Matt Casey's nieces and nephew

Chapter 32

"I have to talk to you guys about something." Casey said as he drove the triplets home after shift the next morning. "Heather came to see me last night after she was released."

"So, Griffin and Ben are moving out." Jake interrupted. "I'm going to miss those guys."

"I'm sure they'll be over a lot." Grace said.

"Griffin is like a mini you now." Ellie said.

Jake smirked. "Yeah, I'll have him playing basketball in no time."

"Guys," Casey said. "Heather took a job in Florida."

"What?" The triplets said together.

"It's a good job managing an apartment building so she gets free rent." Casey tried to explain. "It's hard for her to be here after what happened."

"So once again she does what's best for her and not her kids." Jake shook his head. "They go to school here and have friends and did she even think how hard it will be for them to move? Does she ever think about her own damn kids?"

"She's doing what's best for them."

"How is moving them away from everyone and everything they know and making them start all over the best thing for them?" Jake argued. "No, she's doing what's best for her so that she can start fresh where no one knows what she did."

"Jake," Casey turned to his nephew once they pulled into the driveway. "I know you're upset, I get it, I really do. I'm going to miss them too but after Andy it was really hard for Heather to be here and with the manslaughter charge it's only going to get worse. Accident or not, she killed someone. Everyone in town knows it, including the kids that go to school with Griffin and Ben. She lost her job and jail doesn't exactly help a resume. I don't want them to go either but if leaving Chicago helps them stay together and get back on their feet, it is what's best for those boys."

Jake was silent for a minute. "When are they leaving?"

Casey hesitated. "Today. They're inside now waiting to say goodbye."

"So they're going to miss my game?" Jake asked. "You know Griffin was excited to go."

"I know." Casey nodded. "But I need you to go in there and tell him it's okay because as upset as you are know, they are a lot more upset."

Jake nodded and climbed out of the truck with Grace following. He headed for the door a few feet ahead of them as Casey nudged Grace then Ellie. "You girls okay?"

Both the nieces just shrugged. "We don't like it when people leave."

Casey put an arm around her. "It will be okay guys."

Once inside Casey grabbed some of the bags and helped Heather pack them into their car. Heather and Casey waited by the car and watched the kids say goodbye to each other.

Ellie walks over to the boys one at a time saying goodbye by a tight hug then walks over to Heather holding her the tightest. "Bye Heather I'm glad you found the job for some closure hope it's a nice place I'm going to miss you and the boys." Ellie says to her with a few tears in her eyes.

"I'm gonna miss you too Elle maybe you guys can visit Florida in the summer."

"I'm really bad at goodbyes." Grace said as she hugged Ben with tears in her eyes.

"Not to mention that you're emotional." Griffin joked when she turned to hug him.

"Take it as a compliment." Grace said. "It means I'm going to miss you."

"I know." Griffin said as they separated. "I'll miss you too."

Jake kneeled down in front of Griffin and handed him a piece of paper. "This is my cell number and my email so if you need anything, even if you just want to talk to me, you can, whenever you want."