Notes from the Heart Healer Page #4

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Is that something you'd consider?

What, you mean, adopting a baby?

Or keeping Charlie,

if his mother never shows up.

I didn't realize that you...

Look, I'm thinking about the AARP,

not the PTA.

At this stage of the game, we're supposed

to be thinking about that, not this.

Who says what we're supposed to

be doing with our lives if not us?

I don't know, it just seems like

it's a sign, you know,

that maybe we should...

What? Start all over?

Maybe, yeah.

With diapers, pre-school, play-dates?

Why not?

I just never thought

I'd be having this conversation with you.

But now that you are?

I'm gonna get some air.

- Great day for sailing.

- Can say that again.

Can I help you?

This truck looks like

it might belong to a friend of mine.

A pretty young woman. Is it in for repairs?

Nope. This one's an impound.

Illegally parked on the edge of town.

Besides repairs, we do towing for the city.

She's just out of gas, though,

so I expect someone will

come looking for her sooner or later.

Sheriff know it's here?

Yeah, one of his deputies called us to

come pick it up, so, yeah, I guess so.

Who's it registered to?

I didn't look.

You mind if I do? 'Cause

if it's my friend's,

I can just give her a call,

tell her it's here.

Yeah, help yourself.

Hey, Steve! Phone's for you!

- Excuse me.

- Line one.

"Violet Johnson. "

I'm not sure you should be

looking through that stuff.

You're right, sorry.

The truck belong to your friend?

No. Afraid not, but thanks

for letting me look.

Yeah, sure.

I was starting to get worried.

I can tell.

Where's Charlie?

Woke up after you left. Sucked down

another bottle and went back to dreamland.

I found a baby monitor in the stuff

Dot brought,

so we should be covered till he wakes up.

Probably gonna stay up all night.

Probably.

Look, Peyton.

I'm sorry.

You know better than anybody, sensitivity's

never really been my strong suit.

But have you asked yourself

why you think we should keep this baby?

I mean, if the opportunity presents itself?

Of course I have.

Look, my heart is breaking

for Charlie's mother,

but at the same time, I'm trying to

untangle how Charlie's breath on my face

makes me feel.

And, you know, it seems like

you're falling in love with him, too,

but you won't even talk about

starting a family.

Starting a family again.

Again, but this time,

the two of us, together.

Okay, nice work, everybody.

Just please make sure

that all the participants

fill in the liability form, okay?

This one here.

Looks like you've got your hands full.

Yeah, and it's not just the parade.

I'm in charge of picking

this year's Crab Queen.

Can I nominate my boss?

Well, I don't know, is she under 16?

Not for many years.

- You want a cup of coffee?

- Sure.

- So?

- So?

You come to volunteer?

No, I came to pick your brain.

Well, a meager harvest, but help yourself.

What will happen if they find the mother,

from a legal standpoint?

Well, it could go several ways.

Depending on?

Depending on why the mother

abandoned the child in the first place,

her mental and physical state,

a whole host of possibly

mitigating circumstances.

I mean, once she's picked up,

she'll be questioned first

by law enforcement,

and then a family court judge

will try to determine

the best possible option for Charlie.

Including returning him to the woman

who left him on my doorstep?

As a rule,

the court tries to keep a family intact.

I mean, completely severing

the biological bond

between a mother and her baby

is rarely the best outcome.

And if they never find the mother?

Then Family Services will take the child,

and he'll go into foster care

and then into the adoption pool.

How long does that take?

Before you can adopt Charlie?

Is that what you're asking?

Really?

Several months at best.

I mean, bureaucracy is dense when it

comes to kids, but if you're patient...

It could happen?

Is King on board with this?

I don't even know if I'm on board with it.

Look, I empathize with the mother,

for obvious reasons,

- but I also want to protect Charlie.

- Peyton.

Peyton, you do not have to adopt Charlie

to protect him.

As for Charlie's mother, well,

you can't really help her,

unless you know where she is.

Well, look at you.

What a difference a little rest makes.

The doctor says I'll be good to go

in another day or so.

And then what?

I'm not sure yet.

And I hate to ask this,

after everything you've already done,

but you don't know of any work

around here, do you?

I can handle almost anything

from waiting tables to pumping gas.

I might be able to scare something up.

Let's get you healthy first,

and then we'll worry about a job.

Ramona?

Have you heard of a woman about your age

named Violet?

Never. Why?

I just got a call from a pastor

in Constant Harbor.

The description sounded like you.

Really?

I've been running the

shelter for a long time,

heard a lot of stories.

The ones with the happy endings,

the heroines figure out

that help and trust go hand in hand.

We'll just give it a test.

- Hey!

- Hey.

A regular eating machine, isn't he?

Yeah, we might have to invest in a cow.

- There you go.

- For some, it's eat, pray, love,

and for Charlie it's

eat, poop, sleep, right?

I think somebody needs a diaper change.

- Yeah? Okay, here.

- No, no. No, I can do it. I can do it.

Come on, sweetie.

Let's go. Let's go.

King? I just talked to Dot,

and she said that

if the mother never showed up,

that we would have a chance,

you know, if we want to adopt Charlie.

You know, I didn't realize until now that

if I hadn't given up my own baby,

she was the thing

that would have healed my despair,

and Charlie's being here

has just reawakened a longing in me.

I need to be a mother, King,

in every sense of the word.

And I can either join you

in your journey, or...

Or what?

Hello. My name is Tilly Minor,

and I'm calling from the women's shelter

over in Ruckston.

Pastor Newton gave me your number.

This is Peyton MacGruder.

Hi. I was just leaving a message.

Yeah, I know, sorry.

I couldn't get to the phone.

Well, as I was saying,

Pastor Newton gave me your number.

I'm calling about the girl

that you're looking for, Violet?

Is she there at your shelter?

Maybe.

Maybe?

There's a young woman here...

Well, at our clinic, actually.

She says her name is Ramona Eastmore,

but I don't...

I think she's making that up.

She fits the description

that you gave the pastor to a tee.

He also told me about the baby

that you're caring for.

How's he doing?

Fine.

You said that she's in your clinic?

That's right.

For drugs and alcohol,

like that kind of clinic?

No. When she arrived

here, she was very ill.

Collapsed in my arms, in fact.

How is she now?

Improved.

Ms. MacGruder, this girl needs help.

That's why she's come to us.

Can I assume that you have

her best interests at heart?

Yes.

Then I can ask her to meet with you

if you'd like.

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