Saving Gary McKinnon by Janis Sharp Read Free Book Online Page B

was a tiny baby and as well as all the uncertainty in our lives about what was going to happen to Gary, I was doubtful about caring for an infant, as it had been so long since Gary was a baby that I’d almost forgotten what to do.
    The social worker said, ‘It’s like riding a bike, you never forget.’ We agreed to take all the children, as they would have been split up otherwise and we didn’t want that to happen.
    The social workers arrived with five small children, all aged under six years old. They looked pale and tired, and Mae, the eldest, looked up at Wilson and said, ‘You’ll have to go.’
    It was quite late at night, so after giving them something to eat I took them up to their bedrooms. Jay repeatedly dug his nails into my arms, rhythmically, the way a cat does when it’s purring. Jay was anxious and, struggling with speech that was almost impossible to understand, asked me, ‘Will you look after us?’ I reassured him that I would.
    Mae was bright and chatty and wanted to help look after her younger siblings. She told me I wasn’t putting the baby’s nappy on properly and insisted on showing me how it was done.Despite her liveliness, Mae’s eyes had a sadness in them that touched my heart. Our world was rocked and another unforgettable parallel journey began in our upturned lives.
    The next day we all went to the supermarket and after getting all the shopping Mae put her hands on her hips and said, ‘You’ve forgotten something.’
    ‘What’s that?’ asked Wilson.
    ‘The beer,’ said Mae with a small voice of authority and still with hands on hips.
    ‘We don’t drink beer,’ said Wilson.
    ‘You liar,’ said Mae, with a cheeky glint in her eye.
    • • •
    Life was even more of a rollercoaster from that day on. Suddenly we had to get up through the night to feed the baby and then again at 6 a.m. and I would bath the children and change their nappies. Wilson made us all breakfast and later we’d take them out for a walk in the park or to the heath along with our dogs. Gary was brilliant with children and used to come along with us on some of the outings, which the children loved. Walking on the heath also gave Gary a change of scene while he was waiting for news from the CPS on whether or not they intended to charge him. However, there is no doubt that Gary underestimated the gravity of his situation at that point in time.
    We took the children on long walks and to wildlife parks, danced with them and painted with them. Mae was the most amazing little girl. She was clever and articulate and always wanted to help. Wilson and I were run into the ground for the first six weeks but as time went on we lost weight and fortunately became fitter than ever.
    After they were settled in, I searched the house for musicalinstruments for them to have fun with. Five little faces gathered around, eagerly looking up at me to see what I had found for them to play.
    ‘OK, Jay, I’ve got some maracas for you to shake when we sing.’ Jay took the maracas and beamed.
    ‘Mae, you can play the keyboard, just hit this key in time with the song, or both of these keys together if you can manage it.’
    ‘Like this,’ said Mae as she flicked her dark hair back and gave us a demonstration.
    ‘Yes, just like that,’ I smiled.
    ‘And Willie, you can bang on the drum and we’ll all play a song for little Michael and baby Charlotte. Now which song shall we play?’
    ‘“Old MacDonald”,’ said Jay excitedly.
    ‘I know: we can sing “Wheels on the Bus”. I’ll teach it to you, Jay,’ said Mae, scratching the side of her nose with her head tilted to one side.
    Willie smiled and was happy just banging his drum.
    ‘Stop, Willie, we haven’t started yet,’ said Mae.
    I picked up my guitar and started playing and singing ‘Wheels on the Bus’ and Jay shook his maracas while Mae repeatedly played her note in time to the rhythm and sang along with me at the top of her voice. Willie banged on the drum while