The Black Market Baby Scandal
(Chapter Sixteen: My Girl)
It was two days until Sarah's twelfth birthday and Olivia was helping her plan a slumber party. She had a list of nine girls, including two from their building and Elizabeth Stabler. On another list snacks, movies and music she wanted to download for her party.
Olivia pulled up in front of Sarah's school and parked her car. She got out and walked up the front steps and went inside to sign her daughter out. After the abduction she had it arranged with the school to hold Sarah in the office after class. She was to stay there and wait until one of the people cleared on the list to pick her up came in to show identification and signed her out.
"Hi," Olivia said with a smile as she saw her daughter sitting in a chair in the office holding her back pack.
"Hi Liv," Sarah said as she stood up and pulled the strap of her bag over her shoulder.
"How was school?"
"Good," Sarah said with a smile. "I got an A on my Spelling test."
"Great job. You have been studying hard for that one. What do you say we get some ice cream after dinner to celebrate?"
"Really?"
"Yeah. I thought while we were out we could do some shopping and get the stuff for your party. Then we could grab some dinner."
"Sounds good."
"Did you decide where you want to have your birthday dinner?"
"Not yet," she said with a smile. "But can we have it with Elliot and his kids come, too?"
"Sure," Olivia said holding Sarah's hand as they walked to her car. "It's a family dinner. They are your family now."
Sarah smiled. "I like having family. Brothers and sisters and a father and my mother. My real mother. It sucks being alone."
"It does suck being alone," Olivia agreed. "But you had the Jensen's and the Foster's before that."
"The Jensen's weren't my family. They were nice for a while. But if they didn't get their check on time they got angry."
"Their check? The money they got for being your foster parents?"
"Yeah. But I loved the Foster's. Olivia, until you came to see me at the Jensen's house I didn't know that the Foster's weren't my real mom and dad."
"I know that, sweetheart. It's okay for you to love them. They were good people and they loved you very much. Sarah, the Foster's didn't do anything wrong. They adopted you because they loved you."
"They didn't steal me from you?"
"No. They wanted a baby to love so much. Then when the doctor told them about you, he probably told them that you didn't have a mom or a dad. They didn't know that he stole you from me."
"I'm just glad that we don't have to worry about it any more. I get to stay with you, right? Forever?"
"We are still waiting for the judge to say so. But it looks really good. We jus have to wait for the judge to sign the papers. It could be any day now."
"I hope he says its okay. I don't want to go back to foster care."
"We're doing everything we can honey. I don't want to lose you either." Olivia combed her fingers through her daughter's hair. "You know what I was thinking?"
"What?"
"I was thinking that maybe we could get a cake and go visit your grandma. So she can share in you birthday. It has been a few weeks since you have seen her. I'll bet she would be really happy to see you."
"Yeah? I can go visit Nana?"
"Sure. Infact, why don't you use my phone to call and see if she is home? We can go visit her after we do our shopping."
"Okay," Sarah said with a smile.
Olivia kissed her little girl's forehead. She could only imagine the pain her daughter had been through. Pain no child should ever have to face. And Sarah lived with it every single day of her life.
A few hours later Olivia pulled up in front of Rosemary Foster. Olivia stepped from the car as Sarah climbed out and closed the door. In her hands she held the flowers she had picked out especially for her grandmother.
Olivia carried a small round birthday cake. German chocolate, Sarah's favorite, Olivia's favorite as well. They walked up the steps and rang the door bell and the woman welcomed them into her home.
Olivia watched the excitement in Sarah's eyes as she hugged the woman tight and told her how much she loved her. It was important to Olivia for Sarah to keep contact with her grandmother. This woman was the only constant in her life from the time she was a baby. And Olivia like the idea of her having a grandmother. Serena Benson had been dead for years and even Elliot's mother was now deceased, this was the only grandparent the little girl would ever have.
Sarah opened some gifts from her grandmother. Jewelry and some perfume and clothes. Sarah went into the other room to try on the new outfit Rosemary had given her for her birthday, leaving Olivia and Rosemary alone in the room for a few moments.
"Can I get you some coffee?" The woman asked politely.
"That would be nice," Olivia answered with a smile.
"How do you take it?"
"Milk and sweetener." The woman handed her the cup and Olivia took a sip. "Thank you."
"You are doing a wonderful job with her."
"Thanks," Olivia said with a smile. "I'm trying to do what is best for her."
"She's happy. That is what is most important, that a child is happy. I have seen her smile more in the half hour she has been here with you than the entire time she lived with the Jensen's. And Sarah is not a difficult child to please. She has always been such a happy child. Even through everything she has experienced."
"She has been through more than anyone should ever have to go through, especially a child."
"I am sorry for everything that you have endured. But I want you to know that from the moment that child entered our lives, from the time my son brought her home, she was very loved. They never meant to steal anyone's baby. They couldn't have a child of their own. That doctor came to them and told them he knew of a baby who needed a family. A little girl. And she was little, such a tiny little thing."
"I know they were not involved. And I know that they loved her. I thank God every day for bringing her to them. For giving her a loving family who cared for her, when I couldn't be there with her."
"And I thank you for bringing her around here to see me. The judge said that once she was adopted I have no rights to her anymore."
"I am not going to take her from you. I don't want to take you from her. I have no family, just her. You are the only grandparent she has. I want her to be able to see you."
"I have always known that child had something wonderful inside her heart. Now I know, she gets more than just her looks from her mother. She is an amazing little girl. She gets that from you."
Olivia smiled as Rosemary squeezed her hand. "All I want it to protect her. To give her everything that she deserves and for her to be happy."
"I have never seen her happier. You are doing a great job. And she loves you so much. When I talk to her on the phone everything is Olivia this and Olivia that, or my mom this or that. She adores you and she looks up to you. And sometimes she talks about her new father."
Olivia smiled. "Elliot. He is a really good guy. He has been my best friend for almost twelve years and he loves her. They wouldn't let me adopt her unless I could provide a father figure for her. So Elliot adopted her as well. Now she has a mother and a father and five brothers and sisters. And she has you. She has a family, an amazing family. A little unconventional, but she has a large extended family full of people who love her and would do anything for her."
"And that is all that any little girl could ask for."
"There she is," Olivia said with a smile as Sarah walked back into the room.
"You guys were talking about me weren't you?"
"As a matter of fact we were," Rosemary said hugging her granddaughter. "Olivia and I were just talking about how great it is that you have this nice big family that loves you so much. Do you like your clothes?"
"Yes. I like the pink shirt the best. Thank you, Nana."
"You are welcome baby."
Sarah hugged her grandmother. "I love you."
"I love you too, honey."
After they had cake Olivia carried Sarah's things to the car, while Sarah told her grandmother goodbye.
"I'll call you tomorrow Nana and tell you what all of my presents were."
"Okay, sweetheart."
Sarah climbed into the back seat and buckled her seat belt. She waved good bye from the back seat as Olivia drove away.
The next morning Olivia took Sarah breakfast in bed. It was Saturday, Sarah's birthday and the day of her party. For Sunday they had a family dinner planned with Elliot and the other Stabler children at Sarah's favorite restaurant. But today was her day.
" Sarah, wake up sleepy head." Olivia sat the tray of food down on the desk across the room and climbed into bed with Sarah. "Hey you. Time to get up. I brought you your favorite breakfast and your friends will be here in just a few hours. We still have to go to the video store."
"Ummm, ten more minutes." Sarah groaned pulling her blankets over her head.
Olivia laughed and laid down beside her in the bed. She pulled the blanket back from her face and watched her resting. She raised her fingertip and traced it gently down the bridge of Sarah's nose until her brown eyes fluttered open.
"Come on," Olivia whispered, "your breakfast is getting cold. It is your favorite."
"Elliot's pancakes are my favorite."
Olivia smiled.
Sarah smiled a big smile. "Elliot's here?"
"You don't think I would miss out of fixing you pancakes for your birthday breakfast do you?" Elliot said as he stepped into the bedroom.
Sarah sat up in her bed and smiled. "Good morning Elliot."
"Good morning, honey."
"You came all the way over here just to cook me pancakes for breakfast?"
"You bet. With chocolate chips, just the way you like them."
Sarah sat up in the bed as Olivia handed her the tray. On it a large stack of chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream and a candle stuck right in the middle of them.
"Thanks!"
That evening Olivia sat around her living room with ten girls in pajamas as they painted fingernails and she gave make up tips. The girls sang karaoke and danced around the apartment to their favorite music. Olivia ordered pizza and had plenty of soda and junk food to go around.
Around ten o'clock Olivia walked through the living room and stopped to look down at the sleeping girls. Scattered around the room between them were bowls of popcorn, bags of potato chips, cans of soda and the coffee table was covered with M&M's, Twizzlers and Skittles.
She smiled as she turned off the lamp beside the couch and pushed the button on the remote to turn off the television. She made sure everyone was covered up and kissed Sarah's forehead.
"I love you baby," she whispered softly as she turned to head toward her bedroom.
"Good night Liv," she heard Sarah say from behind her.
"Good night honey."
Sunday night Olivia and Sarah met up with Elliot and the kids for dinner and their little family birthday party. They gave her gifts and had cake and ice cream. Sunday night before Sarah went to bed she came into Olivia's bedroom to talk.
"Hey birthday girl," Olivia said twisting Sarah's long hair in her fingers.
"Hey."
"So, did you have a good birthday?"
"Yes. I had fun at my party and at dinner tonight."
"Good. It didn't embarrass you having your mom at your party?"
"No. You're cool. You're fun to hang out with and all of my friends love you."
Olivia laughed. "They do, huh?"
"Yeah. Jessica even said that she wished her mom was as pretty and ad cool as mine."
Olivia smiled again. "You got some good gifts."
"Yeah. Can I get my hair cut?"
"You want to? How do you want it cut?" Olivia combed her fingers through Sarah's long dark hair.
"I don't know. Like to my shoulders or a little longer. Just something different. It has always been like this."
"I think if you really want to, it would be okay. We can go to my hairdresser and you can look at pictures and decide what you want. I can call her and see if we can get an appointment this week sometime."
"Okay."
"Did you brush your teeth?"
"Yes."
"Homework is done?"
"Yes."
"I cannot believe my little baby is twelve years old now. You know what? I have something I want to show you." Olivia walked to the closet and pulled a box from the top shelf. She sat down on the bed beside Sarah and took the lid off then pulled out a soft baby blanket.
"This was mine?" Sarah asked with a smile.
"Yes. This was what they wrapped you in when they brought you to me, just after you were born. After you were taken, I used to fall asleep holding your blanket. I slept like that for months. I missed you so much."
"I bet I cried a lot."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I missed you, too."
Olivia smiled. "This is the bracelet they put around your wrist."
"It is so tiny."
"You were a tiny baby. This one was on your ankle and this one was mine. And this is the little pink bow the nurse put in your hair when she brought you to me. That is all I have. You were taken before I got any pictures of you."
"I have some pictures."
"You do?"
"Yeah. I have a book, from when I was a baby. Nana gave it to me when I went to live with the Jensen's. I'll go get it."
Olivia watched as Sarah climbed from the bed and ran down the hall in her lion house slippers to get the photo album. She returned a few minutes later and climbed into bed beside Olivia as they opened the album.
The first section was like a baby book. With pictures of her first steps and first birthday. They flipped through the book and Olivia felt tears welling up in her eyes as she watched her daughter grow up in pictures.
"Liv?"
"Yeah, honey?"
"I think we should make copies of these pictures and make you a book, too. That way we both have one. Then you will have baby pictures of me."
"I think that is a great idea," she said fighting tears.
"I didn't mean for it to make you sad."
"I know sweetheart. It just makes me think of how much I missed you. And how glad I am that I have you back now."
"Liv?"
"Yes?"
"Can I sleep in here with you tonight?"
She smiled and gazed lovingly into Sarah's eyes. "I'd like that."
Olivia reached to put the things back into the box.
"Can I hold on to the blanket?" Sarah asked.
"Sure," Olivia said sitting the box aside and pulling back the blankets of her bed for them to climb under. She watched as Sarah settled in against her pillow holding tight to the blanket. Olivia leaned over and kissed the top of Sarah's head. "What if we get some filling stuff and make this blanket a pillow."
"A pillow?"
"Yeah, a pillow for your bed. Then you can have it with you all of the time."
"That would be cool."
Olivia turned out the light and rolled over to look at Sarah. She held the blanket to her nose and smelled it as she smiled. "It smells like you."
"It does? It has been in that box for years."
"It is comforting," she said with a yawn. "Good night, Olivia. I love you."
"Good night, Sarah. I love you, too."