Part 4

That night Krista rolled about in her bed, unable to get the horrid image of Jasmine out of her mind. While she had been strong while she had to be, now the tears flowed. After crying herself out, Krista slipped out of bed and quietly dressed. Taking a flashlight and jacket, she silently slipped out of the house and began walking down Wells Point Lane with long strides and great determination.

It was two in the morning when she opened the gate into the cemetery and knelt by her mother’s grave. “Hi mom, I’m sorry I haven’t been down to visit you but I’ve been kind of busy. Then again, I guess you know that. Mom, Jasmine needs help. If there is anything you can do, please do so. If God’s too busy, maybe he can let you help her sorta like you did for Kylie. I know you’ll do whatever you can. Thanks mom, I feel better already. I love you,, and I know that someday we’ll meet in heaven. Goodnight.”

As she left the cemetery, her heart was full of joy and solace. The wound up emotions demanded release. Taking a deep breath of determination from the crisp fall air, she jogged back home. Not once did her wounds bother her. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

*****

Jasmine didn’t have a body. All she had was a barely smoldering ember of self that was floating aimlessly in a silent featureless void of dull grey with no sense of up or down, day or night, or even time itself. She had long since ceased any efforts to escape. Not only had she run out of dreams, she’d run out of nightmares... and hope. All she longed for was an end.

Unexpectedly the grey morphed into a swirling mist. She heard a soft, caring voice whispering her name. After being in the void for what seemed forever, this was an unexpected development as before this everything had been inexorably winding down. At first this caused a considerable disorientation as she slowly began to redevelop a sense of self. The voice calling her name was melodious and beautiful. Softly the voice was joined by two male voices and acoustic instruments as they began to sing.

See the curtains hangin' in the window
in the evenin' on a Friday night
A little light a-shinin' through the window
lets me know everything is alright

Summer breeze
makes me feel fine
blowing through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze
makes me feel fine
blowing through the jasmine in my mind

See the paper layin' on the sidewalk
a little music from the house next door
So I walked on up to the doorstep
through the screen and across the floor

Summer breeze
makes me feel fine
blowing through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze
makes me feel fine
blowing through the jasmine in my mind

Sweet days of summer
the jasmine's in bloom
July is dressed up
and playing her tune

And I come home
from a hard day's work
and you're waiting there
not a care in the world

See the smile a-waitin' in the kitchen
food cookin' and the plates for two
Feel the arms that reach out to hold me
in the evening when the day is through

Summer breeze
makes me feel fine
blowing through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze
makes me feel fine
blowing through the jasmine in my mind (Summer Breeze by Seals & Crofts, 1972)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsW8rXPcnM0&feature=related)

For the first time she could remember, Jasmine felt warmth returning to her bleak existence. She had heard this old soft rock tune many times, it was one of her mother's favorites. Her mom had told Jaz it had been the inspiration for her name. As she recalled that memory, the smoldering ember that was all that remained of her past self began to glow and flared up in flame. Instead of consuming the tiny ember, the fire seemed to be making it bigger. With the advent of the flickering fire light, Jasmine cold see a ghostly image of her body begin to materialize as the grey mist brightened into a dazzling white. The realization hit her that the flame was her heart, her very soul!

“That’s it Jasmine, come on back,” the voice encouraged. “Everything will work out.” Then they sang the song again.

As her body became firmer, Jasmine felt her body begin to orient itself in an upright position. By the time the song ended, Jaz was standing on a white surface. Thoughts and memories began to return. Along with the good came the bad.

“Stay with me, Jasmine,” the voice soothed her mounting anxiety. “They are only bad memories and we won’t let them hurt you again. When you wake up, you’ll enjoy making new warm fuzzy memories. God sent me to help you, Jaz. God loves you and wants you to get better. Your mother and sisters will soon be here. Hang tough, Jaz, remember the good times, remember the love.” Then the voices began to sing Summer Breeze again.

Jasmine smiled with burgeoning hope as her body became firmer.

Jasmine started walking through the dazzling white void looking for a way out. The voice while sometimes silent was always nearby and she could sense it watching over her. The voice seemed to be acting as a beacon. When Jasmine's path veered from the invisible course, the voice called and Jasmine turned toward it. When her spirits began to flag, the voice would encourage, when the way seemed hopeless, the other voices would join the first to sing Summer Breeze.

An eagerness to escape grew within Jasmine but was tempered by the lack of any stimulation from outside her void. The mist still obscured her sight beyond a few feet but she could at least feel solid ground beneath her feet as she walked. With every step she could feel herself becoming firmer, her sense of self was solidifying.

Then she began to hear muffled sounds from somewhere outside her void! She stopped to listen and grew even more exciting when she realized it was someone talking... talking to her! It seemed as if they were at the end of a long tunnel. With that the mists cleared cleared a bit and she realized she was standing before a wall and at waist height was a tunnel about twenty inches in diameter. The muffled voices were coming from inside. The angelic voice she had been following had been leading her here! It had to be the way out!

But looking inside the tunnel it was dark. All she could see was the barest pinpoint of light a far way off. Reaching inside the tunnel she could feel the sides were smooth and seemless. The darkness scared her.

The voices began to sing Summer Breeze again. As they did a slight fresh breeze emerged from the tunnel infused with the sweet scent of jasmine! Knowledge that this was the way out, the only way out, filled her with apprehension. Hesitating would serve no purpose, so after taking a deep draught of the jasmine scented air, she wormed her way into the tunnel. The darkness in front of her was intimidating but enough of the bright white light streaming in from behind slipped past her squirming body to illuminate the next ten or so feet.

*****

Kevin Reese met with Amanda Frost for lunch to discuss strategy before they met with the Cecil County judges and DA. Amanda was horrified and angered by the photos of Jasmine. By the time they walked into the meeting with the judges, there was fire in her eyes. Judge Timmons was the president judge, Judge Rudolph had been the presiding judge at Heather's trial and Harry Thomas was the DA who had prosecuted the case. After polite greetings, Kevin laid out his case for Heather.

"The charges and conviction in this case were an outrageous miscarriage of justice," Kevin began. "While Heather admitted killing the man, she at worst should have been charged with manslaughter. Her court attorney was totally unqualified. According to the transcript, he never attempted to have the charge lowered or presented any evidence for why she committed the crime other than to tell the court the deceased had molested her daughter. Let me show you why she killed that monster." With that Kevin passed over the photos of Jasmine.

The men winced and drew in their breaths at what they saw. "If we'd have seen photos of the girl, I would have been more lenient," Judge Rudolph declared.

"The girl was upset her sisters and she had been sent to separate foster homes," Amanda almost snarled. “Then she was brutally raped by the court approved foster family she was with. After she was admitted to the hospital, the man wasn't even arrested although it was plain Jasmine had been raped. When Heather saw her daughter, she lost it and took justice into her own hands since obviously the county had not done so. Her trial and conviction were a travesty of justice! Then in the two and a half years since then, the county obviously did not keep track of Jasmine or she wouldn't have been found in that hell hole. Her new physician has already given a written deposition that the girl was so mistreated and neglected that she would not have survived another three months. On top of that, no effort was made to reunite the two sisters in foster care. I've already ordered a state audit of the Cecil County Children's Welfare Department as well as a review of all non-jury trials for the past five years. The Attorney General has promised to persecute to the fullest extent of the law anyone who has stepped out of line."

"Here is a copy of the judicial order for the immediate emergency medical release of Heather Reese that we've sent to the State Prison Board," Kevin declared. "Judge Watkins signed the order based on the testimony of Jasmine's new physician, Dr. Olsen. The mother's presence may be the only way to save the child. I'm also filing for a new hearing on the mother's case. I'm asking her conviction and sentence be overturned and that she'll plead guilty to manslaughter with time served as he sentence. You can place her on probation for as long as you like. We already have a husband and wife sponsor who will sign on as being responsible for Heather and any probation you give her will be monitored by Talbot County. I'm also presenting a formal request to transfer Holly and Ivy Reese to Talbot County jurisdiction so they can be reunited with their mother and help their sister recover. I have a pre-approved foster family who will take the girls in as soon as you release them. Heather's husband and wife sponsor are neighbors with the couple who will foster the girls."

Now that you're aware of what we've accomplished in these last few days," Amanda scowled. "Do any of you see any issues with Judge Watkin's order releasing Heather Reese?"

The judges and DA knew they were already trapped. "I don't see any problem with her release under the terms of the order," Judge Timmons declared. "We'll also review her case and see if we can alter the conviction."

"Excellent," Amanda smiled a sharks grin. "We'd like to pick up Holly and Ivy tomorrow evening. If you notify the schools and parents today, that should not present any problems, should it?"

Again the three Cecil County men agreed.

"Excellent,," Amanda declared as she stood. Kevin rose beside her as they both extended their hands to the dazed threesome.

*****

Friday morning, Leroy dressed in his uniform while Pat and Krista donned comfortable skirts and blouses. After the other kids left for school, they headed out to get into Pat’s 2005 Expedition. They Left the Bay Hundred peninsula and headed east to Easton where they got on US Route 50 north. They followed the route and crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from the Maryland eastern shore to the Western shore just north of Annapolis. They turned off US 50 to US 97 north, then SR 100 west to Arundel Mills Mall, which was two miles from the prison. It was just before 10am when they pulled into the parking lot. Pat and Krista headed into the mall to window shop while Leroy headed to the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women in Jessup. The seventy five mile trip took almost two hours.

Once at the prison Leroy headed into the office and handed his copy of the release form for Heather Reese. The staff of the prison had received the release orders the day before so had everything prepared. The night before Heather was stunned when she had been notified of her pending emergency medical release. The prison staff was unable to tell her anything about why the release was being made other than that it originated in Talbot County. Naturally Heather assumed it concerned Jasmine and her anxiety was through the roof.

During her two and a half years of incarceration, she was constantly concerned about her daughters. Letters had been exchanged every week between her and Holly and Ivy but the girls had never been allowed to visit. It really angered her that the sisters were not kept together despite having written letters to every official she could locate in Cecil County. What was totally frustrating was the complete lack of news on Jasmine’s condition.

While women’s prisons aren’t as deadly as male penitentiaries, they are not without violence and coercion. Being a petite pretty white woman had made her a target from the start but she survived.

As she anxiously waited for her release, Heather thought back over her rocky life. She had grown up in foster care, living in a series of foster homes just a step above trailer trash level, but that step had been enough to isolate her from the rough often brutal world of poverty. Fortunately having moved homes frequently she had learned to quickly adapt to new environs. The six years of junior and senior high school had seen her in eight different schools so she had learned the art of invisibility and to disguise her physical beauty to avoid unwanted sexual attention from schoolmates and her foster families.

During her senior year of high school she had yielded to the awkward advances of a geeky young man. Benjamin Reese was from an upwardly mobile upper middle class family and had earned a full academic scholarship to The University of Maryland. The only expense he’d have would be his food and housing. They knew when they graduated that Heather was pregnant, but Benny was afraid to tell his parents and afraid of losing his scholarship. Playing on his geekiness, Benny was able to convince his parents that dorm life would be terrible for a boy like him and they sprung for a small off campus apartment.

Playing the system, Heather used her advanced pregnancy to go on welfare upon graduation. State public assistance paid for the birth of Jasmine on August 12, 1994. Benny and Heather moved into the one bedroom off campus apartment. While Benny attended classes Heather stayed home and took care of Jasmine. It was difficult to hide their presence from his parents, but they succeeded and Heather managed to stay on welfare. For the most part the young couple got along well. Heather had someone to cuddle and Benny didn’t have to hassle with the dating scene. Of course, summer vacation threatened to end their secret, but Benny was able to convince his parents that he really liked the apartment and that by paying half-rent over the normally vacant summer the landlord would hold the apartment. Of course that wasn’t the case but Heather used her welfare to make up the other half of the summer rent.

Unfortunately Benny had to go ‘home’ for the summer so Heather was alone during the summer break. When he returned to the apartment the third week of August their passion was quickly consummated. When Heather discovered she was again pregnant she began to beg Benny to tell his parents but he steadfastly refused. Being a near total wimp, he was terrified about revealing he was a two-time father to his parents.

Holly was born on May 21, 1996, just before the summer vacation. Again, Benny went ‘home’ for the summer leaving Heather with two children. During that summer, Benny’s father, a CPA, landed a plush job in California so they moved to the west coast. Unfortunately Heather never knew where they moved too nor what company employed Benny’s father. In fact, she didn’t even know the names of his parents nor the fact that Benny’s dad was in fact his stepfather so their last name was not even the same as Benny’s.

When Heather learned Benny’s parents wouldn’t suddenly drop in, she negotiated with the land lord for a two bedroom apartment in the same building. Benny, approved of the change as they were quite crowded and was able to convince his otherwise preoccupied parents the rent increase was simply that, a rent increase. Heather made sure she was on the pill when Benny returned from summer break. Their relationship slipped into a comfortable routine now that the girls were in their own bedroom.

Academically, Benny maintained a 4.0 average through his junior year and landed a paid summer position in his major. The position promised to be a stepping stone to a paid graduate student scholarship if he maintained his 4.0. Quite naturally his parents were thrilled and allowed Benny to stay for the summer.

Despite being on the pill, Heather became pregnant again during Benny’s senior undergraduate year. Benny maintained his 4.0 and landed his grad student position. Since they were in a different apartment, it was not a problem for Benny’s mother to fly in for his graduation and then to promptly fly back home. Again Heather never met her. Ivy was born on June 9, 1998 just after Benny graduated.

The grad position paid a stipend for housing so Benny’s parents stopped their rent subsidy. Now that Benny was free from their purse strings, he finally yielded to Heather’s begging to be married. It was a civil ceremony and Heather happily got off welfare vowing to never return. The couple stayed together through Benny’s graduate degree and into his doctoral degree during which he worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant. Heather was fuming when Benny refused to even tell his parents of his family when they flew in for his final graduation.

Benny landed a paid undergrad teaching assignment upon receiving his doctorate and moved his family to a nicer apartment. Unfortunately the stress of trying to achieve tenure coupled with his academic superiority placed the couple on different intellectual planes. Benny refused to acknowledge his family to his professional colleagues, ashamed of the fact he’d had three children out of wedlock.

Their family life rapidly deteriorated. After the end of his second year of teaching in the spring of 2004, Benny disappeared. All Heather was able to find out was that Benny had found another teaching position in Canada. Left with three girls in school and no income, Heather packed up her family and moved back to Cecil County. She found a job as an exotic dancer and rented a two bedroom apartment enrolling the girls in a new school. Jasmine kept watch over her sisters while their mother worked evenings. In November, Children’s Services swept in and removed the girls from Heather’s custody declaring she was an unfit mother.

It was 10:30 when the guards escorted Heather from her cell to take her through the discharge procedures. It was noon until she met Deputy Sheriff Leroy Scott who was to take her to Talbot County. Leroy was polite and business like, slightly blunt and silent as he signed the release and custody forms, politely telling Heather and anyone else who asked why Talbot County had secured the emergency medical release. Heather and the prison staff were surprised when Leroy opened the front passenger door for his charge.

Once they were out of the prison, Leroy sighed and removed his sheriff’s hat. “This is going to be a long day so please try to relax and I’ll try to explain what’s going on,” Leroy smiled at Heather as he headed back to Arundel Mills Mall. Taking out his cell phone he pushed a speed dial. “Pat, Leroy,” he spoke into the phone. “I have Heather and our ETA will be in about ten minutes.” Then he snapped the phone closed.

“We’re heading to the Arundel Mills Mall to get you a new outfit and a visit to a hair salon,” Leroy told the surprised woman. “My wife and oldest daughter are there to assist you as I’m totally lost when it comes to things like that. Krista, my daughter, is the one you’ll have to thank for springing you. She’s had a wild last six months and during that time she was helped by two former teachers from the school your daughters attended before everything went south.”

“The school turned us in,” Heather snapped bitterly. “This is about Jasmine, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Jasmine needs your help, but please listen as things will make more sense. The school had no choice in what they did,” Larry explained. “The law is quite specific as to when teachers must notify authorities about a possible neglect or abuse situation. They were simply doing what the law requires. The authorities they reported the situation too was where the system failed. The teachers felt terrible for what happened. Frank and Sarah Spade were so upset by the miscarriage of justice they retired from teaching out of guilt and helplessness.”

“Frank was Jasmine’s teacher and Sarah was Holly’s,” Heather acknowledged. “They seemed like very caring people when I met them at the parent teacher conferences.”

“They are,” Leroy assured her. “They are your sponsors for your release. They felt so bad after what happened they couldn’t even stay in the area so they sold everything and bought a sailboat to just get away but it always nagged at them. Krista and her twin sisters were making their way on their own from Massachusetts to Talbot County after their mother died... by foot. Krista is my daughter but her mom ran away when she became pregnant. We were fifteen and she didn’t want to cause problems. I went into law enforcement in an attempt to find her but never could. Krista didn’t know I existed until her mom left her a note the day she drowned herself in the ocean before the cancer took her and the girls would end up in foster care. The note left them fifty dollars and the address of their grandmother in Talbot County.”

“Two weeks into their odyssey they had reached Mystic Seaport in Connecticut,” Leroy continued. “They were tired and looking through the fence at the exhibit in the Maritime Museum when they were spotted by the Spades. The Spades saw your daughters in mine. The upshot was they took my girls through the museum, outfitted them in new clothes and had them stay on the boat overnight for two days. The girls fibbed a bit and told them they were homeless and their mom had shipped out as a ships cook to earn enough money to get them a home for the new school year. The Spades were afraid to turn the girls over to the authorities after what happened to your daughters. The girls insisted they’d be okay and the Spades sailed away. They returned the next day but couldn’t find the girls as they’d headed off again.”

“Krista never forgot what the Spades did for them and when she arrived in Talbot, she wrote them to let them know they were safe,” Leroy explained. “The Spades visited and were present when my wife and I adopted Krista and her sisters. We already had two sons younger than the girls and all five are involved in the Pop Warner Football. There are five age groups in the league. My boys play on the Mitey Mite, the twins cheer for the junior pee-wees, and Krista cheers for the Midgets. Games are held on Saturdays, one team after the other. We usually make it a family picnic day. On September eighth Krista and her boyfriend Tony were walking around the park between games when they found a crying six year old girl hiding in a thicket.”

“It turns out the girl had been raped by her mom’s boyfriend and she’d run away, spending two terrified nights hiding,” Leroy sighed. “The girl clung to Krista when she promised to keep the girl safe. The upshot was Krista had to ride to the hospital with the girl and spent the night with her there. Pat and I have a good relationship with Judge Watkins who presided at our adoption. I contacted her and got the search warrants that led to the arrest of the mom and boyfriend. The boyfriend, a drug dealer and convicted child molester was beaten to death the next day in prison. The mom, a drug addict, is still in jail. Anyway, Pat and I asked for and were granted temporary guardianship for Sandi. We’re her foster parents but we’ve already applied to adopt her once the mother is declared unfit.”

“While saving Sandi made Krista happy, something bothered her,” Leroy sighed. “It took her until the twelfth to figure what bothered her was your daughters. She began to research your situation. I can tell you the shit has hit the fan. I’m pretty confident your conviction will be reduced to manslaughter and time served. When we’re done with your make-over, we’re heading up to Cecil County to pick up Holly and Ivy. My wife and I are going to be their new foster parents. You’ll be with the Spades who are in the process of moving into a neighboring house. Jasmine is in a top-notch rehab center in Talbot County. Your release was granted on the demand of her attending physician that your presence and that of Holly and Ivy are crucial to her recovery.”

Heather was crying in gratitude as they pulled up to the entrance of the mall. Pat and Krista hurried to the SUV and comforted her. Heather couldn’t get done thanking Krista. When Heather had recovered enough, they went into the mall for lunch and a make-over.

Heather quite eagerly agreed to eat at the food court so she could pick from a wide variety of foods.

"I'm a nurse," Pat explained as they ate. "Jasmine is still in a catatonic state. The company that operated the Rehab Center in which she was originally placed was running a sophisticated scam. Once you were in prison, the Cecil County Children's Services caseworker was satisfied Jasmine was being properly treated, she falsified her reports that she was doing a monthly follow-up. Apple Tree Quality Healthcare Systems transferred her to a supposedly closed facility along with twenty three other people in similar circumstances. They fed her and met her minimum daily care, but did no therapy. The company was busted and most of those involved have been charged."

"The deception and illegal billing were busted wide open by our efforts to locate Jasmine as she wasn't in the facility she was supposed to be in," Leroy explained. "The company records and billing showed she was still there but the Rehab Center only knew she'd been transferred. It was Krista's research into your family that triggered the State Attorney General to raid all the facilities and office. They're still trying to find all the illegal activities they uncovered."

"We have a friend who is a top notch lawyer and he's agreed to take on your case," Leroy continued. "He and an Assistant State Attorney General met with the Cecil County DA, the president Judge, and the Judge who presided over your trial. They raked them over the coals for all the judicial misconduct and for the failures of their Children's Welfare department to keep your daughters together and losing Jasmine. The upshot was that they approved to have Jasmine transferred to Requard Rehab Center and to transfer oversight of Jasmine, Holly and Ivy from the Cecil County to Talbot County."

"You're good people," Heather sniffled in gratitude. "I don't know how I can ever repay you."

"That's easy," Krista smiled. "Just pass it on. The Spades passed it to us, we're passing it on to others."

"You are one very brave girl," Heather smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Krista smiled. "But I have to let you know that I'm transgendered. I was born a boy but during our adoption, Judge Watkins also approved altering my birth certificate from male to female and changed my name from Kristopher to Krista. It's public knowledge back home so you'd find out soon enough, but I felt it'd be better if you learned the truth about my past from me right off the bat."

"Thank you for telling me," Heather smiled. "I'm open enough to know that being transgendered isn't a choice. From what I've seen you are a girl."

Leroy wandered about the mall while the women folk shopped for the perfect stylish yet practical outfit in the TJ Maxx store. Of course, one outfit was not enough so they picked out three. Heather tried to beg off as she didn't want to accept charity. Pat simply told her she could pay them back when she was able. Once they made their purchases, the clerks allowed Heather to change into one of them. She wore a comfortable knee length denim skirt and a matching V-neck sweater that revealed the lace of her camisole. Leroy held the shopping bags as the three headed into Rafet's Hairmasters for a new hair style. Then it was on to Nail Trix where all three had manicures. This was Krista's first professional nail job and she was thrilled. Their last stop was at The Cosmetic Company inside Saks for make-up.

By 2:45pm they were ready to leave the mall. Leroy hopped onto I-95 north and drove through Baltimore to Cecil County. The forty five mile trip took them until a bit over an hour. They drove another ten miles through the county before turning south on SR 213 which they followed into the county seat of Elkton. Krista and Heather waited in the SUV while Leroy and Pat went inside the courthouse to secure the transfer papers for Holly and Ivy. It was 4:30 when they exited with the paperwork in hand. The staff in Children's Services were extremely cooperative as they knew the tsunami that was approaching them over the Reese affair. They called the foster families to let them know the new foster parents had signed the paperwork and would be giving them a copy. It was a twenty minute drive to the home where Holly was living.

The foster parents knew little of what was going on except they'd been contacted to have Holly packed and ready to move to a new home. They knew her new foster family would be arriving to pick her up. Holly was anxious and wondered what was going on. The people she was with were okay, but she missed her sisters and mother. She sat in the living room of the family surrounded by her meager possessions packed as neatly as possible in plastic shopping bags.

As Leroy and Pat headed to the door of the home it opened. After a brief cordial greeting they were introduced to Holly. Holly stood nervously and forced a smile.

"I'm Patricia Scott and this is my husband Leroy," Pat smiled. "As you can see he's a deputy sheriff and I'm a school nurse. We'll be your new foster parents. Is it all right to give you a hug?"

That surprised Holly and her foster parents. Hugs just didn't happen in the foster care she'd experienced. Afraid to say anything she nodded.

"Welcome to our family, Holly," Pat said a she pulled the timid girl into a warm hug.

Holly almost melted into the embrace. Then she was even more surprised as Leroy stepped up to make it a three way hug. The girl hadn't realized how much she missed hugs. These people gave her a glimmer of hope that things would work out. She so missed her mother and sisters.

After thanking her foster parents, she and Leroy gathered her bags and they headed out to the SUV. Krista had moved into the third row seats so the mother and daughter could be together.

"Holly, it's very important you stay calm and quiet until we leave," Pat explained as they neared the vehicle. "We have a surprise for you inside and we don't want to let your foster parents know as it might upset them. We need you to close your eyes and keep them closed until I tell you to open them once we pull away. Can you do that?"

Holly was a bit apprehensive but she felt she could trust Pat and Leroy so she nodded her head then closed her eyes. Leroy opened the rear of the SUV and placed the bags inside as Pat opened the driver's side door for Holly to sit inside.

"Just remember to keep those eyes closed until I tell you," Pat admonished. "I'll fasten your seatbelt."

By the time Pat had her snugged in, Leroy shut the tailgate. Pat and Leroy sat in the front seats at the same time. Leroy started the engine at 5:00. It was taking absolutely every ounce of self restraint Heather could muster to remain silent and not hug her daughter. It had been two and a half years and she could hang on for a few moments longer. She used the time to marvel at how she'd grown. She still wasn't sure who these people were but they were clearly going out of their way to help her and her family.

As the SUV pulled away from the curb, Heather couldn't wait and leaned over to hug her daughter. Quite naturally upon being grabbed Holly yelped in surprise and opened her eyes.

"Mom??????!!!!!!!!!!!," Holly squealed as she looked up into the beaming face of her mother. "Oh my God, MOM!"

Heather couldn't speak as the pair sank into a loving embrace and cried tears of joy and relief. Once they were able to speak Pat explained what was going on. Holly simply couldn't believe these people were doing this for her family. It seemed too good to be true, but then the system had done nothing to give her hope and everything to be jaded. Heather gave her a brief description of what was going on and that they were heading to pick up Ivy from her foster home. Holly screamed in joy and hugged her mom again.

It took another twenty minutes to get to Ivy. Leroy and Pat did the same routine with her as they did with Holly. Ivy had also been hug-less during her stay in foster care. She too welcomed Pat and Leroy's welcome to the family hug. She too was mystified by the request to stay quiet and keep her eyes closed. Heather had moved into the center seat of the mid-car bench seat. Holly barely kept herself under control. It was 6:00 as the car pulled away from the foster home.

Once more the hugs and screams erupted as Ivy saw her mother and sister. Even Leroy was dabbing at tears caused by the happy reunion. They took US 40 east until they reached US 301 which they took south to SR213 south to US 50 south to Easton, then SR 33 to St. Michaels. The eighty two mile trip took them one and three quarters hours.

Once the mother and daughters had settled down, Pat went into greater detail about Jasmine's perilous condition. That brought them to tears. Pat told them they had already had too much excitement for one day and they'd be taken to see Jasmine tomorrow. While not happy with the delay they understood the move was a wise one. They needed to settle into their home.

*****