Chapter Seven

Anna

The morning has finally arrived, and I am running around like a crazy woman. Scott has been laughing at me since the third time I unpacked and repacked the diaper bag. He tried to tell me that I did not need to pack her six changes of clothes but what does he know? It is finally time to head to the office of DCF and get my daughter. Turtle showed up around eight this morning with a stack of papers that would allow me to get my parental rights back. They were already filled out, so that I only needed to sign my name and hand them to the caseworker.

I notice as we get in the car that we had forgotten to get a car seat yesterday, and I almost have a meltdown. What kind of mother forgets to get her child a car seat? Scott steps in and tells me to call Mr. James to see if they have her car seat. He said if they didn’t, we could stop and pick one up on our way. It turns out Mr. James did have her car seat, so that meant we could just head to his office to pick her up. I was shaking so bad the whole way there, I was a little surprised that I did not shake the car apart. Scott and I had made a list of questions we wanted to ask Mr. James before we left this morning. I wondered if the answers were something we truly needed, but I trust Scott.

We finally pull up to the DCF offices after what seems like hours but in reality, was only twenty minutes. Scott takes my hand and we walk up to the doors together. I inform the receptionist that I am there to see Mr. James. He comes out and takes us to his office. After I introduce him to my brother, we all sit down. The first thing we take care of is the paperwork. Mr. James hands me the papers I need to fill out before I hand them back to him. Once he’s done looking those over, I hand over the papers I brought with me.

“Mr. James, I wanted to ask what happened to the Quinn’s. I know you told me yesterday, but I was a little overwhelmed and I don’t know that I understood what you were saying.”

“That is understandable,” he replies as he grabs some papers from the folder laying in front of him on the desk. “The Quinn’s home exploded. It appears to have been a gas leak. The fire chief is still investigating but that’s all we know right now.”

“I assume that everything was lost,” Scott says. “That is a shame as we were hoping that we could get a few of CeCe’s favorite things and maybe a few pictures for her later on.”

“Actually,” Mr. James interrupts. “Only part of the home was destroyed. Cecelia’s room was not damaged at all. I believe we can get someone from the police and fire department to meet us there so that you can get her things. This case is unusual, as there is no family to claim your daughter or any of their possessions. I was in court this morning to get you an emergency order of custody. I also had the judge sign an order saying that you could take Cecelia’s belongings. It’s safer than sorry in this case. The judge did order a DNA test be done to be sure this is your biological daughter. We can do the swab before you both leave today. Are there any other questions before I go and get Cecelia?”

We both shake our head no and he leaves to go and get my daughter. My leg is bouncing so hard that the pens rattle on his desk. Scott reaches over and places his hand on my leg to still it. When the door opens again, my breath stops as I look over and see my angel. Scott’s eyes are huge as he gets his first look at his niece. CeCe sees me and starts kicking her little legs and cooing. Scott lets out a laugh and tells me that she looks exactly like me. I can’t help the pride I feel at that. Reaching out for her, I grab her just as she tries to leap into my arms. I cuddle her for a few minutes as Scott watches with longing in his eyes. I finally decide to be nice and let him hold her. Watching the tears come to his eyes as he holds my daughter is almost more than I can take. This is because of me. I took Scott getting to know CeCe away from him because I was too scared to fill them in on my secret.

Mr. James hands Scott the car seat so that we can get her settled in the car, before we head to her former home. When we get the Quinn’s home, Mr. James stays with CeCe so that Scott and I can go into the home with officer and the fire chief. I had brought a few duffle bags, just in case we could get some of her belongings. As I begin filling the bags, Scott talks to the chief and learns what they believe happened. I see a few photo albums and I grab them so that CeCe can see who helped raise her when she is older.

Scott comes over and grabs the bags before he says that we need to leave. He looks a little stressed but doesn’t say anything else. He keeps scanning the area like we are being watched. All I know is that I believe we have enough things for a six-month-old baby to fill her own apartment. I had no idea that babies needed this much stuff. I again start to feel overwhelmed with how much I don’t know about raising a baby. It’s a feeling that I’m sure I’ll be feeling a lot over the next few years.

Once we are in the SUV heading back to the clubhouse, Scott calls Axel. I hear the worry in his voice when they begin to speak, but nothing can prepare me for what he is saying.

“Prez, we have a problem,” Scott begins. “The fire chief was at the Quinn’s house with us to assure there was no safety issues. He was telling me that the police have made this a murder investigation. Evidently Mr. Quinn was not the squeaky-clean guy he pretended to be. The fire was not a gas leak it was a Molotov cocktail. It was tossed into his home office, where most of the damage to the home was. What makes them sure it was murder, is that Mr. and Mrs. Quinn were both shot in the head and their hands were tied behind their backs.”

“Get back here now!” Axel roars at us. “Racer, Tigger, and Mikey are headed your way to escort you home. If you see anything out of the ordinary call me immediately.”

“Will do Prez. We are about fifteen minutes from the clubhouse. Is asshole secured or at least gone?” he asks.

“We had church while you were gone,” He tells us. “We came to a decision that I will tell you about when you get here. Trust me you will be happy with what your brothers decided. Anna, prepare yourself, the brothers are upset with what happened and they may try to overcompensate trying to make amends. Just remember we love you. You are our little sister too!”

Tears are falling again as he tells me this. I can see now how much I messed up by not telling them what had happened. Even if I didn’t tell them the whole story, I could’ve told them that I was pregnant. I know they are going to spoil my angel so much, but that’s what being the princess is all about.