– Three years ago –
Mai decided to stay in the orphanage. When the news stated that there will be a storm, she wanted to help John and the others in securing the kids. She's sleepy, the rain pitter-pattering on the roof is like a lullaby to her and yet, here she is, wide awake.
Outside. Come outside.
Her gut feeling was telling her to come outside. The thunder and lightning were still flashing on her windows.
"Why would I come outside in this kind of weather?" She mumbled. But Mai knew too well not to ignore what her instinct was telling her, so she wore her raincoat and come downstairs, and saw John reading a book in the living room.
The priest tilted his head confusion seeing her in her raincoat.
"Mai-san? Where are you going? It's late."
The girl sheepishly smiled at him. "Err... uhm... just outside... There's something I wanted to check outside."
"I'll come with you."
Mai opened the heavy wooden door and gasped when she saw an umbrella protecting the baby in the basket from the rain!
"Oh Lord, another child was abandoned in this kind of weather nothing less." John made a sign of a cross and mumbled a short prayer.
"John, look at this." Mai took the paper on top of the sleeping baby, it has a baby bottle with half drink milk and pair of diapers.
"'Her name is Amy, four months old, please take care of her. As her mother, this is the most that I can do to protect her.'" John read the English writing letter. Mai immediately ran outside despite of the heavy rain, hoping to catch the mother who left her daughter, but failed, she only found an empty street. Mai noticed that gate's padlock and chain was destroyed.
She removed her raincoat and went inside, locking the front door. The baby was still sleeping soundly on the basket.
"Someone cut the gate's lock." Mai informed the priest.
"What?" John gasped. "But I was in the living room for some time before you came down, and I didn't hear anything."
"Maybe because of the rain?"
John thought for a moment, and that's the plausible explanation. "Maybe."
Mai read the letter again. "Is... Is this blood?!"
"Where?"
"This." She pointed at the faint red spots on the paper. "Maybe, Amy's mother was in danger and she didn't want her child to be in danger as well, that's why she left her in the orphanage."
"But how did she know that this is an orphanage and not just a church?"
"Well... instinct...?"
John sighed. "Not all people have a strong instinctive ability like you, Mai-san."
The baby in the basket squirmed before letting out a cry.
"Waaah! She's crying! What should we do! What should we do!" Mai panicked when the cry gets louder and louder.
"Relax Mai-san, maybe she's hungry."
"Hungry?" Mai remembered the milk that was left with the baby. "Ah, here." Mai thrust the bottle in her mouth to keep her quiet.
"Waa! Mai-san, be careful." John teach her how to properly feed the baby, but the baby kept shaking her head not wanting to drink the milk. "Hm. Ah, take care in your arms Mai-san, she just wanted to be carried."
"Eh? Me? But –"
"Now, now, we need lull her back to sleep." John took the baby from the basket and placed it careful in Mai's arms. Mai's chest felt warm when the baby looked at her then giggled.
"It seems that she likes you already." John commented. "You just need to rock her to sleep."
"You are really good at handling infants, John."
"Well, back in Australia, there are several newborns were left in the orphanage, and we don't have enough caretakers, so we take care of them ourselves."
"Oh..."
Mai do everything John told her about taking care of the baby, how to change the diapers, how to bath her. She now has a reason to go home early after her part time job.
"Ma...ma!" The toddler giggled. Mai was playing with her together with the other kids. She can now crawl and talk.
"No, it's onee-chan." Mai corrected her. "O-nee-chan."
"Mama!"
"No, no, no, Amy-chan, I'm not your mother. I'm your onee-chan."
The ten-month old Amy stared at her before letting out a loud cry.
"Waah! What's wrong?!" Mai exclaimed in surprised, she rubbed the baby's back, but she just cried louder. "Amy-chan, what's wrong?"
"Mam... ma!" The baby hiccuped.
Mai stared at her teary eyes, that was staring at her, before she sighed in resignation.
"Alright, I'll be your mama."
The baby gradually stopped from crying before she giggled, hugging her neck.
"Mam-ma..."
Naru and the rest of SPR members are in the orphanage, Naru called Ayako to checked on the unconscious couple, the others arrived later and Naru asked Lin to check the couple's background. Amy was sleeping in her room, exhausted from crying.
Mai was sitting in the couch, staring at nothing. Now that Amy displayed other abilities aside from being a healer, she's now more determined to adopt her. She doesn't want her to fall in some greedy and opportunists hands.
She deeply sighed, covering her face before she softly sobbed.
John placed the tea on the table, and sat beside her, comforting her.
"John, I'm going to appeal in the court." She said, the priest stared at her sympathetically. He knew too well that Mai loves the kid. She's the one basically took care of her ever since Amy was sent in the orphanage. She's the one who taught her how to walk, and talk. Mai was basically her 'mother' in a sense.
"I'm going to do everything for the court to approve me in adopting Amy."
"I'm not going to stop you but it's going to be tough Mai-san, you are already rejected once."
"I have a suggestion Mai." Naru interrupted them. "For the court to approve of you."
The brunette's eyes lit up of hope. "What is it, Naru?"
"Marry me."