Page 74 of The Facilitator: Part 3
Both Lauren and I were leaning down and waving goofily through the car window. Rebecca waved back and smiled, recognizing us, I hoped.
“She looks excited to see you,” May said, walking around the car to collect her.
What caused my heart to stop was when Rebecca reached out with her arms to Lauren. She wanted her to pick her up, not May. Lauren quickly released the belts and Rebecca wrapped her arms around Lauren’s neck.
“She recognizes you,” May said, smiling.
It had only been a few days since we’d last seen her, of course, but it was still nice to know.
“Hey, baby, how are you?” I asked, gently, stroking her head. She reached for me and Lauren handed her over. We laughed as she went back and forth, wanting to be held by us all.
“Come on, let’s get you in,” Lauren said. We all walked into the house and to the kitchen.
Rebecca was happy to be seated in a highchair and be given a drink of warmed milk that May provided. She also handed over a bag of essentials until we could get tothe shops. I started to make a list, asking May what brands she thought best. I’d head to the supermarket myself as soon as May had left.
“Can I say something probably unprofessional here? I don’t think I’ve come across a couple so willing and so capable to adopt Rebecca that even I’m getting ants in my pants at the length of time it’s taking,” May said. Lauren and I smiled at each other.
“Can I take a photo? I want to send one to my sister,” I asked. I wasn’t sure on the protocol of sharing her image before we were her official parents. May nodded, and I snapped away.
“How is Kelsey?” May asked, as Lauren made tea. We’d told her all about my sister because we wanted her to know that we’d had some connection with the syndrome.
“She’s great and desperate to come and meet Rebecca,” I replied, smiling down at mydaughter.
May gave us an update on Rebecca’s progress for the period when we’d last had her stay over and we had documents to sign. She informed us that she’d be checking in daily for the first week, then scale that down as time wore on. We were led to believe that Rebecca would stay with us forever, there was no going back to Sally.
Then she left and for the first time, Lauren and I were parents.
We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, shell-shocked in one way, terrified, and excited, also. However, Rebecca had other ideas. She made her noises and wanted attention. Some of the toys Sally had brought over were placed on the table and I watched Lauren play with her.
“Why don’t I head to the store for this stuff?” I asked.
Lauren looked up at me and smiled. “I think that might be good and then we have the whole day with her,” she said, I guessed, forgetting we had all day andall night.
I grabbed my wallet and keys and headed out.
I called Alex before I left the drive, hands-free of course, and he talked me down from the high I found myself on. All of a sudden I felt afraid. Not because I didn’t think I couldn’t care for Rebecca, but the range of mistakes I could make, that my parents made, ran through my mind.
“Mackenzie, you’ll make mistakes and that’s okay. It’s how you handle those errors afterward. You are not your father, and your circumstances are so different. We’ll be on the plane in a couple of hours, and I know Gabriella wants to come straight to you but I’ll make her go home. You need to spend today and tonight with just your family.”
I couldn’t answer him immediately. Tears sprang to my eyes and I let one fall down my cheek.
“Are you there?” he asked.
I coughed to clear my throat. “I am. Sorry, I choked up there. Call us when you get home.”
I had to get off the phone. When Alex had told me to spend the day and evening with my family it had felt like a kick to my chest. Everything I’d ever wanted without even knowing I was desperate for, I now had.
I had a family.
Chapter Nineteen
It was two months later when Rebecca’s adoption was finalized. We left the courthouse with a document and change of surname for Rebecca. Mimicking the day she came to us after Sally’s fall, we were shell-shocked. We didn’t speak as our car was driven to the curbside and Lauren settled Rebecca into her car seat. In fact, we were silent, but with huge smiles on our faces, the whole journey home. Darren, our driver, was frowning at me in the rearview mirror and eventually, as we pulled onto the drive, I chuckled.
“She’s officially ours, Darren,” I said. His smile matched ours.
He nodded just the once. “Congratulations, both of you,” he said, and then resumed the professional driver he was by rushing to open our doors.
Lauren carried Rebecca to the front door and I fished my cell from my pocket on its first ring.
