I Came Home From A Hospital Shift To Find My Fiancée And Baby Gone. The Police Called It A “Civil Matter” And Refused To Help. How Do I Find My Daughter?

“Dada”

My fifth visit was on a Wednesday afternoon. I’d requested the day off work specifically for this visit because I didn’t want to be rushed or tired. Lily was playing with blocks when I arrived. She looked up and her face lit up. She crawled to me immediately and I picked her up. We played with the blocks together, stacking them and knocking them down. She laughed every time they fell.

Then she looked right at me and said it clearly. “Dada.”

My heart stopped. She said it again. “Dada.”

I had to turn away so she wouldn’t see me crying. My shoulders shook and I pressed my hand over my mouth to keep from sobbing out loud. The monitor noticed but didn’t say anything, just kept writing.

When I could breathe again, I turned back to Lily. She was watching me with those big eyes. I picked her up and held her close. She patted my face with her little hand. “Dada.”

The word felt like healing. Like proof that she remembered me. That our bond wasn’t broken. That all this fighting was worth it.

My mother had come to this visit too. When it ended, she hugged me in the parking lot. “Lily knows who you are. She’s remembering you’re her father and she’s starting to understand that again.”

I drove home and allowed myself to cry properly. Relief and joy and grief all mixed together. My daughter called me Dada. After everything, she still knew me.

The Evaluation Turns

Becca had her evaluation session with Megan 3 days after mine. Jeffrey got a brief update from Megan’s office through official channels. Apparently, it hadn’t gone well.

Becca became defensive when asked about why she left without telling me. She’d stuck to her story about needing to escape a toxic, controlling relationship. But when Megan pressed for specific examples of my controlling behavior, Becca struggled. She mentioned me working a lot, being tired when I got home, not helping enough with Lily. None of that was controlling behavior. That was just normal relationship stress.

Megan had apparently asked pointed questions about Keith. How long Becca had known him before moving in. Why she’d chosen to leave the state instead of just moving to a different apartment in the city. Whether Keith had influenced her decision to leave. Becca got flustered and defensive.

Becca’s lawyer tried to spin it afterward. Sent a letter to the court claiming the evaluation was biased and that Megan had asked inappropriate questions designed to make Becca look bad. Jeffrey said that was desperation. If the evaluation had gone well, they wouldn’t be complaining about the process. The fact that they were trying to discredit Megan before her report was even complete told Jeffrey that Becca knew the evaluation hadn’t supported her case.

Megan scheduled a second session with Becca to explore these issues further. She wanted to understand Becca’s decision-making process and her relationship with Keith more thoroughly. That second session was scheduled for the following week. Jeffrey said multiple sessions with one party usually meant the psychologist had concerns that needed more investigation. It was looking more and more like Megan’s report would raise serious questions about Becca’s judgment and Keith’s influence over her.

A Mother’s Betrayal

2 days after Megan’s second session with Becca, a letter arrived at my apartment. The return address showed Becca’s mother’s name. I stared at the envelope for 5 minutes before opening it.

Inside was a single page written in neat handwriting, asking if we could meet privately. She suggested a coffee shop downtown and included her phone number. I called Jeffrey immediately and read him the letter. He told me to be careful but agreed I should hear what she had to say.

We set up the meeting for that Saturday morning. I arrived early and sat near the back corner where I could see the entrance. She walked in 10 minutes later, looking older than I remembered from court. Her eyes were red like she’d been crying. She ordered coffee and sat across from me without saying anything for a moment.

Then she apologized. She said she was sorry for not believing me when Becca first left. She admitted she should have known something was wrong when Becca disappeared without warning. She explained that Becca had always been impulsive, but this was different. She looked scared now when she talked about Keith.

I asked what she meant by scared. She described visiting them in Arizona and noticing how Becca checked with Keith before answering simple questions. How Keith spoke for Becca when the conversation got uncomfortable. How Becca seemed anxious the entire visit.

She said she tried calling Becca last week to talk about coming home, but Keith answered the phone and told her to stop interfering in their family. Then he hung up. She hadn’t been able to reach Becca since. She looked directly at me and said she was worried about both Becca and Lily in that house.

She asked what she could do to help. I told her Jeffrey would contact her about testifying. She nodded and said she would tell the truth, even though it meant going against her daughter’s stated wishes. She stood to leave but paused. She said Lily deserved better than what was happening. Then she walked out.

I sat there finishing my coffee and processing what just happened. Becca’s own mother was willing to testify against her living situation. Jeffrey called it a major development. When I told him, he scheduled a meeting with her for the following week to get her full statement documented.