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?

The Museum

Saturday morning I drove to pick up Lily for our third unsupervised visit. Becca handed her over without much conversation. “Back by 5.”

I buckled Lily into her car seat and she smiled at me. “Where are we going?”

I had something special planned today. “We’re going to a museum. A place with lots of things to see and play with.”

She clapped her hands. “Play!”

“Yes baby. Lots of playing.”

The children’s museum was 40 minutes away. Lily babbled in the back seat the whole drive, pointing at things out the window. Truck. Tree. Bird. Her vocabulary was growing every week.

We arrived and I carried her inside. The museum had different areas for different ages. A water play section, a pretend grocery store, a room with building blocks, an art station. Lily’s eyes went wide when she saw everything. She grabbed my hand.

“Daddy look!”

My heart stopped. Daddy. She said it clearly. Not just once.

“Daddy come! Daddy see!”

She pulled me toward the water play area and spent 20 minutes pouring water from different containers, laughing every time it splashed. I knelt beside her, helping her reach the higher tables, watching her explore. Other parents smiled at us. A dad at the next table nodded.

“How old?”

“Almost one.”

“She’s very verbal for her age.”

“Thanks. She’s smart.”

We moved to the pretend grocery store. Lily pushed a tiny shopping cart around, putting plastic food in it. She handed me a plastic banana. “For you, Daddy.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

She beamed. We played there for another 30 minutes. She was so engaged, so happy. Her personality was really showing now: confident, curious, silly. She made faces at herself in a mirror and giggled.

At the art station, I helped her make handprints with washable paint. She got more paint on herself than the paper, but she loved it. “Daddy messy!”

“Yes, you’re very messy. Good thing we can wash it off.”

We ate lunch at the museum cafe. Lily sat in a high chair and ate chicken nuggets and apple slices. She fed me bites of her food. “Daddy eat.”

I ate the soggy nugget she offered and made exaggerated happy noises. “Mmm, delicious.”

She laughed. After lunch we went back to the play areas. Lily ran from one thing to the next, calling for me to follow. “Daddy come! Daddy watch!”

Every time she said it, I felt grateful and sad at the same time. Grateful for this time with her. Sad about everything I’d missed. Her first words. Her first steps. Months of her growing and changing while I fought just to see her. She’d been 6 months old when Becca left. Now she was almost 1. I’d missed half her first year. But I was here now. That’s what mattered.

We stayed until 3. Lily started getting tired, rubbing her eyes and moving slower. “Time to go baby.”

She didn’t protest. I carried her to the car and she fell asleep before we left the parking lot. I drove back carefully, checking on her in the mirror.

At the exchange, Becca was waiting. Lily woke up when I unbuckled her. She reached for me. “Daddy!”

Becca’s expression changed. “She’s been saying that all day. She said it maybe 50 times.”

Becca took Lily without responding. They drove away. I sat in my car for a minute. Today had been perfect. Lily knew who I was. She wanted to be with me. We were building something real.

Settlement Talks

Wednesday afternoon Jeffrey called again. “Becca’s lawyer reached out about settlement. They want to negotiate.”

“Looks like it. They’re proposing shared custody with Lily primarily in Arizona, but increased visitation for you. Maybe every other weekend and some holidays.”

I leaned back in my chair. “They know they’re losing. That’s my read on it. The home study was bad for them. The psychological evaluation raised concerns. They’re trying to salvage what they can.”

“What do you think I should do?”

Jeffrey was quiet for a moment. “Honestly, I think you should push for primary custody. The evidence we have about Keith’s behavior, the holes in the walls, his controlling attitude… all of it suggests Lily isn’t safe in that environment. If you settle now, you’re accepting a situation that could be harmful for your daughter. But it’s your decision.”

I thought about Lily calling me Daddy. About her laughing and playing. About the neighbors hearing arguments and a baby crying.

“No settlement. We push for primary custody.”

“Good. I was hoping you’d say that. I’ll let them know we’re not interested in their offer.”

The following week Jeffrey set up a meeting at his office for settlement negotiations. Despite my decision to push for primary custody, Becca’s lawyer insisted. Jeffrey explained they might improve their offer and it was worth hearing them out.

I arrived at Jeffrey’s office at 10:00 on Tuesday morning. Becca was already there with her lawyer, a thin man in an expensive suit. We sat across from each other at the conference table.

Jeffrey started. “My client is willing to discuss shared custody arrangements.”

Becca’s lawyer jumped in. “We’re proposing Lily remain primarily in Arizona, where she’s established, with your client having expanded visitation: every other weekend, alternating holidays, and two weeks in summer.”

I shook my head. “That’s not acceptable. Lily should live primarily with me. I have stable employment, stable housing, and no concerning home environment issues.”

Becca spoke up. “You work long shifts. Who’s going to watch her while you’re at the hospital?”

“My mother. Daycare. I have support and resources. Unlike your situation where Keith punches holes in walls.”

Becca’s face reddened. “That was one time! He was frustrated about work.”

“One time? The social worker found multiple holes. Neighbors reported loud arguments.”

Jeffrey held up his hand. “Let’s stay focused. My client is offering shared custody with Lily living primarily with him. Becca would have regular visitation. But there’s one condition.”

Becca looked at Jeffrey. “What condition?”

“Lily can only stay with you when you’re living separately from Keith. You need to establish your own residence without him.”

Becca stood up. “Absolutely not. Keith is my partner. We’re building a life together. He loves Lily.”

Jeffrey’s voice was calm. “The home study raised serious concerns about his presence and behavior. My client won’t agree to any arrangement that puts Lily in that environment.”

“Then we have nothing to discuss.”

Becca’s lawyer tried to intervene. “Let’s take a break and reconvene. Maybe we can find middle ground.”

I stood too. “There’s no middle ground here. Lily’s safety isn’t negotiable. If Becca won’t leave Keith, then we’ll let the judge decide. And based on the evidence, I’m confident about that outcome.”

Becca grabbed her purse. “You’re being unreasonable.”

“I’m being a father. Something Keith will never be to my daughter.”

We left the conference room. The negotiations were over.