of school. Lily was afraid of coming to class, because she hadn't met her teacher or seen her classroom yet. Do you remember what you did?" Evy nodded, but Linda could see she was crying too hard to answer. Please don't get sick from crying, Linda thought briefly before continuing. "You walked up to her, grabbed her hand, and said, 'I'm scared too. Let's do this together.' That was really, really brave of you. I know it's hard, but you need to be that brave again. Okay? Do it for me, baby. Please."
Evy finally stopped crying, more out of exhaustion than anything else. "Will you tell daddy and uncle Dean that I love them?"
"You bet I will." Linda said. "I love you too baby. Everything's gonna be okay. I promise."
Evy nodded and hugged Linda, who reluctantly let her go so as not to drag out the process. Linda grabbed Evy's backpack and handed it to her, then turned with a scowl towards Ada.
"Don't take her out by the office, please. That's where my own daughter is." Linda said.
Ada nodded, and the other social worker walked out the door with a defeated, depressed Evy. "We're doing this for her own good. If everything checks out, she will go home Monday."
"When everything checks out," Linda said menacingly, "I will make sure you lose your job over this."
"Good luck with that. I retire in six months." Ada said, walking out to follow Evy and the social worker.
Linda left the classroom, going to the office to quickly collect Lily. She told Lily a little of what was going on, and had to have basically the same conversation with her that she'd had with Evy. Linda drove quickly to the bookstore, trying to get to Sam before the order from the court came in to appear on Monday. No luck.
"Linda, what the hell is going on with this?"
"Sam, I asked them the same question when I got there." Linda said.
"You saw it?" Sam said. "Why didn't you stop them?"
"Sam, I know this is hard to believe, but that would have made it worse." Linda said. "I need you to listen to me. Okay?"
"Linda…" Sam said, distraught.
"Sam." Linda said firmly. She walked to Sam and grabbed both his arms forcefully, guiding him over to a chair. "Listen to me, and listen to me right now. Believe me, I wanted to snatch Evy up and run, but that would have scared her even worse. They would have arrested me and taken her anyway. Now do you have the paperwork you got from the court?"
"By the register." Sam said.
Linda picked it up and read it through quickly. "Okay. This makes a little more sense now."
"It makes sense?" Sam asked. "Linda, they're accusing me of abuse!"
"Sam, I know. I know. Just listen to me, okay? I've done these kinds of cases before. This is one of the flimsiest I've ever seen. That works in our favor. Basically what she's saying is that after the accident you kept Evy out of school too long and she's suspicious of that. But she can't keep you from Evy just on suspicion alone. She has to have proof for that." Linda explained.
"So, what now?" Sam said.
"I'm going to go down to night court. I'm gonna try and get a court order releasing Evy to your custody until the hearing. I'm gonna be honest, that's not likely. A judge doesn't usually overturn a protective removal. They're too afraid something will happen and it will fall back on them." Linda said.
Sam was nearly as sick as Evy had been in the classroom. "Linda, I'd never hurt her…"
"Sam, I know that. I know that, I do. And I'm telling you, when the judge sees the lack of evidence they have, he will too." Linda said. "Sam, I am going to fight for you. But you have to trust me, okay?"
"What happens if you can't get her released?" Sam asked.
Linda hated it, but there was no other alternative. "She'll spend the weekend in foster care."
Across town, Evy sat in the backseat of an unfamiliar car, staring down at the floorboards. The other social worker had given Evy his name finally, Derrick, but Evy had just ignored him and looked down to the floor. The last time she remembered being this scared, she was four years old and had been kidnapped by a demon. She had a pit in her stomach just like that day, and wanted nothing more than to go home and sit in Sam's lap for the rest of the weekend. The car stopped, and Evy wiped her eyes; she had started crying again. Derrick opened the car door and grabbed Evy's hand.
"Come on, sweetie." he said.
"Don't touch me!" Evy spat at him.
"Alright." Derrick said. "Alright, I won't. But we're here."
Evy glanced towards the house they were parked in front of. It was a small, one story house with a dog in the front yard. An elderly couple in their seventies sat on the front step, waving and smiling at Evy. Evy teared up again and begged,
"Please, please take me home."
Derrick softened; he felt genuinely sorry for what Evy was being put through. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I can't. But the Morgans are really nice. They'll take good care of you."
"My daddy already takes good care of me." Evy said; but she got out of the car anyway and walked towards the Morgans.
Back at Sam and Dean's, Sam was explaining the situation to Dean. Whereas Sam had been about to cry from devastation when he heard the news, Dean's hunter instincts became reawakened, and he saw it as a rescue mission.
"Come on, Sam. We'll get Jody to make a call, find out where she is, go get her and split." Dean said.
"No, Dean." Sam said.
"No?" Dean said. "You want to leave her with strangers?"
Sam rounded on Dean. "You really think I want this? Seriously?"
"Well what then?" Dean asked. "Explain it to me."
"I promised her, Dean. I swore to her she'd have a life, a home. A real one." Sam said.
"Sam, if she's not here, you can't give her that." Dean replied. "Come on, we can do this. Dad would've…."
"For the last damn time, Dean, I am not dad!" Sam shouted. "I am not going to break a promise to her unless it's the last possible option. We do this the right way. I'm going to court Monday if Linda can't get her home tonight."
"You are?" Dean asked. "Am I not going?"
"No. I want you in the parking lot in the Impala. With a go bag packed and ready to go." Sam said.
"Why?" Dean asked. He knew the answer, but wanted to hear Sam say it.
"In case we do lose." Sam said simply.
Evy sat on the couch in the Morgan's living room, her backpack on the floor in front of her. She was determined to just sit on the couch until the hearing on Monday. The Morgans seemed really nice. Betty kept trying to get her to eat something, and Marty kept trying to get her to talk. If Sam were here, Evy would have looked to him for permission to talk to them. But he wasn't there. And that was all Evy could focus on. She wanted Sam. She wanted to talk to him, have him hold her, tickle her, read to her, anything. She wanted Dean. She wanted him to play with her, roughhouse with her, argue with her about what flavor of ice cream was the best. She wanted to go home, not sit in this unfamiliar house with two strangers.
It was approaching eight o'clock. The Morgans were talking in hushed tones in the kitchen. Evy could hear them. They were talking about her. They weren't mad, but they weren't happy with her either. They were confused. They wanted Evy to talk to them, but she couldn't do that. She didn't know how. Eventually Evy got tired of hearing them talk about her and got up to go to the kitchen with them. But before she made it, a familiar voice called out to her.
"Hello, Evelyn."
Evy turned back to the couch and was surprised to see a familiar person there. "Mommy!"
Mommy sat down on the couch and extended her arms out towards Evy. "Come here, sweetheart."
Evy ran towards her and jumped into her arms, relieved to see someone she knew. She cried again for a minute, and Mommy waited patiently until she was calm again before she talked.
"I know you're scared, sweetheart. But you'll only be here for two days. I promise."
"Mommy, I don't know these people! I want my daddy!" Evy said for what felt like the millionth time.
"I know you do." Mommy said, wiping her tears again. "You won't be able to see me, but I'll be here the whole weekend, baby. I'll be watching over you. Just be brave for me, baby."
"Mommy, please. Please don't go." Evy begged.
"I won't." Mommy swore. "I'm gonna be right here." she said, pulling one arm around Evy's shoulder and placing one hand over her heart.
Mommy left and Evy walked into the kitchen. She held Beanie tightly to her, thankful that she had thought to pack him in her school stuff that day. Maybe that was mommy too, she thought as she reached the kitchen. The Morgans saw her come in and immediately stopped talking. They seemed unsure how to approach her, how to talk to her, so Evy spoke up.
"I heard you talking about me. In the living room."
Betty looked guilty and walked over to Evy. "We're sorry, sweetheart. We were just trying to talk about how to help you. You seem so sad."
"Why did they take me?" Evy asked. "I just want my daddy back."
"Sweetheart…"
"Marty, no!" Betty said.
"Betty, she should know." Marty protested, and Betty reluctantly nodded. "Sweetheart, come here."
Evy cautiously approached Marty, who took a seat at one of the kitchen chairs. "I should know what?"
"Sweetheart, the reason Mrs. Jeffries took you is because she thinks your daddy might be hurting you."
"My daddy wouldn't hurt me!" Evy said, the very idea of it ridiculous to her. "He loves me!"
"I believe you, honey. I do."
Marty Morgan and his wife had comforted too many distraught children to count in their twenty years as foster parents. Most of the children that came to them defended their parents. It seemed to Marty at times that the worse the parents treated the kids, the more the kids defended the parents. It was usually self-preservation. They thought if they defended their parents, life would be better once they got home.
But somehow Evy seemed different. Very different. She was scared, not of what she knew, but of what she didn't know. She was scared of him, of Betty, of the unknown house where she sat. Now Marty couldn't explain why, but that was enough to convince him Evy wasn't being abused-she had a loving, caring home, and had been ripped away from it to go and live with strangers. Even for two days, that was terrifying.
Besides, Marty didn't trust that new social worker, Ada "Toady Face" as he referred to her, as far as he could throw her. He wouldn't put it past her to falsely take a kid to make herself look good. But Marty had already agreed to care for her for two days, whether he wanted to or not.
"Listen, sweetheart, I know this might be hard to believe right now, but you you aren't here because we're trying to be mean to you." Marty explained. "Do you know what foster parents are?"
Evy shook her head.
"Well, sometimes adults like Mrs. Jeffries, who are called social workers, will take kids to a different house if they think the kids are being hurt or treated mean at home. It's not meant to be mean, it's meant to give them a safe place to be until everything's sorted out. Does that make sense?" Marty explained.
"Sort of. But my daddy's not mean to me." Evy said.
"I believe. I do. Sweetheart, sometimes grownups make mistakes. Big ones. And kids sometimes pay the price when that happens." When Evy threatened to cry again, Marty cautiously touched her shoulder. When she didn't back away from him, he continued, "Look, sweetie, you're going to court with us Monday. I'll tell the judge you need to go back home with your daddy. I can't guarantee that'll work, but our recommendation means a lot more than Mrs. Jeffries'."
"So I can go home Monday?" Evy asked.
"We will do everything in our power to make that happen." Marty swore.
"Could I call him?" Evy asked. "Call my daddy?"
Marty looked to Betty, their fifty years of marriage allowing them to have an entire conversation in the space of a few seconds without either of them uttering a word out loud. Both of them desperately wanted to say yes, do something, anything to relieve the pain this child was clearly in. But they couldn't take the chance.
"No, sweetie, I'm sorry. If it were just up to me, you could. But if we let you call your daddy while you're with us this weekend, they might not let us help any more kids." Marty explained.
"Kids that really do need your help?" Evy asked.
"Yeah." Marty said. "I'm sorry."
The fear Evy had felt arriving at the house, which had started to subside, came on again. "But I have bad dreams in new places."
Betty took over this time. "What does your daddy do when you have a bad dream?"
"Sings to me." Evy answered.
"Well, I don't have that great a voice, but if you want, I'll sit beside your bed and hold your hand until you go to sleep. And if you do have a bad dream, I'll be there with you to help you through it."
"You'd do that for me?" Evy asked. "Stay with me all night?"
"If that's what it takes, you bet I would." Betty answered.
It still hurt to be away from Sam, but Evy decided not to fight the Morgans. Mommy had told her everything would be okay, and Evy definitely trusted her, even if she didn't completely trust the Morgans. They were strangers, but they were being really nice. Evy was surprised that they seemed just as upset as she was that she had to be here. Just as Evy was about to say something, her stomach rumbled loudly.
"I think there's a bear in my kitchen." Marty joked. "Or just a very hungry little girl."
Evy couldn't help it. She giggled at the joke. It sounded like one that Dean or Sam would make to make her laugh when she was upset. Mostly winked at her, and Evy felt much more at ease.
"Oh my goodness! No wonder she's so hungry. It's almost eight o'clock!" Betty said. "What do you like to eat, sweetheart?"
"Um…" Evy said, "pretty much anything."
"What's your absolute favorite food in the world?" Betty asked.
Evy blushed. "You might think it's gross."
"Try us." Marty said.
"Monkey sandwiches." Evy said. "Peanut butter and bananas."
Marty looked surprised, but agreed to the unusual suggestion. "Why not? Let's try it."
The next two days were challenging for everyone. Sam wandered aimlessly around the house, lost without Evy to care for. Dean drank in the local bar at night, hustled pool in case they needed to get away, and worked on Saturday. Despite her not being there, Sam went into Evy's room all three nights at bedtime. He pulled her covers back, sat on her bed, and nearly suffocated from the emptiness he felt inside.
"Daddy's here, baby. I miss you so much."
As much as she missed Sam, it was slightly easier for Evy than it was for Sam. The Morgans were kind to her, playing with her as much as they could. Betty, a former schoolteacher, was able to help Evy with her homework. When Evy accidentally broke a vase in the hallway, she expected to get in trouble, but all she got was a wink and a smile from Marty.
"I hated that old dust catcher anyway."
As Betty tucked Evy in on Sunday night, she noticed Evy looked much calmer and happier than three days earlier. But Betty noticed she also seemed nervous. Evy settled down but didn't whisper good night as she had the previous two nights.
"Are you alright, dear?"
Evy gripped Beanie with a death grip and asked, "I get to go home tomorrow, right?"
"I don't see why you couldn't." Betty answered.
"But it's not for sure." Evy said fearfully.
Betty sighed. "No, sweetie, it isn't for sure. But if your daddy's missed you these past few days as much as Marty and I will, then the judge will look at that."
"You're gonna miss me?" Evy asked, surprised.
"We sure will, kiddo." Marty said. He had come to say good night and was standing in the doorway listening.
"Will I have to talk to the judge tomorrow?" Evy asked.
"I don't know, honey. You might." Marty said.
"That sounds scary." Evy said.
"It's not as scary as it sounds. Just answer the questions as honestly as you can. And tell the judge anything you want to say. Marty explained.
"That I miss my daddy and I want to go home?"
"Exactly." Marty said.
"Thank you." Evy said. "You've both been really nice. But…"
"But we're not home?" Betty guessed.
"Yeah. I'm sorry, I didn't say that to make you feel bad." Evy said.
"It's okay, sweetie. We understand." Betty replied. "You ready to go to sleep?"
"I'm ready." Evy said. She said her good nights, then thought of something as Betty and Marty started to exit the room. "Wait. If I do go home tomorrow, can I come back and visit?"
"You better." Marty said. "You're the only person that's gotten me to eat yucky bananas in fifty years." He pulled a face as if eating something disgusting, and Evy giggled. "Good night, sweetie."
"Can I have a hug?"
Betty and Marty happily gave Evy one hug each, then another for good measure. Twelve hours later, Betty and Marty were sitting on a bench inside the courthouse, a very nervous Evy sitting between them. She held one hand of each of them, and was looking around the hallway for the one person she didn't see.
"Are you okay?"
Evy looked up to see Betty watching her. "I thought I'd see my daddy by now."
"You will, honey." Betty promised again. "No matter what, we'll make sure you see your daddy today."
"Evelyn Winchester?"
Evy jumped and buried herself into Marty's side. Marty squeezed her hand and comforted her. In front of them was a security guard, who immediately apologized for scaring her.
"Sorry, sweetie. I'm George. I didn't mean to scare you. But the judge asked to see you before she goes into court. She wants to talk to you."
Evy looked up to Marty and Betty, panic starting to set in.
"It'll be okay." Marty assured her.
"Can one of us go with her?" Betty asked. "She's scared to death of strangers."
"You can walk to the judges chamber's with me. I'll ask the judge when we get there if you can sit in."
So Evy walked down the long hallway with Betty and the security guard, her heart racing the entire time. The judge was more than willing to allow Betty to come in. Evy surprised Betty by climbing into her lap. The judge reminded Evy of her mommy. She was around the same age, had brown curly hair just like her, and had a soft, very kind face. She came in and sat down in front of Betty and Evy, folding her hands on top of her massive desk.
"Hi, sweetie. I'm Judge Reynolds. Are you Evelyn?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am." Evy replied quietly.
"Are you nervous talking to me right now?" Judge Reynolds asked. Evy nodded her head and bit her lip. The judge continued, "I understand. But you're not in trouble, okay? I just want to ask you a few questions. So I can get some things straight in my own head. Okay, Evelyn?"
"I don't really like being called Evelyn." Evy said. The judge seemed nice like the Morgans. Evy figured if she didn't get mad at her request, it would be okay to talk to her.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. What are you normally called?" The judge asked.
"Evy."
"Well, if you like Evy better, I'll certainly call you that. Are you okay with answering my questions? And you can ask me any that you have to." Judge Reynolds said.
"Okay." Evy said. "I will."
"Alright. I don't want you to think you have to rush anything, okay? We're here for you, so you can take all the time you need. Do you understand why everyone's here today?" Judge Reynolds asked.
"Because Mrs. Jeffries thinks my daddy was hurting me." Evy said. "So she took me to go live with the Morgans because I'd be safe there."
"That's very good." Judge Reynolds said, genuinely impressed. "You're very smart."
"Thank you." Evy said.
"Sweetheart, is it true?" Judge Reynolds asked.
"No!" Evy said, her first tears in three days starting to fall. "No, my daddy loves me."
"Okay, sweetie. Okay." Judge Reynolds. "I actually believe you. I just had to talk to you first." Judge Reynolds waited a breath and said, "Just a couple more questions. My file here that I have for you says that Sam is your brother, not your father."
"Our daddy died. A long time ago." Evy said. "I don't remember a whole lot about him. Sammy's always taken care of me."
"That makes sense. Does he love you?" Judge Reynolds asked. "Have you ever doubted that he loved you?"
"No. He loves me." Evy said.
"How do you know?" Judge Reynolds asked.
"I don't understand." Evy said, confused.
"Give me some examples. Of things he does or says so you know he loves you." Judge Reynolds clarified.
"Well, he tells me every day." Evy said. "Stuff like that?"
"Exactly. Stuff like that." Judge Reynolds said. "What does your daddy do, say, when you're scared?"
"Holds me and sings to me." Evy said. "If I'm really scared he puts me in the rabbit hole."
"The rabbit hole? What's that?" Judge Reynolds asked.
"He puts me in his lap and puts a blanket or a jacket on top of me until whatever's scaring me is gone." Evy said.
"Does it work?" The judge asked.
"Yeah. It's dark so I can't see whatever's scaring me. All I can feel is daddy's heartbeat and feel him holding me. All I can hear is him singing to me and talking to me, telling me it's gonna be okay." Evy explained.
She tried hard not to show it, but Judge Reynolds' decision was cemented in her mind at that point. "That sounds wonderful. You're certainly a lucky little girl. Can you give me an example of when your daddy put you in the rabbit hole?"
"The accident." Evy said. "I was hurting really bad, and I was scared because of all the noise and stuff outside. He pulled a blanket on top of me and held me real tight."
"That sounds really scary. You're a brave little girl, sweetheart." Judge Reynolds said.
"Thanks." Evy said. "Do we have to talk about the accident? I don't really like thinking about it."
"No, sweetie. We don't. I do have a couple more questions though. What does your daddy do when you're in trouble?" Judge Reynolds asked.
"Talk to me. Until I understand why what I did was wrong. If it was really bad he grounds me." Evy said.
"What exactly does it mean when he grounds you?" Judge Reynolds asked.
"I can't leave my room unless I'm going to the bathroom or going to school." Evy said.
"Does he leave you alone the whole time?" Judge Reynolds asked.
"No. He brings my meals into my room and he'll eat with me if I want him to. He'll help me with my homework if I need it. He'll tuck me in bed too." Evy said. "And I can leave and go find him or uncle Deanie if I have a bad dream."
"Do you have bad dreams a lot?"
"Sometimes." Evy said.
"Does he have you do other things while you're grounded?"
"Sometimes I have to write lines." Evy said.
"I see." Judge Reynolds said. "What's the longest you've ever been grounded?"
"Three days." Evy said.
"What was that for?"
"Fighting. And getting suspended from school." Evy said.
"Okay." Judge Reynolds said. "Do you ever get punished any other way? Does your daddy ever yell at you, hit you, spank you…?"
"No. He promised he wouldn't do that. Our daddy did all that and I was scared of him." Evy said.
"I see. Does your daddy ever say mean things to you? Make you feel bad about yourself?"
"No. Never." Evy said.
"Never? Not even once?" Judge Reynolds asked. "He never says he's disappointed in you?"
"No. He says he's not happy that I'm in trouble, but that he's always proud of me."
Judge Reynolds smiled. "Okay, sweetie. I think that's all I need. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"
"I miss my daddy." Evy said, squeezing Betty's hand for courage. "I want to go home."
"I know you do. And that's why you're going home today."
Betty laughed and grabbed Evy in a hug, just as Evy said with a grin, "Really?"
"Yes, sweetie. You're going home." Judge Reynolds said. "I want to tell you something first though. I am really sorry for everything you've been through this weekend. But I'm gonna make it right."
"Can I see my daddy now, please?" Evy asked.
"Not quite yet, sweetie. I have some boring adult stuff to take care of with the Morgans and your daddy and Mrs. Jeffries. That won't take very long, but since it's close to lunchtime, George'll take you down to the cafeteria and get you something to eat. I'll send your daddy down there to get you when everything's done."
"You promise I can go home today?" Evy asked.
"Yes. I swear to you, as soon as I'm done in court, your daddy will come down to the cafeteria and pick you up." Judge Reynolds promised.
"Thank you." Evy said. "Can I ask you for one more thing?"
Surprised by the request, Judge Reynolds waited patiently. "Sure. What is it?"
"Well," Evy shifted slightly in Betty's lap, "Mr. Morgan explained to me what social workers are supposed to do. They're supposed to help kids that need somewhere else to go other than home, right?"
"Right."
"And he told me that sometimes they make mistakes. That all grownups do." Judge Reynolds nodded, and Evy kept going. "Well, she really hurt me, taking me away from my daddy. She scared me, made me think I wasn't going to see him again. Can you just tell her to be more careful? Make sure she doesn't hurt another kid like this again?"
"Yes." Judge Reynolds promised. "I promise you, honey, after today, Mrs. Jeffries is not going to hurt another child ever again."
"Thank you." Evy said.
"You're welcome, sweetie." Judge Reynolds said. "You ready for lunch now?"
"I'm ready." Evy said. She turned to Betty. "You'll tell me bye before you go home, right? Come down to the cafeteria with daddy?"
"You bet we will, sweetie." Betty said. "Can I have a hug before you go?"
Evy wrapped her arms around Betty's neck, and headed out with George down to the cafeteria. Judge Reynolds walked in to the courthouse, fighting hard to control her smile. She couldn't wait to deliver this particular verdict. As the case was called, she took a glance at both the tables. Ada Jeffries was at one table by herself. Cocky. Very cocky, the judge thought. She was smiling, as if she was already triumphant. On the other side sat a lawyer, Linda Summers, who seemed more determined than anything. But it was the man who sat on the other side of Linda Summers that destroyed Judge Reynolds. Sam Winchester. He seemed lost, confused, hurt, lonely, and, more than anything, terrified. That's okay. I'll fix that too.
"All right. Let's get started." Judge Reynolds said. "Since everyone's here, I'm gonna get right down to business. I asked you both to submit your cases to me in writing. You were both given a chance to respond to the other side in writing. I want to thank you both for doing this and doing it so quickly. I also want to thank you for being patient and allowing me to explain here. So, first, I'm going to ask. Does either side have any new evidence to offer? Anything that isn't already in the case file?"
"No, your honor." Linda said.
"Your honor, I just want to say…" Ada started.
"Mrs. Jeffries, I don't want to hear anything unless it is completely new evidence. If what you are about to say is something that's already in this case file, I'm going to fine you fifty dollars for wasting court time." Judge Reynolds said briskly.
"Uh, um…." Ada stuttered, not sure how to respond.
"Is there anything new, Mrs. Jeffries? If not, the answer is 'no, your honor'."
"No, your honor." Ada said.
"Very well." Judge Reynolds said. She turned to Sam. "The first thing I'm going to say is to you, Mr. Winchester. I cannot even begin to tell you how sorry I am for what you've been put through this weekend."
"Your honor!" Ada protested from her table.
"Mrs. Jeffries, I am going to warn you. Once. I am not in a good mood right now. And it is mostly because of you. So I am going to tell you, once, if you interrupt me, I will fine you. Five hundred dollars. Each time. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, your honor." Ada said.
"Very good." Judge Reynolds said, turning back to Sam. "As I was saying, I'm sorry. I talked to Evy before we came into court today. You're raising a very smart, polite, and well-rounded young lady. I'm very impressed."
A stunned Sam said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Judge Reynolds said. She then turned to Ada. "Mrs. Jeffries. The reason I had you write your case down was so that I could confirm on paper how ridiculous it is. Mrs. Jeffries, this child is eight years old. She went through an accident that would have easily killed an adult. She stayed awake through all of it. What you have in this folder as evidence of abuse is not evidence of abuse. It's evidence of trauma and speculation. Now tell me what made you think it was that gave you sufficient cause to remove this child from her father's custody."
"She was out of school for two months. For a broken leg."
"She was in the hospital for one of those months. Learning how to walk again. Dealing with the fact that someone who should've known better decided to get in the driver's seat of the car and end up hurting her." Judge Reynolds said. "And as for keeping her out of school another month, let me ask you something Mrs. Jeffries. Have you ever had to hold your child when they're screaming in pain?"
"No." Mrs. Jeffries said.
"Well, I have." Judge Reynolds said. Every single eye in the room turned towards her. "My daughter died in my arms when she was seven years old. We walked into a grocery store that we didn't realize was being robbed at the time. The robber got scared, fired off a shot, and hit Olivia. That's something that takes a hold of you, changes you, makes you a different person." The judge swallowed, and looked down for a minute before continuing. "My point is, if my daughter had lived, and had a chance to recover and get better, you can bet I would have kept her close to me for a while. So while keeping Evy out of school longer than necessary might have been overprotective, it's certainly understandable and nowhere near the level of abuse. Now what else made you think it was okay to do this?"
Ada was starting to stutter, but she refused to back down. "She seemed nervous when I asked her about the accident…"
"You mean when you pulled her out of class and into your office and started asking her about something that had happened months ago? She didn't know you. Most kids will clam up talking to a stranger." Judge Reynolds said. "Anything else?"
"There's no record of Evelyn's parents…"
"Her name is Evy. And as for records, I have a sworn affidavit in my hand from Jody Mills, the sheriff of Sioux City, South Dakota, saying that the part of the records buildng that contained both her parents' death certificates burned down. And that she knew Evy's parents, both of them, and that they died exactly the way that Sam has told the school." Judge Reynolds said. Both Sam and Ada gasped; Sam with relief and Ada with surprise. "So that shoots down that part of your argument. Anything else?"
Ada slumped in her seat and looked down and away from the judge.
"Now that that's out of the way, I have something else to address. You see, Mrs. Jeffries, Sean Callimore is a friend of mine." Ada looked back up, her mouth gaping open. "And I can see from that look on your face that you don't consider him one. You see, when I graduated law school, I spent two years as a pro bono family court attorney. Sean and I worked together on a lot of cases. I recommended him for the head of social services job. I called him when this case landed on my desk and he sent me a list of all your old cases from Topeka. He said he showed you the same list when he told you you were being transferred."
Ada suddenly went from a scowl to paling like a ghost.
"Mrs. Jeffries, this is my point. In the six months that you've been in Lebanon, you've brought four suspected abuse cases to this court. All of them have been dismissed, and all those children are doing fine. Evy was the fifth. And your last."
"My last what?" Ada said.
"Your last case. Ever." Judge Reynolds said.
"You can't fire me!" Ada said. "I've got forty years on this job!"
"And while that thought truly terrifies me, I'm not firing you. You've got twenty four weeks left on this job. Starting tomorrow, you'll be retaking the Kansas Social Services beginner's course. Twice."
"That course takes twelve weeks." Ada said. "If I take it twice…"
"You'll spend the last six months of your career in a classroom. Relearning the basics. Which should have happened a long time ago." Judge Reynolds said. "You can take the course, or you can resign."
"I won't get my pension." Ada weakly protested.
"The good deeds you have done on this job does not excuse the hundreds of good families you've nearly destroyed by your accusations." Judge Reynolds said. "Tell me your choice. Right now."
"I'll take the course." Ada said.
"Good choice." Judge Reynolds said. "And I really hope, for your sake, that none of the parents you've done this to decide to bring a lawsuit against you." The judge looked towards Sam. "Mr. Winchester, I don't know if you've had that thought…"
"I just want my daughter back, your honor." Sam said.
"Also a good choice." The judge finally turned around and faced the center of the courtroom, more than ready to deliver her verdict. "I am hereby awarding full custody of Evelyn Winchester to her brother, Samuel." The judge grabbed her gavel and gave Sam a smile. "Go pick up your daughter, Mr. Winchester. She's in the cafeteria waiting for you."
When the gavel came down, Sam let out a relieved laugh and grabbed Linda in a hug. The Morgans smiled, though they were both sad to see Evy go. When Sam and Linda stood up to go to the cafeteria, Marty walked up to Sam with his hand outstretched.
"Mr. Winchester? I'm Marty Morgan. This is my wife, Betty. We took care of Evy this weekend."
Sam stopped, taking Marty's hand slowly. "Hi. No offense, but I wish I could say it was nice to meet you."
"I understand." Marty said.
"We're sorry this happened to you." Betty said. "We really are. We just wanted to come with you to the cafeteria to say goodbye to Evy. I promised her we would."
Sam seemed reluctant to let them, but agreed. "Okay. Come on."
Down in the cafeteria, Evy had been stealing glances towards the entrance every few seconds. Sam had sent Linda to the Impala to ask Dean to come in, but was too eager to wait. George the security guard sat at the table with Evy, trying to keep her preoccupied, but eventually gave up. Half an hour after they arrived, George saw Sam standing in the entrance with Marty and Betty. Marty caught George's eye, and held a finger to his mouth, asking him to keep quiet. George nodded, and Sam finally saw them. He walked up quietly to the table, crouched down on his knees, and placed a hand on Evy's shoulder.
"Can I join you?"
A startled Evy jumped and stared into Sam's face for a few seconds before screaming, "DADDY!"
Evy jumped off the chair and into Sam's arms. Sam held her tight for a minute, when Linda and Dean came inside. Evy hugged both of them, and Betty and Marty cautiously approached the group once everything had calmed down. Evy smiled and waved them over. As Linda explained who they were, Dean stepped between them Evy, who was still in Sam's arms.
"Nope. You're done…."
"Uncle Deanie, wait." Evy said. "Don't be mean to them. They were nice to me this weekend, they kept me from being too scared. They're my friends."
"We just want to tell her bye. We're headed home now." Marty said. "I swear that's all."
"Wait, don't go." Evy said. She got an idea and whispered something into Sam's ear.
"It's okay with me. Ask them."
"Will you two come to dinner with us tonight?" Evy asked. "Please?"
"What are we having?" Marty asked. He crouched over slightly like a monkey.
Evy giggled hard. "No yucky bananas. Promise."
"Alright. I guess we could make it."
"Yay!" Evy said.
"We'll meet you a little later, sweetie. You spend some time with your daddy, okay?"
"Okay. Thank you."
As Betty and Marty left, Linda and Dean left right behind them, and Sam and Evy brought up the rear. Once everyone else was out of earshot, Evy grabbed Sam's neck and squeezed tight.
"I missed you, daddy."
"I missed you too, Cricket. I'm so happy you're home." Sam said. He decided Dean and Linda could wait; he took a chair and held Evy, something he'd been wanting to do for days. "I love you."
"Love you too, daddy."
Next chapter: Sam leaves to spend the weekend with some old friends, leaving uncle Dean in charge.
A/N: I know the last few chapters have been pretty intense emotionally. The next one will be a fluffy/funny chapter. Promise!
I'm going to try to write a couple more chapters, but the updates to this story might be a little spotty over the next 2-3 weeks. I'm leaving on November 12 for a week long trip to Ireland with my mother. Between school, packing for that trip, working, and actually taking the trip, it probably won't leave a lot of time for this. I really appreciate all the time you've all given me reading this, and I hope to pay you back with some good, fresh chapters once I get back (and recover from jet lag, which usually hits me like a brick to the back of the head). I'd really appreciate your thoughts/prayers/well wishes for the trip. Thanks a lot!