Lisa's TWW Fan Fic Archive Home
Post Ep | Romance | General | Drama
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Adjustments ~ 35
"You don't look that good." Toby pointed out. "What happened?"
"I got of with Harry Shack, he's the director of social services. There's another bump in the road."
"What?" CJ asked.
"Well, they are worried that this accident may indicate that he needs to be put in a foster family. But someone has come up and asked to adopt him." Sam looked down.
"Who?" Toby asked.
"His father."
"He told me his father was dead." Toby pointed out.
"I guess Derek's mom told him that. But what really happened was the father got addicted to drugs and the mom kicked him out. He checked himself into a rehab and has been clean for five years. He has a stable job and a good income. The courts are willing to give him another chance under close supervision."
"Are you kidding me?" Toby put his hands over his face. "Now what?"
"Well, they are taking in consideration that you were arrested for beating a cop years ago, and..."
"That happened a long time ago. It's even off my record. How did they know?"
"The courts also have two document." Sam pointed out.
"Let me guess, it's about me." Toby snapped.
"One's about you, the other is about CJ."
"What are they?" CJ asked.
"Ann Stark handed over a document that proves that you are an alcoholic." Sam looked over at Toby.
"Recovering." Toby looked down. "Ann did this?"
"Yeah."
"What do they have about me?" CJ asked.
Sam didn't say anything for a minute.
"Sam?" CJ said
He sighed. "They know about what happened when you were a kid. With your mom."
CJ couldn't say anything. She was too shocked. "They know? How?"
"I guess that Derek's father's lawyer had someone search into both of your pasts."
"So now they think I'm going to be a bad mother?"
"They think that some of what happened with you and your mom rubbed off on you."
"But it didn't!" CJ sat in a chair. "So she had a few problems."
"CJ, she wanted to--"
"I know what she wanted to do," she said with tears in her eyes. "But she didn't, Sam. She got help."
"They don't care about that. All they see is the depression your mother had and what she did in front of you." Sam sat down.
"I'm sorry."
"No, this isn't your fault," Toby said. "Do you think we can still fight for custody?"
"Well, you did find him on the streets, starving. That does account for something."
"Why does this have to happen? Why do we keep getting hit with all this crap?" CJ said out loud, mostly to herself.
"I'm not sure where we can go with this." Sam said.
"We'll think of something. I know there has to be something."
"Excuse me, Mr. Ziegler." A man walked up to him.
"Yes?"
"My name is Brad Grady. I'm the boys father's attorney. I have a warrant here that says you need to keep at least one hundred feet away from the boy at all times."
"Excuse me?" Toby snapped.
"Mr. Ziegler, either you and Ms. Cregg do as the paper says, or you will be arrested." He said while pointing towards the guards.
"You have to be kidding. He needs us. We are all he has."
"He has his father and he wants you to stay away from him."
"Sam?" Toby turned around to look at him.
"Let me see the warrant." Sam grabbed it and read it closely. "I'm sorry Toby."
"This is crap! If you think I'm just going to stand here and let this happen, you are wrong."
"Toby, don't. This is what they want." Sam and CJ pulled Toby back.
"If you please leave the building, we can start business in the morning."
"Screw you!" CJ screamed as the guards moved them out of the hospital.
Once outside of the hospital, CJ nearly broke down crying. "What are we going to do, Toby?"
"We're going to fight this." He looked at Sam.
"I don't know how easy or hard this will be. I mean, his father has been clean for five years."
"But he was living on the streets!"
"That doesn't matter now, Toby. All the courts are going to see is that he's clean and ready to have his son back with him."
"What about the impact we've had on him," CJ asked as she wiped her eyes.
"That's the part that we may be able to fight."
"Really?"
"Yeah." Sam paused.
"What is it?" Toby asked.
"Derek will have to testify."
"No. He can't...literally! His speech is not what it should be."
"The courts won't care. If need be, they will have him take all day."
"What are we going to do?" CJ asked.
"Right now, I suggest that you two go home and gather everything you have so far. Things like things you bought for him, what his mood went from, that sort of stuff."
"Okay," CJ said quietly.
Toby took her hand. "Thanks, Sam."
He nodded. "I'll come by your place tomorrow and see what you have. We'll go from there."
CJ and Toby were quiet as she drove home. CJ was trying to stop crying, and Toby was trying to calm down. When they pulled down the street, they noticed a car parked in their driveway. When CJ pulled in, a guy appeared on the porch. They got out and walked up to him.
"May we help you?" Toby asked.
"Are you Toby Ziegler and CJ Cregg?"
"Yes."
"My names is Rob Hillman. I'm Derek's father." Toby and CJ looked at each other. "I didn't come here to fight."
"Then why did you come here?" Toby asked.
"I wanted to see if we could talk. I don't want to have to drag Derek through courts and all. I just want this to end civil. I would like to talk this over."
"You want to take him away from us. I brought him in when no one else did. I was the one!" Toby yelled.
"Toby, don't." CJ warned. "What do you want to talk about?"
"What's best for Derek. If that's you two, then I'll support that. But I want to talk this out like adults."
"I think we can do that." CJ nodded. "Right Toby?"
"I guess." Toby looked over at CJ so he could calm down.
"Please, come in." CJ opened the door and the three of them walked in to talk.
"Please sit down," CJ said as they walked into the house.
"Thank you. I must admit, this is a very nice home you have."
"Thank you," Toby said flatly. CJ hit him in the ribs. "Ouch."
"I think I know of a way we can work this out," Rob said.
CJ and Toby looked at each other. "How?" CJ asked.
"Well, I thought I would go see him in the hospital, not upset him or anything, just let him know that I am back."
"Okay, and what will that accomplish," Toby asked.
"Maybe when he gets out of the hospital he can stay with me for the day, maybe a couple of days. Just to get reacquainted."
"Like Toby asked, how will that accomplish anything?"
"Well, I thought we could let him make the final decision. He is, after all, the main person involved in all this." He looked at the two. "What do you think?"
TBC...