Authors: Brenda Kennedy
“
Is she kicking?” Robert
asks.
“
She is,” I say not even
realizing my hand is resting on my belly.
He stands up and sits on the edge of the
couch. “Is she upset?”
“
No, I don’t think so.
These feel different,” I admit.
Robert gently rests his hand on my abdomen
and spreads his fingers out. When the baby kicks he smiles. “These
are soft, calmer.”
I say, “She’s happy.”
“
We need a name for her,”
he says, looking up at me.
“
We do. Do you have any
ideas? Something to go with Jamie, perhaps?” I
ask.
“
And Madison,” he
adds.
I laugh and say, “Jamison, would be perfect
if it were a boy.”
“
Jamison Robert Grether, I
like it but, it won’t work for a girl.”
“
No, it sure won’t. The
names don’t really go together to make a lovely combined girl’s
first name. We don’t know Madison’s middle name, do
we?”
Robert thinks for a moment and says, “I
haven’t seen it posted anywhere.”
“
Well, when we find out
what it is, maybe we can match the names up to come up with
something beautiful.”
“
Sounds like a plan. In
the meantime, I’ll call her princess.”
“
Robert, you can’t call
her princess, you call Jamie princess.”
“
Mmm, you’re right. She
needs her own name. In the meantime, I’ll call her, ‘her’ or
‘she.’”
We both laugh again and the baby kicks
softly.
The next two weeks go by uneventfully. Robert
gets into a routine of working out at home and at the gym. He
arranges for someone to sit with me while he’s gone. Dove brings me
my deposits, paperwork, and store receipts every Saturday. Gus
comes with her and they usually bring dinner and stay for a visit.
She also brings some sweets and cinnamon buns from Jo. We haven’t
heard anything from Bruce, our attorney, or from the hospital about
setting up another meeting. If we have heard something, Robert is
keeping it to himself. I anticipate that we’ll hear something very
soon. Madison is our daughter, and I would like to get to know
her.
Mom and Margie come over several times a week
and they bring pre-cooked meals for us. Fortunately for me and
Robert, they are both excellent cooks.
Bruce Myles
“
Bobby, please come
in.”
“
Thank you. I’m glad you
called.”
“
How’s Leah and the
baby?”
“
They’re both good. Two
more weeks pregnant since the last time we
talked.”
“
That’s excellent
news.”
“
Have a seat. I wanted to
update you on Madison.”
“
I hope nothing’s wrong,”
Bobby says and I can hear the concern in his tone.
“
Oh, no, she’s okay. It’s
about Drake. He’s refusing to talk to me so I have to go through
his attorney for everything. Then his lawyer has to speak to Drake,
so this whole thing is taking longer than we both would
like.”
“
It sounds like it’s
intentional to buy them some time.”
I sit down across from him at the conference
table and say, “I think it is. I also believe it’s time that we to
file some motions.”
“
Motions? Like
what?”
“
Like they can’t leave the
country with Madison…”
Bobby interrupts and says, “Do you think they
would do that?”
“
Bobby, I have no idea.
He’s a very wealthy and desperate man. A desperate
man…”
“
Will take desperate
measures,” Bobby finish the sentence for me.
“
Exactly.”
I can see Bobby is thinking before he says,
“Well, if they won’t cooperate with you, then let’s file for full
custody, too.”
“
Do you want to speak to
Leah about this first?”
“
No. She has enough to do
with just trying to stay pregnant. I think this idea is good. Let’s
put the fear of God in them.”
“
Okay then. I’ll get the
papers drawn up and get them filed in family court in the next few
days.”
I also tell him about the psychotic nurse who
was involved in the baby swap. I tell him, Melissa Simms the R.N.
on duty, is solely responsible for switching the babies. I also
inform him she was an undiagnosed schizophrenic at the time all
this took place.
Bobby and I talk more about his plan and what
this will mean. He says he hates being that rude, but it’s the only
way to get a response from them. I have to agree with him. I think
we’ll be hearing something within the next week. This will
certainly get their attention. Before he leaves, I hand him the
gift that Mr. Reed gave to me at the end of the last meeting two
weeks ago. I already explained to Bobby that the Sinclairs left
right before I did. The package is addressed to Jamie written in
very feminine handwriting.
As soon as Bobby leaves, I make one last
attempt to get ahold of Mr. Reed, Drake Sinclair’s attorney. When
my call is sent to voicemail, I begin my paperwork. I call my wife,
Lilly, and tell her I’ll be home late tonight.
Leah
Robert and I are on our way back from my
Doctor’s appointment. We are both excited to learn that the
cervical cerclage is working. I haven’t dilated anymore and the
baby is healthy. I am also two weeks further along in my
pregnancy.
The car ride feels good and I beg Robert to
take the long way home. He doesn’t. He does tell me that I can lie
out by the pool later. I don’t know why I didn’t think to do that,
sooner. I’ll still be lying down, but the different scenery will
definitely help. I know I’m blessed to still be pregnant so I try
very hard to not complain about the bedrest. When Robert asks how I
am doing, I often make jokes about needing a bell to call my house
boy when I need something and being a lazy couch potato. I also
joke that I may never return to work again. It is tough to lie
around all day but if it means delivering a healthy baby, I’ll do
it.
Later that night while lying bed, I ask
Robert if he has heard anything from our attorney. “I actually saw
him yesterday. I must have forgotten to tell you.”
Forgotten or intentionally
didn’t tell me?
Robert and I hardly ever
fight, but I’m a little angry with him at the moment. “Oh, did he
say anything important?” I ask, but I already know anything that
Bruce said about Madison will be
significant.
“
He said that it’s getting
difficult to get ahold of anyone from the Sinclairs, including
their attorney.” Robert continues to talk, never taking his eyes
off mine. “He said that he has a motion or two he wants to file in
family court.”
I have no idea what that means. Visitation,
custody, shared parenting? I have no clue. “What are they?” I
finally ask.
“
One was he is asking that
the
Madison,
not
be allowed to leave the country, on vacation or
otherwise.”
“
I hope he doesn’t do
business overseas. But, why would Bruce care if they leave the
country?” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I understand
why. “He thinks they’ll take Madison and never come
back.”
Robert is still watching me. “Yes, that did
cross his mind.”
“
Oh, God, Robert. All this
time I was sitting here waiting for them to contact us, they could
have been planning on taking Madison to some unknown
island.”
“
But they didn’t,
Leah.”
“
How do you know? You
can’t be sure of that. Maybe they are already gone. Bruce needs to
do something, now.” The baby kicks aggressively and I place my hand
on my belly to calm her.
“
Don’t get upset, she
doesn’t like it,” he says.
“
I know and I’m trying not
to.”
“
Gus drove by their house
and Drake’s office today. They’re still in town.”
“
He did what? Robert, he
can’t stalk them, it’s illegal.”
“
Leah, calm down. He isn’t
stalking them. He just drove by.”
I pause for a minute and think about what I
want to say. I have no idea what to do about the situation with
Madison. “Robert? How did he get their address? How does he know
where they live and work?”
Robert looks away and says, “I gave him the
addresses and since I couldn’t leave you, I asked him to drive by
for me. I had to make sure they were still in town.”
I admit only to myself
that I’m glad to know they are still around. I understand Robert’s
thinking, but there must be a better way of doing this.
Robert and I talk about Bruce filing the motion
and how long it will take. I voice my concern about Drake and his
anger. I try to not think about it, but it’s all I can think about.
I remind myself it’s out of love for Madison and it helps to relax
me. I also remind myself of how sweet Chelsea is and that she
wouldn’t be with a man who wasn’t kind and loving in return. Robert
promises me that he and Gus won’t stalk the Sinclairs and I promise
to try to remain calm and concentrate on staying pregnant. Robert
informs me that he did an extensive search on the Sinclairs. He
also adds that he needed to know that his daughter was being taken
care of and was loved. I get that. I also considered doing that
myself.
Robert stands up and walks out of the
bedroom. When he returns, he is carrying a wrapped gift. “I forgot,
but Bruce gave me this yesterday.”
“
He bought the baby a
gift?” I ask.
“
No. It’s from the
Sinclairs. They bought Jamie a gift when they thought she was
still…”
Robert doesn’t finish his sentence. He
doesn’t have to. “Should we open it?” I take the gift from him and
shake it. It doesn’t rattle.
“
I think we should and
whatever it is, I can take it to the cemetery and leave it for
her.”
I carefully open the gift and inside is a
stunning doll. “Oh, this is gorgeous,” I say as I lightly touch her
soft brown hair.
“
It looks expensive, not
what I thought it was going to be,” he says examining the doll. “I
was expecting to see a baby doll.”
I ask, “What kind of doll is this?” Robert
takes the baby from me and then takes his laptop off of his
nightstand. He looks at the box and then types in Lee Middleton
into his computer. “Feel her skin, she is soft just like a newborn
baby.”
Robert touches the dolls face and then her
hands. “She is very soft,” he says as he pulls his hands away from
the doll. “Well, she is definitely not a toy and is very
collectible.” Robert reads to me what the website says about the
baby doll. We learn the dolls have been around for a few decades
and the dolls are made of vinyl, not plastic. We decide we’ll offer
the gift back to the Sinclairs since Jamie isn’t here to enjoy
it.
Drake Sinclair
“
Mr. Sinclair, Mr. Reed is
here to see you.”
“
Send him in, Carolyn,” I
say over the intercom. We don’t have a scheduled meeting, so this
can’t be good. I pick up the framed family photo that sits on my
desk of Chelsea, Caden, and Madison, and me. It was taken during a
family outing to the Sarasota Jungle Gardens at Christmastime. I
keep the framed picture close by while I work to always remind me
of what is important in life.
I place the picture back on my desk and walk
towards the large double oak doors. There is a knock at the door
before the door opens revealing Carolyn and my attorney. “Thank
you, Carolyn,” I say, dismissing her. I extend my right hand out to
shake Mr. Reed’s. “This is a surprise.” He returns my handshake but
not before I notice the manila envelope in his left hand. “Should I
assume there is a problem?”
“
Problem? No, I wouldn’t
call it a problem. But we do need to talk.”
“
Please, sit down.” I
point to the chair on the other side of my mahogany desk. As I walk
to take my seat I ask, “What’s going on?” I already know this has
to do with Madison. I have a legal team that works for me for my
business, but Ryland Reed is my one and only attorney to handle
anything and everything that has to do with Madison. Actually, Reed
was my second choice; Bruce Myles was my first pick. I was mad as
hell when I learned that the Grethers had already hired him as
counsel.
“
I received this in the
mail today and thought you would want to see it.” He hands me two
manila envelopes. He instructs, “Open the one on top
first.”
He waits patiently as I read the short and to
the point legal document. “I guess we’ll have to cancel our cruise
next month,” I joke. I know they did this because they think we’ll
run with Madison. If I thought for a split second that I would lose
her, I would have.
“
I’m glad you’re not
planning on moving to Europe with her. Now read the other one,” he
nods to the second manila envelope.
I open it up and
lean back in my black leather desk chair to read it. I feel my
blood pressure rise and a tic in my jaw. I rock back and forth as I
continue to read the letter from the Family Court. My brows furrow
together and my head becomes hot.
I am
pissed!
“The Grethers are seeking full
custody of my Madison.”
“
It’s just a
ploy.”
“
How can you be
sure?”