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“This gonna come back clean?” Rosie opened a testing kit from plastic wrap.
“Yes.”
“Not even alcohol?”
“Not a drop.”
She nodded and dipped the testing kit into the cup. “Go. I should have the results by the time you come back. And don’t be fleeing because you know this is gonna come back dirty. I’ll put a blue warrant out on you so fast. You won’t be hard to find.”
“I’ll be right back.” Michael wondered why she was so set on it coming back dirty. He didn’t fear the result – he had been clean, mainly from Haize helping him. The only thing that crossed his mind was Rosie tainting the test. The Guys he was locked up with had claimed their PO had framed them to send them back. He hadn’t taken much stock in the conversation until now.
He washed his hands and studied his reflection in the mirror. He looked tired and needed to shave. His bloodshot eyes were probably one of the reasons Rosie had questioned his sobriety. When he got back to her office, she was studying the test stick, her hands covered in latex gloves.
“Looks good, Michael. Have a seat.”
Michael did as he was told, and he wondered if he needed to disclose the results of the paternity test. She probably needed to know, and he didn’t want to keep any information from her.
“You’re probably wondering why I was skeptical about your drug test.”
He nodded. “A little.”
“You’ve been out for a few months. This is the average time a parolee starts screwing up to get sent back. It’s common. I shouldn’t assume it about all my clients, but when you’ve worked this job as long as I have, it just becomes second nature.”
“It’s fine. I knew it’d come back clean.”
“You’re doing well, Mr. Brennan. You’ve kept your job, your drug tests are clean, and you’re coming to your appointments. You’ve only had one counseling appointment, so you probably should schedule another.”
“I’ve got a sponsor with AA. Can that be enough?” He remembered Sam wanting him to attend weekly sessions, and three weeks had passed. He suddenly feared revocation due to that, but Rosie didn’t act like it was a possibility yet.
“Sponsors aren’t counselors, Michael. They are just people who have been addicts themselves and might be equipped to talk you off the ledge. But as for counseling… they’re not qualified for it.”
“She’s a chemical dependency counselor.”
“She?” Rosie arched her eyebrow.
“Yes. Haize Mullen.”
“She’s the one who has been signing off on your AA documentation.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Mr. Brennan, I know you’re not stupid, but I need to remind you of a few things. Women aren’t healthy for you right now. You’ve been promiscuous in the past… teetering on sexual addiction. Do you think it’s wise to have a female sponsor?”
“It’s not like that. It’s been purely professional. She’s helped me get through some rough spots and she is at the AA meetings.” He’d omit the sexual attraction he felt toward her, along with his masturbation escapade from the night before. Maybe Rosie knew what she was talking about. Maybe Haize wasn’t going to be his best option, considering the direction it was going.
“She’s a chemical dependency counselor, but she’s not your counselor, Michael. You need to keep your appointments with the counselor that the State of New Mexico has assigned you, are we clear?”
“Crystal clear.”
“I’d hate to send you back because you aren’t going to your counseling appointments. You’ve done so well with everywhere else. Keep Haize Mullen at arm’s distance. Don’t get too close. And keep it professional. The last thing you need right now is a woman mucking up the waters. Sex leads to so many other things – poor decisions that will get you revoked and sent back.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Michael shifted in his seat. It was like Rosie could see right through him. She probably had hundreds of guys just like him sitting right where he was, screwing things up because they let sex complicate things.
“Anything else going on?”
He slid the paternity test results from his pocket and set them on the desk in front of him, giving her a few seconds to read the results. Her thick eyebrow arched again, and her red lips pursed as she finished reading the information. Turning, she placed it on a copy machine and made a copy, sliding it into a manila folder with his name typed on it.
“How do you feel about this?”
