“I clear everything out before anyone shows up,” Nolan explained. “I’m sorry, Mr. Gardner. I didn’t know where else to go. I’ve saved up some money, but not enough.”

Zach waved a hand in the air. “Don’t say another word.” The bruise on Becky’s face and the marks on her arms proved Nolan had more to protect than just the knowledge that his girlfriend was pregnant. If in fact she was. “I meant it when I said you’re not in trouble. We just want to help.”

Nolan and Becky sat on the mattress beside each other, holding hands and looking as scared as mice in a kitchen full of cats.

After Karen took a chair, Zach grabbed the remaining one, turned it around, and straddled it.

When it appeared that the kids weren’t going to talk, Karen let out a heavy sigh.

Chapter Twenty

Karen’s hands shook as she waited for the couple sitting in front of her to talk. The bruise on Becky’s face made her want to hit someone…preferably whoever had struck the teen. The determined but slightly scared expression on Nolan’s face made her want to whisk them both away without any questions at all.

If this was going to be her life’s work, helping kids, runaways…then it started right here, with painful silence and patience.

Zach zipped his lips shut and waited right along with her.

She felt his eyes on her and she offered a smile. He lifted an eyebrow toward Nolan and she shook her head as if asking him just to wait.

“She can’t go back,” Nolan said for the second time.

Becky sat with her head tucked into Nolan’s shoulder, the bruise was still visible for Karen to see and question.

“Is that where the bruises came from? Your parents?” Karen asked softly.

Becky’s reply was a tiny nod.

“Have they hit you before?” Zach asked.

Again, Becky nodded, but said nothing.

“How long have you known about this, Nolan?” Zach’s direct question caught Karen off guard.

Nolan snapped his gaze to Zach. “I didn’t know.” Nolan’s defenses came up like a shield in battle. “Becky told me she fell.”

“No one is blaming you,” Karen told him and glared at Zach.

“I didn’t tell anyone,” Becky mumbled. “It didn’t happen all the time. Just…” Her voice trailed off.

“So you ran away.”

“I had to.” Becky looked at Karen now, her eyes swollen and red.

Karen nodded. “I would, too. Much easier to run away than allow yourself to be hit.”

“I wanted to go to the police,” Nolan told them.

Becky shook her head. “No. Please…”

Karen held back her own thoughts on the subject of the police for now. “How old are you, Becky?”

“Seventeen.”

“Nolan?”

“I’ll be nineteen in three months.”

Karen glanced at Zach. Concern marred his brow.

“So what’s your plan?” Best to figure out what the kids thought they knew and help them come to the right conclusions instead of telling them they weren’t thinking at all.

Nolan sat up straighter. “Becky and I are getting married.”

Karen nodded, as if contemplating that route.

“That way she’ll be emancipated from her parents. Then they can’t make her do anything.”

She scratched her head. “Well. It’s true that a married minor is emancipated from their parents, but in order for a minor to get married they need a parent’s permission.”

Nolan scowled. “But Becky’s pregnant—”

“Nolan!” Becky turned on him quickly and Nolan snapped his mouth closed.

“It’s OK. Zach and I already figured that out,” Karen assured the teenagers.

Their wide eyes watched both of them.

“How?”

“I work with a lot of teens back in California. I know the signs.” She waited for the knowledge that everyone in the room understood the situation to sink in before she popped Nolan’s bubble. “Unfortunately, Becky’s pregnancy doesn’t give her the right to get married without her parents’ consent.”

“But—”

“It’s the law. Meant to keep kids from making lifelong mistakes.”

“But we love each other. And now with the baby…”

Becky went back to staring at anything but her or Zach.

“You want to do the right thing, Nolan…we understand that,” Zach said. “Marriage is a big step.”

“So is having a baby.”

“Yep. Huge,” Karen added. “The baby will come whether you’re ready or not. Marriage on the other hand doesn’t have to happen today.”

“But—”

“If you did manage to lie and get a license, Becky’s parents could void the license because of her age. Worse, they could try and bring charges against you because you’re considered an adult.”

Nolan’s blank expression made Karen pause.

“Nolan hasn’t done anything wrong,” Becky muttered.

“I didn’t say he did. I’m just pointing out possibilities. Here’s another one. There isn’t a court out there that would make Becky live with her dad if he’s hitting her.”

Becky shook her head and a tear ran down her face. “It’s not my dad.”

“Oh?” Karen wasn’t expecting that.

“It’s my mom. My dad hits her if she doesn’t punish me.”

The blood rushed from Karen’s face. If she wasn’t sitting she probably would have fallen with Becky’s admission. How many ways can a parent f**k up someone’s life?

“They can’t stay here,” Zach told her ten minutes later when they broke away from the teens to talk about the situation.

“No. Becky needs a real bed and some much-needed rest. I’ll bet she hasn’t even seen a doctor yet.”

“I can take them back to my house—”

“Too risky. And until we can convince Becky that she’s the sole victim in this situation, she’ll avoid the authorities. You harboring a runaway wouldn’t be the smartest idea.”

“You harboring a runaway isn’t any better.”

“I don’t live here.”

“What does that matter?” Zach asked.

“It doesn’t,” she said with a chuckle. “But I can’t ask you to do more than you have.”

“You’re not asking. I’m volunteering.”