All The Little Moments (33 page)

When she pulled into her parents’ driveway, she sat for a minute, hands gripping the steering wheel. Her mother was not going to take this well. Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car, opening the front door to the house without waiting for an answer to her knock, calling down the
hallway, “Mum?”

“Anna?
Down here!”

In the kitchen, her mother was hovering over a sink full of dishes, her back
to Anna.

The sight of her mother’s greying hair piled into a bun was so familiar it sent an ache through Anna’s gut. Sandra glanced over her
shoulder briefly.

“Hey, honey. Where’re
my grandkids?”

Anna opened her mouth to reply and found
she couldn’t.

When she didn’t receive an answer, Sandra turned around, hands wet, and reached for a towel to dry them. “Honey?” She looked at Anna properly, finally, and her hands stopped, towel still clutched in them. Her face paled. “Anna. Where are
the kids?”

Anna saw the panic that took over her mother’s eyes and forced herself to answer. “They—they’re okay. They
aren’t hurt.”

The expression on her mother’s face didn’t change. “What’s
happened then?”

Anna ran her hand through her hair. “Cathy has told child services I was neglecting them. The kids were taken into foster care
last night.”

The towel dropped to
the floor.

“And, on top of that, she’s petitioned the court
for guardianship.”

Sandra’s face was no longer pale—a deep red now streaked over her cheeks. “They’re in
 
foster
 
care? Are they okay?” Her voice
was explosive.

“I can’t find out anything until tomorrow, but they’re okay.
I think.”

“Why the
 
hell
,” Anna had never heard her mother use that word, “would that idiotic woman tell them you were
neglecting them?”

Needing to do something, Anna sat at
the table.

Outraged, Sandra
didn’t move.

“She showed up a few weeks back, when I had to work late and they were here
with you?”

“So?”

“She showed up and,” Anna almost winced, “Lane had stayed over. Cathy kind of accused me of neglecting them then, implying I wasn’t doing what was best
for them.”

“That’s not grounds for any
of this.”

Anna shrugged. “I think she showed up Friday night, when the kids were here again. She left them a
children’s Bible.”

Her mother’s eyebrows shot up, but she
stayed silent.

“No one was home that night. Who knows what she told
them, Mum.”

Stiffly, Sandra walked to the table and sat opposite Anna. “I still don’t understand how that could mean they
get taken?”

“Me too, to be honest. She’s been implying I’m flaunting,” Anna blushed, “sexual partners. The system works quickly, and they have to investigate anything that
resembles abuse.”

“That’s just ridiculous. My
poor kids.”

Picking at her fingers, Anna shook her head. “God, Mum. They had to pull them both off
of me.”

Sandra blanched. “So what’s going
to happen?”

“Well, Lane got the name of someone who’s supposed to be an amazing family lawyer. I can call him
at nine.”

“I can’t believe that woman has petitioned to take them. And caused so much grief for them by
doing this.”

“I know.” Anna bit her lip. “There’ll be a hearing for temporary custody during the week, apparently, to look into the claims made against me and to choose where the kids go until the full custody hearing—which we need now, since she’s petitioned
the court.”

Face flushed and eyes glittering, Sandra looked ready to explode. “That woman, is a…” she sought for the right word, “she’s
a bitch.”

“She is.”

“You
look calm.”

“I’m not. I just…I’m not. I tore up the book she
left them.”

“Good.
Stupid cow.”

They sat quietly for
a minute.

“Mum. This is…I literally can’t do anything. I want to go and
get them.”

“I know.” Sandra looked up at the clock on the wall. “It’s after nine. Call
the lawyer.”

Obediently, Anna grabbed her phone and rang
the number.

“It’s engaged.”

Her mother looked ready to throw something. “For God’s sake.” She muttered, then stood up. “Tea?” She clearly needed to
do something.

Even though Anna shook her head, Sandra went about pulling two cups out and starting
the kettle.

This time, when Anna hit redial,
it rang.

“Scott Matthews.”

“Uh…hi. My name is Anna
Foster, I—”

“Yes, Doctor Foster? I just got off the phone with Hayley Sears. She’s filled me in a little on
your situation.”

Anna’s mouth dropped
open. “Um.”

“We went to law school together. Now, I have most of the details, kids’ names and so forth. I just need the morning to recover information. There is a branch of child services open. There’s always someone in the office, these things unfortunately needing someone on them all the time. I know the guy in on Sundays personally. I’m going to get as much information about the complaints made as possible. Then I’m going to call you and have you come in this afternoon to go over what I have and what I need from you. Does this
sound agreeable?”

Blinking rapidly, Anna didn’t know what to say. This guy was amazing. “Yes. Yes, that
sounds good.”

“I know you’ll have a lot of questions, but if we can save them for when you come in, we can go over everything
at once.”

“Uh…okay.”

“Good. I’ll be calling you, most likely around twelve. I have
your number.”

“Thanks. Wait,
Mr Matthews?”

“Call
me Scott.”

Anna looked blindly at the mug of tea that her mother had just put down in front of her. “When you call the office, can you please try and get an update on the kids? I just want to know
they’re okay.”

“Of course. I’ll call
you soon.”

And he
was gone.

All Anna could do was stare at
her phone.

“Well!?”

Anna looked up in surprise; Sandra was looking at her expectantly. “Um. Hayley had already contacted him. They went to
school together.”

“You
called Hayley?”

“This morning. I only left a voicemail. I wanted to ask her
some questions.”

“She gets
stuff done.”

If there was one thing Hayley was, it was efficient. “Well, he’s contacting child services, some branch that’s always operating that we mere mortals have no chance of contacting. He’s going to get all the info he needs from them, then call me to come in this afternoon and answer my questions and get
my side.”

“And he’ll find out about
the kids?”

“Yes.”

Her mother thumped her mug down in the same manner Anna had only an hour before. “This is just absurd. They’re my grandkids and your niece and nephew. We should be allowed to go right now and get them.” When Anna didn’t answer, Sandra eyed her. “Anna. What are
you thinking?”

Lost in thought, Anna kept staring at a single spot on the
wall. “Nothing.”

Her mother watched her, but Anna could tell she knew better than
to push.

When Anna’s phone rang again, she answered it as soon as she saw who was
calling. “Hayley?”

“Anna. Hey. I’m sorry, the second I got your message I called my friend in Melbourne, he’s a family
law attorney.”

“I know, he’s the same guy I had recommended to me. I called him and he was already on it. Thank you
for that.”

“He’s amazing. He’s doing huge things in family law for Australia. God knows we need it. I know the issue is apparently neglect, but if I remember Sally’s mother correctly, it won’t be just
about that.”

“I think
you’re right.”

“How
are you?”

Anna swallowed, letting a breath out slowly between her lips. “I’m okay. I’m worried about the kids and what this will do to them. What if I don’t get
them back?”

“There are a lot of horror stories about the foster system, but I’m sure they’ll be okay. Most people are doing it because they really care about the kids. As for the rest of it—you must have
questions. Shoot.”

Twenty minutes later, Anna put the
phone down.

Her mother was back at the sink finishing the dishes. “What did
she say?”

Anna took a deep breath. “Well. If things go well at the first hearing for temporary guardianship, they will probably get placed back with me in the interim until the guardianship hearing
after it.”

Her mother paled slightly. “Good. And if
they don’t?”

“They’ll go to you, or to Cathy, or back into foster care. And I won’t be considered at the guardianship hearing, because I will be busy being charged
with neglect.”

Her mother went impossibly paler. “But surely the chances are slim? You haven’t
neglected them!”

Anna didn’t know what to say to that. She was exhausted. “Hayley said the chance of that happening is slim to none. In fact, she thinks that the judge may throw the whole thing out of court, because it seems there’s been nothing that could possibly resemble neglect. She doesn’t really understand how it came to them
being removed.”

“So Cathy is traumatising you and the kids for nothing.” Her mother eyed her, and Anna shook her head vaguely; she didn’t know what the woman was doing. “But we won’t really know much until after this meeting with
your lawyer?”

“Exactly.”

“Or until
the hearing?”

When Anna simply nodded, Sandra sat
down heavily.

“I’ll ask him about visitation, about seeing the kids hopefully tomorrow; if not me, then at
least you.”

Her mother stared at the table. Nausea roiled in Anna’s stomach. “God, Mum. Toby will be
so confused.”

Eyes filling with tears, Sandra shook her head.
“Anna, don’t.”

Anna wanted to say that Ella had looked at her and asked if she didn’t want them anymore, but she didn’t want to see her
mother cry.

She stayed, neither of them speaking much, her father out somewhere, until Scott called and told her to
come in.

Anna weaved through traffic, lost
in thought.

It was incredible, really: a few months ago, she had thought she was the worst person for this, had wanted her parents to do it, anyone else, really, but her. She didn’t think she was cut out for it; she was too selfish, too happy being free and childless. Anna had thought her brother and sister-in-law were crazy to leave two small children in
her care.

Now? Now Anna couldn’t imagine her life without those two kids. The three of them had spent months learning how to be a unit. Anna would much prefer Jake and Sally be alive, but they weren’t, and this was her life, and she in no way wanted it to change. Those kids were too important
to her.

When she entered the office, she was met by a polished man in a well-cut, dark-grey suit, hair stylishly groomed. He looked like he belonged in a courtroom drama, with his easy smile and charming presence. His right hand, which had been fiddling with the wedding ring on his left,
reached out.