Page 35 of The Facilitator, Part 3

Chapter Eighteen

I was woken by a ringing sound. At first I was disorientated. I reached for my cell as Lauren woke beside me.

“What’s wrong?” she asked before I’d even taken the call. It was five in the morning.

“Hello?” I enquired.

“Oh, Mackenzie, I’m so sorry to call you this early but we have a little situation here,” May said.

I immediately sat upright and mouthed that it was May to Lauren.

“Okay, what’s happened?” My heart thumped hard in my chest and for a moment, I felt like I couldn’t breath. All I thought of was that something had happened to Rebecca.

“Sally had a fall. She’s broken her hip and is going to need hospitalization. I know this is a little earlier than planned, but I wondered if you would be willing to take Rebecca now?”

“Of course. What do we need to do?” I said, without a second’s hesitation. Lauren looked at me quizzically. We knew we would have Rebecca for about ten weeks before the official adoption would go through.

“I’ll bring her over to you in a couple of hours, when she’s more awake. She’s a little upset at the moment. Sally was carrying her when she tripped. Rebecca is okay, she’s been checked over by a medic.”

“Jesus, May, that’s awful for Sally.” I wasn’t really sure what to say. “We’ll be ready,” I added.

“Great, I’ll call when I’m on my way.”

I disconnected the call. “Mackenzie?” Lauren said.

“Sally had a fall, broke her hip, and May wants to bring Rebecca over to us.”

“Now?” she asked and her eyes were bright.

A grin started to spread across my face and I slowly nodded. “In a couple of hours,” I said, fighting the urge to yell in happiness.

“Holy fuck. We better get up, get ready,” she said. Lauren slid from the bed and ran around the room tidying up and getting dressed.

I laughed. “We have time, and no one is coming to inspect, we’ve had that done already, remember?”

“I know, but…Oh, Jesus, this is so fucking exciting. Let’s make sure her room is ready. ”

Since we’d been approved for adoption, Lauren and I had been preparing a bedroom for Rebecca. There were still some items in boxes that needed unpacking. I dragged on some jeans and we raced along the hallway to her room.

Rebecca had an en suite and Lauren had already stocked it with toiletries.

One of the boxes that was being unpacked contained the fluffiest towels that Lauren rolled and placed in the bathroom on a shelf.

Because Rebecca had some sensory issues, probably due to her delayed development, we had been sure to purchase tactile items for her.

In another box was a large teddy bear that she could snuggle into if she wanted; I placed that in the corner of the room.

Lauren made her bed up using one of the unicorn duvet sets she’d bought.

There were stuffed animals on a shelf, a box of interactive books and toys against a wall.

There was also a shelf waiting to have photographs placed upon it.

We knew May had some photographs of Rebecca’s birth mother.

She hadn’t willingly given up Rebecca, it had been a heart-wrenching decision for her we’d been told, and both Lauren and I had decided we wanted Rebecca to know her birth mother, if only by sight.

We had been assured the mother had agreed to that and we’d be given the images on adoption.

“I have to call my mum,” Lauren said. She ran back to the bedroom to grab her phone. I shouted after her to collect mine while she was there.

While she rang her mum, I texted Alex. I knew they were as eager for any news on Rebecca as we were. I received a reply within minutes.

Oh wow, that’s marvelous. Gabriella and I are heading back tomorrow. We’ll call when we land.

Alex was my best friend, a brother from another mother as Lauren called him, and from a different country, I’d remind her.

I was thrilled that they were so over the moon about the adoption.

Gabriella had constantly said she was coming back to the UK for a while, so the children could properly get to know each other.

I wondered just how much she missed being here.

There was no need for them to stay in the US, Alex had consolidated all my businesses, and what was left could be run from either country.

The thought of having him back on UK soil, and by my side, in the rest of the businesses was attractive, for sure.

Especially since Lauren would be quitting Trymast.

“This is so exciting,” Lauren said, beaming a smile at me. I pulled her to my chest.

“It is,” I replied, nodding. I took a deep breath in. “Alex and Gabriella will be back tomorrow. I’m going to ask him to run Trymast again, are you okay with that?”

I looked down at her. “Jesus, Mackenzie, I hadn’t even thought about work. Yes, of course. I want to stay home, I need to stay home,” she said, and I kissed her.

“You are going to be the greatest mom ever,” I said, kissing her again.

“I’m fucking terrified,” she whispered. “And you’ll have to remind me to stop swearing!”

“Yeah, stop swearing, and I’m scared, too. I know, however, that we will be absolutely fine. We wouldn’t be getting Rebecca if May didn’t think we could cope.”

When the bedroom was done, we finished dressing and walked downstairs. I could manage a coffee but Lauren was a bundle of nerves. She paced back and forth from the front door to the kitchen. She swept and wiped away imaginary dust until I grabbed her hand and made her sit.

“Drink,” I said, pushing a semi-warm cup of tea toward her.

“What’s keeping them?” she mused, sipping the tea.

“It’s just seven, they have to get her up and dressed, I imagine. And who knows, she might not like getting up at seven.”

“She’s one, Mackenzie, she’s probably been up hours,” Lauren replied, with a chuckle.

When the buzz came through to indicate someone was at the gates, we both ran for the door. We were on the drive when May pulled up outside the house. She smiled through her window at us .

“Car seat!” Lauren said, loudly. “I knew we’d forget something.”

May opened her door. “You can borrow this one until you get your own,” she said, laughing.

“Got to buy a sensible car as well,” I added, chuckling.

Both Lauren and I were leaning down and waving goofily through the car window. Rebecca waved back and smiled, recognizing us, I hoped.

“She looks excited to see you,” May said, walking around the car to collect her.

What caused my heart to stop was when Rebecca reached out with her arms to Lauren. She wanted her to pick her up, not May. Lauren quickly released the belts and Rebecca wrapped her arms around Lauren’s neck.

“She recognizes you,” May said, smiling.

It had only been a few days since we’d last seen her, of course, but it was still nice to know.

“Hey, baby, how are you?” I asked, gently, stroking her head. She reached for me and Lauren handed her over. We laughed as she went back and forth, wanting to be held by us all.

“Come on, let’s get you in,” Lauren said. We all walked into the house and to the kitchen.

Rebecca was happy to be seated in a highchair and be given a drink of warmed milk that May provided.

She also handed over a bag of essentials until we could get to the shops.

I started to make a list, asking May what brands she thought best. I’d head to the supermarket myself as soon as May had left.

“Can I say something probably unprofessional here? I don’t think I’ve come across a couple so willing and so capable to adopt Rebecca that even I’m getting ants in my pants at the length of time it’s taking,” May said. Lauren and I smiled at each other.

“Can I take a photo? I want to send one to my sister,” I asked. I wasn’t sure on the protocol of sharing her image before we were her official parents. May nodded, and I snapped away.

“How is Kelsey?” May asked, as Lauren made tea. We’d told her all about my sister because we wanted her to know that we’d had some connection with the syndrome.

“She’s great and desperate to come and meet Rebecca,” I replied, smiling down at my daughter .

May gave us an update on Rebecca’s progress for the period when we’d last had her stay over and we had documents to sign.

She informed us that she’d be checking in daily for the first week, then scale that down as time wore on.

We were led to believe that Rebecca would stay with us forever, there was no going back to Sally.

Then she left and for the first time, Lauren and I were parents .

We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, shell-shocked in one way, terrified, and excited, also. However, Rebecca had other ideas. She made her noises and wanted attention. Some of the toys Sally had brought over were placed on the table and I watched Lauren play with her.

“Why don’t I head to the store for this stuff?” I asked.

Lauren looked up at me and smiled. “I think that might be good and then we have the whole day with her,” she said, I guessed, forgetting we had all day and all night .

I grabbed my wallet and keys and headed out.

I called Alex before I left the drive, hands-free of course, and he talked me down from the high I found myself on. All of a sudden I felt afraid. Not because I didn’t think I couldn’t care for Rebecca, but the range of mistakes I could make, that my parents made, ran through my mind.

“Mackenzie, you’ll make mistakes and that’s okay.

It’s how you handle those errors afterward.

You are not your father, and your circumstances are so different.

We’ll be on the plane in a couple of hours, and I know Gabriella wants to come straight to you but I’ll make her go home.

You need to spend today and tonight with just your family. ”

I couldn’t answer him immediately. Tears sprang to my eyes and I let one fall down my cheek.

“Are you there?” he asked.

I coughed to clear my throat. “I am. Sorry, I choked up there. Call us when you get home.”

I had to get off the phone. When Alex had told me to spend the day and evening with my family it had felt like a kick to my chest. Everything I’d ever wanted without even knowing I was desperate for, I now had.

I had a family.