Chapter 6
By the third month that Dean had been with the Patterson, he had decided they were good people. They treated him with respect and gave him what he needed most, love and people who cared about him. They let him move at his own pace and only tried to give him guidance. He had finally settled in with the couple and liked it.
Dean continued to help George in the garage and found he had a knack with engines. He soaked up all the knowledge that George passed down to him like a sponge and wanted more. He learned how to cook from Beverly and didn't mind working in the garden and helping with the harvest. Dean was liking the life he had with the Patterson and thought he was lucky to have been placed with them.
Almost every day, if Dean had time, he would visit the stream and watched the tadpoles as they grew. He could see the small back legs starting to form first and then by the end of the summer, they were little frogs. He'd lay for hours on the bank, and stare at their fat forms as they swam and wiggled around along the edge of the stream. Moses kept him company on his journeys to the stream and watched out for him.
"Dean, honey, do you want to see if there are any more tomatoes left in the garden?" Beverly asked him as he walked into the kitchen.
Dean smiled at her and nodded his head as he went to get a basket to gather anything ripe from the garden. Most of the crop was gone now, but there were a few things still bearing. He made his way to the garden and walked up and down the rows collecting the produce. He stopped and looked toward the road when George drove slowly up the driveway, coming back from delivering a couple of lawn mowers and leaf blower to their owners.
"Hello Dean," George called to him, giving him a wave as he got out of the truck. "Gathering the produce, I see. Guess we'll be clearing the garden and plowing it in another week. Got to get it ready for winter."
Dean held up his pickings for George to see and smiled at him. He still didn't talk much to George or Beverly but communicated in other ways. They took it all in stride, allowing Dean to talk when he wanted to, they didn't press the issue. They knew when he was ready, he would talk to them. The couple agreed it was nice having a child around again and were glad when social services called to see if they would take Dean.
"Let's get on inside. I could go with a glass of iced tea, how about you?" George asked Dean as they walked toward the house.
Dean nodded yes and carried the basket to the kitchen and sat it on the counter.
"My goodness child, you have a good haul here," Beverly praised him with a warm smile. "How would you two like a warm cookie?"
"Now you're talking hon," George replied wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her cheek. "You are so good to us."
"Go on with you," Beverly laughed. "Both of you wash up and I'll put out some cookies and tea."
Dean went to the sink, washed his hands, and dried them before taking a seat at the table. He was polite and waited for George to join him before picking up a cookie and taking a bite. He smiled his approval and took another bite. Beverly was a great cook and he loved helping her in the kitchen. She told him all men should know how to cook.
Beverly and Dean went into town before school started and shopped at the thrift stores to get him some clothes for school. With the healthy food, exercise, and fresh air, Dean filled out and had grown. She knew he was going to be growing like a weed and secondhand clothes would be suitable for now. Dean didn't object and was thrilled to have the clothes even if they were used. She did buy him a pair of new sneakers and boots that he was so proud of and planned on taking good care of them to make them last.
Dean stopped at a table with baby items on it and studied one item in particular. It seemed so familiar, like he had seen it somewhere before. He didn't realize that his little brother, Sammy had the same toy. His mind was still blocking out the trauma he had experienced and that meant he didn't remember his little brother and not much about his parents. It was a coping thing for Dean, even though he didn't understand it was happening.
He had started school and found it wasn't as bad as he expected. He still wouldn't volunteer to speak in class but would do the work on the board if asked by the teacher. She found him to be polite, smart, and did as he was told, even if he was quiet, kept to himself, and would not talk. The other students in Dean's class weren't sure what to make of him, but none tried to bully him. Several boys started talking to Dean and even sat with him at lunch. It didn't matter that he didn't talk to them, they still wanted to be friends.
spn
Christmas was just around the corner and Dean and George went into the forest two weeks before Christmas to find a tree. Dean had never done this and was excited about finding the perfect tree. Beverly was getting out the decorations so they could decorate it that afternoon. She had hot apple cider on simmering for them when they got back. The house was filled with the holiday spirit and Dean was at a loss. Something kept trying to surface in his mind, right on the edge but he couldn't grasp it. He pushed it aside so he could enjoy this Christmas with his foster family.
Dean found the tree he wanted, and George cut it down. They carried it back to the house and got it ready to take inside and put in the tree stand in the corner of the living room at the window.
"Oh Dean, this is perfect. You did an excellent job picking one out," Beverly praised him as they sat it in the stand.
"Thanks," Dean replied, his voice raspy from not being used. He laid on the floor so he could tighten the screws to hold the tree. Once it was in place, he took the watering can and filled the stand to keep the tree alive.
"First, you two should have something to eat and something hot to drink," Beverly insisted gently guiding Dean to the kitchen. "I have some hearty soup, homemade bread, and hot cider that will warm you right up."
"That does sound good Bev," George nodded as he rubbed his cold hand together. "I'd say we're going to get some snow in the next couple of days and maybe even have a white Christmas."
"That would be wonderful. I better go into town and get some extra groceries in case we get snowed in. Dean would you like to go with me?" she asked as she sat bowls of soup on the table.
"Yes ma'am," he answered. Dean had been saving all the money from the allowance he was given and the extra that George paid him when he helped in the garage. He wanted to get George and Beverly something for Christmas.
"Good, now eat up you two," she said. She sat a cup of cider by each of them before getting her own food and sitting down with them. The house smelled like Christmas and was warm and cheery.
Dean couldn't be happier. He had a loving home and people who cared about him. But deep down in the back of his mind there was this little thought telling him something was missing. He wasn't sure what it was, but he tried not to dwell on it for now and would worry about it later.
Once they had finished their meal and the kitchen was cleaned, Beverly and Dean bundled up to head into town, leaving George to snooze in his recliner. He was warm, had a full belly, and could think of nothing else better to do.
spn
Beverly found a parking spot as close to the doors of the Wal-Mart as she could and parked. She got out and waited for Dean to join her before walking toward the front doors. Once they were inside and she had a buggy, Dean spoke up.
"Can I shop alone?" he asked in a quiet, cautious voice.
"Well, sure Dean but be careful. I'm going to the produce first, then dairy and then cleaning supplies. If you don't find me at any of these places, you can wait on the bench here at the front for me."
"Alright," he nodded. He headed into the store toward the clothing department. Dean wasn't sure what to get as gifts for his foster parents and knew he didn't have a lot of money to spend. He walked through the men's department and decided on a watch cap and pair of warm gloves for George and headed to the women's side. He found a soft, warm scarf and some fuzzy socks for Beverly. He had seen her wear that kind of socks before and noticed how old they looked. With his purchases in hand, he went to the cashier and paid for the items before heading back into the store to find Beverly. He followed the signs to the dairy department first and not seeing her headed for the cleaning supplies where he caught sight of her turning the corner of an aisle. Dean cut across and met her on the other side.
"There you are, did you find what you needed?" she asked eyeing to bag he was carrying.
Dean nodded yes and walked beside the buggy as she continued to shop. She went to the baking aisle and added items to the buggy before moving to the meat department to pick up some extra meats. When she was done, they headed to the front to checkout. Beverly let Dean pick out a bag of candy and he chose peanut M&Ms from the selection.
Once the purchases had been paid for, they headed back to the car to head home. Dean stopped by the door and turned his face toward the sky as small flakes of snow drifted down around him. He felt the wetness of the flakes as they landed on his skin and melted.
"Look at that, it's snowing," Beverly commented as they put the bags of groceries in the back. "I don't think we'll get much yet, but I bet there will be more on the way. We better check the chickens when we get home Dean."
"Yes ma'am," he nodded not able to break himself of calling her ma'am just yet. He watched out the window as they pulled from the parking lot noticing the snow was getting harder now. The closer they got to the house, the less it was snowing.
"Let's get these bags inside and we'll go see about the hens before taking off our coats and boots."
Dean only nodded as he snagged bags in both hands to take inside. Excitement was building inside of him knowing they would be decorating the tree this afternoon. He couldn't wait to see it with the lights glowing and the decorations scattered over the branches. It would be magical, and he couldn't wait to embrace some of that magic.
spn
Christmas Eve came quickly, and it had started snowing that afternoon, blanketing the land in fresh snow. It looked like a winter wonderland out there and Dean sat on his window seat hugging his legs so he could watch the snowfall. It was relaxing and calming to him. He was amazed at how the snow clumped together making huge flakes.
Dean put on warm clothes and his snow boots, wanting to go outside and play in it before it got too deep. He put on a watch cap and scarf that Beverly gave him and slipped on his mittens. George was in the barn working as Dean stepped into the crisp, chilly air and started to walk toward the barn. Snowflakes clung to his eye lashes, and he wiped them so he could see. Moses had come out with him and was bounding around in the snow, chasing the falling flakes and barking for Dean to play with him. Dean laughed happily and tried to chase him but fell into a snowdrift. Once he got up, Dean headed to the barn to warm.
"Hello there," George called to him when Dean and Moses slipped into the barn.
Dean waved to him and shook the loose snow from his coat, hat, and mittens. His cheeks were rosy, red from the cold. Moses shook off spraying Dean with water as he took off his outer wear. He stepped to a stove in the corner and held his hands toward it to warm them. Once he was warmer, Dean went over to see what George was working on.
"Want to help me put the cord back on this lawn mower?" George asked him.
Dean nodded yes, and stepped closer, waiting for George to tell him what to do.
"Okay, you need to take these screws out and use these plyers to clamp the cord, so it doesn't go into the mechanism. If that happens, well, it makes it a lot harder to do. That's it, lay the screws in the cup there so they don't get lost."
Dean was careful as he followed George's instructions and before he knew it, the cord had been changed and it was ready to crank. Dean stood up proud of his work and smiled at George. He was getting better on working on the small engines and always enjoyed his time spent with George because he would tell him stories about growing up, meeting Beverly, his stint in the army, and when he worked for a maintenance company for a number of years before retiring.
With his military pension, Social Security, and this part time job, they were okay. Not rich, but able to have a nice life and do as they please. Dean loved to hear George talk about his life growing up on a farm and having a farm like this one day had been his dream and he made it come true.
"Let's call it a day Dean. It's Christmas Eve and I know Bev will be cooking for tomorrow and finishing up wrapping gifts. You, young man, need to go to bed early so Santa can come."
Dean scoffed in annoyance and shook his head. He was too big to believe in Santa now and knew parents were the ones who bought the gifts for their kids. He dressed again in his winter gear and waited for George to get ready. George turned the heat down and the lights off before they headed out into the storm. It had not let up yet and seemed to be set in for the rest of the day.
They trudged through the mounting snow to the deck and shook the snow from their clothes under the covered deck so not to track snow inside. Dean cleaned Moses off before they stepped into the laundry room to shed their outerwear and hang it up to dry. Dean used an old towel to dry Moses, knowing Beverly would have a fit letting him in wet. When he was done, he headed into the warm kitchen and drew in the enticing aromas that filled it. This was a perfect day and he hoped to have many more.
A/N: The foster parents are making Dean feel like family and he is settling into his new life. Thanks for coming along for the ride. Reviews/Comments would make my day. NC