"You don't think she'll change her mind again?"
"Once she brings that baby home, it will be all over for her. She’ll be a mama and ready to take on the world for that baby. She's a smart young woman, Henry. She made a couple of bad decisions, but she was ready to accept the consequences of those decisions. When she realized that she could choose differently and affect the life of her baby and herself, she knew what she wanted."
"So now we figure out how to live with a baby in the house."
"We were going to do that pretty soon anyway."
"Two babies. In our house. Two babies, Polly. We're about to have two infant children living in this house."
"With their mothers." Polly winked at him. "I'm not the mommy here. They are. We get to be the cool aunt and uncle who shower down love and presents on them. When they cry or bleat or whatever it is that they do, we hand them back to the women responsible for them and hide here in our bedroom."
"You believe that?"
"I want to. You don't?"
He sat down beside her on the bed. "If someone had told me six years ago that I was going to meet and fall in love with a crazy woman like you, I would have run away screaming and yelling."
"You're the one who stuck it out with me, even when I wasn't sure. Even when I was furious with you for being a big ole male protector. You were a heckuva chauvinist."
"I was a little protective of you. I couldn't imagine that you knew what you were doing. You just said yes whenever anyone needed you."
"And now?"
"You still say yes."
"I do, don't I," she replied with a laugh. "At least you don't try to stop me these days. But you still protect me. Because you're my big, strong man." Polly wrapped her arms around him and rubbed her head on his shoulder. She grinned up at him. "Aren't you."
"I feel like I'm going to end up building a new house for us so everyone you've ever taken in can live with us."
"No way. I'm never leaving this house. I've told you that. We stay here. Forever."
She looked up at a knock on their door. "Yes?"
"Do you guys have a minute?"
"Come in, Rebecca."
Rebecca opened the door, came in and closed it. "I need to talk to you."
"Is it bad news or good news?" Polly asked. She got up and walked over to Henry's chair. Sitting down, she patted the ottoman. Rebecca sat down in front of her.
"It's not really news. I just had an idea and I know that it's kind of crazy, but it makes sense in my head. I think Lexi and I should change rooms. If she's going to put a crib in her room, she'll need more space. I'm all spread out and I can condense."
"Honey, that's your room. We aren't taking that away from you," Polly said. She looked at Henry and he frowned, shaking his head. "We don't know how long Lexi will be here. Who knows, she might want to move out in a couple of months. This is sweet of you, but it isn't necessary."
Rebecca flattened her lips. "You and I both know she isn't going anywhere. If anybody is going to move out and into an apartment, it will be Heath. Maybe Cat and Hayden after he's done with school, but Lexi is here to stay. I don't know why I know it, but she is. I'll be gone before she leaves. That girl has never had a solid place where she feels like she's part of a family. In less than five days, she has gotten comfortable with all of us. That's on you, by the way. You keep making people feel loved and they will never leave you."
Henry laughed. "That's our Polly."
"I know, right?" Rebecca said. "Lexi told me about her home life. She kinda misses her mom, but she says her mom was more interested in her job and her boyfriends. Then she met the guy she married, and he was always annoyed that they had to take care of a daughter. They'd take off and travel and leave her at home by herself. One summer they left her alone for two months. She was already in school when they finally showed back up. She even went to a lawyer to ask about emancipation."
"Really?" Polly asked.
"He told her that she was nearly eighteen and didn't need to spend the money. Do you know that she worked all the time she was in high school and she even held down three jobs in college? She was either studying or working all the time." Rebecca shook her head. "I asked her when she had time to get pregnant."
Polly blinked. "Wow."
"She wasn't on the pill because she didn't have time to date and it was money she didn't want to spend. She couldn't afford insurance either. One of her friends talked her into going to a party just before winter break was over. She figured it was the last free time she'd have until graduation. She got way drunk and started making out with this guy and they went too far." Rebecca put her hands up. "It wasn't like rape or anything. She was totally doing it."
Polly glanced at Henry. He was shaking his head with his eyes closed. "Breathe, Henry. Breathe."
"Why does she have to know this?" he asked.
"Because I'm, like, nearly an adult," Rebecca said. "You can't believe the stuff we talk about. It's not like information isn't out there. But don't worry. I'm careful."
"Careful isn't enough," he muttered.
"It is when you're me." She tugged on his pant leg. "Seriously, do you think for one minute that I want to walk in here some evening and tell you that I'm pregnant?"
He dropped back on the bed, clutching at his chest. "I'm dying. Someone help me, I'm dying."
"Dramatic much?" Rebecca asked, laughing. "So, anyway, speaking of me being pregnant."
Henry shot back up. "We're not talking about you being pregnant. Please, dear lord, do not say those things to me."
"Can I finish, or do you want to start teaching drama lessons to the littles?" Rebecca asked.
"What are you trying to say?" Polly asked. This was another reason she loved her husband.
"Cilla and I were searching on the internet after school today."
"Oh, dear lord," Henry moaned.
"What if I told you that I found a website about adoption?"
He peered at her. "What?"
"Well, we thought that these people wouldn't give up that easily. Especially if they're making good money. And if they've been doing this for a while, they probably have a whole ton of different business names. We figured they probably know how to build a website. It isn't that hard anymore. Take one site down, put another one up with a different name."
"What did you do?" Polly asked.
"I think we found them. So, I called the number."
"You what?" Henry exploded. This time he wasn't kidding, and Rebecca flinched. "I just made a phone call. I told them that I was sixteen years old and pregnant and that my parents threatened to kick me out of the house. I needed a place to stay until the baby was born and I couldn't keep it because my daddy was like this big-time businessman and he had a reputation to keep."
"Whose phone did you use? They can check your number, you know."
"Yeah, well, we did it on Skype. No phone number and we made up a fake name and account."
"You should have told us."
"I'm telling you now. When you came home from work, we were busy getting dinner ready for the family. And then Polly and Lexi came home with news and then you had to get everyone settled down." She slumped. "And here we are. I was totally safe. I didn't give up my real name or my phone number. I told them that I'd call back tomorrow after school. I thought maybe Deputy Hudson might want to be on the call with me. You know, I could set up a meeting with them and she could go instead. It doesn't even have to be in this area. They don't know where I live." Rebecca started talking faster and faster. "I'm sorry if I scared you. Cilla and I didn't think we'd find anything. We were just messing around. And then it got out of hand. I'm really sorry."
Henry looked at Polly. "I blame you."
"Me? What did I do?"
"You taught this one to be fearless. Why couldn't you have instilled a little terror in her heart?"
"I'm scared of you and Polly," Rebecca said. "I promise."
Polly did her best not to laugh out loud, especially
after she saw the residual fury on Henry's face. He wasn't ready to let this go yet. She didn't blame him.
He dropped his head into his hands. "I can't keep this family safe when they go off and do stupid things. Rebecca, you … you …"
"I tried to be as safe as I could. But if I hadn't gone looking, we might never have found them."
"It's probably not even the same people."
"It is," she said. "I'm sure of it. He said something about Ankeny. That there were good high schools in town if I wanted to live there after I had the baby."
"Oh, Rebecca," he said, rubbing his forehead. "I'm never going to sleep again."
"I'm sorry."
"It's too late to do anything tonight," Polly said. "We all need to sleep on it. Rebecca, don't do anything more, do you understand me?"
"Do you want me to give you the website?"
Polly nodded. "Forward me the information tomorrow morning. Your phone is still downstairs, right?"
"Yes. I'm sorry that I scared you. I didn't mean to."
"Go on to bed. We'll talk tomorrow morning. Don't worry. It's going to work out." Polly got up and walked over to the door with Rebecca. She gave her a hug before opening it. "He'll be fine. He just worries. I'll talk to Tab in the morning. Promise me you won't do anything else with this."
"I promise." Rebecca leaned around Polly. "Henry, I'm sorry I upset you."
"I love you, too," he said and managed a weak smile. "I'm not upset. You aren't ever going to change. I'm going to worry for the rest of my life. I might as well get used to it. Go to bed. Tomorrow's another day."
"I love you, Rebecca," Polly said and gave her another hug. "We're okay."
She closed the door and turned.
Henry stood up and headed for the bathroom.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"I plan to vomit."
"You're kidding."
"Yes, I'm brushing my teeth. If I'm going to lie awake all night, I might as well start with fresh breath."
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Only Polly could have gotten away with telling Tab Hudson what Rebecca and Cilla had done the previous afternoon. Otherwise, her fury would have erupted all over the girls. Anita hadn't discovered that website yet. It had to have come online in the last day or so. Rebecca and Cilla were just lucky to have found it.
After school, Polly was meeting Rebecca at the sheriff's office. She'd make the call and set up a meeting. That would be the end of her involvement.
Poor Henry tossed and turned all night and was out of the house before Polly and the rest of the family was even moving. She let him know what the plan was for the phone call and he planned to be there. He wasn't letting his daughter face something like this without offering his protection and support. The man made Polly smile.
Polly's third call that morning was to Andrea Waters, who had no idea that Cilla and Rebecca had done something so stupid. She was livid. It was all Polly could do to talk her out of driving to Boone, hauling the girls out of school and letting loose on them. After Cilla's kidnapping when they first moved to Bellingwood, everyone hoped she would be more careful, but the girl was fearless, especially when she was with her best friend.
She sat at the island, waiting for Lexi to come downstairs. Today would be a long day, filled with doctor's appointments, a meeting with Child Protective Services, a counselor, and time spent in the nursery with Lexi's baby daughter.
If they needed to get a lawyer involved so Lexi could claim custody of her own child, they would. These were the unknowns that Polly hated to have hanging over her head. She couldn't imagine the fear that Lexi had to be facing.
This morning, while Polly made phone calls and organized her day, Cat, Hayden, and Heath made sure the youngest kids were fed and sent off to school. That was one of the joys of a big family. When one or two were caught in the middle of turmoil, others were there to pick up the slack. Rebecca and Lexi had gone through the clothing from Jessie as well as Rebecca's closet to find something professional and comfortable Lexi could wear today.
Polly set her mug back on the counter and stretched. She'd sent emails to Jeff and Kristen, letting them know where she'd be, then a text to Lydia so they wouldn't expect her to help with the Halloween setup. This was the first year she'd been so distant from what they were doing. It would be wonderful; it always was. Noah and Elijah were on task to help Jason and Eliseo with the headless horseman and the Grim Reaper. The boys were very excited. No one was certain that Elijah could stay still long enough to be the Headless Horseman's victim, lying across the back of Demi, but he promised to try. They would take the horses out for their traditional ride through town at the beginning of evening and then return to Sycamore House to stand as sentinels while people made their way through the haunted house that Lydia, Beryl, and Andy organized.
Since Halloween was on Thursday this year, Jeff, Polly, and Stephanie made the decision to not hold the masquerade ball. Instead, Jeff wanted to do a winter ball in early March, when everyone was ready to be finished with snow and cold. Since there had been very few protestations or even questions from the community about the masquerade ball, they knew the decision had been a good one.
She stood at the sound of footsteps on the back stairs. When Lexi came into the kitchen, wearing a loose black shift over one of Rebecca’s sweaters, she stopped and shyly turned around. "Is this good enough?" She had spent time with Rebecca's curling iron and soft waves surrounded her face. She looked much healthier today, though she also seemed terrified.
"You look wonderful," Polly said. "Are you comfortable in that? It's going to be a long day."
Lexi pointed at a pair of black shoes that Sal had purchased for her. "These are nice. But I hope they let me sit down whenever I'm tired."
"I'll be right there for you. Now, there's one more thing we need to talk about."
"What now?" Lexi asked, sagging onto a stool. "It seems like there is always one more thing."
Polly grinned. "I know, right? We didn't say anything to you about this earlier because I needed to speak with Deputy Hudson, but Rebecca and her friend, Cilla, did something stupid yesterday. They decided to take it upon themselves to research adoptions online and made contact with a couple who offered to facilitate one for a sixteen-year-old girl who had gotten pregnant and needed someone to help her."
Lexi's eyes shot up. "What?"
"Trust me, no one was happy about what they did. But this afternoon we're meeting at the sheriff's office in Boone and Rebecca will make another call and attempt to set up a meeting." Polly put her hand up. "That she won't attend. Deputy Hudson would like you to be there this afternoon. If you recognize the person’s voice or anything that seems similar to your situation, you could help."
"Won't they know that she's from Bellingwood? They'll figure out it's a trap. They aren't dumb."
"Rebecca didn't use her own phone. She set up a dummy account on Skype."
Tears came to Lexi's eyes.
"What's wrong, honey?" Polly asked, reaching out to touch the girl's hand.
"Will this ever be over? Will I ever feel normal again? Every day I wake up and something else falls apart. I don't know how much more I can take." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. You’ve been so kind to me. Your whole family has, but this wasn’t what I expected when I started my last semester in January. I had big plans for my life. Things were finally going my way. I remember the night before that stupid party thinking about how I'd finally gotten to the point where I could stand on my own two feet and say, 'I did this. My life is in my hands now.' No one could take that away from me. Now, here I am, flinching whenever someone wants to talk to me because I know that I'm going to get one more piece of bad news or I'll be expected to make another decision that changes my life or the life of my daughter."
"When it feels like your whole world is caving in on you at once, each piece seems bigger than it is. I understand that," Polly said. "You aren't in this alone any longer. You have support when you need it."<
br />
"When will it end, though? How much longer?"
"I can't answer that. One day you'll wake up and realize the sun is shining. You'll start through your day and when you come to the end of it, I hope you’ll look back and recognize that it was a good one. Too often we forget to notice the good days and only focus on the bad ones. Were there any good days this last week?"
Lexi closed her eyes, then she smiled. "Sunday was a good day."
"What happened?"
"I cleaned your kitchen because I felt better. Then I met your family."
"When you went to bed Sunday night, how did you feel?"
"Like I might live through this whole experience, but Polly, it didn't last. Everything fell apart."
"You had a good day. Remember that one singular moment. Focus on it. Don't focus on the scary stuff. It will always be there, trying to shut you down. You’re strong enough to face everything you need to deal with today. If you run out of strength, you can lean on me. Are you ready?"
"I don't want to."
Polly grinned. "I get that. I'd much rather take you up to the coffee shop and while away the morning chatting with friends. We can do that another day."
~~~
Polly sat in the waiting room at the doctor's office. They'd made a quick trip to the nursery at the hospital before heading over to Human Services for a meeting with Marion Tally and a counselor. Lexi had come out of that meeting more nervous than when she'd gone in. After the many questions they'd put to her, she was terrified they wouldn't let her take her daughter home.
Polly took a deep breath, pulled out her phone, and swiped through her contact list before landing on the number. Dialing it, she tried to calm herself.
"Marion Tally speaking."
"Hi, Marion, it's Polly Giller."
"I'm sorry we didn't have more time to talk when you were here. How is your family? I need to schedule another visit one of these days."
"We'd love to have you any time," Polly said. "I'm calling about Lexi and her baby. She’s concerned that your office will stop her from taking her baby home. This afternoon is going to be very difficult if that's true."
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