Chapter 08 - Greenback Boogie
"Zoey. Zoey."
Zoey opens her eyes. She didn't remember what had happened after leaving her friend's house. She was in the back seat of the car. Her dad was driving.
"Zoey."
Zoey climbs over the seat. Her dad wasn't moving. Blood covered his face. "Daddy," she asks, touching his shoulder.
"Zoey."
She turns and finds her mom staring at her. Her mom was covered in blood too. Shannon reaches out an arm. "Zoey, come here." She climbs onto her mom's lap. Shannon places a soft kiss to the top of her head. "Are you okay?"
Zoey nods. "Mommy, what happened?"
"We were in an accident, sweetheart." Shannon coughs. Blood lands on Zoey's hair. It was the same bright blonde color as Shannon's. Shannon lets out a groan.
"Mommy?"
"Sweetheart. I will always love you."
Zoey buries her face in Shannon's neck. "I love you too, Mommy." She doesn't see the tears fall from Shannon. She hears Shannon gasping for air. Then silence. "Mommy?"
"Max, this is not the time to do this," Austin says as they climb out of his Range Rover in the Smallville Sheriff's office parking lot. Zoey's frantic call to him that morning about Jonathan being arrested for attempted murder had caused him to rush over to the small town. It just happened that Max had arrived in town early to help Zoey get ready for the annual Wayne Foundation Gala.
"It's a perfect time," Max argues. "He can't actually touch me."
"We both know that Jonathan wouldn't actually hurt you, Max. He cares too much about Zoey to do that. Besides, it's best that we bring this up with Martha and Jonathan at the same time."
Max stops and turns to his friend. "Austin, none of us saw how drunk Zoey was at her birthday party. If Oliver hadn't said anything, I would have never known."
"Max, she's a teenager. A rich one. You can't tell me that you didn't do the same thing at her age."
"I didn't. And you know that. You also know that Shannon did her first stint in rehab at fifteen. Then twice more. The only thing that actually caused Shannon to become sober was getting pregnant with Zoey. My dad, my grandparents. I can't let this continue to pass through my family. I can't let it destroy my family."
Austin sighs. He was very aware of the addiction issues that the Carmichael family had a long history with. He had been alarmed to hear from Max just how drunk Zoey had been at her birthday party. He had been the one to pay a visit to the head of security and get the video of Zoey making out with Oliver in the hallway. He knew how worried Max was about his niece. "Look, we'll get it figured out, Max. I promise."
They make their way into the sheriff's office and are quickly escorted to the cell that Jonathan was being held in. "You look like shit," Max greets when Jonathan stands from the threadbare bed and walks over to the bars.
Austin forces a smile. "We know you've had a rough night and morning," he clarifies. "Zoey says that you've been accused of attempting to murder Lionel Luthor."
"Well, if you're going to attempt to kill anyone, then why not go big," Max jokes. He receives two unamused looks.
"Look, Mr. Wells, I can't exactly afford—" Jonathan begins.
Austin shakes his head. "Don't worry about it. Just tell us what happened."
Jonathan sighs. "I was out running some errands and I stopped by the Wild Coyote for a beer. The next thing I know, I'm out on the side of Highway 91, I've got the police spotlight shining in my face, it's raining…"
Max frowns. "You had just one beer?"
"Half a beer," Jonathan corrects.
"Half a beer and you don't remember how you got from the bar to being on the side of the highway?"
"When I got in my truck, everything started to go woozy on me."
Max turns to Austin. "You need—"
Austin holds up his Blackberry. "Already on it. Jonathan, I'm gonna get someone down here and they're gonna do a blood draw. Hopefully, whatever they roofied you with is still in your system."
"GHB tends only stay in your system for about twelve hours. At most."
"We're in a race against the clock. I'm gonna see if we can get you a bail hearing for this afternoon." Austin steps closer to the bar. "Jonathan, don't say another goddamn word to the police. I mean it. I don't care if you're old high school buddies or you fucked their sister or whatever. Do not say another word."
Max runs into the emergency room waiting area. Austin follows after him. He makes his way up to the security desk. "My niece was brought in. Her parents were...in an accident. They told me she was brought her." Getting a call at three in the morning from the Star City police and being told of the car accident that had killed his sister and brother-in-law caused him to get on the first flight out of Boston. It had taken all day for him and Austin to make it to Star City. The police had let him know that Zoey had been taken to Star City General Hospital.
The security guard stands up. The hospital had been hounded all day by the press. Photographers were camped outside the entrance. He knew exactly who Max was. "Mr. Carmichael, I have to check your ID. It's hospital policy."
Max yanks out his wallet and thrusts it at the guard. "Please. Where is she?"
The guard stands up. "She's in the back. I'll escort you," he says. He glances at Austin. "Family only."
Max shakes his head. "He's family."
"Max, it's fine," Austin tells him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Go. I'll wait out here."
Max is led through the busy emergency department by the security guard to a curtained-off corner. He steps behind the curtain and finds Zoey curled up on the bed. A plastic bag sat in a chair. She wore a hospital gown. Her hair was covered in blood. "Zoey," Max softly says, placing a hand on her shoulder. Zoey looks at him, pain-filled in her green eyes. He sits down on the bed and she immediately crawls onto his lap, burying her face in his shoulder. He feels her tears stream down his neck. "I got you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
Max grabs Zoey's arm and leads her into a corner of the kitchen. The sheriff's department was conducting a search of the Kent farm. He had made sure to remind the sheriffs that Martha had legal representation and that they were not to question her without a lawyer present. Max knew how much pressure the sheriff would be under to ensure that whoever shot Lionel was put behind bars. "Oliver told me about how drunk you were at your birthday party," he quietly says.
Zoey lets out an annoyed breath. "Uncle Max—"
"No. Don't Uncle Max me. You just turned sixteen. Not twenty-one. You are not supposed to be drinking. So, it ends now. If I catch you with another drink in your hand, your ass is going to rehab so fast that the other alcoholics there will be fighting to get that drink."
Zoey sighs. "Yeah. Fine. No more booze."
"Tomorrow, we're going to see your therapist."
"Uncle Max—"
"This isn't a negotiation, Zoey. I saw the security footage. You're lucky that it didn't leak to the press before Austin managed to get it. And you're damn lucky that it was Oliver who ran into you and not someone else."
Zoey looks down. Max never chastised her for anything. "I'm sorry," she softly says, blinking back tears.
Max draws her into a tight embrace. "I don't want anything to happen to you," he whispers. "You know that I grew up watching your mom doing everything under the sun. You know that she went to rehab three times. I refuse to let you go down the same path."
"Martha, can I have a word with you," Ethan, the sheriff, loudly says.
Max pulls back and they walk over to where Martha was standing with Clark. "Martha, I'm advising you to not answer any questions," he tells her.
Ethan holds up a bag with a watch in it. "I found this watch on your bedroom floor. Is it yours?"
"Do not answer that." Max looks at Ethan. "Anything that was said between Martha and her husband is spousal privilege."
Ethan shoots Max a frustrated look. "I don't know how they do things in Star City, Mr. Carmichael, but here—"
"Laws are pretty much the same, sheriff." Ethan shakes his head and walks away, knowing that Max wasn't going to let him talk to Martha or Clark. "It's weird doing this without wearing a three-piece Tom Ford."
Clark frowns. "Mom, maybe you should talk—"
"Clark, I didn't realize you graduated number one in your class at Harvard law school or were the first openly gay man to be the editor of the Harvard Law review. Do you also take pro bono cases? I know a legal clinic in Star City that could use some more volunteers," Max interrupts. He looks at Zoey. "You're joining the debate team. None of my pro bono clients actually make it to a courtroom, so I don't get to verbally thrown down or show off my skills often." He turns back to Martha and Clark. "When I say don't talk to the police, I mean it. They are not your friends right now. They will fuck you over in heartbeat."
Max stares at his lawyer with disbelief. He was expecting to get custody of Zoey. He had already been looking at schools in Cambridge and talked with a couple of different ones. He had even started searching for a therapist. "Shannon and Matt had it specified in their will that Zoey will live in Smallville with her godparents," the lawyer says.
"Who are these people?"
"Jonathan and Martha Kent. Jonathan was an old friend of Matt's. Apparently, they played on the football team together and took the team to the state championship."
"What the fuck does that have to do anything?"
Austin covers Max's hand with his. "Is there anything we can do," he asks.
The lawyer sighs. "Well, you can engage in a custody battle. If that's what you want to do, then I'll get started on the paperwork." He slides an envelope across the table. "Shannon left you this letter."
The lawyer walks out of the room. "You read it," Max softly says.
Austin picks up the envelope and opens it. The letter from Shannon explained why she had agreed with Matt's request to have a couple that Max had never met take custody of Zoey. She had felt guilty, for the cheating and for the drug abuse. For needing to appease Matt. And not wanting to burden him while he was in law school. The public didn't know about Shannon's problems. The elder Carmichael sibling had a lifetime of experience at hiding everything. Max had been shocked to hear about her cheating. Neither of them had taken sides while Shannon and Matt had fought; they had focused on Zoey while a paternity test was conducted. They were both thankful that Matt had turned out to be Zoey's father.
"You should read it," Austin tells him.
Max shakes his head. "I can't. She...Shan is fucking me over."
"She was trying to apologize to Matt. He requested it and she wanted to make him happy."
"He was a good guy. And she nearly ruined him." Max wipes a few tears from his eyes. "I talked with the M.E. Shannon had cocaine in her system when she died. She was high. She would have lived if she hadn't done so much cocaine."
"I'm sorry."
Max sighs as he shifts on the couch. The therapist's office had views of the river. The session had barely started and he knew that it was going to be a hard one. "My dad died of liver disease," he begins. "He would drink a bottle of Jim Beam in two days. My grandparents weren't much better. I'm pretty sure they were very unhappy with my dad for deciding to raise me. He had an heir to the business. And I was an...accident that should have been gotten rid of. But Shannon and my dad didn't see it that way. They loved me. They had their problems, but they loved him. They accepted me for who I am, for who I loved. I miss her. I will always miss her."
"If Shannon was here, what would you say to her," Dr. Specter questions. Caroline Specter had been Zoey's therapist since she had moved to Smallville. Martha would drive Zoey to the sessions once a month. Max had made sure to always be there for the sessions.
"I would ask what drove her to do so much cocaine that night. The car accident isn't what killed her. The cocaine killed her."
Zoey stares at her uncle. "Wha-what-what do you mean, Uncle Max?"
"When I went down to claim the bodies, I asked what the cause of deaths was. For Matt, it was blunt force trauma to his head and chest. For Shannon...it was an overdose. Her injuries were severe, but she would have survived the crash."
Dr. Specter turns to Zoey. "Zoey, how does hearing that makes you feel?"
Zoey shifts. "Uncle Max, why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to protect you. You have enough trauma from that night. You don't need more added to it," Max answers.
"You should have told me!"
"Zoey," Dr. Specter begins. "What do you remember from that?"
"I remember...I remember listening to my mom take her last breaths. Waiting for someone to arrive. Then being woken up by a firefighter."
"What do you remember about your mom? In general?"
"She was very loving. She would always make breakfast on Saturday mornings. And she always told me a bedtime story. She was very protective. Of me, Uncle Max, and Ollie."
"Do you think Max was just trying to protect the memories you have of your mother?" Zoey nods. "What made you decide to start drinking?"
"I felt lonely. And guilty."
"Guilty?"
"Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Martha have money problems. I...I don't have to worry about money. I know that whatever college I get into, that paying for it won't be a stressful thing. I don't fit in there." Zoey wipes away a tear. "I hate that I feel so different. It took me two years to make a friend there. Then Mike moves away. It took eight years for me to finally feel like I belong. And I barely feel like I belong now."
"I'm going to talk to Jonathan and Martha about you coming to live with me in Star City," Max says. He sees Zoey shift. "Zoey—"
"I don't want to start high school all over again," Zoey interrupts. "I don't want to be the new kid. I did that once."
"You can't stay somewhere where you feel so miserable."
"What if Zoey became emancipated," Dr. Specter suggests. They look at her with surprise. Dr. Specter closes her notebook. "Zoey, this is not the first time that you brought up feeling guilty. And while Mike did move away last year, you've also told me that you've become friends with Lana and Lex over the past year. I can see why you don't want to leave when it took you so long to carve out a place in Smallville. But if your guilt over the financial situation has put you on the path to being an alcoholic at the age of sixteen, then it's no longer healthy for you to stay with your godparents."
Max frowns. "But she needs someone to stay with her. She's done this drinking without anyone noticing."
"Instead of making these sessions once a month, we can make them once a week. I can also arrange for Zoey to attend some AA meetings. I'm sure Austin can be able to check up on Zoey once a week, in person. And you can still do your monthly in-person check-ins, Max. If not more frequently over the phone."
"Would a judge even sign off on that," Zoey asks.
"I believe so. You get straight A's in school, have extracurricular activities that you participate in, you have the means to be financially independent. There's no reason why a judge wouldn't sign off on it."
"But what about Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Martha? They won't go for it."
Max sighs. "I will take care of Jonathan and Martha."
Zoey sighs as she rolls in the bed. Everything that happened in Smallville over the past week had been weighing on her mind. Lips press against her shoulder. An arm settles on her waist. "In the past week, my godfather was framed for attempted murder by the sheriff, Uncle Max is convinced that I'm an alcoholic, and I learned that my mom…I learned that she would have survived the accident if she hadn't taken a massive amount of cocaine that night," Zoey softly says. She blinks back the tears. "Neither of them would have been in the car in the first place if it wasn't because of me."
Bruce doesn't say anything. He just tightly embraces her. He understood the guilt she was feeling. The guilt of being responsible for your parents' death. Being afraid of bats drove his parents out into the alley that night. Having a nightmare at a slumber party drove her parents to be killed by a drunk driver. Even if Shannon had been high, it didn't do anything to take away the guilt that he knew Zoey was feeling at that moment. He doesn't say anything. He holds her; listening to the sobs she was trying to keep buried.
See the money wanna stay, for your meal
Get another piece of pie, for your wife
Everybody wanna know, how it feel
Everybody wanna see, what it's like
Baby wanna be a queen, well alright
We all deserve the finer things, in this life
So working on a little job, in the night
It's forty dollars an hour when I, see the light
The boss say you got a little time, and oh my
He'll be working in a small box, till he die
Me, I gotta be free, all my life
I want a little cream cheese, in my pie
Alright…
Yeah! I'll step back, while you go dance
The greenback boogie
Motherfucking boogie