A New Hope (The Second Chance Series Book 2) (15 page)

The next few weeks passed quickly. Chase had started his counselling and Andrew was meeting with his counselor today. When he walked into her office he was taken aback by the sight that greeted him. Dr. Jacquie Morgan was not at all what he expected. She had Raven black hair down to her waist, peaches and crème colored skin and eyes the color of the sea as the sun touches it. She was petite and was wearing a long, flowing dress and no shoes. His buddy, Vince, had definitely stepped out of his norm.

“Good morning Dr. Peterson.” She greeted him in a crisp, clear voice. “I am glad our schedules aligned so we could finally meet.”

“Me too.” Andrew said with a smile. “How’s Chase doing?”

“I still haven’t gotten him to open up about his father. All he will ever say is that his father is a hard man. I did meet with his step-mother and she told me that Mr. Logan was a hard man to live with. He is very strict, especially with Chase. She had bruises she was trying to hide, so I’m guessing he put them there.”

“I wasn’t aware that Stewart Logan was married. There was no sign of a woman in his house, other than the housekeeper.”

“She wasn’t the housekeeper, she was his wife.”

“What? Are you kidding me? She wore a housekeeper’s uniform and called him Mr. Logan.”

“Yes, I know. I assumed she was a housekeeper at first too, but when I met her Chase introduced her as his step-mother, Helen Logan.”

“Oh wow. That’s unbelievable.” Andrew said quietly, but he knew it happened. He had witnessed it.

“From what little Vince has told me about you I figured you would understand it more than most.”

“First, Vince should have never told you anything personal about me. Second, I do understand it more than most because I lived something similar to it. Finally, I don’t need a therapist. I’ve been through the programs and I’ve dealt with all the issues from my childhood. Right now I want to focus on Chase and help him come to terms with everything.”

“Understood and I’m sorry. I asked Vince why this mattered so much to you and he told me just a little bit about your past so I would understand. I didn’t mean to cause any problems between you two. I know you have been friends for a really long time.”

Andrew sat there for a minute telling himself that Vince didn’t mean any harm and that everything was alright. Once he was calm again he looked up at Dr. Morgan and smiled. “It’s alright. I know Vince didn’t mean any harm. The past is the past and right now I have to think about the present and future. How is Chase adapting to the substance abuse home?”

“He seems to be doing well. He started classes last week and is working well with the tutors and other boys, but he isn’t talking to the counselors there either. I go back tomorrow and will try again. I won’t give up on him.”

“I have an idea that may help him to open up and talk.”

“Really? I’m open for suggestions.”

“What if I went and talked to him? Told him my story, all of it.”

“That might actually work and since you’re a doctor I can allow you to speak with him.”

“What time are you going to meet with him tomorrow?”

“I have an appointment with him at 2 pm. Can you make it?”

“I’ll meet you there at 1:45.” Andrew said and stood up. “Now I must go. My shift starts in twenty minutes and if I don’t leave now I’ll be late.”

“It was nice to meet you Dr. Peterson.” Jacquie said and shook his hand.

“It was nice to meet you too.” Andrew said with a smile.

Once he was gone she sat at her desk and called Vince. She could tell why he and Andrew were such good friends.

****

Later that night Andrew called Leslie and told her about his meeting. When he was finished explaining about going to see Chase the next day Leslie was quiet for a minute.

“I think it’s time you told Karla.”

“I agree. After I get back tomorrow I’ll sit down with her and tell her about my past.”

“I’ll be there beside you, honey.”

“You always are my love. I love you.”

“And I always will be. I love you, too.”

When Leslie ended the call she walked through the house and made sure everything was locked up. Andrew had a late shift tonight and the kids were in bed so she decided to settle in with a good book.

When Andrew got home a few hours later she was sound asleep on the couch. He just stood there and watched her sleep for a few minutes before he woke her up and helped her to bed. Then he washed the hospital grime from his body, checked on the kids and crawled into bed beside her. He laid there for a long time thinking about what he would say to Chase tomorrow and when he finally drifted to sleep he was plagued by dreams of his own childhood, dreams he hadn’t had in many, many years.

At 1:40 the next afternoon Andrew pulled into the parking lot of the juvenile rehab facility Chase was staying at. He sat in his car for a few minutes, thinking about the dream he’d had the night before and knew that once he talked about it again everything would come back to the surface for a while. He knew he could handle it though, he wasn’t a scared and rebellious kid anymore and he knew that he had something to live for now.

A small tap on his window pulled him from his thoughts and when he looked over he was greeted by a huge smile. He smiled back and stepped out of the car. “Good afternoon Dr. Morgan.” He greeted her.

“Good afternoon Dr. Peterson. Please call me Jacquie. Dr. Morgan sounds so formal.” She said and laughed out a bird-like laugh.

“Alright, Jacquie. Please call me Andrew.”

“You ready to go in? You looked like you were in deep thought about something when I walked up. Do you need a minute?”

“I was in deep thought, but I’m okay. Let’s go talk to Chase.”

“I haven’t told him you’re going to be with me today and that was intentional. I didn’t want him to refuse to see you and if he had known then he probably would have.”

“I understand.” Andrew said, knowing that she was right. “I just hope I can help a little.”

“We’ll find out in a few minutes.” She said and opened the door to the facility.

“Dr. Morgan,” the receptionist greeted her. “I assume you’re Dr. Peterson.” She smiled brightly at Andrew.

“Good afternoon Auddie.” Jacquie greeted her. “Dr. Andrew Peterson, I’d like for you to meet Auddie Puckett. She’s the Admissions Director here, but it looks like she’s on reception today.”

“Nice to meet you Ms. Puckett.” Andrew greeted.

“You too Dr. Peterson. Dr. Morgan, I’m just covering for Linda while she runs to the school to get her son.”

“I hope he’s alright.” Jacquie said sincerely. “Is Chase in the room yet?”

“He is. You know where to go.” Auddie said with a bright smile.

Andrew followed Jacquie down a long, well lit hall to a closed door at the end. He looked through the window and saw a boy who had been over his house many times in the past year. He wondered for a minute how many of those times Chase had been hurting because of his father.

“Ready?” Jacquie asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Yep.” He answered and she opened the door.

Chase looked up when they walked in and all the color drained from his face. “No way. I am not talking to him.”

“Chase,” Andrew said is a calm voice. “You don’t have to talk to me. I’m here to tell you something then I’ll leave if that’s what you want. You don’t have to do anything except listen for a few minutes.”

“This feels like some kind of a trap.” Chase said in a defiant voice. “I’ll listen, but that’s it. After you say what you want to say I want you to leave.”

“Understood. I promise to leave after I say what I came to say. Unless you ask me to stay that is.”

“That’s not gonna happen.” Chase said confidently.

“Okay then.” Andrew said. “When I was nine my father and older brother were killed in a drive-by shooting. My father had a crappy childhood and joined a gang when he was ten years old and after my brother was born he tried to leave. They beat him so bad he was in the hospital for a couple of weeks. When he got out they gave him a choice, either stay in or they would kill his son. He stayed in. When I was born he decided enough was enough so he and my mom packed us up and left Chicago. We moved to Atlanta and everything was fine for a while. On my ninth birthday my dad got a letter in the mail. It said that they knew where he was and he had thirty days to return to Chicago or his entire family would be killed. We moved the next day, but they had someone following us and a week later we were just coming home from school when a car drove by our house and started shooting. We were all hit by the flying bullets, but my mom and I survived. After we buried my dad and brother we moved here in hopes that they wouldn’t find us.”

Andrew paused for a minute to take a breath before he finished telling Chase the rest. “When I was twelve my mom met a man. He was the director at the community center where I played basketball and he had always been really nice. They dated for a while before he asked my mom to marry him. After they got married things changed. He was a closet alcoholic and when he drank he was mean. Every time I messed up, even just a little, he would whip me with his belt and lock me in the closet. My mom would try to stop him, but he’d just knock her around too. We lived like this until I was sixteen and became bigger than him. I fought back for the first time and that was the end of it. He packed and left the next day.”

When Andrew was finished they all sat there in silence for a while. Finally, Chase started talking. “My dad is an alcoholic, and so am I. I started drinking occasionally to numb the pain after my father would punish me for something he thought I did wrong.”

Once he started talking he told them everything that had happened from the time his mother died until he was brought in that day at the mall. By the time he was finished he had tears streaming down his face.

“I want to go back to my room now.” He said once he gained his composure. “Dr. Peterson, can you please give Callie and Mrs. Peterson a message from me?”

“I sure can Chase.”

“Tell Callie that I’m sorry for everything. That I do care about her and I hope we can be friends. Tell Mrs. Peterson that I am sorry. I never meant to hit her.”

“I’ll tell them. Would you mind if I came back to talk?”

“I think I’d like that.” Chase answered and walked out the door.

The next few weeks passed quickly. Elliot was doing well in school and Andrew had been meeting with Chase once a week. He’d told Karla about his past and they were closer than they had ever been. Today was a big day for Karla. It was the first competition for the Academic Decathlon team.

Karla was nervous. They had been training for weeks and she wasn’t worried about the competition itself, she was worried about the crowd of people that would be there. She still wasn’t comfortable with large crowds.

When she went downstairs for breakfast she was in her team uniform, which consisted of a black skirt, a gold shirt and a black and gold plaid tie. She walked into the kitchen and Andrew whistled at her. She smiled at him and took her seat at the table.

“What do you want for breakfast, honey?” Leslie asked her.

“Just an apple or banana. My stomach is in knots and I don’t want to eat too much.” Karla answered as she got up and poured some orange juice. Leslie tossed her an apple and she sat back down.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Elliot looked at Karla and said, “Why are you so nervous? You’ll have Conner, Callie and Rylee right beside you the whole day.”

“Actually I’ll just be with Rylee. Conner will be with the Science group and Callie will be with the Math group. Rylee and I are both in the History group. But since we aren’t all competing at the same time we can watch each other so I’ll be able to focus on the five of you instead of the other people in the room. As long as I can see you three, Conner and Callie, and focus on the questions I should be fine. I just don’t like talking in front a lot of people and I really don’t like crowds.”

“We’ll be right there, sis. I promise.” Elliot assured her and smiled.

“Yes we will be, honey” Leslie said and hugged her from behind. “You can always count on us to be there.”

“I know I can and I love you all for that and much, much more.”

“Who is in the History group with you and Rylee?” Andrew asked, trying to get Karla to focus on the competition and not her nerves.

“There are five members of each group. The History group consists of Jake, our head captain, Gretchen, she’s a junior and is one of the junior captains, Mike, who is a senior, Rylee and me. The Math group has Daniel, who is the other junior captain, David, who is a senior, Vicki, who is a junior, Jennifer, who is also a junior and Callie. The Science group has Kayla, a senior, Amanda, a junior, Damien, a senior, Michael, a junior and Conner. I am the youngest member of the team.”

“Wow. That’s really cool Karla.” Elliot said is awe of his sister.

“You could do it too Elliot. You are very smart in Math.” Karla told him with a smile.

“Maybe, but you could have been in any of the groups and done well.” He told her and smiled. He was proud of her even though he felt a little jealous about how easy school was for her.

“I’ll always help you, you know that, little brother.”

“I know, sis, and I appreciate it.”

“Okay, it’s time to go.” Leslie said from behind them and Karla jumped up from the seat.

“I’m ready.” She said and ran a hand down her braid to make sure it was still in place.

“You look beautiful, sweetheart.” Andrew said from behind her.

“Thank you, but even if I looked like crap you would tell me that.” She said with a grin and he shrugged his shoulders and walked into the garage to start the car.

“He would,” Leslie said from beside her, “but he’s telling the truth. You do look beautiful.”

When Leslie walked into the garage behind Andrew, Elliot grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door. She stopped long enough to set the alarm and lock the door before she climbed into the car. It was a forty minute drive to the school the competition was at and she would feel better if her friends were making the drive with her, but they were with their families too and would meet her there.

When they arrived Karla immediately went and joined her team as Leslie, Andrew and Elliot found seats with the Newberry’s and Parks’. “How’s Karla holding up this morning?” Helen asked Leslie.

“She was a little nervous, but I think she’ll be fine as long as she focuses on the competition and not the people watching it.” Leslie answered.

“Rylee was nervous too, but they’ll all do great.” Helen said with a smile as the announcers started announcing the different school teams that were here.

There were six schools in all and it was an elimination competition. All six schools would be in round one for each group and the four schools with the most points would advance to round two.

As the Math group was called up from each school Leslie saw Karla sitting on the bleachers on the opposite side of the gym with Rylee, Conner and the rest of her team. They all looked so nice in their uniforms.

When the competition began Callie seemed to be in her element. The questions were asked aloud, but the answers were written out so all the teams had an opportunity to answer them. At the end of thirty questions their team was leading with thirty points. When the buzzer sounded, signaling the start of the Science group’s turn Callie and her math friends traded places with Conner and his Science buddies and the process started all over again.

By the end of round two their team had fifty-five of sixty potential points and were leading the competition. When Karla’s group was up Leslie moved to the edge of her seat and watched anxiously.

Karla had been watching the competition and realized that she had nothing to worry about, with this round anyway. All she had to do was talk with her teammates and determine the correct answer to the question. As the MC started asking the questions Karla was in her element and by the end of the round they had another twenty-nine points for their team.