Sincerely

Six months later, June 11th, 2053

A warrant for Lev’s father had been put out and while Chloe and Toby had returned to normal lives after many months in hiding and no sightings of him, it was still a concern. We had agents watching them, and Lev, I and Creed were never far away if they needed help. Chloe and Toby had moved in with Lev’s mother, and Chloe had gotten a job as a waitress, hospitality came to her naturally as a surrogate.

Lev and Deckard were planning to get married as soon as it was made legal. It was in the work in the courts seeing as many had started protesting for androids to have the same rights as humans after what had happened to Deckard, Alessio and many others.

Creed had sat down with Kelsea one night and talked to her about what he was, too. He was scared she would hate him for what he had done even though he’d only supplied her mother with the drugs not made her take them or made her addicted to them in the first place. I was there by his side. I told Kelsea he still loved her and had taken care of her.

Kelsea wasn’t mad but she did have questions about her mother, like if she had any family, where her father was, and other things. Creed told her if she really wanted to know, he could find out and if they were willing and understanding maybe they could meet. They were her family after all, Creed knew he was risking it by contacting them, but it was unfair not to tell them about Kelsea or for him to deny her contact with them.

He did manage to find her father and his family who didn’t even know Sienna had a child before she passed, sure her body showed evidence of her being pregnant but they just assumed she had miscarried and had all the things in preparation if she did have the kid.

They were grateful to Creed for him taking her in and looking after her, at least someone was looking after her, and caring for her. We set up a place to meet with them, her father and his parents, in a restaurant. We got a large booth in a back corner away from others, we arrived early and waited nervously in anticipation.

When they showed up, you could see Kelsea in her father. We went over to greet them, leaving Kelsea in the booth with a colouring book.

“She looks like Sienna,” the man, named Odin commented sadly.

Creed glanced at Kelsea and he saw it, too. He saw it every day.

I think Odin could sense the worry that Creed had that they were going to want Kelsea back.

“I’m not going to take her,” he replies. “It wouldn’t be a good idea. I’m still recovering, you rescued her from having a lifestyle with a drug addict, I don’t want to bring her back into that. I could slip up and she could be the one finding me dead, I don’t want that,” he reasoned quietly.

Creed looked over at him shocked.

“She’s safe with you, and you love her, that’s what she needs. I’ll visit her because I know I’m an important part of her life but so are you,” he adds.

“I hurt Sienna,” Creed hissed.

“Sienna hurt herself and she hurt Kelsea. She took the drugs, it’s hard to get out of the loop once you’re in it. I know. And even once you’re out, it’s even harder to stay out. Overdoses happen, sure you might have given her the drugs but you didn’t draw up the needle and inject her with it. When one source stops providing drugs, you move onto another, so even if you had denied her drugs, she would have just gone somewhere else to get them,” Odin reasons, just like I had.

I glanced over at another man who was being shown to a booth, he looked to be in his sixties, and a young woman with an indicator was sitting in the booth. Something seemed familiar about the man. I tried to place him. It struck me then, it was Lev’s father.

“I’ll be right back, I got to make a phone call,” I told Creed quickly.

“Okay,” he replied.

The four of them went and sat with Kelsea in the booth as I stepped outside.

“This is officer Greyson, back up is requested to apprehend a wanted fugitive,” I stated into the phone as soon as someone picked up.

I explained the situation further before they said they were sending a unit and to be on standby. I could see him and the young woman going through papers, I suspected she was another surrogate, he had just given up, like that. Someone would have found out when he registered for a birth certificate and social security number for his kid, how did he think he was going to get away with this?

I guess it didn’t matter, he had slipped up because he was so desperate and now he was going to get caught, that was all that mattered in the end. I waited outside and within fifteen minutes three cruisers surrounded the outside of the restaurant but keep out of sight of the windows so he wouldn’t be scared off.

Creed emerged from the restaurant, seeming to have noticed the police presence. At the same time, a plainclothes officer went in, probably to clear out the guests and staff so they weren’t put in harm’s way.

“What’s going on?” Creed asked.

“Lev’s father is inside,” I reply. “I saw him, that’s why I excused myself to make a call, once he’s off the street we have very little to worry about with the laws changing,” I reassured Creed.

The plainclothes officer emerged a few minutes later with Kelsea, her father and her grandparents.

“Suspect has been located and identified,” he tells one of the other sergeants.

A different plainclothes officer went in next and removed more guests, the restaurant was quite empty because it was a Monday evening, and eventually, all but Lev’s father and the surrogate were left in the restaurant. They sent officers in both the front, side and back doors to ensure there would be no way for him to escape while we waited outside.

Creed told her father to take her to their car and wait, he also apologized profusely for their dinner being interrupted.

“It’s fine, this is your job, you’re making the city a safer place for Kelsea, you’re protecting her, it’s more than what Sienna or I did for her,” he reassures him touching his shoulder.

Once Odin and Kelsea and her grandparents are safe, the officers move in. We watch the scene unfold outside and you can see the rage building in Lev’s father. One of the officers pulls the surrogate from the booth they are sitting in behind them trying to make sure there are no casualties. Two other officers take hold of him and force him to the ground and cuff him before dragging him outside.

He’s throwing insults left and right about androids and people alike. Especially, Lev and his mother. Everyone ignores him and once he’s placed in the back of a cruiser you can barely hear him. Creed sighs with relief after, I knew Lev would feel the same, having to no longer worry about him.

I took Creed and pulled him closer to me, hugging him.

“We’re safe now, I promise,” I whisper against his hair.

He embraces me tightly, and I can hear him trying to steady his breath. I hear a car door open and I look up and Kelsea is running towards us. She hugs Creed.

“Is Dad okay?” she asks.

He looks down at her with a tear-stained face and red-rimmed eyes.

Creed smiles at her, “Yes, I’m okay, sweetheart,” he whispers kneeling down and hugging her.

I look over at Odin, and I can see him smiling and holding back tears as well. He saw Creed’s humanity and love for Kelsea. He trusted him with her life sincerely.

The End.