Collective Identity, page 20
part #4 of Commitment Series
Suddenly from downstairs, came a loud voice. "Ma! What's for supper?"
Cat's grin hovered over Billie's mouth, before landing one more time. "A mom's work..."
"Is never done," Billie finished for her.
* * *
"Missy, you certainly have one complicated life," Jimmy said as he took down the information Billie dictated to him the next morning. "I have never seen anyone with as much controversy in their past as you have."
Billie saw an opportunity to bait the older lawyer. "Have I actually given Jimmy the Great an assignment he can't handle?" she asked in mock astonishment.
"The day I can't handle a simple Internet search, is the day I'll turn in my resignation, young lady!" he scolded before seeing her grin. "Ahhh. I see what you're doing. Think you can bait me, do you? We'll I'll just show you what Jimmy the Great is capable of. Give me two hours and I'll have an answer for you, or lunch is on me for the rest of the week!" he said.
Billie's eyes opened wide. Jimmy was known around the office for his penny-pinching thriftiness, so that was a serious challenge for him to make.
Billie leaned over Jimmy's desk. "You're on, and lunch is on me if you succeed, but let's up the stakes. Double or nothing?" she baited.
"I hope you have a big wallet, Missy. Now scoot. I've got some serious work to do, and I'm on the clock!" he said.
Exactly one hour and fifty-seven minutes later, Jimmy entered Billie's office and threw a report down on her desk. Billie looked at her watch and gulped. She moved her eyes from the report, to the man standing there in front of her desk. "Jimmy?" she asked.
"I'll take a Reuben on rye," he said.
Billie's expression broke into a huge grin. "You found her?" she asked hopefully.
Jimmy picked up the report and started reading, "Sylvia Tanner, owner and director of the Children's Home Society from nineteen forty-seven through nineteen sixty-three. Arrested in nineteen sixty-three for illegally purchasing children for resale on the black market. She sold children for profit, lied about their origins to adoptive parents, altered or created fabricated birth certificates, illegally convinced impoverished birth parents to sign away their rights to their children in order to sell them for profit. She even allowed children to be adopted into homes where they were abused and neglected–some even dying from mistreatment or lack of medical attention." Jimmy paused from his reading to take a breath.
Billie's eyes grew wider with each charge Jimmy read. She hoped in her heart that Alex’s child hadn't fallen victim to the last group of children Jimmy described.
"Now here's the important part," Jimmy said. "After Tanner's arrest in nineteen sixty-three, all adoptions records were confiscated and to this day, remain sealed. The only information that has been made public is the distribution of adoptions by area. It turns out that in nineteen fifty-nine, there were three adoptions from Lancaster, South Carolina, and Billie, one of the three is listed as June fourteenth."
Billie began to shake visibly. "Oh god." She covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wild with anticipation. "How do I get them to unseal the records, Jimmy?" she asked nervously.
"To be honest, it will take a court order, or off the record, a well-placed financial donation to a hungry politician," he said candidly. "That is, if you can get your hands on that kind of money," he added.
"Alex," Billie said.
* * *
Billie developed a nervous headache soon after Jimmy left her office, grinning from ear to ear at the prospect of free lunches for two weeks. She put her head down on the desk and closed her eyes. It was in this position that Art found her moments later.
"Billie, are you all right?" he asked as he pushed her door open.
Billie lifted her head from the desk and strained to focus on her friend and co-worker. She winced at the pain between her eyes. "Oh, hi, Art. Yeah, I'm fine, except for the pounding in my head," she replied, trying to force a smile onto her face. "I thought you'd be on your way to Honduras by now," she added.
"I'm leaving right now. I just stopped in to say goodbye. You know, you should really go home if you're not feeling well," he said.
"My thoughts exactly, only I'm having a little trouble focusing right now. Care to drop me off on your way to the airport?" she asked.
"My pleasure," he said. "Come on."
Fifteen minutes later, Art pulled into the driveway of Billie's home and let her out of the car. "Do you need any help getting into the house?" he asked.
"No, I'm okay. I'm just going to down a handful of painkillers and hit the sheets," she said. "I should be as good as new by the time Cat and the kids get home."
"All right, then. I'll be on my way. You take care of yourself, Billie," he scolded.
"I will. Thanks for the ride, and have a good trip, Art," she said before turning toward the stairs.
Billie put her briefcase in the closet and slipped off her shoes, padding on stocking feet through the kitchen and living room to her room upstairs. She shrugged out of her sweater, skirt and hose and slipped a T-shirt over her head before crawling between the sheets. She lay there for several moments until she realized that she hadn't taken any painkillers. She staggered to the bathroom and switched on the light. Suddenly, everything in her line of vision seemed distorted and disoriented. She had a very loud ringing in her ears and an odd odor permeated her senses. The throbbing in her temples became almost unbearable as she grasped both sides of her head with her hands. A moment later, she felt her knees buckle as she crumbled to the floor, hitting her head on the door casing on the way down. She lay there for several minutes, her body twitching and convulsing, until finally, she relaxed into what appeared to be a peaceful state of slumber.
It was in this state that Cat found her a couple of hours later when she got home from work. Cat picked the kids up at the sitter, and as usual, they dispersed to their normal after-school hideouts as soon as they got home. Seth and Tara headed directly to Jen's to play with Stevie and Karissa, while Skylar went to Missy's across the street. Cat reveled in the quiet peacefulness of having the house all to herself for a while as she climbed the stairs to her room. The first sight that greeted her when she entered the room was that of Billie, sprawled out on the floor, half in and half out of the bathroom, a large welt protruding from her right temple.
"Oh, my god, Billie!" she exclaimed as she ran to the unconscious woman.
Cat's medical training took over as she quickly went through the list of vital signs. Having verified that Billie was stable, she retrieved a pillow from the bed to put under her head, and a cold compact from the freezer in the kitchen for the bump on her temple. Billie stirred as Cat was administering to the injury.
"Cat? Cat, what happened? Why am I on the floor?" Billie said groggily as she tried to sit up, but laid right back down again as her head pounded with intense pain.
"Billie, don't try to get up, please. I need to ask you some questions so I can figure out what happened here, okay?" Cat asked.
Billie nodded her head.
"All right. First, what are you doing home?" Cat asked.
"I had a really intense headache, so Art dropped me off. My vision was blurry and I didn't dare to drive," Billie explained.
"How did you end up on the floor, Billie?"
"I don't know. I remember climbing into bed then realizing I hadn't taken any painkillers, so I got up again. When I switched on the light in the bathroom, things started to get really weird."
"Weird, how?"
"Well, my vision was all distorted, I smelled this really strange odor and there was a loud ringing in my ears. I remember feeling unsteady on my feet, but then everything just blanked out, until I woke up and found you here with me," she explained.
Cat sat back on her heels and nodded her head. Looking into the worried eyes of her wife, she said, "Billie, It looks like you had a grand mal seizure. I'll check with Daddy to be sure, but all of the symptoms point to it. Boy, it’s been a while since you've had one. Fortunately as you know, they are not usually life threatening, except of course, when you pick a fight with the door frame in the middle of one!" Cat added, trying to make light of the situation. "It's a good thing you have such a hard head, wife!" she said through a toothy smile.
Billie smiled back, too weak and tired to argue about it.
"Anyway, we might want to evaluate your meds to make sure you're taking the right dose. It could also be the stress from this genealogy search that is triggering it, but for now, let's see about getting you into bed so you can sleep for a while. I'll call Daddy while you sleep, all right?" Cat finished.
Billie nodded, still too disoriented to hold an intelligent conversation for any length of time.
With a little effort, Cat managed to get Billie to her feet and into bed, kissing her lightly on the forehead as she pulled the covers up to her neck, and promised to check in on her later before leaving the room. Outside in the hall, Cat leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.
I'll never get used to treating family members, she thought before going downstairs to call her father.
Chapter 21
Billie awoke and came downstairs just as Cat was loading the supper dishes into the dishwasher. Cat could feel her presence as she entered the kitchen, but kept her back to her as she rinsed and loaded the dishes. Billie wrapped her arms around Cat's waist and pulled her back into her chest. Cat went willingly, leaning her head back and to the side as she rested it on Billie's left shoulder. Her right hand held Billie's head in place as Billie nuzzled her neck.
"Mmmmmm," they said at the same time.
After a moment or two, Cat turned around in Billie's arms. "How are you feeling?" she asked, looking into eyes of azure blue.
"Headache's gone. Did you call Doc?"
"Yes I did. He also thinks it was a seizure. He'd like to see you tomorrow, to do some tests, adjust your meds, you know, stuff like that. He also said driving is off limits for a while until he can understand and control what's causing the seizures," Cat said, knowing how well received that piece of news would be.
"Aw Cat! Do you know how tough it is not to be able to drive?" Billie complained.
"I know, love," Cat replied, "but imagine what could happen if you had a seizure while behind the wheel of a car, or even worse, what if one of the kids was with you?" Cat reasoned.
"I know, I know, but I don't have to like it," she whined.
Cat stood on tiptoes to place a light kiss on Billie's lips. "Are you hungry?" she asked.
Billie grinned. "A little."
"Well then, sit yourself down and I'll fix a dish for you," she said.
"Cat, I can get it," Billie began.
"I said, sit! Doctor's orders!" she commanded firmly.
"I really hate it when you pull rank on me!"
* * *
Cat made a pot of coffee while Billie ate, and sipped the rich brew while she kept Billie company at the kitchen table.
"So, other than the seizure, how was your day?" Cat asked.
Billie swallowed the bit of stew she was chewing. "Actually, the morning went great." Billie suddenly remembered the information Jimmy had discovered and became animated. "Oh, oh, oh! Cat! How could I forget! Jimmy found Alex's child!" she said excitedly.
Cat nearly choked on the sip of coffee she had in her mouth. "He did? That's wonderful, Billie! Where is she?" Cat asked, just as excited.
"Well, he hasn't physically found her, but he found the name of the adoption agency that took her from Alex. Cat, the individual records are sealed, but he did find out there were three children given up for adoption in nineteen fifty-nine in Lancaster, and one of them was on June fourteenth!" Billie explained.
Cat's eyes were as wide as saucers. "So where is this agency located? It seems like a logical next step would be to visit them to find out as much as we can about the Lancaster adoptions," Cat reasoned.
"I'm afraid that isn't possible, Cat. The agency was closed in nineteen sixty-three when the owner was arrested for selling babies on the black market," Billie said.
"Billie, that's awful!" Cat exclaimed. "How will we find her?" she asked.
"Well, like I said, the records are sealed, and it will take a court order to open them. I'm prepared to take it to that level if I have to, Cat, but I think we should try a direct appeal to the governor of South Carolina first," Billie explained.
"Billie, do you really think he'll listen to us? Heck, we don't even live in South Carolina," Cat said.
"No, but Alexandra Spirakis does, a very rich and influential Alexandra Spirakis. Now she's someone, he'll listen to!" Billie explained.
"You are a wicked woman, Billie. I like the way you think," Cat responded with a smile as she rose from the table to fetch the cordless phone.
* * *
The phone rang three times before it was picked up. "Hello?" The rich southern accent flowed easily from the other end of the line.
"Hi Grams," Cat said.
"Caitlain? Caitlain, honey, how are you?" Alex asked, a smile in her voice.
"I'm fine, Grams. How are you and Grandma Jo?" she asked.
Ignoring Cat's question, Alex launched into a few of her own. "Caitlain, dear, something is wrong. I can hear it in your voice. Is Billie ill? I had the strangest feeling about her around noon. Is she all right?" Alex asked.
Cat looked at Billie with an astonished expression on her face. "Did you say around noon, Grams?" Cat asked.
"Yes. I was sitting in the parlor with Josie, talkin' about her history lecture comin' up in about a month, when all of the sudden, I felt this odd feelin' in the pit of my stomach. I called and called and called, but no one answered your phone. Finally I just gave up... well, actually Josie made me stop. She said if somethin' was really wrong that you'd call me, and now you have. So tell me, child, what's wrong with my granddaughter?" Alex finally finished.
"Cat, what is it?" Billie asked from across the kitchen table as she looked at the confused look on her wife's face.
"Grams, could you hold on a minute?" Cat asked.
"Sure, darlin', but I want an answer when you come back," Alex warned.
Cat covered the receiver with her hand as she looked at Billie. "Billie, she knows that something was wrong with you today. She said she felt it. Should I tell her?" Cat asked.
Billie shrugged. "I can't see where it would hurt, Cat. It is kind of odd though that she actually felt it," Billie said. "Although it does lend credence to the ancestral connection theory."
Cat nodded and removed her hand from the receiver. "Grams, you're right. Billie was ill today. Look, we haven't told you this yet, but Billie has a mild form of epilepsy. She had a seizure today around noon," Cat explained.
"I knew it. I just knew it! Josie, I told you I wasn't losin' my mind! Our Billie had a seizure today, and it happened around noon!" Alex said off line to Jo.
Cat could hear Jo grumbling in the background, bringing a smile to her face.
"She didn't believe me, Cat. She thought I was losin' it or somethin'" Alex said. "Sugar, is Billie right there, I'd like to talk to her," Alex said.
"Actually, I called you, Grams, because Billie has some news for you. Here, let me put her on," Cat said. She handed the phone to Billie and took her empty dish away.
Billie caught her arm as she started to walk toward the sink, and pulled her back. She wrapped her arm around Cat's waist and pulled her in for a kiss. "Thank you," she mouthed as she let her go. She held the receiver to her ear. "Hello, Grams."
"Child, you nearly scared the life out of me today," Alex scolded, causing Billie to grin. "Land sakes, Billie, you should have told us you have epilepsy. How are you feeling now?" Alex asked.
"I'm fine Grams, really. It’s not the first time I've had a seizure, and it probably won't be the last. Don't worry about me. Doc will adjust my meds and I'll be fine," she said. "Grams, I have some news for you. We've found the agency that took your daughter from you."
"Oh, my!" Alex said as Billie listened to scuffling sounds on the other end of the line.
"Grams? Grams, are you all right?" Billie said into the phone.
Jo's voice came onto the line. "Billie? Al's all right, she just nearly fainted again. Are you all right, girl?" she asked.
"Jo, never mind me, is Alex okay?" Billie asked.
"She's fine, in fact, she wants the phone back, but before I hand you over to her, answer the question," Jo demanded.
"Jo, I'm fine. I have epilepsy. I've had it for about a year now. My medication pretty much keeps it under control. Cat thinks the stress of this genealogy search may have brought on the seizure, but I'm fine. Really. Please don't worry," Billie explained.
"All right then, you take care of yourself. Alex, hold your britches on, sheesh," Jo exclaimed before Alex's voice came back on the line.
"Billie, honey, did you say that you found her?" Alex asked in a shaky voice.
"No Grams, we found the agency that took her from you. The adoption records were seized and sealed, but they do show a child from Lancaster registered with them on June fourteenth, nineteen fifty-nine. It has to be her, Gram. I just know it is," Billie said. "There is one problem, though," she continued. "Like I said, the records are sealed and it will take either a court order or a decree from the governor to open them."
"The governor?" Alex asked. "You leave this to me, Billie. I'll deal with Governor Jamie Hubbard. He happens to be an acquaintance of Josie and me. You see, we have given generously to his campaigns in the past, and I'm sure he would do anything to keep his constituency happy," Alex said, a wicked tone entering her voice. "Now, give me all the details," she said.
Billie spent the next half-hour telling Alex everything she knew about Sylvia Tanner and the Children's Home Society. She hung up the phone and smiled at Cat. "Your grandmothers can be very ruthless when they have to be, love. Remind me never to cross them," Billie said.
