Marcia is seventeen, and along with Darryl, has moved south in Alaska to attend the Anchorage campus of the Alaska State University. She wants to pursue her dream, but will it pursue her instead?

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I want to thank Malady, once again, for his help checking through this story for the many errors I frequently insert, as well as listening to my sometimes completely crazy ideas about the direction of the story and telling me how crazy they are!

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Author’s note: Alaska Daylight Time is one hour behind Pacific Daylight Time.

Chapter 30

Lincoln City, Oregon

Noon, Monday, August 7^th, 2023

Darryl pulled the Mustang into the parking lot at George Pratt’s office. It was a nice building; definitely upscale. He and Marcia got out and went inside where they were ushered through to Pratt’s private office. Pratt, Heather Shore, and a social worker they hadn’t met were present. Pratt introduced her as Caroline Ogilvy.

Heather was seated in a chair, looking very sullen. Marcia sat down beside her and asked how she was doing.

Rather than answer, Heather just shook her head. She didn’t want to talk.

“Can I tell you something?” Marcia asked.

Heather shrugged her shoulders which Marcia took as leave to speak.

“My parents are great people. They’ll find a place for you where you’ll be loved.”

“Your parents were on that plane.”

“Dad landed the plane while Mom talked to the ones that were escorting them,” Marcia explained.

Heather couldn’t argue with that, so said nothing more.

“I promise that you’ll have a family that loves you.”

“You can’t promise that. It’s your Dad that’s making any decision.”

“Sure I can,” Marcia told her. “Mister Pratt has a document that my dad signed. It gives Darryl and me power of attorney in things concerning you, for Dad. That means we can make decisions in his place.”

In truth, the power of attorney only meant they could make decisions concerning Heather while they were travelling to Alaska, and in fact, only Darryl could, as Marcia wasn’t yet eighteen, but Heather’s eyes brightened a bit at Marcia’s words. Marcia had jumped in to play piano when Heather’s own wrist was too sore, and she grabbed onto that fact, hoping that Marcia’s giving spirit extended beyond that.

Darryl allowed Pratt to make a copy of his passport and ID, then signed the power of attorney, and understanding what she had done to help with Heather’s spirits, George Pratt invited Marcia to ‘sign’ the form as well. She went through the motions of signing while Heather was still seated, and couldn’t see that Marcia wasn’t actually writing on the paper.

Then, Pratt had his secretary make copies of the paper, as well as notarize it and the copies. He gave one to Caroline Ogilvy, kept one himself, and gave a copy to Marcia and the original to Darryl. He would also send a copy to Mike Chatham.

After that, the easy part was over. Caroline had lots of things that she wanted to go over with Darryl and Marcia. She had no illusion that Marcia wouldn’t have some say on the way to Alaska, and as that state recognized her as emancipated, and she was seventeen, she was virtually an adult.

Once that was over, Caroline had Darryl and Marcia sign a document stating that they were receiving Heather into their custody, Darryl in Mike’s stead as per an order from a judge on Friday. That was rushed as it was understood that drawing out Heather’s custody would only hurt the girl.

They went outside and transferred a couple of cases of clothes into the backseat of the Mustang, then Heather got in.

Darryl and Marcia said their goodbyes, then they were off.

Chugiak, Alaska

1 PM, Alaska Daylight Time

Mike Chatham was sitting on his back deck, in a porch swing with Gloria sitting beside him.

His phone rang, and he answered it. It was Marcia and he put his phone on speaker so Gloria could hear it as well.

“We’re on our way,” she told him.

“How’d things go with the lawyer?”

“Just fine. Heather’s with us and we’re heading out of Lincoln City right now.”

“That sounds good. Darryl said you were going to take it a bit easier on the way up?”

“Yeah. We’re not getting on the ferry till tomorrow morning, so we’ve got a motel room reserved in Kent. It’s not a five star hotel, but it will be a place to sleep tonight.”

“You all be careful, and we’ll see you when you get up here,” Mike said.

“I love you guys,” Gloria put in. “Give my love to Darryl, and Heather too.”

“I will, Mom. Love you too!”

Highway 101 outside Lincoln City Oregon

2:05 PM, Pacific Daylight Time

Marcia hung up the phone and told Darryl and Heather, “Mom and Dad send their love.”

Darryl nodded his appreciation, but Heather said, “They don’t even know me. How can they love me?”

Marcia looked back at Heather and said, “Your dad was a Christian, and a Pastor too, right?”

“Yes,” Heather confirmed.

“Are you a Christian too?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Have you ever read First Corinthians Thirteen?”

Heather thought for a moment. “That’s the love chapter, isn’t it?”

“Yeah it is. You see, both Darryl’s and my families are Christians. Not just our parents, but our siblings too. And Darryl and me. Darryl’s sister is married to my brother, and all of us are a family. Chet and Mage, our brother and sister, have two kids who are adopted, and they love them just as if they were their own kids.”

“The cool thing,” Darryl put in, “is that instead of those kids being born into their family, Chet and Mage got to choose their kids.”

“But what if they have their own kids? Won’t they love them more than the adopted ones?”

“That won’t happen,” Marcia said.

“Maybe,” Heather said.

“No.” Marcia said. “It can’t happen.”

Heather looked skeptical, then she seemed to realize that Marcia meant something about them not being able to have kids.

Heather was silent for awhile, then asked, “Do you think Chet and Mage will adopt me too?”

Palmer, Alaska

2 PM, Alaska Daylight Time

There was a knock on the front door of Mike and Gloria’s house, and a few moments later, Bob and Liz Johnson stepped out of the patio doors onto the deck.

“So the kids are on the way,” Bob said as he sat down at the patio table and facing the couple on the swing.

“Yep,” said Mike.

“Have you decided what you’re going to do with Heather?”

“We’ve been talking about it,” Mike replied.

“We’d like to take her,” said Liz.

“You haven’t even met her,” said Mike, although he and Gloria had talked about the possibility of Bob and Liz.

“No, we haven’t. But I know she’s a little girl who’s been through way more than a girl her age should ever have to go through. She needs someone who will love her unconditionally, and I know Bob and I can, and will, do that.”

Mike smiled at that. He knew very well how determined Bob and Liz could be. Just as determined as he and Gloria could get.

"Do you have any other ideas?" Bob asked.

"Honestly," Mike admitted, "you guys are my number one choice."

"Who else are you considering?" Liz wondered.

"The Frasers," Gloria said.

"Ron and Melissa?"

Liz looked a bit shamefaced, then said, "If they are able to give her a good home, then they should be given the chance."

Mike was a bit confused. "I don't understand," he said. "Are you saying you'd rather they have the chance rather than you?"

“I think so," Liz said. "She can't have kids."

Mike gave her a searching look. "Is there any particular reason why?"

"I really can't say, Mike."

* * *

6 PM, Alaska Daylight Time

There was a knock on the door, and Gloria bade Judge Matthews and Sylvia to enter. They went to the patio overlooking the lake, where Mike sat at the table going over several background checks he had run.

"What's happening Mike?" The judge asked.

Mike held out the letter he'd received from Paul Shore and said, "Read this."

The Judge looked through the letter, then handed it to Sylvia. “What are you going to do?” he asked Mike.

Mike looked down at his hands on the table, then quizzically at Judge Matthews. “What can I do?”

“Is there anything in Paul’s will regarding this?”

“His attorney assures me that everything that needed done was done.”

Gloria went into the house and brought out a manila folder and showed its contents to the judge.

Judge Matthews studied the paperwork in the manila folder for a few minutes, then looked up at Mike. “Yes, it appears that everything is in order.”

Sylvia finished reading the letter and looked between her husband and Mike. “How did he get everything set up so quickly? It looks like he wrote the letter after he learned where you were.”

“I honestly don’t know,” Mike responded. “Do you think he had this idea before he learned it?”

“That’s a distinct possibility,” the Judge conceded.

“Why would he pick me?”

Gloria responded. “Mike, you impressed him. You got us to Kodiak even though you were suffering from a concussion.”

“He didn’t know that.”

“I suspect he did,” Sylvia said. “You were undoubtedly showing all the symptoms.”

“Yes,” Gloria agreed. “You were.”

“All the more reason to not pick me.”

“I disagree,” Judge Matthews said. “I believe by displaying that much fortitude you displayed your grit. Your doggedness.”

“So I’m stubborn,” Mike smiled. “Is that a reason for me to be guardian of a thirteen year old?”

“Perhaps in his mind it was,” the Judge answered.

Mike changed the subject. “Liz thinks I should recommend the Frasers. She says they can’t have kids.”

“I believe they’d make good parents,” Sylvia agreed.

“What would I need to do to turn her over to her?”

“Just recommend them. I’ll recommend a judge to preside.”

“What about you?” Gloria asked.

“That might be seen as a conflict of interest,” Sylvia told her.

“Why?” Gloria responded. “You know the Frasers. It seems to me that you’d be the perfect person to preside.”

“That may be right,” the judge said to his wife.

* * *

8 PM, Alaska Daylight Time

Mike knocked on the door of the Fraser’s house. A moment later, the door opened, and Ron beckoned him in. “Hi Mike,” he welcomed Mike.

“Is Melissa here?” the retired Lieutenant Colonel asked.

“Yeah. You need to talk to her?”

“Both of you, actually,” Mike responded. “Do you have a few minutes?”

“Sure,” Ron answered. “We’re not doing anything tonight.” He called to his wife, and she entered the living room. “Would you like some coffee?” Ron asked before he sat down.

“Sure,” Mike answered. “I’d love some.”

Ron brought him a cup, then sat down. “What can we do for you?” he asked.

Mike fished in his jacket pocket and pulled out the letter he’d received. He handed it to the man who read it then handed it to Melissa.

“Okay,” Ron said, then asked, “How can we help?”

“Liz told me that you can’t have children,” Mike said carefully. “Would you like to take on a teenager?”

Melissa recoiled at his words. “Did Liz tell you why we can’t have kids?”

“No,” Mike told her. He suddenly wondered if they didn’t want kids. Maybe one or the other had prevented that permanently.

“We talked about adopting after we got married,” Ron said. “But since both of us are police officers, we decided against it. There was too much danger that one of us might die in the line of duty.”

“You’re not police anymore.”

“No,” Melissa said. She looked at her husband. “We could adopt now.”

Ron just nodded.

They talked for a little bit more, and Mike told them what he knew of the girl.

Once he left, he realized that they hadn’t told him why they couldn’t have children.

Oh well, he decided. That’s their business.