A New Beginning (Second Chance #1) (4 page)

“John, Bob here. I got some info on the father and boyfriend. Want it now or emailed to you?”

              “Now’s good. Just let me pull up the file and I’ll input that info. Okay, shoot.”

              “Boyfriend, Garrett Kent, 36 years old. Father, Alexander Figueroa, 39 years old, lives in San Juan Puerto Rico. Hope this helps you out.”

              “Thanks Bob. That’s a tremendous help. Now I don’t have to go talk to her again. She’s a piece of work.”

              “That she is John; that she is. Let me know what you find out about the father. I need to contact him ASAP. Also, when you pick up that dirt bag that hit her, let me know that too. I’ll talk to you later. I have an interview for another case.”

              “Will do and hope it goes well. Bye.” After John hung up he inputted Garrett’s and Alexander’s info into his computer and started a general information and warrant search on both. As his computer was running those he got up and fixed a cup of coffee, then sat at his desk and contemplated the entire situation. As of right now Dr. Peterson was keeping her in the hospital, more because she had nowhere else to go than for actual medical reasons, but he couldn’t keep her for more than another twenty-four hours at best.

              While he was sitting there, lost in thought, his computer pinged. He focused on the screen for a minute as he read the report on Karla’s father. When he got to the bottom he sighed in resignation. “Well crap. That explains a lot.” He grabbed his office phone and immediately called Trent.

              “Detective Greeves”

              “Greeves, we got a problem. I can tell ya why Karla’s father has never saw her, never been a part of her life.”

              “Why’s that sir?”

              “He died in January of 2001 in a car wreck. The accident killed him and his wife. Their children, a son eighteen and a daughter sixteen, are living in Ceiba Puerto Rico with her mother. His parents are deceased.”

              “Well crap. Siblings?”

              “One sister. She lives in San Juan with her husband and 5 children. I’ll contact her, but I seriously doubt she’ll want a fourteen year old niece that she’s never met. Plus, I don’t think it’d be fair to Karla if we ship her off to a place where she doesn’t even know the language.”

              “I agree boss. Let’s see what Bob says, but I’m sure he’ll agree too.”

              “I’ll text him and let him know to call me as soon as he’s out of his meeting.”

              “Alright. I’m at the hospital, want me to tell Karla?”

              “Yeah. She needs to know. Poor child.”

“On it boss. See ya later.”

****

              Five minutes later Trent was knocking on Karla’s door. When he heard a soft “come in” from the other side he took a deep breath and entered the room. Karla and Mrs. Jones were sitting at the small table in the room playing Go-Fish and laughing. Trent couldn’t hide his smile at Karla’s carefree laughter that filled the room.

              “Hey Mrs. Jones, Karla. How’s it going?”

              “Just sittin’ here playin’ some cards. Wanna join us? This round’s almost over and I can deal ya in if ya want.” Mrs. Jones answered with a smile. She was in her late seventies, but when she smiled like that she looked ten years younger. Trent had always loved Mrs. Jones’ smile.

              “Sure. Why not? It’s not like I’d pass up spending time with two pretty gals like y’all.”

              Karla and Mrs. Jones laughed again as Karla dealt out the cards. Trent pulled the other chair over to the table and sat down. When he picked up his cards Karla looked at him with a curious expression. “Detective Greeves. I know you didn’t come here to play cards. Want to tell me what’s going on?”

              Trent took a deep breath and looked at Karla. “You’re very astute Karla. I do have something to tell you and I’m not sure how to say it.”

              “Just say it please. It can’t be any worse than what I’ve already been living through.”

              “Mr. Jennings went to the jail and talked to your mama after he left here. She told him your father’s full name and where he’s from. Captain McGraw ran a profile on him and found him. His name is Alexander Figueroa and he’s from San Juan Puerto Rico.”

              “Okay. That doesn’t seem so bad. What’s bad about it?”

              “He was in a car accident in January of 2001. He didn’t make it. I’m sorry sweetheart.”

              “But Diane told me several times that she’d contacted him and he never wanted to meet me. Why would she lie about that? Why couldn’t she just tell me the truth for once in my life?”

              “I’m sorry honey. I did find out that you have a brother and a sister. They live in Puerto Rico with their grandmother. Captain McGraw is going to contact them, but they aren’t much older than you. You also have an aunt in Puerto Rico, he’s contacting her too.”

              “So what does that mean? Where am I going to go?”

              “Mr. Jennings will figure that out Karla. Have faith in him. He’s the best.”

              Mrs. Jones took Karla’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Sweet girl, I promise ya that ya will have a place to sleep when ya leave the hospital. Even if I have to take ya home with me.”

              At Mrs. Jones’ words Karla buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

While Trent was talking to Karla, John was placing a call to Puerto Rico. When a younger sounding female voice said a soft “hello” after three rings John responded, “Hello. My name is Captain John McGraw and I’m with the Metro/Davidson Police Department in Nashville, Tennessee. May I speak with Mrs. Rosa Melendez please?”

              “Si, one moment please.”

              “Thank you” John responded, thankful that at least someone in the household spoke English.

              A couple minutes later an older, heavily accented, female voice came on the line. “This is Rosa Melendez.”

              “Mrs. Melendez, this is Captain John McGraw from the Metro/Davidson Police Department in Nashville, Tennessee. Do you speak English well or do I need a translator?”

              “I speak English. I lived for many years in the United States with my husband. What is this about?”

“I’m calling to inform you that your grandson and granddaughter may have a half-sister here in Tennessee. Your son-in-law possibly has a fourteen year old daughter. As their legal guardian I was wondering if you’d consent for them to take a DNA test to confirm if she is their sister.”

“Alexander would have never cheated on my Maria, but if you think this child may be his then I’ll talk to them about it. Manuel is eighteen and can make his own choices, but Kiara is only sixteen and I am responsible for her wellbeing. If you can give me a phone number where you can be reached I will get back to you as soon as I can.”

“Thank you ma’am. We only have the word of the child’s mother that Mr. Figueroa is her father. I hope we’re able to find out one way or another soon. Thank you for your time.” John gave her his office and cell phone numbers then hung up. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about all this.

****

After she hung up the phone Rosa sat in her chair and thought about what Captain McGraw had told her. On one hand she knew she needed to talk to Kiara and Manuel, but on the other, if what Captain McGraw told her was true then everything they knew about their father was a lie. How could she shatter their image of their father? Then again, how could she not when the wellbeing of a child was at stake. Having made up her mind she called them in. “Manuel, Kiara, may I speak with you for a moment please?”

              “Yes Abuela, what do you need?” Kiara said as she walked in the room followed closely by Manuel. “Does this have anything to do with the phone call you received earlier?”

              “Yes Kiara. I have to talk to you and Manuel about something very important. Sit down please.” When Manuel and Kiara were seated Rosa continued. “The phone call was from a police officer in the United States. He called to tell me something really important. Something that I need to discuss with you.”

              “Sounds serious Abuela. You’ve always been open with us about everything so you can be open about this too.” Manuel said as he grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently.

              “Captain John McGraw from Nashville, Tennessee called me to inform me that you possibly have a half-sister in the United States. He asked me if I would consent for you two to have DNA tests done to see if what this child’s mother says is true.”

              Kiara moved from the chair she was sitting in to the open spot on the couth beside Rosa. After taking Rosa’s other hand Kiara asked, “How old is she? Padre died just after I turned two and Manuel was almost five. If she’s older than Manuel it wouldn’t matter, but if she’s younger than me that means padre cheated on madre. You’ve always told us he was a great man and that he loved her, and us, more than anything. If that was true then this girl can’t be his daughter. I want to take the test. I need to know what kind of man padre was.”

              “I will take the test too Abuela. I need to know as well.”

              “Kiara, she is fourteen years old and the police officer only has the word of her mother that your father is also her father. I agree that you need to take the test, but they really only need one of you. I don’t have to sign for Manuel to take it so it would be easier for him to do it. Is that okay with you both?” They both nodded and she continued. “Okay. I will call Captain McGraw back now and find out what you need to do Manuel. I think you both made the best, most adult decision in this. I am very proud of you.”

When Manuel and Kiara left the room Rosa picked up the phone and called Captain McGraw to find out what needed to be done.

Dr. Andrew Peterson walked into his home an hour after his shift ended. His thoughts were still back at the hospital with Karla. That child needed help and he’d thought of just the way to help her. When he didn’t see his wife in the family room or kitchen he headed upstairs. He found her in the only empty room in the house, the room that was supposed to be a nursery for the child they longed for. He walked to her, wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. He turned his head slightly and kissed her cheek.

              “Leslie, baby, are you okay?”

              “No Andrew, I’m not okay. We found out two months ago today that we’d never be able to have a child of our own. I am thirty-three years old and will never know what it’s like to feel our child growing inside me. I know we’re on the waiting list at every adoption agency in the state, but it’s just so hard waiting. I was thinking today and I want to discuss something with you. Can we go down to the kitchen and talk? I know you have ER rotation again tonight and that you need to get some sleep, but I really think we need to discuss this first.”

              “Okay love. I have something that I want to discuss with you too.”

              They walked down to the kitchen holding hands, as much in love as they were when they’d gotten married ten years before. Andrew was still in medical school then, doing his internship and Leslie was starting to build her webpage design business. Now she was one of the top web designers in the state and he was the youngest ever head of the emergency department at the hospital where he worked. The one thing that would make their lives complete was a child.

              When they got to the kitchen Leslie put on a pot of coffee and Andrew got out the stuff to make veggie omelets, he’d missed breakfast this morning at the hospital and was hungry. As he mixed the eggs with a little salt, pepper and dill Leslie started chopping tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms. He stopped beating the eggs to take in the sight of her. Her petite build, milky white skin, long blonde hair and jade green eyes were a drastic contrast to his features, but they fit perfectly together.

              Once the omelets were done and they each had a cup of coffee they sat at the island and started eating. As they were eating Leslie started talking. “I’ve been thinking and I’ve realized something. There are a lot of children out there in need of homes. We have a big, empty house in need of a child’s laughter.” She paused, took a deep breath and continued. “I was thinking that maybe we should become foster parents or adopt an older child. One that just needs a little TLC. What do you think?”

              “Leslie, are you reading my mind? That’s just what I wanted to discuss with you. I was thinking of becoming foster parents. You work from home, so even though I have crazy hours sometimes it wouldn’t hinder us. A fourteen year old girl started me thinking about it. I looked up the information before I left work. We can have the papers and background checks completed in five to seven days. What do you think?”

              “Oh Andrew I think that’s a wonderful idea, but how did a fourteen year old girl start you thinking about this?”

              “Her name is Karla. She was brought into the ER at about nine last night. She was covered in bruises and had a couple cracked ribs and a cracked collar bone. Her mama’s boyfriend had beat the hell out of her. Her mama was arrested for drugs and the boyfriend took off. She looked so lost and so scared, it just broke my heart. It also made me start to wonder just how many others there were just like her out there. This morning when I went to see her I found out that your brother is her case worker, that’s why he called and rescheduled dinner last night. I talked to him a little and he told me he sees cases just like hers come through the office every day. It makes me sick knowing we long for a child and can’t have one when so many people have them that don’t want them.”

              “Andrew, are you thinking about fostering a child in general or fostering this specific child? It sounds to me like you’ve already became attached to her. That you already care.”

              “Leslie you’d have to meet her to understand, but there is just something about this specific child that has touched something inside me. I don’t know her whole story, but I know she’s been through Hell and survived. If she’s this strong after everything she’s been through, I’d love to see what she’s like when given the love and care she needs.”

              “Okay. If this is what you want then I’m in. We’ll talk to Bob today and get the paperwork started. He may be able to skip on the background checks since he’s my brother. Maybe we’ll know something sooner.”

              “Leslie I love you more than words can express. I promise you that Karla will fit right in here. She’s just what we need.”

              “I love you too Andrew and I trust you on this. I’ll call Bob right now and get the paperwork started. You may want to take a nap because I have a feeling it’s going to be a really long next few days.”

              “I’m ready for it Leslie. I’m ready to start this new phase in our lives. I ready to share our home, and our love, with Karla.”

After Andrew kissed her and walked out of the room, Leslie picked up the phone and called Bob, thinking that today was the start of a new chapter in their lives.