Hugs were all around and smiles were glowing around the apartment like a candle in the dark. Layla, Blaine and Aunt Lynn had collapsed on the couch, grinning when a knock came on the door. Aunt Lynn jumped up and opened the door, and to her surprise, Officer Brett Danbury was on the other side.
"Hi, Miss Anderson, I heard the good news!" He said, smiling.
"Oh, hi officer! Well, yeah it's great new, only temporary, but still wonderful!" Aunt Lynn replied, "Come in, have some coffee or something!"
"Oh, well I just wanted to let you know, I'll be parked outside for the next few days for security. We want to make sure that no one comes in the middle of the night to get Layla back. It sounds crazy, but you'd be surprised, it does happen" The officer told them, which wiped the smiles off all their faces.
"Wait, so someone might come for me in the middle of the night? What?" Layla asked, frightened that she'd be kidnapped and taken back to her parents. It was terrifying to think of, but almost rational, it would be something her parents would do. They'd be smart about it, and hire someone who knew how to take people, It almost stopped being a shock.
"Look, I'm not gonna say it can't happen, but I'm here, I'll keep people out don't worry." Officer Danbury assured her.
"Wow, thank you officer. I didn't even think of that! It's alright, we'll be okay Lay, I trust Officer Danbury." Aunt Lynn said, wholeheartedly. She felt safe. She never even thought of a kidnapper, but she felt extremely comfortable with a police officer protecting them.
Officer Danbury stayed in the apartment until nearly midnight. It was a surprisingly uneventful first night as a family, but Aunt Lynn said no to going anywhere, she was afraid of the very slim but possible chance of bumping into Presley and Noelle Anderson. Well, it really was an excuse for "I'm-feeling-unsafe-because-now-I-feel-like-ninja-kidnappers-are-after-my-niece-and-my-head-hurts-from-hearing-lawyers-talk-all-day." So, home it was.
Layla didn't really mind being stuck in the apartment, though, she wanted to get used to her home and her new family. They stayed up for hours talking with Officer Danbury, telling stories and eating bowls of popcorn. She felt so comfortable. It was so nice to just be there, and to feel love. People listened and talked to her for the first time in what felt like forever. She didn't want it to end.
It was finally striking midnight and Officer Danbury went back to his car, keeping a very strong eye on their apartment. He had a great time getting to know the Anderson's. He found out he went to the same college as Aunt Lynn and she was a year older than him. He learned that Blaine was in his school's Glee Club and that Layla taught herself how to play the piano. He liked being in their company, they were friendly and warm, and he was excited to check in with them the next morning.
It was 12:30 am and Layla was laying on the pull out bed. Tomorrow would be saturday and she'd have the whole day with her family. Her family. Those words echoed in her brain and lulled her to sleep.
