Stolen Lullaby

New Beginnings

"Steve and Carol Collins live in Connecticut where they have an adoptive birth certificate for Louise, now named Sophie that was issued in the same state in May 2023. We're still investigating as to how the certificate was allowed to be verified as it lists no birth parent's names. Regretfully this may be a long-haul investigation because the Collins refuse to cooperate. If you can imagine they are very shaken by this development as well. We were only able to obtain a DNA sample from Louise because the court ordered them to submit one. What we do know for sure it that to a probability of 99.9% you are her parents."

Taylor and Joe were listening but to be honest none of the finer details mattered to them. The only thing they were able to focus on was that Louise was alive and all they wanted was to rush to wherever she was.

"We were able to get a court order to allow you to see her Sunday night, if you're able to fly up to Connecticut..."

"Yes, of course... we would fly there tonight if we could."

"I have no doubt you would, I am a father myself and can only imagine the host of feelings you have gone through. It truly has been an honor to serve you."

"There is no way we could ever do enough to repay all that you've done for us." Joe and Taylor both shook his hand warmly.

So many emotions swirled through their heads on the drive home. They desperately wanted to call everyone and tell them that Louise was coming home but they knew they had to hold back. What would happen if the media found out and spun the story into a circus? They didn't want to scare her. When they returned home Taylor scooped Benji up snuggling the old cat.

"Your sister is coming home Benji, I know you missed her so much." Benji purred loudly in response. Her and Joe both went upstairs and for the first time in a long while they sat in Louise's room together dreaming about the future again something they hadn't allowed themselves to do before.

"We're going to have to get all new furniture besides the bed."

"I think we should get one of those castle beds that are built into the wall"

"I can't wait to take her to the toy store and just... but up the whole shop."

"She's going to be so spoiled"

"I know... but I can't wait to do the spoiling."

Before they knew it their Sunday meeting with Louise came around. They were so excited but nervous at the same time. To avoid possible media attention they opted to use a chartered jet to fly into Connecticut. The night before neither Taylor nor Joe could sleep, there was just too much to think about. The Collins family agreed to meet them at an indoor play center for a few hours. At first they didn't like having such strict instructions but they agreed to go along with it for the sake of making the first meeting go as smoothly as possible. Holding hands tightly they walked into the play center where they were met by a court appointed social worker who briefed them a bit on what to expect.

"Sophie is generally pretty outgoing but she can be shy at first around people she doesn't know. So don't be alarmed if she's a bit stand offish at first."

"We understand," Joe said.

"Also, Carol and Steve have not told her about you being her parents yet. All she knows is that a nice lady and man have come to play." This stung Taylor a bit inside but she knew for now it was probably the best thing for her.

"Okay! Let's meet Sophie." The social worker smiled warmly, leading them to the playroom down the hall. Everything seemed to go in slow motion, every step seeming to take a year. Somehow none of it seemed real now that everything they dreamed of was happening. When they approached the door, they peeked in the glass window first. The very first thing they saw was a head of curly blond hair bopping up and down as the little person inside demonstrated a bunny hop.

"Are you ready?" The social worker asked. Taylor nodded in response, as the door was pushed open. It was as if a million dreams rushed to come true at once, the little girl stopped skipping across the carpet to pause and see who was coming into the room. The instant they saw those eyes staring back at them the piece of their hearts that had been torn out that night nearly four years ago was repaired. Though both of them had vowed to try their hardest not to cry in front of her in case they scared her, neither could help it when the tears streamed down their faces. They both knelt down to her level wanting to badly to hug her tightly and shower he with kisses, but they mustered enough resolve to hold back. Sophie studied them for a moment before running away to the corner of the room where Steve and Carol sat watching. She hid behind Carol's chair occasionally peeking out at Joe and Taylor.

"Why are the man and lady crying?" she whispered.

"They're just happy to see you, sometime people cry when they're happy." Carol replied. Sophie seemed to ponder over this wisdom for a moment, still occasionally peeking out at the strangers in the room. Finally she whispered something else in Carol's ear, in return she nodded and handed Sophie her purse. Sophie ruffled around looking for something, finally she found what she was searching for. Timidly she walked over to Taylor and Joe who were still unable to stop the tears rolling down their faces. She studied both of them for a moment before producing the pile of tissues she had taken from Carol's purse. She held out her arm gently dabbing the tears away from both of their faces.

"Please don't be sad," she said solemnly. As they studied each other's faces Taylor had the same burst in her heart that she felt when she first laid on eyes on Louise when she was first born.

"Would it be alright if I hugged you?" Taylor asked hopefully. Sophie paused for a moment before nodding and without hesitation wrapped both of her arms around her mother's neck. After hugging Taylor she turned to give Joe the same embrace. Somehow with one embrace everything that once felt irreparably broken started to feel whole again.