“He left for the airport,” the woman answered. “And he took the boy with him.”
Paul and his volunteer helpers rushed to the airport.
After Emma’s call, the captain sat in thought. Could what his old friend had just told him be true? Could a father commit such a crime? It was hard to believe. But the tip had to be checked out. He called the airport.
“Listen, you have a passenger flying out today with his son. Last name Sinclair, Michael. Tell your security to detain them,” the captain told the head of airport security.
“No problem,” the man replied.
But a few minutes later, he called back.
“Captain, we don’t have a passenger by that name,” the head of security said. “We’ve checked all the flight manifests.”
“Really? My guys must have messed up the info, as usual,” the captain chuckled. “Or maybe Emma’s finally lost her mind.”
The captain sighed with relief. He wouldn’t have to unravel a web of horrific crimes. Meanwhile, at the check-in counter, stood Michael and Alex. The boy could barely stand. His vision was blurry, his head was spinning. Michael had given him some kind of injection.
“My son has a developmental disorder,” Michael explained to the ticket agent, who was looking at the boy with suspicion.
The man handed her all the necessary documents confirming Alex’s “illness.” He had prepared thoroughly. Emma didn’t know about this. Nor did she know that Michael and Alex were traveling under a completely different last name.
Paul and his friends were already running toward the counter. He saw the boy from a distance and knew immediately that something was wrong with Alex. Michael spotted the men running toward him. He tried to make a break for it, but it was too late. They tackled him. Airport security arrived quickly and called the police.
“You can’t detain me! I have a flight! My son is sick!” Michael yelled.
“Don’t let him go!” Paul shouted. “He’s a criminal! He was trying to illegally take a child out of the country!”
“Why illegally?” a police officer asked, puzzled. “According to this document, the boy is his son, Alex Anderson.”
“Alex’s last name is Warner!” Paul countered, nodding toward Michael. “And his is Sinclair, as far as I know.”
“His is Anderson, too!” the officer raised his eyebrows, studying the documents. Then he looked at Michael with interest. “Sir, how do you explain this?”
“Who are you going to believe?!” Michael screamed hysterically. “I’m Anderson, and so is my son!”
“We’ll see about that,” the officer nodded.
Michael, Paul, and the three helpers were taken to the station. Alex had to be taken to the hospital. The police immediately began to investigate the complex case. They had never encountered anything like it in this city before—a father so cynically using his own son. Of course, Michael denied everything at first, but the case was assigned to an experienced detective. Soon, witnesses emerged: Tamara Evans, Emma, the doctors from the clinic. The picture became clear.
Michael was found guilty of attempting to illegally remove a child from the country and of conspiracy to commit a more serious crime. Several other people were arrested in connection with the case, including the doctors from the medical center. Tamara Evans lost her job. Emma got off with a slap on the wrist, probably thanks to her connection to the police captain.
When Julia found out what had happened to her husband, she was furious. He couldn’t be trusted with anything. She herself was not charged; her involvement couldn’t be proven. She felt no pity for Michael; she had only ever used him. And why should she feel sorry for him when their son’s life was at stake? And now, no one could help Nick.
And yet, a miracle happened. Nick was saved, through legal means. Julia, left alone, was unable to manage the family business and soon went bankrupt, returning to her home country. All her friends abandoned her. Her parents were gone by then, and she and Nick had to move into a modest apartment. Then came the news from prison: Michael had died under mysterious circumstances. Julia, accustomed to luxury and a life of depending on her husband, couldn’t handle it. She started drinking and deteriorated to the point that Family Services came and placed Nick in a group home.
As for Alex, his life took a turn for the better. After the hospital, Susan and Paul took him home, and they had no intention of letting him go ever again. He was their child. There was a silver lining to the whole ordeal. Alex’s heart condition was diagnosed in time, and he soon had the necessary surgery. Now, the boy was completely healthy. He often thought of his mother, whispering to the sky, “Mom, my dear, thank you. It was you who helped me then.” And the wind would rustle his hair, just as his mother used to stroke it.
Of course, Susan didn’t try to replace Alex’s mother, but she did everything to help the boy rediscover the joy of life, to breathe freely and fear nothing. Paul built such a strong relationship with him that his opinion became the most important one for Alex. Yes, Susan and Paul had become his true parents.
One day, flyers for a summer camp were brought to school. It was a camp by the sea, near a forest.
“It looks amazing!” Alex became obsessed with the idea of going.
“If you want to go that badly, then you’ll go,” Paul said, and Susan agreed.
And so, Alex was waving goodbye to them from the train window along with the other kids. A whole train full of children was heading to the sea.
“I’m so worried about him,” Susan sighed, watching the train pull away.
“Don’t worry,” Paul said, hugging her. “He’s a smart kid, and he got through that whole mess. What’s there to worry about here? He’s got counselors, security, everything will be fine. Besides, he’s almost fifteen. Practically a man. If only Ellie could see her son now…”
“Maybe she can…”
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