Rock And Roll Ruined My Life-Chapter 14- Custody?

*Fast-forward 2 days*

“Hey Jules.”
“Hey Alicia,” I replied smiling.
“I have good news!”
“What?” I asked trying to be as excited as she was but failing miserably.
“Mikey told me that he and the guys are going to take you out of the hospital! Your time here is done! How great is that?”

I sat up straight and squealed. I had been in here for over a month and being stuck inside all day, everyday was horrible. For once I did not feel bad for being happy during this time of mourning.

“Where’s Lindsey? Does she know?” I asked.
“Of course she knows! Everyone knows! I was just chosen to be the barer of good news!” She laughed. I got up from my bed and gave her a hug. Her smile suddenly turned to a frown.

“What? I asked.

“Once you get out, we’re going on a shopping spree,” she declared staring at my hospital gown disapprovingly.
“With whose money?” I asked laughing a little.
“Well, didn’t you just inherit some from your parents? Why not set aside some cash for you and your sister so that you can wear clothes that actually fit you and look good?”
“I don’t know, Alicia… Maybe I should hire an accountant or something to figure out all of the expenses.”
“Ugh. Okay, fine. I’ll call up Lindsey and tell her to find her accountant and tell him that you need help,” she said taking out her phone.
“Thanks… So, when do I get out of here for good?” Alicia looked up from her phone and smiled,
“Today.”

I jumped up and down in excitement. I was finally going to be free! Free from this prison that has kept me in its clutches for so long! I had to call Audrey and Tim and tell them.

“Alicia, can I use your phone?” I asked hopefully.
“Yeah sure knock yourself out,” she replied. I took the phone from her and dialed Audrey’s number and hit call. It rang three times before she answered.

“Hello?” she said. Her voice sounded crackly like she had just woken up.
“I’m sorry, did I disturb your slumber?” I asked jokingly. She gasped sarcastically and said,
“You? Disturb me? Never!” I could hear her smile in her voice.
“No, but seriously, did I wake you up?”
“No, not really. What’s up?”
“I’m getting out today!”
“Yay! Wait, what?”
“I said I’m getting out today! From the hospital!”
“Ohmigosh seriously?!” She squealed.
“Yes seriously!”
“That’s so awesome! I wish I was there,” her voice became mellow.
“Aww don’t be upset! I promise I’ll come to visit you as soon as I can!”
“Okay. Uh-oh I have to go I’m gunna’ be late for ballet practice! I’ll call you later bye!” Before I could respond, I heard her snap her phone shut.

I started dialing Tim’s number when I heard a bunch of people walk in.
“How many people are you going to call?” Gerard asked jokingly. I turned around and gave all of them big hugs.
“I’m just going to call Tim and then I’m done! Where’s Sarah?” I asked searching frantically.
“Right here,” she answered stepping out from behind Frank. She was so short! I ran over to give her a hug.
“Here I bought you some clothes to change into.” She held out a canvas bag to me.
“Thank you so much- thank ALL of you so much!”
“No problem,” they all replied.
“Go change while we check you out of here for GOOD,” Lindsey said.

I rushed into the bathroom and threw on the clothes as fast as I could. I was finished and ready to go before they had a chance to finalize everything. I walked out of my room and to the head nurse’s desk where I saw all of them standing. I walked over quietly and joined the group. But, no one was talking. The head nurse just sat there waiting fingers paused over the computer.

“Um, hi guys,” I piped up, “Is something wrong?” Everyone jumped at the sound of my voice.
“You changed already?” Frank asked looking surprised.
“Yeah.”
“Wow. I’m impressed. It takes Jamia forever-“
“Frank. We don’t have time to talk about this,” Bob said. That was the first time I had heard him speak in a long time…

“What’s the matter?” I asked. I didn’t want to be here any longer than I had to.
“Well… we don’t know who you and Sarah are going to live with,” Gerard explained. I saw him glance quickly over to Lindsey who gave him a look like ‘Gerard-we-talked-about-this’. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
“What did it say in the will?” I asked, my voice growing somber.
“It said that your parents wanted you to both go to one of your aunts and uncles, since your grandparents are not here.” My heart felt like it had been stabbed again. I missed my Nana and Poppie.

“But none of them said they would take us in, right?” I was growing more bitter by the second.
“Actually. There was your Aunt Mary and Uncle Joseph.” I saw Lindsey’s expression become sour as she remembered the last encounter she had with my Aunt.
“But they said they could only afford to take one of you in. Not both.” Gerard ran his fingers through his hair again, making it more tangled.
“Wait, wait, wait. Are you sure that we’re on the same page here? My Aunt and Uncle have a lot of money. They can too afford to take both of us in,” I said outraged. How could they want to split us apart like that? I was past the point of being upset. I was furious.
“They said only one…”
“So what does this mean?” I asked.
“Well, that’s what we’re trying to figure out. Because if one of you goes with your Aunt and Uncle, they other one has to go either to another family member or to- God I really don’t like this option- an orphanage.”

I walked over to Sarah and tried to read her expression. She didn’t seem to be thinking anything. I needed to talk to her to see what she wanted.

“Can me and Sarah have a moment to talk about this?”
“Sure thing, let me just save what I have so far,” the head nurse said. I led the way back to my room and sat down in one of the chairs lining the wall. Sarah did likewise, but on the opposite wall so that we were facing each other.

“Sarah, what do you want to do?” She shrugged and said,
“I don’t know. But, before you speak let me tell you something. I heard Gerard, Lindsey, and the rest of them talking the other day…”
“What did they say?” I encouraged her.
“They said that they wanted to gain the custody rights over us. So that we could live with them.”
“Really?! Ohmigosh that would be so great wouldn’t it?!” Sarah shifted in her chair.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well,” she replied, “I don’t feel like I’d be good there with them.”
“What do you mean?” I said confused. She always seemed happy around the guys and their wives. They all loved her… I watched Sarah’s ears turned red.
“I-I don’t feel comfortable around them. I’m sorry.” I got up and sat down next to her and put my arm around her.
“I’m sorry I didn’t know that. You should have told me sooner. So, does this mean that you want to go with Aunt Mary and Uncle Joe?” She nodded her head the tiniest bit.
“Are you sure?” I asked Looking into her eyes. I had to make sure she really wanted this. “Okay then. I’ll tell everyone, alright? Come on, let’s go.”

We both stood up and I gave her one last hug before we walked outside.

“Okay guys. Sarah’s going to go with my Aunt and Uncle,” I announced.
“Splendid! Let me just type that in… Okay all done!” The head nurse said smiling. She passed me a form and said, “When you get all of the legal work done, just fill this out and bring it in okay?”
“Okay, thank you.”
“You’ve been a great patient, lovey! I’ll get some bags for you to put your stuff in-“
“No wait, we brought some bags with us.” Lindsey said holding up a few small duffle bags.
“Oh! Never mind then! Once you’re done packing you are free to go!”
“Okay,” I replied walking back to my room. I took one of the bags from Lindsey and started to pack my stuff up. I went through every draw and every shelf of the little bookshelf/desk by my hospital bed. Once I had everything packed up, I started to go out the door but Bob and Ray stopped me.
“What?” I asked, confused.
“We’ll take these for you,” Ray said.
“Aw thanks, guys!” I smiled.

We walked down the hall to the elevator. Once we were inside the compartment, it seemed to take forever to get to the first floor. I pushed past the half open doors as soon as we hit the first floor, ran outside, threw my head back and screamed out of pure happiness. Tons of locals and tourists stopped to stare and inched away as they saw I still had my hospital bracelet on. I snapped it off my wrist. It hurt, but I could care less because I was free. Before you knew it, Frank was right next to me jumping around and screaming like a little girl with me. I laughed so hard. I couldn’t believe how great my day was going.

“Okay, okay, okay, enough you two,” Ray said trying to calm us down. I stopped jumping and paused to catch my breath. My heart was going 100 miles an hour.

“Now how are you two going to look when we go to the court house to get these papers signed?” Lindsey reprimanded us while trying to fix our now disheveled hair and clothing.
“Wait, we’re going today?” I asked.
“Yes, silly! We already called your Aunt and she knows Sarah will be coming over today.”
“Oh,” I said.
“Yeah…C’mon lets go,” Lindsey said making her way over to the two black cars parked along the left side of the street. As we walked, she took out two sets of keys. One set she kept in for herself, and the other set went flying through the air into Bob’s hands. As soon as we were all settled, Bob took the lead through the crowded streets and Lindsey followed. They were both really good drivers. And, after what only seemed like 2 minutes, we were at the courthouse.

*Fast Forward 2 Hours*

“Way party?” The man clerk called from behind his desk. We all stood up to walk over and his eyes widened.
“Only a few of you can go. The rooms are only so big.”
“Gerard, Lindsey, Jules, and Sarah you guys go,” Frank said giving us all a tiny push toward the desk. Gerard gave the rest of the guys an are-you-sure-because-I-kind-of-don’t-want-to-do-this kind of look, and they all nodded in encouragement. We all walked towards the desk and the man’s expression relaxed.

“That’s much better. This way please,” he said stepping out from behind his desk and leading us down a hallway. It was packed with doors and muffled voices were coming out from behind each one. Finally we stopped at a door that said: Judge Crapo on a golden plaque. I tried to hold back my childish laughter like the others as the clerk knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” An authoritative female voice asked. Immediately our laughter stopped. We all knew how strict female, New York judges were.
“It’s the Way party,” the clerk answered.
“Very well then, send them in.” The clerk opened the door for us and waited until we all filed in before closing it. We waited to be addressed.
“Have a seat, please,” she addressed us pointing toward the four chairs in front of her desk. We all sat in silence.

“You are the first party I’ve delt with today that has not talked since they stepped into my office… Would any of you like some coffee?” She asked. I saw Gerard jump in his chair in my peripheral vision.

“I would like some ma’am,” he said. The judge nodded and turned around to pour some coffee into a mug for him. I turned to face him to see his expression better. I almost burst out laughing, but I covered it with a cough. Sarah knowing me all too well started to laugh at me trying to cover up my laughter at Gerard’s crazed expression, but I kicked her in the shin and she stopped.

“Here you go,” The judge said turning back around with large paper cup filled with coffee. He reached over and calmly took it from her. I knew it probably took everything he had inside of him not to jump up and grab the scalding cup of bitter drink from her and chug it.

“Thank you, ma’am,” he said before taking a careful sip.
“You’re welcome. Okay, let’s get down to business. We’re here to get custody rights confirmed, and you two must be Gerard and Lindsey Way and you two must be Juliet and Sarah Spinnet,” she concluded as she read off the papers she picked up off her desk.

I watched her expression as she continued to read down the paper. I saw her face go from neutral to devastated as she finished reading the first page.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” she said as she looked up at me and Sarah.
“Thank you,” we both replied.

“So, what’s going on here is you,” she said pointing to Sarah, “are going to live with your Aunt; and you,” she said pointing at me, “Are going to go into an orphanage?” My eyes widened. I never thought about it that way. I felt my face grow pale. I didn’t want to go to an orphanage. I was too old for that, no? ‘Hello, you’re only 16,’ my brain reminded me...

“Julie, did you hear that?” Lindsey said bringing me back to reality.
“Hm? What?” Even I heard the anxiety in my voice.
“Julie, you’re not going to an orphanage.” My heart slowed down the tiniest bit.
“What do you mean?”

“Gerard and Lindsey wish to have custody over you until you are eighteen,” the judge explained, “Are you okay with this arrangement?”
“I think I would like that very much your honor,” I replied smiling wide.
“Good,” she smiled back. I saw her scribble a signature then place the files in a big yellow envelope and hand them to me.

“Have your Aunt and Uncle sign this for your sister, show my signature to the hospital, and then bring these files back here and give them to the clerk. Kapish?”
“Kapish,” I replied.
“You are free to go then,” she said waving us goodbye. Before I left I turned back around to the judge.
“Thank you so much ma’am. Have a good day!”
“You too,” she responded.

I closed the door behind me and ran down the hallway past Sarah, Gerard, and Lindsey, and into the waiting room and jumped up and down like a little kid for what was the second time today. All we had to do was get my Aunt and Uncle to sign the papers, show my papers to the hospital, and bring the papers back. Today is just going so awesomely.