Daisy (Part I & II)

Chapter 1 - Abused Baby

A loud ringtone breaks us all out of our clouds of self-pity. I glance down to my phone that is vibrating on the table. The caller is unknown. Noah looks at me emotionlessly waiting for me to answer so the goddamn ringtone can turn off and he can resume his quiet dinner.

Picking up the small device I hit the green call button and lift the phone to my ear.

"Hello sir, my name is officer Taylor calling from Brooklyn General Hospital. Am I speaking to James King?" The woman 0n the other line says, not wasting any time with formalités. She gets straight to her point and I respect that. What I do not understand is why a police officer is calling me.

"This is James King. Why are you calling me?"

"I'm calling regarding the arrest of Margaret King, in the reports it says she is your mother. She has been arrested for possession of cocaine, driving under the influence, and child abuse." My eyes widen because this is the first I have heard about my mother in almost five years. Although I am not surprised about her apparent arrest what does surprise me is the child neglect. A glimmer of hope spreads through my bones at the mention of her association with a child.

"What does any of this information about Margaret have to do with me? I haven't heard from my mother in five years," I respond coldly, there is no reason for me to let on that I am hopeful. It sounds terrible but if the child is who I hope it is, maybe, just maybe, I can finally get my baby back. However, the mention of Margaret's name has all four of my brothers heads snapping towards me. Their mixed reactions are obvious, Henry and Noah look confused, Roman looks curious, and if looks could kill, Xander's reaction would be murderous.

"After her and her husbands arrest we got a warrant to search her house for more stashes of cocaine. When we searched the basement we found a young girl shivering in the corner. After some digging I found that you filed a missing persons report after Margaret and your sister disappeared a long time ago. I have reasons to believe that this child is your sister."

"You found Daisy?" I ask, almost completely speechless. I can't help but ask a series of rapid questions after glancing over at my wide eyed brothers. "Is she okay? Where is she? Are you sure it is her?" The hope in my bones has blossomed all the way to my muscles, then my skin, it radiates off of me as my eyes fill with tears.

"She will be okay, she's being treated for her injuries she's recently sustained. She's safe, I have been with her this whole time. She's here at Brooklyn General Hospital, if you are interested in signing to be her legal guardian please bring ID. If not we can talk about other placements for her. I must warn you Mr. King she has been severely abused."

My heart shatters and my smile drops as I take in the officers words. Severely abused. I knew that if Daisy was the child Margaret was charged with child neglect over, then she would be in rough shape. But still, she's my Daisy. How can your heart not break when what you already knew was confirmed?

"Yes. I will take her in. Of course I will. I'll be at the hospital in half an hour." I respond quickly trying to hide the slight voice crack I feel creeping up on me.

"Thank you Mr. King. I will see you soon." She disconnects the call.

I look over at my brothers and I confirm their silent questions. "They found her. They found our Daisy."

"Where? Are they sure it is her?" Noah asks. He looks hopeful, allowing himself to smile for the first time in what feels like forever.