to free me. And since I am still in this hell-hole, I know that she decided-just like her daddy-that she was going to use the right to make her own choices, and she didn’t choose me.
Rebecca
Time went by so fast, little Alex was only three feet the last time she saw him and today she could tell around his tenth birthday, he would become nearly as tall as her. Rebecca was proud that her adopted son was growing so rapidly, but she would not be able to play the part as a strong and independent mother if she always had to look up to correct him.
He was only six, but he was going to become tall like his father and his mother. Rebecca unfortunately was border lining a midget height, and if she were to raise him as her own she would need an easy way to keep him in line without making herself totally embarrassed. Bribe him.
“Well, if you get a good grade then I will be the first to congratulate you Alex. How about an ice cream day, just you and me trying all the flavors there is to offer?” She asked as she drove the tiny car into the parking lot of the private office. The little boy in the back seat only smiled and nodded softly.
He was staring out of the window and the scenery alone was new and exciting, he didn’t want to miss a second of it. Moving to a new place was always an eye opener for Alex and Rebecca, so they enjoyed it while it lasted.
Rebecca parked her little car outside of the Social Workers office and pulled her briefcase from the passenger seat and told Alex to sit tight. “I will be right back,” she said enthusiastically and shuffled to the front door. Her red hair bounced off her shoulders as she entered the office with a bright smile on her face.
No other day in her life was more exciting and she could not wait to get the good times rolling. She yanked a large folder from her briefcase while dancing towards her Social Workers desk and slapped the folder on the table in front of her. The old woman looked up snootily from her paperwork and slurped a gulp of coffee down before opening the folder shaking her head.
“Seems like everything is in order…” She said tossing the papers one after another. You’ve got that right! Rebecca thought about all the trouble she went through to get Alex’s hospital records from 3 different hospitals in Japan and Germany. The hardest part was the wait, it seemed like everyone has their high-tech cell phones and iPods together but no one can use a fax machine.
“We will let you know at the end of the week.” The social worker said, then pushed Rebecca’s folder to the side with the rest of the useless junk. Rebecca looked back and forth between the folder and the woman trying not to choke her.
“I was told,” she exclaimed. “I was told that you already had an answer for me.” The woman looked at Rebecca through her big glasses. “Is he legally mine or what?” Rebecca had enough of the constant back and forth between adoption agencies and social workers, from 3 different countries! Alex was tossed around so much none of them could give a solid answer about his ethnicity and origin of birth.
“And I said,” The woman did a little dance with her neck and gripped her mug tighter. “That you will get an answer at the end of the week,” Then she took another sip of coffee.
“It’s Monday.” Rebecca retorted.
“The end…of the week.” The old bag got up out of her chair and walked away. Rebecca turned around and stomped her pumps out of the office allowing the door to slam shut when she exited.
“What a mean old lady.” Rebecca spoke under her breath. “You want the records, it takes me seven months, you want his proof of birth, takes me half a year. Now you’re telling me that I have to wait another week to say my son is my son!” Rebecca probably didn’t notice she was yelling now that she was in the car. She drove away from the office angrily then dropped Alex at baseball practice a few miles away.
It really was a mess, all the trouble she went through to prove that Alex was legally her child now that his father was long gone and out of the family photo. After serving two years in the service he found out a woman he had been with in Japan was pregnant with his child and claimed to abort if he did not retaliate. The girl was young and scared so she shipped Alex to the U.S. like a piece of holiday ham the moment her father found out about her indiscretions. Rebecca’s brother woke her one night four years ago begging her to babysit and she had been babysitting ever since.
The call she made to her brother two years ago changed her life forever. “I am coming to get him, I am out of the service and ready to come home for a week and I will find somewhere to put Alex.” He had said and Rebecca’s heart sank into her shoes.
“No Will. You can’t just toss him into an orphanage or something worse! Let him stay with me, I will adopt him, I don’t care. I haven’t heard from you in a year and a half and now you want your son back? No way am I letting Alex out of my sight. I want him.” She almost cried and screamed for joy when her brother told their parents he was never coming home.
“Do whatever you want. He’s not my child anyway, I am sure of it. She just needed someone to blame.” Rebecca could have cared less what happened. There was a baby who needed a mother and since she was in school and well on her way to becoming a nurse she had someone close to her who could keep her company.
Unfortunately there was a big halt in the road that forced her away from finishing school and getting her degree. It’s always something in the road that’s bound to make you trip and fall but the way you land is what matters.
Rebecca stayed in the family home for a long time until her father decided to sell the business. He hit the jackpot with a major lawsuit and gave the family a little bit of money so they could all live well. Rebecca took her money and made a stable life for her and Alex, but that didn’t stop her from constantly going to the hospital day in and day out.
She had some health issues of her own, and no matter how much money you have there are still two things you cannot buy. The first is love, which everyone knows and the second is warning you about the next nightmare that will alter your life as you know it.
Rebecca and Alex were on their way back home when she blew a tire. The street was full of cars and she had to grind on her poor rims in order to get out of the highway so she could use the spare. They were nearly home when the tire blew, the house was so close she could smell the dinner from last night that was stuffed inside of her refrigerator.
The little condo she had rented out was perfect for her and Alex, she wanted to be sure they could get home safely. It was time to sell this raggedy car for something better. She began to change the tire quickly and because she was no princess it was not that hard to change. Alex opened the door of the car and came to her while she tried to jack the car as high up as she could get it.
“Honey, go back inside the car I am almost done,” She told him as sweat poured down her face. She kept working on the tire until she heard someone screaming on the opposite side of the street.
“Oh my God! Please, Riley stop!” Rebecca looked up from the car and saw a little boy running towards Alex. It was a neighbor they had recently met when moving in a few days ago and he had taken a liking to Alex. He was running right into the middle of the street to greet his new friend, and didn’t stop at his mother’s worried command.
Rebecca sprang into action and dashed into the street towards little Riley. She scooped him up at lightning speed and turned around to see a large SUV swerve right in-front of her. She crouched in a fetal position holding onto Riley for dear life and used all her strength to toss him out of the way.
The car’s brakes were slammed hard and it swerved to the left in a rough turn trying to avoid her but the driver noticed a little too late. The car shifted and Rebecca caught the bumper to her back and it threw her forward onto the pavement. Her head swam and she couldn’t move. She saw her son Alex running towards her crying and he sat beside her shivering body flat on the pavement and she felt him touching her hand.
“Mom!” He yelled and she began to drift away. She looked up and saw another face, her head was cradled and she fell into a
deep sleep.
Presley
Presley could not believe his eyes. Certainly it was not happening. He clutched Abigail so tight he could feel her chest underneath his hand heaving from the crash. Flashbacks of the first accident with Michelle flooded his mind and he began to seize control again. He could not panic, now was not the time.
He looked at Abigail who appeared completely fine, but she was scared. He told her everything would be all right and hopped out of the SUV and ran to the back of the car. A little boy was crying, and the brave woman before him lay on the ground unconscious. He quickly grabbed her head holding upward and told the onlookers to call the police. He screamed for someone to give him some help as they pulled her out of the street and away from further danger.
Presley could not believe what had happened. He was driving one moment, talking to his daughter about how she would enjoy preschool and a new set of friends, the next second there was a little boy in the street and he did all he could not to hit him. He didn’t even see the woman jumping straight into the street. Presley was concerned with keeping the child alive and had not noticed the woman attempting to save the boy. He had to slam on his breaks and try to swing the weight of the car out of the way but he saw the woman too late.
Presley grabbed his head and cursed because he knew this woman. She was actually his next-door neighbor, and now she might be dying. Presley had enough deaths to last him a life-time, there was no way this poor woman would die saving someone else. Not today.
Presley waited with the little kid for the ambulance after moving his car out of the street. The woman lay on the ground unmoving; her breath was extremely faint. Presley could only pray she would make it, and his daughter watched from the sidewalk crying. Presley listened to the little kid, and remained speechless on the ground beside her head. He could not say anything because he was too distraught inside his mind. There was so much going on that the only thing he could do was sit there and silently hope.
“Mom!” the little boy called her name holding her hand. “Mom please, please wake up, can you hear me?” He cried and laid his head beside her. He tried to wipe the blood from her forehead and Presley put pressure on the head wound. Presley looked at the boy’s face. He seemed as if the ground was sinking sand and he would drown faster if he looked up. He stared into his mother’s face heavily in dismay and agony. He waited until the ambulance came to strap her up and drive to the hospital.
After the ambulance took the woman, Presley felt directly responsible for what had happened and followed them. He and Abigail sat in the waiting room for a few minutes before the police came to take a statement.
“Well, it is how the woman said. The little boy ran into the street while I was on a green light and when I saw him I slammed my breaks and the car swung around and hit the woman who tried to save him.” Presley watched as the man wrote down a few notes. Luckily the little boy who was in the street had an honest mother who said that it was definitely Riley’s fault. There was just a lot of bad timing and Rebecca saved his life tossing him out of the way. He landed on the sidewalk with a scratch or two.
Presley found out that the woman who had been hit by his car was in a coma. Something he knew of very well, and was overly experienced with the issues that came with it. There was no investigation since the victim was unable to protest, also there were tons of witnesses who said she was a hero. Presley looked at Abigail in the waiting room and was glad she was safe. He called her nanny to come pick her up and put her to bed. Abigail didn’t want to leave his side, terribly afraid that the situation would get worse even though she had no idea what was happening.
“Daddy, I don’t want to leave. I want to stay with you and the little boy.” She begged him. He told her no and kissed her forehead when Gina the nanny came to get her. He waved goodbye to her and slouched in the chair across from Alexander, the little boy from next door. He sat silently and Presley wondered if the boy had eaten, if he was ok and better yet if he could hold it together. He couldn’t have been more than five or six. He was a strong little guy, but seeing his mother that way did things to him and Presley noticed.
“Hey kid.” After the entire day of silence Presley finally addressed him. Alex’s eyes were red and puffy and he sniffed over and over and his voice was shaky when he answered.
“Yeah?” He asked not looking up.
“I am so sorry about this. I didn’t mean to hit your mom.” Presley spoke low, only enough for the two of them to hear. He did not want Abigail to see how much blame he was taking in while she was present, so it was best to address the situation now that she was gone. She was just too young to understand. In the car she had repeated to him that it was an accident and not his fault that the lady tried to be superwoman. He wanted to correct her, but his mind was more concerned about if the woman would live long enough to be treated.
“But…you did hit her. She’s going to die.” The little boy said and his face twisted in pain. He cried in his hands. Presley had heard the same cry before. He got out of his chair and walked over to the boy. He put a hand on his back and attempted to console him. The boy hiccupped and whined, his whole body shook from crying.
“She is going to live. She is going to make it I promise you.” Presley was not convinced himself. The nurse came over much later and told Presley they could see her and visit for a while but she was not awake. Presley pulled the nurse aside after Alex went into his mother’s private room.
“Ma’am, may I ask did you contact her family?” Presley said.
“Yes sir. No one is picking up, and we cannot get in touch with the next of kin.”
“What about the boy’s father. I am sure he will need to know about his wife.” The nurse shook her head at him.
“No, she is registered as single on her I.D. She recently moved here and our records do not show much else. I am terribly sorry. We will send someone for the child, he is too young to stay overnight by himself.” The nurse began to walk away and Presley stopped her.
“Well wait, what if he stayed with me and my daughter for the night? I am her next-door neighbor.” The nurse turned to him and flipped through her notes.
“Does she know you sir? Are you registered as an emergency contact perhaps? We would love to oblige, but its policy to have proof of relationship before we can release him to your custody.” Presley nodded and thought for a moment.
“Well what if I was a volunteer? I am a volunteer firefighter and they usually call me for cases like this but it never had to do with a child. I would take in homeless animals and foster them for a week or so until there was a family for them. I have the credentials if you would like to see them.” Presley waited for the nurse to nod and speak with her boss.
Ever since leaving the Hills he swore that he would give back in any way that he could. He told his old friends and family that he was leaving the country, which he did but none of them would expect he was only a few states away. He had trust in Marcus, his old pal who set him up a really good get-away after putting Jake away in the past. But he was extra careful to change his name and identity, including his job so that he could give Abigail a wonderful life. Only a select few knew the truth, and he trusted them to keep his secrets.
He waited at the door of the hospital room where Rebecca and her son Alex were. Alex had climbed onto the bed next to his mother and wrapped an arm around her waist sniffling into her hair. Presley’s eyes began to water, he cleared his throat choking them down. He prayed that Rebecca would not suffer the same fate as his beautiful Michelle. The nurse was behind him a few minutes later and he wiped his eyes before addressing her.
“We have a few questions for you sir, if you don’t mind.” The nurse led him to a back office where he was heavily evaluated by the hospital’s social worker. They had run around the same circles a few times, when people happened to abuse their children and set the homes on fire to hide the evidence (not that this particularly happened often), Presley would join forces with th
e hospital’s social workers to get the situation under total control.
The social worker told him that he was more than trust worthy, and for the last three years and helping out with the school while his daughter was happy and healthy, he was more than fit to take care of Alex until his mother woke up- if she did wake up. There was only one more person to ask.
Presley walked back to the hospital room and found Alex sound asleep in his mother’s room. Presley sat on the opposite side of the bed and looked at them both solemnly. The woman’s face was bruised and her head was stitched up delicately. Her hair was long and red, and he could tell she had a mixed ethnicity from the freckles on her face.
Her son looked nothing like her, possibly taking after his father and his eyes were definitely Asian. You just don’t get a unique look like Alex every day. He was a handsome boy and she had done a pretty fine job raising him. Visiting hours were over right after Presley had settled in. The boy awoke to the nurse changing the little bag of liquid above his mother’s hospital bed and looked up to see Presley by his side.
“Hey kid.” Presley kneeled down to match the boy’s height. “I know you want to stay with your mom, but we will have to leave soon.” The little boy’s eyes lowered and tears rolled down his face. Presley was instantly hurt. “If you want, you can stay next door with me and Abigail. We can come right back as soon as visitor hours start tomorrow. I promise your mother will be fine until then.” Presley held out his hand and the little boy only stared at it.
“I can’t leave her. She wouldn’t leave me.” The boy sniffed and Presley hugged him.
“I know Alex. But what about you, have you eaten yet? And what if she wakes up and sees you haven’t eaten, or slept in a bed? Do you think she would be happy about that?” Presley asked. Raising Abigail he knew what could make children respond, the best way was to treat them like adults. In this day and age, children don’t respond like kids anymore.
“I am hungry.” The boy said and looked down guiltily. His mother would never leave him in the hospital, but he was starving and he felt sick from seeing all the blood today.
Presley padded his back and with a little more convincing they were on their way to his house. Abigail was still awake, refusing to sleep until her daddy was home and lying next to her. She feared bad dreams would come if he were not there, and Gina could not appear half as brave if the monsters did come into her room.
When she heard the lock of the door and saw her father enter the house