All by Chance {Brollins}

/ Chapter 39 \

Colby woke up to an empty bed weeks after the discovery of Rebecca and Danielle's DNA was uncovered.

He sat up, letting his legs hang off of the bed while he pushed his hair out of the way. He then walked downstairs after finding his daughter's crib empty. 

Rebecca had spent less time in her own home, staying at Colby's most of the time, to his delight. He had offered time and time again, but she hadn't taken Danielle to her place for a night yet.

When he reached the cold kitchen tiles, he saw Rebecca sitting on the floor against the bottom of the couch in the living room. She sat with her hands in her lap, legs crossed, staring at the little girl in the swinging baby seat silently.

It was a scene that became all too familiar to him. Rebecca woke up early, exactly when Danielle began to fuss, almost out of instinct. Then she took her downstairs to put her in her seat and just watched. Her mind was in other places. Colby could tell, but her eyes never left Danielle's face.

Colby walked over normally and hoped he didn't startle her, but she was too deep in thought to realize until he sat down. "What are we doing?"

He watched her face change from stoic to happy in the blink of an eye, but it didn't hold the usual warmth it emitted. "Sitting."

"I can see that." He nodded with a smile, "But why?"

Colby hadn't asked her before, figuring it was to process the heavy idea that her daughter was actually alive the entire time and her grieving was never truly needed. But he also wondered if it was because she was overwhelmed at the thought of suddenly caring for a daughter. Knowing there was an astronomical difference between looking after someone's child for fun and actually committing to a child because it's yours.

"I'm not sure." She admitted, "Just thinking."

"About what?" He looked over at her curiously.

Her smile twitched slightly, "Everything."

Colby nodded without saying a word. He just followed her lead and sat silently staring in front of him. To his surprise, after a good chunk of time, Rebecca was the one to break the silence. "Colby?"

He turned towards her, "Yeah?"

"Why does none of it make sense?" Her small laugh was self-deprecating, "Why was her birthday different on the records... it had no reason to change."

Colby thought about it for a moment, "I'm not sure."

"And if she was born in August, why did she only show up on your doorstep months later?" Rebecca continued, "And if they ran DNA tests when you dropped her off at the hospital, how come our matches never appeared?"

"I don't..." The questions started to poke at Colby's mind. "I don't know."

"I wanna be filled with joy but... somethings not right." She turned to him, with an unreadable look in her eyes. "Colby, I can feel it."

He nodded, feeling a pit grow in his chest. "I believe you."

Something dawned on him, and he pulled her to stand. "You know, I have a buddy that can help us figure this out."

Rebecca watched him grab his phone. "Who?"

"The police department on sixth street was built by us." He explained, "And the chief of police and investigations owes me."

Colby called the precinct and explained the situation. His guy immediately agreed and started an open case, finding the entire situation suspicious as well.

A day later, they went over to the precinct the moment they were told they got a questioning warrant for the doctor that delivered Rebecca's baby.

"Thanks, Claudio. You don't know how much we appreciate it." Colby shook his hand, and Rebecca followed suit.

"Of course, it's the least I can do." He nodded, "Follow me."

They were brought to the room the doctor was being questioned in. Except they stood on the outside, looking in through the one-sided glass. The interrogation had already begun, but from what they could tell it was early on.

"And you were the man who delivered this woman's child." The interrogator slid a photo of Rebecca across the table.

The doctor shrugged, "I told you, I can't remember every single baby I've delivered."

"Do you or do you not recognize this woman?" Claudio left the two and entered the room aggressively.

"No, I do not." He crossed his arms, but the beads of sweat on his forehead were prevalent.

"Good." Claudio smiled as he sat down, "Because if you were lying that would obviously be you withholding information from us which is a crime."

Rebecca and Colby stood side by each, and she muttered. "It's him. I recognize him."

Colby looked at her, "I see him in every nightmare I have."

Claudio continued, "And then, of course, you'd be arrested and put in jail for who knows how long. Your license would get taken away, and you'd rot for the rest of your life."

The doctor shifted uncomfortably as the other interrogator spoke up. "Unless you were, to tell the truth, and we struck up some sort of deal."

"Last chance." Claudio stood, "Do you know her?"

"Yes." He replied quietly, and Rebecca crossed her arms uncomfortably.

"Did you or did you not swap her child with one that was already dead?" A chill ran down Colby's spine the second the question was asked.

A bead of sweat rolled down the doctor's face, "I want my lawyer."

"A lawyer isn't gonna help you." Claudio spat, slamming his hands on the table, "Answer the goddamn question!"

"I didn't want to. I swear! She threatened my family and paid me to!" The doctor yelled nervously, as he broke down. "Just the other month, her boyfriend threatened me to keep the whole story a secret! I swear! It's not my fault!"

"Who is she?" Claudio yelled, knowing the doctor clearly wasn't good under threatening circumstances.

"Sarah!" He cried, "Sarah Alesandrelli."