Star Fish

One

A child's fate was in limbo, and every choice I made from this point on was crucial.

Let me start from the beginning and a miraculous sequence of events that put the US in possession of the minor infant.

When I first stepped into that room, it was the first time I had put a face to evil. But after a miraculous sequence of events, the US Marines had an injured infant who would later be known as the baby in the box.

After Sergeant Denny yelled, "Surrender or prepare to die!" as ordered, we entered a room somewhere in Afghanistan.

As we kicked in the door, an Al-Queda foreign fighter stood in the middle of the room. He turned to pull a woman forward, with a homemade IED strapped across her chest, and holding an infant in her outstretched arms.

I was unsure of my partner's actions as I lunged forward for the baby, but he must have been on the same wavelength. In my peripheral vision, I saw him knock the young female to the ground. With the child gripped in my hands, I was flung across the room by an explosion that rocked the room.

Two

I knew when I woke that something was off. I had a splitting headache somewhere near the back of my head. I was in a bed in a quiet but brightly lit room.

"Officer Bernard. I wondered if you would wake soon. I'm Aabrooh, a nurse here at Bagram Hospital. How are you feeling?" A middle-aged Afghanistan woman took my hand and, as she spoke, checked my vitals.

"Okay, I guess, except for the pounding at the base of my skull, and now that I think about it, I have a loud buzzing in my right ear." Even through that noise, I heard an infant crying. It wasn't loud, but it was the most pitiful sound I'd ever heard.

"I hope that's not how all babies sound. My wife is expecting our first child, and I don't think I could ever leave its side if it were to sound like that."

"Good. We made the right decision then. We weren't sure because of the seriousness of the baby's injuries, but your commander told us to keep the two of you together. In fact, even while you were unconscious, it was hard to pry her from your hands. " She left my side, and I followed her movements as she crossed to the other side of the room. There, she bent over a small box.

What was she talking about? "Wait. Do you mean to tell me there is a baby in that…box? Whose child is it?" I cried out as the pain in my skull intensified.

"Officer Barnard, I'll return with someone who can answer your questions and with something to ease your pain."

Three

"Sandra, are you sure about this?" An excitement I didn't expect to feel raced through my body. "You are an incredible woman. I love you so much, and I can't wait to see you." I still couldn't hear much out of my right ear, but the pain I once had in my head had mostly gone away.

I was being released to my commander this afternoon. He was helping me with the custody proceedings of the "Baby in the Box," as she was known in the hospital. However, she would stay here in Bagram Hospital until I could make the final medical arrangements for her in the US.

We had a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time. One of the reasons for the urgency was the seriousness of her injuries. The other reason, and the one that worried me the most, was the threat of the Afghanistan government. Initially, they didn't want to take responsibility for her. Which was okay because the Marines were advocating for her safety. The stateless minor was a victim of terrorism. It's name, date of birth, and birthplace were unknown.

It was my commander who currently held the guardianship for her, and that would be transferred to me as soon as we filed the necessary documents.

My wife was actively working on that now. Because of the secrecy, as well as the urgency, we needed to find a lawyer who not only knew family law in the US but also knew international laws. Every move we made had to be made according to the word of law. One wrong step or move would put the infant back into the hands of the Afghanistan government, or worse, the Taliban.

"Mr. Bernard, your commander is waiting for you downstairs. Shall I send him up here?"

I held baby Starfish in my arms. That was the name my wife, Sandy, had given to her. It was a strange name, but she told me she’d explain the reason for it once we were home.

"Tell him I'll be down in a few minutes. I must have a few minutes more with this precious little girl."

Four

We left the hospital, and immediately my commander, who by this time had become a good friend, explained more of what he'd learned. "Cody, are you and Sandra one hundred percent sure about this?"

We left the hospital, and I sat back in the uncomfortable seat and prepared myself for more bad news. "Why, Bill? You haven't given up on us, have you? You know Sany is expecting, but she's already making plans to give up her schooling and care for Starfish for as long it takes."

"What happens when she goes into labor with your baby, Cody? Have you considered that? It could be months before the infant is released from the hospital."

"We've both discussed that, and we're prepared for anything. Sandy has a sister who lives a few hours away. She's trustworthy, and she'll do anything for her older sister. What other choice do we have, Bill? We can't give her back to the Afghanistan government, not after the things I saw while I was there, and especially not after hearing the things you told me."

There was systematic sexual abuse in every province in Afghanistan. It was a way of life for them. One particularly disturbing practice I was told about by a Bagram nurse was a ritual called Bocce Bazzi. It was a ceremony where they dressed young boys as girls and had them dance for the adult men. After the performance, each male would choose the boy or boys he wanted.

Child molestation was a part of their culture.

We approached headquarters, and once we were there, I had something very difficult to do. It was Sargeant Denny’s brave act that saved not only me but Starfish’s life. I had a phone call to make.

Five

"Sandra, I can't wait to see you." It was now February, twenty- twenty. The last time I held my wife was Last year, on September 1. I'd missed most of her pregnancy, but I would be there for the most crucial part, the birth. I still had time to watch her waddle and feel our baby's movements in her womb. I would also be able to accompany her to the rest of her doctor appointments.

"Me too. Cody, I still can't believe this is happening. So much has happened since you left, and soon we'll have two children of our own."

"That's quite a responsibility. Are you sure you're still up for it?"

"How could you say that, Cody? I love that little girl, and she's my daughter – our daughter. She's beautiful, and she deserves so much happiness after everything she's gone through. Honestly, I still can't believe she's ours."

"I agree, Sandy. I never expected this to happen, but I'm thrilled that it did."

It was while we were still arranging for the infant to get the medical treatments she needed that we hit a bump in the road. We finally had the paperwork that showed we held her temporary guardianship. But before we could proceed any further, we had to pay for the entire cost of her medical treatments, and we had to provide them with her full name, date, and place of birth, and give them the name of the facility she would go to after she left the hospital.

That's when the person I'd been working with said something that changed everything, "You know, this be a lot easier if you adopted her."

"What did you say?" My heart began to race, and then I thought of my poor wife, Sandra. How could I do this to her? But first, I had to find out if it was a possibility.

"If you legally adopt her, that solves almost every one of the issues we're up against. I don't know if it's even possible, but…"

"Let me see what I can do." I hung up the phone and immediately called Sandy.

Six

Deryl Wade Bernard was born on April fourteenth, twenty-twenty. He had my blond hair and his mother's dark eyes. He was a healthy seven-pound baby who had all the privileges a child born to American citizens was entitled to.

It wouldn't be as easy for his older sister, Starfish. She still wore the cranial support that helped shape her head after her head injury, and we were concerned about her learning abilities after her TBI. She was extremely small for her age, but her doctors said that with the right nutrition and care, her size should improve. The injury she received on her upper thigh might give her a limp, but many things could help with that when she was old enough. But right now, she had parents who cared for her, and we would do everything humanly possible to help her.

We were so lucky and extremely blessed. Starfish had dark hair and eyes, just like Sandy. She was made for our family, and nobody would ever know differently. Especially after we were forced to move.

Recently, we had started receiving strange letters, they were foreign, and threatening. The gist of them was frightening.

The Taliban wanted Starfish returned to Afghanistan. I immediately contacted our lawyer and the State Department, and they helped us relocate.

However, Starfish was still in the hospital. We were told that we might be able to bring her home at the beginning of May, but they would do everything they could to get her to us quicker.

I wrote a letter to everyone I could think of to ask for help, even President Biden. When we did get an answer back, we were told they would see what they could do. In the meantime, we were told not to contact family members, and they suggested we only use our phones if there was an emergency. Basically, not do anything that would lead the foreign threat to us.

It was while we waited for Starfish's release that we spent as much time as we could with our son, Deryl. Our circumstances and his might change once we brought our daughter home. We knew she would need special care for another six months or longer.

Luckily, I was a military lawyer, and I was able to work out of most of the military facilities that were nearby. So I was able to be home most of the day to help Sandy. Once we had Starfish home with us, I wouldn't work away from home as much.

However, we felt like we were ready for anything as her release date grew closer.

Seven

I was more excited than I could remember. I was waiting for Sany to put Deryl down for his nap. Sandy wanted to go with me, but it was too hard to find a babysitter for Deryl. We didn't want to do anything that might compromise our situation.

"Sandy, before I leave, you told me you would tell me why you named our daughter Starfish." The name was strange, but the more we visited our daughter, the more the name fit her.

Sandra threw her arms around me and kissed me passionately. "Wow, that was unexpected, nice, but..."

"Cody, I love you so much. Never in a million years would I ever contemplate adoption. I love us, I love our son, and I absolutely adore that little girl."

She took my hand and walked me outside. "You don't have much time because you will be bringing our sweet little girl home soon, but this is important for you to know, and I'm sorry I didn't say something to you sooner."

"That's okay." Then I saw the tears in her eyes. "Should I be worried?"

"Absolutely not." She sniffled, then began. "Remember when you were in that hospital in Bagram?"

"How could I ever forget?"

"I called daily to check on you and that precious little girl. Do you know how many people were rooting for her? I spoke with I don't know how many doctors and nurses alike, who were so grateful for you and the fact that you cared enough to do something to help that precious soul.

"That little girl brought each and every one of the medical staff who worked there a reason to go to work every day. They were thrilled that she wasn't returning to that horrible culture and that she might have a chance to not only live but thrive in this country. Do you remember your nurse, Aabrooh?"

"How could I forget? She was a mean one."

Sandra slapped my chest. "Knock it off. She was a sweetheart, and you know it." She suddenly grew sober. "She told me a story about a young Afghanistan girl who'd had her hand blown off from an IED. The hospital worked on that child for a month, and once she was ready to go back home, they called a family member and told him to pick her up.

"The girl left with him, but later that night, they got a call to come and pick up a body just outside of town."

"Go on."

"Cody, it was the young girl they had been treating. The nurse said that once her uncle discovered that she was missing a hand, he shot her and left her there to die. His reasons were probably because no one would want to take her as their wife, because…because."

I wrapped my arms around my wife and brought her closer. "I know. War sucks. Cheer up, and go inside. Remember, we will have our daughter home tonight, and she'll never have to live under the constant worry that poor girl did."

Eight

"Wait, I almost forgot Starfish- not our daughter, but the story. After Aabrooh told me about that little girl, she said, 'That's why they were so grateful for you. You were making a difference.' Then, she told me the story of the starfish. I'm sure you've probably heard it before, but forgot it."

"Go on."

"There was a little boy who lived by the sea. He had a limp, but even so, every day after he had breakfast, he went outside and walked up and down the beach that was covered by hundreds of starfish. Every so often, he bent down, picked up a starfish, and threw it into the sea.

"His father watched him do this every day and never asked him why. Finally, his curiosity got the best of him. 'Son, why do you do that day after day?'

His son answered, 'Because these starfish miss the sea, and they want to be with their family.'

'But there are too many of them. You can't save them all.'

'But I can save this one.'"

The story hit me hard. I swallowed. "I get it. I love you so much. Thank you for making a difference. Now go inside, and I'll see you soon."

"I love you too. Hurry back with our little girl."

Epilogue

It was well past midnight, but I knew Sandy would be pacing the floors as she waited for me to return. I took a deep breath and blew it out before I stepped through the front door.

I heard Sandy's footsteps racing down the stairs. "It's almost three in the morning. It took you long enough. Were there complications?" she yelled from the hallway, then ran into the room. "Where is she? Did you leave her in the car?" Her eyes darted back and forth between me and the front door.

"Do you need help with her? Let me get my shoes on, and I'll go outside with you…"

"Sandy," I took her hand as she tried to walk past me. "Sandy, look at me."

She took a shaky breath, then grabbed both my hands. "Cody, what's wrong? Is Starfish okay?"

"Sandy, they took her."

"What? Who took her, Cody?" She beat her hands against my chest and screamed. "Answer me, who took her!"

"The Taliban."