No ordinary affair

The hot arid air hit hard against her cheeks as she drove down the highway. Already flustered and upset from the days events she did not care that her hair was a mess and her skin burn from the sun. Beth just needed to hurry. Racing down the freeway she could not fight back tears, how could someone do this to us, oh my baby is she o.k.? "Is she hurt, does she need me?' she thought, The rage welled up in the deepest part of her soul. She slammed her fists against the steering wheel. Thoughts raced frantically through her mind. Is she alright and is she safe? Could she be lonely? She let out screams of anger and hit the steering wheel again causing her car to swerve over the double lines. Not caring about the pain radiating in her wrists. "O.k., O.k. calm down, if you wreck you will be no good to any one and your little girl needs you", she thought. What feels like a life time was just so recent, raw and her worst nightmare. "What is going on?"she thought..."Why her?" Her thoughts race back and forth over the turn of events, trying to rationalize the situation and put the pieces together and as far as she could figure out this is what had happened.
She received a phone call about an hour ago from an unknown number. It was a woman who was informing her not to panic but she had picked up her one month old daughter, Isabella, from daycare and that she was fine. The woman on the other end was apologetic for having to do what she did. She went on to tell her that she never meant to hurt anyone and that she desperately needed a baby to love and to make her relationship with her husband complete. "Why and how, what do you want?" This did not feel real more like an intensely unbelievable nightmare. The lady on the other end answered her, "Nothing except for you to say good bye to your daughter and to reassure you that your little one will be safe and taken care of. Also that I am not a bad person, just desperate." Then the as quickly as the phone had rang it suddenly wen dead. "Oh my God what do I do? Who would want my baby?" Beth quickly called her husband and explained the phone call she received. He ordered her to pull over and not to drive, given how panicky and upset she was. That he would meet her and they would call the police and figure this all out. He hung up and tried to clear the huge lump in his throat. He knew and how would he explain this?
As Beth waited on the side of the road she called the daycare to get a detailed description of the woman who picked up her daughter. How could they release her to a stranger. The lady on the other end gave her a description of the woman and informed Beth that she said that she was Isabella's Aunt. They are sorry and should have checked her records before release. Beth wanted to yell and scream at the lady for be so irresponsible. But she didn't, she just hung up the phone and started sobbing..
In her rear view mirror she could see her husbands car pulling behind hers. We need to call the police and meet pack at the house. We will leave your car here for now, you ride with me and we can come back for it later. The police arrived at the house just as they where pulling in. The officers came in to take a statement. As Beth described the lady who took her baby from day care.Joe's face beet red from crying suddenly turned to a pale white. He knew, but he just did not think she was capable of doing such a evil thing, following through with such a evil plan"
"Wait Beth" Joe's voice timid and ashamed. "I know what is happening.Oh honey I never meant for this to happen, I had no clue that she would do this!" "She?" Beth wiped her tears and with her hands on her hips, stared at her husband in disbelief, "What are you saying Joe, she who?" Her name is Sarah, Sarah Baker" Joe explained that about seven months into Beth's pregnancy a new employee at the facility that Joe manages approached him because she was having martial issues and needed a friend. They started off just talking at lunch and breaks and Joe enjoyed the company because he felt shoved aside. With the pregnancy and the new baby coming Beth was often displaced and in her own world or very involved with her mother or her sister. Not to mention that the intimacy was just not there. So one thing led to another and about two months ago they became intimate. Beth could hardly believe what she was hearing. "What does this have to do with my baby, why Isabella?" Joe went on explaining that when Isabella was born he had received a letter from Sarah explaining that the time had come for her to move on, she would soon have what she needed and she wanted to thank him for helping her get it. She explained that she does not want to hurt anyone she just needs to right a wrong. Joe explained that he received this letter on a Saturday and Monday morning upon his return to work he found out she had quit. "Honey, I felt relived because I felt so guilty for having done this to you, I did not know what she was meaning so I just discarded the letter and lived this past month as normal as possible "Do you know how we can find her?" The police officer asked "Is there a forwarding address from your work where her last check may have been sent?" Joe called his work, no forwarding address but his secretary said that a woman has been calling, frantic all afternoon and several messages had been left on his cell. She left a number and Joe called it.
The woman on the other line seemed shaken also. She said her name is Mary and she is Sarah's mother. She explained that she was not sure what was happening but see believed that her daughter had his baby girl. Mary told Joe to hurry she was heading to the airport right now to catch a flight to California and if he wanted to see his baby he needed to hurry. She gave Joe the necessary information. Before hanging up Mary told Joe that Sarah would never hurt his baby she is just desperate.
Joe and Beth raced off in their car with the police escorting them to the airport.When they arrived they found the gate they needed and their hearts pounding they made their way through the packed airport, by passing security, to gate 24 and nothing. As they scanned all the faces Beth could not see Isabella and Joe did not recognize any one to be Sarah. Their hearts sank but just then the police officer whispered in Joe's ear, "Sir, is that the woman?" He pointed toward the ladies restroom and coming out was a tall red head carrying a baby in her arms. "Yes, thats her, please get my baby!!!" The police officers surrounded her and handed Isabella over to Beth. They then handcuffed Sarah without incident and took her down to the station for questioning. Beth and Joe dropped Isabella off at Joe's parents and raced to the police station to find out why she would do something like this and to press kidnapping charges. The entire trip the tension was so thick that you cut it with a knife. Joe and Beth did not speak a word to one another. Things were never going to be the same between and Joe knew that this was disaster and he had caused it.
Arriving at the Police station Beth saw the captain. Beth charged toward him with such force she nearly knocked him down. "Please tell me that you found out why she would do such a thing and if she harmed Isabella in any way?" "Yes mam we did find out why she has done this and she says that she did not harm your baby. She says she loves you're baby and took good care of Isabella." "So go on why, why us, I mean why Isabella?" Beth asked. The captain went on to explain that Sarah and her husband had been trying for years to get pregnant and have spent allot of money on resources. The situation had put such a strain on their relationship. Sarah was afraid that if she did not act fast then she would loose the love of her life. Sarah's husband is in the military and he is over seas. When Sarah started working at Joe's company she had heard an announcement that Joe's would be taking some time off in a few months due to the arrival of his new baby. That gave Sarah an idea. Sarah was tangled in her web of deception. She had told her husband a few months ago that they were going to have a baby, which wasn't the truth. Finally things felt right in their marriage, her husband was so excited and Sarah had to figure out a way to keep the charade up. That is when she decided to pursue Joe and then Sarah was able to get close to Isabella through Joe. That is how she knew what daycare Isabella attended and Joe had brought her there to pick up Isabella so the providers knew what she looked like and had seen her with Joe. Also Sarah had dropped in on occasion and had mentioned that Joe was her brother, she made the staff comfortable with her. Then when she got all her affairs in order and had a new home waiting in California where her husband would be stationed next, she leap in to action and now here we are. "Lucky for us the one person she had confided in, her mother, has a counseious and phoned you."the police captain said, " If she had not you may have lost Isabella forever." "So what happens next?" Beth asked. "Well she gets arrested with no bond until her court date and then it may go to trial so I may need you to testify when that time comes." "Thank goodness Isabella's so young she wont remember any of this, so the trauma should be a minimum" The captain said. Beth gave him a hug. "Thank you so much for everything, now if you don't mind, would it be o.k. if I went home to my daughter? " Yes, yes go!, what about you Joe, you sure are quite through all of this" said the captain. "Yes Joe, why so quiet?" Beth glared at him. Joe had tears welling up in his eyes and could not utter the words that he wanted too. " Well" said Beth, "I'll speak for you Joe. Quietness seems to be your forte lately and if you would have just spoke up and told me you were unhappy with our marriage and that you were looking else where for companionship then we would not be in this mess! Do you understand that we could have lost our daughter forever!" "So Joe, honey, there is no need for you to say a word. We need to drive home so that you can pack up your stuff and get out! No worries my dad will pick up my car and my parents will bring Isabella to me and Isabella and I will be just fine, happy, safe and secure" Joe stared at Beth with tears streaming down his face. "This way Joe you have the opportunity to date as many baby snatchers as you would like or wait maybe you'll just wait for the one you already know. Also I got an idea, hey Captain where did you say Sarah's husband is stationed? I think he would love to here from me and after all he is so wanting to be a daddy and Isabella needs someone she can depend on. Nights get lonely and now that your gone Joe and she is going to prison, well I will need someone just as you will too." Beth continued feeling so much anger and rage, "So Joe I guess this is a win, win situation and no ordinary affair."