Lost and Found

“Val…” Tracy started. “We all think that Elizabeth is your daughter.”

I was waiting for all hell to break loose. I was waiting for the screaming, the accusations, but nothing came.

“What?” Val asked softly, her face a blank, just like Matt’s.

“Do you remember Heather and Nick Dean?” Tracy asked, Val nodded. “They’re Elizabeth’s adoptive parents. She didn’t know she was adopted until a few days ago. Her and her friends gathered information from the hospital and that lead them here… there’s a very, very strong possibility this is your daughter.” Val just stared at her mother, as I did mine. I gave Val the paper that Marianne and Danny acquired from the hospital. As she looked at it, her hand clamped over her mouth. Matt read from behind her. Val wobbled a little bit, trying to keep her balance, then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted. But just before hitting the floor, Matt caught her.

“Shit,” he muttered. “Val, baby, wake up.”

I felt horrible… making Val faint like that. “Is she going to be okay?” I asked nervously.

“Val?” Matt asked again, pushing Val’s hair out of the way and ignoring my question. I didn’t blame him.

“Sucks to be you,” Danny whispered in my ear.

“How?” I asked, glaring at him.

“You made Val faint!”

“No I didn’t!” I objected.

“Guys,” Michelle said. Danny and I ignored her.

“Yes you did!”

“I didn’t say anything, Danny!”

“Liz, Dan, shut the fuck up!” Marianne interjected now.

I huffed, turning back to Val. Her eyes started to flutter open and Matt helped her sit up. I crouched down in front of her.

“Are you okay?” I asked. Val grabbed her head and nodded. I’m sure the thoughts of what was just told to her were still swimming.

Val went to get up, but Matt kept her down. “Matt, I’m fine,” she said. Matt finally let her up but helped her to the couch. Beside her he sat. The rest of us stood in front of her and waited for her to speak.

“Are you sure?” Val finally choked out, looking up at Tracy.

“I’m not 100 percent sure if she’s your daughter, no, but look at her, Val.” Val looked at me, but this time it was like she really looked at me for the first time. “Elizabeth’s parent’s really are Nick and Heather Dean. But just to be sure, I want to get maternity and paternity tests.”

Val nodded, looking away and back at her mother. “How long do those take?”

“Shouldn’t take more than a few days if we ask for a rush.”

“What do we do if she really is ours?” Matt asked.

“I’m not asking for anything,” I said. “All I want to know is who my real parents are. I’m not asking for fancy cars or jewelry, or even your attention. I just need to know.”

Val and Mat just stared at me with this statement. “Elizabeth…” Val started in a whisper.

“If you are really our child,” Matt said, “then you’d be treated as such.”

I smiled and put my head down. I started to chip at my blue nail polish. “No, really, it’s fine. I’m seventeen, turning eighteen in a few months… I’m going to be in college soon and… you just don’t need to do that, okay?” I asked. “I have questions, but I won’t ask them until we’re positive.”

Matt and Val nodded with a sigh. “But if you are,” Michelle started. “Would you at least have some contact?”

I shrugged. I saw Danny nodding vehemently beside me out of my peripheral, and Marianne slapping him. “Only if you want me to.”

“Of course we would,” Val said. “If you’re our daughter, I would want nothing but that.”

“We’ve agreed that until we find out the answers, this shouldn’t be told to anyone,” Michelle said.

“Agreed,” Matt and Val said together.

+

“I’m still jealous,” Danny said a few days later while eating his pancakes. I laughed and rolled my eyes. Tracy wouldn’t let us leave. She said no to our, well… my constant begging of letting us stay at a hotel. I didn’t want to disrupt her or anything. We met Val’s father, Henry, and he was filled in on everything. He wasn’t too keen on the idea of having a stranger or three in the house but warmed up to the idea that I was most likely his granddaughter.

“You are a very jealous person,” Marianne said to him.

“Aren’t you?” Danny asked incredulously.

“Not really. Excited, sure. But jealous? Not really,” Marianne replied. I laughed at them and continued eating my breakfast.

“Morning, kids,” Henry said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing himself a plate.

“Morning, Henry,” we replied.

“'Morning,” Tracy said, and gave her husband a kiss on the cheek.

“Has the mail ran yet?” he asked.

Tracy laughed and shook her head as she rinsed a pan. “It doesn’t come for another hour and a half or so.” I looked at the clock hanging on the wall close by. The time was about eleven thirty. They have been monitoring the mail very closely. The letter that had the test results would be here any day now and we were all getting anxious. Matt and Val especially. They’d come over somewhat before twelve and check the mail also. Yet each time there hasn’t been the letter, we’re all disappointed. We are a bunch of impatient people, I guess.

“Liz,” Marianne said.

“Yeah?” I asked, turning my head to her.

“Are you done?” she asked, pointing to my plate.

“Yeah,” I said, handing her the empty plate. “Thanks.”

“Think today could be the day?” Danny asked, standing up and stretching.

“It’s a possibility,” Tracy said. “According to what the clinic said, the results should be here anytime between yesterday and next Thursday.”

“We’re here!” Matt said as he and Val busted through the back door. Everyone turned around and looked at him. “It’s okay.”

“Val, honey, you look a bit green,” Tracy said.

“Matt drove like an idiot trying to get here,” she replied, shaking her head as she sat down next to Marianne.

We laughed. “Why?” Henry asked him.

Matt shrugged. “Didn’t want to miss the mail,” he said with a chuckle. Matt walked over to the table and sat down aside Val and rubbed her back lovingly. “Has it came yet?”

“Not yet,” Marianne said.

“You know what?” Danny asked.

“What?” Marianne asked.

“I feel like tacos,” he replied.

“Tacos?” I asked.

“Tacos,” he affirmed.

I laughed. “Why? Didn’t the pancakes fill you up?”

“Yeah… but I want tacos.”

“I do too…” Matt said. "Man, tacos sound good."

“Dude! We need to get tacos later!” Danny exclaimed.

Matt laughed. “Yes! All the way!”

“That’s what she said,” Marianne added, causing the whole room to laugh.

“You’re so perverted,” Val said to her with a laugh.

“Meh. I know,” Marianne told her, smiling.

I watched out the window, waiting for the mail truck to appear. This was taking forever! But then I thought; would we just go back to Illinois after all of this? How would not only mine, but all of our lives continue after this?

“Are you okay?” Tracy asked me as she placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at her and gave her a reassuring smile.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just anxious.” She nodded and sat down in the chair beside me, engaging in the conversation I paid no attention to.

I looked back outside to the windows that I could clearly see from here. When would that damned mail truck get here? I wanted answers and I wanted them now…

“Mail!” I exclaimed eagerly, dashing up from my seat and running across the house and out the front door. I could hear everyone on my heels as they followed me. Quickly, I opened the mail box and grabbed the contents.

A white envelope with ‘CONFIDENTIAL’ stamped in red on the outside called my attention.

“It’s here!” I said breathlessly. All of us froze. The moment of truth was in my hands.

“Well open it!” Danny said.

"I'm afraid to," I said and handed the remaining mail to Henry and stared at the envelope. Taking a look at Matt and Val, they both looked up at me from the letter. I ripped an end after looking at the envelope and took out the paper inside. I quickly skimmed over what it said and looked up at everyone.

“Well?” Val asked.

I cleared my throat and glanced at the paper.

“’In the case of Elizabeth Dean and Valary Sanders,’” I read. “‘the test proved [i]positive[/i] for maternity. In the case of Elizabeth Dean and Matthew Sanders, the test proved [i]positive[/i] for paternity.’”

I glanced back up at all their faces. They were half in shock, half in glee.

I had found my parents.

Quickly, Val grabbed me in a hug, followed by Matt. I hugged my parents back tightly and started to cry. I was so happy right now; words can’t even begin to describe it.

“Group hug!” Danny said, jumping in on the family reunion.

Everyone pulled away and Val grabbed my face; taking a good look. We smiled at each other; tears were evident in her eyes as well.

“My baby,” she choked out and hugged me once more. I hugged her back and we cried on each other’s shoulders.

We pulled away and Matt took me into another hug as well. Nothing was said between us, there didn’t have to be any words.

Pulling away, Matt began to speak. “Who are we going to tell first?” he asked.

“Everyone at once,” Val replied, wiping her tears away. The mascara on her beautiful face smeared, but she didn’t seem to care. “That’s what we need to do first.”

Notes