The attic - Chapter 13

giantbear (74)in #fiction • 7 years ago

Moira rushed to the bedroom and found Vincent very restless. He was still sleeping but he was kicking his feet, and was obviously having a very bad dream. The visit to the child psychologist must have triggered this. Moira went to the kitchen to warm up some milk for Vincent and woke him up. Vincent was drenched in sweat and when he saw her he clutched her arm and pulled her closer. He held on to her and did not want to let her go. Moira lay down next to him and stroked his blond hair until he fell asleep. He looked like a six year old baby. Moira lay there thinking about everything he had to endure during his short lifetime on earth and she felt an anger stirring inside her, that she had never felt before.

Moira fell asleep holding Vincent in her arms, and the last thought that went through her head, was that she would not let anyone hurt this child ever again, even if her life depended on it.

Moira woke up and saw that Vincent was still in bed, staring at her. He seemed very calm and peaceful and smiled faintly when Moira opened her eyes.

"Hey sleepy head, I hope you don't mind that I stayed here, you were having a nasty dream last night and I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

Vincent shook his head.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Vincent shook his head again. He was still holding on to her and Moira felt awkward about the situation and sat up straight.

"Will mommy send me back to uncle Allister?"

"No silly why would she do that?"

"Every time mommy came to visit me while I was staying with uncle Allister, she said that I couldn't come home. I had to look after uncle Allister."

Moira felt as if she was stabbed in her heart.

"What do you mean pumpkin...did you see mommy when you lived with uncle Allister?" Moira could feel the anxiety creeping up in her chest and she took deep breaths to try and relax.

"Mommy came to visit me sometimes."

Moira took a deep breath and said: "Come on, you need to take a shower, I will get breakfast ready for you."

Moira watched as Vincent stood up and made his bed. He took his neatly folded clothes, and grabbed the towel on the way to the bathroom.

Moira felt as if she was having a panic attack and took deep breaths to try and regulate her breathing. She felt her heart beating and the Adrenalin rushing through her body. She was shaking when she finally got hold of her phone and dialed the number.

"Sheriff Jones, please come over right away. I need to talk to you urgently."

"Did something happen to Vincent?"

"No, nothing like that. Please just come over right away please. You have to hear this."

"Okay Moira, I'll be there in fifteen."

Moira heard the shower turn off and quickly went to the kitchen to start breakfast. She was too anxious to cook and poured some cereal in a bowl and cut up some fruit. Vincent came in a few minutes later and sat down at the table. He started eating his cereal as if nothing in the world was bothering him.

Moira couldn't eat. She made herself some coffee and for the first time in days, she took her packet of cigarettes and walked out to the porch. She lit the first one and that seemed to calm her down. She paced up and down on the porch while malicious thoughts chased each other around in her head. She was just about to lit the second cigarette, when Sheriff Jones stopped in her driveway.

"Oh Sheriff, I'm so glad to see you!" Moira had to fight back the tears and did not want to look too upset. Vincent was busy rinsing his bowl when they walked into the kitchen. "Hey little man, how are you today?"

Vincent looked panicked when he saw the Sheriff, and Moira assured him that it was fine and that Sheriff Jones only came to visit them. Vincent asked if he could watch television and Moira nodded. He left the kitchen and Moira made some coffee for her and the Sheriff.

"I'm sorry if I sounded needy on the phone sheriff, but there is something that you have to know."

Sheriff Jones took out his notebook and pen.

"Anything that you tell me about this case is important Moira. Tell me exactly what happened."

Moira told him about the nightmare and everything that happened during the night, but then it felt as if she was dropping a bomb in the kitchen.

"His mother...his mother was involved in this kidnapping. She visited Vincent while he was kept hostage!"

"Well this explains more than you could imagine." Sheriff Jones said and told her about the report from the child psychologist.

"Vincent acted very strangely when he came back from the psychologist yesterday. I assumed that she just scratched the surface and brought back memories that Vincent did not want to remember, but now I can see why he was so anxious."

Moira switched on the kettle again, but she felt as if she needed something stronger. She has not felt so anxious in a very long time and her memories rushed back to Alex. She took out one of her anxiety tablets and swallowed it with a sip of coffee. Not the best way to calm you down, but she needed it.

Sheriff Jones phone rang and he walked outside to the porch. She couldn't hear what he was saying and checked on Vincent. He was his old self, laughing away at the cartoons he was watching. Moira was in such a state of mind that she felt as if she was watching everything from afar. How can a mother do this to her own child?

Moira was trying to put all the puzzles together and was sitting at the kitchen table on her own mission when sheriff Jones came back inside.

"This is becoming a very complicated case." He sat down and took a sip of the coffee. "I just got the results back from the DNA sample. Vincent is who he says he is...but his DNA does not match up with either his own father or his stepfather."

Moira sighed with relief.

"So that means that neither one of them is the father. How are we going to find his father? Because he sure as hell, is not going back to that woman." Moira said angrily.

"Until we have found his father, Vincent would have to be put in foster care. He will not be released to the mother with this new evidence." Sheriff Jones said.

"I will phone the social worker to set this up. I will let you know as soon as I know anything."

Moira nodded and walked out with sheriff Jones. "Is there any way that I could become a foster parent?"

"You have to think very hard and long about this Moira. It's going to be a long and hard road from here. It's going to be uphill from here."

Moira nodded but she was already planning everything in her head. No one was going to take Vincent away from her.

-To be continued-

Chapter 1 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-1

Chapter 2 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-2

Chapter 3 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-3

Chapter 4 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-4

Chapter 5- https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-5

Chapter 6- https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-6

Chapter 7- https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-attic-chapter-7