Forbidden But Bound

Family Secrets

Lauren, James’ mother sat in the kitchen looking out of the window as her son drove away leaving a trail of dust behind him. Her tears burned her red cheeks from all the crying that she did since the argument with James. She remembers when she first set eyes on her son and held him in her arms. She knew that little newborn baby boy was going to be her whole life. 

Lauren and Edson stood outside the hospital hand in hand. Lauren had the baby bad over her shoulder and Edson had the baby seat in his other hand. It was a winter's day, the snow had stopped falling during the night. They were surrounded by a sea of white and a grey sky. The couple had waited so long for this moment. All the paperwork and interviews that they had to go through the past year had been worth it, they were finally here standing in front of the hospital. Sirens drowning out the sounds of the life around them but to the couple, all the sounds seemed to be miles away, they were deep in the moment.  

“I cannot believe we are here,” Lauren looked up at her husband Edson as she was holding his arm tightly trying to keep warm. He looked down at her and smiled. 

“Well, he chose a bloody cold day to arrive.” They both laughed, their breath creating small clouds of steam coming from their mouths every time they spoke. 

They walked slowly into the hospital through the automatic glass doors and towards the reception desk. “We are going to the maternity ward please,” they told the receptionist giving them all the required details. The officer from the agency was already there and had left their names down at the reception. The receptionist gave them a visitor's badge and directed them to the elevator. 

“They are in room 2c. Go up the elevator to the 3rd-floor turn right and the receptionist up there will show you the room.” The couple headed towards the elevator. They rode the empty elevator up to the maternity ward in pin-drop silence. 

When they got to the maternity ward. You could hear the sound of a heartbeat through an ultrasound echoing somewhere in one of the rooms and machines beeping each at a different timing almost like a symphony. A few nurses were walking around and the sound of a baby crying in the background.  There was no body at the reception so Lauren and Edson walked along the corridor towards room 2c. They both poked their heads through the room door and there they saw a young girl sitting on the bed holding what looked like a bundle of white, fleece cloth. The young girl was about 16 years of age. She was already dressed in her clothes and there was a bag packed at the edge of the hospital bed. Lauren and Edson could tell that she was exhausted from both the crying as well as the fact that she had just given birth and was probably stressed about the situation. When she looked up at them standing at the door you could see the pain she was going through just by looking at her puffy, red eyes. This broke Lauren and Edson’s hearts. Seeing their faces and the face of the young girl the officer from the adoption agency, Rachel Davis, was standing next to the young lady’s bed but when the couple walked in she walked towards them. 

“Good morning guys. So nice to see you both. So, today's the day huh,” she whispered to them. Mrs. Davis had worked with the couple through the whole process and they had built a close relationship with them. 

“If you both can wait in that room there,” Mrs. Davis pointed to a door a few doors away from room 2c. They both walked to the room. Edson held Lauren’s shoulder. Their joy was temporarily put on hold because they were suddenly overcome by deep sadness for the cost of their own happiness. They knew that for them to have a baby and for them to stay in the pack they need to take this baby boy from that beautiful young child sitting heartbroken in the nearby room. Regardless of whether that girl had her whole life ahead of her and that she wasn’t able to give that child the life he deserves, Lauren couldn’t imagine the impact of having your child taken away from you might have, especially to be as young as that lady.

They both sat on the cold leather chairs in that white room deep in thought. They jumped to the sound of the door handle opening. Mrs. Davis walked in with a bundle of cotton blankets, you could only see a blue baby bonnet sticking out from the top. Lauren and Edson both stood up abruptly. 

“There he is Lauren. Our baby boy,” said Edson as Lauren reached out to hold the child. Edson looked at his wife with so much love. That was the moment that they became parents. 

“Congratulations guys, you are now finally parents of a beautiful, healthy boy,” Mrs. Davis said handing the tightly wrapped baby to his new parents. 

Lauren took a moment looking at the baby. Admiring all his beautiful features. Tears of joy filled her eyes as she smiled down at her son. He was asleep, his little eyes shut tight. She looked to see his dark eyebrows and the little fluff on the side of his rosy cheeky. She took in his smell as all mothers take in the smell of their pups. 

“James Edson Garou. Hi baby boy, it's your mummy,” Lauren whispered to the sleeping baby. She was a mother and knew she would love him from that moment on.  

Lauren was still looking outside the window reminiscing. She smiled and wiped her tears away. The fear of losing her only son to death scared her but the thought of telling James that he is adopted scares her too. 

“Edson we have to tell him. After all these years I knew that this moment would come. And it has arrived. If we don’t tell him he might…” Edison, James’ dad cut her off. 

“We will tell him. We will go to his apartment tonight and tell him. And pray that he doesn’t hate us,” Edson said as he brushed his hair back with his hands in worry.