Just giving Martha the props she deserves!
She was the first to love him.
From the moment she laid eyes on him, she knew that her life had changed. With his mop of curly dark hair and bright eyes, how could she not instantly fall in love with that beautiful smile and innocent little face? Her love for him had only grown and even now as she looked at him as an adult, she realized just how much his love meant to her.
She was the first to hold him.
After getting over the initial shock of finding a naked boy in the midst of the chaos, she scooped him up and held him tight to her. She never wanted to let him go but as the years went on she learned to loosen her hold on him. If nothing else, she didn't want to make him feel smothered. One day she would have to let him go so he could live his life; so he could become the hero that he was meant to be.
She was the first to see him smile.
Sitting in the truck with him on her lap she hugged him slightly. He turned to face her with the biggest smile lighting his face. Her heart expanded and she smiled back. From then on she never took his smiles for granted; always thanking the stars that he was sent to her.
She was the first to see him cry.
His eyes welled with tears as he looked down at the broken toy in his little hands. The tears fell and he cried silently. She picked him up and rocked him, gently telling him that it was alright. Her heart broke for him and every time he cried, even years later, she wanted nothing more than to hold him and tell him it would be alright.
She was the first to protect him.
When told that they couldn't possibly keep him, she fought for him. There was no way that she was going to let someone else raise the child that she had so desperately hoped for and just as easily fell in love with. Through the years she had continued her fight; from removing bullets to mending a broken heart she was always there protecting him from those who hurt him.
She was the first to love him but the last to ever stop loving him.