Chapter 189: Jimmy's Return
At Frank's home in Chicago, the child services agency informed the family that their investigation had yielded unsatisfactory results.
As a consequence, all the underage children would be removed and placed into foster care, forcing them to pack their belongings.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine," Fiona reassured them.
Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door.
"Who is it?" Fiona furrowed her brow as she opened the door, her eyes widening in shock at the sight.
"Wow, long time no see! Looks like my timing is a bit off," Jimmy greeted with a smile.
Indeed, the person standing at the door was none other than Jimmy, the man who had tried to whisk Fiona away during the winter at the behest of Tony. After Fiona stood him up, he had fled alone, going by the alias Steve.
Jimmy had claimed they could hide out for six months and return once things calmed down. He hadn't lied; somehow, six months had passed, and now it was summer—Jimmy was back.
"Even with that frown, you're still beautiful. I've been thinking about you," Jimmy said, reaching out to smooth Fiona's furrowed brow.
But before he could finish, Fiona suddenly slapped him hard across the face, knocking his sunglasses askew.
"You..." Jimmy was taken aback, stunned by this unexpected "welcome."
"Steve, we're done," Fiona declared.
While Jimmy and Fiona had once been in a relationship, he had left in such a hurry that, despite not explicitly breaking up, Fiona's refusal to meet him that night had made her feelings clear—their relationship was over.
Fiona wasn't the type to wait around for someone; at just over twenty, she had a history of relationships that could rival a seasoned player.
During the six months Jimmy was gone, Fiona had also moved on, dating a few others. Though none felt the same as with Jimmy, she wasn't left without companionship, marking her unofficial "over a hundred" milestone.
Fiona had long accepted that she might never see Jimmy again, thinking of him as good as dead.
To her shock, here he was, acting as if nothing had happened.
Fiona was unaware that "Steve" was actually Jimmy; only Frank knew his true identity.
"Steve, how dare you come back!" Just then, Officer Tony pulled up and glared at Jimmy.
"Hey, Tony! Long time no see," Jimmy said, removing his sunglasses to greet the officer.
"Looks like you want me to take you in," Tony said, narrowing his eyes.
"Don't be so harsh; let's talk it out," Jimmy said, throwing an arm around Tony's shoulder as if they were old pals.
"Please move aside," said a staff member from the child services agency, pulling up in a large van.
They entered the house, leading out the children who were packed with their belongings.
"It won't be long. I promise I'll bring you back home. How long has it been, a week?" Fiona reassured them.
"Nine days," Debbie chimed in.
"See, it wasn't that long. Think of it as staying with friends you don't know," Fiona comforted them.
This wasn't the first time such an event had occurred, so the children were less anxious than before.
"I'll bet twenty bucks we'll be back in five days," Lip said confidently.
"Huh? Steve! Long time no see! When did you get back?" Lip noticed Jimmy standing by the road.
Of all the kids, Lip had the closest relationship with Jimmy.
"Just a couple of days ago. What's going on here?" Jimmy waved.
"It's a long story; we'll catch up later," Lip replied as he ducked into the van.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Monica and Roberta arrived as the children were being taken away, with Monica looking visibly upset.
"Stop crying, it's not helping," Fiona snapped at them.
"Don't mind her," Roberta said, comforting Monica.
"Can you tell me where they will be placed?" Fiona asked the staff member.
"We can only inform you after discussing with the foster parents," the staff replied.
"Liam, can we just take him with us?" Roberta asked the worker.
"We need to take the children back and follow the proper procedures. Besides, your adoption application hasn't been approved yet," the worker explained.
After a few more exchanges, the workers took the children away.
"Fiona, I—" Monica began.
"I won't let you take Liam away!" Fiona shouted, turning to storm back into the house.
"Roberta, I'm having second thoughts. I don't want it to be like this," Monica said, feeling defeated.
"Once our paperwork is approved, we can take Liam and leave. You're his biological mother, and I've reported my financial situation. The process shouldn't be an issue," Roberta reassured her.
"What's happening?" Jimmy stood there, confused, as he watched the chaotic scene unfold until the children were loaded into the van and driven away.
He had been back just a moment and was completely unaware of the turmoil that had occurred in his absence.
Suddenly, Jimmy felt a tight grip on his arm, followed by a sharp click.
He looked down in surprise to see Tony putting handcuffs on him.
"Wait, what are you doing?!" Jimmy exclaimed.
"I suspect you of theft. I'm taking you to the station," Tony stated firmly.
"Hold on, let's talk this out," Jimmy urged.
"I told you before, you have two choices: go to jail or leave for good. Since you came back, it looks like you chose the first option," Tony said, dragging him toward the police car and pushing him inside.
"Don't be so rough; we haven't seen each other in a while. Let's catch up," Jimmy pleaded.
"I have nothing to discuss with a criminal," Tony replied.
Compared to six months ago, Tony was much more assertive this time.
Back then, he had caught Jimmy in the act of stealing a car but had refrained from taking him in, considering Fiona's feelings. Instead, he had offered Jimmy a choice.
Now, with Fiona and Jimmy's relationship over, Tony no longer felt the need to consider her emotions.
(End of Chapter)