Kidnapping in Reverse

CW: Deals with themes of abuse and abortion

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the facts before us are clear. The defendant, Cameron Mitchell, knowingly kidnapped the child, from the safety and security of his mother, Mrs. Gloria Burnam, in the dark of night. Let me remind you, that the child has not been recovered, and the defendant has not cooperated with law enforcement in locating that child. The current status of the child is unknown, and this heartless, cruel man certainly isn’t taking care of this child while he resides in the county jail. That means either there is an accomplice, or the child is deceased.”

There is an audible gasp from some members of the audience, with the judge slamming his gavel to quiet them down.

“Now, the charge isn’t murder, not yet. But the defense isn’t even arguing that he wasn’t the person who kidnapped the child. Now, you may feel sympathy for the defendant. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t. But if you let that spread doubt within you, remember that you need to have sympathy for Mrs. Gloria Burnam. She is a grieving mother, one whose child was stolen by a man not in her life, and there are multiple restraining orders against him. Look at her. Imagine that you have woken up after a broken night of sleep, the sleep that many of you mothers remember, and find your child missing. We all have had moments where we think our children are lost. That fear takes over, and resceedes when they come running around the corner.”

The district attorney paused, letting the universal experience creep into the minds of the jury, and the audience. He sucked in a breath, and resumed pacing near the jury box.

“Mrs. Gloria Burnam has been living in that fear since that night. Fear that her child is lost forever. Fear that something horrible has happened. We are doing everything we can to find her child. Your police officers and sheriff’s department will not rest until that child is found. You can help them, by finding the defendant guilty of this heinous crime. Bring some measure of justice to this grieving mother,” he turned around to face the defendant, “that person, sitting right there, endangered a defenseless child, stolen from his mother, and left them somewhere. Such a person shouldn’t be walking our streets, sitting in our restaurants, in easy reach of our own children. It is up to you to bring justice here. To do that, find him guilty. Thank you.”

The defense attorney stood and said some words. He didn’t have the rhetorical flourish or the passion behind his words. It didn’t help that Gloria started to dab the corner of her eyes with a white handkerchief right in the middle of them. And then, he was finished, and thanked the jury.

He sat next to Cameron and whispered, “I don’t know, its gonna be close.”

Cameron weakly smiled. It wasn’t going to be close, but that was okay.

It wasn’t two hours before the jury came back. They handed their verdict to the bailiff, who took it to the judge. He reviewed the verdict, and looked over at the jury. “Has the jury reached this verdict unanimously?” Cameron and the attorneys rose.

The foreman stood up. “We have, your honor.”

The judge sat up. “And what did you find?”

“We, the jury, find the defendant, Cameron Mitchell, to be guilty on the charge of kidnapping, in the 1st degree. We, the jury, find the defendant, Cameron Mitchell, to be guilty on the charge of endangering the welfare of a child. We, the jury, find the defendant, Cameron Mitchell, to be guilty on the charge of burglary, in the 1st degree.”

***

Rain darkened the skies, illuminated by bolts of lightning that creased the firmament. Cameron pushed aside the bushes that surrounded the house. He moved quickly to the door, and knelt down. He removed a small bundle from his back pack, and rolled it out on the ground.

He removed a few small items, and inserted them into the lock. Turning and twisting them in the lock, there was a small click that the drips of precipitation smothered. He removed them, and put them back into the bundle and then returned it to his backpack.

He turned the handle slowly and pushed the door. The creaking hinges were drowned out by a thunderclap, and he crept into the house. Cameron knew where he needed to go. Gloria was home, which meant that her mother wasn’t. Which was fortunate. The old bat slept with one eye open. Gloria would be dead to the world.

He wiped his feet on the rug as much as he could, trying to avoid the squeaking that came with wet shoes. Cameron walked slowly with purpose, and reached the base of the stairs. He looked up the stairs, looking for light underneath the doors, or sounds that would mean that Gloria was still awake.

The only light Cameron saw flashed with each strike of lightning. He advanced up the stairs, taking each step separately, and clutched the railing tightly. Cameron breathed after taking each step, straining his ears to hear if there was any alert.

He reached the top of the stairs, and walked towards the nursery. He pushed open the door, its creaking hinges punctuating some murmurs from the crib. Cameron slinked towards the crib, and looked down at the child. His eyes were open, and stared at Cameron. He cooed, and shook his fist at him. Cameron reached down, and placed his index finger in reach of the child. The baby grabbed and squeezed the tip, smiling as he tried to pull Cameron’s finger into his mouth.

Cameron’s right eye misted for a moment, and then he reached down with both hands, and picked him up. He cradled the child in the crook of his arm and picked up the fuchsia blankets that lined the crib. As distasteful as they were, there was a chill in the air with the storm. He clumsily wrapped the baby as best he could, keeping his eyes looking into the child’s.

Each step towards the exit sent Cameron’s heart racing. He was certain that Gloria would wake up at any moment, and then it would be sirens and handcuffs. But it never came, and he closed the back door behind him, with only the tempest as a witness.

He reached his car, and opened the back seat. Cameron strapped him into the car seat, and tossed the blanket from the crib into the bushes. He tucked in a duck covered blankie to warm the baby, and kissed his index and middle finger, and pressed them softly into the child’s forehead. He closed the door, and got in the driver’s seat.

Cameron drove throughout the night, the storm petering out just before the first golden rays of sunshine broke over the horizon. Rain dripped off the leaves of the tree he was parked under, splatting on the roof of the car. The child cooed and giggled over the noise.

Cameron looked over his shoulder and smiled. “Thank you for not making a fuss. I don’t know if you would have remembered me. I’m glad you did. I know you won’t remember me, or this, but I want you to know. I’m sorry. If there was any other way to keep you safe, I would do it. There isn’t.”

The baby stopped grinning and pierced Cameron’s soul with his brown eyes. “You probably won’t understand this, ever, but I want you to know. I can’t leave a note, I can’t let anyone know who you are. She would find you, and take you back. That's why we drove all night, and that's why we are here, in front of the fire station. They will take you. They will keep you safe.”

He got out, and fetched the car seat from the back. He walked the child over to the front and set him down. “I’m going to go. I have placed your birthday on a note, but not that name your mother gave you. You deserve a better one. I want you to have the life I could never give you. I will miss you, my son.”

***

Gloria screamed, strain building on her face. The doctor peered between her legs, up in stirrups, and stated, “We are at 9 cm, we are getting very close,” and she stood, and nodded to the nurse, “I’ll be back when we hit 10.”

“Mom, where is she going?”

“I don’t know sweetie, but she will be back. You are so close honey. We are gonna get through this.”

Gloria frowned, and stared past her mother, to Cameron. “I need ice chips, get me some Mom, I need to say some things to that person in the corner.”

“Of course sweetie.”

Cameron remained seated in the corner, in an uncomfortable chair in an uncomfortable room. He watched Gloria’s mother stare back at him, and walk towards the door holding that same scowl that she held when Gloria told her and Gloria’s father that she was pregnant and that Cameron was the father. Neither of them ever liked him, having grown up middle class barely and Gloria’s father a powerful surgeon.

“You bastard, you did this to me.”

“We did this, Gloria.”

“Fuck you. I’m the one paying for it. I’m the one that's going to be paying for it.”

Cameron sat up. “I’ve paid for the medical expenses. I’m going to support our child. Our son. You won’t stop that.”

Gloria sneered. “Not enough. It will never be enough. You have ruined my life. I didn’t want you here right now, I still don’t. You aren’t going on the birth certificate. The child doesn’t belong to you. You won’t see them after today. Daddy is going to take of it.”

“You can’t stop me. He our son. He is as much mine as yours. I would even say more so. You didn’t want him. You wanted to kill him. Now, he is about to be born.”

“Yes, and because of you, I’m burdened with it now,” she grimaced, “you have no idea how much this hurts. You son of a bitch.”

Cameron stood up. “Do you need me to get the doctor?”

“No, you have done enough. Go back to your chair, or leave. I don’t care. I don’t want to see you. Not again.”

He returned to the chair, as her mother brought the ice chips. The doctor followed, and Cameron could see Gloria’s father, standing in the hallway. He never entered the room.

Cameron didn’t leave the chair. He watched the birth of his son, his first cries in the world, and the joy of his son’s grandmother at his eyes gazing at her. The nurse wiped his son clean, and held him out to Gloria. “Here is your son, Mom.”

Gloria slumped back and rolled her head to face the nurse. “I’m too tired right now. Let my mom hold it.” She reached for her purse, and rummaged around before extracting her phone.

He couldn’t take it anymore. Something would have to be done. He swiftly walked out, hearing a sign of relief from Gloria. He pushed open the door, and stopped in front of Gloria’s father. “Watch over him Jack. I can’t right now. But I will. Believe that.”

***

Cameron opened the door to their apartment, shaking the rain off his coat before he placed it on the hook. Gloria sat on the couch, eating a bag of chips. The TV blared some program, while Gloria flicked through her phone with her other hand.

Cameron sat next to her, and placed his hand on her knee. “How was your day honey?”

“Oh, it was okay. Nothing much happened. It rained all day, so I stayed in.”

“I worked. It was a long day. I’m ready to relax.”

She tapped on her phone in silence for a few moments, and then she scratched the corner of her lip. “So, I need to borrow $700.00 and your car keys.”

Cameron sat up, mouth agape. Did she really say that? “What did you say?”

Gloria didn’t look up. “I need to have $700.00. And your car. I need to take care of something.”

“What do you need to take care of?”

“Oh, I took a test, and it came back positive. I need to get it taken care of, so if you can run out to the ATM tonight, that would be great.”

Cameron turned and faced her, staring at her until she looked up from her phone, looking confused. “You want to murder my child?”

“Its not a child. Its just a little problem. I’m going to get rid of it.”

“Little problem? I can’t believe that I’m hearing this. You are pregnant, and you are going to kill my child?”

“You need to give me this money. This is gonna happen.”

Cameron broke out in a cold sweat. What was he gonna do? A sharp pain filled his stomach, and he felt an overwhelming compulsion to protect the child growing inside Gloria. Even from her.

“The ATM won’t give out that much money at a time. The bank is closed for a day,” he weakly expressed.

“Okay, then go first thing tomorrow. I need to get this thing out of me as soon as possible. Now, I want to watch my show.”

Cameron collapsed on the couch. Was that the best he could do? Had he already failed his child, before they were even born? He felt shame, and he stared at his hands, impotently. Then, suddenly, it came to him.

“I’m going to tell your father.”

Gloria looked up, and stared at him. “What?”

“I’m going to your father. You know how he feels about this. He is going to cut you off, permanently. No more apartment, no more credit cards, no more expensive things. He will never stand for you killing his grandchild. He won’t. He’ll disown you.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“I would, and I will. I’m not going to the bank. You can try to go to Daddy for the money, but I’m telling him what you need it for. You can’t stop me.”

He had never seen Gloria’s face twist itself in that way before. They had dated for six months, and until this moment, he never believed that this she was capable of this expression. “Okay, you bastard. You win, for now.”

Cameron didn’t feel like it was a victory. “What do you mean for now?”

“I mean that you are gonna pay for everything. You aren’t gonna be a part of his life.”

“I’m gonna have a son?”

“No. I’m gonna name her Jaenice, and I’m gonna raise her as a girl. She is gonna be my accessory, my brand, my breadwinner. You are not gonna be the father. All you had to do is just pay to get rid of it, but instead you can watch from a distance as she grows up without you. She will know what a piece of shit you are.”

“How can you say these things? It is so evil.”

“Evil? EVIL? I’m not the evil one here. I’m not the one that did this. You are. And you aren’t taking responsibility for your actions. If you are going to force me to be a mother, then I know whats in my child’s best interest. That's what mom’s do. You are just a fucking deadbeat. You are financially abusive, and if you try to force your way into my daughter’s life, you’ll be going to jail. Don’t you think Daddy won’t pay for the best lawyer.”

Cameron stood up, repelled from the vitriol of her words. “You are a monster.”

Gloria smoothed out her face. “Because you made me one. Why do I keep ending up with assholes?”

Cameron stumbled backwards, and reached behind him for his coat. “I can’t stay here anymore.”

Gloria looked back down at her phone. “I’ll send you the medical bills. You better pay them promptly. And if I need anything, you gonna get it for me. In fact, bring the mother of this child some ice cream. Rocky road, or double fudge. Hurry up, I’m hungry. Eating for two.”

Cameron closed the door behind him. That feeling hadn’t gone away. His son’s life might be safe for now, but after he was born, it would become a living hell. What kind of father let his son go through that? What kind of a man?

As he walked to his car, that fear crystallized in him. It steeled his resolve. Cameron would do anything to save his son. He had to. Whatever it took.