All The Little Moments (43 page)

“And I’ll have you not lecture me on Christianity, either,” Judge Gordon said. “The question in this court today is of the allegations of neglect directed at Doctor Foster in regards to Ella and Toby Foster. From the evidence put forth today, I see absolutely no sign of neglect or abuse. In fact, the only thing I can think of as harming them is removing them from what was obviously a stable and loving environment to be placed in foster care to investigate what are obviously nuisance claims put forward by a woman with her own vendetta—a case which should never have even ended up in my courtroom. The only reason it did is because a government employee has manipulated a system put in place to protect children to cater to his own
religious beliefs.”

He looked directly at George Coleman. “You knew that your notice of concern, coupled with exaggerated and blatantly false accusations and your power in the department would lead to this knee-jerk reaction; and I’m guessing you pulled some strings. I will see that this is investigated and your
actions prosecuted.”

He paused, sitting up straighter. “Sexual orientation plays no role in someone being legally fit to raise children in Australia, and it’s plain that this is what the allegation is. If I see you in my court again, Mrs Larsen, without genuine proof of abuse or neglect, I’ll have you arrested for false allegations and for purely wasting my time. I hereby put forward that Doctor Anna Foster will have temporary custody of both Ella and Toby Foster until the permanent guardianship hearing in one month’s time. However, these court proceedings will be going on record, and I wish anyone luck contesting the wish of the biological parents and of
this court.”

The judge stood, looking across the room to Anna. “Good luck, Doctor Foster. You’re going to have your hands full with two young children and a full-time job. It’s refreshing to see someone with such an excellent support network, all of whom are so committed to doing what is best for the children in your care.” And with that, he swept off and left the room. Anna was left staring at his
empty chair.

Scott, having stood up the second the judge did, looked down to Anna, beaming.
“We won.”

Breathing hard, heart fluttering in her chest, Anna looked up at him.
“We did?”

“We won!”

Unable to stop herself, Anna launched from her chair and hugged him. “Thank you! Really, really, thank you.” Then she was turning and walking down the aisle as fast as she could, pulling the door open, joy flooding
her chest.

Her mother stood outside, watching the door as if willing it to burst open with news. She blinked, and a grin grew over her face as Anna powered
towards her.

“We won?”

Nodding even as she pulled her mother into a hug, Anna felt torn between laughing and sobbing. “We won, Mum.” And she felt it then, a sob, escaping her chest, sheer relief finally making her crack. She pulled back, and her mother beamed at her. Over Sandra’s shoulder, Anna saw Lane walking towards them, three coffees in a carrier tray in hand and a hesitant smile on her face as she took in the sight in
the hallway.

Without knowing how it happened, Anna was in Lane’s arms, grinning wide enough to burst, even as tears streaked her cheeks. She felt ridiculous, but it was as if all the tense, terrified emotion of the last six days had finally been allowed
to break.

As Sandra rescued the coffee, Lane’s lips pressed against her ear. “You get
them back?”

Anna nodded, unable to speak, and Lane picked her up, swinging her around. Both of them were laughing, even as Anna let out another half sob. Back on her feet, Anna squeezed
Lane tighter.

Anna choked out words, needing to hear them again. “They’re
coming back.”

“They are!”

Even while returning the kiss Lane gave her, an ecstatic laugh escaped Anna’s lips. “I
love you.”

Lane’s grip slackened in surprise, then tightened around her, breath hot against Anna’s neck as Lane buried her face against it. “Good, because I’m pretty in love with
you, too.”

Anna grinned against the soft curve where Lane’s neck met her shoulder. It was probably the most absurd place to say it, in a courthouse with her mother a few metres away. But the high Anna was on dominated any
such thoughts.

“Anna?”

Remembering where they were, Anna pulled away, hand still clinging to Lane’s. “Lorna.” She swiped a hand over her cheeks, not used to tears in public. “Hi.
Thank you.”

Lorna shook her head. “No, don’t be silly. Everything I said was true. Just…I can pick them up and get them to
you anytime.”

“Now?”

Lorna laughed. “Now is good. Are you headed home? I’ll drop
them there.”

“We’ll go
home now.”

“I’ll meet you there.” She turned to go, and Anna turned back to Lane and her mother. “Oh,
and Anna?”

Anna
turned. “Yeah?”

“I am so sorry this happened
to you.”

In spite of the serious moment, Anna couldn’t stop beaming.
“Thank you.”

“Want to know
a secret?”

“Always.”

“He’s needed to go for a long, long time. The good thing coming out of this is he
finally will.”

Cathy walked out of the courtroom past Lorna, her eyes straight ahead, handbag clasped to her side as she marched down the corridor and left
the building.

Lorna winked at Anna, pulling her keys out of her pocket as she walked away. “I’ll see
you soon.”

Lane and Anna, hands still clasped, were joined by Sandra as they started walking out of
the building.

“What about the other hearing?” Concern was clear in Sandra’s tone, but Anna just gave a slight shrug. “It’s in a month. But, uh, it sounds like the chances are good I’ll be keeping them.” She took a deep breath. “I just want to enjoy the fact that I’m about to see
them again.”

Lane squeezed
her hand.

“Did I see coffee, Mum?”
Anna asked.

“Uh…”

Lane turned to look at Sandra as they were walking. “Oh, yeah, you took them. Can I
have one?”

“Um.”

“Mum?”

“Well, I was excited, and you two were having
a moment.”

“You
drank them?”

“I drank one of them and dropped the others in the bin because I was so nervous. I had to do something; the excitement
was overwhelming!”

Anna shook her head, climbing into the passenger seat of the car as Lane took
the back.

“Anna.”

Anna turned to look at her
mother. “Yeah?”

“So what the hell happened
in there?”

Anna filled them in on the proceedings as they
drove home.

Sandra shook her head. “But those people are supposed to be preventing these things
from happening.”

They pulled up to the house. “I think most of them are there for that,” Anna said “From the sounds of it, this guy isn’t going to be there
much longer.”

“Good!” Sandra was bouncing from foot to foot on the walkway and looking uncomfortable. “Oh, good God, I have
to pee.”

With a grin, Lane watched her go. “Serves her right for throwing away our coffees.”

Anna looked at Lane as they took a seat on the front step. “They’re coming back,” she said again, still not quite able to
believe it.

“On their way now,
in fact.”

Anna turned back to the road, finger picking at
her thumbnail.

Lane put her hand over Anna’s, stilling the
nervous habit.

“Are
you okay?”

Anna shrugged.
“I am.”

“Really?”

“I’m…I’m so excited to see them. Just…are they going to
be okay?”

Lane pulled her hand onto her lap. “They won’t be, completely. But they’ll be back with you, and they’ll slowly be okay again. They weren’t okay when you came here, but you helped them, then. Like you will this
time round.”

Anna let out a
slow breath.

A car turned onto the street, silver and new. Tyres crunched on the road, and Anna’s heart
sped up.

The grip she had on Lane’s hand was probably too
tight. “Lane.”

Unable to tear her eyes off the car, Anna felt Lane push her up so she
was standing.

Ella turned her head in the back seat just then, eyes wide and her hand pressed to the glass. Before Anna knew what had happened, the door pushed open and Ella was flying over the grass in an orange
Conversed blur.

Anna squatted down, and Ella hit her at full force, arms and legs wrapping around her so tightly that Anna fell backwards, sprawled on the grass and not caring that the damp ground was soaking through her skirt. Ella’s fingers dug into her back and it didn’t matter one bit; all Anna could do was
hold her.

There was a hiccup in her ear, then a sob, and she held Ella tighter, auburn hair pressed into her face as Anna gripped the little girl with everything possible. Somehow, through Ella’s sobbing, she heard a sound that made her split into a huge grin even as it brought forth another sob. She looked up from
Ella’s neck.

“Na!” Somehow smaller and yet bigger than she remembered, Toby was fighting to get out of
Lorna’s arms.

He slid to the ground, grinning so hard his dimples showed; he was clearly delighted to see her. Like every time he got too excited and ran, he tripped and fell, then pulled himself back up, still smiling. The next moment he was in her arms as well, half climbing her and Ella to
be closer.

And Ella finally pulled back, hands grasping Anna’s cheeks as she stared at her, almost nose to nose. Toby was buried in her neck and Ella’s green eyes were bright as she stared
at Anna.

“Hey,
Ella Bella.”

“Aunty Na.” Lips trembling, Ella finally gave her a slight smile. “Can we have pancakes
for dinner?”

Anna couldn’t help
but laugh.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Feet up on the coffee
table, back against the couch, Anna let herself truly relax for the first time in a week. Her hand rubbed slow circles on Toby’s back; he was fast asleep on his stomach, face against her collarbone and legs to either side of her waist. She should have taken him up to his bed, but he had been incredibly clingy since getting back, and, if she was honest, she felt pretty clingy herself. He smelt of baby shampoo and was warm against her chest, his breathing deep
and even.

Ella was pressed tight into Anna’s side, wrapped in her other arm. They had
Aladdin
turned down low, Ella only half watching as her hand clung
to Anna’s.

Anna’s mother had left after half an hour, hugging the kids and telling Anna that she had spent that Wednesday with them and Anna needed to get them settled. Lane had gone home even sooner. She’d whispered in Anna’s ear that they’d
talk later.

Ella was
mostly quiet.

And that
was okay.

Quiet was something Anna got, especially with her niece. Unfortunately, everyone was right in saying they were similar. She’d seen it the weeks after her brother passed away. And she’d been concerned, but had let it play out, understanding more than anyone what Ella was doing. The counsellor at school hadn’t been too concerned, so Anna had left it. And slowly, ever so slowly, Ella had reacted and lashed out and responded and had started, Anna hoped,
to heal.

Anger bubbled up again inside her, and Anna had to swallow it back down. Whatever Cathy and George’s motivations, it had been damaging, to all of them, but Anna worried especially for Ella, who had been eating dinner when someone had turned up and all but ripped her from
her house.

So Ella
was quiet.

And Anna was letting her
be, tonight.

But Anna also wanted Ella to talk to her, so she could reassure her. The look on Ella’s face when she had asked, “Don’t you want us?” still haunted her. Because, God, this little girl was going to have abandonment issues if she didn’t realise that of course Anna wanted her—she wanted the two of them more than she had ever
even realised.

But tonight wasn’t the night for that. Anna was just soaking up the joy that she had them back, that the kids were delighted to
be back.

Stilling her movements, Anna cupped the back of Toby’s head, the silky soft strands of his brown hair in her hands. Just as Jake’s hair had in his baby photos, Toby’s was starting to curl at the ends. She tugged her arm tighter, hugging Ella against her, and she heard a
small giggle.

“Why you laughing, Ella Bella?” She spoke softly, mindful
of Toby.

A shrug shifted Anna’s arm slightly. “You were
squeezing me.”

“Because I don’t want to let you go,
that’s why.”

Ella
was quiet.

Anna didn’t push it, then. But she would need to soon. Wriggling her fingers, Anna tickled Ella again, smiling softly at the little giggle it caused. Ella settled back into Anna, and Anna rested her cheek against her head, dropping a kiss on top of
it first.

There was nowhere else she would
rather be.

A small foot had dug into Anna’s back, and a hand was flung over her face when she woke up. Opening her eyes, she relaxed as she saw Ella sprawled on her back, arms and legs thrown out, her auburn hair a cloud around her head. She looked so young when
she slept.

While Anna had put Toby into his cot, Ella had done the fastest job of brushing her teeth ever. Anna had walked into her room and found Ella curled up in her bed. Not saying anything, Anna had crawled in beside her and wrapped her arms around her, pulling the little girl into her. She hadn’t fallen asleep until she’d heard Ella’s breathing
even out.

At one a.m., Toby had woken up almost hysterical. His cries had scared Anna awake, and she’d run into his room in a panicked state. He had settled when she pulled him to her arms and soothed him, but his hiccups had taken too long to slow, and she’d finally brought him into bed with her and Ella. He fell asleep in her arms as she sat up against the headboard, looking down
at him.

Ella blinked sleepily at her. “He did that every night we were gone. But he didn’t stop this
quickly then.”

Anna swallowed the lump in her throat and brushed her hand through Ella’s hair as she drifted
off again.

Now, she had two tiny bodies half crushing her. Rolling over, desperately trying not to wake the kids, Anna reached for
her phone.

Lane.

First night back with them…you must be ecstatic. Still want to hang out today? It’s okay if you want one-on-one time with them. x PS Even though it’s totally okay, I missed you last
night. :)

Anna smiled and wrote a quick reply, adding a photo of Ella and Toby sprawled out over her and
the bed.

So happy to have them back. Park this afternoon? I’ll ask Kym and Mum. You finish at three this afternoon? Say four? And I missed
you, too.

She opened a text
from Kym.

When can I see them? When can I see them? When can I see them? When can I
see them?

There was a second one from
her, too.

Seriously, when can I
see them?

Anna laughed quietly and
wrote back.

Park at four? Meet here and we’ll all
head over?

The reply was
almost instant.

Yay!

A message came through from Lane straight
after that.

That sounds like the best of plans. Can’t wait to see you and the kids
again. :)

Warm fuzzy feelings had taken over Anna’s chest. She put her phone back down after texting her mother about the park and rolled over to see Ella watching her with
sleepy eyes.

“Heya,
Ella Bella.”

Ella blinked at
her. “Hi.”

She snuggled into Anna’s chest, and Anna wrapped her up in her arms. Soft clouds of hair tickled Anna’s neck, and she gave her a kiss. “I
missed you.”

Ella only shook her head slightly against Anna’s neck, silence
her response.

“I
did,
Ella Bella.”

While Anna wanted to let Ella process on her own, she wasn’t going to leave her stewing on whatever was going on in her head that whole time. She at least needed to ensure Ella understood that what had happened had been out of
Anna’s hands.

Before Anna could say anything else, Ella spoke in a whisper: “Why didn’t you come find
us then?”

A lump filled Anna’s throat instantly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then wrapped her arms tighter around Ella. “Honey, I
wanted to.”

Another
head shake.

“I did.” Anna didn’t know how to explain this to a six-year-old. “Ella? You know when you get in trouble
at school?”

“I don’t get
into trouble.”

In any other moment, Anna would have chuckled. “Okay, you know when other kids get into trouble? And there is all this stuff the teachers have to do? Like tell their big boss, the principal? And then the teachers send the kid there? And then the principal has to tell the kid’s parents? And they have to wait for the parents to come in so they can all talk, and the kid has to wait in
the hallway?”

This was making no sense, but
Ella nodded.

“Well, you got taken by people who had to make sure I was looking after you properly. And to get you back, I had to wait for those people to talk to their boss—he was called a judge, though, not a principal. And I had to sit outside until I could find out what they said.” She sighed, hand on the back of Ella’s head. “Does that
make sense?”

Ella half shrugged in her arms. Pulling back, Anna saw that Ella’s face was pinched together as she tried not to cry, her cheeks a blotchy red. Anna welled up herself, swallowing past the lump in
her throat.

“If it were up to me, I would have pulled you out of the car when Lorna came that night. All I was doing while you were gone was fighting alongside all the people trying to get you back. I love you, Ella Bella. You and Toby and me all belong together.” She stared intently at Ella, who had finally given a hiccup and started to cry, staring into
Anna’s eyes.

“Oh, honey.” Anna wrapped her back up and pulled her right into her, tears on her own cheeks as Ella came undone in her arms. The little girl sobbed, and Anna had no more words to give her. Instead, she rubbed her back and smoothed her hair and held her as tightly as
she could.

They lay for a while, Ella’s hiccups slowly fading, her breathing evening out. The fingers that were clenched in Anna’s tank top eventually relaxed. Ella sniffled, rubbing her nose against the material of Anna’s shirt and making
it wetter.

“You okay?”

Ella nodded, still pressed against Anna. This time, she pulled back on her own. Watery eyes searched Anna’s face. “You
cried, too?”

“Yup.”

Delicate eyebrows scrunched together. “I don’t like that
you cried.”

Anna gave a low chuckle. “I don’t like you crying, either, because I don’t like you being sad; but some of it’s happy tears, Ella. I got you and
Toby back.”

“But you smile when
you’re happy.”

“Sometimes your body gets confused. I’m smiling now, though.” Slowly, Ella smiled too, and when her green eyes lit up, she looked so much like Sally that Anna’s chest ached. “And now
you are.”

Quickly, Anna blew a raspberry against Ella’s neck; she giggled and tried to squirm away as Anna did it again
and again.

“Aunty Na!
Stop it!”

“Nope!”

“Please!”

“Never!”

“Aunty Na!”

“Fine.”

Ella flopped back dramatically on the bed, breathless
and grinning.

“Can we have pancakes now? We didn’t
last night.”

Anna smiled through the aching in her
chest. “Sure.”

They both turned their heads as they heard Toby make grumpy,
baby-waking-up noises.

Ella looked at Anna.
“Toby’s up.”

“Okay. Plan of attack. We get Toby up, eat pancakes, go do some grocery shopping, go to the library and get you some new books. Then we’ll come home for Toby to nap and for us to read the books. Then,” she paused for emphasis, “Kym, Lane and Grandma are coming over and we are going to go to
the park.”

Ella’s eyes lit up, and she sat up on the
bed. “Really?”

“Really.” Anna sat up too, pulling the still-half-asleep Toby into her and rubbing his back gently. “So, you take Toby and make pancakes, and I’ll wait here for breakfast
in bed.”

The way Ella rolled her eyes made her look sixteen, not six. “I can’t do
 
either
 
of
those things.”

Anna made sure to sigh as dramatically as she could. “Okay. Fine. You go get the things out of the cupboard we need and
 
I’ll
 
deal with
Toby nappies.”

Ella slid off the bed and raced out the door. “Okay!” Her voice called out loudly, even from
the hallway.

Looking down, the sight of Toby blinking up at her, grinning around the pacifier she’d used in a desperate attempt last night, confronted Anna. Sleepily, he pushed up and snuggled into her neck, his fingers playing with the material of her shirt. With her eyes closed, Anna leant back against the headboard. She’d missed morning cuddles with Toby. He held his ratty blue blanket close between their bodies while his other hand continued to grip her shirt. “Shall we get you ready and go get some
pancakes, Tobes?”

He sat up, eyes
wide. “Cakes?”

“You bet.”

He wriggled excitedly in
her arms.

As she changed his nappy, she made a secret oath she doubted would last very long to never complain about doing this task if it meant she had the kids with her. Then she got him dressed in denim overalls and a striped green shirt underneath, pulling his shoes on while he kicked his legs cheekily. She poked his tummy and pulled him back into her arms, where he settled back in, blue blanket grasped firmly under
his arm.