The double doors were all that stood between me and Amy being reunited. We were pushed inside, and into a side room. Hushed voices, Ben knew what they were saying, I could read it on his face. He did not have to say anything, I knew something bad had happened, Amy what happened where was she?
"Ben, tell me?"
"There is nothing to tell you."
"Ben, what is going on, where is Amy?"
"They have your sister and her husband, they had Amy, that is all I heard."
"Had, had, what do you mean had?"
"I didn't hear anything else they said."
"Ben, please."
He shook his head, pulling me into those arms and wrapped those strong arms around me. I could hear his heart beating against my ear. He was not telling me everything, I knew why, she was either gone, again, or worse she was dead. I couldn't think like that, she was alive, I would know it, I would know if she was dead.
There was so much commotion as officers dashed past the room we were in. shouting and screaming, I understood nothing that was going on. Ben was still holding me, until the door flung open, and my sister crashed into the room, she lunged towards us, screaming.
"You did this, you took my little girl, turned her against me, had me arrested for taking what is mine, you did this."
"No, Mary you did it, she may be your flesh and blood but you went about it all wrong. I was willing to try and you, you wanted it all now, she is not something you can take, and throw away like you did when she was born."
"They let me go you know, they can't arrest me, for taking her, she is my daughter, but you screwed it all up, telling them she was not mine take."
"No the courts said that, my lawyer said that."
"The one whose arms you are in, why don't you make your own damn babies, oh but wait, you need to allow him in your pants first."
"Shut up, Mary." How could she tell him I was a virgin. I hated her more for that.
"No, I will get my daughter back, you wait and see, not today, or this year, but soon."
"Actually, you won't, you signed legal documents to say you are giving up the rights to her," her husband said as he stood in the doorway. He looked apologetic.
"She did?"
"Yes, I advised she did this, I am sorry, I truly believed my wife when she said you gave her up. I didn't know she had someone take her that night."
"You were not driving the car?"
"No, I was making the arrangements for us to fly home."
"Amy is safe, she is with my mother, she will be bringing her back today, Mary and I will not be returning to the UK, Mary has had her passport taken. I cannot apologise enough."
Mary huffed out of the room, her eyes on me, glaring. She did this, she brought it all on herself.
"I wondered and I know this is a lot to ask, Mary does love Amy and I know she and I both would like to have some contact, by social media or sending pictures, so we can tell our children they have an older sibling."
"We can do that," Ben said, "but we will contact you when we are ready."
"Fair enough, I am getting Mary help, I think her hormones are the problem here, she is three months pregnant and I think she realises what she did with Amy. She was trying to fix the mess she made. She just went about it all wrong. I should have done more, helped her, just know that she will get all the help she needs and that she won't walk out on our child."
"Why didn't she tell me?"
"Olivia, she lost one child to you, she was scared you would take this one too."
"I never took her, she left her."
"I know, she knows that, but that is how she felt, maybe one day you can forgive her."
"One day, maybe."
With those words he was gone. The door closed and now all we could do was wait, wait for Amy to be brought to us.
"Olivia?"
"Yes, its true okay."
"I was not going to ask about that, and do you think that would matter to me?"
"No, I guess not."
"Good, because look," he said, indicating to the door, I had not heard the door open, or the person stood there, with Amy, she was at my feet before I could even open my arms. We were crying, she held me tight. Her arms wrapped around my neck, her cheek against mine. Her tears falling and mingling with mine. She looked different, her hair was shorter, her skin dull. It had only been a few days, she did not look like the little that I had put to bed the other night.
"I am never letting you out of my sight again, Amy, never."
We left the station an hour later, Ben dealt with the paperwork, I simply signed it. The whole time, Amy clung to me, her arms still around my neck, her legs wrapped around my waist. She was not letting me go either. She was whimpering, but no tears fell.
We arrived at the hotel, I attempted to settle her, she sat on my lap the whole journey, I could not remove her from my body, for one journey I allowed it. I knew it was not safe, but we were minutes away from the hotel.
In the room, I lay on the bed, she lay beside me, still clung to me, sleep finally took her, but as soon as I tried to remove her arms and legs, did she wake and the whole thing started again. I was desperate for the toilet. I would have to go soon.
I attempted once again to remove her from my body. Ben was sat on the chair watching us.
"I need to pee, really badly."
"I can take her!"
"You can try."
"Okay," he said.
He lay behind me, so close that I didn't want to move.
"This may not work, I have to slide out, somehow."
"I know, didn't think me laying there was a good idea, just slide down and be quick."
Slide down and be quick he said, that was a laugh. I could feel his whole body behind me, and as I attempted to, she clung tighter, I did my best to slide her arms from my body. The only way was to do it fast. I slid down, sliding off the end of the bed, thumping to the floor. She was in a deeper sleep, she did not seem to notice I had moved. Ben did not move a muscle while I was gone. I had never peed that quickly before.
I laid on the bed, the opposite side of her, she seemed to sense me and turned to face me. Huddling up to me once again. Tomorrow, we would be home, and back in our own house. Ben had said he wanted to marry me, thoughts of Ben and Amy , us as a family swam around my head. A family is all Amy needed, a mum, dad and that was us. He had his eyes closed, I allowed sleep to take me. Slipping into a dream state.
© 2016
S.J.Hitchcock