26. Comes At A Cost

26

COMES AT A COST

“ I ’m Sloane Redding and have an appointment with Miranda Star.”

“Please have a seat and I’ll let them know you are here.”

She and Dane moved over to the waiting room and found two chairs in the corner.

She remembered coming into rooms just like this as a kid.

The clothes on them ill-fitting and stained. They were clean but not clean enough back then.

They’d left the cult with bags on their backs and a few changes of clothing each.

A hotel room was their first stop, then they took buses until they were far enough away, got a furnished apartment, food and more clothes from the Salvation Army and other consignment shops.

That was where most of their possessions came from while her mother took the steps to reenter society and explain as best as she could for the two teenage daughters who had never seen a hotel room before, let alone a store .

Talk about wide-eyed and fearful.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“That I used to be in rooms like this for another reason,” she said. “But never once did I worry that I wouldn’t be with my mother.”

“Remember that,” he said. “Your sister has it worse.”

Her phone started to ring; she pulled it out and saw it was Trent calling. “Hello.”

“I know you are waiting,” Trent said. “They’ve got everything. I’ve talked to Miranda twice today and she’s still looking into a few things knowing that you are only there a few days. I wanted to let you know there is a very good chance Shiloh will be going with you when you leave. Be prepared to tell them your plans. Either a hotel room or going back to your mom’s apartment to pick up anything of hers first. Keep those things in mind. I’ve been in contact with your mother’s landlord and everything is there until the end of the month. I also reached out to the hospital and have paperwork coming for you to fill out for your mother’s medical records. Tell Dane to press for Shiloh’s records. It will show you’ve got a game plan to set her up in a stable home.”

“Okay,” she said, “I’ll tell him.”

“Sloane,” Trent said. “Hang in there. I know we haven’t met, but it’s going to be okay. You’ve got the law on your side and you were listed as Shiloh’s guardian. We can contest anything. They can’t keep her without due cause. They’ve got nothing on you.”

“Thanks for that. I needed to hear it.”

“I’ll be in on the call soon.”

She hung up and told Dane what the call was about and to bring up wanting Shiloh’s records.

“Sloane Redding? ”

She stood up with Dane. She wasn’t in a suit or dress or anything, but she had nice black pants on with a light blue sweater and black shoes. Dane was dressed as if he was going to work. Dress pants, a button-down shirt, no tie. She already felt like they were standing out in the waiting room but nothing she could do about it.

“That’s me,” she said.

“I’m Miranda. It’s nice to meet you and I wish it were under different circumstances.”

“I wish I wasn’t meeting you at all,” she said. “Sorry, that came out wrong.”

Miranda smiled softly. The woman was older, maybe in her fifties, a little on the soft side and barely five foot. Not what she expected when she’d heard the accent on the phone.

“It’s fine,” Miranda said.

“This is Dr. Dane Grey,” Sloane said. She figured she’d throw his title in there for effect. They knew he was coming anyway just not what he did for a living.

“Your lawyer is hammering us with paperwork this morning,” Miranda said as she followed them through a door and down a hall. “I was checking to see if you walked on water.”

She laughed. “Sorry about that.”

“No,” Miranda said. “It means you care. Care enough to get an attorney fast and know he’s doing his job. That comes at a cost and not something many can afford.”

This was going to cost her a pretty penny that she hadn’t even thought of, but she could afford it. She’d do what needed to be done and worry about her rainy day funds another day.

“I know you’re aware that I haven’t talked to my mother in many years and didn’t know about Shiloh, but I’m her family. She should be with family right now.”

“We are on your side to make that happen,” Miranda said. “Make no mistake there. No one wants a child to get lost in the system. But we have to follow policies and procedures just the same.”

“Understood,” she said.

They got to the end of a hall and Miranda opened a door. There were two other people at the table and she was introduced to Mark who was a supervisor and Deb who was the social worker who would be in contact with someone in Durham County that would be her local contact.

“Please,” Miranda said, “have a seat. We’ve got a few questions for you.”

She sat through what she was positive was more than a few dozen questions about her past, her relationship with her mother and what her plans in the future were going to be.

Her head was spinning and Trent had interrupted multiple times to say that Sloane had already answered when they tried to ask her more than once in a different form.

“Do you have questions for us?” Miranda asked.

“I know Trent does and so does Dane.”

“As Trent brought up during one of the questions, I’d like all of Shiloh’s medical records sent to my office immediately. We will get her in to be examined,” Dane said. “She will be set up with any counseling recommended through Duke. Nothing will be court appointed.”

Sloane turned to look at Dane. That hadn’t been something she was aware of but wasn’t going to argue with him either. She didn’t know how any of this worked, but Trent had assured her that they’d get Shiloh’s insurance through the county until everything was legalized and she could be added to Sloane’s policy.

“We’ve sent forms to Shiloh’s physician. She wasn’t seeing a pediatrician but a family practice. All that information is in this folder,” Deb said.

Sloane nodded. That told her that she would be leaving with Shiloh and that was the most important thing right now.

“Does Shiloh know about me?” she asked.

“She does,” Deb said. “I’ve been her social worker for years. Your mother was receiving public assistance and in contact with me. She was a lovely woman. Would you like to know some about her the past few years?”

She looked at Dane and he nodded. “I would,” she said. “I know that doesn’t sound good.”

Trent jumped in over the phone. “You are all aware of how Sloane and her sister Sabrina were raised. Sloane has proven to be a success story and it stands to reason that her mother’s choices in life weren’t ones that Sloane agreed with, but her mother always had a way to reach her. Sloane has kept the door open.”

“Nadine talked about you often,” Deb said. “I told Miranda and Mark that. Shiloh knows about you. I have to admit that I didn’t realize you had another sister.”

She wasn’t sure what to make about that. “I haven’t spoken to Sabrina in a long time. Maybe eight years. She has to find her own way.”

“We understand,” Deb said. “Which is no concern of yours or your decisions. But know that your mother loved you. She was proud of you. I think she might have been a little jealous.”

Sloane felt her eyes start to fill and Dane reached over and grabbed her hand. “I doubt that. ”

“She was,” Deb said. “She didn’t feel she was strong enough to do what you did, but she did enough to survive.”

“For years that is all we could do,” she said. “Do you have any idea who Shiloh’s father might be?”

“No,” Deb said. “She never talked about him. She came to us for services when she was pregnant. Then when Shiloh was born she was eligible for assistance, but she’s always worked. She was a hard worker.”

“I remember,” Sloane said. “She instilled that in us.”

“A good trait,” Miranda said. “Are you ready to meet Shiloh?”

“Yes,” she said. She looked at her watch and saw that they’d been talking for over two hours. She wondered if Shiloh had been in the building this whole time.

Deb left the room. “Do you plan on leaving Tennessee with Shiloh tonight?” Miranda asked.

She let out a breath and knew she’d be able to if she wanted to.

“I think it’d be smart to stay in a hotel tonight. I’ve got one booked just in case. I had planned on going to my mother’s apartment with Shiloh and getting what she wanted to bring back.”

“We’ve got your contact information if we need anything,” Miranda said. “We will be in contact, but as your attorney most likely informed you, we have no reason to not release Shiloh to you. You’ve got no criminal record. You’re fully capable of financially supporting your sister, own your own home, and a business.”

“Not to mention she was legally named as Shiloh’s guardian,” Trent interjected.

“We are aware,” Miranda said, smiling. Trent had hammered that home more than once .

The door opened and she turned her head to see her younger half sister come through the door.

Not that she was aware of how tall a five-year-old should be, but Shiloh seemed tall to her.

Light brown hair long and hanging past her waist in two loose braids, one on each side. She wondered if it was ever cut.

Shiloh’s clothes were clean but not fitted all that well.

It just brought back such horrible memories of her mother trying but only being able to do so much.

“Hi,” she said. “I’m Sloane. Your sister.” She’d stood up in a nervous gesture.

Shiloh ran in and hugged her waist and she was helpless over what to do and went with her gut and hugged the girl back.

There were a lot of nods around the table and, somewhere in the deep recesses of her brain, Sloane thought it might just be okay.