Lost But Never Forgotten

8

Rhea's phone rang, causing her to groan. She'd finally fallen asleep. She grabbed her phone and answered the call without looking at the screen before she pressed it to her ear. Buddy held her close, his hand lazily playing with her hair. She grubled a hi and listened for a moment to the woman on the other end.

"Is this Miss Rhea Ripley?" She confirmed, confused.

"It is."

"Hi ma'am, I'm calling from the Orlando city hospital. I need you to come in immediately. We have a young woman who came in this morning by ambulance, claiming to be Rosalynn. We need you here to do a quick DNA test to confirm identity." Rhea shot up, sending Buddy upright as well. He was confused.

"I'll be right there. Give me 20 minutes." And she hung up, running to the closet, stripping out of her shorts. She slipped on a pair of jeans before locating a random shirt from a hanger. She threw it over her shoulder as she picked up a sports bra from the floor. She walked from the closet and to the dresser, grabbing socks and a hair tie.

"Get up and dressed please. We gotta go. They need me at the hospital." Buddy was up immediately, throwing a shirt on. He stepped into the closet and grabbed a pair of shorts. Both him and Rhea sat down to put on socks and shoes, Rhea throwing her hair into a bun. It took maybe 3 minutes for them to be out of the house and in Buddy's truck, speeding down the road.

Rose sat in the hospital bed, arm now wrapped in a deep purple cast. He'd managed to break her arm in 2 places, and she had a total of 29 stitches across her chest and arm. She wiggled her toes underneath the warm blanket the nurse had thrown over her. The officer sat with her, asking her questions to which she answered. She'd given him the list of names and address sje had found, explaining that's where she'd been kept. He'd taken the entire book as evidence, which she expected. They sat in the back and forth for 15 minutes before a nurse was walking into the room, a few objects in her hand.

"I'm gonna swab your cheek. We have to confirm your DNA. And we dint have a true way to besides just getting a DNA test done with your supposed mother." Rose nodded, and the nurse did her thing. She continued her conversation with the officer before he finally said he had enough information. He left the room, and she sat alone for another 30 minutes, just listening to the beep of the heart monitor. Her eyes stayed on the ceiling.

Rhea looked from outside the room, seeing the body of her daughter as she stared at the ceiling. The test confirmed the girls statement. She was in fact Rosalynn Ripley. The nurse had offered to let her see the girl for a few minutes before she actually was told. Rhea finally stepped aside, out of view of the door as the nurse walked in.

"Hi miss Rosalynn. So, we got the results back, and you were in fact telling the truth." Rose smiled.

"Call me Rose. I don't like going by my full name." The nurse laughed softly.

"Rose it is then. Now, we have some people who want to say hi to you." Rose immediately sat up the beeping of the heart monitor speeding up as her heart raced.

"My mom is here?" She was so nervous but excited at the same time. The nurse nodded.

"Would you like me to call her in?" Rose nodded, not trusting her voice. The nurse walked to the door, and talked to Rhea for a moment before moving to let her into the room. The second her eyes met the identical blue across the room, tears were pouring down her face.

"Oh baby girl." Her voice shook, her brain processing that she was looking at this girl for the 2nd time. She hadn't heard her incorrectly that night after all.

"Mama?" Rose sobbed, ready for nothing more then to be in her arms again. Rhea was across the room in an instant, her baby in her arms. She pressed several kisses to the girls dirt caked forehead, arms tightening around her slightly.

"Look at you. So grown up now-" She couldn't stop her own sob. She finally had her baby back.

"You never gave up." It wasn't even a question. Rhea noticed that immediately.

"I never could. I just knew you were still out there."

Rose found her head on her mom's shoulder after Rhea had climbed into the bed next to her. Buddy stood awkwardly by the door, but didn't say anything. They both needed this. Rose found herself playing with Rhea's rings. She looked up at Rhea as her fingers fidgetted with the engagement ring.

"What's this?" Her voice was just barely above a whisper. Rhea looked at it fondly.

"My engagement ring. I found forever, baby." Rose smiled at her and her eyes slowly looked at Buddy. How he stood, his hands were visible, his own engagement ring on his hand. She looked up at him, a smile on his face.

"Thank you for taking care of my mama." Buddy smiled as a warm tingle spread through his chest. He nodded at the girl.

"It's not a problem. And it's good to finally meet you." Rose nodded and laid her head back down on Rhea. They all sat in silence for a few minutes just enjoying each other's company before the doctor came in.

"Alright. She's cleared to go home. You'll have to make a few follow up appointments, make sure to keep her cast dry and stitches clean. I have a prescription for some mild pain killers, but she should be alright with just Tylenol. Talk to a primary care about a referral to see about counseling too. Other then that, you're good to go." Rose smiled as he left.

"I can go home finally?" Rhea laughed.

"Yep, you get to go home. Now, let's get you out there." Buddy walked over as Rose went to stand up.

"Can I carry you out? I feel like it's the least I can do." Rose nodded, already seeing the difference in him and the other man. Buddy carefully wrapped his arm around her back and the other under her knees, lifting her in the air. Her arm immediately hooked around his neck, and Rhea smiled at the sight. Finally, her family was together.