"Come on Jenny, I'll make you some lunch," Kris told Jenny upon finding the girl clutching her stomach in hunger. Ever since they returned to New York--without Zac--Jenny suddenly became very shy and wouldn't even ask for food when she was hungry.
Zac was in the Los Angeles County prison serving his first days of a life-in-prison term. Taylor was still in California but sent Kris and Jenny back home to try to get things back to normal...as normal as they could be with Zac in jail and Ginger dead.
Jenny seemed to have a grasp now of what had happened. She knew her mother had died and now knew her father was in prison, but was assured again and again that her father was innocent. She believed Kris but still had a hard time dealing with it. Kris did as well.
Jenny sat herself down at the counter as Kris began making lunch. "Do you want chips with your sandwich?" Kris asked.
"Can I have chips in my sandwich?" Jenny asked, a nail in her mouth. Kris looked at her niece, astounded by the request. Jenny giggled. "You're a weird little girl, Jenny. Pick out your chips." Jenny got off the chair at the counter and went to the pantry to find her potato chips.
As Kris finished making Jenny her lunch, the phone rang. Kris picked it up. "Hello?" Kris said passively into the phone.
"Is this Kristina Carter?"
"Yes it is," Kris said.
"Kristina, this is Helen Shultz from the New York Department of Social Services." Kris paused. "I understand you and your boyfriend Taylor are currently taking care of Zachary Hanson's daughter Jennifer." Kris looked over at Jenny who was munching on her sandwich.
"Yes we are," Kris said. "He is my fianc�, by the way."
"All right. Well, of course we're very concerned about the child's well being, and we would like to meet with you and your fianc� to make sure she's in a safe environment."
"I don't understand why that's so necessary," Kris said. "Zac told us many times that if something were to happen to him and Ginger then Taylor and I would be Jenny's caretakers."
"We still need to meet with you."
"Why?"
"It's quite routine, I assure you..."
"Well Taylor will be in LA until the end of the week. If any such inspection were to occur, it'll have to wait until he returns."
"Then we'll schedule something for next week. How is Monday?"
"I'll have to talk to Taylor first before anything can happen."
"All right. You can speak with him and I will call back. I'm sure there won't be any problems, but the state requires an inspection. Have a nice day." Kris sarcastically replied before hanging up the phone and immediately calling up Taylor.
"Hello?"
"Hey honey," Kris said. "I just got a call from Social Services."
"What? Why?" Taylor asked.
"They said they need to see if we're deemed fit to take care of Jenny. She said it was a routine procedure, but I don't know. It sounds a little iffy."
"When're they coming over?"
"They want to come Monday; I told them I'd have to talk to you first. I won't see them before you come home. When are you coming home?"
"I'll be there Saturday afternoon."
"All right." Kris watched as Jenny left half her sandwich on her plate and started to leave. "Nuh-uh Jenny, you're not done."
"But I'm full!"
"Five minutes ago you were starving and now you're full on a half a sandwich? Just a bit more." Jenny grumbled but turned back to her sandwich. Kris turned back to the phone. "How's Zac doing?"
"I wouldn't know," Taylor said.
"They won't let you see him?"
"He won't see me." Kris sighed. "Don't start, Kris. It's okay. I know he doesn't want to talk to me...I'm still going to try one or two more times before I come home. According to Mark he's still in shock. He'll be in there twenty-five years before he's even up for parole."
"Oh my God he'll be fifty! He didn't even do it, Taylor!"
"I know, I know. They're going to see what they can do and if they can appeal. I don't think Zac wants Mark as his lawyer, though. Mark...well Mark's a good guy but he wasn't the best guy to handle the case."
"Mark did shit for Zac; I don't know why Zac didn't find someone else," Kris spat. "He's the reason Zac's in jail."
"You don't know that. They'll do what they can to get him out of there. It just may take a while. But, anyway, how's Jenny's doing?" Jenny took all of two more bites from her sandwich before she ran off to the living room to watch TV. Kris had been pretty lienent about what she could watch because most of the time she watched the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon--stations that didn't have news.
"She's okay. I don't know how she's really doing because she won't talk about it, but she's starting to become herself again. She actually joked with me earlier."
"That's good," Taylor said. He paused. "How are you doing?"
"Terrible," Kris answered. "I need you here. I can't be by myself. Jenny looks so much like Ginger. It's really hard."
"I know, sweetie. I'll be home in three days. Maybe I'll get to see Zac before I go."
"Well whatever you do, don't tell him about Social Services coming. He doesn't need the stress."
"All right. I won't." Taylor paused. "Everything's going to be okay, Kris. We've got the perfect place to raise Jenny, neither of us have any serious problems that would infringe on that either. We're the best people to do this."
"I know, but I'm still scared."
"I know you are, but it'll be okay. Call me if anything else weird happens. I'll be home soon."
"Okay," Kris said. "I love you."
"I love you too, honey."
Kris hung up the phone and went over to Jenny who was watching her cartoons. Jenny looked up at her aunt. "Who was that?" Jenny asked.
"That was just Taylor. He'll be back home on Saturday."
"Okay. What's today?"
"Wednesday." Jenny nodded. "How do you like your teacher?" Kris asked, brushing Jenny's unruly hair out of her face. Jenny still wouldn't let Kris brush her hair yet, so it remained tangled and everywhere.
"She's okay," Jenny said.
"Just okay?" Kris pressed.
"She's nice. I like the book we're reading." Kris nodded. Jenny was in second grade but read at a much higher level, something her tutor Erica discovered very early into the school year. Currently they were reading a book Erica usually saved for her fourth grade students.
"Yeah, I read that when I was a kid. It's pretty good."
"Don't tell me what happens."
"All right," Kris said, smiling. Jenny looked back at the television with her gorgeous violet eyes she got from her mother. She was a very beautiful little girl, full of life, despite everything she'd been through over the past few months. "Are you going to do your homework after this show?"
"After the next one."
"Well I'll hold you to that--it should be done before dinner." Jenny nodded. Kris stood and began to walk around the apartment. She never really liked the place, although it was one of the nicer apartments in Manhattan. She didn't necessarily like the city either. Zac and Ginger bought their apartment happily--for them it was the perfect home. The two of them loved the city and everything that came with it. Kris and Taylor decided on their home pretty much just for the location--it was across the street from Zac and Ginger's place.
As soon as she found out Zac wouldn't be returning, Kris began looking for houses in the suburbs. She was more than ready to leave the city forever and now she had an excuse. Their only friends were gone and they had a child to raise. Jenny deserved more than an apartment anyway, she deserved a lawn and a backyard with a swingset. She deserved neighbors and kids her own age to play with. She didn't necessarily need to go to a public school, because as soon as they kids found out who her parents were she'd be teased.
Kris moved herself into the kitchen and began to worry about something else.
On Saturday Taylor returned and on Monday morning a social worker Kris neither had met nor spoken to arrived. Jenny was having her lessons with Erica in the dining room when Kris opened the door.
"Hi," said the curly haired middle aged woman as she stepped inside without as much as a word from Kris. "I'm Lindsay Miller, I work with Manhattan's Social Services Department." She extended a hand for Kris to shake. "You must be Kristina Carter."
"Yes, but you can call me Kris. Come on in." Kris closed the front door. Lindsay immediately began to look around for flaws. Kris knew there weren't any, so she allowed the woman to blantantly look. It was very rude.
"This is a lovely apartment," Lindsay said after a moment and began to walk deeper into the apartment. They went into the kitchen where Taylor was with the newspaper and some coffee.
"Lindsay, this is Taylor Hanson. Taylor, this is Lindsay Miller," Kris introduced. They politely said hello and shook hands. "Would you like to see the rest of the apartment?"
"Sure." Kris left Taylor in the kitchen and began showing Lindsay around.
"This is the living room. Jenny's got a lot of her toys and things over there in the corner." Kris pointed to a set of drawers containing Jenny's coloring supplies. Currently it was all put away and organized, but normally it wasn't.
"Where is Jennifer now?"
"She's in the dining room over there," Kris said, pointing through the kitchen to a doorway where Jenny but not Erica could be seen.
"Oh, she's not at school?"
"No, she is. She has a private tutor. It was her parents' wishes that she didn't go to a public school."
"Why not?"
"When the other children find out who her parents are, they tease her about it. After a while it got violent so her parents felt it was best to home school her."
"Can you afford this?"
"Yes," Kris simply stated. They could afford to hire a thousand tutors for Jenny, but Kris didn't feel it was right to give up that kind of information.
"Where is Jennifer's bedroom?"
"It's this way." Kris turned to a hallway. Lindsay folowed Kris as she went to Jenny's room. "It's a little bare right now; we're still moving her things from her parents' apartment." Kris opened the door and the two went inside.
"This is nice," Lindsay said. Jenny's room had a desk with a computer that Jenny used for homework and games. Her bed was her bed from her old room, as was her dresser. She had a small television, a stereo, and lots of toys. It was very clean. "What else needs to be brought over?"
"Well there's the rest of her clothes and her toys. She has a lot of trinkets that are still over there, as well as her books and her bookcase. I don't want to get too settled in, though; as soon as Taylor and I find a house we're moving."
"You're looking for a house?"
"Yes. As good as the city was when it was just me and Taylor, I'd rather Jenny have a neighborhood, you know, with a backyard and a porch and neighbors with kids her age," Kris explained.
"That's nice," was all Lindsay said in response. She quickly moved on. "I'd like to speak with both you and Taylor now that I've seen much of the place."
"All right." They moved to the living room, pausing to collect Taylor along the way. Kris and Taylor said on the couch and allowed Lindsay the sofa chair.
"When did you two get married?" Lindsay asked immediately. Taylor and Kris looked at each other; Lindsay was writing on her clipboard and didn't notice.
"Um," Taylor said. "We're not married." Lindsay stopped writing and looked up.
"You're not?" she asked, as if it was an incredibly shocking ordeal.
"No," Kris said. "We're engaged."
"But you're not married?" Lindsay asked. Both Kris and Taylor shook their heads. "How long have you been engaged?"
"Two years."
"Well what are you waiting for?" Lindsay rudely quipped.
"After we got engaged Kris went to Italy to film Ginger's movie," Taylor explained. "I was recording my next album in LA. We barely saw each other for the past two years. Kris wants a big wedding and we haven't had the time to plan it."
"In Jennifer's best interest, I think she deserves a real family," Lindsay said.
"If this is about us not being married," Kris said, "we can go to the courthouse right now and get married. If it's in Jenny's best interest, then we'll do it."
"It's not that simple."
"How is it not that simple? You're obviously appalled that we're not married, so we'll get married," Kris said, her voice rising. Taylor squeezed Kris's hand, trying to calm her. "I just want to do what's best for Jenny."
"Maybe what's best for Jennifer is a loving family." Kris opened her mouth but Taylor spoke first, knowing Kris was getting mad.
"Zac and Ginger entrusted us to take care of Jenny. We're her closest relatives, she's comfortable with us, and we know what's best for her. She has everything she needs and more here. Just because we're not married right now doesn't give reason to take her away and put her with complete strangers. She's not going to be happy. She's not going to be in the best situation either. Jenny is a shy kid and she'll only open up to people she's known her entire life."
"Jennifer may be happy here now, but you don't know if it'll always be that way. You have to put in character here."
"Excuse me?" Taylor asked.
"Well, Taylor does have a history of behavior that doesn't deem him a fit parent for Jennifer," Lindsay said. Taylor began to grow furious.
"Listen, that 'behavior' was a long time ago, and Zac and I are fine now. That 'behavior' is over and done with and it's not going to happen again. We are not talking about one mistake in my history when I was eighteen years old. We're talking about my niece Jenny. All I want is what's best for her, and I know what that is. It's here with us, with people she's known and loved her entire life. We have enough money to have her live a happy, comfortable life. Just because we're not married doesn't mean she'll be better off with strangers who are."
"I think I've heard enough. I'll hand in my report and someone will let you know the decision soon. It was nice meeting you both." Lindsay shook both their hands. "Good day."
As Lindsay left, Kris put her head in her hand. "Kris, honey, don't worry. It'll be okay."
"No it won't. That woman had her mind made up before she even walked in the door!" Kris said. "She's going to take Jenny away from us!"
"No she's not..."
"Taylor you heard her! Of course she is! I--I just don't know what I'm going to do! Ginger's dead, Zac's in jail for life, and the government is taking Jenny away to some foster family that's going to treat her bad and she'll hate us because of it!" As Kris broke down crying, all Taylor could do was hold her.