Staring at herself in the mirror, Charlene pursed her lips as she searched her face for something that she wasn't quite sure what she was looking for but there was something different about her that she couldn't place her finger on.
The last couple of months seemed to have flown by with Charlene occupied between all the work on their new home that needed doing, her therapy session and training Noodle.
It hadn't taken them long to find a house that they loved, it was in a good neighbourhood and a good school district for Abigail's sake; they even had a large garden for Abigail and Noodle to play in.
Charlene had taken to watching DIY channels on YouTube and had started to work on the house, she was learning new skills and she was enjoying the work that she was putting in to their new home.
Of course, there were some parts that she would not dare to try herself in fear of causing herself harm but Charlene did what she could and Manuel helped when he had the chance to do so.
Slowly but surely, Charlene was making her way through each room of the house as she went with her improvements and decorating; it was a wonderful way to spend her time with Manuel back at work and Abigail in school.
"Good morning," Manuel whispered wrapping his arms around Charlene's waist and kissed her neck, he peered over her shoulder into the mirror at her face.
It truly felt like a weight had been lifted from their shoulders since they had moved here, the fresh start that they needed and they had gotten the news that the men had finally be arrested in connection to the break in.
Charlene truly felt like she could go the shops now without fearing that they were watching her, they had all pleaded guilty and it had been a relief to know that she would not have to testify against the robbers.
Charlene had been unsure about facing them in court, she never wanted to face them and Manuel had supported her in anyway that he could in her decision; their lawyers able to handle any issues that seemed to crop up about the case.
"Do you think I should cut my hair?" Charlene asked him, she ran her fingers through her long brown hair and peered back at him over her shoulder with a curious look on her face.
It felt like it was time for a change, a new look for the new her and Charlene felt like her hair was a good place to start.
"Your hair looks fine the way that it is," Manuel assured her with a kiss to her cheek, he didn't have training until later that day and he wanted to make the most of them having time alone together since Abigail was at school.
The little girl was fitting in well and had even made friends since she had started in September, she was loving her classes and Manuel often sat with her in the kitchen doing her homework while Charlene made dinner.
Charlene rolled her eyes and poked her tongue out at his reflection, she should have known that he would say that; she turned around to face him and kissed him on the lips.
"I just feel like doing something different, my hair has always been long and I always style it the same way," Charlene stated leaning back on her dresser and staring up at him.
Her head tilted slightly as she considered her husband for a moment as she adored his face, her hand reaching up to cup his face and she smiled when he ducked his head slightly to kiss the inside of her wrist as he caught her hand in his own.
The calluses on his fingers were rough against her skin as they moved along her fingers and before Manuel pressed a kiss to the top of her hand.
The sound of the door bell ringing made Charlene furrow her brow and she looked at Manuel confused for a moment knowing that they were not expecting anyone this morning.
"I better go and see who that is," Charlene mused, she quickly pressed a kiss to Manuel's cheek before she hurried out of the bedroom and down the stairs towards the front door.
Charlene had to pause a moment when she opened the door to find Sharon and Karen on the other side, the look on both social workers' faces making her stomach turn and she knew that they had not been expecting them today.
The application to adopt Abigail was still pending and Charlene knew that this visit must be linked to their application, she could think of no other reason that the two women had come here today.
***
"We weren't expecting your visit," Manuel stated setting coffee on the table for Sharon and Karen before he took a seat next to Charlene at the breakfast table in their kitchen.
He had been rather surprised when Charlene had called up the stairs to him that they were here to speak with them and by the looks on their faces it was urgent.
"We thought it best to break the news in person," Karen said gently, she truly did not wish to freak them out and it was important that they spoke with them on this matter before the adoption of Abigail could go any further.
The news that they had come to share had come as a surprise, especially given their extensive search for family when Abigail had entered the system.
"As you know as part of the adoption process, there is an extensive search done to make sure that Abigail has no relatives that could contest the adoption," Sharon started, she clasped her hands in front of her on the table and stared over the top of her glasses at the couple before her.
It would be interesting to see how they would take the news that had been uncovered, it was certainly not something that had come up especially when they had been trying to find family to take Abigail in.
"I don't understand Abigail doesn't have any relatives willing to take her in, how could they contest the adoption?" Manuel asked moving to take Charlene's hand, he really hoped that they weren't about to tell them that someone had changed their mind and now wanted to take Abigail.
Manuel was more than willing to fight to keep Abigail with them, she was their daughter and he didn't care if this was some blood relative that thought they could handle it now.
The last few months had been spent truly bonding with Abigail, she was truly coming into her own here and Manuel refused to just hand her over to someone who couldn't be bother when they were first asked.
"It's nothing like that. We were going over some of Abigail's family history and discovered that she has two older siblings that are also in the system," Karen explained, she was quick to reassure them and moved to pull the two files from her bag to show Charlene and Manuel.
It had come as a surprise especially since this had not come up during their original search for family, it had left them with some very big questions and an investigation on their hands.
"Isabela and Evan were placed in the system back in 2012, we're not sure how Yolanda managed to keep Abigail during this time but that is currently being investigated," Sharon explained, she was sure that there would be answers soon enough for what had happened.
Given what they could see in the files of the older siblings, there is no way that Abigail should have been left in the care of her mother when Isabela and Evan were put into care.
Charlene and Manuel stared down at the two pictures that were attached to the files, neither of them knew what to say about this and how if affected their plans to adopt Abigail.
"It is the hope of Judge Rivas to unite the siblings in whatever way possible, she would rather see them united than kept separate given the circumstances," Karen explained quietly, Judge Rivas was known for her desire to keep families together when possible.
It only seemed fair to reunite Abigail with the only siblings that she had, it all came down to what was best for Abigail now and decisions would have to be made quickly if they wanted to continue with their adoption of Abigail.
"Judge Rivas is wondering if you both would be interested in taking on both Isabela and Evan as you have both done with Abigail," Karen concluded, she knew that this would be a big decision and she hoped that she had been clear with everything.
If they did not wish to take on two more children then no one would fault them but it was important that they were informed especially as this decision could affect their ability to adopt Abigail.
Charlene looked at Manuel, her hand held tightly in his own and her eyes searching his face for a moment; this was certainly not what they had been expecting and a lot to consider.
The very news that Abigail had siblings shocked them and Charlene knew that it would change a lot of things; could they really handle two children that had spent the last four years in foster care separated from their family.
Manuel swallowed, they were in this together no matter what decision that they made about this situation.