I got up quietly the next morning. I couldn't sleep and passed out on the couch watching my old DVD box set of The Crown. I took a quick shower in the downstairs bathroom so I didn't wake Lee because he had to work. I didn't want to wake up the girls either.
I snuck upstairs and into our walk-in closet, grabbing a sweatshirt and leggings. I put on all my makeup and curled my hair because I knew there would be people taking pictures of me. I kissed Lee and whispered, "Happy Birthday," to him before going downstairs.
I made myself a quick cup of coffee from our new Keurig, gave BB her breakfast pellets, grabbed Lukas's red carrier out of the closet, and left, closing the front door as soft as I could.
I didn't tell Lee that I was going to get Lukas, or that he was found. I wanted it to be the best birthday present he'd ever get. I was going to be holding Lukas when he walked in from work tonight. And Lee never paid attention to any of the news, so I knew he wouldn't find out.
I drove a half hour out to Oak Falls Intl' Airport in Etsy's car and followed the sign to the main terminal, then went to the blue side. I went to one of the color-coded parking lots and found a spot. The sun was rising right as I got out of my car.
I picked up the carrier I had for Lukas and realized the newborn insert was still in. I took it out and tossed it on the floor of the car, then walked towards the terminal. Detective Swan was there to meet me as soon as I walked in the door.
"Good morning," he said with a nice smile.
"Hey," I said, yawning.
"Have you eaten yet?" he asked.
"I'm too excited. I want to see my baby."
"Forty-five minutes until he lands. Come on, let's get upstairs," he said.
We went up the escalators, where a security guard was waiting for us. He took us through the express lane of security. I didn't have to go through the full-body scanner, and instead just walked through the metal detector. I put Lukas's carrier on the belt so it could be x-rayed.
"You're all-clear," the TSA agent said to me.
I picked up Lukas's carrier and followed Detective Swan and two security guards all the way down to Gate G. I looked up at the monitors and saw the flight from Orlando coming in twenty minutes.
We walked down to Gate G10 and the closer I got, the more news stations I saw. They were all setting up their cameras. Some reporters were looking at me, and I saw one of them running towards me with a microphone.
"Please, please! No interviews!" Detective Swan said. "This poor girl has been missing her baby for months. Let her have her moment. Film the reunion and that's it."
They gave me disappointed looks but I could care less about how they felt. I saw a plane coming in and my heart was exploding, but it was the wrong airline.
"Detective Swan?" I asked, looking up at the sky.
"Yes Harper?"
"How long is that crazy bitch going to jail for?"
"No idea. They decide that after her trial."
"When's that?"
"Well, it'll probably be in a year or so. We'll keep you posted."
"She needs to pay for what she did. I never stopped thinking about my baby boy. I missed so many of his milestones."
"I understand. But look out there." He pointed to a plane approaching the runway. It was the right airline. My heart was about to fly out of my chest. "It looks like you won't be missing any more of them, at least."
The plane drove around the runway and up to the gate. The media started taking pictures. Detective Swan led me to a roped-off area where I'd be reunited with Lukas and no one could get near us. I held onto Lukas's carrier so hard that my fingers were turning white.
They opened the door to the tunnel. I tried to see down it. I couldn't. I could just feel all the cameras behind me. I heard footsteps and saw a blonde lady carrying a little boy and a diaper bag. I couldn't believe it. I didn't recognize Lukas at all. He was so much darker than his sisters. He had the same brown eyes and black hair. He was truly a baby Lee.
I cried as the social worker handed him over to me. He was so big and heavy. He had the biggest, cutest cheeks.
"Hi Lukas! I missed you so much!" I said, hugging him. "I love you so so so much."
Lukas looked quiet and confused. I figured he was overwhelmed with all the lights and sounds of the airport and the flashing cameras.
"It may take some time for him to adjust to you calling him Lukas," the social worker said.
"What? Why? My girls both respond to their names already," I said.
"He responds to a different name. The woman who took him called him Jacob."
Lukas's head instantly turned around to look at the woman.
"No! No you're not," I said to him. "Lukas. Lu-kas!"
"Just give it time," she said.
"Thanks for flying all the way here with him," I said.
"Any time. He's very well behaved, so it was a pleasure!" she said.
She handed me the diaper bag, which had snacks and toys he liked. Detective Swan led me out of the airport and away from the cameras. I put Lukas in the carrier and walked outside to my car. It felt so unreal. My family could finally be a whole again.
After Lukas was settled in the car, I drove down to the police station. A secretary took me into Detective Swan's office, where there was coffee and donuts. I was so happy to have something to eat. Lukas seemed a little fussy, so I gave him the bottle of juice from the diaper bag and he quieted down.
"What do we have here? Looks like a happy mom and baby to me!" Detective Swan said as he walked in the room.
"Just give me the papers I need to sign so I can go home with him," I said.
"One second." He opened the filing cabinet across the room and took some papers out of a folder, then handed them to me, along with a pen. "These forms just signify that you're giving the department permission to end the search for your child, since he's been recovered. This next one just signifies that you're taking your child home with you today."
I finished giving Lukas his bottle and signed the forms. "Okay great. Can we go now?"
"Well hold on! Don't you want to meet the woman who hired the investigator that helped locate Lukas?"
"Oh. Right. Is she here?"
"She's right down the hall. You can come with me," he said.
I placed Lukas in his carrier. He looked like he was starting to doze off. We walked down the hallway to a small room.
"She's right in here, with her partner," Detective Swan said.
He opened the door to the small room and I saw two people who I hadn't spoken to in almost a year: both of Lee's parents.