Taffy Sinclair 006 - Taffy Sinclair, Baby Ashley, and Me Page 8

  "It will, TOO," I protested. "Who knows? Maybe she'll want to buy a car or something, and she'll just happen to look in the personals column and see my ad. I know she'll call. Just wait and see."

  That night I started my vigil by the telephone again. It did seem a little strange that nobody at school had mentioned seeing my ad. Surely some of their parents read the classifieds. Still, I wasn't going to let what Beth said discourage me. She didn't always know what she was talking about.

  By eight o'clock I was really getting antsy. If Ashley's mother didn't call pretty soon, I knew I'd die. Just then the phone rang. I jumped so high you would have thought I was on a trampoline.

  "It's the phone, Jana. Aren't you going to get it?" Mom asked in an excited voice.

  "Sure," I mumbled and picked up the receiver. This was probably it. The call I had been waiting for. My voice was shaking as I said hello.

  "Hi, Jana. It's Melanie. Has Ashley's mother called yet?"

  "What!?" I shrieked. "Melanie! Get off the phone! She could be trying to call right this minute."

  "Sor-RY!" Melanie huffed and slammed down the receiver. I knew I had been rude, but what did she think she was doing calling at such an important time?

  I was too nervous to sit still after that. Melanie's call could have spoiled everything. I started pacing the floor, stopping once in a while to look out the window and watch the traffic go by. I could tell that I was making Mom almost as nervous as I was, but I couldn't help it.

  Then the phone rang again. "You get it this time, Mom," I whispered. I held my breath as she picked up the receiver.

  "Hello?" Then she shot me an apologetic look. "Oh, hi, Pink. No. No one has called, and we're trying to keep the line open. Talk to you tomorrow. Bye."

  "What's the matter with everybody?" I cried. Then I realized what I had said. "Sorry, Mom. It's just that everyone knows how important this is."

  "That's right, honey. Nobody means to cause you any problems. They just care about you. That's why they can't resist calling to see if you've had any luck yet. Why don't you get ready for bed now? You look exhausted. I'll wake you if your call comes through."

  The instant she said that, I realized how tired I was. I nodded and went to my room, changing into my pajamas. I scuffed into the bathroom and turned on the water. I wanted to brush my teeth as fast as I could before I fell asleep standing at the sink. My mouth was full of foamy toothpaste when I heard the phone ring again. I dropped the brush in the sink and burst out the door. Mom had answered it, and she had a strange look on her face.

  "Yes, Officer Martin. What is it?"

  My heart stopped. Officer Martin? What was wrong? "Oh, dear," Mom said. "Yes, I understand. Is she okay?"

  It had to be Ashley! She was hurt! The awful person who had abused her had found her again! I ran to Mom, grabbing her arm and pleading with my eyes.

  "Certainly, Officer Martin. We'll be right there." Then Mom turned to me and said, "It's Ashley's mother, sweetheart. They've found her. She's in the hospital, and she's asking for you."

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Officer Martin was waiting for us just inside the emergency room door when our taxi pulled up in front of the hospital. There was only one other person in the waiting room, a man with a towel wrapped around one hand.

  The police officer greeted us warmly and motioned us to some chairs in a corner. "Thanks for coming. Let's go over here where we can talk before I take you in to see Mrs. Adamson."

  Mrs. Adamson? I thought. That must be Ashley's mother. Ashley Adamson. I hadn't thought about her having a last name before.

  "Let me begin by telling you a little bit about Ashley's mother," said Officer Martin. "She is in serious condition from a beating." The police officer paused and looked at me sadly. "Ashley's father is the one who beat her, Jana. He beat her up a lot of times. She's what we commonly call a battered wife."

  "Poor Mrs. Adamson," I whispered. I had heard about battered wives before. Suddenly I felt very sorry for her. Maybe she wasn't the terrible person I had imagined she was, after all.

  "When they brought her into the emergency room, she was only partly conscious and she was trying to say something. But no one could understand her. She had a scrap of paper in her hand. She wouldn't let anyone take it from her or even see what it was. Then, when she regained full consciousness, she showed it to the nurse and said she wanted to use the phone. Jana, honey, it was your ad in the personals column of the Bridgeport Post. If it hadn't been for that ad, she might have kept her secret forever. Then everyone here at the hospital would have thought she was just another emergency room case and would not have mentioned the ad to the police, and we would never have found Ashley's mother."

  I felt Mom's arm slip around my shoulder. I leaned against her, feeling better, but there was a question I had to ask. "And what about Ashley? Did her father give her that bruise on her stomach, too?"

  "Yes, I'm afraid he did. Like I said, he had beaten her mother many times, but when he turned on Ashley, she decided that she had to do something to save her little girl. She was afraid he might hurt Ashley again. But don't worry. He's been arrested. He won't be able to hurt her anymore. Would you like to see Mrs. Adamson now? She's very anxious to meet you."

  I sat there, staring at Officer Martin. I wanted desperately to see Ashley's mother. I had wanted to know about her almost from the beginning. And to understand why she had abandoned her baby. But part of me didn't want to see her. If she were all the good things Officer Martin said, then Ashley wouldn't be put up for adoption, and Mom and I would never have the chance to love her and take care of her. I would never get to be her sister.

  Officer Martin stood up. She was waiting for me to answer. I looked at Mom. She had a sympathetic look on her face. She understood what I was thinking. I knew she did. But she didn't say anything. She was waiting for me to make my own decision.

  I thought about Ashley again. She was so beautiful, and I loved her so much. Still, deep down I knew that she needed her mother. That was why I had put the ad in the paper in the first place.

  "Okay," I said, and I stood up, too.

  When we tiptoed into Mrs. Adamson's room, I caught my breath and grabbed Mom's hand. Ashley's mother was lying in the bed with her eyes closed. Even in the dark I could see the bruises on her face.

  She opened her eyes when we walked in, and when she realized who it was, she tried to smile, but I could tell that it hurt. "Hello, you must be Jana," she said in a voice just above a whisper. "I'm so glad you came."

  I dropped Mom's hand and went to her bed. "Hi," I said. "How are you feeling?" The minute I said that, I felt silly. She was feeling rotten. Anyone could see that. But she didn't seem to mind my asking. She even tried to smile again.

  Even though she was pretty bruised up, I couldn't help thinking how much Ashley looked like her. Mrs. Adamson had blue eyes and reddish-gold curls, just like Ashley's.

  "I want to thank you for finding Ashley and taking such good care of her," she said. "You saved her life. If it hadn't been for you two girls . . ." Her voice trailed off as she began to cry. Softly at first, and then she broke into sobs.

  "It's okay," I said, taking her hand and patting it. It was all I could think of to do. "Ashley's fine. And she's so beautiful. And she smiles and gurgles all the time. And I just know she's going to be glad to see you."

  Officer Martin stepped forward. "I think we'd better go now and let Mrs. Adamson rest."

  "Okay." I knew I should say good-night and leave, but I couldn't go just yet. There was one more thing I had to know. "Mrs. Adamson?" I said softly. "Can I ask you something?"

  She nodded.

  "Why did you leave Ashley at our school?"

  She sighed and got a faraway look on her face. "When I was a little girl, I didn't have a happy family life, but I loved school. It was the only place where I could smile and laugh, and my teachers were so nice to me. So when I knew that I couldn't keep Ashley with me any longer, I decided to take her to
a school. I knew it was a place where children were loved and cared for. And then"—she paused for a moment—"when I put her on the steps and walked out through the playground gate, I realized that the bell had already rung and that it might be hours before anyone found her. I couldn't just leave her there in the cold, so I turned around to go back and get her and try to figure out something else to do. But when I looked through the gate again, I saw a girl run out of the building and pick her up and then take her back inside, and I knew that Ashley was going to be okay."

  She had been there all the time! My heart jumped into my throat. She had been standing there watching when Taffy Sinclair brought Ashley into the school. She hadn't really abandoned her. She had known all along that her baby was safe. I was so glad I thought I'd die.

  I couldn't help thinking about my father just then and how Ashley and I had so many things in common. Was it possible that my father had done what he thought was best all these years by staying away from me since he's an alcoholic? Maybe he hadn't really abandoned me after all. Maybe he had left me with Mom where he knew I'd be safe.

  We left right after that. Officer Martin gave us a ride back home, and on the way she told us more of the story. She said that Ashley had been born in Boston, Massachusetts, which was why the police couldn't find any record of her birth in Connecticut. Her father had lost his job and had brought the family to Bridgeport while he looked for work. And every day he bought a Bridgeport Post and read the help wanted column in the classified ads.

  After we got back home, Mom made us some hot chocolate. "Why didn't Mrs. Adamson call the police herself when she got beaten up?" I asked as I sipped my cocoa.

  "I think she was probably just too scared," said Mom. "She was afraid that even if her husband went to jail, he'd get out and hurt her again."

  "But won't that happen now, anyway?"

  Mom shook her head. "Officer Martin told me that they are going to turn her case over to a special agency that helps people like her. They'll help her start a new life with Ashley. Maybe even change her name. She'll be safe now."

  "Do you think I'll ever get to see Ashley again?"

  Mom smiled. "I hope so. In fact, I'm sure her mother will never forget you and Taffy Sinclair and what you did for her. Who knows? You both might get to see her again sooner than you think."

  "Both?" I grumbled. "Taffy didn't find Ashley's mother for her. I did. Besides, she's always trying to make people think that she found Ashley by herself, and that I had nothing to do with it. I don't understand that because . . ." I paused a moment. "Mom, I've never told anyone this before, but when Taffy and I found Ashley, for a few minutes it felt like we were best friends. And now . . ."

  "And now things are back to the way they used to be," Mom said. "Is that what you're trying to say?"

  "I guess so," I admitted. "Except that every once in a while we get that good feeling back again."

  Mom nodded. "That happens to people sometimes when they've shared a special experience. Like being stranded together in a blizzard, for instance . . . or finding an abandoned baby," she added softly. "It brought out the very best in both of you. Don't be disappointed that the feeling couldn't last. It was too intense. But I can promise you one thing, neither one of you will ever forget it."

  I nodded happily and told her good-night. I climbed in bed, thinking that in the morning I would have to wake up early and call Taffy. I wanted to tell her myself about Ashley's mother and all the things that had happened tonight before Officer Martin or someone else told her. I hoped that she would be as glad as I was that everything was working out okay for our baby. Deep down, I knew she would. She loved Ashley, too.

  I also knew that Mom was right. We would probably always be enemies. But still, as I snuggled into my pillow and drifted off to sleep, I knew that every time Taffy Sinclair or I saw a little baby, we would think about each other and how special it had felt when we found baby Ashley—together.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Betsy Haynes, the daughter of a former newswoman, began scribbling poetry and short stories as soon as she learned to write. A serious writing career, however, had to wait until after her marriage and the arrival of her two children. But that early practice must have paid off, for within three months Mrs. Haynes had sold her first story. In addition to a number of magazine short stories, The Great Mom Swap, The Great Boyfriend Trap, and the Taffy Sinclair series, Mrs. Haynes is the author of The Fabulous Five series, which features the five best friends from the Taffy Sinclair books. She lives in Colleyville, Texas, with her husband, who is the author of a young adult novel.