Chapter 21
"Come on Zona, I need you to wear your best dress please" Barbara begged in Zona's room, the little girl stared at her tearfully holding a purple t-shirt with blue trousers, ignoring the pale blue dress laid out on the bed. "It's really important you look nice today, I'll do you hair in pretty plaits" Barbara offered. Zona didn't move still grasping the alternative clothes, "We can go for ice cream after" Barbara bribed, Zona sighed putting down the clothes allowing Barbara to put the blue dress on.
"Plaits please" Zona demanded, turning her head, Barbara nodded quickly doing 2 French plaits securing both with a blue bow. All finished they went downstairs, where Daniel and Timmy were waiting, Timmy in his blue suit again, medal secured on his chest, Daniel in his dress uniform.
"Okay so when we go to the court room, I want you to address the judge as Sir, remember your manners, and tell the truth, can you do that for me?" Daniel asked, both children nodded.
"Daddy be there?" Zona asked, hugging horny and doggie tightly. The last time they had gone to court they had seen daddy and she wasn't looking forwards to seeing him again.
"No sweetie," Barbara knelt, "This is because Daniel and I want to give you and Timmy a forever home, and to do that we have to go and see the judge. Would you like that, to stay with us forever?" Barbara asked, Zona nodded excitedly as did Timmy. They drove to the court room; Zona took the Captains hand while Timmy took Barbara's. Zona trying to hide behind Daniel as much as possible. The last time she was here she had seen daddy and he'd been mad; she was worried he was still here, waiting for her to return. Instead, she saw a different person.
"Doctor Mabel" Zona cried joyfully running over, hugging her favourite Doctor, Mabel, and Doctor Edna, who were standing with her teacher and Simon, Nick's dad.
"Hello Zona, Timmy, Barbara, Dan"
"Mabel, Edna" Daniel greeted the 2 Doctors, "Mrs Thomas, Simon"
"Sir"
"Doctor Mabel did you bring magic?" Zona asked tugging on Mabel's top, she loved Doctor Mabel's magic.
"Sure did," Mabel replied not wanting to disappoint her youngest fan, she knew Zona would ask so had prepared, she reached into her pocket pulling out the balls making them appear and disappear, it worked in distracting Zona and Timmy until their name was called. Allowing the other grownups to talk about the upcoming custody hearing.
They entered the court room Zona had abandoned Mabel and was holding onto Barbara, doggie and unicorn for dear life, Timmy was standing straighter but had a death grip on Daniel's hand. While they loved Dr Mabel, Barbara and Daniel were there safe people.
"It's okay, you are safe" Barbara promised them, watching as they relaxed slightly.
Inside this time there was only 4 people, a judge sat behind the dock, a court reporter, the clerk and the social worker.
"Hello Timothy and Arizona Williams." The judge greeted, as Daniel and Barbara guided them into the seating area.
"Hello Sir" Timmy replied, while Zona muttered, something similar having gone shy, hiding behind Nurse B as much as she could while clinging onto her arm. The judge was scary and had a mad face on, she felt much safer holding onto Nurse B and Timmy that she did facing him.
"So, I hear today we are to find your forever home and Captain Daniel and Mrs Barbara Robbins have petitioned to adopt you" he read,
"Yes Sir" Timmy replied again, while Zona buried her head into Barbara's skirt, the court was overwhelming, the judge was scary and he reminded her of daddy, so she hid from him in Nurse B's skirt, feeling some safety from Nurse B stroking her hair and Timmy's hand in hers as well as the protection of her teddies. She made sure they had their eyes on the judge so they could warn her if he came closer.
"I have reports from the social worker, schoolteachers, Doctors, psychologists, half the Marine core, everyone says the same thing, the Robbins family is upstanding loving active members of the community. The Williams siblings have settled in well, are both performing well at school and at karate lessons. Timothy is also doing soccer class, and Arizona is involved in after school art club. They have therapy every week, their health has improved." The judge read from the report "Timothy Williams, step forwards"
"Yes Sir" Timmy bravely stepped away from his family towards the judge. He took a breath his hand resting on the medal Daniel had given him for bravery, the one that had been his fathers.
"Do you understand you are here today to determined where you are your sister should live?" he asked. Timmy nodded.
"Yes Sir, we want to live with Nurse B and the Captain please, forever. They are nice, they give us food, and a bed, they don't hit, they give us clean clothes and help us with our homework." Timmy said sincerely, "Me and Zona we like it there"
"And what about you Arizona, do you want to live with Daniel and Barbara Robbins?" the judge asked, Zona's tear stain face poked out from behind Barbara, she nodded,
"Safe, warm" she whispered, but in the quiet court room everyone could hear. Luckily the judge took that as a postitive, and could tell she was overwhelmed.
"Very well, it is by order of this court and the state of Maryland that the adoption of Timothy and Arizona Williams by Captain Daniel and Mrs Barbara Robbins has been approved."
There was cheering in the court room, Zona found herself engulfed in a hug with Timmy, Nurse B and the Captain.
"Let's go for ice cream" Daniel ordered, "My treat," he offered,
"I can't sorry I have a list" Mabel apologised, "but it was nice to see you again Zona and Timmy," she said hugging the children once again. It was nice to have an abuse case end so well. With the children healthy and happy in safe homes, so she had been desperate to come and sew up the end of the story.
"Me too, Mabel is my lift, but I'll see you in school for our appointments" Edna said,
"Bring the magic pens" Zona replied sternly.
"Please" Barbara corrected,
"Please" Zona repeated,
"Of course, Zona I always bring the magic pens" Edna reassured her, hugging Zona one more time.
"I should go to Arizona, Timmy, I'll see you in school"
"Goodbye Mrs Thomas" Timmy said while Zona waved, ducking behind Nurse B. Mrs Thomas was still really scary to the 6-year-old. Simon also made his excuses.
"Just the 4 of us then"
They drove to the local ice cream parlour, as it was a special day, he let them pick 3 scoops, have sprinkles and a flake.
They sat with their ice creams, Zona and Timmy one side, Barbara and Daniel the other. Zona whispered to Timmy, who whispered back, before Zona whispered to him again.
"Children whispering at the table is rude, would you like to share with the rest of us?" Barbara asked,
"We get to stay with you forever now?" Timmy asked
"That's right, as long as you want" Barbara replied
"Even when we are old"
"Even when you are very old, you can stay as long as you want"
"Like 40" Zona piped up, 40 was a big number,
"If you want" Barbara offered, guessing both of them would want to move out before then,
"What do we call you now?" Timmy said
"You can call us what you want" Barbara offered, "I can be Nurse B, Barbara, Barb, Auntie B or Mom" she suggested,
"Mom" Zona repeated, climbing under the table to sit next to her, she'd always wanted a mom, and Nurse B was exactly how she imagined having a mom to be, warm, kind, nice, supportive. She desperately wanted to call Nurse B mom,
"that's right sweetie" Barbara repeated tears in her eyes, "I'll be your mom"
"And I can be Captain Dan, Dan, Daniel, Uncle Dan, pa or dad," Daniel suggested,
"Captain" Zona decided, "Daddy was mean, he hurt us, Captain saved us, Captain safe." Captain was strong, Captain fought daddy, daddies were bad but Captains they were good. Zona didn't want another daddy, she wanted someone to protect her.
"Then Captain, and Mom it is" Daniel said. It hurt that the kids would likely never call him dad but at the same time he loved that they thought of him as safe, as the protector.
"We have a question for you too, at the moment you have your biological dad's name, but as part of the adoption we can change your name, you can legally become Robbins, if you wanted" he offered. The children had another whispered conversation.
"Yes Sir" Timmy replied eagerly, "I mean if it's okay with you" Zona nodded, the Robbins were hero's whereas the Williams had beaten and starved them.
"Timothy and Arizona Robbins, it has a nice ring to it doesn't it" Daniel said the whole family nodding along.
The family is now together forever