The NEIGHBORHOOD

Chapter 9 The Explanation

4 Months Later

Mom and I walked out of the courtroom for what would hopefully but probably not be the last time. We still had a long way to go to secure Wellesley's adoption, but the judge had agreed to temporary guardianship. Finley and Wellesley were at Memaw and Papaw's house- Corey's parents. They had offered to babysit any time so that the little ones wouldn't be subjected to courtroom drama. They thought it might upset them. I agreed with that.

Beth--- or Mom as I now called her---looked at me as we stood by the car. She sighed. It had been a long day full of arguing with lawyers, reviewing evidence, and discussing the multiple DNA tests that had been taken. But we had a victory that day. The judge finally put a stop to Quinn and George's attempts to claim that the original test was fake. He finally put a stop to all of their wild stories. He had seen and heard enough. The judge determined that they would be sentenced to 20 years in prison each for conspiracy to commit kidnapping, child endangerment, abduction, and a battery of other charges. Quinn was finally charged with assault and manslaughter in the death of Nathan. She would receive another 10 years for that. His family was there when she was sentenced and they were thankful to finally see justice. Along with my former parents, the psychiatrist who had taken me home and hidden me until I was 4 years old was charged. He had kept me in his home for a long enough time for me to be old enough to be institutionalized. I was then placed in a psych ward where he worked and drugged enough to have no memories of any of this. I was given to Quinn and George when I was 7.

"Are you ready to go to your grandparents' house?" Mom asked, breaking me out of my daydream. I knew she was referring to Grammy and Pops. She didn't really know what to call them.

"I'm ready to get some answers." I said, firmly.

As we arrived, I felt nervous. I had been here many times in my life, but now the circumstances were different. I was officially no longer their granddaughter. I didn't know if the bond would change. Would I still love them the same? Would they still love me? Would I even want anything to do with them after I heard their side? All I knew is that the judge had found no fault with them. They hadn't tried to contact me or my parents, and I felt that this was either out of respect for them or out of sadness. Maybe shame at what their daughter had done. Either way, I had to know their side, and I knew they were the only ones that could fill in the holes and tell me the truth since Quinn never would.

Grammy opened the door before we could knock. She stood there a moment, and I studied her. She looked worn down, sad and frail. This was a lot on her. We went inside silently. Pops sat in the kitchen, his hands on the table, looking as if he didn't know what to say. I could tell this had taken a toll on him, also. He had lost weight, around 10-15 pounds. His hands shook and he seemed lost. I realized that not only had he lost me as his granddaughter, but he also lost another granddaughter and his daughter too.

"Hi, Pops...." I said, hugging him gently. "Is it...um...okay if I still call you that?"

He looked up at me and smiled sadly.

"You'll always be my sweet little Bri. Nobody on earth can take away the love in my heart for you."

That's when I realized that love is what created these bonds, not DNA. Just like I had felt connected to Mom--- Beth---and had asked her if we could still be friends regardless of the test results, because I had felt a connection. DNA didn't make these people my Grammy and Pops. The love and the moments we shared did. I would love them always.

Mom and I sat down across from Grammy and Pops, and we waited until Grammy was ready to begin her story.

"I got the phone call about Nathan that night. I had been trying to call her...Quinn...but she wasn't answering and I was worried she had been in a car accident. She was a fast driver."