13.

Remember how I said I wanted to rebuild some bridges and how exhausted I was? Yeah, that was cute.

So the day after I posted that last message, I received a response from Amy. She was thrilled to have heard from me. Cue the panic. This is a woman whom I haven't spoken with in 7 years. The last time I spoke with her, my heart was broken in a way it had never been before. I also received a note from Amy's daughter, Jackie.

After work that day, I called Jackie. She had asked me to, and she was pretty brief in her written messages. It was going to be a heck of a lot easier to talk on the phone, even though my anxiety was through the roof.

I called on the way to meet John at an appointment. Jackie lives part-time with her mom and dad - Amy (who is Hank's step mother) and Chip, Hank's father. Jackie is Hank's half-sister. The story went a little deeper. Seven years ago, Jackie is the one who tried to find me. She hired a private investigator to find me, and when Amy found my posting on an adoption registry, they knew it was me. They have kept my information all this time. I spoke not only to Jackie, but to her parents as well. Chip was so excited to speak to me; it was a very emotional call.

Needless to say, I was a bit shell-shocked when that phone call ended. They also haven't talked to Hank in several years, which was a surprise. But they were glad to hear from me and begin to build a relationship. They also had told Hank's daughter, my half sister, about me, and she was overjoyed to get to know me and start a relationship with me.

That last part freaked me out a bit. I had just been through hell and back with my family over secrets and lies. I didn't want to do this to another family. While I knew that Hank wanted nothing to do with me, I didn't want to go behind his back and do something he was uncomfortable with. I tried to make a point of saying that, while being as delicate as I could.

My cousin was staying at our house over the weekend, so I didn't have much time to think about my crazy biological situation. I just enjoyed watching the Olympics and having fun with my cousin and John.

Chip called me over the weekend again on Sunday, just to chat. I was so nervous when he called, I dropped my phone in the washing machine! Thankfully I was able to rescue it before any major damage happened, and we had a very nice conversation.

Later that day, I received a text from Jackie. Amy had texted Hank and told him they found me. Hank had asked for my contact information, and Amy had given it to him. I should expect a phone call from Hank. The feeling of dread and fear that I had was palpable, and when Jackie called me to talk, all I could hear was shouting in the background. All she said was that Hank was angry - at Amy and Chip, not me - and she had to go "diffuse" the situation. But Hank would be contacting me.

Not too long after that, I had two texts on my phone from Hank. He wanted to introduce himself and give me his number. He wanted to talk to me and his daughters were really excited to meet me. Then my phone rang with another number. I gave my phone to John and I went in the other room and cried.

I didn't know what to expect. I knew that he didn't want to have anything to do with me. But let's remember how this blog all began - I knew Bernie and Maddie were my parents. What did I really know? With a lot of trepidation, I went back to John, retrieved my phone, and typed a message back. After about a million tries, I finally went with "Hi Hank. I'm NewN." He said he wanted to talk. I went into full word vomit. "Hey. So I wasn't expecting to hear from you. I'm sorry this was dropped in your lap today. This is moving really fast and I'm just trying to catch up. I'm sure you have a lot of questions too, and I will be happy to answer them. Please know I am not looking for money or needing a father figure or anything. I'm not dying and I'm not bankrupt."

After some really awkward messaging, we started to joke about football. Pennsylvania has two teams - one just won the super bowl, and the other has a pretty dedicated fan base. Hank and I were on opposite sides of this argument. Then I started saying that I didn't want to cause drama for him, and he just said he and his daughters and his wife were excited. Apparently, he had asked his family 2 years prior for my contact information. He said, "I am sorry we lost those 2 years, but honestly I am happy to talk to you." After some more back and forth, he said that he had originally told his wife and daughters about me in 2011, on April 1. He said he didn't realize the date and that one of the girls had a concussion, so they all thought he was messing around. As I was typing a response, my phone rang.

Hank was calling. Naturally, I threw my phone across the room.

When I did finally pick it up, it was like talking to a little boy who had found out he was getting a puppy. He was giddy with excitement. He was so happy to be talking to me. Those 14 minutes felt like hours, but we talked. And he wants to know me. His wife was so over the moon excited, and she added me on facebook while Hank and I were talking on the phone. Hank said he never forgot me, and that he had wondered how I was and if I was ok.

I had known that he wanted nothing to do with me. Now I knew that wasn't entirely the truth, that this man cared about me and wanted to know if I was ok and taken care of and happy. He was thrilled to talk to me. He encouraged me to reach out to his daughter, who I'll call B.

B had been the other call I had received earlier when Hank had texted me. I finally listened to her voicemail. She sounded as nervous as I felt, and she sounded like she might cry too. I called her.

B and I talked for almost a half hour. It was weird, but we got on like old friends that hadn't spoken in a while. We laughed and cried and giggled and asked questions. She was sweet and funny and I could tell that I am going to love having her for a sister.

When I finally got off the phone and went in to talk to John, I was exhausted. But it was this weird exhaustion that was filled with happiness and excitement. It was like every color had changed, but everything was still the same.

Bernie and Maddie are still my parents, and will be until time ends. John is my husband, my rock, my superhero. My in-laws are still fantastic and funny and kind. And Hank wants me to be a part of his life. And I have a sister - actually I have more than one, but I've only talked to one.

In such a short time, my life has changed so drastically. I'm happy. I'm nervous about what the future holds, and I'm not totally optimistic that these are going to be long-lasting relationships, but I'm happy. I'm wanted. I'm not forgotten. And that feels so good.