STOLEN

by DAWN KOPMAN WHIDDEN

  But it wasn’t until Marty heard Sanders order Shane down on his stomach, with his arms and legs spread apart, that he actually allowed himself to breathe.

  When things calmed down, Jean introduced Troy to Mrs. Kolakowski, and explained, in detail, to Troy who he was and what his relationship to the woman was. He appeared overwhelmed, but took the news in stride.

  Jean hesitated to leave the older woman there, but the lady insisted on staying with her nephew. Marty and Jean set back to Marty’s house so he could be reunited with his family.

  Jean was so happy to lay her eyes on Dylan Silver that she grabbed the kid and hugged him. She knew her daughter would never forgive her if something happened to the boy; and she still wasn’t comfortable with the kid and her daughter’s relationship, but she was getting used to it. Dylan was just grateful he got his bike back in one piece, although she knew, he was glad Jean no longer harbored such an intense distrust of him. What she learned later from both the Captain and Hope made it even easier. Apparently, every time Shane waved the gun around carelessly, Dylan would step in front of the Captain, Hope or Tristan to protect them from the chance of the gun going off, putting himself in the line of fire. Hot flashes or not, menopausal emotions out of control, she was grateful the kid was there.

  The next few days were as chaotic as per usual in the Keal household. While Troy Blakey was recuperating from his gunshot wounds, Tristan kept them company. Marty’s father and Tristan continued to bond by fighting constantly over the remote control. He still wasn’t talking, but they learned why.

  Tragically, everyone came to believe that Tristan was the only witness to his mother’s murder. The little boy was so traumatized by what he saw that day, he lost his ability to speak. Hope felt, that with lots of therapy and love, the little curly-headed boy would one day be able to find the words he has been holding in for so long.

  When Marty’s father wasn’t monopolizing Tristan’s time, Marty was doing everything he could to keep him busy. He took him fishing one day and to a Yankee game another. He expected the nine-year-old bundle of energy to have trouble sitting still, but Tristan surprised him. He sat through the whole game, only to be distracted by the food vendors.

  Marty took him every day to visit with his dad; and Tristan would cry every time they had to leave. Now that his father was awake and responding, Marty thought that he felt guilty he had to leave, but he wasn’t sure, that was just his own interpretation of how he felt.

  He also thought that the kid was conflicted about who he wanted to be with.

  Hope had told Marty the story of the question of Tristan’s paternity and he arranged for the boy and men to have a blood test. There was no mistaking it. There was no possible way that Shane could have fathered the little boy. Although a DNA test was taken to definitely prove Troy was the biological father, it hadn’t come back yet; but they all knew. They compared pictures of Troy, otherwise known as T.J., when he was a little boy and a photograph Troy had in his wallet of Tristan when he was about three years old, the same age T.J. was when he disappeared. The resemblance was uncanny.

  Finally, the day came when Troy was released from the hospital. He was invited to go and stay with Marty’s neighbors, his newly found aunt and uncle, and he agreed, although he said he felt awkward. But he had a kid to take care of and he was still too weak to travel, so he didn’t have much of a choice. His brother was in custody, charged with several felony counts, but the district attorney made sure he was given a fair shot because of the unusual circumstances.

  The day Troy was released from the hospital was the day Marty had to accept the fact Tristan would soon be gone from his life. They packed up the little boy’s clothes; and Tristan wore his new Yankee cap proudly when Hope walked him over to stay with his dad and the family that was looking forward to getting to know him.

  Hope and Marty had just sat down to discuss wedding plans when the doorbell rang.

  “I’ll get it,” Marty told her.

  When Marty opened the door, Troy was standing there with Tristan’s hand securely held in his. It had been a few days since he had seen either of them.

  “I just wanted to stop by and say thank you.” He looked down at his son. “Thank you for taking such good care of Tristan. I know he can be a handful at times.”

  “Hey, no problem.” Marty told him. “Come on in.” Marty looked over his shoulder and noticed a yellow cab waiting at the curb.

  “We are on our way to the airport. We’re headed home to Oregon. We’ve got some things to straighten out there. Seems like my fath—” he stopped and changed what he was going to say in mid-sentence. “Apparently, the old man left all of the property to me and Shane. I want to clean up the place. Take the place me and Shane used to call dysfunction junction, and turn it into something good, something I can be proud of. Sanders said he thinks I may be able to sell off some of the property and use the money to build something. Maybe turn it into a therapy horse farm for kids like Tristan.” He lifted Tristan’s hand and held it to his chest.

  “What about your brother? How’s he doing?”

  Tristan let loose of his dad’s hand and ran past Marty. Marty realized why when he heard Hope behind him. He ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

  “Shane’s okay. He pled guilty; and the District Attorney let him plea down to a lesser charge. The judge sentenced him to two years. Seems like the judge took pity on him, considering the circumstances. His real family has come out to support him. I think he’s in good hands. Anyway, he’s happy he’s finally getting to know who he is.”

  “And you?” Marty felt Hope’s hand on his back.

  “Tristan and I have been getting to know Mrs. Ko—my real dad’s sister, my aunt Peri. It’s kind of weird being called a different name after all these years. She keeps trying to call me Troy but keeps slipping. I guess I can get used to T.J.” He put out his hand, letting Tristan know it was time to go. “My aunt Peri and her husband are going to follow us and come out to Oregon; help us get our things in order. Apparently, there is a lot of legal stuff to deal with. I don’t know where to even start. My social security number, my driver’s license . . . I guess I have to figure out who I am; and who I’m going to be from now on. Lieutenant Sanders said he would get me some help. Says his brother-in-law is a lawyer and they will help me try and straighten things out. Oh yeah, and he got in touch with M’leigh’s . . . I mean Donna’s mom in Scotland; and she’s coming out to visit. We spoke to her on the phone.” He glanced down at Tristan who had now walked back and was holding his dad’s hand again.

  “Tristan’s pretty excited about getting to know all his new family. He is really looking forward to meeting his grandma and grandpa from Scotland. He is already being spoiled rotten by his Aunt Peri and my . . . wow. Who would believe I had five older sisters? There is one in Seattle and one in California. But I guess you already knew that. They said they’re going to come out and visit, too.”

  The cab driver signaled he was getting impatient and tapped on the horn.

  “Well,” he held out his hand again. Marty grabbed it firmly. No words were needed, but he wished him good luck anyway.

  It was obvious he was still suffering some discomfort from his recent wounds when he leaned over and gave Hope a kiss on the cheek.

  “Thank you, thank you both.”

  She gave him a warm smile in return. “Stay in touch,” Hope told him.

  He nodded in reply.

  They started to walk away when Tristan broke away one last time. He stood there for a second and then ran into Marty’s arms. Marty lifted him as he felt Tristan wrap his arms around his neck. Tristan pulled his body away and extended his arms so he was able to cup Marty’s face, both of his cheeks, in each of his hands.

  Tristan’s big green eyes looked directly into his, and Marty watched as his lips parted slowly.

  “Marty.” he said, in a whisper.

  Then he spoke slow and clear. This time his voice was stronger.
“I love you.”

  He jumped down, not waiting for a reply, and ran back to his dad. Marty turned away quickly, he didn’t want to see him leave; and he certainly didn’t want Tristan to see him cry. He thought Tristan heard him when he answered him, but he wasn’t sure. “I love you too, kid.”

  Marty heard Hope shut the door as he walked back into the kitchen.

  “Are you okay, Marty?”

  “Yeah, honey, I’m fine.” Marty stopped just before he entered the kitchen and waited till she was next to him. He put his hand on the back of her head, his fingers sliding in and out of her shoulder-length hair. He felt comfort in the silkiness of her hair, like a child caressing a security blanket. Once again Marty noticed the color; the shade was so close to the color of Tristan’s curly locks.

  “Come on, we have a wedding to plan.” Marty told her as he led her back into the kitchen. “Do you think we can make room for two more invites? Maybe we can send them some airline tickets and they’ll come back for the wedding?”

  She gave Marty one of those smiles of hers. The one that caused him to have this warm sensation from the top of his head and traveled down to his heels.

  “Yes, Marty. I think that’s a great idea.”

  Marty sat down at the table with her and opened the bridal book to the page on tuxedos.

  He was going to miss that little boy. He was going to miss him like crazy. But then he remembered what a great future he was going to have with this lady as he listened to her as she talked about the color scheme for the wedding. He didn’t tell her, but while she was picking out the colors, he was picking out names for their firstborn child. No, he didn’t tell her, but he thought she knew!

  The End

  A Note From the Author

  Growing up in the 1950’s, when the sun came up, it meant little children went out to play, unaccompanied, even at the tender age of two or three. Parents thought nothing of leaving the stroller with their babies outside the supermarket while they went inside to shop.

  I was told once that my grandmother left her twin daughters in their carriage outside a theatre in Brooklyn, N.Y. while she went in to watch a full-length movie. If the babies started to cry, the usher would come into the dark auditorium and let the mother know she was needed. Today, she would be arrested and charged with multiple counts of child neglect and abuse.

  I remember going outside my apartment at the tender age of three and playing by myself in the playground behind my apartment, waiting for my little friends to wake up and join me.

  Growing up in the fifties and sixties was a time of innocence, and ‘Stranger Danger’ was just something Robbie the Robot might say in an episode of Lost In Space.

  Today, the world has changed; and children no longer have the freedom to explore their world without watching over their shoulders at all times.

  Even in their own homes, they are taught to be wary and even to fear their own family members.

  Every year, thousands of children disappear from their families, some never to be seen again. Parents of kidnapped children are left with broken hearts and empty dreams that no one but them will be able to understand. Not knowing whether their child is dead or alive can be so crushing, it can destroy the marriages and families left behind and some will never recover from their loss.

  The following information has been copied verbatim from the following website that I encourage you to visit. Please spend some time looking at the faces in the photographs. If you ever suspect there is something wrong, if you see a child and feel something just isn’t right, respect your intuition; and report it to the authorities. Hopefully, you will be the one to save the life of an innocent child and bring them home to where they belong.

  THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR

  MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN

  http://www.missingkids.com/KeyFacts

  The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children gathers key facts regarding the issues of missing and sexually exploited children and Internet safety and updates these facts and statistics frequently.

  Missing children

  The most recent, comprehensive national study for the number of missing children estimated in 1999: [1]

  Approximately 800,000 children younger than 18 were reported missing.

  More than 200,000 children were abducted by family members.

  More than 58,000 children were abducted by nonfamily members.

  An estimated 115 children were the victims of “stereotypical” kidnapping. These “stereotypical” kidnappings involved someone the child did not know or was an acquaintance. The child was held overnight, transported 50 miles or more, killed, ransomed or held with the intent to keep the child permanently.

  To find the number of children missing from a specific state or territory contact the state’s Missing Child Clearinghouses.

  The first three hours are the most critical when trying to locate a missing child. The murder of an abducted child is rare, and an estimated 100 cases in which an abducted child is murdered occur in the U.S. each year. A 2006 study indicated that 76.2 percent of abducted children who are killed are dead within three hours of the abduction. [2]

  The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than 191,179 missing children since it was founded in 1984. Our recovery rate for missing children has grown from 62 percent in 1990 to 97 percent today.

  The AMBER Alert program was created in 1996 and is operated by the U.S. Department of Justice. As of Jan. 3, 2014, 679 children have been successfully recovered as a result of the program. [3]

  As of Oct. 2013, NCMEC’s toll free, 24 hour call center has received more than 3,858,042 calls since it was created in 1984. Information about missing or exploited children can be reported to the call center by calling 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)

  [1] Finkelhor D., Hammer H., Doidge D., Sedlak A. National Estimates of Missing Children: An Overview, U.S. Department of Justice, 2002.

  [2] Brown K., Keppel R., McKenna R., Skeen M., Weis J. Case Management for Missing Children Homicides: Report II, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and U.S. Department of Justice, 2006.

  [3] AMBER Alert, U.S. Department of Justice.