At first I thought that Andy would kill someone but Rachel held her until she calmed down and that finally gave Peggy a chance to deliver a slightly better piece of news. The services would do all they could to avoid Holly being put into the system and would much prefer to place her with her next of kin, which was Andy. The last month had been spent trying to convince them that the even though Andy lived in America she should indeed be instated as Holly’s legal guardian with a view to permanent adoption if her parents were found negligent and abusive after a police investigation.

After weeks of nervous waiting they seemed to have got all of the necessary paper work in place and we were now on our way to England so Andy could meet her Little sister for the first time and also go through a series of stringent interviews and checks to evaluate her ability to care for a child.

Bette, Angie, Katie and myself would be travelling with them as a kind of holiday as much as for moral support as the past month had been no less stressful for our family.

Angie had gone to her appointment on the Wednesday and accepted the counselling as promised and an appointment was set for the termination the following week I knew it could not last, as Angie seemed so calm and together. She kept that front up for the whole week leading up to the abortion and even throughout the procedure she was strong and brave until we got her home. The minute she stepped into the house that evening she collapsed into the most heart wrenching sobs I ever heard.

She cried for the next two days with Bette and I taking it in turns to sit with her and hold her. In the end it was Katie who got the tears to stop, telling her sister that she loved her forever and that she thought she was the bravest person in the world seemed to touch a place in her heart we had not been able to reach.

Angie spent some time alone before speaking to anyone but she came to us a few days later and thanked us for being there for letting her work it out of her system and not making her keep it inside. Since then she had calmed and her body seemed to be readjusting finally she was less unpredictable and more level.