Chapter 4

Julie:



“Can I please see my baby, please?” I implored.

“Sure, Miss Sintclare, please follow me.” The hospital staff led me to a room where I found my precious daughter looking so pale. I reached out to touch her, and she felt cold. Holding her close, I hugged her tightly, and tears welled up in my eyes.

Seeing my baby in the hospital was something no mother could ever accept.

“So, doctors, what’s wrong with her?” I asked anxiously.

“Well, ma’am, I think she’ll be fine now that you’re here. She had a high fever, but she’ll be fine. Sometimes children fall sick when they miss having their parents around, and getting sick is their way of ensuring you come back. I’ll leave you to have some privacy if that’s alright.”

“I would love that, thank you.” With the room to ourselves, I opened a bag I had brought and took out a little pink teddy bear. I placed it in Angel’s free hand, hugging her tightly as I cried.

I led her down, and I called Mary to come and see her. She looked at Angel and smiled. “I’m sure she just misses you. She looks a lot better now that you’re here. Okay, I’m going to go so you two can rest.”

“Mommy, Mommy,” I heard a soft voice say.

I opened my eyes to see my daughter’s beautiful blue and brown eyes looking up at me. Her body temperature had returned to normal, and she seemed perfect.

“Hey, babe, how are you feeling today?”

“Fine,” she replied.

“I’ve missed you so much, princess. Are you sick because you missed me?” I asked, and she nodded. I gave her a warm hug. “What’s wrong, sweetie? Do you need something?”

“Yes, ice-cream,” Angel said.

“Ice cream for breakfast, my dear?” I questioned.

“Yes, Mom. Please?” Angel pleaded.

“Alright, let’s see. How about we go get the doctor first, and after that, we can go get some ice-cream, okay?”

“Yes, Mom.”

I began to stand up, but Mary was already on her way to get the doctor. “Stay with her; she misses you. I’ll go get the doctor.”

“Thanks, Mary, you’re one of a kind,” I said.

After the doctor confirmed that Angel was alright, we left the hospital. We made a quick stop at the pharmacy to pick up Angel’s medication and then headed to a nearby diner for breakfast and, eventually, ice cream.

“Okay, princess, we’ve arrived. First, you need to eat your breakfast, then take your medication before ice-cream, alright?”

Angel protested, “Why not ice-cream first?”

“Because, Angel, you need to eat and take your medication first. If you do that, we can go buy you a new cute outfit afterward. How does that sound?”

“Yes, Mom. Let’s go eat.”

We sat down in the diner. I hoped not to run into Alex here, as this was one of the few places where we could have the best meal. We placed our orders and took a seat by a large window.

“So, Mary, tell me how things have been going since I last saw you?” I inquired.

Mary began, “Well, I met a guy, but things haven’t been great for us since I can never leave Angel alone to be with him. He’s also been difficult about me taking care of Angel since we’re not related.”

“I’m so sorry, Mary. If I could take Angel away from here, I would. You know how my parents are; they’d be furious if they found out I didn’t want them to give my baby up for adoption. I don’t even know what would happen to her.”

Tears filled my eyes, but when I looked at Angel, my little bundle of joy, I smiled, wiped away my tears, and gave her to Mary so I could make her breakfast quickly. After Angel finished eating, I began to eat myself, but Angel wanted to eat everything in sight. I settled for giving her a sandwich, which she promptly turned into a mess.

As I looked around the diner, I saw Alex for a brief moment. He vanished, and I didn’t think much of it. I asked Mary to keep an eye on Angel for a moment and went to the counter to order ice cream.

Upon my return, I saw Mary speaking to a tall, handsome young man, but Angel had disappeared. Panic surged through me.

“Mary, where is Angel?”

“Wait, I thought she was with you,” Mary said, concern filling her face.

“No, I left her right here with you.” Desperation crept into my voice as I cried out, “Angel! Angel, please, where are you?” I began asking people if they had seen a little girl with black hair, big blue eyes, and a pink dress. She was nowhere to be found.

“Mary, I need to find Angel. Stay here and keep looking,” I implored.

Rushing out of the diner, I scoured the streets, my heart pounding with fear. “Angel! Angel!” I called out, running like a madwoman.

A helpful stranger approached me. “Hey, miss, I just saw a little girl who matches your description heading to the park with a tall, handsome young man.”

“Thank you!” I rushed to the park with Mary following closely. When we arrived, I saw my baby playing in the sand. I didn’t even bother to confront the man who had brought her here. I ran over and hugged Angel tightly.

“Angel, don’t you ever do that again, okay? It’s not safe to follow strangers,” I scolded her.

Angel nodded, and I took her into my arms, relieved that she was safe. As I turned to look at Mary, I saw her talking to the tall, handsome man. But something about him gave me a sudden shock.

“You… You jerk! How could you just take someone’s child and bring her to the park like this? Do you realize the distress you’ve caused? I could press charges for kidnapping!” I yelled at him.

My anger flared as I continued to berate the man who had taken my child. “How could you think it’s okay to just pick up a child without permission, and-”

Before I could finish my sentence, he turned to face me. My voice trailed off as I locked eyes with him, and a rush of recognition washed over me. I froze, unable to speak or move.