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“Dale, what are you doing here?” Pete stepped out of his car, walking towards his lawyer who had his car parked in front of Pete’s house.

“We need to talk Pete” Dale said shaking hand’s briefly.

“What, you didn’t come to ask for a cup of sugar or something?” Pete asked smiling back, he led the way into the house.

“You’re going to want to sit down.” Dale said as soon as Pete shut the door to the his home. Pam walked into the room she smiled seeing Dale.

“Hey Dale. Do you want some coffee?” she asked.

“No thank you” Dale unbuttoned his one button in his suit coat inviting both of them to sit down, in their front room.

“What do you need, Dale. What’s wrong?” Pete asked observing Dale’s solemn manner.

“Ryan’s parents want him back.”

“What are you talking about?” Pete asked sitting forward in the chair “Your joking. Ry -”

“I’m not” Dale replied, he pulled out a folder from his briefcase opening it. “They drew up the blood test this morning. You have no contest.”

“No” Pam refused to look at the papers pushing them back towards Dale “We’ll fight for him.”

“Look, the parents don’t want to file charges, they want their son back and legally he is theirs.”

“What? How could they file charges?”

“Several ways; kidnapping, false identitification, tampering with a search and rescue party, negligence to turn the child into protective custody. Shall I go on?” he asked. Ryan’s parents stared at their lawyer “Yes these are all on the table.” He said explaining if pushed the allegations would be surfaced to support the prosecution.

“Dale, you know we would never do that, he was left in a hole, bleeding with a concussion.” Pete retorted.

“Listen I’m recommending you don’t push it, this guy’s lawyer will drag your names into the ground if he has to.”

“They’re not parents. Who just decides one day after five years of missing a child that they want him back. I mean, what a bunch of little rats, what do they want money?” she asked “Does he have some secret fortune from someone and they want it –“ Pam stood up walking around, her hands shaking in frustration.

“Pamela –“ Dale started.

“They can’t just take him away, we’ve given him our lives, everything.”

“He’s not your child.” Dale repeated firmly looking at both of them “You took him from his parents. If provoked you can guarantee you will be nailed to a cross.”

“Who are they? Who are these people?”

“They asked me not to disclose their names.”

“They’re taking my son!” She yelled grabbing onto the back of a chair she was now behind.

“Take it up with their lawyer then. I would be breaching confidentiality.”

Pete stood up to looking hard at Dale “Give me the name of the son of a bitch, I’ll go down their now.”

“No” the lawyer stared hard back “I’m telling you both, they are being very generous at not charging you both with attempted kidnapping. They could charge you on numerous counts. This lawyer will make your life a living hell.” Dale said flatly.

“Give me the name!” Pete yelled.

…



Shoving the last rock into place against the hill, Harold wiped his hands looking proudly at his project. He had taken the Saturday off to finish the last of his ‘honey do’ list his wife made before she went to the store. Satisfied with his work he sighed and turned to walk back towards the house.

As he padded through the grass towards the porch he could sense someone following him. Turning around quickly he saw Taylor’s dad, Pete walking towards him, his pace was fast and his face unfriendly as he neared Harold, who had stopped walking.

“Pete” he looked at the man, holding out his hand to shake Taylor’s dads hand.

“Cut the crap” Pete growled looking him over, “You honestly think you could just come and take him away like that.”

“You did” Harold replied, he turned around and started walking towards the house.

“You know what this is going to do to him. We’re the only parents he knows. You left him in a lightening storm.”

“Talk to my lawyer” Harold blew him off; he wasn’t going to yield to the heckling.

“No, I’m not leaving till you tell me what in the bloody hell were you thinking letting him out there.”

“Save it for the courtroom Pete” Harold repeated, still walking. Pete followed him, gaining on him fast.

As he reached Harold, Pete pulled his shoulder around to look at him again “You can’t take my son.”

“Get off my property” Harold replied as coolly as he had before.

Pete’s hand flew towards Harold but he caught it before it reached his face, twisting it around the Pete’s back, forcing him to the ground. Shocked by the reaction Pete gorged his teeth into Harold’s hand.

Out of response, Harold wrapped his free arm around Pete’s neck putting him a chokehold, quickly Pete let go choking, trying to pull Harold’s arm.

“Pete, calm down.” Harold tried to speak calmly again; he understood he might act out similar to this if he were in the same place and if the given circumstances were switched.

“Ok” Pete gave in squeezing out his words because he was loosing consciousness. Harold slowly loosened his grip letting Pete fall to the ground slowly.

“I don’t want to call the police, but you give me no other option“ he said walking back to the house; he dialed the police ordering Pete’s removal.

…

Shutting the door to their room, Jackie walked towards the bed looking at her husband, he was changing his light blue KY t-shirt for a white dress shirt, blood was on his sleeve.

“What happened?” she asked, walking up looking at his arm.

“Pete stopped by” Harold replied glancing up at her as he fixed the cuff buttons on his shirt.

“Harold” she placed her hand on his wrist “Are we doing the right thing, taking him away from Pam and Pete? They are nice people” Her husband stopped trying to force the small plastic piece into its vertical hole looking up at his wife.

“What would you think if you were in her place? They are gracious people, and we owe them a thanks for saving Brian, -“

“I don’t know, I want him back here. God knows I want him home. What is this going to do to him? What does he even remember about us? Will he like us, is he going to want to run away, will he accept what’s happening?”

“I don’t know either” Harold replied dumbly “I’m glad he was it good hands, but imagine if we hadn’t done anything.”

“This isn’t going to be easy” she said stepping back to sit on the bed.

“I wouldn’t be doing it if it was. What do you feel in your heart?” he asked.

“To find him, to hold him, and love him, but –“ she sighed, her husband sat down beside her.

“No matter what we do we’re not going to make everyone happy, but does that mean we lay everything we’ve grieved for aside to let the very people that took him from us keep him.”

“I don’t want to give him up, not now, not ever.” She said looking up at him deeply moved by the complications pulling at her heartstrings.

“Then we’ll get through this, one day at a time.” He said sighing; they were both committed to this now. Neither could back out, they embraced.

…


Brian sat in Keller’s office, they had just barely entered Virginia skies, and already Keller was ordering returns on lab tests and other samples.

“Brian” Keller stood up behind his desk, Ryan stared at the floor while Keller read aloud what he was looking at “Brian is your name, your date of birth is February twentieth, nineteen-seventy-five. Your full name is Brian Thomas Littrell. Your parent’s are Harold and Jackie Littrell, and siblings; Harold “Baker” Littrell and Kate Lynn Littrell.”

Keller passed the paper to Ryan laying it at the edge of the desk, then picked up a folder continuing.

“Medical records from seventy-five to eighty-three. A diagnosis of congenital heart disease in nineteen-eighty…” he continued walking through everything, Ryan sniffed silently listening. He was stick in a place where he didn’t want to be, with someone he had never met, and as far as he knew he was never going to see his family again. Everything was so unfair. Why couldn’t these people just let him live with his parents, if they truly loved him they would see that he wanted to be with his mom and dad?

Resting the files down on his desk Keller picked up the phone. As he dialed a number he looked over at Ryan smiling.

“Baker, this is Keller Dayton. Are your parent’s there?” Ryan watched as Keller sat back down in his chair scooting back comfortable in the leather. “Oh, Good, well then. All right thanks, bye.

“They are out the door.” He said hanging up the phone.

…

Biting her nails nervously Jackie looked out the window, watching as the building entitled Dayton – Hailey came into view. She took a small gulp and looked in the rear view mirror at her daughter and son and then at her husband, who was intently driving. She sighed biting her nail again. How was this going to turn out?

…

When he first saw them Ryan felt his heart skip a beat he was nervous. His palms were sweaty and he could feel the perspiration running from his brow. The women was the first to come to him, She placed her hands on his face caressing his cheeks like he was a china doll. She felt his shoulders and his arms, and then replaced her hands cupping his face with them as tears swept down her face.

“My Baby” she smiled standing back for a moment “Brian” she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him, kissing his head, running her hands through his hair. She was a very warm and welcoming person but he was so afraid of leaving the only life he remembered.

Finally after what seemed like minutes, she separated from him, looking sideways at the man beside her. He held a child, the girl, Kate. Putting his daughter down the man smiled warmly looking back at Ryan he gave a much firmer hug, kissing the top of Ryan’s head. Then he stepped back gazing as his wife came forward again. Quietly wrapping her arm around his shoulder, she guided him towards Baker, he smiled briefly giving Ryan a weak hug, saying a “hi” before he stepped back.

“Hi” Ryan replied trying to figure out how he felt, for some reason he didn’t feel comfortable around Baker, it might have possibly been since he dated Taylor.

Kate was next, she walked up to him pulling a flower from her pocket in her dress, it was smashed on one side but she handed it to him smiling. He took it thanking her quietly.

“This is your little sister, Kate, that is Baker, I’m your mom, and this is your dad” the women smiled.

“What are your names.” Ryan asked quietly.

“Mine Jackie, and this is Harold.” The women explained. Ryan nodded he would call them that.

“So how was camp?” Harold asked leading him out the door, breaking the ice.

“Good” Ryan replied, he watched as some people behind him picked up his bags and walked with them taking them to the car. He shuddered for a moment, looking at the car. Kate smiled looking up at him, pulling at his hand.

“Will you sit with me?” she asked. Harold released his hand from Ryan’s shoulder picking up Kate, walking around the other side of his Lexus to his daughter in her car seat. At the prompting of Jackie, Ryan got in the car next; Baker who had remained quiet sat next to him on the other side.

Kate was a blessing during the ride home, as she started singing her songs, asking, “Brian, have you ever heard Little Bow Peep?” Ryan turned, a little after the fact not realizing he was being called.

“Yes” he said, he was watching as Jackie looked up in the rear view mirror every so often, a smile always spread across her face. Harold did to but much less since he was concentrating on the road. As he watched he saw Jackie bit at her nail and look out the window nervously. Without Kate’s words it would have been a very awkward twenty-minute drive.

Finally as they reached the house, Ryan recognized the front from the pictures his sister had taken. It stung his heart as he remembered he wasn’t returning home. Baker got out and went directly towards the door, Jackie called to him once before he disappeared.

“Daddy, do I have to go to bed now?” she asked, as he pulled her out of her car seat.

“No” he said, “do you want to stay up?” she nodded,

Ryan stepped out of the other side not knowing what to do next

Jackie walked over to take Kate from her husband so he could help Brian with his things.

“Brian, have you eating anything? I’m making pot roast.”

Ryan turned his gaze from the trunk that Harold had opened to Jackie “I’m not hungry” he replied softly. He looked back at Harold who was holding out a bag, he took it and another.

Harold took the rest in; Jackie had already walked into the house, feeling a little sad her food was being rejected.

“Are you playing any basketball?” Harold asked still walking with Brian up towards the cement steps. He led the way into the front hall.

“Yeah?” he replied, he gazed about the room. The walls were bathed in a dark rich chocolate with white baseboards and molding, on the floor crème slate tiling. A small, table stood by the post of the stairway that was in side profile to the front door. A ledge was set a few feet up where pots full of plants and flowers. As he continued to gaze about as they walked up the tiled steps Ryan was noticing his house was at least to him, not conducive to children, but where was it his business to pry? They walked up the stairs that spanned a good four feet in span, each step outcropped a ways as well giving you enough to room to actually step.

As they reached the top Harold escorted Ryan to his room, opening the large door.

“Do you want some help unpacking?” Harold asked watching Brian put down his things at the end of the bed.

Ryan had returned his gaze from the intricacies of the room back to Harold “No” he said softly. Nodding, Harold smiled and left Ryan to his own shutting the door as he went.

As soon as he heard it click Ryan sat down on the edge of the bed then slid off it, pulling his legs towards him so he could cry. He was ripped from Camp, without a goodbye from his parents, and now he was in this place with people he didn’t know.

“Mommm. Dadddd.” he cried then softly buried his head in his hands.

…


“Mommy” Kate said as her Mom walked with her up the stairs. Jackie held her hand as they walked up the stairs, they met Harold as he came down, she placed her hand on his chest stopping him.

“Is he ok?” she asked.

“He’s inside crying.” Harold murmured softly.

“Can we go kiss his owwie?” Kate asked, she had overheard Harold bent down looking at her smiling

“I think he’d like that, but not right now. Sometimes people just need to be left alone for a few minutes.”

“Can we go now?” she asked, hoping enough time had passed.

“Tell you what, you go with Mom right now and get ready for dinner, and then I’ll take you up. Ok?” he asked smiling.

“Ok” Kate smiled.