Page 21 of Heal
As he pulled into the restaurant he glanced at the clock, glad to see it had taken less time to get there than he thought it would. After parking, he grabbed his files and headed inside, smiling when he saw Beau from the entryway at a table just inside.
Beau waved.
"Hey, sorry you had to wait." Parson took a seat across from him.
"Wasn't long. I had to drop a friend off at home before I came here." Beau nodded to the menu. "Figure out what you want, and then we can talk business."
"I already know. I come here a lot."
"It's one of my favorite places too." Beau grinned. "So, how was your day?"
"Long. I searched files all day looking for anything that might link cases. The doctor who is on record for examining these four kids doesn't even exist. It's a dead end. I checked caseworkers, schools, everything I could think of. There is nothing linking them to other cases."
"I'm not surprised. I'm guessing they covered their tracks well." Beau sighed.
"Yeah, but that's still no excuse for CPS not catching the fake doctor or the other signs. I read the police report and saw some of the photos the cops took of the kids' faces and injuries. You can't hide that or pass it off as a fall or kids fighting." Parson was mad. This was the agency he worked for that ignored all the signs of abuse. It made him sick to think it could have been stopped years ago and wasn't.
"I gave up on CPS a long time ago. Not all caseworkers are bad, but I think they are so overwhelmed with cases that it's easy to cut corners and ignore things that shouldn't be. I know you work there, but I have little respect for CPS. There has to be a better way to handle things, even if the caseload is huge." Beau paused as the waiter came to take their order.
Once he left, Parson reached for his water glass. "I thought I could make a difference, but maybe I was wrong. My boss was on me today for not moving on. He said the kids were safe in the hospital. He wants me to move on to the next case. I just can't do that. I need to talk to the kids, make sure that I place them with the right family. With all they've been through, they'll need more than the average kids we place."
Beau nodded. "I agree, but it doesn't work that way. They'll have you place them in the next available home, promise they'll get counseling, tell you to check on them in a month, and move on. I bet half of the time that no one even follows up to make sure they are getting the counseling they need."
"How do I change that?" Parson leaned back in his chair with a loud sigh. "I thought I'd be helping kids with this job. I don't want to be part of the problem."
Beau gave him a small smile. "I wish I had the answers. It's going to take more than you and me to make a difference. The whole system needs to be overhauled. New laws and guidelines put in place."
"Maybe I should run for office," Parson said, only half kidding.
"I'm not even sure that would do it. It would take several people as passionate as we are in office to see any change. Besides, you don't want to have that much attention on you, do you?"
Parson laughed. "I grew up with that kind of attention and I hated it. My father is George Detry. My entire childhood was filled with people watching my every move."
"The actor and director?" Beau raised an eyebrow.
"It's not something I like to make public. I mean, anyone could find out with a Google search, but I've had enough of being in the camera's eye. I like my life quiet and simple." Parson shrugged. "My father hates that I took a job working for the state. He wanted me to find my passion in Hollywood."
"No urge to be the next big star?" Beau grinned.
"None. Besides, I have no talent when it comes to acting, and I have no desire to produce or direct. I saw enough of the Hollywood lifestyle to know it's not for me. Just one of many ways I've let my parents down over the years."
Beau smiled. "I know how that feels. Never good enough, never successful enough, never enough anything."
Parson wondered how Beau could be a letdown. He was a successful doctor. He wasn't a public servant, working for the state. How could any parents be upset their child became a doctor? "I um, googled you and know who you are."
Beau nodded. "Sadly, there is no escaping it. I try to keep my family life and my personal life separate, but it's not always easy. For the most part, the media leaves me alone. I've found if I give them nothing interesting to report, they let me be."
Being the son of one of the richest men in the world couldn't be easy. Beau's family's fame was ten times the amount of Parson's. "I would have never connected you to your family if I hadn't looked you up online."
"Like you, I have no desire to go into the family business, even though my father doesn't let a week go by where he isn't trying to convince me too."
"But you’re a doctor. What parent wouldn't be proud of that?"
"Mine." Beau shook his head. "Maybe I don't bring enough attention to the family or something. I've never been able to figure it out. My sister is happy to work for my father. She can take over the business."
Parson lifted his glass. "To letting down our families."
Beau laughed. "I'll drink to that."
