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Chapter Sixty-Five
The Best Day
Ethel was on edge as she sat in the car with her sisters. Sybil put her arm around her and patted her back, seeing she was upset and worried.
"Prudie will be fine Ethel" she told her and Ethel sniffled in response, worried about her little princess daughter.
Today they were heading back to court. It seemed that is the only place they were going these days but this time it was for a good reason. It was adoption day. Prue was actually allowed to attend but she had gotten a cold and was teething and cranky so Ethel had thought it was best if she stayed home so Josephine was looking after her. She knew Prue would be fine, her grandma would never let anything happen to her but it was honestly the first time since she gave birth that she had left Prudie with someone else. Even when she had been looked after by her sisters or Julie she had still being in the house.
"Try not to worry love, it will just be a couple of hours" Julie told her knowing how Ethel felt. She remembered how she felt when Mildred first went to Cackles and she was away from her all that time, or even when she started nursery and someone else was in charge of her, it was a mothers instinct to worry.
"Yes she will get fussed over so much she won't even notice" Esmerelda replied though it did feel strange. There was no gurgling noises or giggling or crying filling the car, it was so quiet, they had all forgotten what it sounded like without Prudence.
"To think when we get home we will all be a real family" Mildred told Ethel trying to cheer her up and get her to see the good side but Ethel looked down and started crying. Mildred loved Prudence but Ethel was her mother, she wasn't sure if it was possible to have withdrawal symptoms from your baby but she honestly wouldn't be surprised if Ethel was having them.
Nothing much was said on the journey, Ethel cried silently to herself as they drove missing her little girl. She had only being away from her when sleeping or using the bathroom, she had never left her like this, her arms felt empty and she cried more.
"Don't cry Ethie, come on" Esmerelda told her putting her arm around her and leading her inside once they arrived. She asked Julie if she could buy Ethel something from the vending machine, Julie was strict about sugar but Ethel was so upset she didn't object and gave Esmie money to buy all of them chocolate.
"Look Ethie, it's a Mars bar, your favourite" Esmie told her as Ethel smiled ad thanked her before chewing on it gently. Now all they had to do was wait for their slot.
The case before theirs overran slightly but only by a few minutes and before long they were in court. No-one could quite believe they were here, it turned out Mr and Mrs Hallow had admitted to drugging Esmerelda and had given up their parental rights, this made stuff so much easier as now the judge just had to be satisfied with the level of care Julie gave before he could legalise the adoption.
"Now we need to know what you three want" he told the girls as he children were always asked unless they were to young to say or couldn't talk.
"I would like to live with Julie and Mildred" Esmerelda said with a smile.
"I would like to live with Julie and Mildred" Sybil said happily as she hugged Mildred who was next to her.
"I would like to live with Julie and Mildred" Ethel said before she sniffled as tears ran down her face.
"Are you sure about that?" the judge asked wondering why she was upset.
"Please your honour, Ethel has a baby, who will not be adopted as she is an amazing mother, she has left her for the first time in the care of a family member, she is just emotional" Gladys explained, liking the family again when she found out that they did nothing wrong and Esmerelda's drug use was not their fault.
"It is true sir" Ethel said wiping her eyes and smiling through her tears "She has a cold, we were going to move back our court date but my granny offered to look after her, I didn't want to leave her but we have waited so long already, I couldn't bare to wait any longer, but I really do want to live with Julie and Mildred" Ethel said as Julie put her arm around her and Ethel smiled at her.
"Well it is clear both you and your sisters are close to your foster mother and sister" the judge said and the three blondes nodded.
"How would schooling work?" he then asked as he only met them that day so he had to be told the details.
"All four girls attend the same school, they go to boarding school but right now are not boarding, Ethel is currently on leave as she has her baby but does her work at home and is still passing all her classes" Gladys told him and he smiled thinking that was easy enough, sometimes adoptive kids were sent to different schools.
"Right and Miss Hubble why do you want to adopt the girls?" he asked. It was important he understood.
"Well when the girls first came to me I took them in as they were living separately and Ethel was pregnant, but over time I learned to love all of them for who they are and now I see them as my own girls, I consider myself to have four daughters and want them to have a permanent home" Julie told the judge who nodded before asking the girls the same question.
"Well I will admit I wasn't happy at first but Julie and Mildred were so kind, I had to mother my sisters all this time but Julie taught me I need a mother too and helped me overcome my self-harm issues and my eating issues, and I do love them" Esmerelda said as Julie smiled at her and winked and Esmie blushed slightly embarrassed.
"I really didn't want to go, Mildred and I hated each other, I didn't trust Julie and I didn't want my baby near her but she just kept on loving me and was the mother I needed and wanted, she taught me how to care for my baby properly and helped with my anger problems, I love my family" Ethel said who didn't even look at Julie as she was that embarrassed. Mildred snorted.
"I liked Mildred so I wanted to go but I was shy and scared, Julie is very patience with me and helps me with my anxiety, and she is always showing me love as is Mildred, she doesn't make me feel less important and she helps me with the areas I struggle in, Julie, Mildred and now Prue are all my family too" Sybil said smiling at the judge happily as she spoke confidentially.
Now it was Mildred's turn. Even Mildred had to say how she felt as her life was going to change too.
"I asked my mum to take them in as they were having a hard time but I am so glad I did, I always wanted sisters, or siblings in general, it took a while but they have learned to accept me as a sister and they all bring fun and happiness to my life, I love helping with baby Prue as well and our bonds have got really strong, I am not lonely anymore, they are my sisters now, sisters don't have to be by blood, I love them all" Mildred said as she looked at Ethel and smiled who smiled awkwardly back.
A few more things were asked until the Judge put the adoption through, seeing no issues. Everyone cried and had to sign some papers and with that they were legally all family and hugged for a long time. The girls couldn't bare to drop Hallow so they were now Hallow-Hubble and Ethel added Hubble on for Prue too. Officially now they were all family and no-one could take them away.
"Thank you" Ethel told Julie as she cried more so happy and overwhelmed.
Julie was going to treat them all to eat out but Ethel wanted to see Prudence so they rushed home and Josephine hugged them all happily.
"How is she?" Ethel asked worried
"She is cranky but I think some of that was because she missed you" Josephine told Ethel.
The blonde girl rushed into her bedroom and saw Prue, standing up in her crib. She was holding onto the bars but she beamed and squealed with delight as she saw Ethel.
"BABY" Ethel said lifting her out the crib and kissing her all over as she hugged her "Oh I missed you" Ethel told her and Prudence looked at her happily before gurgling.
"M…..m….m.m..m" she said frustrated because she was trying to speak and couldn't quite manage it yet. She was getting older so it would happen soon.
"That is a nice story" Ethel told her chuckling as everyone fussed over Prue.
"M...m...ma...ma….mama" Prue finally managed to get out.
Everyone stopped dead then as they took in what Prudie had said. She had just said her first word and called Ethel mama. Ethel burst into tears. It was her adoption day and now Prudie was speaking and called her mama. Everyone else was crying to though so she didn't feel to bad.
"Oh what a big girl!" Julie said and Prue smiled happily and kept speaking
"MAMA, MAMA" she said before hugging Ethel and causing the girl to cry more. Prue seemed to like being able to speak because she kept saying mama.
"Prue you are so clever now say Mildred" Mildred said tickling her.
"Mildred she is a baby she can't say something so long" Josephine told her kissing her great grand daughters head and Ethel cried more, it was one of the happiest days of her life, next to the day Prue was actually born. She kissed Prue and hugged her family and for once was thankful for her life.