"Brax, has Kyle left already?" Heath asks from the doorway to the flat.
"No, he was still in his room trying to find something to help the cops identify Lillie if they ever came across an abandoned baby. He had cleaned her bottles and pacifiers the day before she was taken, and it looks like she still had the one she was given that morning." Brax says. "He's still refusing to eat anything and I just about managed to get him to have a glass of water."
"I wish you both hadn't have kept it from me. I could have helped." Ricky says, glaring at them both.
"Rick, I've already told you why I couldn't tell you sooner. You heard what the midwife said, stress at this stage of the pregnancy isn't good, for you." Brax says.
"Well I'm going to get myself a drink whilst you two battle that out between yourselves." Heath lightly smiles as he walks into the house.
A photo frame of Kyle holding Lillie when she was a week old caught his eye, it sitting on the shelf next to one of all four brothers together just before Casey's wedding. He smiled at the simpler time in life before heading over to the sink to pour himself a drink. He racked his brain over who would do this, not leaving any ransom note or any slip up about who they are. A noise by the door caught his attention, so he walked round the corner to see his brother and sister in law placing their bags inside the door.
"Case, you're back early?" Heath says, glancing at them both as Kyle walks out from the hallway, when he noticed his brother.
"Yeah, Brax called, told us about Lillie." Casey says, turning to his brother and surprisingly pulling him for a hug that wasn't protested against as Kyle hugged him back, finding it somewhat comforting after not seeing each other for well over a year. "I'm so sorry we couldn't get here sooner. How're you doing?"
"I just need to find her." Kyle croaks, tears escaping his eye, causing Casey to hug him tighter.
"I'll help, just say the word and I'm on it." Casey says, noticing Heath and Denny give them a minute as they head into the flat, where Brax and Ricky were. "We'll get more info from the cops, we'll search everywhere until you get her back."
"They said it's likely she's been taken out of the area by now. They said this was deliberately done… No traces have been left behind for them to go on." Kyle mutters. "Kat said they've got in contact with the police in Melbourne because they think Phoebe and Ash could have done it, considering they dumped her on our doorstep."
"Well that's a start." Casey says. "At least they're taking it seriously and aren't dismissing anything."
"Yeah I guess." Kyle says as they pull away, wiping his tears away.
"We grabbed some food from the diner before we-"
"I'm not hungry. I need to get back out and look for Lillie." Kyle says.
"Kyle, you need to eat." Casey sighs. "You think starving yourself if going to solve anything? And it will make me feel better about the weight I've put on since travelling." He says, frowning lightly as he pulls at his shirt.
"Well I wasn't going to mention it." Kyle says, managing a small fake smile.
"Just means I'll look better in photos when I start working out again." Casey grins, grabbing the diner bag from on top of his suitcase, handing a sandwich over to his brother. "I got you a chicken mayo with extra mayo. Just don't tell Heath cause I wasn't expecting him to be here yet." He lightly chuckles, glancing behind him before moving Kyle towards the table.
"Where's yours?" Kyle asks, staring at the sandwich before taking a small bite.
"Denny's put me on a diet already." Casey frowns, pulling a salad out. "I never thought I'd hate healthy food so much until my wife said it's all I'm allowed." He mutters, stabbing the fork into it a couple times before starting to eat it, glad he got Kyle to eat something from how bad Brax said it had been.
"Thought you wore the trousers?" Kyle asks, momentarily focusing on something other than his missing daughter.
"Oi, I wear the trousers!" Casey moans. "Just apparently not when it comes to my diet."
"You keep believing that." Kyle scoffs, glancing at his phone on the table next to him as it lights up, staring at his lock screen of Lillie.
"She's going to break hearts when she's older." Casey smiles, wanting to lighten the mood. "I can't wait to meet this niece of mine from all the praise you lot have been giving her. I just highly doubt she slept amazing and fed well like you were all saying."
"Yeah, she did. The health visitor said she's never known a newborn to get a sleeping pattern as quickly as Lillie. She was such a good kid." Kyle mutters, looking down as he puts the sandwich down, unable to eat anymore.
"IS such a great kid. You're going to get her back." Casey says, glancing at the door as someone knocks on it, seeing Kat stood there in her uniform.
"Kat, have you found her?" Kyle asks as he stands up, a little too eagerly, Brax and Heath walking in from the flat.
"I'm afraid not. But we were able to get a DNA sample from a bottle in the travel bag you used, which will help massively in the investigation. We have been given the go ahead by our top commander to test all babies that go into hospital that were not previously registered at the hospital." Kat explains.
"But how is that going to work?" Heath frowns. "What will testing babies that aren't registered do?"
"Well, if they aren't already registered at Northern Districts, then it's a possibility someone may be keeping Lillie as their own under another identity. If we come across a DNA match, then we've got Lillie." Kat says. "We've already alerted the hospital that this will be happening and they've given their approval, meaning this will be a smoother operation."
"And what if she's already been taken out of the state?" Kyle asks. "How is that going to help?"
"Kyle, they're doing their best." Heath says, Kyle grabbing his phone from the table before walking towards the door. "Where're you going?" He sighs.
"To find my daughter." Kyle mutters, walking out before they could stop him.
"I need to get back to the station. I'll call you the second we find something." Kat says, walking out to her car.
"You got him to eat something?" Heath asks, noticing the half eaten sandwich where Kyle was sat.
"Yeah, guess it's better than nothing." Casey says, smiling as he embraces his oldest brother.
"It's good to see you mate." Brax smiles as the girls join them. "I thought I was picking you up?"
"The flight arrived early, and we thought it would've been easier getting a taxi." Casey says.
"Right." Brax nods as he wraps an arm around Ricky's waist.
"Geez Ricky, you're massive!" Casey exclaims, getting a hard whack on the arm from his brother, wife and sister in law. "I just meant I wasn't expecting your baby bump to be so big. Is it meant to be?"
"I popped early." Ricky says, smiling at his attempt to save himself.
"Popped early?" Casey frowns.
"It means my bump started showing earlier in my pregnancy. Plus, the doctors said she's a good healthy weight, just on the larger side." Ricky says.
"Is it going to be a natural birth?" Denny asks.
"That's what we opted for, but they said due to the size of her, it may not go that way." Ricky says. "Two and a half weeks until we find out, I just wish it came at a better time."
"None of us knew this was going to happen." Heath says.
"No, but how are we meant to help Kyle when we're going to have a baby of our own to look after?" Ricky says, glancing at Brax.
"Hopefully Lillie's back before then. She has to be." Brax mutters, not knowing what he would do then.