Lucy and I sat in Kristen’s office as she busied herself making us both a cup of sweet tea. Lucy glanced sideways at me. She had been fidgeting and chewing her lip since we sat down. I took hold of her hand and squeezed.
We were about to tell Kristen the truth, and later that afternoon we had a meeting with a lawyer that Alejandro had arranged.
As a minor, Lucy would have to go into the care system, but Alejandro had paid for the best lawyer in L.A, who would make sure that she got placed with a good foster family who could look after her.
Alejandro had sounded so confident that it would all work out, that I believed it would, and that was how I had managed to convince Lucy that what we were about to do was for the best. I could understand her feeling anxious though, and I could feel it coming from her in waves.
Eventually, Kristen sat down and handed us each a cup of tea. ‘So, you had something you wanted to chat about?’ she said, with her trademark wide smile as she sat at her desk.
I looked at Lucy. ‘Go on,’ I said.
Lucy cleared her throat and then told Kristen the truth about her only being sixteen and the fact that she was also three months pregnant.
Kristen listened intently, never interrupting or showing judgement. Lucy was crying by the time she had finished and I handed her a paper tissue.
‘Well, that’s quite the pickle,’ Kristen said as she leaned back in her chair. ‘But nothing we can’t handle, eh, Alana?’ she said with a smile.
‘Of course not. Alejandro’s lawyer is going to meet us this afternoon when Lucy contacts the authorities.’
Kristen nodded. ‘Good. I wish you could stay here with us, Lucy. You fit in so well here and everybody loves you, but you’re too young sweetheart.’
‘I know,’ Lucy sniffed. ‘And I’m sorry that I lied to you all. But I was just so scared. And I can’t go back to Chicago. I can’t,’ she said, suddenly her eyes were wide with fear, making me wonder what had happened to her there.
‘That’s okay,’ I said as I squeezed her hand. ‘We’ll make sure that you get to stay nearby.’
Kristen nodded. ‘And have you decided what you want to do about the baby? You have options?’
Lucy’s hands flew to her stomach. ‘I want to keep it. They will let me, won’t they?’
‘Of course,’ Kristen and I responded together.
‘Good,’ she said with a sigh.
‘But, you’ll have to go to school and get your GED. Did you go to school in Chicago?’ I asked her.
Her face turned pink and her eyes filled with tears. ‘Yes. Until my parents died anyway.’
‘When did they die, sweetheart?’ I asked her.
‘A little over two years ago,’ she sniffed.
My heart broke for her. For two years, she’d had no-one to turn to. No-one except Blake who was considerably older than her and had obviously taken advantage of her vulnerability.
She started to sob then and I put my arm around her shoulders. She leaned into me, pressing her face against my shoulder until her tears were soaking my shirt. Kristen and I exchanged a look that conveyed we would do everything we could to help this sweet girl and make sure she got to live the life that she deserved.
