The Big Guy
Morgan
I glanced at Creed. “There’s more you need to tell me?”
“Later, it’s not that urgent.” He turned into the parking lot of the CPS in Kokomo. I noticed one bike stopped on the street several yards back, and another bike drive right by the parking lot. I presumed he would watch from up the street or a different block. I noticed an alley to my right, so that was also a possibility.
We were early, of course, and it was quiet in the car for just a moment.
“Please think about staying at Creed’s Lake. I think it will be good for both of you. You’ll have Stephanie to lean on, Bolton to talk to and to help Addie, you can play outside with her and not worry about any crazy fans, get groceries, and I already told you I’d be happy to check out her old babysitter for employment. I think it would be good to take someone she’s familiar with to LA when we go. This is if you still want me to go with you.” He sounded almost defeated.
I turned my head then reached over and placed my hand on his cheek. “Of course I want you with me. This doesn’t change how I feel about you. I know being in your life will bring sacrifices. I just wasn’t expecting this news. A year is a long time, Creed.”
He kissed my palm, placed it back on his cheek, then looked at me. “Why do you care so much?”
I laid my head back against the seat rest, but didn’t stop looking at him. “You know why.”
Suddenly, his eyes left mine then softened with a smile. I turned to see what he was looking at and saw Addie in pigtails and wearing a little backpack while holding a man’s hand as they walked into the building. I had to push back my tears as Creed gave my hand back. After a few deep breaths, I looked at Creed and smiled. “Now my life changes forever.”
He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Its time to bring her home.”
Home. One word that always stood out when he said it, and he said it a lot. It wasn’t his place, or his house, it was always just home. Would it be home to him if Addie and I bought our own house? What would that word mean to him once he shipped out? Was it the structure he felt was home, or the person waiting there for him?
I was already out of the SUV when Creed made his way around to me. He took my hand and held it when we walked into the building. We didn’t see Addie right away. Instead, when we walked in, there was a lobby area. We had to approach a desk and give the person working mine and Addie’s names, then we were told to take a seat, we were early. That earned Creed a side glance which made him chuckle.
“I told you we shouldn’t come too early.” I rubbed it in.
“We’re not early, look at that clock on the wall. It’s 0950, that’s in the range of late.” He tried to argue as we took a seat.
Creed sat back with a parenting magazine he found in the chair next to him, but I stared at the wall and tried to absorb everything. I pictured living at Creed’s Lake without him and just thinking about it hurt my heart. Then I wondered what Addie was thinking and hoped she wasn’t nervous or scared. If it weren’t for Jonathan and Nicole Powers, that little girl would have known me better. I hated the idea of her being scared. She had to have been so scared that night and every single minute after.
A door opened and my eyes shot up. “Morgan Rossi.” A middle aged woman holding a clip board called my name. Creed looked at me, then the woman, then back at me as he stood, bringing me up to stand with him.
After we approached her she shook our hands. “I’m Barbara Peterson from Sinclair County Child Protective Services. Would you mind following me?” She asked.
I gave her a nod and followed her down a long hall to a small conference room. “First of all, sorry you had to travel the distance. We felt it would be better for Addie to drive back with you, rather than sit through a long car ride with me. It’s best to do it early instead of making her wait.” She offered us a seat.
“It wasn’t a problem.” Creed said.
“I made the same drive, so I know it wasn’t exactly the most scenic trip.” She looked at me. “I work with your uncle Darren quite often. He has nothing but the best to say about both of you.”
I smiled. “My uncle is a great guy.”
She sat with a folder and a laptop in front of her. “We don’t have much to do. Just some paperwork to sign and I need copies of your identification, Miss Rossi. Addie is in the playroom with one of the contracted caseworkers from a non-profit family reunification agency. This isn’t the typical transition we normally see, since I’m from Clarity and typically don’t work from this office. Normally there’s some hoops to jump through, but since you are the appointed guardian and the judge made the order, she will be released to your care. Now if the day comes and you decide on adoption while living in Sinclair County, I will once again be on the case and will assign a non-profit to do the home study. Do you have any questions?”
I was digging in my purse and pulled out my California driver’s license. “Yes, my official address is in California, but I do not plan to move Addie from Cold Springs. My ID is California, and I hope that’s not an issue.”
She smiled. “Not at all.” She reached for my ID and pulled out a tiny little scanner to scan it into her computer. After that she typed a bunch of stuff.
“What address should I use for you?” She looked up at me, but Creed cleared his throat.
“Creed’s Lake PO Box 317 Cold Springs.”
She gave him a nod. “Thank you, but when a PO box is used, we do ask for a physical address as well.”
I thought he was going to tell her no, but that wasn’t what happened.
“It’s 9184 Creek’s Lake Path, Cold Springs, Indiana.”
He squeezed my hand for the tenth time already that day. He was always trying to reassure me.
She had me electronically sign paperwork, gave me back my driver’s license then gave me a smile. “Okay, that’s everything. Are you ready?” She looked at both of us.
“We’ve been ready.” I then squeezed his hand like he always did mine.
She opened the door and walked out, but didn’t shut it behind her. I looked up at Creed and he pulled me in for a hug. “She’s going to be okay.” He kissed the top of my head. “And so will you.”
Then we heard a little voice coming toward us. “Is da big guy here too?”
I looked up at Creed and he smiled.
“Auntie Morgan lubs me. Mommy always days so. I taught she wad coming for me and I waited. I wad scared, but mommy said Auntie Morgan wud take care ob me.”
Tears started building up in my eyes. She still had that little speech issue, but it was so cute.
“Da big guy pwomised Auntie Morgan wud come for me.”
I looked up at Creed and his eyes were a little more wet than usual. When I looked back at the doorway I saw a tiny little girl with big blue eyes and blond hair. I had to take a sharp breath because she looked like Callie and nothing like Shane. I always knew that, and things were a little crazy that horrible night, but it still hit me pretty hard. She looked at me and then to Creed, then to me again. I knelt down and she let go of Barbara’s hand before shyly walking toward me.
“Addie, I came as soon as I could get here.” I held out my hand and she took it before I pulled her into a hug. The little back pack was still attached to her and it felt pretty full.
“Da big guy come too?” She asked.
I looked at Creed and Addie did too. He knelt down and his eyes were still super wet. “You pwomised and…” She sniffled. “Now I lib wif you and Auntie Morgan?” She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
I had to study Creed, because he was looking at Addie in a similar way that he looked at me.
He nodded his head. “Yeah kid, you and Auntie Morgan are going to stay with me.” He put his hand on her shoulder, but she jolted toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck, then tried to wrap her legs around him, but was unsuccessful until he stood with her in his arms.
I looked at Barbara and she had a brown paper bag and a manila envelope. “This is a copy of her birth certificate, but we are still waiting for her Social Security card. We will forward that too you when it’s received. Her Medicaid card is also in there with all the paperwork we have received from them. We’ve also included her school records in case you don’t send her back to the same school. We also have her vaccine record and her eyeglass prescription. We did get her new glasses, but from what I understand, she wasn’t happy with the choices available through Medicaid.” She then handed me the brown paper bag. “She has mostly toys in her backpack, and these are a few outfits I bought her the day after her placement.”
“Thank you, I appreciate everything you’ve done.” I couldn’t shake her hand with mine being full.
“I wish it would have been sooner, but there’s a protocol in place. I hope you understand.” She said.
Addie held on to Creed all the way to the car. He fastened her seat belt, and I hopped in back with her.
“Da big guy has a big car.” She was moving in her seat to get comfortable. “Miss Hope had a big car too and I got to ride in it. Mommy has a widdle car.”
“Was Miss Hope your foster mom?” I asked.
“Yep.” She pushed her glasses up again.
“I hope you knew I was coming for you. We had to do some things before we were allowed to come for you.” I explained.
“Da big guy pwomised. Mommy pwomised. We are going there now. The big guy say so.”
I giggled. “The big guy? Do you mean Creed?”
She pointed at him in front of her. “Da big guy. Not like daddy or Caleb. Him.” She continued to point. “He helped me save mommy and Auntie Morgan.”
My heart broke.
“Mommy went to heaben anyway.”
Creed was driving but kept looking in the rear view mirror at us.
“Daddy went too, but Uncle Caleb said he take of me too, but he didn’t come help me either.” She looked so sad, but I was a bit surprised she was so talkative.
I decided to lighten the mood. “Guess what?” I tried to look really excited, and she just tilted her head as she looked at me.
“Uncle Creed said that since you’ve been such a good girl, we can stop at McDonald’s for lunch in a little bit. Are you excited?”
She nodded really big. “Da big guy eat too?”
“Yes, and we’ll even get a happy meal!”
She giggled. “I think da big guy needs a lot of them!”
I laughed. “Yeah, I don’t think a happy meal will be enough for him.”
I pulled out my tote bag and offered her the coloring book and crayons. We chose a page and worked on it together. She had a big girl car seat, and it had a drink holder, so she enjoyed an apple juice until we made it just south of Indianapolis. When Creed unhooked her seatbelt, she reached for him and wrapped her arms around his neck. After he pulled her out she wrapped her legs around him and held on for dear life. She wouldn’t let go until we had her food and sat down. She did the same thing when it was time to leave. Creed’s men watched over us as we ate lunch, not allowing any fans to approach me, then we got back into the car to head toward home.
When we were eating, Creed told Addie all about home. He told her she had her own bedroom, and we lived in a safe neighborhood where there were other kids. I thought there was a chance she would know a few from school, but I wasn’t certain.
She fell asleep not long after lunch. I couldn’t help but watch her as she slept. Her little mouth hung open, and her glasses slid down her nose. I made a mental note to make an appointment with a children’s eye doctor and I already talked to Zoey about a physical. She suggested we wait until just before school started. That she probably had one and the least amount of professionals right away would be best. Valerie suggested easing Addie into the community at first. Maybe just let her warm up to me and Creed for a few days before introducing anyone new. I ran my fingers through her hair as she slept. It wasn’t like a scene from a fairytale, my girl had her jaw wide open, and some drool escaped, while she snored a little every once in a while.
Creed looked in his rear view mirror. “She snores a little every once in a while. She did that when she slept in my arms that night in the hospital.”
“Maybe that’s something I should tell Zoey.” I was a little concerned.
“I don’t think it’s anything to worry about, but if it makes you feel better go ahead. They aren’t big snores, and she doesn’t pause breathing. I think she’s fine. It could also be the way she’s sleeping sitting up that way, it’s how she was when I was holding her in that chair that night.”
That made me feel a little better. When we arrived home, Creed picked her up and carried her inside. “I guess you could lay her in her bed.” I wasn’t sure where she would want to take her nap.
“No, I’ll keep her just like this but sit in the living room. I don’t want her to wake up alone while the house is still strange to her. Her room is foreign to her, but I guess I’m not. I can’t believe she remembers me.” He whispered.
“I’ll bring in her backpack, but will take her clothes to the laundry room.” I was sure her new clothes were clean, but the idea that they came from a home I didn’t know made me want to wash them.
After that, I leaned against the wall and quietly watched Creed with Addie. My heart was breaking. I wanted and needed Creed, but was it fair to let them bond then make Addie say goodbye? I had a lot to think about and a few decisions to make.