As little Hank was handed his baby sister to hold for the first time, he didn’t care at all that he was white and she was black. However, what he did care about was the strange thing he spotted on her arm when he looked closer. He made a startling discovery.
Jason and Emma tried to conceive for almost 10 years without success, and eventually made the choice to adopt. The adoption agency regarded the couple as ideal parents, and when Hank was born and given up for adoption, they were immediately contacted to meet the precious boy who would become their son for the next 6 years.
Life was all about raising Hank. The boy with bright blue eyes and dark curly hair looked a lot like Jason, so only people who closely knew the family were aware that this was their adopted son. The family flourished over the course of the years. Jason and Emma would have been content with their lives if it wasn’t for little Hank starting to nag them to have a little brother or sister of his own. The couple were still processing their precious son’s request for a sibling when their phone unexpectedly rang one late afternoon.
The adoption agency felt compelled to inform them that there was a young girl who was in the last trimester of her pregnancy and wanted to give the baby up for adoption. If they were interested in adopting, they had to attend the meeting the next day to discuss all the details involved. There was little hesitation in the loving parents’ hearts. It felt like the answer to their question was provided even before they had the time to weigh all the pros and cons.
When they told Hank about the prospect, his excitement and joy sealed the deal for them. No matter the circumstances and whether it was a boy or a girl, they were ready to adopt another child. The next morning, while waiting for the social worker to meet with them, both Jason and Emma were nervously excited. They understood that the circumstances around the birth of their baby might not be ideal, and often there were certain aspects of the children’s backgrounds that could make the adoption a little more complicated. But they were prepared to deal with whatever life would throw their way. The family of three was excited to become four.
Sharon Anderson opened the file after inquiring about Hank and the family. The social worker explained that the young girl was still in school and when she felt pregnant, her parents were furious with her as she had hidden her growing bump from them for a very long time. The girl wanted to give the baby up for adoption, but her mother wanted her to keep the baby and raise it in her family home as the family circumstances were anything but ideal. The girl stuck to her decision; this resulted in the mother kicking her out of the house. She was staying in a safe house until she gave birth.
Despite the circumstances of the pregnancy being devastating, the couple felt blessed to have the opportunity to extend their family. However, there were another few facts to be discussed before the decision could be finalized. The birth mother wanted to relinquish all rights to the baby and never have any future contact. The adopted parents had to agree that they would never try to find the birth mother or have any contact with her or her family. Although these conditions were a little harsh, both Emma and Jason were willing to adhere to them.
Then the social worker had to deal with the last aspect of the adoption. She had to reveal to the couple that the baby girl was indeed going to be black. Despite this revelation being a little shocking and unexpected, there was no hesitation about the next step. The couple wanted to adopt the little girl even if she would look completely different from her parents and her little brother. They were ready to sign on the dotted line to formalize their intent to adopt.
The good news was that the baby was due in just about 3 weeks, so the couple were urged to prepare their son for his new sister. Seeing that he had been the center of attention for the past 6 years, the social worker thought that he might have difficulties adapting to the idea of having a sibling. Jason and Emma did not expect any resistance, but were wise enough to know that preparation was an excellent idea.
As expected, little Hank was over the moon at the prospect of finally having a sibling. His parents thought it wise to share with him that his new sister would be black, but the thought did not seem to bother him at all. He was doing his part to help prepare the baby’s room and was even willing to sacrifice some of his favorite toys to welcome his sister into their lives.
When the call came that the young woman was in labor, the couple were requested to be on standby as they would be requested to take possession of the baby girl as soon as she was delivered. From that moment on, the family was on edge. They could not do anything else as their thoughts and minds were preoccupied with anticipation. Emma would stay in the hospital for a day or two with their newborn girl just to make sure that everything was in order.
The moment Joy was placed into Emma’s arms was bittersweet, with both Jason and Hank at her side. Everyone was overwhelmed by the moment. They knew that their baby girl was about to say goodbye forever to the woman who had brought her into the world, but at the same time, they knew they would give her the best life she could ever have with an adoptive family.
After the whole family fawned around the baby for almost 2 hours, it was time for Jason and Hank to go home. They kissed mom and baby sister on their foreheads and promised to be back for visiting hours the next day. With all the emotions and excitement, Emma fell into a deep sleep with her little baby girl next to her bed. Nurses came and went, and mostly Emma was unaware of who entered and left the room. She did not respond to any sounds except for when Joy needed attention. She had forgotten how exhausting it was to look after a newborn, but her heart was filled with joy.
The next morning, during visiting hours, Hank could not wait to hold baby Joy. His parents wrapped a tiny bundle tightly in a blanket and handed her to him. He held his little sister in his arms while sitting on a chair. Emma was amazed at the caring demeanor her son displayed towards the baby. It was also clear that he had no problem with her being black.
When Joy started crying, the parents wanted to intervene, but Hank started rocking his little sister in his arms and she immediately started to calm down. It seemed like she was also a little warm, and Hank started unwrapping the blanket under the supervision of his parents. But then this older brother noticed something strange and unexpected on his baby sister’s arm.
“Look, Dad! What’s that thing on Joy’s arm?” The boy was about to make a startling discovery. Jason saw the big plaster, and he was about to dismiss it as covering an injection wound when he noticed some metal object bulging underneath it. On closer inspection, he came upon a small device resembling that of a microchip.
Emma and Jason looked at each other; they were deeply concerned that something sinister was going on. While the couple were still contemplating what to do, Sharon Anderson arrived. There were some final papers to be signed before Emma and the baby would be released from the hospital. Joy was in excellent health and ready to go home, but when they told Sharon about the strange object on the baby’s arm, she was equally disturbed by what the couple had found.
Sharon asked Emma and Hank to stay with the baby She complimented Hank on being such an observant boy, telling him she knew he was going to be the best protector of his sister for life. Then she asked Jason to accompany her to see if they could get any information from the security footage of the hospital.
Scanning through the security footage, they saw images of a black woman standing outside of Emma’s door the previous night. She never looked up into the camera. Later, a nurse came by, and the black woman handed her something smaller than an envelope. The nurse entered the room, and minutes later exited, disappearing down the hallway. It took some clever investigation to find out who the nurse was, luckily the woman was quickly identified.
The social worker thought it wise to involve the police to find out what had happened the evening before and what the microchip device was all about. The nurse involved would return to work during the evening shift, and then the police would be waiting for her. Emma and Joy were dismissed from the hospital, and Jason was asked to take his family home while remaining vigilant that nobody was following them. The police officer promised to contact them the next day to give feedback.
When the nurse was apprehended and interrogated that evening, Emma and Jason could hardly sleep. Hank wasn’t ready to let go of his sister, so the whole family snuggled up in the same bed. As the early morning rays of the sun appeared over the horizon, Emma dozed off for the first time, only to be reawakened a few minutes later by the ringing of Jason’s cell phone. It was the police officer from the previous day. What he was about to reveal seemed like a scene from a suspense movie.
“You will not believe what happened. As soon as we cornered the nurse and confronted her with the camera footage, she sang like a canary,” the officer said. She confessed to everything. It was her who put the strange microchip device on Joy’s arm. She tried to conceal it with a Band-Aid. The chip was indeed a small tracking device. A chill ran through Jason and Emma’s spine as the officer kept talking. The nurse seemed afraid, but then confessed that the black woman in the hallway was the baby’s biological grandmother.
She approached her, telling her how desperately she wanted to meet her grandchild. The nurse was sympathetic to her cause, especially since she was paid a large sum of money to put the tracking device on her grandchild where it could not easily be detected. If it wasn’t for the sharp eyes of Hank, they would have taken their baby girl home, and the grandmother would have been able to track the family. The grandmother was still opposed to the adoption and was planning to have someone follow the baby home to obtain their personal details. She was also planning to steal the baby from his adopted family in the not-so-far future.
Who would have thought that an innocent, good-intentioned family would have to go through such turmoil while their only wish was to be a blessing? Although James and Emma had sympathy with the grandmother, this was now their baby girl to protect and raise.
They were eternally thankful that the plot was uncovered and that they were able to keep their identities anonymous. Most of all, they were extremely thankful that their son was observant enough to see the metal object on his sister’s arm. He was only 6 years old, but he was already her protector. What a shocking story!
