That night was Ben and Sapphira's darkest time. Sapphira was inconsolable, and no matter how Ben tried to comfort her, she lay curled on the floor and refused to get up.
He couldn't get any reasonable answers from the Department of Social Welfare. Sure they'd made a mistake - but they sure as EA weren't going to admit it. And Ben was horrified to learn that they were already looking for a new foster parent for the boys.
Sapphira noticed Ben's attention was distracted, and she decided that it was time for the machine. She couldn't bear feeling this bad, and all being well the machine would kill her this time. She would never get the children back, and Ben wouldn't get them while she was such an unfit mother.
When Ben got off the phone, and he couldn't see Sapphira, and his first thought was that she had gone up to bed. When he saw that she wasn't there - he raced outside to the energiser machine.
"Oh Please Maxis No! Don't do it Sapph! I need you now more than ever!"
It was too late though, Sapph had already started the machine, and stepped into it, "I'm sorry Ben, but this way you'll get the children back."
Ben dropped to his knees and assumed a meditation position,
"Oh Maxis, Oh Will Wright, Oh Big Hand in the Sky - blessed Trinity - save my wife from this terrible mistake. I love her so much, I really don't know how I could live on without her."
While B.H.I.S. was helpless to do anything because of the Legacy challenge rules, Maxis - the Son of Will Wright, heard Ben's plea - and Sapphira got a positive charge from the machine instead of the draining of all her needs.
"Oh. my. plum bob! I feel wonderful!" Sapphira's tears stopped, and she smiled at Ben.
"It's just the effects of the machine, my love - come inside and sit down with me. We need to talk."
Ben started to talk to her, about what they could do next - but Sapph's thoughts were all about how Ben looked with his tie off. It's not that she didn't love her boys any the less, but right now the machine had addled her brain, and she would have leapt upon anything or anyone.
Ben gave up trying to talk, as Sapph's physical attentions distracted him. He was heartbroken and stressed, having lost his boys and almost losing his wife. Finally, he gave into her persistency, and they made out on the sofa. They never made it to bed.
The next morning Sapphira, had come down to normal again. As they sat at breakfast, Sapph turned to say to Ben what was heavy on her heart.
"It's my fault the boy's were taken. I should not have had babies - I'm a bad mother. Are you sorry you married me?"
"No!! Never! I would marry you again in a heartbeat even knowing all that has happened. You're the love of my life Sapph, I love you more now, than I did when we were wed. And we WILL get the boys back. I promise you that."
But it wasn't as simple as that. Social Welfare insisted that they wouldn't return the boys under any circumstances. And in the coming days, Sapph spent a lot of time in the bathroom. She thought she had Food poisoning.
At night, Sapphira dreamt about her boys, and cried in her sleep. During the day she threw herself into her work, and got a promotion, then lost it again soon after when she discovered that not doing the work assigned to her on the grounds that it was not in her work description, led to having her work description changed so that it was.
It didn't bother her as much as not having her boys with her, and the food poisoning turned out to be a pregnancy.
Ben did the manly thing and held it all together, and also threw himself into work. He also got a promotion which meant he moved out of his private practice and back to the hospital as a specialist. The hours were shorter but the travel time was longer. The money was good though, and he saved as much as he could for the new baby.
Sapphira was just showing, when Ben told her the news. Jan and Boz had been fostered out to a woman called Riva. She was a temporary placing for them while their appeal was being heard. Ben would not give up on getting his boys back.
When Sapph heard the news, she was startled. Riva had come over on the refugee boat with her. She breathed a sigh of relief - she remembered Riva as being a delightful young woman, and if her boys did have to be away from her - at least they were being looked after kindly.
It wasn't long though before she ran into Riva on her daily walk in the neighbourhood.
Riva was not sure how Sapph would feel about her having the boys, but their old friendship was renewed very quickly and it wasn't long before Sapph told Riva her whole story - from the time Ben first kissed her, when he moved in, right up to the Social Welfare taking her babies away.
Riva told Sapph all about her rise in the business world and how she'd had no time for relationships, but how she so missed them now.
They hugged, and Riva knew in that instant that Sapphira should get her boys back. All they ever did when they were home was talk about their mum and dad - and they certainly didn't sound like they'd been mistreated. Riva felt a little pain in her heart - she'd only had them 3 days, but they had wormed their way into her affections already.
Riva knew she was being unorthodox, but she suggested it anyways
"Sapphira - how about the boys and I come stay with you and Ben? Social Welfare can't complain if I'm there."
"You'd do that?" Sapphira hugged Riva hard "You are such a good person! Oh Riva thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!!"
Sapph ran home to Ben - and threw herself into his arms. "Ben - our boys are coming home!!!"
It was another 2 days before the boys and Riva moved in - they had to wait until after Sapphira had their baby brother.
"What will we name him this time?" Ben asked as he cuddled his new son.
"How about you choose?" Sapphira lay contentedly in her hospital bed seeing her husband and new-born son together for the first time.
"I say we call him Milan." Ben looked up at Sapph with a twinkle in his eyes, "We have had so much grace shown to this family."
Sapphira eyes glistened with her tears of happiness - "That's a beautiful name Ben. Milan it is."
The next day, the boys were there to meet their new brother and greet their father when he returned home from work. They were so happy to be home, that they couldn't stop smiling. Which was quite okay because both Ben and Sapph couldn't stop smiling either.
Everybody's face hurt. Even Riva's. When the phone call came for Ben that their appeal was approved and the boys could move back, Riva listened quietly then moved out again while the family was still bounding around with happiness. Her job was done.
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