by Jenna Brandt
“Hold on while I call transportation to find out.”
This time, Lindsay fervently prayed while she was on hold. Wherever Alex was, he needed God’s help, and she needed God’s strength.
Yet, even as she tried to push the thoughts away, she worried about Alex’s welfare. Did someone take him from the bus stop? Did his birth mother come back and take him rather than go through the courts? What if Lindsay never saw him again? What if his baby brother never got to know how wonderful Alex was?
Rhonda came back to the call a second time after about ten minutes. “The bus driver stated he dropped him at his normal location. He also mentioned there was a blond woman waiting for him. The bus driver said he seemed to recognize her.”
“I have to go,” Lindsay snapped as she ended the call.
Her first thought was to call Aiden. Her finger punched his name on the screen, causing it to light up and ring. He picked up after the second one. “Hey, Honey, what’s up? Are you going to be late coming home tonight?”
“Have you heard from Alex?”
“No, why would I?” Aiden inquired, his tone filled with apprehension. He must have heard the fear in her voice because he added, “Is something wrong?”
“Alex didn’t show up at the Stocktons this afternoon. I think she took him.”
“Well, maybe he’s just at school because he missed the bus, or maybe he—”
Lindsay cut him off. “I called the school. He’s not there, and the bus driver said a blond woman was waiting for him when he got off the bus. He said Alex knew her.”
“Calm down Lindsay and come home. I'll call this in as a kidnapping. Zach and I will grab one of Alex’s shirts for Cooper and Harley to use for tracking. We’ll start at the bus stop and go from there.”
“What do I do?” Lindsay asked as tears slipped down her cheeks. “I’m so scared, Aiden. What if we never see him again?”
“You need to pray, Lindsay; pray like you’ve never prayed before. I’ll have your father come over to the house so he can wait with you while we find him. You also need to call Alex’s social worker and let her know what is going on.” He paused for a moment and whispered, “I love you. We will get through this together.”
Aiden hung up the phone, leaving Lindsay to focus on calming down enough to drive safely. She needed to get home in case Alex could get away and make it to the house. It was a long shot since they lived on the outskirts of town, but he was bright and resourceful.
What was bothering her was the fact Alex went with his birth mother. The woman hurt Alex, both beating and neglecting him, yet he hadn’t fought against her taking him. Did it mean he wanted to be with her more than Lindsay and Aiden?
She reminded herself, it didn’t matter what Alex wanted. Kids rarely knew what was best for them. His birth mother wasn’t a good parent. She didn’t know how to be and didn’t care enough to learn.
All the way home, Lindsay prayed and repeated scriptures of promise out loud. They would only make it through this if they turned to God to help them.
After walking through the door, she fell into her father’s waiting arms. He wrapped them around her and continued to pray with her for Alex’s safe return.
Twenty-Six
Aiden never drove so fast in all his life. Zach was sitting stiffly in the seat next to him, white-knuckling the handle on the edge of the roof.
“I know you’re desperate to get there, partner, but you need to slow down before you get us killed,” Zach warned.
“You don’t understand. I need to find him; I have to keep him safe. It’s my job as his dad.”
“You’re right. I don’t understand what it's like to have a kid, but I am an awesome cop. Together we will find Alex,” Zach assured him. “You need to stop, take a breath, and think about this like a cop rather than a parent.”
Aiden nodded. “You’re right. We’ve got two dogs that are exceptionally trained at finding missing persons. He’s only been unaccounted for less than an hour which means Cooper and Harley will find a good trail still.”
“Right. So, when we get there, you need to focus on helping Cooper do his best work,” Zach coaxed. “Don’t think about anything else.”
“Thanks, Zach. I appreciate you being here with me for this.”
Zach’s experience made him reliable for police work. He had been a K-9 handler for almost his entire career other than when he was a rookie. Aiden could depend on his partner to keep him doing what he needed to do to find Alex.
They arrived at the bus stop location, jumped out of the police SUV, and headed to the back where they unloaded Cooper and Harley from their kennels.
Both dogs sniffed the shirt Aiden had grabbed from Alex’s room, then both Aiden and Zach gave the command for the dogs to search for any clues. They sniffed the area, moving from the center and making their way out. Several feet away, there were fresh tire marks in the mud caused by the previous day’s melted snow.
Aiden gestured for Cooper to heel, then commanded him to inspect the spot. Cooper complied, sniffing along the full length. After two passes of going back and forth, he whined in confusion. Aiden knew he was asking Cooper an impossible task. There was no way to track the car.
The sound of a truck rumbling down the dirt road gained Aiden’s attention. He glanced up to find the Stocktons pulling up in their truck.
“We heard the siren from the house,” John explained as they got out of the vehicle.
“Did you find him?” Sarah inquired.
Aiden shook his head. “Have you seen anything suspicious in the last couple of days?”
Sarah’s face scrunched up in contemplation, then shifted to an expression of recognition. “There was a black four-door sedan parked just down the road a couple of days ago. I was coming home from a doctor’s appointment wanting to be here when Alex got off the bus. As I was pulling onto the dirt path, the car took off.”
“Thanks for the information, Sarah. We need to go. I’ll text you once we locate Alex.”
“We’ll be praying,” Sarah said as Aiden and Zach jumped into their police SUV to leave.
Once inside the vehicle, Aiden radioed dispatch. “Dispatch, this is K-9 2. We got some new information. We need to put out an all-points bulletin on a black four-door sedan, possibly registered to a Donna Sterling. You already have all of her information from my previous call.”
“Copy that, K-9 2. Updating and sending out the bulletin to all officers in the area.” There was a pause before Deanna added, “I’m praying for Alex’s safe return.”
Lindsay was pacing the room when her phone rang. She glanced at the number. Not recognizing it, she picked it up hoping it was information from anyone she had reached out to during her time at home.
“Mom, it’s me, Alex,” she heard her son whisper.
“Alex, are you okay? Where are you?” Lindsay asked with fear in her voice. “We’re so worried.”
“I can’t talk long. She’s in the shower. She’ll be mad if she knows I called, but I needed you to know I’m safe.”
“I’m glad, but you need to tell me where you are so we can come get you,” Lindsay insisted.
“I—I can’t,” he stammered out.
“Why not? Don’t you want us to come get you?”
“She said she would hurt you, Mom. It’s why I went with her. She told me if she couldn’t have me, no one could. I left with her to keep you and the baby safe.”
“She can’t hurt me, Alex. Aiden will protect us both, and more importantly, God will keep us safe. Do you know where you’re at?”
“We didn’t drive very far from the bus stop and we pulled into a motel.” There was the sound of a drawer opening and the shuffling of paper. “I found a notepad in the nightstand. It says the Sunset Motel. The water just turned off. I got to go.”
The phone clicked off and Lindsay stood there staring at it for several seconds before she forced herself to focus on getting help. She called Aiden and as soon as he picked up, she told him ab
out the phone conversation with Alex.
“I’m heading there now, Lindsay. I'll get our son back. Keep praying.”
“I will, Aiden. Please be safe. If she’s cornered, who knows what she might do.”
“I will," Aiden promised. "I love you."
Lindsay gripped the phone in her hand, hoping her men would come home safe to her. “I love you, too.”
Twenty-Seven
Being the closest of all the police units, Aiden and Zach arrived at the motel first. They drove through the parking lot and located the black sedan. Aiden parked a few spaces away while Zach ran in and checked with the front desk.
Zach came back into the SUV and said, “They only have one room occupied tonight. Room 3. It’s registered to Donna Sterling.”
Aiden jumped out of the vehicle and came to the back to get the dogs out of their kennels. They pulled out their guns, then took spots on either side of the door. Aiden nodded to Zach who prepared to kick the door in.
They could hear a woman’s scream from the other side as the door flew open. Zach entered first with Harley, followed by Aiden and Cooper. Both men leveled their guns at the woman standing by the mini-fridge with a bottle of whiskey in hand.
“What do you think you’re doing?” the woman slurred at them. “Get out of my room.”
“Put your hands in the air right now,” Zach ordered.
Donna moved towards Alex sitting on the bed.
“Don’t you move,” Zach commanded. “If you move again, we will shoot.”
Both Cooper and Harley growled, causing Donna’s eyes to bug out as she stared at the dogs with fear.
While Aiden kept his gun on her, Zach moved towards the woman, holstering his gun, so he could place her in handcuffs.
“Donna Sterling, you’re under arrest for the kidnapping of Alex Sterling,” Zach stated. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult with an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you before any questioning if you wish. If you decide to answer questions now without an attorney present, you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney. Do you understand your rights as I have explained them to you?”
The woman nodded her head. “I don’t understand why you're arresting me. I can’t kidnap my own son.”
Aiden wanted to yell at her she had no right to take Alex. Yet, he knew if he did anything, it could jeopardize not only their safety but also the case. She needed to be locked up to keep Alex safe.
“Ma’am, you don’t have legal rights to him any longer which means you committed a crime when you took him,” Zach explained, escorting her out of the room.
Aiden holstered his own gun and moved over to Alex. “How are you doing, Champ?”
He wrapped his arms around Aiden’s neck. “I’m okay now, Dad, but I was so scared until you and Uncle Zach showed up.”
“You’re safe now,” Aiden promised, pulling his son into his arms. “We should call your mom to let her know you’re all right.”
Cooper came over and placed his muzzle in Alex’s lap. Alex rubbed the dog’s head between his ears. “You did great, Cooper. Thanks for having my back.”
Aiden pulled out his phone and hit Lindsay’s name before handing the phone to Alex. As the phone rang, three more Clear Mountain officers from Aiden’s unit showed up along with Sergeant Burton and Lieutenant Davis.
The phone went to voicemail and Aiden hung up. His Sergeant and Lieutenant entered the room and came straight over to Aiden.
“How’s your son doing?” Sergeant Burton inquired.
“He’s all right, Sarge. Shaken up, but otherwise he’s fine.”
The Lieutenant looked around the room. His eyes settled on the table that had two bottles of liquor and a baggie full of various pills and one filled with a white substance.
“You’re lucky you got here when you did,” Davis stated with a frown. “That woman has no business being around a child.”
“Agreed, but do you think I can take my son home? I can come in later and give my statement about what happened. Zach can give you the details in the meantime since we were together the whole time. He’ll also need a ride back to the station.”
As Aiden and Alex got into the police SUV to head back to the house, Aiden dialed Lindsay’s number again. When she didn’t answer the second time, Aiden grew worried. He tried her father’s number, and when he didn’t answer, panic surged through his body. There was no way they both wouldn’t answer the phone unless something was wrong.
He tried both numbers again. On his second try with Kevin, Lindsay’s father finally picked up. “Sorry I didn’t answer earlier, Aiden, but I was getting Lindsay admitted to the hospital.”
A lump of fear formed in Aiden’s throat. He swallowed several times to force it down. “What happened?”
“Something’s wrong with Lindsay. You should get to the hospital as quickly as possible. It’s not looking good.”
Aiden turned the lights and sirens on as he barreled down the road towards Good Samaritan Hospital, praying he didn’t save one child to lose another.
Twenty-Eight
Lindsay woke up to the familiar faces of Aiden, her father, Erica, and with great relief, Alex, staring down at her. She blinked several times before inquiring, “Where am I?”
“You’re in the labor and delivery wing of the hospital,” Aiden explained. “The stress of what happened earlier today caused you to go into early labor.”
Lindsay’s hand flew to her stomach as her eyes grew wide with fear. “Is the baby all right?”
Aiden nodded. “He’s fine. They stopped the contractions, but you’re at risk for it happening again before you’re full term. They're recommending modified bed rest throughout the rest of the pregnancy.”
Lindsay sighed with relief. She didn’t like not working, but if it meant keeping the baby safe, she would do whatever the doctor told her.
“How are you doing?” Lindsay inquired, reaching out and placing her hand on Alex’s.
“I’m good,” Alex said with a smile. “I was worried about you and the baby, but I feel better now.”
Lindsay sat up and adjusted the pillows behind her. “Did I mention I’m starving? I haven’t eaten since lunch.” She looked at the clock on the wall. “It’s ten o’clock at night. Is Happy’s Burgers still open?”
“That’s a good sign you’re hungry,” Erica stated with a smile. “I’ll go head over to Happy’s and pick up food for everyone. Be back soon.”
Lindsay wanted to ask what happened with Donna Sterling, but didn’t want to do so in front of Alex. She turned to her father and inquired, “Do you and Alex mind getting me a cup of ice water?”
They both nodded and exited the room.
She turned her attention to Aiden. “What happened when you found them?”
“Zach and I went to the motel. She was drinking and there were drugs in the room. Zach took her into custody. I just got a text from him. When they searched the room and her car, they found even more drugs and stolen property they traced to two home invasions. She blamed her boyfriend and gave him up. He’s wanted for the crimes. Between the kidnapping and the rest, she will go away for a long time.”
“I know she’s Alex’s birth mother, but it's hard to imagine such a wonderful boy came from such a horrific monster. I’m glad she cannot hurt him ever again.”
Aiden sat down on the edge of the bed and took Lindsay’s hand. “I didn’t think I could be more scared than when Alex was taken, but when your dad told me you and the baby were in danger, I thought my world was crumbling. I’m so glad God protected all of you.”
She squeezed his hand in return. “I know. I kept thinking the same thing. My men are my world. I don’t know what I would do if I lost any of you.”
He leaned down and kis
sed her lips. She kissed him back as she ran her fingers through his hair.
Alex came bursting back into the room. A disgusted look crossed Alex’s face as he let out, “Ewwww. Can you guys stop that?”
Aiden chuckled. “You should get used to it, Champ. I will be kissing your mom for the rest of our lives.”
Lindsay turned on the TV so they could watch a comedy until Erica returned with the food. When she did, they spread it all out and had a picnic in the hospital, enjoying their time together after the long, hard day.
Twenty-Nine
The judge was finalizing another adoption while the O'Connells waited. Lindsay straightened the collar of Alex’s button-up shirt. All of them were dressed in their finest outfits for Finalization Day.
It excited Aiden that the day had arrived for Alex to become their son legally. It was perfect timing because his baby brother, Travis, would enter the world any day now.
“Will the O’Connell family please come inside?” the court bailiff asked, holding the door open.
They did as directed, then took positions at the front of the courtroom. The judge swore them in.
Lindsay and Aiden’s attorney stepped forward and introduced them, then elicited a brief testimony first from Aiden then Lindsay to verify the adoption should take place.
He turned to Alex and inquired, "Do you want the adoption to proceed, Alex?"
He nodded his head. “More than anything in the world.”
“And you both agree to provide Alex with a loving home?” the attorney inquired.
They both nodded.
“I want to take care of Alex and be the best father I can be,” Aiden asserted.
“And I want to be the kind of mother mine was to me. She was wonderful, and I felt loved every day she was alive,” Lindsay stated.
The judge smiled at the family. “Today is a day of transitioning and uniting this young boy with this couple. I’ve looked over the family’s home study and reviewed the case. I’m happy to decree that Alex is officially part of the O’Connell family and from this day forward, will be Alex O’Connell.” He gestured for the boy to come forward and handed him the gavel. “Slam that down, making this official.”