Chapter 2

Lea woke up the next morning and went to check on Sonny. The little girl was still sound asleep as Lea walked by. She headed downstairs and started making some pancakes. She had just finished making the pancakes when Cory came into the kitchen. She said good morning to him as he sat down at the table. He helped get the table set up and followed Lea upstairs to go wake Sonny. They walked into the room and knelt down next to the bed. Lea pulled the blanket back and placed her hand on the little girls back. "Sonny sweetheart wake up. We have breakfast ready for you in the kitchen."Lea said as she gently rubbed Sonny's back. Sonny groaned and rolled over to see them looking down at her. She slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She got out of bed and stretched then silently followed them downstairs. She got downstairs to see the kitchen table set up with plates of pancakes and a few other breakfast foods. She sat down at the table and waited for Cory and Lea to sit down. They both sat down and Lea looked over at Sonny and asked "Do you want some pancakes?"Sonny shook her head no as she watched Cory make a plate for himself. Lea nodded and said "Ok then what about some cereal?"Sonny shook her head and let Lea pour her a bowl of cheerios. She quickly ate them then went upstairs to get dressed. When she had gone upstairs Lea turned to Cory and said "I think we should take her to the animal shelter and let her pick out a cat or a kitten. We could both help her take care of it but maybe it would help her open up a bit."Cory was silent for a minute but then said "Yeah maybe it would help. When I was younger I always felt that I could talk to my dog. Even though I knew he didn't know what I was saying it felt good to vent to him."Lea laughed at him and he grabbed her in his arms and tickled her. "Oh you think thats funny do you?"He asked as she begged him to stop so she could breathe. He kissed her on the mouth and went upstairs to get changed. Lea cleaned up the table and waited for Cory to finish getting dressed. He came back down and she went upstairs to change. She finished changing and went to go check on Sonny. She walked into the room to see that Sonny was in the bathroom attached to her room getting changed. She sat down on the bed and waited a few minutes until she came out. "Hey are you ready?Cory and I have a surprise for you."Lea said as she saw the little girl come out of the bathroom. Sonny just nodded and grabbed her stuffed dog they had given her. They headed downstairs and went outside to get in the car. Lea made sure Sonny was strapped in then Cory pulled out of the drive way. He headed towards the direction of the Los Angeles animal shelter.

They pulled into the parking lot 10 minutes later and Sonny stepped out next to Lea. "Sonny can you leave the dog in the car for a few minutes?"Lea asked as she saw her start to bring it with her. Sonny nodded and placed the dog back on her seat in the car. Cory smiled as he watched Sonny put her hand out towards Lea. Lea wasn't sure what she wanted at first but then realized that Sonny wanted to hold her hand. Lea smiled at her and gently took her hand. They walked towards the building and stepped inside. Lea knelt down in front of Sonny and said "This is your surprise. Cory and I are going to let you pick out a cat or kitten that you like."Sonny smiled and looked up at Cory. He couldn't help but smile back at her. It was the first time he had seen her smile. Cory knelt down next to Lea and said "If you see one you like just let us know and we can take it home with us."Sonny gave them another smile and hugged Lea. Lea looked over at Cory and smiled at him. Sonny finished hugging Lea then gave Cory a hug also. "Ok come here lets go look at a kitty for you."Lea said as she stood up next to Cory. She led Sonny into a small room with some older cats in their cages. She took Sonny's hand and walked her over to the first cage in the room. The cat had a tricolored body and the tips of her paws were black. Sonny put her hand up to the cage to let the cat smell her. She smiled at Lea again as the cat began to lick her hand. She let the cat lick her for a few minutes more then went over to the next cage. Cory came over to her and said "Look at this one Sonny he wants a cuddle."The cat was a silver tabby and he was rubbing up against the front of the cage for attention. Sonny looked at the rest of the cats but then went back to the first cat she had seen. She scratched the cat behind it ears for a little bit. Lea and Cory were watching her. They were glad to see her smile for once. "Sonny do you like this cat?"Lea asked as she began to pet the cat through the cage. Sonny nodded and gave Lea a small smile. "So this is the one you want?"Cory asked her just to be sure. Sonny nodded again and continued to scratch the cats ear. Cory said "Ok then Ill go find someone to help with the adoption."He left the room and came back a few minutes later with a women wearing a blue volunteer shirt. She was holding a cardboard box that looked like a house to put the cat in. Lea had put a cage in the trunk of the car for the ride home. "Is this the one you want to take home with you?"The women asked as she saw Sonny standing by the cage. Lea nodded and Sonny stepped back to let the women get the cat from the cage. The woman got the cat into the box and they followed her out to the adoptions counter. The woman entered their names and other information into the computer and Lea paid the adoption fee. Sonny smiled as Lea handed her the box. Cory signed the adoption papers and they headed out to the car. Sonny followed Lea to the back of the car and they put the cat into the crate that she had brought. They brought the crate in the middle of the car where Sonny was sitting. They stopped at a pet store to get a collar and some toys for the cat. Cory stayed in the car while Lea went into the store to help Sonny pick a collar and some toys. Lea had food at home for her cats so they didn't need to buy any. Sonny followed Lea to the cat section to look at collars. She settled on a red collar with blue flowers on it. Lea took her to the toy section and she picked out a few toys. They also got a litter box for the cat to use. They purchased all the items and went back out to the car. Lea put the bag of cat stuff in the trunk and they headed home. Lea sat with her one the way home. Sonny had her fingers through the bars in the front of the cage and was scratching the cat on the head. They finally made it home and Lea took the crate from Sonny and helped her carry it into the house.

They walked into the living room and Lea set the cage down on the floor. She opened the door and Sonny sat down a few inches away. Lea gently coaxed the cat out of the cage and Sonny smiled when she climbed into her lap. "What are you going to name her?"Cory asked as he watched Sonny pet her cat. Sonny was silent for a few minutes then stood up and motioned for them to come upstairs to her room with her. She carried the cat upstairs as they followed her. She gently placed the cat on her bed and pulled out her favorite picture of the glee cast she had found in a magazine. She walked over to Lea and Cory and pointed to Lea dressed as Rachel in glee. Cory smiled at her and asked "You want to name her Rachel?"Sonny nodded and gave them a small smile. Lea smiled at her and sat down next to her on the bed. She kissed Sonny on the head and said "Rachel it is then."Sonny hugged her and started to pet Rachel as she rubbed up against her. Cory had pulled out his camera to take a picture. Lea picked Sonny up and sat her on her lap. Cory came and sat next to them while Sonny held Rachel on her lap. Cory took the picture of the four of them together. He showed it to Lea which made her smile.

They got Rachel settled in and spent the rest of the night together. Sonny still didn't talk to them but Cory and Lea felt that they were getting somewhere with her. Both of them were willing to do whatever they had to to get through to her. It was 9:00 and Sonny was falling asleep on the couch next to Lea. Lea picked her up gently and carried her to her room. Sonny was already in her pajamas so Lea layed her in the bed and kissed her on the head. "Goodnight Sonny. Ill see you in the morning."She said as she walked over to the door and turned off the light. As she turned to leave she heard Sonny quietly say "Goodnight mommy."Lea just smiled and walked back downstairs. Cory was sitting on the couch waiting for her when she came back down. "I'm tired I think I will go to bed also."She said as she stepped into the living room. Cory nodded and said "I'm tired also Ill come with you."Lea nodded and the two of them went upstairs to their room. Lea crawled into bed and waited for Cory to crawl in next to her. Once he got into bed he took her in his arms and kissed her forehead. She smiled at him and said "I think we are getting through to her."What do you mean?"Cory asked as he felt her turn towards him. "I was leaving her room after kissing her goodnight and she called me mommy."Lea said as she couldn't help but smile again. "Thats great Lea. I think she will be ok."Cory said as he turned off the light next to their bed. Cory continued to hold Lea in his arms and they both fell asleep that way. Cory was glad to hear that Sonny had called Lea mom. He hoped she would call him dad soon.