Brady Remington Landed Me in Jail

Brady knew who his father was. And he was going to find out why my mother was there. This was not good. This was not good at all. And Brady was not stupid, not at all.

"Hey, hey, hey!" I pounded on the door until the same irritated clerk came back, even more irritated. She called through the door, "What you want?"

"I have an emergency. I need a phone." And boy, was it an emergency.

She crossed her arms and pointed behind me. "You have a phone in there."

"No, I need…" I gulped for breath and felt everything starting to sway around me. Everything was just too much…and he knew. I couldn't wrap my mind around it. Brady knew…what did this mean? "I need to get out. I can't…he knows…"

She shook her head. "I can't hear you. I'll get Doug. Sit. Sit. Sit."

I stumbled to my chair and bent forward to cradle my head in my hands. Deep breath, one, two, three. Exhale, one, two, three. I kept up my breaths and hoped my heartbeat would slow a little.

Brady knew.

He already knew.

Holy crap.

Then Deputy Doug came back and I shot up from my chair. "Please. I need to go. I have to go. Brady—I have to go."

"We still need to wait for Judge Bailor."

"Please, Doug! Please! I have to go. Brady—" I couldn't tell him what Brady knew. I couldn't tell him because I didn't even know what it meant.

Deputy Doug narrowed his eyes and sat slowly. His hands curled into his desk's edge as he sat forward. "What do you mean? What about Brady?"

"Nothing. Never mind. I just really need to go."

"Rayna, tell me what's going on," he commanded.

"I can't—" But wait, could I tell him? I remembered my grandmother saying, ‘Deputy Doug was working as the dispatcher that night...figured to keep it quiet...Doug had found a family to place him with...’ My mouth fell open as I gasped, "You know!"

He frowned. "Wha—huh?"

I was lost in my thoughts. "All I heard that night was that Brady is Frank's son. Grandmother told me that she brought him to you. You helped her. You got Brady with the Forresters so he'd move next door to us. You've helped all along."

"Oh. Rayna. Oh…"

"You've known all along," I whispered out and wondered how much else I hadn't heard that night. "But every time you arrest Brady, you…" He always tried to help him. "You told me that you thought of him as your own son."

Deputy Doug's voice was soft. "I'm old, Rayna. I knew back then that I'd never have kids. Got something wrong with me, medically speaking. I might act dumb sometimes, but I ain't stupid. I know people call me Deputy Dog. They say it to my face half the time, but it didn't start out as a good nickname. People called me that because they thought they could, I was less than them. I wasn't. I needed to help however I could. I've always helped your grandmother, and I've always looked after Brady like he was my own. I love that kid, more than he knows. If your grandmomma brought me another one of him, I'd do the same thing again."

My eyes closed and I took a deep breath. There was so much going on, so much that had always been going on. I didn't know what was real anymore, but the one thing I did know was real was Brady. Renewed strength flowed through me from some unknown place and I opened my eyes. They were clear and strong. "Brady knows that Frank Stephens is his father. And he's gone to confront him about it."

I braced myself for the shock to flash over the Deputy's face, but I was the one surprised. A calm acceptance was there instead and he stood to scratch his jaw. He spoke as he went to the door, "Always knew this day would come. Frank Stephens has some inspiring qualities in him, but the one that makes him dangerous is his lack of caring. He don't care about no one. When he fathered a child like Brady, who has all those same qualities plus a few he don't, I'd known this day would be one for the books."

His hand went to the door handle and I could tell that was all he was going to say. I shot to my feet. "That's it? That's all you're going to say? Aren't you going to go after him or something? Do you know what Brady might do?"

"That boy turned into a man quite awhile ago. I don't think he's going to go off the deep end finding out who his daddy is. The only thing that'll push him over is you—"

"Brady thinks Frank Stephens and my mother had an affair." I didn't realize I had thought it until I blurted it out, but it made sense.

He snapped his mouth shut, stunned. Comprehension and horror all flashed across his face. Then he stated, "Then you best be getting over there, Miss Rayna."

He swung the door open a second later and stood back.

As I started to go past him, I held his gaze for another second. Everything felt surreal now. No words were shared between us, but I knew what we both thought. Only I could stop something from happening. It rested on my shoulders. With that realization, I was again taken aback. Any other day I would've hid, but this time there was no fear. There was only a feeling of purpose. And strength. I felt strong.

I was starting to like this feeling.

"You're not going to put me in jail?" I questioned.