Blue (27 page)

“Wait a minute,” she said softly to Andrew, and walked to the shed where she had first seen Blue, a short distance away. She stood looking at it for a minute and saw that the padlock was off. She could hear something stirring inside, and as Andrew walked up to her, she slowly opened the door and saw Blue sitting inside, with his bag next to him, and he was concentrating on his laptop. He looked up at her in surprise, and said the only thing that came to mind.

“Don't you knock?”

“You don't live here anymore,” she said, smiling at him. “Come on, let's go home.” He hesitated for a minute and looked at both of them, and then he climbed out of the shed, and picked up his bag. He didn't ask what Andrew was doing there, but he could tell that they were both happy to see him. Ginny put an arm around Blue's waist as they walked in the direction of the apartment. As they walked past the railing next to the river, she stopped and led Blue over to it. “I want to show you something,” she said gently. “This is where I was standing the first time I saw you. Do you know what I was doing? I was about to jump in, because my life was so miserable, I didn't want to live another minute. All I wanted to do was die in that river, the night before Mark and Chris's anniversary, so I didn't have to live through another one. And then I saw you run into the shed out of the corner of my eye, and after that we went to dinner at McDonald's and the rest is history.

“You don't need to feel guilty about anything, Blue.
Nothing
is your fault. You saved my life that night. I've been paying my dues for the last four years in every refugee camp I could get to. And you saved my life. If you hadn't been there that night, I'd be dead by now.” And then she looked at Andrew. “And look at all the lives you've changed for the better and the boys you've saved with what you do. I think we're three lucky people who lead amazing lives already.” And then she smiled broadly at Blue. “And if you ever run away again, I'm going to kick your ass, is that clear?”

He grinned at her when she said it. He knew she wouldn't. “Were you really going to kill yourself that night?” Blue asked looking serious again, and she looked just as serious when she nodded. Andrew wanted to hold her close to him when she did, but he didn't want to do that in front of Blue. At least not yet.

The three of them walked slowly back to her apartment, and she turned to Blue. “What do you say we make it official?”

“Make what official?” Blue looked puzzled.

“Would you like me to adopt you?”

Blue stopped walking and stared at her. “Do you mean it?”

“Of course I mean it. Would I say it if I didn't?”

“Yeah, I'd really like that,” he said, beaming again as he looked at Ginny and then at Andrew. “Can she do that?”

“It takes a little while, but yes she can, if it's what you both want.”

“I do,” Ginny said clearly.

“Me, too,” Blue added, and Andrew walked them back to the apartment and left them there. He lingered for a minute to say goodnight to Ginny while Blue went to put his things away in his bedroom.

“Thank you for being with me tonight…and for everything you said to me,” Ginny said gratefully.

“I meant all of it. You're a very special woman. I hope we get to spend some time together before you go away again.” His eyes clouded as he said it. “I hate to think of you in those places, in danger all the time.” She nodded, she was beginning to worry about it, too, but that was a discussion for another time. They had covered a lot of ground that night. He bent down and kissed her forehead, and then he left, and Blue went to the kitchen to get something to eat. He was starving, and Ginny walked into the kitchen and smiled at him.

“Welcome home, Blue,” she said softly, and he turned to smile at her and looked like a big happy kid, and his happiness was mirrored by her own.

Two weeks after Blue ran away for a day, Monsignor Cavaretti called another meeting with Andrew and Ginny. He offered no explanation and there had been no new developments in the case in the past few weeks, and no new victims had come forward. Father Teddy was out on bail, staying at a monastery near Rhinebeck on the Hudson River. And much to Ginny's relief, nothing more had appeared in the tabloids.

Andrew met Ginny outside the archdiocese, and they walked in together. They had had dinner the night before, and things were progressing nicely. His eyes swept her gently as they walked in. A few minutes later they were ushered into Monsignor Cavaretti's private office. For an instant, it reminded Andrew of the hours they had spent together in Rome, having endless discussions about canon law. But the monsignor wasn't smiling as they sat down.

“I wanted to speak to you both today,” he said in a somber tone. “As you can imagine, this entire situation has weighed heavily on all of us. These are never happy stories, and everyone involved gets hurt, including the church.” He turned toward Andrew then. “I wanted you to know that Ted Graham is going to enter a guilty plea tomorrow. There's no point in drawing this out. I think what happened is clear to all of us, and we are all deeply grieved for the children it hurt.” The old priest looked profoundly sympathetic. Andrew was shocked—he had never seen him so humble. “I want to discuss a settlement with both of you. We have taken this as far up as the cardinal, and to Rome. We would like to offer Blue Williams a settlement of one point seven million dollars, to be put in a trust for him until he reaches twenty-one years of age.” He looked straight at Ginny then. “Would that be acceptable to you?” He had enormous admiration for what she'd done for Blue, and it showed in his eyes.

She glanced immediately at Andrew, and then back at the monsignor and nodded with a look of astonishment on her face. It was more than she had ever hoped, and it would change his life forever. His education, his sense of security, the options he would have later. Justice had indeed been served. She nodded in grateful agreement, unable to speak. “Does that suit you, counselor?” he asked Andrew, who smiled at him, and a look passed between two old friends, a look of respect and affection. The end result blessed them all. The church, at Cavaretti's insistence, had done the right thing for the boy.

“It suits me very well, and I am very proud to have been part of this collective decision that is the right thing to do.” The monsignor stood up. “That was all I had to say. We'll draw up the papers, and of course there will be a confidentiality agreement to go with it. I think none of us will be well served by speaking to the press.”

Both Andrew and Ginny nodded in full agreement. They all shook hands, and a moment later Andrew and Ginny were back on the street, hurrying away before they spoke. And then he turned to her with a broad grin.

“Holy shit! We did it! Oh my God.
You
did it! Talk about giving Blue an amazing life. You could have just listened to his story and never done anything about it. And instead you had the guts to see it through, and gave him the courage to do it. And this will set the tone for all the other kids Ted Graham abused.” It was one of the sweetest victories of his career, and through it he had met Ginny. The possibilities were infinite now, for all of them. The church could well afford what it was paying Blue. And he would never forget Cavaretti's benevolent hand in it.

They had lunch to celebrate. And Andrew came to dinner that night, and they told Blue. He looked shocked when they told him. He couldn't conceive of having that kind of money one day.

“OhmyGod, I'm rich!” he said, looking at Ginny. “Can I buy a Ferrari when I'm eighteen?” He grinned at her, and she laughed.

“No, you can buy an education, which is better,” she said sternly, but they were happy for him. He had paid a high price for that money, but it would serve him well, hopefully for the rest of his life if it was well invested, which Ginny knew it would be. It was a lot for him to look forward to and absorb.

She called Kevin Callaghan the next day and told him that there had been a settlement, though not the amount, but she thanked him profusely for the referral to Andrew, which had been exactly the right one. And she told him Ted Graham was pleading guilty that day.

“Excellent.” He was happy to hear it, and he reminded her to call him if she came to L.A. He had realized that he would have a soft spot for her forever. Nothing would ever come of it, but it was nice to dream.

And in November, Ellen Warberg called her from the SOS/HR office. Ginny had been thinking about her job a lot lately. She missed working, and traveling for them, but the job was no longer compatible with her responsibilities for Blue, nor her relationship with Andrew, which was growing day by day, and seemed to be headed in a serious direction, which had taken them both by surprise.

Ginny assumed that Ellen had called her in to discuss her next assignment, and Ginny knew that she would have to turn it down.

“I want you to know,” Ellen said seriously, as they sat facing each other across her desk, “that I'm retiring. I want time to do some projects, and travel for myself. I spent years doing what you do, and I've been at this desk now for five years, and I think it's long enough. I wanted you to be the first to know, because I would like to suggest you as my successor, to take my job. I think you'd be great at it, and I don't think being in the field nine months a year, halfway around the world, is what you want right now, so maybe this would work for you,” she said hopefully, thinking she'd have to talk Ginny into it. Ginny wanted to jump up and hug Ellen. It was the perfect solution to the problem that had been tormenting her for months. She didn't want to quit, but she couldn't do her job anymore. But she could do Ellen's. It was tailor-made for her, and she knew the needs and style of SOS/HR inside out.

“I'd love it,” Ginny said, beaming at her, looking as though she'd just won the lottery. Ellen came around her desk and hugged her then, and told her she would be leaving on the first of January. It was perfect in every way. And Andrew and Blue were thrilled when she told them that night. Her days as a nomad had come to an end. They confirmed her new position two weeks later as the director of SOS/HR's main office in New York. It was a prestigious job with a salary to match. She and Ellen had a quiet lunch to talk about it, and she gave Ginny great advice.

After lunch, Ginny went to pick out the Christmas gift she'd been planning for Blue. She bought him a piano and knew it would be the most exciting gift possible, better than a Ferrari. He had wanted his own piano all his life. He was doing well at school, and was preparing for his first recital in December.

It started snowing as she walked home, and it reminded her of the time almost a year before, when she had flown in from Africa one night before the anniversary date she had dreaded, and a boy named Blue had changed her life forever, and she had changed his, and Andrew had helped them. It all seemed like a miracle to her now.

Blue's fifteenth birthday was the most important one of his life. It was a double celebration. Becky, Alan, and their children had flown in from L.A. And that morning, the entire family and Andrew went to court with Blue, where a Family Court judge asked Blue Williams if he wished to be adopted by Virginia Anne Carter, to which Blue responded solemnly “I do,” and then he asked Ginny if she wished to adopt Blue Williams, and she said she did. And Andrew O'Connor was the attorney of record. It felt almost like a wedding, which Andrew and Ginny were contemplating as well. But this was Blue's day.

Ginny kissed him when the judge pronounced them mother and son. He had thought about taking her name, but decided he liked his own, which was fine with her. And after the brief ceremony, they all went to 21 for lunch. Later they had dinner at a Japanese restaurant Blue loved. And that night after dinner, they all went back to the apartment, where Blue played the piano and they all sang, and he and Lizzie kept teasing each other about being cousins. He was playing all her favorite songs. Andrew followed Ginny out to the kitchen and kissed her. They turned back to look at Blue for a minute. He had never looked happier. He had finished his first year at LaGuardia Arts and done well, and was getting ready for another recital in September. And Ginny would be there, not in Afghanistan or Africa. Those days were over.

Old stories had ended. New ones had begun. The pain of old memories had begun to dim. New bonds had formed. And new lives had risen from the ashes of old ones. The phrase “beauty for ashes” seemed apt for all of them. And Ginny reminded Blue that “nothing is impossible” almost every day. Blue and Andrew believed her and had found that it was true.

To my Beloved Children,

Beatie, Trevor, Todd, Nick,

Samantha, Victoria, Vanessa,

Maxx, and Zara,

Life is made up of special moments,

moments of joy, or of sorrow, of great

good fortune, incredible thoughtfulness,

moments you never forget, and that impact

an entire lifetime, moments you treasure.

May all your special moments be precious,

happy ones, change your life in fortunate ways,

and turn out to be great blessings.

May your impact on others be kind,

theirs on you always loving,

and may you always, always know

and remember how infinitely I love you,

with all my heart, now and forever.

With all my love,

Mommy/d.s.

BLUE
•
PRECIOUS GIFTS
•
UNDERCOVER
•
COUNTRY
•
PRODIGAL SON
•
PEGASUS
•
A PERFECT LIFE
•
POWER PLAY
•
WINNERS
•
FIRST SIGHT
•
UNTIL THE END OF TIME
•
THE SINS OF THE MOTHER
•
FRIENDS FOREVER
•
BETRAYAL
•
HOTEL VENDÔME
•
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
•
44 CHARLES STREET
•
LEGACY
•
FAMILY TIES
•
BIG GIRL
•
SOUTHERN LIGHTS
•
MATTERS OF THE HEART
•
ONE DAY AT A TIME
•
A GOOD WOMAN
•
ROGUE
•
HONOR THYSELF
•
AMAZING GRACE
•
BUNGALOW 2
•
SISTERS
•
H.R.H.
•
COMING OUT
•
THE HOUSE
•
TOXIC BACHELORS
•
MIRACLE
•
IMPOSSIBLE
•
ECHOES
•
SECOND CHANCE
•
RANSOM
•
SAFE HARBOUR
•
JOHNNY ANGEL
•
DATING GAME
•
ANSWERED PRAYERS
•
SUNSET IN ST. TROPEZ
•
THE COTTAGE
•
THE KISS
•
LEAP OF FAITH
•
LONE EAGLE
•
JOURNEY
•
THE HOUSE ON HOPE STREET
•
THE WEDDING
•
IRRESISTIBLE FORCES
•
GRANNY DAN
•
BITTERSWEET
•
MIRROR IMAGE
•
THE KLONE AND I
•
THE LONG ROAD HOME
•
THE GHOST
•
SPECIAL DELIVERY
•
THE RANCH
•
SILENT HONOR
•
MALICE
•
FIVE DAYS IN PARIS
•
LIGHTNING
•
WINGS
•
THE GIFT
•
ACCIDENT
•
VANISHED
•
MIXED BLESSINGS
•
JEWELS
•
NO GREATER LOVE
•
HEARTBEAT
•
MESSAGE FROM NAM
•
DADDY
•
STAR
•
ZOYA
•
KALEIDOSCOPE
•
FINE THINGS
•
WANDERLUST
•
SECRETS
•
FAMILY ALBUM
•
FULL CIRCLE
•
CHANGES
•
THURSTON HOUSE
•
CROSSINGS
•
ONCE IN A LIFETIME
•
A PERFECT STRANGER
•
REMEMBRANCE
•
PALOMINO
•
LOVE: POEMS
•
THE RING
•
LOVING
•
TO LOVE AGAIN
•
SUMMER'S END
•
SEASON OF PASSION
•
THE PROMISE
•
NOW AND FOREVER
•
PASSION'S PROMISE
•
GOING HOME

PURE JOY:
The Dogs We Love

A GIFT OF HOPE:
Helping the Homeless

HIS BRIGHT LIGHT:
The Story of Nick Traina

PRETTY MINNIE IN PARIS