Chapter 27

I've decided on a new direction for this story. So here it goes.

4 years have passed since Sariah left the Torretto house without telling anyone she was pregnant. She was now 25. She had phoned Maria a few times right after she left but that was it. Three months after she left she went for her first scan and found out she was expecting twins! Four months after that she gave birth to two healthy babies a boy she named Mitchell Steven Torretto and a girl named Madison Sarah Torretto.

Sariah had sold the Porsche and put half of the money into a savings account in case she or the twins ever needed it. Then bought a more suitable car that fitted she could fit the twins baby seats in. She had rented a small two bed roomed house in a small town near Phoenix AZ. It had a reasonable back garden for the twins to run around in when they grew up. She had managed to get a part time job doing the books for a large garage, she had explained her situation and they were sympathetic and allowed her to work from home when it was too difficult for her come into work and the same after she had the twins. She had become good friends with Mrs Baxter the old lady next door who often cared for the twins for her.

Sariah hardly had time to think about her family back in LA she was too busy running around after the twins. They were both very demanding Madison was so bossy and Mitchell was so energetic. When she did get a chance of peace she did think about how everyone was getting on. She never even thought of going back not once until something happened. She had gone out for the evening with some friends from the garage. Mrs Baxter was looking after the twins. Sariah got out of the taxi and waved goodbye her friends and stumbled up the path to her door, fiddling to find her keys. As soon as she walked in the door she knew something was wrong. Her first instinct was to go up to the twins room and check they were ok, she did and they were sound asleep, she kissed them both without waking them then headed back down stairs. She walked into the lounge, the TV was on but there was no sign of Mrs Baxter. As she wandered thru to the kitchen she saw Mrs Baxter lead on the floor in the middle of the room. Sariahs eyes welled up with tears. She grabbed the phone off of the wall and knelt down next to her. Dialling 911 she tried to check whether there was a pulse.

'911, which service?'

'Ummmm……. Ambulance please.' Sariah was shaking

'Hello, how can I help?'

'Yes…. Yes… I need you to come now, it's my neighbour… she's... ummm it think shes dead?'

'Ok miss what's your address?'

'My address……. 710 Sawley drive... please hurry.'

'Ok miss they are on their way. Have you checked for a pulse?'

'Yyyyessss. I can't find one?'

'Ok miss stay calm. Can you see if she has hit her head or if anyone has broken in?'

Sariahs eyes darted to the back door; there was no sign of a break in.

'No I don't think so, I think she just collapsed.'

The next five minutes went as a blur. She heard the ambulance siren. Two paramedics came rushing in as Sariah moved out of the way.

'My kids…' she whispered

'Sorry miss?' the paramedic asked.

'Ummmmmm my children are upstairs in bed.'

'Go and see to them Miss.; the paramedic ushered her out of the room.

She walked upstairs and into the twin's room.

Mitchell was stirring but Maddy was still sound asleep.

'Mommy, what was that noise?' Mitchell asked

'Shhhh its ok baby, go back to sleep.' Sariah hugged him tight and set his head back down on the pillow

As Sariah walked into the lounge one of the paramedics approached her.

'Miss Torretto, I'm afraid your neighbour is dead. 'He put his arm on her shoulder.

'What happened?' Sariah whispered

'We think it was a heart attack, there would have been hardly any pain. We can't tell for sure yet.'

'Ummmmm what happens now?'

'Well the police get in touch with her next of kin. Then its up to them too arrange everything.'

'No no I mean with the body? Are you taking it?' Sariah was worried about the twins coming down and seeing it.

'The coroners are on their way. They should be here in the next few minutes. Will you be ok? We have to go now.'

'Yes I'll be fine, thank you.' She walked to the door to see them drive off. As they went the coroners pulled up, she was relieved that she didn't have to be on her own.

They came in, did all they had to do, took the body and left her the details of where Mrs Baxter was being taken.

Sariah was absolutely knackered it was 3am. She wandered upstairs got changed and crawled into bed.

The next few days passed as a blur.

One afternoon she was sat watching cartoons with the twins when she heard a car pull up outside. She looked out of the window and saw a man helping an elderly man get out of the car. They walked up to Mrs Baxter's house and went in. she assumed they were relatives. After making a quick call to a friend asking her to take the twins, she walked over to Mrs Baxter's house and knocked on the door. He man opened the door and smiled.

'Ummm hello I live next door. Ummm Mrs Baxter was at my house when she ummmm' Sariah was looking at the floor.

'Oh come in my dear.' The man said.

As she walked into the lounge the elderly man was sitting on the sofa looking through some old pictures.

' dad this is aunt Lillian's neighbour, you know the one who found her?' the man sat next to his father and put his arm around him.

'Oh hello dear. I'm Sam, Lillian's brother, this is my son Matthew.' The man had tears in his eyes.

'I I never knew Mrs Baxter had a brother.' Sariah sat on a chair slightly shocked that she had never mentioned her family

'We weren't close.' The man looked sad

'Come sit here my dear' he patted the seat next to him

Sariah sat next to him; the man reached out and wrapped his hands around Sariahs.

'Me and my sister had a difficult relationship, you see our mother died when she was 12 and I was 17. Our father was pretty useless really and he eventually left, leaving me to raise Lillian. I was very overprotective of her. She rebelled more and more. Until the day after her 18th birthday we had a big argument and I slapped her. 'He had tears running down his cheeks.

'Why what happened?' Sariah was listening tentatively

'She had gone out or something? I can really remember now, it seems so small now, I just completely lost it and regretted it everyday after that. I tried apologising, but she wouldn't have if things went from bad to worse after that until I came home one day to find a note saying she had gone and that I shouldn't try to find her.'

'Did you ever see her again?' Sariah had alarm bells ringing about the situation with her own family/

'Yes twice, at our father's funeral and at cousins wedding, but that's it. At both of them we made idle small talk. We never spoke properly again. It's the biggest regret in my life.' The old man stood up slowly

'If you have family my dear make sure you cherish everyday with them.'

After exchanging numbers with him she headed back home and sat alone for hours thinking of all the guys back in LA. She then made the decision to go back; she did want the twins growing up with out their cousins or aunts and uncles.