Beautifully Broken (27 page)

“So how did you find me now?” Cali asked as she was
rubbing her hands back and forth on her jeans trying to
calm herself.

“Your dad being a cop had you finger printed and your
blood type on file. He was damaged from the job, but we
may have never found you if he hadn’t done that. When the
cops here processed the house and found your blood and
finger prints, they ran it through the database and it came
up as an old missing person case. So I came here and
started investigating and I found out so much more about
the case that I never knew. I always thought your
abduction was just a fluke, they wanted a kid and they
took you. But when I came here I found out who your
parents were and I read through Katie’s journals and I
found out more. Katie really wanted to have a baby and
after many miscarriages she finally carried a baby full
term. But the baby was a still born. The doctor that
delivered her baby was your mother. According to Katie’s
journal it was all planned out, Harold blamed the doctor
for the death of his baby girl so they decided they would
take her daughter.”

Cali had tears running down her face as she listened to
him talk her heart was breaking all over again for the
parents she didn’t know. It was too much to take in at
once.

“I think I know why you don’t remember anything,
according to Katie’s journal Veronica screamed and cried
out for weeks for her mom and dad. Harold drugged you
so much that I think that’s why you forget who you were.
You did remember, there was a quote that Katie wrote
down that you said that gave her night mares,” agent
Quinn said as he opened up his briefcase and pulled out
a little black book and opened it. “This was one of Katie’s
journals and this is what you said to them after the second
week they had you. “My dad is the best cop in the world
and he will never stop looking for me and then he will
make sure you pay if you hurt me.”

Cali started to cry even more, her body was in physical
pain for her family she was so overwhelmed by everything
that was happening in her life she didn’t know what to say
feel, or even think.
“You were right Cali; your dad never stopped looking for
you. After losing you, your parents fell apart they
couldn’t stay together, your mom believed you were dead
but your dad couldn’t let go. He always believed you were
still alive and he had to find you.”

“You have been on this case for a long time. Do you know
my parents?” Cali asked and she wiped her tears from her
eyes.

“Yes, I was the first one on scene the night you were taken,
I never stopped looking for you,” agent Quinn said with
tears in his eyes.

“Who are my parents? What are their names? Where do
they live?” Cali asked.

“Your mother’s name is Hope Collins. She was remarried a
few years ago and moved to Putter Vile just outside of the
city of Huge. Your parents still remain close friends,
neither of them had any more children. Losing you was
too unbearable. Your mom opened a small little medical
centre up in Putter Vile and her husband runs a grocery
store.”

“My mother’s name is Hope Collins,” Cali smiled and tried
to imagine what her mother would be like. “So I am Cali
Collins?”

“Well, no your mom remarried so her last name changed,”
Quinn breathed in sharp and shifted his body looking
away from her.
“So who’s my dad? Where does he live?” Cali asked.

“He still lives in the same house you lived in when you
were a little girl,” Quinn said looking at her like he might
cry. “Cali I am you father and I’m so sorry.”

Tears were pouring down both of their faces.

Cali got up from the bench and walked over to a tree and
cried to herself. She was overwhelmed and scared and she
felt so bad that she told him everything. She didn’t want
her parents to know what she had been through. She didn’t
want what she had been through to take away from how
they saw her. She didn’t want them to hurt even more;
seventeen’s years must have been torture for them. Her
chest hurt from her heart pounding so hard and her hands
were shaking. She felt all the blood in her body rush to her
head. She felt like she was going to pass out. Cali turned
around, took a deep breath and walked back over to the
bench to sit down.

“You are my father?” Cali asked shaking and fidgeting with
her hands. She didn’t look him in the eyes.

“Yes I am your father,” he replied in a low voice. He
longed to hold his little girl in his arms but he didn’t want
to push her or scare her away. She had been through so
much in her life.

“How did you not lose faith after so many years?” Cali
asked in a whisper as she looked up at him through tear
filled eyes.
“You’re my little girl, my love for you is like nothing I have
ever felt before and I honestly believed if you died I would
have known. I am not saying it was easy. There were times
when I lost faith and times when I had given up on
everything. After the first year I knew that if we hadn’t
found you we most likely never would but just when I was
going to give up I received a father’s day card in my mail
box,” Quinn opened his brief case and pulled out the card,
it was simple, red and blue and it read; “Dad I love you.”

“Inside the card was a lock of your hair and when I ran the
finger prints on the card through our database, it
matched. It broke me inside to know you were still alive
and we still hadn’t found you but that gave me hope and
courage to keep looking for you. That’s when I knew who
ever took you knew who we were. After that, year after
year I would receive something letting me know you were
still alive. Sometimes it was a piece of clothing or a
drawing or a picture. Up until you were ten I received
something letting me know you were alright. But then I
didn’t receive anything for two years and I thought the
worst. The items started coming again but they got very
disturbing like pictures of you asleep naked on a bed or a
card with your blood on it. They even sent me your teeth.
The items were never mailed out they were always hand
delivered I went crazy for a long time. I knew you couldn’t
be far away but I had nothing to go on. I investigated every
kidnapping case I could but nothing matched yours. I
found so many children, some alive, some didn’t make it
but those parents at least got closure and I couldn’t find
you. The last thing that was sent to me was a painting. It
was beautifully done. It was of a girl crying, laying naked
on a bed. It broke my heart. He never let me move on he
knew I would always look for you and he liked causing me
pain, it was a sick game to him. I am so sorry I didn’t come
save you. I am so sorry I let this happen, I wish you knew
me. I promise if you let me be in your life I will be the best
father I can,” Laurence Quinn cried as he held her hand
and tears fell down his face. She was shaking she was so
scared and so happy at the same time. She understood
what he was feeling because she was feeling the same
thing.

“Nothing that has happened to me has been your fault. I
am still alive today because you made me strong. I have
been through so much but I also have learned so many
things. I have the four best friends and sisters that anyone
could want. I wish I knew you and I wish I had a normal life
but I am happy for what I will get and that is a second
chance at a real life. How many people can say they have
been through what I have and made it out alive? There is
so much bad in this world but that doesn’t mean that the
good isn’t real. It just means we have to look a little harder
to find it but when we do we appreciate it so much more. I
am so happy that you are my father and that you want to
have a relationship with me because I want you to be in
my life too,” Cali said looking into his eyes as tears fell
down her face. She moved in and wrapped her arms
around him and held onto him so tight.
Cali felt loved and safe in his arms, the way a little girl is
supposed to feel when her father touches her. She didn’t
want to let go, the moment was perfect but bitter sweet she
knew the night mare wasn’t over yet. She didn’t think
about all the bad things she still had to face, she had
found what she was looking for and so much more.

Cali and her dad had a lot to catch up on. They went back
to the house where her sisters and Carl were waiting on
the front porch.

“You were gone for a long time is everything ok?” Carl
asked as Cali and Laurence walked up the front steps.

 

“Everything is fine,” Cali said looking at her sister who
could tell she had been crying.

 

“Don’t keep things from us what’s going on?” Amanda
demanded.

 

Cali looked at all of her sisters and took a deep breath.
She sat down on a chair and put her head down.

“I have to tell you all something, over the last little while I
have found out a lot about myself that I didn’t know.
Harold Burns was not my father; he kidnapped me when I
was a little girl. I didn’t know he wasn’t my dad. I don’t
have any memories of my life before. When I was on the
run I found out that I was kidnapped but I couldn’t find out
who my real parents were. Agent Quinn was the leading
agent on my kidnaping case and I knew he could tell me
who my parents were,” Cali said looking at all of her
sisters; they all looked shocked and scared.

“So what did you find out?” Amanda asked.

“Laurence Quinn is my father,” Cali muttered and
Laurence put his hand on her shoulder for support.
Saying the words out loud brought a smile to her face. She
still didn’t believe it all herself but it was the truth, her
heart cracked when she saw Claudia’s face, she looked
like someone stabbed her in the heart.

“So now what happens to the rest of us?” Claudia asked in
a quiet voice as she stepped forward.

 

“The FBI is looking for all of your parents and I will help
you with anything I can,” Laurence offered.

“I don’t have a real family, both my parents are dead this
is the only family I have and you are going to take them all
away from me?” Claudia screamed at Laurence and she
ran inside the house. Cali ran inside after her, she paused,
being back in that house made her feel sick. The house
was torn apart from the police and no one had been there
to clean it. Cali followed Claudia up to her bed room, she
was crying on her bed and Cali sat down beside her.

“Claudia I will always be your sister, no matter what
happens. I love you so much and I am so sorry for hurting
you,” Cali muttered as she gently rubbed Claudia’s back.
“Do you promise you will always be my sister?” Claudia
asked looking up at Cali as tears ran down her face.

“Yes I promise we will figure things out together as a
family. We have a chance at a normal life, we can move
away from here, go to school, get jobs and make friends,”
Cali said smiling at her sister. “We all need to stick
together.”

“I am ok with that as long as we are all still together,”
Claudia said wiping her face. “You’re not going to leave
and go live with your new family?”

“No I am not going to leave you,” Cali said hugging her
sister. “Will you come downstairs and meet my dad?”
Chapter 28

The months flew by and the girls spent their time cleaning
and fixing up their old house so that they could put it on
the market. Carl had been helping the girls with all the
legal stuff to do with Harold’s estate. All the money from
his practice went to the government but the house was
actually in Veronica’s name, so it was hers to sell. Cali
was getting closer to her father Laurence and he was there
helping the girls with getting the house ready to sell. He
helped the girls track down their families and arranged for
them to meet. Lila moved back to china to be with her
parents, they never wanted to give her up, she was taken
from them and they didn’t know how to find her. Claudia
was heartbroken when Lila left but it was her choice and
they all promised they would stay in touch. Amanda was
like Claudia and she didn’t have any family left alive, and
that brought them closer. Natasha’s family moved to
America and they were so happy when they were reunited
but Natasha didn’t leave her sisters, she wanted to stay
with then but she was happy to have her family back in her
life.
The four girls grew closer but they were all still trying to
make sense out of everything they had all been through.
All four girls made a plan to sell Harold’s house and buy
a little town house in the city and then split the rest of the
money so they could all pay for school. Natasha and
Amanda got into the University of Huge. Natasha wanted
to study healthcare and dance and she could do both at
Huge. Amanda wanted to study music and Huge had a
phenomenal music department. Claudia got into H.C.
College for social studies. Cali got into the Huge
University of Fine arts; she was so excited to follow her
passion and living in Huge she would be close to James.
Her and James where still talking but he was giving her
time to get things figured out. Laurence was there for all
the girls. He helped them find a good real estate agent and
Carl was their lawyer. The house sold and they had to
move out by September. The girls were happy with the four
bedroom town house they bought in Huge. It was in a nice
area and close to the schools.

“I can’t believe this is our last night in this house,” Claudia
said looking around at all the work they had done to it. “It
doesn’t even look like the same house.”

“I know, it’s so weird how different we made it look,”
Natasha said.

“What time are the guys coming to help us move
tomorrow?” Amanda asked looking over at Cali who was
talking on the phone with a big smile on her face. They
knew she must be talking to James. Cali hung up and
looked over at her sisters.

“They will be here at nine o’clock in the morning,” Cali
said smiling as she bit her lip and breathed in deep. She
was thinking about James. “I can’t wait to be in our new
house and to start our new lives.”