Chapter Two
Beca never begged… Well, almost never. But when it came to Ella's sleeping schedule, Beca was willing to try anything.
Beca stirred instantly when the baby monitor sounded. Ella was on time once again as she had been for the past six weeks- approximately 3am… Beca wasn't a fan. Aubrey had been encouraging Beca to get her into a proper schedule but Ella was still young and stubborn and Beca was out of options.
The baby girl was now eight weeks old although Beca had only had her for six weeks.
She was perfect during the day- she fed well, napped well, barely cried. However, during the night and early morning was another thing.
Beca stumbled half-asleep over to the crib and gently picked up the crying baby. Rocking her gently, Beca whispered soothing words and tried to calm her. When it didn't work, Beca did the only thing she could think of- she sang.
"Don't lose your way with each passing day,
You've come so far
Don't throw it away.
Live believing
Dreams are for weaving
Wonders are waiting to start
Live your story
Faith, hope and glory
Hold to the truth in your heart
If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by, for you and I
Souls in the wind
Must learn how to bend
Seek out a star
Hold on to the end
Valley… Mountain
There is a fountain
Washes our tears all away
Words are swaying
Someone is praying
Please let us come home to stay
If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I
When we are out there in the dark
We'll dream about the sun
In the dark we'll feel the light
Warm our hearts… everyone
If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
As high as souls can fly
The clouds roll by
For you and I."
"Morning."
Beca looked up from the couch to see Stacie walk into the kitchen. It always amazed her how someone could look so flawless at all times of the day, including the current time of five thirty in the morning.
"Hey."
Stacie grabbed a coffee before sitting down beside Beca and gently stroking Ella's forehead with her finger. Ella was fast asleep in Beca's arms.
"When did she go down?"
Beca looked over at the clock before sighing tiredly.
"About an hour ago." She looked at Stacie sheepishly. "…Sorry."
Stacie shook her head and smiled. She gently picked Ella up out of Beca's arms and held her close. "How could I ever be mad at this girl?"
Beca rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smirk. Ella already had both Stacie and Aubrey wrapped around her little finger, not to mention herself.
"Are you ready for today?"
Beca glanced down at Ella and then back up at Stacie. She didn't need to say anything- Stacie could read her like a book. Stacie reached over and placed a hand on Beca's shoulder before looking back down at Ella.
"Don't worry, we won't let anyone take her away from you."
"Beca?"
Beca was met by the confused and tired face of her father when he finally opened the door after minutes of knocking. Granted, with it being the middle of the night, she couldn't blame him.
"Hey, I'm sorry to wake you."
"What are you doing here? Are you okay?"
Beca looked down before shrugging. "Peachy."
Before Dr. Mitchell could speak again, Beca continued. "Look, I need your help. Well actually both yours and Sheila's."
Her dad was taken aback by Beca calling his wife by her first name. "What's going on?"
"Um, it's hard to explain… Well it's not that hard, but it's complicated… Uh, I called mom and she refused to help and I didn't really have anyone else to go to other than the Bellas, but I need to talk to Sheila."
Dr. Mitchell frowned- since when did Beca actually refer to his wife by her name?
He opened the door a little further and signaled for Beca to come inside. Shelia was walking down the stairs, dazed and confused.
"Hello, Beca."
"You've got connections, right? I mean, with social services and lawyers and stuff?" Beca didn't bother waiting for greetings and pleasantries- there was no point.
"Beca, what is this about?" Dr. Mitchell moved to stand beside his wife and folded his arms.
Beca didn't know how to put her current situation into words. Usually she was confident and didn't worry about what other people thought, but this situation was so surreal that she didn't know what to think.
"Beca?
Beca paused and pinched the bridge of her nose before finally speaking.
"I need to get custody of a baby."
Dr. Mitchell took a stumbled step backwards before talking whilst Sheila seemed to remain calm yet confused.
Beca saw that the both of them were too confused and in shock to actually ask any questions so she decided to just rip off the band aid.
"Chloe left her daughter at my apartment. She left a note asking me to take care of her… She's two weeks old. Her name is Ella… She's beautiful."
Beca couldn't help but smile when she said the last part. Even though she had only had her for a few hours (and lets be honest, Beca was exactly the sensitive type), Beca was smitten.
It took them a few moments to process what Beca had said but when they finally did, all her dad could say was "what?"
"Look, I know what you're thinking and I know you think I'm crazy, but I need to do this. And I need your help."
Beca was looking directly at Sheila and the blonde "step-monster" had a look on her face that said she understood. Her father, however, was the complete opposite.
Dr. Mitchell was lost for words so it was Shelia who spoke up.
"What do you need us to do?"
Beca didn't even have a clue. Everything was happening so fast and she was overwhelmed. To be honest, all she wanted to do was go back to the apartment and check on Ella who was currently in the care of Aubrey and Stacie.
Before Beca could speak, she was interrupted.
"Beca, this is ridiculous!" After a few moments of silence, Dr. Mitchell finally spoke. "You're twenty-two years old. You're not ready for a baby, especially one that's not yours."
"I don't care!" It surprised Beca herself how protective she was of not only Ella, but the whole situation. "Chloe left her with me for a reason!"
"Beca, you need to think about this. You're giving up your life."
Beca rolled her eyes. "Oh, is that what you and mom thought when you had me?"
Her dad rolled his eyes too before looking at Beca seriously. He waited a moment before speaking.
"If this is what you choose, I will not support you. I know that you're lost and confused since Chloe left, but you don't have the income or the time to raise a child. You're not ready to raise a baby… I'm sorry, Beca, but I'm not going to support this decision. You've got your whole life ahead of you. I'm not going to let you ruin your life."
With that said, Dr. Mitchell turned and went back up the stairs. Sheila, however, stayed for a moment.
Shelia noticed Beca's distress and decided to speak for her. Being a social worker, she knew the system hence why Beca had come to her in the first place.
"Look, I'll call my boss tonight and get him to forward on the paperwork so you'll get 48-hour custody. We'll need to look into the situation and a judge will still have to make the ruling, but for now, go home, take care of that baby."
"You ready?"
Beca looked over at Aubrey as the blonde knocked on her doorframe and noticed the caring smile on her face. It was the day that the judge was going to decide whether Beca was a suitable permanent foster parent.
"Yes and no."
Aubrey took the response as permission to enter the room and took a seat beside Beca on her bed.
"It's going to be okay." Beca raised her eyebrow in response so Aubrey continued. "You passed the home inspection, you've got a job, you've got support, you'll be fine."
Beca looked over at Ella fast asleep in her crib. She couldn't be more thankful… for everything. The past couple of weeks had been crazy. Aubrey and Stacie had been a God send- not only had they let her and Ella move into their apartment after Beca had been granted temporary custody, but they had bought everything Ella needed; diapers, a crib, a stroller, car seat, formula, everything.
Aubrey watched Beca in silence for a few moments before she walked over to the crib and gently picked up the sleeping baby. The blonde walked back over to Beca and signaled for her to take Ella.
"Here…" Aubrey handed Ella over gently and smiled reassuringly. "Take your girl."