Birthright

Aislynn watched as her mother struggled to breathe. It had only been a few hours ago that she had gotten the tragic phone call letting her know that her beloved parents had been in an auto accident. They had been driving home from a dinner party with some of her mother's associates, and had been hit head on by a drunken driver. Her father had died instantly, but her mother was alive; although barely. Aislynn knew she had to cherish these last hours with her.

The doctors had all told her that there was no hope, yet she refused to let her go. "Momma, I need you. Please do not leave me alone," she cried as she looked at her mother. "I can not bear to lose you. Without you and father, I have no one."

Caroline Brady held her daughter's hand tightly in hers. "I am sorry," she gasped with what little air and energy she had left in her broken body. "I do not want to leave you, my dearest Aislynn, but I have no choice. My God is calling me home to be with your father."

"I will be all alone Momma, please. I am afraid." The tears fell freely down Aislynn's cheeks as she pleaded with her mother to stay, although she knew that it was beyond her mother's choice now.

Caroline lifted her hand up to caress her adopted daughter's cheek lightly. "You were such a blessing to your father and me when you came into our lives. For that I am grateful. I am sorry though, that we never were able to give you a larger family. Your father and I both lost our parents at such an early age as well. I know how lonely you will be, but you can make it if you set your mind to it. I love you Aislynn, remember that always." With those final words, her beloved mother slipped from her world.

Aislynn cried and held onto her lifeless hand until the doctors came to lead her away. Tired and numb from the loneliness and pain, she sat alone in the waiting room for hours until the social worker showed up to take her away. She was an orphan now, alone and unloved. She would be taken to a new city, one where she had never been before. She no longer had a home; no friends or family, no parents to care for her anymore.

She sat on the bench outside the office in the Lucas County Children's Orphanage, while she awaited whatever was to happen to her. They had stopped briefly at her house to collect some of her things. She had only been allowed to take a small suitcase with her, so now all that she owned in the world was sitting at her feet, packed hastily into a two foot by two foot navy blue floral suitcase. She looked at the luggage and remembered the last time she had used it.

Her parents had taken her on a camping trip. It had been a happy time, one filled with adventures as she and her father had explored the woods around them. He had taught her how to fish and they had even sung songs by the campfire as they had roasted marshmallows. When all was done and the night was quiet, they had all sat close together, talking. It had been then that they had told her as much as they had known about her birth parents.

The tears began to fall once again down her cheeks as she heard her parents' words in her head. "Tell me Momma, where did I come from?"

Caroline smiled fondly at her adopted daughter. They had never hidden the fact that she had been adopted, but they did wait until she was old enough to understand her situation better before telling her the conditions in which she had been found. She was now sixteen years old. Where had the years gone? "Aislynn, you know your father and I love you. We could not have our own children, due to my health reasons, but being able to raise you has been the best experience in our lives. A few years ago, you asked us what we knew of your birth, and do you remember what we told you?"