Before The Dreamer - The Rookie

Fourteen - Tim

I had walked back through the door after a couple of long hours gathering evidence against Jana's mom. I mean I don't even know what to say to Jana about it. I mean how do you tell her that her mother is suing me and the department?
"Hey, you're back."
"Yeah Finally, I had an interesting conversation with Grey."
"Oh, what happened?"
"Jana's mother is suing me and the department for child endangerment. Which I think is stupid but who cares about what so here we are."
"Wow, I don't even know what to say."
"Please don't let her win Tim, I can't lose you two, you are the only people who have stayed."
"I am not going to let that happen Jana. I am going to do everything in my power for you to stay here with me and Lucy and send your mom back where she belongs."
" Jana, I did find some interesting things while I was gone."
"Like what?"
"Did you know that you have more siblings than just Chris?"
"What?? Do they know that we are related?"
"No, but they are about to find out."
"I'm confused about what you mean, Tim."
"You know when I first arrested your mom, they took your DNA for evidence to rule you out of any harmful things."
"Yeah, and?"
"Well apparently, we still had it, and I got permission to run it at the lab. Now this was just against all of the first responders' DNA. But we got 2 hits on the DNA?"
" ?"
"Yeah, you already know one of them, you just didn't know that you were related."
"Who is it, Tim?"
"You and Lucy are half-sisters."
I could see the pure excitement on both of their faces. Then came the tears, Jana cried, not just a couple of tears but full ugly crying. I could not blame her though.
"Jana, both you and Lucy have the same father. Though it was not the husbands of either of your mom's."
"Oh? You said that they are more than just me, Lucy, and Chris, yes there is more but these are just first responders so there could be more."
"Who is the one that we know for sure?"
"His name is Conrad Hawkins; he is a doctor in a hospital in Atlanta, which I know is on the other side of the country, but you and Conrad are full siblings. Your mother and father are also Conrad's mother and father."
"I have another brother?"
"Yeah, you do. How do you feel?"
"Weird but good but then good at the same time. Maybe I can get some more answers on why this is happening. I mean all of this is so confusing."
"Yeah, I know but, this gives us proof that she has more than 2 children that she has abandoned. I also found records that were sealed from her childhood. I am working on getting those records but that might take a while."
"Does Conrad know?"
"Not yet I wanted to tell you first. I didn't want to possibly get both of your hopes up and then one person did not want to have anything to do with the other. Plus since it's like midnight here, it's 3 am in Atlanta."
"Oh, yeah that's true. I mean I don't know how I would call him anyways since I have no phone. My mother didn't believe in them, but now that I think about it, she was just trying everything in her power to make sure that Chris and I were under her spell. I mean she went as far as to homeschool us."
"Woah, I mean I know that the internet can be dangerous but you guys had no contact with the outside world?"
"Yeah, no contact at all. I mean the most that we got was when Chris and I would see you drive by and we would wave. We weren't allowed to leave the house."
"Wait, I have an idea. I just paid off my phone, so what if we give that to Jana and then I get a new one? Then Jana can have something so that she can contact us if needed. I mean you are almost 17 now. You have every right to connect with the outside world."
"I mean, you don't have to. You shouldn't have to spend that money on me."
"Well, too bad. I am, you are family Jana. I would do anything for you. Even if we weren't related."
"Okay, if you are sure."
"Yes, I am sure.
"Okay, good. I wanted to talk to him myself. Maybe if he wanted to talk then we could text or call. It would be nice to have a brother in my life."
"I know, but we are going to find Chris, okay?"
"Yeah, I know. What does this mean for my mom though?"
"Well now that we have some more evidence, we can prove that she doesn't care about her children, and with you testifying then that evidence will strengthen."
"Okay, yeah."
"What's wrong?"
"I know that she doesn't care about me but why do I have a part of me that still loves her, even though all of the terrible things that she has put her kids through."
"I'm not completely sure, I mean I know that the mother and daughter relationship is complicated. I mean I haven't experienced it firsthand, but I do know people that have that complicated relationship."
"Yeah, I think it's on that complicated side, I mean because before Chris came out and we were little it was amazing. She cared about us, then when Chris came out, it was like her whole world was flipped upside down. It was weird like that can change everything for a person."
"Yeah, I'm not sure Jana. Life is a weird topic especially those kinds of topics. We are here though if you ever need to talk."
"Thank you Tim, and thank you, Lucy. I don't know what I would do without you guys. I mean the two of you have given me more guidance in one day than anyone has in my whole life. I owe everything to you too."
"Thank you Jana but we are just here to help you go through the terrible troubles of life."