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Chapter 6 The kids and teens had a quiet evening compared with Valerie and the Chicago group's evening. She had to meet with her favorite law professor, Judge James Hoffa. Valerie had to endure questions from him as she avoided telling him anything about why they were in Chicago now that they were involved in a federal case. She tried to keep from revealing too much about her personal life as well but with so much out in the open, it was hard to do as he had everything on hand through a simple Google search. Judge Hoffa sensed that things were going on that he couldn't know or ask about so he stuck to her life. He asked about Juan's connection to which she happily admitted, "He is my husband's uncle's nephew. He was the one member of his family who got away from home to better himself and by a lot of luck and circumstances I'd rather not talk about he ended up getting to meet us." He asked about John, getting a hearty, "He's a big teddy bear when it comes to kids. He is a born teacher and mentor and is the most valuable asset to our hometown. Our kids love him and our nieces and nephews worship him. There is hardly anybody who actually meets him who ever has a bad thing to say about him and what he does for our city." He asked about the kids, getting her to happily say, "One son is doing amazingly well with a standing internship offer in England this summer, an athletic scholarship offer from Umass-Amherst, and a girlfriend that he is going to become engaged to at graduation. Our elder son is the most complex and unique boy I have ever known with offers of employment from the city assessor's office, an academic scholarship to Boston Cambridge University, has multiple offers to be a financial analyst and forensic accountant, and also all but engaged to a young lady who is studying business management." She had him caught off guard so she added, "Our elder daughter is on the student council, is a straight-A student, is on the fast track to being a psychiatrist, and is all but engaged to a young man who has an athletic scholarship offer from several Ivy League schools and is heading to law school when he earns his degree. Lastly, our young twins are in school and growing into their own people and are helping make the lives of several kids better just by being themselves." He wanted to ask about how she got so many of kids. She grinned and explained, "Our elder daughter was adopted by us after she was taken in by my husband as a foster child with his family falling in love with her immediately. Our second son was a classmate of theirs who needed a home after his father was incarcerated and whose situation turned extremely serious. And the youngest two are twins who were born four and a half years ago the natural way. John and I never planned on having the twins but we were blessed with them, and we didn't plan on adopting our son but we needed him and he needed us." He asked about her parents, getting a grin and happy, "They fell in love with two women and man who were close friends of mine and whose children were extremely close with our kids and who needed a parent to guide them after being abandoned by their own families. Dad got the son he always wanted and mom got more grandchildren. They are even great-grandparents thanks to my husband's niece marrying my nephew and giving birth to a lovely little girl last November." The subject of Juan came up again with Valerie explaining firmly, "He did something noble in helping a child who was in desperate need of help and who turned out to be related to my brother-in-law. His own family abandoned him and threatened him so we helped him gain a foothold back east. He has a job, a home, and a blossoming friendship with his cousins. He is set for life with us proudly helping him out in a time of need, repaying him for helping a little one who needed him himself." Valerie kept things from getting too deep and to things that he could easily search. The family's deeper relationships were of no concern and she didn't know if he was fishing or if he was genuinely interested in what she had to say. Either way, she wasn't too forthcoming with much that he couldn't gather on his own with his normal resources. Any additional digging by him would be suspicious. The two talked for two hours as she regaled him with tales about life after leaving Missouri without actually going into the events that prompted their exit. He wasn't surprised that she had finally left but her parents leaving as well was a big shock. She was happy to point out that there wasn't much to keep them there, which he had to agree with. When she got back to the hotel, the agents were concerned about the contact. She didn't give him any clue about their involvement- in fact, she left out what Juan was up to as she focused on herself and only told him the barest truth about-about Juan, that he had a job and was with family. They nodded in agreement, if he asked anything more of her she'd have him and they'd have a connection to him. Juan met with Judge Hoffa after her, getting everything laid out with the judge agreeing that he had a strong case against the firm. Juan didn't provide everything, he simply showed the biggest evidence that was known already. The judge glanced over it and recused himself from the case as he knew all parties involved directly. Ricardo filed Juan's lawsuit and heard back immediately from the firm. They challenged the legality of it and countered with what they had. It was exactly what they had known that Marlene had provided. They laughed at the emails and the fabricated evidence, it was simply comical to them but would have been damning evidence if they didn't already know it to be falsified. Ted and Marlene had ignored that he might have a way of verifying that he was where he claimed to be and that he was away from the office. The dynamic duo had managed to show that they were sent from his computer but when he was across the country in New York City. Ironically it was Ted's suggestion that he go to Yankee Stadium that ended up being the undoing as he was actually with the NYPD with Julio as they talked about Julio's situation while awaiting Dan and Melanie when the emails were sent! That wasn't the worst of it. They forged financial documents to show that he was consulting with rival firms, the signatures of which were bogus and the money easily shown as going into their known bank accounts. For two people who had made a living off of hiding money and fixing cases, they were rank amateurs compared to Kennedy, Miles, Ricardo, and Valerie. Even Gabby, who jokingly struggled with spreadsheets at times, had little trouble seeing the mistakes they had made. The feds suspected that the locals would come after Juan next. They had the financial records of the two security guards who tried to go after Juan Sunday night checked and showed payments from the couple with additional payments coming that morning. The men just happened to also be full-time Chicago Police officers which meant they were coming after Juan as members of the CPD. The feds knew that he was innocent but they now had proof that they were in collusion with the couple. Given that they were looking a stiff sentence and tough actions against them by prisoners, they would be able to turn them against the couple as they came to pick up Juan for whatever crime the couple had concocted. They had no reason to protect the couple, not with their safety on the line now. Juan was told to return home and remove everything he was taking with him. The group hired a truck to store his belongings temporarily while the agents helped him remove the files that hadn't been found before by the burglars. Juan agreed, knowing he was about to face arrest but also knowing they had him backed up with full firepower from the federal courts. Ricardo removed the files under the supervision of the agents with Juan telling him to take them right to the hotel. The agents then observed him removing his private files as well as his personal property. They were thorough in logging everything he removed with everything accounted for down to the number of pages in the files and what the cases were originally. He left nothing to chance. The last things removed were his clothing, bedding, and small trinkets that were of no value to anybody except Juan. Juan explained firmly, "All financial documents are with my accountant and available to you with proper warrants. I have nothing to hide, I simply don't have much need for extra junk." Ricardo returned a half hour later with Valerie keeping a close watch on the files. She actually shipped them east via courier, going directly to Ricardo's office with his clerk putting them into Juan's new office as Katie and Trinity Eliza observed. Once they were safely in Boston, she'd tell the agents they weren't in the state allowing them to know that they were being kept under protection by Alex, Mick Jones, and Mike Daniels. There wasn't any reason for them anymore and she was ensuring Juan's back was covered just in case. The officers finally arrived with a warrant in hand. Ricardo read it over and laughed at who signed off on it. Valerie was being fleeced for information while Judge Hoffa had already signed off on the arrest of Juan. The agents had another link, this time it was their biggest yet and closed the case on the group. The agents came out of hiding and arrested the officers for criminal conspiracy as well as for multiple other crimes. They tried to fight back against them, earning a desperate call for help from Ricardo with every available officer in within a mile rushing to assist. The two officers had no way of explaining what they were doing and why with the agents easily verifying who they were, what they were doing, and why the officers were under arrest while detaining Juan until the warrant was quashed. Juan accepted what was happening while other agents were dispatched to place Judge Hoffa under arrest for his role in the conspiracy. Hearing just how involved he was, they had a clear case of him manipulating the situation so that he got off clear while Juan went down. If not for the agents being brought in, he would have been in jail and may not have survived to testify against the duo. An immediate closed door hearing was held in Cook County Circuit Court with Valerie there as Juan's lawyer while Ricardo was by his side in the federal building awaiting word. She argued that Juan had done no wrong and had been in contact with Judge Hoffa who issued the arrest warrant and that the judge was shown to have been part of the conspiracy. She presented evidence to the judge, getting her to see that this was serious and that Judge Hoffa had violated Juan's rights as well as used his office to further criminal activities while removing co-conspirators and falsely accusing innocents of crimes. Valerie was asked if there were any witnesses to the discussion with the Judge Hoffa, to which she grinned and named Alex, her parents, John, Ricardo, Kennedy, Miles, and Jorge. She added that the agents were aware of the phone call and she herself had talked with Judge Hoffa as he had invited her to visit the day before and he had met with Juan himself the day before after Valerie left his chambers. The evidence was damning as Judge Hoffa made mention of wishing Juan luck in his lawsuit while the current judge also verified that Judge Hoffa had issued orders to prevent the removal of documents but later rescinded the order after a federal judge had issued a similar order overriding his order. The judge reluctantly quashed the warrant and instructed the Illinois Courts Commission to start proceedings against the judge for judicial misconduct. The judge could tell that her colleague was going to federal prison, but still had to do something to protect the state. Valerie was allowed to go but instructed to make Juan available if need be for action as he was a valuable asset to the state now. Valerie immediately called Juan to alert him that the warrant had been quashed. The agents were able to let him go, with the group using the time in the office to finish their investigation into Juan's actions during the time they were framing him. Ricardo got them to contact the NYPD and the child services in New York City to verify the events of that Friday for their own records to cover themselves. He had Willie, Melanie, Kennedy, and Alice call in proving beyond a doubt what he had done over the weekend was true to his word. Everything fit, the emails were proven to be false and from his own office computer, and all that was left was to take the evidence to a grand jury soon. Juan simply walked down with them to the courthouse and gave his statement then was released with Ricardo adding his own statement as a witness and having the legal documents to back up everything else. There was nothing stopping them from indicting. In fact, the regional director asked that they do it fast before Judge Hoffa, Blue and Saunders made a break for the airport. The US Attorney signed off on the indictment, with the AUSA taking the case before a grand jury and asking for an indictment on the first of multiple charges. In a few minutes, they had their indictments. The officers, Blue, Hoffa, and Saunders were to be placed under arrest by US Marshals. Juan was given praise while Ricardo had to fend off unwanted attention. He happily told them, "My husband is the one to thank for all of this, he saw the first signs of something big and he was the one to get your agents involved. They deserve praise, I simply helped my cousin out like family should do." The officers had made bail and went to work thinking that they were going to get off thanks to Hoffa having their backs. They were held at their station by internal affairs who handed them over to deputy US marshals for arrest. The officers tried hard to fight them but ended up getting tasered by their own colleagues who took no pride in taking down their own. The marshals led him out with the entire station coming out to view the perp walk as multiple officers shouted at them for being slime. Hoffa was in tears as he realized he was going to jail. The deputies at the courthouse refused to let him leave while the marshals were en-route to the court complex. There was no theatrics, he devolved from a proud man to a little kid as he saw his career in ruins while deputies cleared the way for him. Saunders and Blue thought they were getting away with framing Juan. The duo celebrated his arrest with wild sex as the marshals entered. They never heard the door open but seeing the men in suits enter with papers in hand they tried to run. Both fell down then got tangled in the other as they comically fumbled to get away from one another and the marshals. The marshals simply took them into custody, first wrapping them in robes then grabbing their clothes. Each tried to blame the other for their getting arrested, then tried to blame it on Hoffa. When they tried to blame Juan and say he was at fault they accidentally revealed something that they didn't want to be known- where they hid all of the money they earned from their illicit deals. Back at the federal building, both Blue and Saunders were handed hefty lawsuits with Saunders being handed divorce papers on behalf of Linda Brown. Saunders tried to ignore it while Blue fought them over the money being seized. Saunders finally told him to cram it and act like a real man for once in his life- it was over, getting laughs from the marshals and agents over the couple showing just how much they didn't really care about one another. Ricardo had a hunch that not everything was as it appeared and checked on the status of Juan's lawsuit. He wasn't surprised to see that it had been tossed out by Hoffa, who called it frivolous. He filed suit at the circuit court again, this time stating that the first one had been mishandled by Hoffa as part of his criminal activities and as Hoffa was now in custody Juan deserved a fair hearing. There was no issue, it was filed with Ricardo hand delivering the summons to the law firm. He happily told them, "You have been served. And as he is a partner you are under stricter laws and rules and have a big issue. You made a mistake in listening to someone who was shown to be untrustworthy and not calling him before you to explain his actions. He will be leaving your firm but not before he gets what he rightfully deserves. See you in court." The senior partners tried to ignore him but Ricardo, Valerie, and Kennedy carefully worded the suit and cited every possible law and precedent as well as the firm's own charter. It was ironclad, Juan had them up against a wall for breaking multiple civil laws and the charter and was not going to let down. Ricardo grinned and stated firmly, "My client won't accept any settlement. You are looking at a $50 million judgment against you. You don't have those kinds of assets so this is the end of your firm. He takes no pride in ruining your reputations but you were doing just that to him based on little to no actual evidence from two people who are now sitting in the federal detention center awaiting trial." Ricardo walked out with his head held high. The firm was scrambling to find a way out of the lawsuit and calling in every favor that they had. Nobody would answer them, every judge was made aware that Juan Perez would not be touched forcing them to have to face Juan in open court with the firm's dirty laundry aired for all to see. There were multiple judges in Cook County who reveled in what was happening to the firm. Juan had unknowingly touched a raw nerve as the firm was notorious for shady deals and using horrible tactics to get the best deals for their clients. With their favorite judge removed they had no actual support- in fact, there was a long line of judges who were willing to hold a lottery for the right to hear Juan's lawsuit against the firm. Juan finally relaxed at the hotel. He ate an early dinner and called his uncle to inform him everything was cleared up. Jorge laughed as he read the news about the indictments. Juan shook his head and admitted, "Valerie is going to take it hard, he was a mentor to her in so many ways." Jorge laughed then shot back, "She is taking it hard but for the right reasons. She is holding back anger at him. The man was her mentor, but there is one thing you never do- you never mess with friends or family and you are family to her. Just keep your friend feeling good, she will need support that only someone who truly knows her can give. And keep the young ones occupied, you may not have much experience with kids but you are an uncle to them in all but name." Jorge asked how the two teens were doing to which Juan asked the question, "What are they really doing here?" Jorge laughed hard then carefully explained, "Rachel is a computer genius. Whatever she told you about herself is true, there are multiple people in prison because of her. In fact, she chose to get help for Iris because of what Rachel's parents were going to causing Rachel to go into foster care, all that to save the life of the girl who hated her." Jorge drew a deep breath then added, "She helped stop a plot from Karen's brother-in-law that ended up causing the man to be murdered by a vicious, greedy man. Her help brought enough evidence to bring down dozens of more people and brought down a criminal empire. She is a great kid, she just needed love and she found that with us." He was going to ask about Miles but Jorge added, "Miles is a savant when it comes to planning, spotting things out of the ordinary, spotting patterns, and diving into financial records. He also helped bring down Karen's brother-in-law and even helped others find their place in the family. Having him there has already paid off, he would have been sent home already had he not." They talked about other things until Juan ran out of steam and had to call it a night. Jorge could tell that he needed an ear and happily played the favorite uncle to him. He hated t hat his own mother wouldn't listen to him and only wanted him for his money. Jorge was happy to serve as a surrogate father. Valerie checked in on Juan and got assurances that he was alright with the two talking about the next day. Juan kept quiet about the move but Linda needed their help and the group was just that. The rest of those coming from Winnisimmet would arrive that evening, they had some time to get things together at school first but that wouldn't take long. Linda's sudden departure might cause some issues but it was nothing Valerie couldn't handle. Kennedy herself might be the best one to help her with Valerie already feeling the effects of the judge's betrayal. Kennedy was used to waiting out idiocy then hammering her point home, Valerie would only allow it to go on for so long before she snapped and lashed out, something neither kid needed. Kennedy had been in contact with Dorothy Vega and Alice, with both happy to help out a single mother in need of a change. Linda's qualifications were checked with John paying for the background check but there was very little that needed to be done. She was well qualified for the work and the fact that she was experienced and able to start immediately put her ahead of other candidates. Both were sad to report that there wasn't a position with them but there was one with Yvette King at the elementary complex. Yvette's personal secretary retired earlier than normal due to illness so Linda was a godsend to her. All she really needed to do was clear the check which was underway and she could start the following Monday. While the adults finished the legal side of things and the kids were in school Miles and Rachel kept busy sightseeing and getting gifts for the younger kids. The two couldn't do much while Ella and Logan were in school and Linda had to work. They weren't big sports fans so they just took pictures of some of the largest landmarks with John taking particular interest in the Chicago Water Tower, Union Station, and the Haymarket Square markers. They told Linda they'd help her after the kids got out of school which she accepted but asked that they be sensitive to them. The two had no intentions of being anything but normal, but they would try to be kind to the kids. They were tired by the time they finally got back to the hotel and after picking up Valerie and Kennedy the two cars drove to Linda's apartment on the south side. Valerie looked over the divorce laws and filed a motion for an annulment citing rampant infidelity since before they were married. Juan couldn't find any fault with her but asked if she was ready for a fight. Valerie tried hard not to laugh, adding a sharp, "Marlene doesn't have a leg to stand on, she was caught multiple times in the throes of passion particularly when they were arrested. If Marlene is lucky her sex life won't get out but Linda has nothing to fear." She then gave him a shock by adding, "Marlene never claimed the kids as her own so there?s no custody issue. Linda is their sole parent according to tax records, in fact, Marlene never claimed Linda as her wife on the taxes. The state and IRS are going to have a field day with her for tax fraud along with back taxes, Beverly Bollinger was kind enough to go over their taxes and found Linda was in the clear with Marlene on the hook for thousands in back taxes and late fees." Kennedy was deep in thought as she drove in. She tried to figure out something about the kids that was bothering her. There was something about Ella that didn't make sense at the time. She thought the girl was delightful and reminded her so much of Daisy that it was like seeing a long lost cousin of her. Then it hit her- Linda was related to Daisy, Patrick, and David Peterson! She had to hold back asking about it, it was a delicate situation and it needed to be handled softly or there would be a lot of tough feelings. She hoped that things turned out well, because they could use relatives who understand their plight and could help them settle in, although Daisy would need to be reined in a bit. Miles saw the thinking look on Kennedy and asked what she was thinking about. Kennedy confessed her belief to which Miles added, "It's muted but she shares some similarities to Daisy and Sophia. David and Patrick resemble their father and Claire is a close match to Aunt Karen." Rachel smiled and thought that it would be perfect that they go all the way to Chicago and bring back someone who was yet another long lost relative. Miles shook his head and added, "It's not something that she will be happy about, it means that last year her wife ignored her family history and never told her that she had relatives in the city let alone that they were there for a sad reason. She might not take the news well, she already suffered infidelity and losing her marriage." The group arrived at Linda's apartment with Miles sharing what Kennedy suspected. Juan asked if she was serious, getting a firm, "Marlene either kept the information from her or they aren't as close as she thought, but my hunch might be right. I think it's best to ask, at most she laughs about it being wrong and at worst she has a bad reaction but she needs to know." The group entered the apartment and were met by an unhappy Logan. Linda asked that they wait a few minutes but before she could close the door again Ella appeared dressed in boys? clothing. She was about to cry but Kennedy softly told her, "We can wait while you get dressed in your real clothes, you don't have to worry about wearing that boy stuff anymore. You shouldn't have to, not if we have anything to say about it." Chapter 7 Ella had tears streaming down her face while Logan was ready to protect her. Linda was afraid for the kids and moved the kids to the bedroom until it was safe for them. Rachel and Miles went in with them as Kennedy sat down with Valerie, Juan, and Ricardo to talk about what was going on and why. In the bedroom, Ella was in tears as Logan was still ready to fight them to save her. Miles nodded to Rachel that they needed to know the truth. Rachel knelt down and hugged her, telling her firmly, "You don't have to hide anymore, you are with people who know all about what you are going through and know all the right people who can help you." Miles showed pictures of Diego, Jaimie and Kylie, then added pictures of Nichole Smith and Trinity Eliza. Rachel gushingly added a picture of Reyna Toro. Logan wasn?t impressed and demanded to know why he was showing those pictures, he didn't get what they were trying to tell him. Rachel added a soft, "They are all related to us and are like your sister. Jaimie is the oldest and is Miles' sister and my cousin, Reyna is my girlfriend, Nichole is our cousin from our aunt, Kylie and Diego are our cousins through our mom and dad's cousins, and Trinity is our cousin through her grandpa and our grandpa being like brothers." Miles added, "Kylie is Aunt Kennedy's daughter and Diego is Uncle Ricardo's son. They wouldn?t say anything about you being born a girl inside, they will make sure that you can be the girl you really are especially in school. Mom will ensure Aunt Alison or Dr. Bell are your doctor so you can live as a girl full-time and not have to change back and forth." Ella eased up as Logan still stood by ready to fight, but was really no match for either Rachel or Miles. Rachel hugged him tight and whispered, "She will be fine, we won't hurt her. She just needs time to get adjusted to us knowing the truth and wanting to help her." As the kids were talking Kennedy had to explain what she meant to Linda. Kennedy first asked if she had a declaration that Ella was transgender and if so did she get denied the right to attend school as a girl. Valerie added regardless Ella would get the help she needed to be the girl she really was. Linda looked at Juan who encouraged them to tell the truth. Linda took a deep breath and confessed, "Ella has a birth defect. Her doctors believe that she is female inside but born with what looks like a penis. She always identified as female but at birth the doctors couldn't or wouldn't see past the big thing sticking out. Ella has been forced to live as a boy in school but as a girl at home since kindergarten. It's been impossible to get her to get dressed and she has sparked multiple fights with Marlene over her dressing, with Marlene not even trying to help me with Ella anymore. It's a genetic thing, my sister's child had the same thing happen but we never got along so I don't know if she ever got her kid help." Kennedy nodded to Juan, Valerie asked why she didn't get Ella help for the issue. Linda had to hide her anger, explaining, "The doctors didn't think it was worth angering people or even worth the costs of the surgery. To them, it was deemed cosmetic and not a medical necessity. The pediatricians I talked with thought it wasn't worth the hassle to push the issue and I couldn't get referrals to specialists and without their approval, I would have to pay for her care myself. As she got older the urges were hard to ignore until she finally refused to be a boy at home. The psychiatrist said it was just a phase and the whole intersex thing could be corrected when she started puberty. I doubt he even wanted her as a patient, he was more concerned with her being the child of a lesbian couple than anything else." Valerie sighed and asked if she knew the name of her sister. Sophia Peterson was a name Valerie, Juan, and Kennedy knew all too well. Juan asked if they should tell her the truth getting a nod from Valerie. Juan turned to Ricardo who bowed his head and somberly told her, "Sophia died three years ago this past November. Dale, her then four years old child, was shipped east to see the father's other daughter and was placed in foster care while Dale's situation was sorted out. Dale was examined and so strongly identified as female to the point of harm that it was felt that Dale should have the corrective surgery to save Dale's life. Dale chose the name Daisy and through a lot of legal wrangling with her biological father and the hospital she had her surgery. She has grown to be a happy little girl who has helped many kids get used to being part of our extended family." Valerie added, "Daisy's biological father is my brother-in-law, he had a child several years before with the woman who would fall in love with Sophia's ex-husband. She adopted Sophia's sons as her own upon their marriage with her husband claiming her unborn daughter as his own daughter. By agreement between my husband and both sisters-in-law, she adopted Daisy as her own. Your sister may be gone, but she isn't forgotten. You have two outstanding nephews and a niece and a three and a half-month-old great-niece, named after your sister and looking like your sister." The group let the realization sink in. Juan quietly added, "She tried to do the right thing, and in the end she saved Daisy's life and now she is going to help you save Ella's life." Ricardo explained, "We know a young lady who was like Ella and Daisy who would have died had she not had surgery to correct her problem. In four or five years she would have suffered horrible issues due to menstruation. She will get the help she needs from people who are experienced with it and who we trust with our children's lives." They gave Linda a chance to come to terms with the news. Kennedy moved to where the kids were and asked to speak with Ella. Logan refused to leave her side so he remained with her as they talked. Kennedy sat down next to Ella and happily told her, "We know you are a girl inside. Your cousin Daisy had the same problems. It can be corrected but it'll likely be two months. You are going to be getting help from a special doctor as well as a doctor who helped kids like you before. She is a nice lady and she will be happy to have you get to know her daughter and your cousin Daisy." Logan asked what she was talking about. She smiled as she explained, "Your aunt Sophia had a little girl who was just like your sister. When Sophia died she was sent to live with her older sister. We found out she was like your sister but could easily correct it so she can be a regular girl. She is now a pain in the neck but we love her for it. Your sister will get the help that she needs, she will get the surgery to fix her issue and be a normal girl from now on not a boy who thinks he is a girl. You are a girl inside, your doctors couldn't or wouldn't see it but we will ensure they do." Ella hugged her for telling her the news. Logan was still on edge, it was expected as he had just seen his life turned upside down. Kennedy happily told Logan, "You aren't the first brother to see his sister become what she truly is. My son Reed did the same when his sister told us she was a girl inside, as did my nephew Ethan when he saw his future sister being a girl for the first time. You will take a lot of time to get used to it, but Ella is a girl and we won't let her be anything else." The kids went to the living room to see their mother and saw her with tears down her face. They grew scared but Linda happily told them, "These nice people have explained that your aunt Sophia died but her son Dale is now living as Daisy. They also told me that your cousins are married and one has a daughter. They are going to introduce you to them when we go east tomorrow evening." The kids looked at her and saw her smile. Logan started to ease up with Ella tearfully hugging Linda. Juan just sighed and told Linda, "Your wife held that information back from you. She handled Daisy's lawsuit against the county over the mishandling of Daisy's care. She should have known about your sister's connection to you right from the start. I am sorry, I just can't believe she would withhold that information. She should have told you, Lilly and Daisy would have wanted you to know- especially as it was a life and death matter with Ella." Valerie added, "Lilly, Patrick, and Daisy would have wanted to meet you. You could have gotten Ella care sooner as it was evidence that it was genetic and ran in your family. Patrick is coming tomorrow to help you move, he may have issues with your sister but he won't deny you the right to see your nephew. Sadly, David and Daisy won't be with him when he comes by. David has to work on a tough case and Daisy will be staying with my brother and sister-in-law." Miles kept quiet but Rachel asked if they should tell the others yet. Valerie insisted that they save it for when they got to Winnisimmet so it would be easier for the kids. She did concede that Sarah Jones, Richard Samuels, and Alison Eliza should be told so they could have things settled for Monday. The kids were directed to start packing with Miles helping box up Logan's room while Rachel helped box up Ella's room. Valerie and Kennedy were helping Linda pack her room while Juan and Ricardo were stuck getting a truck for the next day after returning Juan's unneeded truck. They were told to leave a couple of changes of clothes out while they got the rest together, with Ella's boy clothes being put away for donation. Linda felt like it was the end of one life while starting a new one. Valerie assured her that it was for the best, she wasn't alone and there were plenty of people who understood her pain all too well. Kennedy suggested that she just come clean to Linda causing Valerie to sit her down on the bed. Valerie steeled herself then quietly admitted, "My ex-boyfriend did something similar to Marlene six years ago. He was involved in fixing court cases in our county. He abandoned me when I became pregnant and after I helped him pass the bar exam. When my soon-to-be husband tried to adopt his foster daughter he pounced on the situation and tried to get her away from John. We fought back and exposed his lies and his crimes with him ended up in prison for 15 years total." She had to calm herself then added, "Two years ago things came back to haunt us as his brother helped put away a bunch of criminals who were trying to harm my daughter's former social worker. We found out that he was related to us through my son and then through my daughter. He was upset at what happened to us but he wanted to be part of our lives. Lilly, Daisy, Claire, Patrick, and David will want to be part of your life and the kids' lives. You deserve a chance at starting over and we couldn't leave you behind knowing you were all alone with those vultures manipulating things." Kennedy added, "You have a new job and the kids will be in a school with kids who know how to deal with kids like them. Ella, Faith, and Daisy will more than likely share a class while Logan will get put with Neil, Ethan, and Junior. Neil and Faith had to come east due to their father's new job as well as constant bullying against Neil while Junior and Ethan are used to tough situations and people who are undergoing a life- changing situation." Valerie snickered at that. Kennedy added, "You aren't the first lesbian that the kids have met. Ricardo is married to a handsome man while the kids have taken to Alison and Katie Eliza as their own aunts. Alison, in fact, is pregnant with twins, so they are going to be around a lot of kids who are simply for the lack of a better term ?different' with gender issues being among many things different." Linda wanted to ask more about the gender issues. Kennedy confessed, "I am transgender, as are Amanda Kelly and Katie Eliza. Valerie's niece Deborah is as well as is Deborah's cousin's girlfriend Addison. Among the kids, there's Valerie's daughter Jaimie, my daughter Kylie, our niece Nichole, Ricardo's son Diego, Katie's daughter Trinity, Rachel's girlfriend Reyna, and our niece Al. Addison, Trinity, and Kylie are the only ?intact' girls, the others were of age when they had their surgery or sadly in the case of three they had to undergo them due to vicious assaults or due to a horrible accident." Valerie allayed her fears by adding, "Only Al was not transgender, her situation was thrust upon her due to horrible damage to her privates. She has accepted it and moved on, the other two were in shock but accepted what happened. Reyna saved her sperm before she started hormones so she could fathersome children but sadly neither Al nor Nichole will never ?father' any children due to being prepubescent and having the sudden change happen." The kids heard everything Valerie had said. Ella looked up at Rachel with hopeful eyes, Rachel nodded, adding, "Reyna is all girl and she is an amazing one at that. Nichole is the leader of the fifth graders and going to be one heck of a woman. Al didn't want to be a girl but she is one now and she is enjoying being a girl, she even has a loving boyfriend who makes all the other girls jealous of Al." Ella shook her head and asked about the adults, particularly Kennedy. Rachel grinned and whispered, "She really was born in a boy's body. You are all girl inside, she doesn't have what you have inside. She is a mom but the kids became her kids due to adoption. She is a great mom and everyone loves her as the aunt we always wanted. She has helped out so many of us we can't help but love her as an aunt." Logan finally relaxed once he could see that they weren't lying to him. Miles took him aside and told him what the needed to hear, "You are a good brother. Your sister needs reassurances and support and you are giving her just that. You aren't alone either, but your sister has things that need to be done that we have experienced before. There are a lot of us who understand your thinking and feelings, we have been through it before and some of us have even been hurt trying to protect our sisters." The two helped the kids put their toys into boxes and get ready for dinner. They had quite a bit of toys that they no longer played with. Rachel sighed as she realized that Marlene had been buying silence so she didn't have to answer tough questions from the kids. Logan asked what was wrong. Rachel confessed, choosing to tell him, "Your mom got you a lot of toys and things that were meant to make you happy but she wasn't doing it for the right reasons. She wanted you to keep occupied so you wouldn't ask what was going on with her coming in late and not spending much time with you." Logan complained, "Mom didn't like us. She didn't want mom to have any kids, she thought it was a big mistake. It's why mama got pregnant not mom. She said she wanted to get pregnant from Uncle Ted but mama wouldn't allow it. It wouldn't be right to him." Rachel hugged him, adding a firm, "You are your mama's pride and joys. She loves you unconditionally and your mom was wrong to think that about you. She and your Uncle Ted were together for years and probably since before your mom and mama got together. Be glad that your mama loves you because there are kids whose parents didn't want them and didn't love them." She shed a tear while Miles added, "Rachel's parents didn't like her a all, they always treated her badly and kept acting like she was nothing to them so she didn?t get any confidence to be better than them. They would only give her attention when she did bad things. She really was better than them, she got away from them and made them pay for being terrible people. You two deserve better and maybe one day your mama will find a new mom for you two." The kids came out for dinner with Ricardo and Juan bringing some deep dish pizza for the group. They thought it best to get something everyone could enjoy, although Ricardo forgot they had to get forks and knives for them. Ella was happy to see the two guys making a simple mistake but it was a nice diversion from her lingering anxiety and fear that hours of being with them for ours didn't abate. John called to tell them that they were en-route and would be there in three hours. He didn't offer any numbers but Rachel cringed as she read the list of just who was coming. Ella asked who was coming, getting soft, "Claire, Iris, Patrick, Diego, Jaimie, Michael, Scott, Reed, Donald, Uncle Zeke, Courtney, and Jessie. The others are busy helping Uncle Jorge get the house ready and watching the kids. Aunt Gabby wanted you to know that after she got in this morning she went with Aunt Katie to the school to talk with Mrs. King and got everything cleared so all you have to do is sign off on the forms when arriving on Friday. She is glad that you are able to help her, she needed someone with your experience." Valerie shook her head at hearing the list. She sighed and added, "Zeke and John can help with the school transfer, they are fellow teachers and if need be can pull some weight from the union. The teens all suffered some form of abandonment or abuse." Miles somberly confessed, "I asked dad for advice on Daisy and he told me to text Aunt Lilly to tell her to keep her back and keep Julio and the twins occupied. It is easier to break the news to her at home so she doesn't have a bad reaction and can go to Faith and the others for support. Claire and Patrick will accept it for what it is. Dad thought it might harm Ella if she saw Daisy reacting badly making her react badly herself. It's delaying the inevitable, but it's better to do it where they have a better environment." Linda was appreciative of the effort by the group. They ate in relative silence as they started to think about the next day. The kids were anxious but Rachel and Miles kept their minds occupied with a few different activities and working with them on their schoolwork. Ella asked about Daisy, getting a laugh from the two as they tried to come up with just how to describe her. Miles was given the chance to explain as he had known her longer, telling her, "She is always happy and makes you the center of her attention, usually when she wants something. She is quick to trick dad, it's something that dad said all of the girls in our family are able to do." Rachel gave him a glare but Miles added, "Sorry but it's true, something about becoming part of the family makes you become manipulative of him. She, Claire, our cousin Hannah, and my sister Cat are all able to trick dad into doing whatever they want whenever they want. They are also sharp-tongued and short tempered as well as protective of their family and friends. Dad said it's something in grandma Catherine's bloodline, Uncle Zeke said our cousin Walter avoided this, the boys just have short tempers which my brother JD and cousins Bryan and Nigel Jr. show." Ella started to drift off to sleep with a smile on her face as she understood just what they meant. It wasn't being mean to each other, it was being family. She was happy that her cousin was able to find a family like that even if she lost her mom first. Once Ella was out Logan asked about the other kids. Rachel grinned and explained, "Junior loves cars, Ethan loves planes, Neil loves trains. The three are always together with Neil and Junior living across the street from one another. They are always around Nichole, Nancy, Kylie, and Margaret since Nichole and Ethan are brother and sister and Kylie lives just behind Neil. Nancy lives three houses down but doesn't like the others to come by since her mom Astrid is going to have a baby in a couple of weeks." He understood what she meant. Rachel added, "Virgil and Tyler usually play with them when they are in the neighborhood but stick to themselves. Trinity mostly goes with her own friends or with Faith and Daisy, she is probably going to be around your sister since she understands what she is going through but sadly she doesn't have the girl parts inside like Ella has." Miles added, "You might get lucky and Diego or the other 7th graders might be around you. Diego is probably going to stop in from time to time as his dad is going to work with Juan so your mama may watch him when he isn't with his girlfriend. You could also get babysat by the 9th and 10th graders if your mom needs it, that is if one of the college students don't get asked to do it first. Addison is great with the kids and is probably the best people person among all of the adults. You will like her." The two nodded to one another and added, "There is one person to be afraid of. He is a nice man but he is strict. If he asks you to eat, you eat. If he tells you to do something, you do it." Logan asked why he would do that, Miles explained, "He's like everyone's grandpa, except in the case of seven of the kids he really is their grandpa. He is also known to everyone in the city and helps out everyone. Juan is his nephew and is why we are all here, Juan helped save my cousin from his terrible grandparents and called his uncle for help, Uncle Jorge called Uncle Dan and got everything started. It was actually thanks to your mom that he was there at the right time to help him but Juan and Uncle Jorge are to thank for all of this happening. He would have told Juan to take in Julio had he not had his uncle found, he hates kids being hurt. He would want to help you so we are helping you now." Logan started to fall asleep allowing the two to leave and talk with the adults. Valerie could see they told them a lot to which Rachel explained what they had talked about and why. Linda looked at Juan regarding the Julio situation with Juan blushing at what they meant regarding Jorge telling him to help him out no matter what. John called an hour later to explain they were on their way in. He added that they had the reservations in the same hotel with Miles being told that he had better have their presents ready. Miles looked at Rachel who rolled her eyes at Michael's demand while Valerie shook her head, asking Linda if she wanted to trade Michael for Logan so Valerie could have a son who appreciated what he had. That got Linda laughing as they called it a night. They would be by early with John and Zeke going to the school with Linda to request the kids' school records while the others finished boxing and moving out the rest of the apartment. John had the job offer letter from Yvette King ready as well as the change of enrollment forms so it was simply copying and giving her 2-week notice while she utilized her personal days to end her employment immediately. The group arrived back at the hotel just as John and the others were arriving. Patrick asked if they had done enough to keep the bastards from getting after Juan, earning a laugh to which John added, "Guess that means there's a new wing about to be added down in Joliet." Kennedy added, "More like Marion or Greenville, Juan stumbled into the middle of an active federal investigation and gave them everything they needed including the key players- if they weren?t scum I could kiss the Lopezes." The group checked in with the changes being made to the group's reservations to allow for the siblings and John. Michael immediately asked for his presents, getting handed a Bulls jersey and Cubs hat as promised with Rachel getting a big hug and kiss that she cringed at getting. Jaimie simply lets it go, but Miles handed her the small necklace with the painted glass bear cub. They couldn't resist, it was an in-joke among the guys as Rick called her his little mama bear whenever they were in a loving mood. The teens gathered together and asked what happened so far. Miles skirted the issue and told them, "Dad and Uncle Zeke have to make a trip tomorrow to help Juan's friend transfer her kids to Winnisimmet. They are going to be in Daisy and Faith's class and Neil, Ethan, and Junior's class. She also has a job with Mrs. King waiting for her. All we have to do is help them pack up and move, the rest is dad and Patrick driving east while we help the kids get settled in at home." The teens left it at that as they could sense that there was more going on than they realized. Jaimie asked them if they had much left to pack up getting them to what they needed to actually do and not what was being suspected. Miles happily explained, "Logan and Ella have a lot to give to others but not much that needs to go out. Ella particularly has some things that she wants gone right away." Rachel lost her composure and started laughing at Miles' unintentional flub. The others looked at her oddly while Miles rolled his eyes and explained, "She has a lot of unwanted toys and clothes that her mom bought to distract her from what she was doing with her brother-in-law. They lost all meaning to the kids so they will gladly give away whatever they don't want so someone else can appreciate it." Jaimie wasn't buying what they were saying but let it slide. The group turned in for the night with Miles cursing himself for almost disclosing the secret. Jaimie would almost certainly catch what was really going on but come to the wrong conclusion but it wasn't far off from the truth. Over in the other room, the adults talked a bit about what was going on with Ella. It was felt that they wouldn't hold back and had it explained to them exactly what was going on. John and Zeke simply nodded, there was no reason to deny the request for records and Alison would meet with Ella just as soon as she got comfortable back east. The medical records would be transferred and the diagnosis by the psychiatrist could easily be questioned and shown to be biased against Linda and against the benefit of his patient with him being left open for trouble if he caused an issue. The group was up early and ready for work. The drive over to the Brown apartment took a bit of time as they navigated the busy rush hour streets, but they arrived with plenty of time to spare. Ella was a bundle of energy as they introduced her to the group while Logan was standing back, ready to protect his sister just in case something were to happen. John talked with Linda about the kids' school, with Linda giving him a crash course in the teachers, principals, and other parents. She was tolerated but wasn't liked by anyone. The staff didn't have a problem with her her but did hate that they had to endure a lot of complaints about her impacting the children due to her sexual orientation. John had heard it all before. He just grinned and explained, "Parents who complain like that should not be dealt with and you should not have had to endure it. The school should have defended you and told the parents to please leave their bias and insults at home. The kids see and hear what they are saying and doing and it was impacting them negatively from bullying thanks to kids thinking that they can get away with similar vulgar insults to not caring about the rules as there?s clearly no punishment. That won't be allowed by Yvette or any other principal, not if they value their jobs." Linda was relieved to hear that. John offered her a hearty, "It pays to be one of the richest people in the city at times, but it pays more to be a teacher. Valerie, though, is the one that they fear most. She has brought down too many people to count and one look at her causes folks to be on their best behavior." They settled down for a bit as they awaited the truck. Juan drove with Patrick to get the moving truck which Patrick grumbled about being the designated pack mule for the family yet again. They were the last ones to arrive due to the need to travel several miles northwest of the city center before traveling south. The kids were already mostly packed and ready to go when they arrive. Patrick helped load their boxes then moved on to Linda's things. He looked up at here and gasped. He took a second to gather his wits and painfully asked, "Aunt Linda?" Chapter 8 Patrick hugged Linda as soon as he saw her. John and Juan had to fight for words but Patrick wasn't giving them a chance to say much. The two were by his side but the smile on his face was hard to miss. He wasn't one for tears, but seeing his aunt brought them on as years of painful memories overcame him. Fights between his mother and his aunt over his mother's abandoning of David and him after the divorce, calls to them that became less and less as they grew distant over their mother believing Linda was wrong, finally his mother telling her that she was giving David and Patrick over to Lilly to adopt and raise as her own sons. It was a long time coming, but it was 18 years in the making. Patrick finally pulled himself together and looked at Linda. She hadn't aged much since he was 7. He asked Valerie firmly, "Did her wife keep us from her?" Valerie looked over at Juan who explained to Patrick, "She never knew you were in Chicago. Marlene intentionally kept you from seeing her." Patrick asked about Marlene, getting a terse, "She's going to prison" to which Patrick added, "She better not get out. She did something that is unforgivable and no amount of begging for forgiveness can make up for." Patrick looked at the kids and smiled at them. Linda introduced them to Patrick with Patrick lifting up Ella, earning a hug from her. Logan wasn't about to get too close which Patrick could understand. He was beyond the age of affection and Patrick was a new relative to him. Patrick decided that it was best to leave the emotional return for later as he started to move the boxes outside with the others helping. Diego did most of the coordinating for the movement, he had no problem handling the logistics while getting the added benefit of being able to tell Patrick what to do. Ella and Jaimie were in Ella's room finishing up boxing the last of Ella's things. She was picky about what they touched as she looked through her schoolwork and class pictures. There was something about Ella that Jaimie thought was off, as if she was trying to hide something. It finally hit her hard, with Jaimie asking Ella, "You aren't a full girl, are you?" Ella was going to cry but Rachel saved her, explaining to Jaimie, "She's just like Daisy. I mean it when I say thatL she and Daisy have similar issues down there that her doctors refused to fix." Jaimie saw the hurt in Ella's eyes and hugged her tight, shedding a tear and offering her apologies for scaring her. Jaimie quietly explained, "Mom will make sure you get surgery. It's important and mom won't let you go without it especially as Daisy is so much like you. I thought that you might be like me because you are so guarded about people seeing what you were forced to be like outside of your home." Claire kept silent about the whole situation regarding Ella. Ella asked about Claire, neither Jaimie or Rachel wanted to say much but Iris explained, "She is thinking and keeping things to herself. She doesn't want to think about what happened before she was born, our uncle left her angry and finding out that he unintentionally caused your mom to lose contact with your cousins is bothering her." Claire snapped out of it and added, "Roland probably had your aunt kept away from you because of your mom being a lesbian. He hates gays, he tormented Aunt Katie and said a lot of nasty things about Aunt Leslie. Your aunt died because of him, we got Daisy as our family but he still caused her to die." Claire needed some time to cool off while Ella smiled at Claire defending her mama. The girls helped Ella finish with her things and happily helped her take the box of boys clothing downstairs to the car to be taken to the donation center. Ella happily told them she was glad to see them gone with the girls all agreeing that it was for the best. Over in his room, the guys were helping Logan finish his own packing. He had a bunch of toys, but he took great pride in dismantling his game system and boxing his video games. The guys were jealous of some of the games he had, most of them were fighting games with a couple of first- person shooters. He had an iPad as well as a laptop, with both being top of the line models. He didn't have the cellular model like the others had but Michael figured that would change shortly. Scott and Reed figured out exactly what was going on with the glut of electronics with Logan angrily explaining, "Mom bought them for me to shut me up whenever I asked where she was at. Now I know why she got them. I don't want them anymore." Reed handled Logan as Scott moved the boxes out while Michael texted the boys to talk with Logan later. Reed was to the point, explaining, "It sucks but you accept that she was doing something horrible to your mom for her own selfish reasons. Your mom, the woman who gave birth to you and is moving across the country to start a new life for both of you, loves you. She is taking you to a place where you can start over and prosper. No more bad memories, just good ones. It's worth the effort to try to do things right from now on especially as your mom and sister will need your help." The perennial big brother worked his magic on Logan, getting him to calm down and see that things were going to be better. Scott and Michael nodded in approval while Jessie gave him a big kiss. Logan snickered at Reed cringing but smiled back at her, she did that to help ease Logan's tension. Jessie coordinated the moving of the last of the boxes with John and Zeke being forced to do the heavy lifting as they removed the furniture. It was being taken to a donation center along with the unwanted toys and clothes. Patrick and Michael drove, with Michael all but begging to drive but not being allowed by any of the adults to do so. John and Zeke looked at the time and announced it was time to head to the school. Ella and Logan had to turn in their textbooks while Linda offered her resignation letter. Kennedy agreed to go along with them for additional support, her job may be enough to scare the staff to assist lest they get investigated. The kids didn't want to leave Linda's side so they went with them. Valerie and the rest were driven to the hotel to get their things and meet them at the school after. Juan and Ricardo drove Juan's own car to the hospital to get copies of the kids' and Linda's medical records, it was easier for them to do it than Valerie who was already on a short fuse thanks to Judge Hoffa's betrayal. John and Zeke got the cold shoulder from the secretary but gave back the kids' books then got the records once they made it known that they'd be glad to inform the teachers union that members were given ill-treatment by the school. Linda handed in her resignation letter with the principal not liking that she was suddenly quitting but accepting that she was better off not being there anymore. The kids went unnoticed, in fact, Ella was sticking close to John that she was mistaken for John's own daughter which nobody corrected. Linda was finally asked where the kids were. She didn't lie, telling the principal, "The kids are right here. I can understand you not noticing Ella but Logan was standing right next to Zeke the whole time." The principal was about to say something about Ella wearing girls clothing but Zeke pointed out, "She is a fully diagnosed intersex child who expressed a desire for years to be raised female. You have no right to comment on her attire nor do you have a right to complain about her now that she is withdrawn from your school with the intent of being transferred to her new school tomorrow." John added, "Before you say otherwise: my niece, who also happens to by Ella's cousin through Linda's older sister, has the same condition and was proven to have not received proper care and attention back when she was born. Linda has tried to get care for Ella to correct the problem but has been blocked. Had she been allowed, Ella would have been enrolled and attending as a girl since pre-kindergarten and done so with the full backing of the law. She is female internally, and in due course will receive treatment to correct her horrible birth defect. And that's what it is: a cosmetic deformity that hasn't yet proven to be a problem but we know for a fact that it will be in approximately five years." Kennedy grinned and added, "Her new principal is well aware of her condition and her new pediatrician is making arrangements for her proper care. We are well versed in the laws so save your threats about going to social services and the police." She showed her trump card, her identification for the Attorney General's Office getting a cringe. John also added, "Three members of our extended family are members of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families and have fully supported the care for those who have deformities like Ella has. She has substantial legal backing so save the false accusations." Kennedy added, "John and his wife wrote Ella's new school district's policies on treatment of children who are intersexed, transgender, and non-binary. Ella is not now nor has she ever been transgender, she was born with a birth defect that was never corrected. Your ignorance of her circumstances is noted and should it become an issue I'll be sure to alert colleagues in this state about your actions. The same will be done to members of DCF should you force the issue through social services." The group walked out with Ella smiling as Logan glowered at the principal. Linda added, "He isn't lying about my niece's condition. She is the girl who took down several members of social services and the county hospital 14 months ago. I won't miss this place, you weren't the most supportive environment and you had me doing most of your own work without compensation I should have gotten." John grinned at hearing that, adding a quiet, "Yvette found a gem." Kennedy snickered, adding a happy, "It explains so much about Daisy, she has her pride and determination. Plus I'll have a talk with a counterpart out here to get her what was rightfully earned from all that additional work." John just nodded his head while Linda smiled at the little back and forth between them. Over at the hospital, Juan's appearance caused the hospital's records staff to scramble to do the least amount of work while delaying talking to him. They refused to help him until senior staff got there, knowing already that he was one who could easily make their jobs disappear as he had done to colleagues before. They whispered to one another to keep on the charade or they'd end up being the ones who got fired this time. Ricardo just waited by his side, they ignored him outright instead of asking to help him which he took to be a sign that they knew they were in trouble or simply lazy. He was leaning towards both given the amount of work they could be doing instead of trying to ignore Juan. It was a colossal waste of money, files were simply sitting there untouched as they talked to one another while awaiting higher-ups. It took a half hour of waiting until Ricardo finally demanded to speak with someone. They ignored Juan for good reason but there was no excuse to ignore him. There was no response to which he told Juan, "They are covering tracks. I'll call Richard, this smells nastier than Daisy's case. There was a bit of reasoning with Daisy, but this is a concentrated effort to deflect and avoid doing their jobs." Ricardo left to make his phone call. Richard was actually in his office and listened to what Ricardo had to say then added, "I'll set aside an appointment tomorrow morning with an immediate referral for a second opinion from an expert and an ultrasound. The costs for both are next to nothing compared with her dying of infection. It's not as invasive as it seems, it could have been done already!" Ricardo grinned at hearing that. There was no excuse anymore. Juan saw his grin and understood what was going on and nodded back. Juan himself was formulating the plan of action with Ricardo texting Valerie to have her draft an immediate lawsuit on Ella's behalf. Ella was denied basic medical care without reason except for personal bias and he was going to ensure that no kid had that happen again. Juan and he were of one mind regarding kids and their rights. With Juan working with him Ricardo could ease his workload and bounce opinions off him with Juan giving him a different insight that he needed at times. Ricardo grinned at the realization, Jorge had been a genius in getting them together as law partners. They hadn't done it yet but forming a legal partnership was the first thing they planned on doing when they arrived at Ricardo's office the following morning. After another 15 minutes, the director of records arrived and seeing Juan demanded to know why he was there. Juan just grinned and asked for the records of Elliot, Logan, and Linda Brown. He was handed them but upon inspection noticed a severe lack of depth in Ella's records which was pretty clear that they were being edited. Ricardo noticed some discrepancies and pointed them out to Juan who sighed and added, "We will return with a court order for all of Elliot's records. Further, this will be a federal order as this is not like last time- you are openly violating Elliot's HIPAA rights in removing many key parts of her file that are needed by for full and proper care. You have done this now twice, this time you purposely tried to pass off altered documents as a medical record. And for your information, as it will come out anyway, my client has a standing appointment with a well-qualified physician tomorrow and upon seeing him she will be given the care that she was denied here." Ricardo was already out and in the car, driving off to the federal courthouse while Juan endured every excuse possible for the refusal of care. When they realized he said she they went at him for forcing a sex change on Ella while causing a commotion that only ended up causing more issues as Juan caught the attention of senior administrators who weren't pleased that the whole Daisy Peterson fiasco was happening yet again and with Juan involved no less. Ricardo called 20 minutes later to say he had the court order preventing them from removing, altering, or destroying Ella's files and would have several FBI agents coming with him to have a nice long chat with the hospital regarding this breach of civil rights. Valerie called for them to pick up the lawsuit with Ricardo diverting to the hotel then filing it with the federal courts soon after. Juan thanked both for their prompt work which caused sneers from the office. Juan endured a long bout of waiting but once both the agents and Ricardo arrived they were able to get copies of everything along with the notes of the psychiatrist and intra-office memos shooting down the needed care for Ella. It was a clear cut case of them denying her without reason. The worst part was that on multiple occasions Ella's doctors had asked that they reconsider, with the administration summarily refusing. Costs were always claimed but the real reason was spelled out in-between the lines: they thought it was simply a waste of money and not worth the expenses to fiix something that won't affect them for years if ever. They never considered that she might be female internally, there was never an ultrasound performed and all referrals for one were all denied. There were the usual threats sent to Juan's email and voicemail but he logged all and ignored them. The ones threatening to have him fired were hilarious as Ricardo told him jokingly, "If I fired you I'd have to go to some far off place like the Ozarks because dad would hunt me down." Juan laughed hard, that was exactly what his uncle would do. He added a quick, "Your sister might pay to keep you there" to which Ricardo added, "Too true, and mom would happily pitch in!" There was no way Juan was going to drop the lawsuit. This was for Ella's future as well as the future of dozens of kids. She should have had her surgery when she was an infant, now their attempts to deny her based on money was going to actually cost them a lot of money. The agents assigned to the civil rights violation case happily called them to explain that the hospital had now done it twice and was suspected of doing it dozens of more times. It was now an active federal investigation with the state assisting for state offenses. The office had now had two big cases in less than a week helped by Juan, they were favorites in the office because of it with the agents being more than happy to admit that Juan certainly had a knack for breaking big cases for them. The two finally drove to the school where the rest joined them. Kennedy looked at the files as well as the false file and shot back a quick, "Damn, I chose the wrong place. Looks like you two had more fun than we expected." Juan burst into laughter while Ricardo blushed and admitted, "Just a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of Ella coupled with an active investigation initiated by the FBI and the state against the hospital." John had to hold back a big laugh as Kennedy added a hearty, "Oh is that all? Here I thought you two were trying to get away without any more paperwork." Linda was shown what they meant to which she hugged both for their defense of Ella. Juan grinned and explained, "Thank their own stupidity. They did the same thing to Daisy. They had a lot of bad apples in their front office that needed culling, maybe this time they get them all out." Ella looked up at them and somberly asked, "I can be a girl now? For good?" Ricardo nodded, picked her up, and explained, "Tomorrow you have a doctors appointment then you will have a consultation with a specialist followed by an ultrasound. All of this will be for your benefit, once they show that you are indeed a girl internally they will schedule you for surgery. That will likely be in April during the next vacation. Unfortunately, you will be stuck in bed for a few days though but given that it'll allow you to enjoy summer more I think it's worth it." John and Patrick hugged the others goodbye with John telling them he would see them the following night. John took the first shift and would drive through Massachusetts while Patrick drove the night shift through New York. They were only going to stop for a late dinner so ate before they left getting the others to laugh as they argued over where to eat at, giving a show for the two kids. The group flew in with Valerie getting preferential treatment as a VIP. The kids enjoyed seeing the snowy fields and mountains as they flew east. When they were on final approach, they were glued to the windows as they saw their first glimpse of Boston and the beaches north and south of the city. It was too cold to visit but they knew they'd go in the Spring and summer. As they were exiting, they were greeted by the youngest kids rushing for them. Kennedy had to grab Billy Pena before he toppled her. JD, Julio, and Cat rushed for Valerie and hugged her tight while Joseph and Evelyn happily told her that they were on their best behavior ever since she left causing all three to smile brightly as they eagerly awaited her response. Valerie happily told them they earned their presents but wouldn't get them until they got home. Julio just hugged her prompting the twins to do the same. Valerie told Julio she was proud of him for being such a good boy getting a blush and another hug. Juan quietly told Linda, "Those are Valerie and John's twins and her future nephew Julio. He is the little boy who unintentionally brought us here. I take it Dan and Melanie, his new parents, are home getting things ready for them." Juan was noticed along with the other newcomers. Joseph and Evelyn introduced themselves, with Valerie having to allay some impending questions for the time being. Claire whispered into Evelyn's ear which caused her to gasp and nod before she moved off to the other teens who tried to go unnoticed by her suspicious gaze. Valerie asked where the others were, getting grin and happy, "Ensuring David got a ribbing from his colleagues." Valerie shook her head at them doing that but it was unavoidable. She spotted him coming with Linda seeing how much he looked like his father that it was scary. Christina Connors made a break for Miles while Reyna Toro walked casually towards Rachel. Rick Samuels was bringing up the rear with a grumpy Daisy complaining about missing out on Faith due to Claire coming back at that time. David was startled to see Linda which prompted Daisy to ask what's going on with him. Valerie knelt down in front of Daisy and told the nearly eight-year-old, "He recognized this nice lady with us. She is your Aunt Linda. She is your birth mother's younger sister." Daisy asked to go. David nodded to Evelyn and Joseph to take her and Claire home. David explained to Daisy, "Mom will talk with you about this. If Aunt Valerie took them east then there is a good reason and wasn't done to make you feel bad. Mom may have been a bad mother but Aunt Linda was always good to us so please give her a chance to explain first." Daisy backed away and left. Valerie offers a solemn, "Give her time. She is still only 8 and has a lot of built up resentment and anger. She didn't have a violent reaction so it's more shock than anger. She doesn't know anything about your side of the family and she is a naturally good person so it'll simply take a bit of time to sink in that you are here and she is still a Brown deep down." Zeke, Rick, and Christina drove the teens home with Jessie and Reed riding in with Kennedy. Ricardo called Alex to pick him up, offering his hopes that Daisy wasn't cold towards Linda. Juan dreaded doing it but he asked his uncle for a ride, getting a laugh and joke back at doing so but getting a big hug from him and Victoria when they arrived. Valerie, Julio, and the twins drove in with David taking his aunt and cousins. Valerie called Lilly to alert her that she needed to talk with her immediately to which Lilly countered, "Daisy wants to come regarding whatever you have to say. She is upset but she understands that her mom had relatives and if you were introducing her to her then it was something important." That was the best possible outcome. Daisy needed time to digest the news and talk it out with her mother, it wasn't a rejection rather it was her mind going into overload and making her back away. It was the same reaction her paternal cousins all had, particularly Hannah and Cat. JD and Cat told her about their time apart from Valerie, giving her a distraction which the two four-and-a-half-year-old kids could tell she needed. Julio remained quiet, nodding and agreeing with them as they told her about the museums and play places they went to keep them occupied. Valerie added that they had done more that week without her than they had ever done before with Julio trying to say something but letting it slide. They were met at the house by the others with the trio going right for the entertainment room. David led the reluctant Linda and kids inside with Cat and JD grabbing the two to make them play. Logan got the nod from Linda so he joined them but was ready to go if it was too rough or boring. The two were unused to younger kids but when the trio went for the game system they gave in and started to play. JD and Julio were already getting better at playing but were no match for Logan or even Ella. The two didn't mind losing, it was improving their skills which they like more than anything. Upstairs, Linda awaited the inevitable questioning from the others. She was saved by Karen Smith and Leslie Sylvester coming in with their younger kids. Nigel Smith Jr. went for the older kids but just watched them instead of trying to play. Marcus Sylvester simply plopped down on the floor to play while annoying his mother, getting a smiled from Linda at him being so oblivious to the dramatics. Valerie asked where Ethan was, getting a finger pointed at the door with him dragging in the dinner while Nichole, "Helped" by simply carrying the light loaves of bread and napkins. Once he had the food put down Ethan was asked to go downstairs. Valerie smirked while Linda started to realize that Ethan was one of the boys that she had mentioned to Linda as being classmates of Logan. Downstairs, Logan greeted the newcomers with JD telling him, "Mommy said you were going to be Logan's classmate." That got Ethan to snicker and add, "Next you are going to tell me Daisy and Faith are going to be her classmates." Cat nodded, adding, "Mommy said it was all set for tomorrow." Realizing they were serious, Ethan let it go and wait for the adults to explain what was going on and why. Looking at the concerned Logan he could tell it was serious but not serious enough to warrant action yet. They wanted him to do for Logan what Neil and Junior had done for him and to him, that was exactly what he was going to do no matter what. The kids played for a while before they were called upstairs for dinner. Logan timidly asked the twins where their siblings were, getting giggle and quick, "They?re kissing." That caused Logan to blush while the twins laughed at the trio always doing that. The group ate in relative peace with the only ones doing any talking being the two youngest trying hard to make messes. Logan and Ella didn't say anything, but did notice that they were getting some odd looks from Leslie and Karen. They knew it was probably due to their cousins but it still caused anxiety. The kids were encouraged to go back to playing, with Ethan and Logan going out to visit Junior and Neil. Valerie cleared it with Junior's parents with Amanda Kelly being pleased to host Logan for a bit. Hearing how protective he was of his sister and mother, she thought it best to have him out of the line of fire in case things got too heated in a bit as well as allowing the four to get used to one another. Ella played with the twins and Julio until Julio went home. Melanie didn't ask what was going on, she had gotten so used to these surprises. Lilly had already asked about her thoughts on the whole Linda situation, with Melanie trying her hardest to help keep things civil. She was angry at Marlene and was outraged that someone would stab their own sister in the back like her brother had done, Melanie vowed to help the kids in any way which Lilly took to mean she was alright with everything going on. Lilly finally arrived with David, Claire, and Daisy. Lilly smirked and hugged Linda then offered her condolences on Marlene being taken to the cleaners by Linda. She had a happy smile as she added, "She didn't deserve you, any person who would throw away years of love deserves worse than she got." Daisy watched her mother's reaction, or rather her lack thereof. She sat next to Ella which caused Lilly to smile at how much they resembled one another with Daisy having the prominent Finn features yet still having some of the Brown features on display such as green eyes and dimples. Linda was pleased that she took after her father even if he wasn't the greatest person, Sophia was a lovely woman but it was still a piece of her living on in Daisy's features. Valerie asked where Sophia was, getting a somber, "Slight fever" from David. He added, "Uncle Nigel is helping Emma deal with Sophia's first illness, which he is taking harder than her. He is taking being a granddad hard." The ladies laughed at that with Linda appreciating them doing their best to make her fell comfortable even if it was unintentional. Lilly smiled and told David to show the pictures of Sophia to Linda. David groaned at doing that but showed the pictures, waiting for the response. Linda shed a tear, little Sophia was her grandmother's image. She was even more of a Brown than the three Peterson kids were, she had her grandmother's nose, chin, and cheeks as well as her auburn hair. When Linda calmed herself Valerie asked if they should discuss Ella. Linda nodded to which Valerie explained, "Daisy and Ella share a lot more in common than just grandparents. Ella is in need of a similar surgery like Daisy had. She is intersexed and was until yesterday forced to live as a boy." Chapter 9 Daisy looked at Ella then at Linda to see if Valerie was lying. Daisy gripped Ella tight, crying into her shoulder as she realized that she was going to be a big part of Ella's life from now on. Daisy couldn't help it, she knew what Ella went through and even if it brought back memories of her mother it was her job to help Ella no matter what. Lilly asked if they had taken care of the medical issues, getting a hearty, "Richard is itching to help out and set up the appointments for her already." Lilly nodded, knowing that he would do whatever was necessary to help Ella especially now that she was known to be like Daisy. She added a warm, "You know it'll be Patriots Day weekend when she has it, but it's the best thing to happen to her." Lilly realized the time and got up to leave, offering Linda and Ella hugs while David got the reluctant Daisy to come with them. Valerie offered Linda and the kids a ride to their new home, with Juan inside and texting her that the rooms were set up and awaiting the kids. Linda just smiled at the whole turn of events, Valerie grinned as she added, "The girls are quick and needed only a little bit of prompting from us to get everything for you." Linda shot back, "We will pay you back." Valerie smirked, they wouldn't accept a penny. Whatever she gave them would go right back into the kids' trust funds that she was having set up when she won half of Marlene's assets in the divorce. Besides, she was family and Deborah would never let her new aunt pay for a thing no matter how much she protested. The boys were tough to separate. The four were good together with the four sharing common interests with each having their own specialty. Logan held a secret love of firetrucks which the others happily added into their group alongside the trains, planes, and automobiles. Sarah Jones had to hold back her smile as Neil accepted Logan as one of them without question. He didn't ask questions, just knew that he was going to be asked to help Logan get settled in and let him sink or swim once he was used to the school. Amanda Kelly loved that Junior had simply thought of Logan as a friend until he proved otherwise, he was more open than the others but he could sense that Logan needed someone to be friends with him no matter what. Linda got a crash course in meeting the kids with Faith Jones rushing out to see the new boy off. When Faith saw Ella she smiled and asked if she was the new girl the teens talked about. Valerie snorted and asked which one told her, getting a smirk and quick, "Rachel did. She told Iris and Reyna." Valerie looked at Ella who was unsure what to do, then explained, "She is going to be in your class. She is Daisy's cousin and was born like her. Can you help her in school?" Faith nodded then went inside, she didn't need to say anything more as she already said she would help out and would be told about Ella anyway from Daisy when they played the next day. Sarah asked the pointed, "Is she fully like Daisy?" Valerie sighed and offered a somber, "The exact same situation as Daisy, only with her there wasn't a substance abuse situation involving her mother. She was flat out denied to which Richard is going to help fix." Sarah smirked and added, "Oh good, I hope that you ensured several of them would never work in the business again." Valerie raised an eyebrow to which Sarah laughed at, adding, "I can't hold back. Four lawyers there? Those idiots never stood a chance. As long as others are helped then it's something that needed to be done no matter what the monetary amount was." The group left Sarah smiling at Ella and Linda. In the car, Linda asked about Sarah, getting a smile and hearty, "She is the one who saw an issue with Sam York that saved her life which prompted us to take this situation so seriously. We already knew that Daisy was going to be a normal girl when she she got to puberty, but seeing Sam go through the horrors of possibly dying if Sarah hadn't been there we knew Ella will have an issue in the future. It's simply inevitable. It?s why Richard is taking her situation so seriously, it for her protection." Valerie drove over to their new home and had to smile at Juan being given an interrogation by Hannah Smith. Seeing Valerie, Hannah stopped and smirked while Valerie shook her head and pointed out, "You couldn't wait until tomorrow to do that?" Hannah shot back a quicker, "And miss the fun? No!" Valerie just shook her head and introduced Hannah and Pete to Linda with Hannah grinning widely at seeing the two kids. Valerie told Hannah to let them get settled, she had plenty of time to get used to them. Looking at the two Hannah understood why. She could theorize that they were about the right age for Ethan and Daisy or Nichole. Juan showed the house off to the three with the kids rushing to their rooms. Both were white with light tan baseboards and door frames. Each had a different set of curtains with one being pink and another blue. It was easy to tell who had each room, with their own bedding in a masculine or feminine style. Linda's room was the master bedroom. Juan had opted to have his own large bedroom/private office up in the attic allowing for a guest bedroom for the inevitable sleepovers and overnight guests. Linda tearfully hugged him, but it was actually Scot and Quentin Nelson who suggested it. He had every right to the master bedroom yet he gave it to Linda, it meant more than he realized. The kids were told to put their clothes away then go to bed which got a happy nod from them. Valerie bowed out, first giving Linda a big hug and adding, "John and Patrick picked up your car and left your landlord with notice of intent to terminate the lease. Juan's car is in storage but yours is coming here since you need it right away. I'll be with you tomorrow for everything so I'll drive you around." Valerie left and was home before the teens allowing her to get ready for their inquisition. Jaimie wasted no time and asked about Daisy, getting a happy, "She did exactly as we hoped she would. They all cried and hugged and seeing Sophia Linda was relieved of a lot of grief. They are just awaiting the car and their belongings but should be alright from now on." Michael realized this was the best they'd get and told the others to go to bed. He gave his mom a hug showing that it was alright, he'd help quell Jaimie's need to help and keep Miles from telling her off. Valerie added a soft, "I know it wasn't the best of memories but you helped them more than you realize. Lance was terrible but from him, we got experience to help others who needed our help." The next morning Ella and Logan were up before their mother and eagerly waited in the living room for their mother to come down. The two didn't say much, they were dazed from the amount of people they had met and that they had no problems with them whatsoever. They knew they'd get help but this was something else entirely. Logan told her about Junior and Neil and the two playing games with him for two hours as they switched off with one another. Faith had been in to see them as was the crawling Brent who plopped down in Logan's lap to, "Help" him play. He was too cute to say no to and stayed there until he fell asleep with his mother being shocked at him doing that for Logan. Linda came down and started to cook, feeding the two kids while waiting for Juan to come downstairs to cook for him. He tried to decline but she was perfectly fine doing it for him especially as he was her closest friend. She never got the chance to show her feelings about him before now as her chance. Juan ate, hugged the kids, then went to Ricardo's office to get the paperwork started to form their new partnership. He didn't need to do much except sign the forms, Ricardo's clerk had done most of the work and Katie Eliza had done the rest with Ricardo's approval over everything. Ricardo and Juan split everything 50/50 with the two moving to a newer, larger space that had four offices and a decent sized secure storage room as well as computer support from a private company that just happened to be owned and operated by Gabby Bollinger. Ricardo asked around regarding a fully qualified paralegal to help with cases and came up dry. Juan thought it over and asked that he look to John for help getting chuckle and quick, "He will have a long list but he trusts them fully." The two made the call only to be directed to Joseph and Evelyn who both happily knew of two students who were earning their associate's degree and could use the boost in their drive towards becoming a full lawyer later on. Ricardo didn't bat an eye at one of them being transgender, he simply asked that they be ready to assist. Juan had a big grin as he added, "If a client has an issue with them they aren't going to be our client any longer. Their private life doesn't matter so long as they can do the work." Evelyn happily added that they expected that and had asked them to keep a close eye on the new hires as it was their first real job for both and both wanted to make a strong impression on the Finns. The two understood, with Juan and Ricardo both knowing that they'd put in a word with their old schools. The job was important and strong work was going a long ways for a placement for them. While the two legal eagles were working, Valerie arrived to pick up the group to go to Ella's doctor's appointment then the elementary school. She didn't get outside before she was stopped by Hannah and Pete, who were eager to see the newcomers who moved in. Hannah gave Linda the once- over then moved on to Logan and Ella. The kids were concerned while Valerie waited for Hannah to say something. She whispered to Linda, "She knows there's something up with the kids that she can't quite place. It'll be funny when she figures it out since it's pretty obvious that Logan is related to David and Patrick." Pete let her think while he asked the obvious, "Have they met with Aunt Lilly yet?" Hannah gave him an odd look to which he shot back, "Do you really not see it? He's definitely related to Patrick while she is Daisy's cousin. She has your nose, cheeks, and chin but she is definitely related to all three of them." Valerie smirked at her niece who was at a loss for words. Pete muttered, "All the brains in the world and no common sense." Linda diffused the situation by adding, "We met her last night. We had to talk with Daisy and David. They are alright with us being here but Daisy needs time." Hannah asked where they were off to, getting a solemn, "Doctor's visit" to which he added, "Mom said to call her when you are ready, it'd help to have her with you." Hannah was going to ask something getting a stern, "Not now" from Pete. She backed off and realized it was delicate and not for her ears. A half hour later, they were in Boston at the scheduled appointment with Dr. Richard Samuels eagerly greeting the group. He escorted Ella and Linda inside then looked over the medical records and saw just what they were doing and why with him making notes to which he added, "Give these to Ricardo and Juan, they will need these." He then happily told them, "She is perfectly healthy except for the little abnormality, which I am asking my colleague to examine." There was another exam, this time more thorough with the nurse and Linda keeping careful watch over Ella. He wrote down some more notes, had Ella go for an ultrasound, then come back to his office for a discussion. Ella kept quiet throughout with Linda shedding a tear as she saw that Ella was completely female internally and Linda would one day be a grandmother from her. With that done the specialist explained to Linda, "As you saw in the images, she is a fully functional female with an abnormal growth along her clitoris making it appear to be a penis. It looks like a penis but it's a vastly enlarged clitoris. It can be reduced to a normal size and repositioned to a proper place with her urethra being rerouted. She needs surgery to open up her vagina. I am aware that this is now the second time that this happened, previously it was felt that it was due to drug usage but it's now genetic instead of environmentally influenced. Your family carries the gene, whether it affects only the females are unknown but both girls will need to know in the future." Richard read the report then signed off on the surgery, adding his blessing and agreement that both girls would have to be concerned in the future as they may be carriers. Little Sophia didn't suffer from the condition so it was believed to be only passed from mother to daughter. Valerie made a phone call to David to alert him that Sophia didn't have to worry about it passing down, which his wife Emma was happy to hear and felt great relief over knowing. Their last stop was to meet with Dr. Alison Eliza in her office. With the medical opinions backing them, it was now just a formality so Mrs. King could grant Ella the right to attend as Ella, not as Eliot. Alison simply reviewed the notes of the psychologist and blurted out, "How did he get away with this for so long? The man is a quack, you are perfectly fine and should have been allowed to be a girl." Linda asked what she meant to which Alison explained, "He had no actual interest in Ella and was more concerned with your being a lesbian than anything that she had to say. I have my concerns that he was going to do something to remove Ella from your home. The medical evidence was there, he chose to ignore it. The man needs to be removed from his job before he wrongly accuses people of abuse." She then smiled and added, "I think I'll have a talk with some colleagues out in Chicago. They will be able to get the proper people notified about his wrongdoing. He could have harmed Ella and was no more her doctor than you are her doctor." Turning to Ella Alison smiled and added, "You are a girl. In your mind and in your heart you are a girl. Your own body was that of a girl, it?s just a genetic abnormality that your mom didn't know about that didn't manifest in her generation. You will be going to school as a girl, and with your mom's blessing you will go before a judge to have your name changed to reflect your proper gender now that it's clear you never were a boy in any sense of the word." Ella shed tears and hugged her. Alison then added, "I can't help you. You actually don't need help. You need friends and support from family, but not a psychiatrist. Faith and Daisy are the best people for you, give her a chance to let the relationship sink in but she will be the friend you need along with the family you already have. Plus you have my daughter to help, that is if you don't mind a first-grader who is close to the girls helping you." Ella tearfully said yes, it was a thoughtful offer and Ella knew Trinity was a girl who wasn't born a girl. Alison wrote out her recommendation with Linda thanking her for helping. Alison just smiled back, adding, "An hour of time is worth it for a lifetime of happiness. Plus you gave Katie a chance to keep her feet in the legal waters and gave Trinity more time with friends this week which they all appreciated." Valerie led them out then texted Karen they were on their way. They drove over the Mystic River Bridge to which the kids were glued to the window, seeing the boats on the river and in the harbor and smiling at the sight. Valerie shook her head at the act, it was something every kid did. The group arrived at the school to which the kids stared in awe at the sheer size of it. Valerie snickered and told them, "It's four schools in one complex, yours just happens to be the best of them." The two didn't hear what she said, they were in shock of the size and amount if kids that would go there. Valerie carried their records inside then spotted Karen talking away with Yvette King and her husband Ivan. The two were happy to see Linda with Yvette happily telling her, "You are a godsend, the temps we have been using were the worst secretaries I have ever known. You don't have to do much to surpass them but your recommendations are highly flattering." Valerie snickered at hearing that, asking, "Did they just come in this morning?" Yvette raised an eyebrow and said yes earning a quick, "They are in ?CYA' mode for what they had done the day before. She was ill- treated, worked to the bone for little compensation, and had her daughter insulted by the staff and principal when they were withdrawn and her daughter's condition explained." Yvette asked about the condition, getting a happy, "It's a genetic abnormality that her mother and aunt passed on to their daughters. You are aware of Daisy Peterson suffering from it, sadly Ella has endured it as well but without proper support. We have all the official documentation from Richard Samuel, Alison Eliza, and a specialist and are going to have her name legally changed on Monday." Yvette understood, adding, "She will be treated as any other girl and given no preferential treatment. She will be given some leeway after her surgery but that shouldn't be a problem. I expect the girls to help her out, as I assume they are aware of her condition?" Valerie nodded, but added, "Faith may not know yet, but Daisy has pledged to help." Turning to Logan Yvette smiled to him and added, "We have an opening in Junior, Ethan, and Neil's class. I expect the four of you to be on your best behavior. If you need help ask the 5th graders, Nichole and Kylie are brilliant and from my understanding, Nancy lives nearby so she can help you out as well." Logan nodded, not wanting to say something that would upset his new principal. Karen took the kids to visit with their new friends allowing Linda to get up to speed at the office and Valerie to sort out any issues that could lurk inside their records. Karen was more than happy to take the youngsters with her, with Neil, Junior, and Ethan being home waiting for her return. Karen picked up the trip and drove on to the Jones home with the boys going out back to play while Faith was asked to play with Ella. Sarah greeted both warmly with Karen offering her a hearty, "All clear and getting brutal." Sarah nodded, offering a terse, "They deserve every penalty they endure." Faith brought Ella up to her room to play with her toys, particularly her dolls. Ella did whatever Faith wanted to do with Faith happily playing her favorite games while giving Ella a say in what to do despite her timidity. Faith enjoyed leading, with Ella allowing her to show her inner self more. The girls played for a while with Faith blissfully unaware of Ella's birth defect. Daisy finally arrived to play with the girls and happily hugged her cousins, with Ella getting asked immediately about her two doctor appointments. Faith was puzzled and asked what was going on to which Daisy told her, "Ella is going to school with us, she had to see Uncle Richard then another doctor then Aunt Alison before she could come to school as a girl. She has a birth defect that makes people think she is a boy but she really is a girl inside." Faith didn't believe her. Daisy smiled and told her, "She is just like me, except her mom didn't die. She needs surgery to fix her birth defect. Our moms were sisters, my real mommy not Mommy Lilly." Faith hugged Ella who was on the verge of tears over Faith not believing Daisy's claims. Faith understood why she needed the surgery, even if she wasn't old enough to understand the biology she did understand her mom and the older girls having periods. Recalling Sam's sudden surgery she finally told Ella, "The girls in the class aren't nice but mommy wants us to be friends so we will be friends." The trio played quietly while the adults talked down below. Lilly and Sarah were happy to help Linda if she was running late while Linda was more than happy to do the same them. They were becoming fast friends as the ladies talked about anything with their spouses getting constant jokes. Linda understood fully what they were joking about, even if she was newly single. Karen joked that the single moms club finally found a new member, getting laughs from Valerie and Lilly. The ladies joked that every time they lost a member they gained a new one, pointing out Lindsay replacing Alex and now Linda replacing Mike. That set off Linda who understood the connections thanks to talking with the ladies on the plane, she was happy that they saw her as one of them already. The kids talked until dinner with Linda going home to a big meeting with John and Patrick. The kids were reluctant to go but there was work to do with all four rooms needing things brought in and their own personal items sorted for decorating. To Valerie it was the best possible sign, they were fast friends with the boys and girls and had already gotten the best out of one another after only a few hours. Juan greeted them at the house with a big smile and happy, "The fight is on, the reports from the doctors have no way to be refuted." John added a swift, "It helps when their new pediatrician helped contribute to a paper on the disorder that Ella suffered from. There is nobody who would go against him on it." Patrick was quiet as he drove the car off the carrier. When he parked he asked how his mother and David reacted. Ella hugged him and told him, "They are the nicest people. Your mommy is nicer than any aunt we ever met." Ella's glowing report was supported by Valerie adding, "Lilly and David took it well, but Daisy took a bit of time to think things over. She is doing the right thing for Ella and accepts that she has more family from Sophia and that she is helping her cousin more than anyone else could. Sophia avoided the spotlight, but Nigel had them going crazy ensuring she was doing better. He needs to turn off his nurse mindset from time to time." Patrick burst into laughter at that. He could understand, Nigel was a born nurse and this was his first grandchild. He did everything short of calling in his own mother to help Emma and Sophia. The pleasantries out of the way Patrick did the heavy lifting while the kids directed the movement of the boxes. Patrick groaned when he read his wife was on the way but chuckled when he saw she wasn't alone. Turning to Valerie he added, "Speak of the devil and he doth appear" then showed her the text from Deborah telling him she was coming by. Patrick sighed and told Linda, "My wife Deborah is coming with our sister-in-law Emma and Sophia. Sophia is doing better and is getting cranky at home so I get a ride home with them while I get some ?quality time' with her while the ladies rest. They want to meet the three of you and satisfy their curiosity. They are normally in a good mood but they are a bit smothering when it comes to Sophia." While they finished moving the last of the boxes inside Deborah parked the car. Sophia was crying but stopped when she saw Valerie and John. John smiled back at her, happily saying, "Finally, one of you that doesn't put on a show." Emma saw the look she was really giving then announced, "She did worse, she gave you a big, smelly present." Sophia was now giggling as John grumbled at the kids being all the same. Valerie, Deborah, and Patrick burst into laughter while Emma tried to apologize to which John added, "You didn't do it, it's something the kids have been doing since your brother and sister were born. You little brats never get enough of making me look foolish, it's all a game to them and she is playing it too." Emma changed Sophia who cooed and kicked as she enjoyed the fun of John's reaction. When done, Sophia saw the new person and gurgled at Linda. Linda had tears in her eyes seeing Sophia, she was the spitting image of her grandmother with her eyes, her beautiful nose, and her perfect cheeks. She had Emma's ears and chin along with her light brunette hair but to Linda, it was like seeing her sister alive. Emma could see the sadness in Linda's eyes and offered Sophia to Linda. She gladly accepted the bundle and kissed her forehead getting a happy coo in reply. Linda showed Sophia to Ella and Logan with both being happy to see the baby up close, and to Sophia, they were more people to dote on her. Sophia started to stir again with Linda handing her back to Emma who placed her in her car seat. Patrick hugged his aunt goodbye with Emma and Deborah doing the same. The two ladies were happy to come by the next morning to get to know Linda and give her more time with Sophia which Linda tearfully accepted. After the Petersons left, Juan received a phone call from his mother. This was just like last time only she was upset that he dared to live with a woman who was a lesbian let alone coming back to the city and ignoring her. He calmly told her that Linda was his friend and she had no right to talk to her that way earning him a threat from his mother. Juan finally had enough and told her firmly, "Enough. I am your son, not your slave. I am telling you never to contact me again and am going to evict you from my home for good. Linda is my friend and is related to multiple people whom I care about and who is the best person I have ever known. His mother ignored it, telling him firmly, "Get rid of the maricon or she dies."