Thank you all so very much! In this chapter, you'll get to meet Emmy :) Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Charles Carson could clearly remember the day Emmy was born. It was one of those memories that almost felt like a memory that he could just hit play and see every moment. He had paced up and down the hallway, with Elsie telling him to settle because he was making her a nervous wreck. But his daughter was in pain. His daughter was having a baby. He was going to be a grandfather.

It had been a long birth, or at least, to Charlie it felt that way. Then suddenly, John had stepped out into the hallway with a big goofy look on his face (the only time Charlie could remember him looking so deliriously happy) saying that their daughter was born and that Mum and Baby were doing well.

They had gone right to the room, excited to meet their new granddaughter. He allowed Elsie to step inside first, but then quickly joined her. His eyes had fallen first on his daughter who had her own gleeful grin on her face. He walked right to her and glanced down at the newborn in her hands. His heart had never felt so full.

His thoughts of that wonderful day were interrupted when he heard the blare of a car horn behind him. He grumbled, putting his car into park. His head turned to see what the issue was, to see that two cars seemed to be fighting over one of the handicapped parking spaces.

Shaking his head, he stepped out of the car. He could see that Anna and Elsie were still in front of the building talking to DCI Maxwell. Anna kept rubbing her hands together anxiously and Elsie placed her arm around her shoulders to calm her slightly.

Charlie quickened his steps to get closer to them, so they could get inside.

"Is it really her?" Charlie questioned when he was beside his wife.

"Yes, I believe so. As I was telling Mrs. Bates and your wife, we will do a second DNA test, just to make sure. But everything adds up. Let's go inside and talk with the DCI from London and the woman from child services."

"Right."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Anna stepped into the hospital and she paused right in the doorway. This was it. She was going to see her daughter again. It felt surreal.

"Come on," Elsie encouraged, squeezing her shoulders and stepping her forward. They walked through the hospital until they were taken into a small office where two women sat. Anna eyes wondered over the room and she twisted her lips.

"Where is she?"

"She's in a room watching TV right now," one of the women spoke. She must have been the woman who worked for child services. She wore brighter colors and her hair was down and framed around her face. The other woman looked sterner, with her hair pulled up in a bun and a dark jacket over her shoulders.

"What happened to her? How did you find her? Where…" Her heart was racing, pounding harshly against her chest. There were so many questions she had about her daughter, but mainly she just wanted to see her.

"Mrs. Bates," the DCI stated, "I'm DCI Jackson and this is Mrs. Davis. We found her in London. There was a drug bust at a home in the area. Emmeline was found upstairs watching television."

"A drug bust?" Anna inhaled sharply. "Oh my god."

"The woman, claiming to be Emmy's mother, and her brother were downstairs dealing when the police arrived. Social services stepped in with a child involved. They placed her in a foster home, but no paperwork could be found Emmeline. When we asked the woman, Maggie Welch, about Emmeline's paperwork, she admitted to taking the child from Yorkshire five years ago."

Anna's hand came up to cover over her mouth. Tears flooded her eyes. She could vaguely feel her mother's arms around her, giving her a support.

"We ran the DNA on the child and it matched Emmeline's. Along with the woman's story, everything matched up."

"Is she…is she alright? Was she treated okay?" Her hand shook at her mouth and she could feel the pit of her stomach twisting and turning.

"As far as we can tell, she is healthy. A little small for her age, but it doesn't appear that she was physically hurt in anyway." Anna let out a small breath of relief. "There was neglect with drugs taking place in the home, not going to school, and being left alone for long stretches some days."

"She hasn't been to school? She was left all alone?" A stray tear fell down her cheek and she pressed her hand against her cheek to stop it. "She's eight years old! How has she not been in school?" She covered her face with her hands inhaling sharply. This was so much harder than she had expected it to be. Everyone around her was patient. Nothing was said, as they all allowed Anna to gather her bearings. Slowly, she dropped her hands from her face. "I want to see her."

"Yes," DCI Maxwell stated. "We will take you to her."

"Wait," DCI Jackson interrupted, "We should go over our next steps with you."

"Next steps?"

"Yes," Mrs. Davis said with a crooked smile. "We have a therapist coming in to speak with Emmeline. We're hoping to get a better idea of what her life was like with Maggie. We'll complete the DNA test and in a few days, we will have her make the transition to your house, after we come and make sure your house is in order."

Anna's face paled, but then ran red with anger and frustration.

"A few days? A house visit? She's my daughter who was taken from me," that deep motherly instinct hadn't left her. It was more ferocious than ever now. "She should come home with me today. Where will she stay?"

"Mrs. Bates," Mrs. Davis tried to soothe over. "I know this must all be rather infuriating, but there are steps we have to take. It's all a matter of following the rules."

Anna gave a deep chuckle of disbelief. Here they were talking about following rules and policies, but that woman hadn't followed the law by taking her daughter from her five years ago. She had lost five years. Five birthdays. Five Halloweens. Five Christmases. A lifetime.

"I honestly don't care about any of that. I want my daughter."

"And you will have her," DCI Jackson broke in. "But we must follow the procedure in place. She will be placed with a temporary family for the next couple of days."

"This is ridiculous," Anna muttered.

"Is there not something we could do," Charlie broke in. It was the first time that Anna remembered her parents were in the room with her. Her mother's hands were still on her shoulders and her father was on the other side of her.

"No." It was now DCI Maxwell's turn. "But I will see what we can do to speed up the process and you will be allowed to see her every day until the paperwork is settled. Why don't I take you to see her, Mrs. Bates? I think for right now it would be best if you came alone."

Anna's eyes moved between her parents and they both gave her a nod of encouragement.

"Go on, love," Elsie whispered in her ear. "We'll be right in here."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Five Years Ago

Anna glanced down at the row of pumpkins with Emmy right by her side. The little girl tumbled slightly in her wellies, so Anna lifted her back up and the girl giggled.

"Have we found a pumpkin?" John asked, coming around to the other side of Emmy. He used his cane to help him bend down next to his daughter.

A cold breeze hit them all and Anna was glad they were in their thick jackets. Emmy shivered and Anna bent down as well to make sure her jacket was all buttoned up.

"We should probably grab some soon. I'm worried she'll catch a chill."

Anna stood back up and turned to adjust the wheelbarrow by her feet. John came up beside her pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He placed a small pumpkin inside.

"Emmy picked this one out," he told her. Anna smiled. She turned back to where Emmy had been standing to see her missing. Her lips pursed and she scanned nearby.

"Emmy?"

John also turned, his own eyes scanning around. "She couldn't have gone far. She was just right there. We'll find her."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Now

Her breath was caught in her throat. Her hands were shaking. They stood right outside the door and she felt intense anticipation of seeing her little girl.

"Are you ready?" It was Mrs. Davis who asked her. Of everyone, she had been Emmy's one constant over the past several days. It hurt Anna to think that she wasn't her daughter's constant. Before all of this, she had been. Anna hadn't worked; she had stayed home with Emmy. But five years had been stolen from her, from them. It wasn't fair.

"Yes," Anna stated. She gathered up her courage and forced herself to be strong. She was seeing her daughter and she needed to show Emmy that she wasn't going anywhere.

The door opened and Anna's eyes fell right to Emmy. In an instant, she had zero doubt that it was her girl. She was watching the television, but Anna could see her profile. It was Emmy's profile. Her hair no longer had any curl. It was straight like hers. Her hair was still blonde and her eyes still blue. Her clothes were a little tight on her frame and Anna could tell that her trainers had been worn out. She would need new ones.

"Emmeline," Mrs. Davis gently said. The little girl swung her head toward them and bit down on her lower lip. She was quiet. It wasn't the Emmy that Anna remembered. Her Emmy would have started talking a mile a minute the moment she saw her. But Anna just offered her a small smile. "Your mother is here to see you."

Anna stepped forward then.

"Emmy," Anna started in a higher pitched almost sing-song type voice. "Oh, I've missed you so much. Your daddy will be here very soon. He…he was working when we got the call. He's in Scotland. But he'll be here as soon as he can." She paused herself, realizing she was rattling about. Emmy eyed her carefully. But she didn't speak.

Anna made her way to a chair next to Emmy. She took the seat and Mrs. Davis gave her an encouraging nod. Mrs. Davis remained in the room, but over by the corner.

"What are you watching?" Anna asked her. She couldn't take her eyes off of Emmy. It seemed almost like a dream. She itched to take her into her arms, but knew that she had to take things slow. Emmy hadn't been around her for five years.

Emmy shrugged her shoulders and returned her eyes to the television. Anna watched along with her for a couple of minutes. It was a preteen type show like she had watched with the children she had babysat as a teenager.

"Do you remember me, Emmy? I know it's been an awfully long time," Anna spoke, filling the void in the air. "You were only three. We searched everywhere for you. We have missed you."

Emmy returned her attention to Anna. Her brows furrowed slightly.

"I want to go home," Emmy finally said. Anna nodded.

"You will," she promised. "In a few days, you'll come back home with me and your dad. Everything will…."

"No, my home," Emmy said, twisting her lips to the side. "In London."

Anna's heart dropped and fell within her chest. She tried not to let her disappointment show.

"Your home is here. We'll have to get you a new bed. You've grown so much since I saw you last. And new clothes. I'll let you choose whatever you want," she pushed out a big smile.

Emmy's eyes swam with tears. She shook her head.

"I just want my mum," she cried. Anna fell back against her chair, feeling as though she had just been punched in the gut. Her own eyes filled with tears and she had to glance up to keep them from falling.

Thankfully, Mrs. Davis stepped in.

"Emmeline, remember what we spoke about? Mrs. Bates is your mum. Maggie stole you away from her five years ago. I know this is difficult, but Mrs. Bates loves you very much. I think once you get back to your old home, you'll remember her better."

"Yes," Anna shakily said. "And your gran and grandpapa. You remember them? Oh, they'll spoil you so."

Emmy just crossed her arms defiantly against her chest and let out a loud sigh. Then she returned her attention to the television screen. Anna looked desperately to Mrs. Davis who only offered her a supportive nod.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

She had stayed with Emmy for a couple of hours. She hadn't wanted to leave. Even with Emmy not wanting to be near her, Anna didn't ever want to let her out of her sight again. They all decided that it would be best to slowly introduce her back to her family, as to not overwhelm her. This would be a long process.

When Anna got back home, she went to do the dishes in the kitchen. She needed to keep her hands busy. Her parents understood. They took the dog out on a walk and gave her the time she needed by herself.

A knock came at the door. Anna paused and dropped the sponge into the sink. She took off her apron and went to the door.

Opening it, she saw John standing on the other side. Quickly, her eyes glanced up and down his frame. He was leaner than he had been four years ago with broader shoulders. Anna briefly wondered if he now regularly worked out. His face was scruffy and she found that she liked the salt and pepper beard. The grey had started along the edges of his hair and Anna remembered that they were both older now. He looked good, like he had been taking care of himself, unlike she had been. But the edges of his eyes didn't seem to crinkle as much as she remembered, as though he hadn't smiled in a long time. When she finally met his eyes, her lower lip began to quiver. Then she fell right into his arms. He quickly brought his arms around her.

"Oh, John. It's her. It's really her. Emmy is back."

To be continued...

Thank you for reading! More soon!