Foundling - Chapter 4
Thank you so much everyone that reviewed this story! It really motivated me to get this chapter out quickish. I know, I know, it's not exactly next day service but it's within the same week at least;)
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They should have known the peace and quiet wouldn't last. Almost four months to the day from when they got Madeline they were called into Lester's office again. Nothing had happened lately, that either of them could think of, that would deserve a visit into the bosses office.
"We've got a serious problem." He started without a preamble. "The new minister wants a full review into Madeline."
Taken off guard, the young couple exclaimed, "What? Why?"
Lester pursed his lips and answered the why, "She came up through social services, then transferred into national secrets and classified work. She was going through the old files and discovered that I just said you could keep a human baby." He was well aware of all the things he hadn't said they could keep that they just kept anyway. He had learned not to ask questions he didn't want to officially know the answers to. "She wants to know who you are, why you're qualified to raise a child, all that bunk."
Abby felt a pit settle in her stomach. "What's her name?"
"Naomi Truman." Lester watched her closely. "Do you know her?"
She exhaled heavily, "Haven't heard of her before. What specifically does she want?"
"Home visits, interviews, the whole nine yards, she basically wants you to jump through all the hoops everyone else has to hop through to get a baby. She mentioned that there are thousands of fully qualified families waiting on a child and I overstepped my bounds letting you skip to the head of the line."
"She's not going to take her away from us!" Abby declared. "Yeah! She's our daughter." Connor chimed in, getting more and more upset.
"I'm going to do everything in my power to prevent that." Lester reassured them. "I only just found out. They're holding the caseworker at the front gate now. Thank heavens this is a classified facility and just anybody can't wander in. It's a woman named Trudy Sterling, she was trying to do a surprise workplace interview."
"Does she know where Madeline actually came from?"
"No. All she knows is that all the regular waiting periods and interviews were waived for you for some reason. I blame myself," he said regretfully, "I should have forged a lot more documents."
Connor spoke up, "We'll go talk to the caseworker, we'll tell her whatever she wants to hear and then she'll leave us alone, right?" He was looking for some positive affirmation. Lester, who had been a bureaucrat nearly his whole adult life and had witnessed some positively gargantuan bouts of officially sanctioned stupidity wasn't going to reassure him it would be alright.
Abby, who had seen the system from the other side, didn't even kid herself. If they, the nameless faceless they, could take Madeline away and destroy all of their lives, they would.
"I can't send her away." Lester replied, "Becker's men are holding her at the gate."
"We'll go talk to her, but we'll leave Madeline in here. She can't take her if she can't get her." Connor said with impeccable logic. "We have to Abby, she's not going to go away."
"Fine. We'll talk to her." She grudgingly agreed.
"Get your stories straight." Lester told them sharply. "You decided to adopt a baby from small Siberian orphanage. You found it on the internet. You filled the paperwork out yourselves and mailed it off. They approved you and you paid for her flight and for the nurse who brought her here. You didn't think home-studies and references were needed for foreign adoptions. Don't get specific, claim you can't really remember, you were just so excited about it."
"Right." Connor shook his head eagerly, "We can do that."
Lester kept on with his advise, "Don't let her interview you separately and for heaven's sake don't give her any details she can pin down. Just claim excitement and Abby, play the blonde card if you have to."
"We can do this Abby." Connor grabbed her hand and they went up to the gate by the parking spaces, where Trudy Sterling was waiting on them. Becker was standing outside the little office on the outside of the gate they used to keep people in while waiting on approval to enter the facility.
"She's really a shrill one." Becker cautioned them, "She threatened to have me sacked if I didn't let her carry out her duties and snoop on you at work. Be careful."
"Thanks mate." Connor told him. Becker opened the door for them and stepped inside also.
Trudy Sterling was older, in her fifties with bleach blonde hair and a pink business suit. She had a face like a woman that had never worked outside a day in her life, but the wrinkle free aspect of it must be from botox, given her age. She was short, nearly as short as Abby and a little run to fat. Pudgy would be a good word to describe it.
She was sitting in one of the four chairs in the waiting room. She rose to her feet when they entered, "I'm Mrs. Sterling, are you Connor and Abby Temple?"
"Yes." Connor answered.
"No." Abby said at the exact same time. "I'm Abby Maitland, not Temple."
She pursed her lips at the latest irregularity. "I am your caseworker, I'll be popping in to see that everything's all right with little-" she flipped her file open quickly, "Madeline. I'll need to see her now, in fact."
"No." Abby denied the woman immediately. The older woman's eyes flashed angerly, "I am allowed to see any child during the course of my duties-" She started to protest hotly before Becker cut her off. "She means you can't enter the facility and see the daycare."
It was like a switch flipped. "Oh. I see. You both have classified jobs then?"
"Yes."
Mrs. Sterling glanced over at Becker standing in the corner. "You shouldn't be here for the interviews, they're supposed to be private."
He shrugged, "Facility policy. People without the proper clearance have to have a security person with them if they aren't completely isolated." He was playing the stodgy, order following guard to the hilt. Abby and Connor knew him well enough to know that he was lying off his ass. Sterling didn't.
She harrumphed, annoyed. "Mr. Temple, what exactly is it that you do?"
"That's classified."
"Give me a broad overview then. I assume from your dress you are not security?"
Connor glanced down at his clothes, "No. Computer specialist."
"Oh? Like tech support? Like if email won't load right?" She said that in a perfectly normal tone of voice and still managed to make it sound like she was sneering at him.
He smiled thinly at her. "Yes. Like tech support. They call me when the computers aren't working properly." That so far away from what he really did that Becker nearly broke cover and laughed.
Mrs. Sterling noted that down in her file and then turned to Abby. "Mrs. Maitland is it? What exactly do you do?"
"Classified." Abby wasn't giving up anything. All of her old hostility towards caseworkers came roaring back.
"Mr. Temple was able to tell me what he does in broad enough strokes I could write something down." Sterling narrowed her eyes at Abby. "I suggest you try the same."
Only Connor's slight squeeze on her hand as a warning not to go to war with this woman kept Abby from doing just that. "I work in a lab. I can't get more specific than that."
"Really? You don't look much like a scientist or a doctor. In fact, it says here your degree is in animal husbandry."
Abby sighed deeply. "I look after the lab rats," she lied. "I can't say anything else about it."
Sterling smiled like she had achieved a great victory. "This will go a lot easier if you just cooperate with me."
"Why exactly are you here?" Connor bluntly demanded, "Our adoption was finalized months ago."
"It shouldn't have been. There is simply tons of paperwork missing from your case. I can find no record of home visits, interviews, character references, it seems you decided you wanted a baby and poof! You got one." Sterling narrowed her eyes at them. "There are thousands of families in the UK that want a baby and you two simply...cut in line."
"We didn't break any laws!" Abby exclaimed. "Our adoption was perfectly legal and you've no cause to be sticking your nose in our business now!"
"Of course it was dearie...I'm merely here to fill in the gaps." Nobody in the room believed her for a second. "Now if you can go get the baby, I need to see she's normal and healthy before we proceed to the surprise home visit we have this evening."
"What home visit?"
"Surprise."
"Fine. We'll get her. It's nearly time to get off work anyway." Connor cut Abby off before she could really let the woman have it. "You'll have to wait here, and follow us home."
"I've got the address, I could meet you there." Sterling offered transparently, probably so they wouldn't have a chance to clean up, "There's really no reason for me to wait around in this box here."
Becker broke in, "We're still running your background checks. You'll stay here until I'm satisfied you are who you say you are. It shouldn't take more than an hour." Becker smiled her sweetly, "Be back soon."
The switch flipped again as Sterling flew into a rage, "You can't keep me locked up in here! I've got rights! This is false imprisonment and I'm just doing my job! You let me go this instant or I'll have you fired!"
The threats faded behind them as the door swung shut. "That woman is a harpy." Becker told them, shuddering. "She's going to cause trouble for you."
Connor was chewing on his knuckle. "Yeah, I don't know how we're going to get rid of her."
"If there's anything I can do to help." Becker offered. "Let me know."
"Yeah mate, there is. I need you to go to our place and get Rex, Sid and Nancy out of there. She can't see them. There's nothing else classified in the flat." Abby was spinning her house key off the ring as she was talking. "There's animal carriers by the washing machine on a shelf, throw some fruit in, they'll all go right in."
Becker was skeptical. "Will they really?"
"Yes, I've been working with them, in case I ever had to move them fast. Cut up a mango, toss a bit into each one and they'll race each other to get in." Abby reassured him. "Thanks."
"What are we going to do?" Abby fretted as they went down the elevator towards the main operations floor. She was pacing back and forth in the small space. Connor grabbed her hand and pulled her tight into a hug.
"Abby, listen to me," He reached up to cradle her cheek, "We'll get through this. We'll do her stupid interview, we'll fill out her stupid forms and we'll get through this. She'll see we're the best possible parents and she'll leave us alone." He was trying to be optimistic.
Abby knew better. She leaned into him. "That isn't how the system works Connor."
Then there was no more time for talking. They went to Lester's office to see if he could get this all dismissed before they got Madeline and showed her to that vile woman. He couldn't. He swore he would keep working on it tonight and that they might just have to ride this one out.
They got Madeline from the daycare and slowly made their way back upstairs. They waited in the hallway while Becker got off the phone. "My guys have your pets. Do you want them here?"
"Uh..."Abby thought, distracted, "They're not used to not being around people. I guess so."
Becker, seeing how incredibly worked up she was and how tightly she was clutching the baby made the offer, "I could look after them, if you like." He said generously, "It'll only be for a few days anyway."
She smiled, but it was only a shadow of her normal brilliant grin, "That would be nice, they'll be happier with you than here. They like to watch the telly and Rex likes to follow someone around all the time."
They were stalling. "I suppose we have to go in." Connor said dourly. Becker put his hand on the doorknob and hesitated, "She kept shrieking about false imprisonment and her rights for about five minutes after we left her." Becker cautioned them, "Watch her. She's the type to smile at you and stab you at the same time."
Connor groaned, "Great."
The three of them trooped back into the room. Sterling had a notepad out in front of her and she pinned Becker with a glare. "I'll want your name and service number! There will be an investigation into you holding me here!"
Becker merely arched an eyebrow at her and pulled out his security badge. He kept his hand over all the information except his name and ID number and allowed her to angrily copy it down. Now that her wounded pride was taken care of, she turned her attention to the actual reason she was here.
"Let me see her." She ordered Abby. Abby just shifted around so that Sterling could see her face. "No, give her here." Sterling demanded. "No." Abby said hotly. "Abby," Connor pleaded with her not to fight. The woman couldn't take or hurt the baby with all three of them there. Abby glanced back and forth between Connor and Sterling for a second before very very grudgingly letting Sterling hold Madeline.
Until then Madeline had been quietly looking around but she picked up on the tension in the room. When Sterling leaned in to examine her she started to cry. Sterling ignored the baby's wailing while she flipped the blanket back and examined her clothes. She harrumphed as she saw the purple outfit Abby had dressed her in that morning. There was a stain on it! They let her wear dirty clothes. She added that to her list against them.
At six months old the baby was about average size, but she would get a doctor to look at her just to be certain she wasn't underweight. She harrumphed again and passed her back. Abby rocked her and cooed to her to try and get her to stop crying.
Sterling whirled on Becker, "Can we all go now? I have an inspection to carry out."
He shrugged. "Maybe. If your documents have cleared." Sterling's eyes flashed anger but she didn't go off on another tantrum. Becker pulled out his phone and texted his men that he had sent to get the creatures. They were on their way back to the ARC.
"It seems that it has. You're free to go." He gave her the biggest most patronizing smile he was capable of.
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At the flat they did as they normally did. Maddy had fallen asleep in the car seat so Connor carried her in with the seat and set her down next to her swing. Sterling looked around and made notes on her clipboard. There were stairs with an open baby gate. Tick mark. One of the bedrooms was a loft style with only a half wall. That was very dangerous. Tick mark. None of the corners on the coffee table were padded. Tick mark. She felt very secure in her decision that this place was a death trap and completely justified in her previous decision to remove the child they had broken the law to obtain from this home.
While Abby was giving Madeline her evening bottle and Connor was fiddling around making dinner Sterling was on the phone to her police contact. "I'll need an escort. For the safety of the child." She already had a car seat waiting in the back of her car. The home inspection was really just a formality before she could remove the child. That was something she normally claimed to take no pleasure in but after they had falsely imprisoned her, she was looking forward to it.
Sterling was waiting by the door, pretending to take more notes when the police arrived. She had the front door open wide before Connor or Abby even realized that they were there.
"Who's here?" Abby started to say and then they came into the house. Her childhood came roaring back at her as she saw their uniforms, "No! No! You can't take my baby!" The officers were used to this and one of them peeled off to block Connor in the kitchen while the other one came around to Abby.
"Ma'am I have to," He pleaded, he hated domestic cases, "I have to, look, you'll have a court date and then you can tell it all to the judge yeah?"
Abby was backing up until she was against the wall. "NO! Leave her alone! This isn't right!" Dimly she heard Connor protesting from the kitchen.
"You have to tell it to the judge all right? Look, you're scaring her," The officer tried to calm her down. Sterling was by the door gloating at them and completely oblivious to Madeline wailing in fear. "Officers, hurry up. I have to get her to a proper home."
"No, no, no, no," Abby begged, "Don't take her, don't take my baby." Her legs went all trembly and she slid down the wall. The officer squatted in front of her. "Please miss. You can tell it to the judge but I have to take her now." He looked down at Madeline, "She's beautiful. What's her name?"
Abby looked at him with dull eyes and felt the old familiar sense of futility come rushing over her. "Madeline Sarah." She didn't resist anymore when he cautiously plucked her daughter out of her arms. "I'm sorry miss," he apologized. "Tell the judge, and you'll get her back."
Abby started crying then and she didn't move when they all left. She was barely aware of Connor running across the room and grabbing her. She crawled into his lap and kept crying. They were never going to see her again. They were never going to get her back. Those thoughts kept running around and around and around in her head and finally she just shut down and wept herself to sleep there on the floor cradled in Connors arms.
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Author's note: I have no idea how the foster care system in the UK works. Everything I put in here I did for drama and to add a little stress to the happy couple. I'm sure real caseworkers bust their butts for little pay and less thanks to help the children in their care. I don't mean to slam them, but like Delores Umbridge gave all professors a bad name at Hogwarts, Trudy Sterling is going to be the caseworker from hell.
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