Forever My Baby

by Jacquelin Thomas

“Amya is my daughter. I feel it in here,” she said, her hand pressed to her chest. “I don’t believe that my heart would lie to me.”

  “Then you have nothing to worry about when it comes to the DNA test,” Trina said as she poured more wine in her glass. “It will only prove what you already know.”

  Garland nodded. “You’re right. I don’t know why I’m letting this upset me so.”

  “Because you’re human.”

  “When they placed that little girl in my arms, I never knew I could love anyone so deeply. It was such an incredible feeling.”

  “Everything is going to work out, Garland. I believe it.”

  “The other thing that bothers me is that the DuGrandpres are involved. They have their millions and social standing in the community—they have the power to take Amya from me.”

  “But you have a relationship with Ryker,” Trina pointed out. “He was Parker’s best friend. You can talk to him. I believe the two of you can work something out if it becomes necessary.”

  Garland did not respond. Her thoughts were elsewhere.

  “Garland?”

  “Sorry, I was thinking about Ryker. When we were in college, I had a major crush on him.”

  “I never knew that.”

  “I didn’t tell anyone.”

  “Did anything ever happen between you two?”

  “We kissed one night and things got really intense but then Ryker backed off. He didn’t want to upset Parker.”

  “So he’s an honorable man.”

  Garland chuckled. “Too honorable, I thought at the time. I wanted him to be my one and only, but he obviously didn’t feel the same.” She shrugged. “Things worked out the way they were supposed to—he met and fell in love with someone else and I met a host of jerks.”

  They both laughed.

  Garland shivered as she glanced around the room, the lighting a warm, flattering shade of gold against the muted mustard-colored walls. She leaned back into the luxuriously soft couch with a throw pillow on her lap.

  “What are you thinking about right now?” Trina asked.

  “How perfect my life was until recently. I feel like I took so much for granted.”

  “You didn’t take anything for granted, Garland. Regardless of what the DNA tests say, you have a daughter. Just remember that.”

  Chapter 6

  “Here we are again,” Ryker said, approaching Garland. A couple of weeks had passed since their first meeting with the chief of staff and hospital attorneys.

  The DNA results were in and Garland could feel fear spreading through her stomach.

  They had been ushered into the chief of staff’s office within minutes of their arrival.

  Garland sat in one chair while Ryker took the other.

  Her eyes filled with tears after the results were read.

  Ryker uttered a groan before lashing out. “How could something like this happen in your hospital? How many times has this happened?”

  Almost immediately, both she and Ryker were met with repeated apologies and regret for the anguish they naturally felt. “We have made changes to prevent something like this from ever happening again,” Dr. Rainey stated. “We are putting electronic bracelets on both the mother and the child.”

  “I can’t speak for Garland, but those words coming from you mean nothing to me,” Ryker told them. “I could understand more if the babies were kidnapped and someone tried to take them out of the hospital. But our babies were switched right after they were born, in plain sight.”

  Ryker’s intense gaze seemed to make the administrator nervous. Garland could almost smell the scent of a lawsuit coming from him. And she was considering filing one, as well.

  She recognized the intense anxiety in the chief’s gaze but refused to quiet his fears. The hospital deserved to pay for turning her world upside down. Though the truth was that she did not want or need their blood money. No amount of cash would ever make up for what had been done to her and Ryker or their daughters.

  She rose to her feet. “There is nothing else to be said, I suppose.”

  “Miss Warner...please wait,” the chief pleaded.

  “For what?” she asked. “To reassure you that I won’t file a lawsuit? If that’s what you’re expecting, I can’t help you.”

  Dr. Rainey cleared his throat before saying, “Paige Ballard is a psychologist on staff here and she can assist—”

  “Garland and I will find our own psychologist, if you don’t mind. This situation will be worked out between us and out of the news. If I have to go to court to get a gag order, I will,” Ryker interjected.

  “I assure you, we would like to keep this quiet,” Rainey quickly responded.

  “I expect a press release to go out stating that none of the children were switched,” Ryker stated. “We do not want anyone to know about this. Do you understand me?”

  Dr. Rainey nodded.

  * * *

  “Garland...” Ryker said once they were outside of the office.

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this right now,” she said through exhaustion and dread. She then suddenly burst into tears. “I’m really sorry. I just need a moment.”

  “I thought maybe we could talk,” Ryker stated.

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” Garland said between sobs. “Amya’s my daughter. She’s mine.”

  Acting purely out of instinct, he pulled her into his arms. “We will get through this.”

  “Our daughters...” His voice broke and Ryker stepped away from her. “Only we can decide on the future of our girls. Let me know when you’re ready to talk.”

  “I will,” she promised.

  “For what it’s worth, I understand everything you’re feeling. My wife died and she never had the chance to hold her daughter. And I’ve just found out that neither have I.”

  Garland wiped away her tears. “This isn’t fair to either of us.”

  They stared at each other.

  “Ryker, I brought pictures of Amya,” she said tentatively. Garland removed the envelope from her purse and handed it to him.

  “She looks like Angela,” he said. “Even her smile is like hers.”

  “Amya looks like her biological mother,” Garland responded, stating what he wanted to say but would not. “This must be even worse for you because your wife is gone.”

  Ryker looked up at her. “Our daughter was all I had left.”

  Garland heard the pain in his voice and felt the onset of panic. He’s going to want to take Amya from me, she immediately thought.

  “Kai looks like you,” Ryker said, cutting into her thoughts. “It’s funny, but when she makes certain expressions, I always thought she looked like Parker. It makes sense now because he’s her uncle.”

  She and Ryker rode down in silence in the elevator. Garland was painfully conscious of his physical presence. She caught him glancing at her once or twice, but each time he looked away quickly. Right now, he seemed to be concentrating on the numbers over the elevator door.

  He wants to get away from me as much as I want to get way from him, she thought.

  When the elevator doors opened, Ryker stepped out of the way and allowed Garland to exit first.

  “Where are you parked?” he asked.

  “On the lower level of the parking deck. Why?”

  “I want to make sure you’re not accosted by media. I meant it when I said that I want to keep this out of the news.”

  Garland groaned. “Ryker, I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “I’ll walk you to your car.”

  “My car is right over there,” she gestured. “I don’t see anyone lurking around, so I’m sure I’ll be fine. Thank you, Ryker.”

  The lines between his nose and mouth deepen
ed. “We will talk soon.”

  She gave him a small nod.

  Ryker bent his head in a stiff good-bye and stalked across the parking lot. Garland watched him leave. She did not want him to become an enemy. She would have to accommodate him, be his friend—do whatever was necessary to keep him from seeking custody—for the sake of the children they shared.

  In a strange twist of fate, she and Ryker were tied to one another until Amya and Kai were grown.

  * * *

  Oblivious to the salt-scented breeze and the familiar sounds of the ocean, Garland stared at the envelope in her hand.

  “Mommy, look at...” Amya tugged at her pant leg. “Look.”

  Her small hand cupped a mussel shell.

  Garland smiled in delight and hugged her daughter. “It’s so pretty.”

  “Yes,” Amya responded.

  For a moment, Garland watched as Amya wandered a few feet away to pick up a crab claw. She looked adorable in her denim shorts, pink shirt and sneakers and her dark curls pulled into a ponytail. Amya would always be her daughter.

  Garland pulled her gaze from Amya, crouched on her heels and stared with intense fascination at the ground.

  “How could this have happened,” she whispered. She had been awake during her painful labor and delivery. She had begun hemorrhaging, which prevented her from seeing her daughter for the first few hours after she had given birth. But when the nurse had placed Amya in her arms, Garland fell completely in love with the newborn.

  She glanced up to find her daughter in the exact same spot. Amya loved collecting seashells and odd-colored rocks along the shore, just as Garland had when she was a little girl growing up on the island.

  She kept fingering the yellow official-looking envelope. Garland inhaled deeply and released the air slowly before pulling out a single sheet of paper, unfolding it. Even with the evidence in her trembling hands, she still found it hard to believe.

  Her heart pounded loudly and her vision misted with tears. Garland rushed over to Amya, embracing her. “It’s time to go home, sweetie. C’mon—let’s get out of here.”

  “Mommy?”

  Swallowing her sadness, she forced a smile. “It’s almost time for dinner.”

  “Shicken nuggets,” Amya suggested with the smile of an angel. “Fench fries.”

  “You know what?” Garland responded. “Chicken nuggets and French fries sound good to me.” She hugged the toddler and whispered, “I want you to know that I love you very much.”

  “I wuv you, too,” she murmured. “Gimme kiss...”

  Garland planted a gentle kiss on her daughter’s lips.

  Feeling numb, she turned her back on the ocean waves and took Amya’s small hand.

  Garland’s whole world was her daughter and now that world had become a nightmare.

  * * *

  Ryker’s surroundings suddenly seemed to evaporate as he tossed on his desk the sheet of paper containing the DNA results, proving that the little girl who had been placed in his arms was not the same one his wife had carried for nine months. According to the document, Kai was not his child.

  He shook his head. How could this happen?

  He was focused on only one thought: regardless of whose blood ran through Kai’s veins, she was still his daughter and the fierceness of his love could not be diminished. He would never give her up.

  Yet his heart yearned to see his biological daughter. There was no way he could not be a part of her life.

  A knock on the door cut into his thoughts as his cousin entered the room.

  “Are you okay, Ryker?” Jordin asked.

  “When I went into that hospital, I expected to leave with the proof that Kai is my daughter.”

  “What are you saying?”

  Ryker’s response was interrupted by his parent’s arrival.

  “What happened?” they asked in unison.

  “Kai is not my daughter,” he stated, his eyes filling with tears and his throat aching with defeat. “She’s not mine.”

  “No,” Rochelle gasped.

  Her husband embraced her. “I can’t believe it.”

  Jordin walked over to Ryker and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

  “So what do you intend to do about this situation?” Rochelle said as she wiped away her tears.

  “I’m not sure,” Ryker confessed. “Two innocent girls are involved.”

  “Both of whom are your daughters,” Jordin interjected.

  “They are also Garland’s daughters.”

  “They belong with you,” Rochelle blurted. “You can offer them a wonderful and financially secure life.”

  “This isn’t about who has the most money, Mom,” Ryker uttered in a low, tormented voice. “Love is what a child needs more.”

  “I’m sure Aunt Rochelle didn’t mean it that way,” Jordin said.

  “Son, why don’t you take a couple of days just to think about things?” his father suggested. “Right now everyone is too emotional.”

  “I can cover your cases for you,” Jordin offered.

  Ryker nodded. “Okay, thanks. I’ll need to call Angela’s parents.”

  He picked up the telephone as soon as he was alone in his office. He probably should’ve already told his in-laws what was going on so they could have absorbed the shock slowly, but he hadn’t wanted to alarm them unnecessarily. Kai was all they had left of their daughter. Now he had to tell them about Amya.

  “Mom,” he said when Edna Harvey answered the phone.

  “Ryker, hello. I was just thinking about you and Kai. Are you still planning to come for a visit later this summer?”

  “Something has happened,” he began. At her sharp intake of breath, he instantly regretted his words. “Kai is fine. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “Oh, thank goodness,” she murmured.

  “Is Dad there with you?”

  “He’s here,” Edna replied. “Ryker, what’s going on?”

  “Ask him to pick up one of the other phone extensions. I want to tell you both at the same time.”

  “Oh...okay...”

  Ryker hated having to do this, but he needed to tell them the truth.

  Edna returned to the phone. “Ralph and I are both on the line. Please tell us what’s happened.”

  “The thing is...on the day Kai was born, there was a mix-up at the hospital.”

  “What do you mean, Ryker?” Her voice trembled.

  “Kai is not my biological daughter. She is not the baby Angela gave birth to that day.”

  “Ryker, I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Ralph interjected. “What are you saying, son?”

  “A nurse somehow switched the babies and I brought the wrong one home.”

  “Are you sure?” Edna asked.

  “We had DNA tests done,” he responded. “It’s impossible for me to have fathered Kai. The good news is that the woman who has my daughter and I have met. She is actually the sister of my old best friend, Parker.”

  “You’ll be bringing her home then?” Edna asked. “Angela’s little girl.”

  “Mom, we’re taking it slowly,” he explained. “This woman loves Amya—that’s her name. I understand because I love Kai.”

  “We all love Kai,” she agreed. “But Angela’s daughter can’t be raised by someone else. I won’t allow it and neither can you, Ryker. It’s not right.”

  “Mom, what do you want me to do?” he questioned. “I am not willing to give up Kai. I’m the only parent she’s ever known.”

  “But our granddaughter...”

  “I hope that you will continue to think of Kai that way.”

  “Angela was all we had,” she said. “Our only child.”

  “Why don’t
I arrange for you all to meet Amya as soon as possible?” he suggested. “Garland is a nice person and I know she’ll understand. I can’t imagine her being unwilling to involve you in Amya’s life.”

  “My daughter never would’ve named her daughter Amya.”

  “I think it’s a pretty name,” Ryker said. “Mom, we have to take this slow for the sake of the girls.”

  “I suppose so,” Edna mumbled. “But I can’t believe that you’re going to just leave your own flesh and blood with a complete stranger.”

  “I agree,” Ralph chimed in.

  “I’m the stranger to Amya,” he reminded his in-laws. “Would you really wrench her from the only home she’s ever known?”

  “No,” Edna answered after a moment. “We just want to meet her, Ryker.”

  “And you will,” he promised, “but you have to be patient.”

  He ended the call a few minutes later. His in-laws would not meet Amya anytime soon because he did not trust them not to tell her that they were her grandparents.

  Ryker packed up his laptop and left his office filled with anger and an intense frustration churning in his stomach. Kai had just lost her grandparents—he was sure of it. Once they saw Amya, they would immediately gravitate to her.

  He felt an unhappiness he had never known.

  Chapter 7

  The dream came every night.

  Garland was searching desperately for her daughter. First, she’d be on the beach reading a book when she’d look up suddenly and realize she did not see her.

  “Amya!” she’d begin calling. “Amya, where are you?”

  She’d leap to her feet and spin in every direction, screaming repeatedly, “Amya!”

  Garland would begin stumbling toward the water, the hearty roar of the surf filling her ears.

  Then she’d realize that she was no longer on the beach but in Charleston, running up the sidewalk and searching frantically for her daughter. The sound from nearby traffic would frighten her. People passing would ignore her pleas for help. Then she would see Kai teetering near the street. The overwhelming shock of helplessness would hold her immobile.

  She’d call out Kai’s name but realize with horror that her flesh-and-blood daughter did not know who she was. She would not remember meeting her at the boutique. “Stay there,” Garland would scream. “Please don’t move. I’m going to help you.”