A NEW BEGINNING

A Place to Call Home

Chapter 40: A Place to Call Home
January 29th 2019

Days went by, as normal as they have been going. Colin was on the case of Whitney and Joshua being missing. He found them in Hawaii but he didn't push it to far. Colin sent people there to keep an eye on them, and to make sure that they didn't leave Hawaii. Day after day Colin was getting updates on them. And it just seemed like they were just on holidays. It didn't seem like they were planning an escape. But Colin made sure that someone was keeping an eye to them. The custody case was pushed ahead until February 3rd, in hopes they would be back.

The next important date was January 29th, and it crept up on them in a blink of an eye. After the first appointment on January 15th, they had high hopes for Anna's results. She has been gaining a lot more energy, and has been playing with her toys more, and beginning to act like a normal 8 month old.

January 29th 2020
The morning of Anna's appointment, they were once again sat at table as a family. Logan was reading the paper, while Rory fed Anna.

There was a knock on the door, and Logan excused himself to go answer it.

When he returned, Rory was surprised to see who was behind him.

"Joshua!" Rory exclaimed as she placed one hand over her heart and the other over her mouth. Rory couldn't believe it, he was back but she had questions. "Where did you go? We have been worried sick about you."

"Can we all sit?" Joshua asked as he looked between Rory and Logan.
"Of course." Logan replied as he took his seat. "What's on the go?"
"I'm sorry." Joshua replies as he lowers his head, not wanting to make eye contact.
"Your sorry about what exactly?" Logan asked his son.

Joshua looked up, he was a little confused, as he figured his father knew what happened.

"That I went MIA with mom." Joshua replied softly, hoping not to make this situation any worst.
"We know that you and your mom went MIA,  but we want to know why? Why did you just up and leave?" Logan asked, he was staying calm, even though his blood was boiling and he wanted to combust. "I was talking to you thirteen and half hours before you went MIA. Colin came rushing in the house to tell us. I was shocked, upset, angry and frustrated with you. You didn't say a word to me when I was speaking to you."
"You didn't bother to look for me?" Joshua questioned his father.
"We did look Joshua. We looked, but we did it without your knowledge because we were afraid that your mom would take off again. We waited it out. We had someone watching your every move until to left. We didn't want to scare you or your mom away. But I just want to know why?" Logan stated.

Rory stayed quiet during the whole exchange between Logan and Joshua. She didn't want to interrupt, but she would if the situation got ugly.

Joshua didn't answer, he just held his head low, not wanting to make eye contact with his father. He was ashamed that he allowed his mother to do what she did. To allow her to get fake IDs, book flights to Hawaii and leave without telling anyone. She wanted to run, she wanted to hide so that she could spend time with her son, because she knew that Logan was going to get custody of him, and she was afraid that she was going to lose him.

"Look at me Joshua." Logan semi shouted. "Tell me why you up and left without telling me."

Joshua slowly looked up from the table, his eye were brimming with tears.
"I...I...I'm ashamed of what we did. I'm ashamed to have let everything unfold the way it did. I known for a while to what she was planning, but didn't really believe her." Joshua sobbed. "She got fake IDs for us, booked a one way flight to Hawaii and we left. She told me there was going to be no phone, iPads, computers, etc. Well no technology at all. She just wanted to spend time with me. She knows she isn't going to win the custody case, and she is afraid that she is going to lose me all together."

Logan just nodded, he knew there was more, but he wanted to give Joshua the time to get everything out. He's a little mad that Joshua allowed all this to happen, but he is just happy that he is back safe and sound.

"When we got to Hawaii, I asked mom why she was doing this. She said that she is afraid that she won't get to see me anymore when you win the case. But I reassured her that, I would come visit her and to why I wanted you to have full custody. Then finally after 13 days of relaxing on the beach and spending time with each other, I convinced her to come back home after telling her that I won't cut her out of my life, but that I need a parent who is going to care about my well being, and that she isn't stable enough to do it. She promised me that she would get help when we got back."

"So, where is your mother now?" Logan asked.

"We are waiting to get her into a treatment centre." Joshua replied. "We called many places, but we decided that she needed to leave Connecticut, so we decided that she would go to California to an all women centre called Harmony Place."

"So when did this all happen?" Rory asked.

"What do you mean?" Joshua asked.

"I mean how did you decide on that centre?" Rory asked again.

"We decided that she needed to be around women only. That she needed space from men. She needed to make some friends that is in the same situation as her." Joshua answered. "Harmony Place helps women fight through their addictions by understanding their complex psychological and emotional make-up."

"Sounds like a great place." Rory replies with a smile. "She will do great there and will be back with a new leash on life."

"I sure hope so." Joshua says with a smile. "I really want her to be better, for me."

"I'm sure this will do her wonders and you will get the loving and caring mother that you deserve." Logan replies.

"That's what I am hoping for, but..." Joshua trailed off.

"What's on your mind, Joshua?" Rory asked him, as she walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at her.

"I really don't want much to do with her, regardless if she gets better or not. I didn't have a great childhood. I want to start fresh when she starts fresh. I want to enjoy the rest of the teenage years acting like a teenager." Joshua said as tears streamed down his face. "I just want a family."

As Joshua was spilling his thoughts out, and sobbing. Rory began to sob as well. She wanted to make sure that Joshua got the best out of his remaining teenage years, and by the way Logan was looking, she knew he wanted the same.

"Joshua." Rory sobbed. "You have a family. You have your father, me, Anna and also this little one in here, as well" as she rubbed her growing belly. "We are here for you and we want you to get your items together today and move in with us."

"Really?" Joshua sobbed. "After everything my mother and I did to tear you guys apart, and then we both going MIA. You really would still accept me to be apart of your family."

"Joshua," Logan spoke with a crack in his voice. "You have been family ever since we got those test results back. Yes, you and Whitney did some outrageous things to break us up and then going MIA, but regardless of all that, we both know that your mother did everything and you went along with it, because that's what you thought was right. We just hope that you learned your lesson. Just to make things clear, when you move in here, there are going to be major changes to your routine and your lifestyle."

Joshua didn't know what to say. He was just so happy that he was going to have a place to call home.