Baby May

Going Home

Alyssia woke up feeling just as tired as when she went to sleep, she was tossing and turning all night. Yawning, she drags herself out of bed and downstairs for breakfast.

Brian looks up from the paper, "Good morning, Lissy. How are you feeling?"

Alyssia shrugs, pouring herself some cereal and joins him at the breakfast bar, "I know what Tina did was wrong but I still feel sad that she's gone."

"That's not unwarranted. Whether we like it or not, she looked after you for six and a half years so you're bound to feel something for her." Though Tina kept Alyssia from them for so long Brian no longer feels angry at her because he now knows Tina was struggling mentally and needed help that clearly no one gave her. "So tell me about you?"

She's still half asleep so doesn't understand the question, "Huh?"

"Well, what are your likes, dislike?" He chuckles rephrasing the question. They've lost so much time with her and this is a good way to catch up.

"Um... well love ice skating, I want to be a figure skater."

"Do you want to do it competitively?" Anita joins them at that point, pouring herself a cup of coffee and sits beside Alyssia.

"Yeah, the dream is to compete at the Olympics someday. But I also like music, I like to sing and I'd love to learn to play the guitar, Tina wouldn't let me."

"I can help you with that," Brian taught his other three to play, seems only right that he should teach her too.

"Um... I'm a vegetarian, though I do still eat fish."

"I'm a vegetarian too and like you, I still eat fish," They continue back and forth like that for a while until there's a knock at the front door.

"That will be Brookes," Brian gets up to answer it. As soon as they finish their breakfast, they get started on the paperwork.

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As predicted the paperwork took up most of the day but at 3 o'clock, they pack up everything they can that belongs to Alyssia. Their plane leaves in two hours so they need to get going.

Saying goodbye to Joe, John and Mary is harder than Alyssia thought it would be. Brian has written down Mazzello's address so she can write but it won't be the same.

She hugs John and Joe then Mary crouches down pulling into a hug, she definitely sees Alyssia as a little sister now and it's hard to let her go, but eventually, she does.

Alyssia climbs into Brookes car and waves to them as they drive off. Brookes has to escort them home as technically Alyssia is being deported.

At the airport Alyssia clings to Brian's hand, since finding her again Brian couldn't help noticing how mature she is but now he can see there is still a young child inside the scared eight-year-old.

He does his best to reassure her and on the plane, she sits between her parents. She squeezes his and Anita's hand during take-off, once they're in the air she relaxes a little.

Trying to distract herself, her mind drifts to a question she's yet to ask, "I have siblings, right?"

"Yes, you do," Brian wonders how best to explain this, "You have an older brother, James but we all call him Jimmy, he's the oldest. Then you have two older sisters, Louisa is next and Emily is the youngest of the three. They are all half-siblings though."

"I know," She remembers seeing it on the computer, "Does the half-sibling thing matter?"

"No," Brian smiles glad that she doesn't care, "It doesn't have to matter, you can still get along as full siblings, I just wanted you to be aware." Alyssia soon falls asleep and the rest of the flight is quiet and uneventful.