Page 55 of For the Love of the Lawyer

“Bad luck, I’m afraid.” Cece shook her head.

“I'm going to file a motion to continue, based on retention of new counsel and hope we draw another judge. She'll be hard on the boy, and it sounds like the kid has some redeeming qualities. I'll be back.”

Jon took the file with him and left Megan and his phone with Cece. At the clerks' office, he signed into a public terminal to fill out some paperwork in hopes of getting the young man another chance with a more empathetic judge.

After he hit the send button and signed off the terminal, Jon heard raucous laughter behind him, turning to see Morrison's clerk at her desk. She glanced up and motioned him over.

"Mr. Wells, you know she'll never grant a change of venue. Just go in and face her head on. She likes you.” Mary Katherine Reilly had worked for another judge that Jon had a good relationship with before the man had retired, and Jon was a bit relieved she'd taken a job with Chandra Morrison.

"Look, the kid isn't a first-timer at the table, but he needs a break. How about just giving me a chance to get to know him for a week or so? I can better represent him if I know him.” Jon was nearly begging, trying to support his motion for a continuance which was all he was really hoping to achieve. The change of venue was like asking for the moon and accepting a streetlight. It could have been better.

Mary Katherine looked around. "Okay, Jon, but you won't get many chances like this. I'll give you a month. Keep him out of trouble.” He nodded and took off back down the hallway.

Jon stopped at a pay phone and called Audrey's cell, getting her voicemail. He hung up and tried her office line. "Hi, you've reached Audrey Langley. I'm out of the office this week. Please contact my secretary at extension 6636 if you have an emergency. Thank you.” Audrey being away surprised him. She hadn't mentioned she was out of the office when he and Mickey had seen her on Saturday, and he had no idea where she'd gone.

He went back to the bench where he’d left Megan and Cece. He noticed there was another person with them, and Jon wasn't surprised to see a young, black teen with a disgruntled look on his face.

Cece smiled at him. “Jon Wells, this is Terrence Reynolds. Terrence, this is your attorney, Mr. Wells. Shake hands, baby.” The boy extended his hand without a smile.

Jon greeted him and looked at Megan, not sure what to do about her. "Any news about the Asberrys?"

"Changed their minds. Their adoption of Miles was approved, and apparently, they were only going to take that sweet child as a backup. We're back to square one. Where's your friend, Audrey?"

Terrence had moved down to take a seat next to Megan. She'd offered him the phone to play the game, and the two of them seemed to be getting along. "Can we step over here?"

Cece nodded. "You sweet babies stay right there while Mr. Jon and I have a talk. We'll go get some lunch in a few minutes, okay?" They glanced up before going back to the game.

"Where's Miss Langley?" Cece asked.

Jon exhaled. "Apparently, she's taking some time off and not answering any of her phones. Can't we get another family for Megan? I mean, she's so sweet. There must be someone available to take her in, just for a couple of weeks?"

Cece pulled him closer. "You, of all people, know we don't get a second chance at this, Jonathon. I'm gonna recommend you as the temporary guardian of Megan, and then I'm going to call my boss and tell him you've volunteered to take Terrence into your custody from the group home, and the detention center, until his trial. You're the only one in their corner, Jon. How could you let those sweet babies go back to the group homes?" To add insult to injury, she pointed to the children on that bench. The guilt was squeezing his windpipe closed.

Cece opened her large tote bag and pulled out a crumpled file, handing Jon some less-than-pristine papers. "Fill these out and date them for last week."

The tone in her voice made him afraid to deny her, so he glanced through the stapled document, seeing it was an application to become a foster parent. "Is this legal?" The irony of the question wasn’t lost on Jon, but he sat on a bench and pulled out a pen anyway.

"Eh? It borders on unethical, but if you were so inclined to think about applying to become a foster parent last week, it's within the realm of possibility if I just happened to find the paperwork on my desk this morning. You see, Jon, there comes a time when we all stretch our definition of the law, based on the looks on the faces of two children who desperately need a chance at a better life than what they're facing." She pointed toward the bench, again.

He glanced over at the two children, one white with some intellectual challenges, and perhaps some physical, and one black with challenges for overcoming the environmental factors that shaped his upbringing to that point. Jon thought about his parents and how they'd loved and nurtured him, and as he looked at Megan and Terrence, he knew all they needed was the same chance.

He wasn't ready for parenthood, not really, but he knew life threw tests one didn't expect. Clearly, Jon was looking at his next ones, and they were two beautiful human beings who just needed someone to give them love.

Before Jon knew what was happening, he had Megan Doe and Terrence Reynolds as his new foster kids. The three of them were in his car at a stoplight on the way to the condo when he sent Mickey an SOS text.

You love me, right? Well, I really need you. Can you come to Richmond?

Jon pulled into his parking space in the condo garage, seeing the two kids in the back seat didn’t appear thrilled to be with him. He needed to say something. "Okay, so, we're going to be living together for some time. You can call me Jon. I'm new to parenting, but I'll do my best. If I really mess something up, I'd like it if you'd tell me and give me a chance to make things right.” He glanced at two unhappy faces in the rearview mirror.

"Is this where we're gonna stay?" Megan asked Terrence.

"I think so. Let's get you outta that seat belt. You hungry? I'm starvin'."

Jon was happy the two of them were talking. He prayed he had something to offer besides brie and prosciutto, because he hadn't been to the grocery store since the weekend before when Mickey visited. From where he stood looking at the situation objectively, he was the worst foster parent in the world.

Jon felt someone's gaze on him, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Megan with her little hands resting on the bed next to him. She was in one of Jon's T-shirts because there wasn't time to pick up her clothes after court.

Cece had to get to another appointment, but she'd promised to drop off Megan and Terrence's things from their respective residences as soon as she had time. He hadn’t told Megan what happened with the Asberry’s because he didn't want to see the disappointment on her beautiful little face that another adult had abandoned her.

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