“Cops are there to protect people and make communities safer and better. If you were in it for revenge against random “bad guys” or because part of you blames the cops back then for not saving Mom, that is a very different motivation than serving and protecting,” Jack says.
He’s right. That’s what I’ve realized since, but at the time, it had hurt. “Scott knew me better even then,” I admit. “But it felt like an insult at the time, and I carried that for…a while.”
“But you realize now he was right?”
“Yeah. And I’m happy with how things ended up.” I run a hand over my face. “I’ve been fine just existing alongside Scott but not interacting. Just being here but not involved.”
“You’re here to show him that you turned out great,” Charlie says.
I look over at him. “I’m here because this is home.”
My brother nods. “That too. But you like being able to show Scott that he was wrong about you.”
That hits me like Charlie just threw his drink in my face. “I…” I can’t deny it.
“Except he wasn’t wrong about you,” Jack points out. “He knew you’d be great at Game and Parks. Even back when you were still a kid.”
I have to swallow before I say, “Yeah, well, I don’t know if he really gives a shit.”
And it hits me that is my issue. He didn’t care when I was a reckless, trouble-making teen, and he doesn’t care now that I’ve straightened up and turned out well.
“My hero fell pretty far off his pedestal, and I guess I’ve been blaming him for that when really it’s my fault for putting him up there in the first place.”
“But…” Charlie glances at Jack, then back at me with clear confusion. “What about the intervention?”
I lift both brows. “The intervention you all did for me? Yeah. Exactly. Scott could’ve stepped in at any point before it came to that, but he didn’t.”
Charlie looks at Jack. “Do you remember any of that?”
“I just remember Mom and Dad coming in and telling me that I needed to be a part of it. That we were all going to sit down with David and tell him that he had to stop doing dangerous stupid shit.”
Charlie nods, then looks back at me. “We intervened because Scott told us we had to.” He shakes his head. “I don’t mean to make that sound like we didn’t want to. But it was Scott’s idea.”
“What?” I sit up a little straighter.
“Every single time you messed up, he came to Mom and Dad and told them about it. He told him he was worried about you and wanted them to step in. And they did. You were grounded, you got extra chores, all of that. But it never seemed to matter. So when it finally got really bad, Scott came out and told Mom and Dad that if they weren’t going to do it, he was. He was going to sit your ass down, and haul you into counseling, lock you up in jail for an extended period, whatever he had to do. He wanted to know if Mom and Dad needed his help. He knew they were struggling, and he wanted to help them, but he was frustrated with them too.”
“I…” I’m not sure what to say. My mind starts spinning, replaying memories from that time.
Around the time he’s talking about, my mom’s parents were going through a lot.
My grandpa, her dad, had had a stroke, and my grandma wasn’t handling it well, so my mom had been going out to Colorado to help pretty often.
But she did have six kids at home. The Bennett family always stuck together, and my parents had a lot of help, of course, but that wasn’t the same as having our mom here.
Our dad was great, but one of my younger brothers was struggling in school. Shane has dyslexia and has always had a harder time at school than the rest of us.
I frown. “The intervention was Scott’s idea?”
“Not just an idea. It was basically do it or else.”
“Seriously? Why didn’t he just do it if they needed the help?” But my heart is pounding. This is new information. I’m not exactly shocked. But it does change things to know that Scott was prepared to step in, I have to admit.
“I mean, it was our job, wasn’t it?” Charlie asks. “We’re your family. Scott cared, and he was more than just a town cop to us, but he really had to give Mom and Dad a chance. I know Mom was exhausted, and she felt like she had totally failed you. Scott told her the intervention—giving you firm boundaries and consequences—would make her feel better too. They got me, Henry, and Jack involved, too. It had to be a united front. And trust me, Henry and I were just as worried as anybody. Though I have to admit, I felt a little guilty that we hadn’t stepped in more forcefully.” He sighs. “As your older brothers, we should have.”
I quickly shake my head. “By that time, you guys were off at college. Henry was doing an internship. I think he and Emma were pretty serious by then, too.”
Charlie shrugs. “Yeah. Trust me, we all gave ourselves all the excuses that we could. And honestly? We may not have known how bad it really was. I think it was bugging Scott to not be able to step in more, to be honest. He was trying to respect Mom and Dad, give our family a chance to come together and rally around you, but I think he very much wanted to throw your ass in jail and shake you until you woke up and realized that you were doing stupid, dangerous shit.”
