“Okay Seven, ya said dat ya’d tell me whedder ya liked my facial hair ‘r not. So, do ya want me ta keep it or lose it?” Bumlets asked.
“You can keep it. I rather like it. Just keep it the way it is, just a liddle on yer chin an’ yer mustache.” Seven answered.
“Great. So, we leavin’ fer Irving Hall?”
“Yeah, let’s get goin’.”
The two ran down the stairs and grabbed their coats before running out the door. Autumn had come so quickly, that one day, all the leaves were green, and the next days, they were all brown, red, orange, yellow or gold. But it sure looked pretty.
Also with the colors changing came rain. At first it was a calm, steady rain, but now it was harder. All the newsies knew that thunderstorms and snow were well on their way.
When Seven and Bumlets left the lodging house, they dashed through the rain down the street to the Hall. It was a Wednesday night, and Seven had to sing. Medda paid her seventy-five cents every night she sang, and if she did two she would pay her fifty cents more. But Seven normally sang one song once a week because she never had the time to do more.
They arrived at the Hall within ten minutes and Medda greeted the both of them and helped them get their wet coats off.
“Sheesh, that rain’s nasty.” Seven commented. “It’s supposed ta be cool now but the rain’s freezing!”
“Oh, don’t worry.” Medda told her. “At least you’re not soaked to the bone. Well, you’d better change right now and get ready. You have fifteen minutes!”
Seven nodded and rushed up the stairs to her dressing room. Fifteen minutes went by and Seven came out and got ready to sing. When she went out to center stage, she saw Bumlets where he always was; on the other side of the stage, keeping his eyes glued to her.
Seven flashed him a smile as Medda announced her name. Seven then walked onstage, listening to the many hands clapping and cheers and whistles coming from the crowd. When the noise subsided, the music began, and Seven began to sing.
“Heart, don’t fail me now. Courage, don’t desert me, don’t turn back now that we’re here. People always say like is full of choices, no one ever mentions fear. Or how the road can seem so long. How the world can seem so vast. Courage see me through, heart, I’m trusting you, on this journey…to the past.”
“Somewhere down this road, I know someone’s waiting. Years of dreams just can’t be wrong. Arms will open wide, I’ll be safe and wanted, fin’lly home where I belong. Well, starting here my life begins. Starting now, I’m learning fast. Courage see me through, heart, I’m trusting you, on this journey…to the past.”
“Heart don’t fail me now! No, courage don’t desert me! Home, love, family, there was once a time I must’ve had them too. Home, love, family, I will never be complete until I find you…”
“Once step at a time, one hope, then another, who knows where this road may go? Back to who I was, on to find my future, things my heart still needs to know. Yes, let this be a sign! Let this road be mine! Let it lead me to my past! Courage see me through, heart, I’m trusting you, to bring me home…at last! At last!”
The music slowly faded, and applause grew. Seven broke into a smile and bowed before she left the stage. As always, Bumlets was there to congratulate her on doing such a good job.
“Ya did great!” he exclaimed.
“Thanks.” Seven said.
Bumlets then wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug. “Ya think sometime we can do one tagethah?”
Seven nodded. “Sure! I know plenty we can do.”
“Hey, Seven!” Medda called. “Good job!”
“Thanks!” Seven called.
“You two better head home now,” Medda added, “it’s raining harder outside, and a storm might be comin’ soon.”
“Okay. Bumlets, I’ll be right back.”
Seven then went to the dressing room to change her clothes. When she came out, both she and Bumlets grabbed their coats and hats and ran outside. As they rushed past alleys, Seven thought she heard a faint cry. She stopped and listened again.
When Bumlets noticed she had stopped, he went to her, wondering why she had stopped in the middle of the rain. When he got a good look at her face, he could tell that she had heard something.
“Seven, what’s wrong?” he asked.
“Sh! I heard it again!” she said.
Bumlets then listened with her. All he could hear for the moment was the rain’s pitter-patter on the pavement and splashing when it hit puddles. He couldn’t hear anything else.
“What-”
“Shh! Jus’ listen!”
Bumlets heaved a heavy sigh and listened. Finally, he heard what Seven was hearing. At first it sounded like a kitten mewing for its milk, but then he heard a loud, strong wail.
“Oh my – holey rusted metal!” he muttered quietly. “Seven, is that what I think it is?”
Seven didn’t answer; she just took off down the alley to search for whatever she had heard. She could tell she was getting close, but the sound was coming from a pile of clipped branches from rose bushes.
As Seven ran to the thorny branches, her suspicions were confirmed. In the pile of branches, both she and Bumlets found a tiny baby. (Writer’s note: this is actually a true story. Something similar to this happened near Sacramento.)
This baby must have been less than a few hours old, for its cord was still attached to its stomach. The poor baby had no clothes, and the thorns from the branches had scratched its tender skin, causing deeps cuts that could be serious for her. Seven then reached down and picked up the baby.
“You poor thing!” she exclaimed when she picked it up.
The baby was freezing cold; her mother must’ve just had her a few hours before and left her there to die. ‘Who would do such a thing?’ Seven wondered.
“What is it?” Bumlets asked.
“It’s a girl.” Seven answered. “Bumlets, she may be sick; she needs something soft and warm.”
“Soft and warm. Soft and warm.” Bumlets repeated as he searched for a blanket.
They were in an alley, and it was raining, so no one would be hanging their laundry out to dry. What could he give the baby to keep her warm? He then pulled his coat off and began to unbutton his shirt. His shirt was soft, and it was warm from the heat his coat gave it.
When he pulled his shirt off, he gave it to Seven and she wrapped the baby in it. The baby’s crying then turned into tiny, choked sobs and flexed her tiny fingers on the soft fabric of Bumlets’ shirt.
“Is she gonna be okay?” Bumlets asked, pulling his coat over his undershirt.
“I don’t know. We gotta get her to the hospital.” Seven answered.
Seven then stood up and held the baby close to her. The baby was no longer sobbing, but trying to suck at Seven’s shirt. ‘She must be hungry.’ Seven thought. ‘We need to get her to the hospital.’
The rain was falling harder now, and Seven did her best to keep the baby from getting any more wet. When they finally reached the hospital, Bumlets rushed to get a doctor as Seven looked at the baby.
The baby was still sobbing a little; probably from hunger and the pain of the scratches the thorns had inflicted on her. As Seven looked at the baby, she became angry and sad. She was angry because someone had left her to die right after she was born. She was also sad because this baby had no one to love her.
‘Why would someone just abandon their baby?’ She asked herself. ‘It’s bad enough people kill their babies before they’re born!’ At that minute, Bumlets arrived with a doctor.
“I’m Doctor Lane.” The doctor said. “Is this your baby?”
“No,” Seven answered, “we found her in a pile of rose branches. The mother must’ve abandoned her.”
“Was she in the rain?”
“Yes.”
“Then I need to take her into emergency. Please, let me have her.”
Seven nodded and gently handed the baby to Dr. Lane. Once the baby was out of her arms, she began to cry aloud. Dr. Lane carried her to the emergency room and Seven sat down in a chair to wait for news on her.
Bumlets sat next to her and she laid her head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and held her close to him.
“Who would do such a thing?” she wondered out loud.
“I don’ know. I was thinkin’ th’ same thing.”
“Babies are such wonderful things.” Seven continued. “Why would anyone want to have them die before or immediately after they’re born?”
“I don’ know.”
The two waited for at least a half hour before Dr. Lane returned with information on the baby. He walked over to the two newsies and stuck his hands in his lab coat pockets.
“Where did you find her?” he asked.
“In an alley about a quarter of a mile from here.” Seven answered. “Is she gonna be okay?”
“We’re not sure. She was out in the rain to long that she may have pneumonia. I’m afraid that it’s deadly for babies. And the fact that she was dehydrated and didn’t receive the attention she needed immediately after she was born makes the situation worse.”
“Is she gonna die?” Bumlets asked.
“I’m afraid there’s a far greater chance that she will die rather than the chances of her living. I’m sorry.”
“Doctor,” Seven spoke up, “have you given her a name?”
“I’m afraid not. With the way things are going with her, there wouldn’t be use for one.”
“But she needs one. Can I give her a name, just for good luck?”
Dr. Lane sighed. “Ah, very well.”
“I wanna call her…Hannah. Hannah Rose, cuz we found her in a pile of branches from rose bushes.”
“I’ll make sure she goes under that name.”
“What’ll happen if she lives?” Bumlets asked.
“Then she’ll need a home and a family. She may go to an orphanage here or take the orphan train out west.”
“Thanks, doc.” Seven said as she arose.
“I just want you to know that we’ll do everything we can to make sure she gets better.”
“Can we visit her?”
“You can check her condition, but you couldn’t see her. You could get sick as well.”
“Okay.” Bumlets said. “Thanks again, doc.”
“Bumlets, do you think Hannah’s gonna be okay?” Seven asked.
“I hope so. Every kid deserves a chance ta live.”
It had stopped raining, but it was still pretty cloudy outside. But that didn’t dim the spirits of most of the newsies. Most did as they always did; danced, sang and turned cartwheels as they headed for the distribution center.
“’Ey Seven, you okay?” Dancer asked.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” Seven answered. “We jus’ got home late las’ night, that’s all.”
Dancer nodded and continued on her way. When she was out of Seven’s sight, she began to think about Hannah again. Why on earth would her mother just abandon her like that?
They arrived at the distribution center and ordered their papers. Seven took her normal hundred papers, and as usual, Oscar Delancy dropped them off. But before he could give her a flirtatious remark, Seven spoke up.
“Don’t go flirtin’ with me.” she said sternly. “I’m not in the mood.”
Oscar only gave her a surprised look and Seven moved on. When Bumlets rejoined her, he knew exactly what she wanted to do.
“Wanna go check on Hannah?” he asked.
Seven nodded. “Yeah.”
Bumlets smiled a little and the two walked to the hospital. When they arrived, Bumlets went to the front desk for information on Hannah.
“’Scuse me,” he said, “but couldja tell us about Hannah Rose?”
The nurse behind the desk shuffled through papers on her desk, searching for the latest news on the baby. When she found the right paper, she looked up at the two newsies and gave them a sympathetic look.
“I’m sorry, but her condition is unchanged.” She answered. “Are you the parents?”
Seven shook her head. “No. She was abandoned, we found her.”
“Well, I suggest that you check her once a week. With her being sick, it could take a few weeks for her to recover. That is, if she recovers.”
“Thanks for the info. We’ll be back to check on her next week.”
A week passed. Hannah’s condition hadn’t changed. Another week passed, and she was still the same. Another three weeks passed and the doctors said that she wasn’t going to survive.
Seven’s heart was shattered when they said she wasn’t going to survive, but she later decided that it wasn’t true. She had a feeling deep within her heart that Hannah was going to make it.
“She’s going to make it.” Seven thought out loud. “I know it.”
“I kinda have a weird feelin’ dat she’s gonna make it too.” Bumlets said. “I’m not gonna give up on ‘er dat easily.”
“Neither am I. Ya know, I wonder if I could…well…ya know, adopt her.”
“Adopt?” Bumlets exclaimed. “How could ya? Yer jus’ a newsie! I mean, babies ‘r big responsibilities. Ya gotta feed ‘em, an’ ya gotta support ‘em, an’ what about her education? How’re ya gonna send her ta school?”
“I’ll probably have enough money by then. Don’t you understand, she needs me!”
“An’ der’s anudder thing. What about a fadder? Every kid needs a fadder. Fadders supply half de love kids get. ‘Member, I din’t have one.”
“I could get married.”
“But yer too young right now. Yer only seventeen. Most people get married when dey’re eidder eighteen or nineteen.”
“I’ll be eighteen in the summertime!”
“But still, bein’ a mudder is a big responsibility. I don’ think yer old enough.”
“But I really think she needs me. I could be cut out for the job.”
“Maybe you should talk ta Kloppman ‘bout dis. After all, ‘e’s a grandpa.”
“Yer right. Let’s go talk to ‘im.”
The two then continued on their way to the lodging house. When they arrived, they found Kloppman with Jake, trying to get out another splinter.
“Hey Jake!” Seven said. “Got yerself another splinter?”
“Aw, shut-yow! Kloppman, dat hoits!” Jake cried.
“How many times do we have to tell you, don’t play around on the stairway? If you don’t, you won’t get these deep splinters.” Kloppman told him.
Kloppman finally dug the wooden splinter out of Jake’s skin and put some ointment on it to keep it from infecting. As soon as he was finished, Jake went back to the bunkroom, grumbling and complaining as he went.
“’Ey Kloppman, can we talk t’ ya?” Bumlets asked.
“Sure. What’s the problem?”
“Well, ya see, we ain’t told anyone dis yet, but…well, we found dis baby a few weeks ago an’ ‘er mudder left ‘er afta she was born an’ now she doesn’t ‘ave a home. An’ Seven wants ta adopt her.”
Kloppman’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“I was afraid they’d mistake her as my baby.” Seven answered. “I didn’t want that to happen.”
“I see. So, what’s the problem?”
“Seven wants ta adopt her.” Bumlets repeated.
“Oh. Seven, do you know what it’s like to take care of a child?”
“A little. I helped watch over a friend’s baby.”
“But it’s an even bigger responsibility than that. First of all, you need to support the baby with money, so you need a good job. Second, the baby needs a father. Also, babies can get sick very easily, they throw up, and not to mention diapers.”
“Kloppman, I don’t mind that stuff.” Seven said stubbornly. “She needs me. If you’d only look at her you’d realize that she needs someone to love her and take care of her. I can do it.”
Kloppman let out a heavy sigh. It was going to be hard to convince her that being a mother was a job that she simply wasn’t ready for.
“Seven, I think you should wait.” He said.
Seven shut her eyes briefly. “Okay, okay. I’ll wait.” ‘But I still believe she needs me.’ she added mentally.
Another week passed, and Seven had the feeling that Hannah had survived the week. ‘We need to visit her,’ she thought. Since they had finished selling papers early, she knew that she could convince Bumlets to come with her.
“Bumlets,” she said, “do ya wanna come with me to check on Hannah?”
Bumlets though for a minute, then nodded. “I guess so.”
Seven then took Bumlets’ hand and they walked to the hospital together. When they arrived, Bumlets walked up to the front desk and asked the nurse about Hannah’s condition.
“She survived her illness.” The nurse answered. “She’s recovering right now.”
“Can we see her?” Seven asked eagerly.
“Are you family?”
“Well…sorta.”
“Very well. Take the hall, turn left and her room is the first on the right.”
“Thanks.”
Seven then followed the directions given and walked to Hannah’s room. When she arrived, she found a nurse trying to pick her up, only to hear the poor baby scream loudly.
“What’s goin’ on?” Seven demanded.
“Oh, this baby doesn’t like anyone to pick her up.” The nurse told her. “She doesn’t like anyone.”
“Then lemme hold her.”
The nurse gave her an odd look. “Are you crazy?”
“Trust me. Just let me see her.”
The nurse sighed and picked up the screaming baby. When she placed Hannah in Seven’s arms, she looked at Seven’s face and immediately calmed down. Seven could tell that she recognized her and smiled.
“That’s odd,” the nurse said, “that’s the first time she hasn’t screamed her head off.”
“I know. She thinks I’m her mother.”
“Are you?”
“No. Her real mother abandoned her, we found her.”
Seven looked at Hannah and smiled at her. Hannah only reached up and grabbed Seven’s shirt. Seven chuckled to herself as she admired Hannah. She had sprouted soft chestnut hair, and her eyes were now a beautiful, gentle turquoise blue.
“She’s so beautiful,” she whispered.
Hannah then began making noises, as if she were trying to talk to Seven. She only smiled at her and stuck her finger before Hannah’s face. She then let go of Seven’s shirt and grabbed her finger.
Seven chuckled again and smiled at Hannah. “Hi!” she said quietly.
Hannah only studied the look on her face. She had a wide smile on her face, and Hannah decided to imitate her. She opened her mouth and the sides of her mouth suddenly curved into a smile. Seven then realized what she had taught her and turned to Bumlets.
“Bumlets, she’s smiling at me!” she exclaimed.
“Really? Lemme see!”
Bumlets looked at Hannah. Sure enough, there was a bright smile on her face. She then looked at Bumlets and her eyes widened. She looked at him with a rather curious look on her face.
“What’s up with her?” Bumlets asked. “She’s lookin’ at me weird.”
“I dunno. You wanna hold her?”
“I guess so.”
Seven gently shifted Hannah and handed her to Bumlets. “Be careful. Support her head cuz it’s bad if you don’t. Her head can fall off.”
Bumlets nodded and supported Hannah’s head against his forearm. When Hannah looked up at him, she continued to give him the same curious look. She seemed to recognize him, but something about his face deeply intrigued her.
As she continued to study his face, she began reaching her hand up toward his face. Bumlets looked at Seven and gave her a clueless look.
“What’s she doin’?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe she wants to touch yer face.”
Bumlets shrugged and leaned closer to Hannah. She then touched his face with her tiny fingers and opened her mouth with a delighted sound. Then she touched the line of soft hair on his chin and smiled before she tried to grab the tiny hairs. She did grab a few and tugged, causing Bumlets light pain.
“Ow!” he cried. “She’s grabbin’ my beard!”
Seven laughed out loud, and Hannah then let out a baby laugh with her. She then waved her arms around began making baby noises again. She looked at Bumlets again and made even more noises.
“What’s she doin’ now?” he asked.
“She’s tryin’ to talk to ya.” Seven answered with a wide smile. “She likes you.”
Bumlets then smiled and looked back at Hannah. He bounced her in his arms and she made even more delighted noises. She really seemed to like him! ‘Wow!’ he thought. ‘I neva thought a kid would like me like this!’
Bumlets bounced her some more, and then Hannah let out a large yawn. When she inhaled, her eyelids began to droop. She was falling asleep.
“’Ey Seven, she’s fallin’ asleep on me!”
Seven smiled and nodded as she watched Hannah fall asleep in Bumlets’ arms. Never had she seen a sweeter sight.
“She’s so cute.” Bumlets said. “I neva was good with babies, so I’m surprised she likes me.”
“Maybe she knows you’re someone special.” Seven said.
“Excuse me,” said the nurse, who was just returning from another duty.
“Yes?” Seven asked.
“I think we need to put her to bed now. You can come back later to visit her since she seems to like you better than anyone else.”
“Oh, we’ll be back.” Bumlets assured. “We most certainly will.”
The nurse then came over to Bumlets and he handed Hannah over to her. The nurse then placed her in her crib and let her sleep. When she left, Bumlets went to the crib and gently touched Hannah’s gentle cheek.
“Bye, Esperanza.” He said.
“Esperanza?” Seven inquired.
“Yeah, Esperanza. She’s gotta have a nickname.”
“But what that mean?”
“It means ‘star.’ I think she’s jus’ put some light inta my life.”
Seven grinned widely, and then both she and Bumlets left the hospital.
“’Ey Bumlets, where’d you an’ Seven go dis aftanoon?” Dutchy asked.
“We went ta visit someone in de hospital.”
“Who?”
“A goil named Hannah Rose.”
“Well, I’se still lookin’ fer a goil. How old is she?”
“Ya really wanna know?”
“Yeah!”
“Six weeks.”
“Six…weeks? Whoa, wait a minute! How-”
“Don’ get any ideas, Dutchy. She’s not our baby. We found ‘er jus’ hours after she was born.”
“How do I know yer tellin’ de truth?”
“Cuz we found her in rose branches. If ya want proof, you cin look at ‘er arms an’ you’ll see scars. ‘Sides, Seven hasn’t been at de lodging house long enough ta have a kid yet. An’ ya know ‘er, she’s not dat type ‘a goil.”
“Oh good. Ya scared me der fer a sec. Ya know, maybe if ya told Oscar Delancy, ‘e’d stay away from Seven.”
“Hey, I never thought of that! Good idea, maybe I‘ll do dat.”
“’Ey Seven, how come ya keep going to the hospital?” Irish asked.
“What makes you think I go there?”
“Cuz I’ve seen ya.”
“Oh. Well, a couple weeks ago, when I’se headin’ home after singing, me and Bumlets found a baby in an alley. She was only a few hours old, so we took ‘er to de hospital an’ they thought she was gonna die. But she din’t, an’ we’ve been visitin’ her.”
“Oh. What’s her name?” Beaner asked, eavesdropping on their conversation.
“Hannah Rose. We gave ‘er the middle name of Rose cuz we found her in a pile of rosebush stems.”
“Got a nickname?”
“Yeah. Esperanza. That means ‘star.’ Bumlets called ‘er that cuz ‘e said she brought light to his life.”
“Aw, how cute.” Irish complemented.
“You wanna see cute? You should see Esperanza when she’s in Bumlets’ arms. Now that’s cute!”
Seven began to laugh, but the picture of Bumlets holding Hannah was branded into her mind. ‘He’ll make a good father someday.’ She thought.
“Hi sweetie.” Seven said as Nurse Bringham handed Hannah to her.
Hannah’s eyes brightened when she saw Seven and she smiled at her. She waved her tiny arms around as if she were trying to wave, and she made happy noises as if trying to say that she was happy to see her.
“Were you a good baby?” Seven asked, holding Hannah close to her and bouncing her a little.
Hannah smiled again and continued waving her arms around. Seven smiled at her, and Bumlets looked over her shoulder to get a look at the baby.
“Heya, Esperanza.” He said.
Hannah’s smile became wider and she made even happier noises when she saw him. He smiled at her, and she let out a tiny laugh.
“She really likes me.” He whispered in awe.
“I know.” Seven said. “She knows that you’re special. You know, it’s often said that animals and children can pick out a tenderhearted person. I’m beginnin’ to believe it’s true now.”
Bumlets only wrapped his arms around Seven’s waist and admired Hannah. He was utterly enchanted with this baby; her eyes were so full of curiosity and wonder. But she needed a family. She needed a good mother and a father who could support her.
‘Maybe Seven is cut out for the job.’ He thought. ‘She would be the perfect mama for Hannah.’
Outside of the room, Nurse Bringham was observing them closely. All three of them looked so much like a family. And Hannah did need a family, but could those two do it? As she thought that, Dr. Lane came by and noticed the situation in the room.
“Who’s in there?” he asked.
“The people who found her.” Bringham answered. “What’s going to happen with the baby?”
“That’s what those two need to know.”
Dr. Lane then entered the room and interrupted Seven and Bumlets’ time with Hannah. When Bumlets noticed Dr. Lane, he unwrapped his arms from Seven and acknowledged him.
“Dr. Lane.” He said.
“Nice to see you again. What are your names again?”
“I’m Bumlets an’ she’s Seven of Nine.”
“I meant your real names.”
“First an’ last?”
“Yes.”
“Well, mine is Michael Lopez, an’ hers is Juliet Ryan.”
“So you aren’t married?”
“No.”
“I see. Well, I just came to tell you that Hannah is only staying here a week. By then she ought to be fully recovered, and then she’ll be heading to Maryland to be adopted.”
“What?” Seven demanded.
“There is a couple down there who have been on a waiting list for a long time to adopt a daughter. I’m afraid Hannah was the only child available for them to adopt.”
“But…we wanted to adopt her!” Bumlets exclaimed.
Seven turned and looked at Bumlets with wide eyes. Now HE wanted to adopt her? But a week ago he was trying to convince her to give up on it!
“I’m afraid you can’t.” Dr. Lane told them.
“Why not?” Bumlets asked.
“For starters, you aren’t married.”
“We can take care ‘a dat.”
“Second of all, you two are newsies. Being a newsie couldn’t possibly make enough money to support a child.”
“I could get anudder job.”
“And you have to pay for her. You probably don’t have the money.”
“We have money elsewhere.”
“And besides, both of you look like you’re younger than twenty. Only couples twenty and older can adopt.”
“Doc, ya don’ understand.” Seven spoke up. “Hannah needs us. I know we may not be able to make a lot of money, or we may not be old enough, but we’re capable of loving her as much as anyone else.”
“I’m sorry.”
Hannah then let out a loud wail as if she could understand what Dr. Lane was saying. Seven only bounced her a little, then put her on her shoulder and tried again to calm her down.
“Doc, please.” Bumlets pleaded. “Can’t ya see now? She’s only a liddle baby, but she knows dat we love ‘er.”
“There’s nothing I can do. I’m sorry.”
A stray tear made its way down Seven’s cheek as Dr. Lane turned around and left. When he was out of sight, Seven kissed Hannah’s baby-soft cheek and looked at Bumlets. He only gave her a sympathetic look and Seven cast her eyes to the ground.
“Can…can I hold her?” Bumlets asked.
Seven said nothing but nodded. She gently handed Hannah over to him and he sat in a rocking chair not too far away and slowly began to rock. The chair creaked each time it rocked, but the creaking slowly lulled Hannah to sleep.
When she was sound asleep, Bumlets looked up at Seven and she looked at Hannah. She was so beautiful, so innocent, so peaceful. Seven then went to Bumlets and put a hand on his shoulder and the two watched Hannah as she slept.
It was such a sad scene; the baby was going to be taken from them and they would never see her again. Nurse Bringham was still outside the door; she had seen and heard everything. ‘It’s so sad,’ she thought, ‘they look so much like a family, but the baby is being ripped from their arms and will be given to someone else.’
Once or twice every day, both Seven and Bumlets came to visit Hannah. She was always glad to see them, but whenever she smiled brightly at them, they were reminded that she was going to be someone else’s daughter.
Every time Seven held her, she felt as if she never wanted to let her go. She didn’t want to let her be adopted into someone else’s family when she could give her as much love as anyone else.
As the days passed quickly, seven days seemed more like seven hours. The hours they had spent with Hannah seemed like brief seconds to the both of them. Since today was the last day they could see her, they both decided to spend the day with her. When they arrived, Hannah saw them as usual and smiled her bright, happy smile. Seven’s heart grew heavy when she looked at her, but smiled to hide it.
“Hi Esperanza.” She said as she lifted her up and held her in her arms.