Chapter 7: Little brothers
The summer break was exciting for both girls. The Chapmans went on vacation for two weeks as did the Vauses. The Chapmans decided on a two-week trip to a beach house in Florida where the kids could play in the sand and go swimming in the sea. They enjoyed it pretty much. The three Vauses stayed a little closer to home and took a trip to a bigger city close to the mountains where they could explore the city and go on little hikes. Not too big, just as much as Alex could walk at her age. The Vauses went on vacation a week later than the Chapmans. So when Piper got home from vacation she wanted to go over to Alex and tell her everything about her time in Florida but Carol reminded her that Alex wouldn't be back for another week and she'd have to be patient. Piper was pretty impatient that week. Overall it was three weeks she hadn't seen her best friend and she missed her much. She loved her time with Alex. She always had fun and they could talk about everything. Piper could go to Alex with her problems and she knew what Piper could do and vice versa. Also both always knew how to cheer the other one up on a bad day.
On sunday the Vauses came back and Alex promised to come over to Piper's the next day. Piper was so excited sunday evening that she got up quite a few times when she actually should've been sleeping already to ask Carol if the pictures she wanted to show Alex were there or generally to express her excitement and tell her mom that she couldn't sleep. Eventually the need for sleep took over and Piper fell asleep.
The next morning Piper waited anxiously for Alex to arrive and as soon as she heard the bell ring she ran to the door. Of course it was Alex who as soon as the door was opened found herself in a tight hug.
"Hi, Alex." Piper gave her a big smile.
"Hello Piper." Alex said and hugged her friend back. "I really missed you."
"I missed you too, Alex." Piper returned.
They went inside and couldn't hold back telling each other about their vacation. They had a lot to talk about since it was three weeks they hadn't seen each other. Carol just smiled when they disappeared still talking into Piper's room.
Around lunch time they were down in the kitchen and checked if lunch was ready. Carol was about to prepare it and asked the girls to help by setting up the table. That's what they did while still chatting about everything that came to their minds which they couldn't talk about during the last three weeks.
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Soon the summer break was over and even though Piper and Alex got to spend more time together during their summer break than during school time they were excited for school. Both their parents were amazed by the girls liking school so much, as it was nothing they expected. The new school year also brought new clubs with it. This time Piper and Alex weren't quite the same opinion and so it turned out that for the first time they did something separately. While Alex preferred her artistic side and joined the arts club, Piper wanted to do sports and went to the athletics club.
Diane and Louis finally had successfully applied at the adoption center and were now on the waiting list for someone to pick them as the future parents for their baby. They discussed a lot when they should tell Alex and how involved she should be and eventually decided to tell her about wanting to give her a sibling. So one Friday evening the family went out and had a nice family dinner. Both parents were a little nervous to tell Alex because they wanted to tell her, but they didn't know how soon their plan would work.
"Alex, what would you think if you had a little sister or brother?" Diane asked her.
"Well. I don't know. I would have someone to play with when Piper isn't around and I guess that would be nice. But I guess he or she would be a whole lot younger than me. Wait - is this the point where you tell me that this is happening? " she asked Diane directly.
Diane smiled at Alex's quick thinking. "Kind of. Your dad and I want to have a second child. A little brother or sister for you. So we decided to adopt a child. We are just waiting that someone picks us to be their baby's family." Diane started and wanted to go on explaining how adoption works when she got interrupted by Alex who was trying to comprehend what she got told.
"Is this where you got me from? Did you get picked to be my mama?" Alex was confused.
"No honey. There are different ways to have a baby. Let's say I got you the traditional way." Diane started and went on explaining on how babies were made (of course not too detailed) and that there were also other ways for the possibility that this way wouldn't work. After she was done with her explanation she could see Alex's mind working on everything she just learned.
"So you say when two people love each other they have a baby?" Alex asked.
"Yes, if they decide to." Diane answered and added "And sometimes if it happens by accident."
"So I was in your belly? But I am so big. I wouldn't fit in there!" Alex concluded.
Diane laughed. "Honey. When you were born you were so small. With time you grew. You weren't always this big. If you want we can look at the pictures at home if you want. Then you'll see how big my belly was and how tiny you were when you were just born."
Alex thought for a minute. "Yeah, I'd like that. Wait - everyone was a baby once, right? Then you were this small too and were in grandma's belly?" she eventually concluded.
"Yes, sweety. I was so small once too. Every human was so small once and was inside their mommy's belly until they were ready to be born." Diane told her.
"But when you go to the adoption place the baby was not in your belly?!" Alex looked at her confused and Diane tried her best to explain to her that the baby would grow in another womans belly but that this woman decided that she can't be the mommy of this baby so she gives the baby to someone who wants to be the mommy. Alex went on thinking and had even more questions.
"But you said that having a baby needs a woman and a man. Phil from kindergarten has two mommies. And he said he came from his mommy's belly. But they are two women!" Alex got a little confused. Diane explained that his mother's probably went to a doctor to help them and how this worked. It was a long talk between mother and daughter about parents and babies and different family models that were all good as long as everyone was happy. Alex had a thousand more questions but when Diane sensed that it got a bit too much she told Alex they'd talk about it another time so she could think about what she had learnt already until then. Diane noticed that the whole topic kept Alex busy for the next days as she kept coming to her with all kinds of questions and Diane did her best to answer them as honest and still child appropriate as possible.
Half a year after they had officially been put on the list and having had the talk with Alex about having a baby couple days after that the agency contacted them that a young mother had looked at their file and wanted to meet them to see if they were the parents she was looking for for her baby. Diane and Louis were excited and anxious at the same time. They thought about bringing Alex to the meeting for her to see they already had an amazing daughter and can be good parents. But they weren't sure if it was good for Alex. Louis and Diane didn't want Alex to get all excited and then be disappointed if the woman would not choose them or chose them and maybe later decide to keep the baby. Eventually they decided to bring Alex and have her involved. They wanted her to be a part of this not feel left out. They'd just have to explain to her what could or could not happen and that them meeting this woman didn't necessarily mean that she'd give her baby to them.
A week later the woman, Shirley Brown, and the Vauses met at a café to talk and get to know each other a little.
"Hi. I'm Shirley. You must be Diane and Louis." she greeted them as she entered the café and saw them sitting at the table.
"Hi. Nice to meet you. Thank you for meeting us." Diane said friendly as she and Louis greeted her but was a little irritated that she seemed to completely ignore Alex's presence.
"Same. The agency actually didn't tell me you had a child already?!" she sounded a little insecure.
"They didn't? We filled out everything and I thought there was also one or more pictures with Alex. So I'm a little surprised you wouldn't know. But okay. So this is our daughter Alex. You want to introduce yourself, honey?" Diane asked Alex.
"Hi. I'm Alex. I am seven and a half and go to school where my daddy teaches. I'm second grade already and my best friend Piper is also in my class. It's really nice that you're meeting us, I'm so ready to be a big sister!" Alex told her smiling widely and Diane laughed at her enthusiastic self-introduction.
"It's nice to meet you, Alex." Shirley replied and held out her hand for Alex to shake. Alex went all out instead and went to hug her. "Oh, okay. A hug it is." Shirley laughed.
They talked for a while. Shirley told them that she got pregnant in a not so good relationship and that she didn't feel ready to be a mother yet as she hadn't finished college yet and felt like this was the better option for her as well as her baby. After a while of talking and getting more comfortable with each other she asked Diane why they were looking to adopt when they already had a daughter. She then honestly told her that she had had Alex before she met Louis and Louis told her about the accident and the consequences. They told her that they tried treatment with the help of a donor but it didn't work. They understood each other well and Diane and Louis were hopeful that they would be the couple that would fit with Shirley's perception. Before they said good bye Shirley asked if she could talk with Alex alone for couple minutes and after checking with their daughter Diane and Louis left and went to wait outside.
"So. Alex. Do you know why I wanted to talk with you alone?" she asked her.
"I guess you want to know if mom and dad are good parents." Alex said.
"That's right." Shirley confirmed.
"And the answer is yes. They are the best parents. But I am probably pretty biased as they are my parents and I love them." Alex told her.
"You are a smart girl." Shirley smiled.
"My dad is a teacher and he teaches me a lot. Like I could already write a little bit before I came into school." Alex told her proudly. "Plus my mom is smart too. And I'm her daughter."
"I can see that. Do you mind if I ask you some more questions?" she asked Alex.
"Not at all. Go ahead."
"Okay. How are your parents when you've done something they don't like? Or something you shouldn't have done?" Shirley wanted to know.
"Well usually when I don't want to go to bed or I took some sweets from the cupboard that I'm not supposed to eat my mom comes to me and asks me why I don't want to do something or why I took them. And then she tells me why she doesn't want me to do things I am not supposed to do. And usually there is a pretty good reason, but I love chocolate. I mean who does not? So every now and then I take some even though I know I shouldn't." Alex told her.
"That's nice. And your dad?" she asked further.
"Well he has this look. And every time he looks at me like that I know I did something wrong. And I feel bad for making him look at me like that. He doesn't say anything but I know he is not happy with what I did. And then I try not to do that again, because seriously that look is scary!" Alex said.
"Okay. What do you like to do with your parents when you have a free day. Like on the weekends?" Shirley wanted to know.
"Well, usually on the weekends everyone has to tidy up their room first and as soon as everyone is done we do something together. Like go to the zoo. Or play a game. My dad used to read books to me. Now I can read to him though. Or we build something, like last week mom and I made a little bed for my teddy. And sometimes I visit Piper or Nicky or they come to visit me and we play. But we also have to do homework. Daddy said it's important to do them so you learn." Alex wanted to go on but Shirley slowed her down a little.
"That sounds great. Thank you for answering my questions. I would like to keep talking to you but I think your parents are waiting for you impatiently outside." she said.
"They are pretty patient though. But yeah. They said we could go to the playground later and we pick up Piper. So I'm ready to go." Alex said.
Diane and Louis stood outside the café and talked until they saw Alex and Shirley come outside.
"Hey you two. Did you have a nice chat?" Diane smiled.
"Yeah." Alex just replied.
"So. I have to go. I'm meeting with a friend soon and I don't want to be late." Shirley began. "It was great meeting you today. I hope you are okay if I can't tell you right now if this is going to work, but I do like you three and I promise to let you know soon, okay?" she said.
"It was very nice meeting you too. And we get that this is not an easy and fast decision so we want to give you some time to think about it. Contact us if you have any more questions or if you want to meet again." Diane said trying to sound calm and collected when really she wished she had an answer already.
The next week went by and they didn't hear much from Shirley. Both Diane and Louis noticed that they both were quite tense and tried to calm each other but still the thought was always there that she could decide against them or against adoption at all. A week and a half after their initial meeting Shirley called and asked them if they could meet again and she'd tell them her decision then. They of course agreed and looked forward to the second meeting.
The meeting went as well as the first time though this time they were less talking about themselves to get each other but more about how things would work if she decided to give the Vauses. Shirley said, she didn't want to be completely oblivious about her baby, but she didn't want to be involved either. She said she would totally be okay if the Vauses would maybe send her some pictures every now and then and maybe tell her something about the growth and development and so on. When the Vauses asked how and what exactly she imagined she told them that maybe a yearly letter or so would be okay. After all with giving her baby to them it would be their baby and Shirley said she'd give all rights up and they could tell him or her about her or not. It would be their child, Shirley just wanted to know how he or she was. Diane and Louis talked about it for a second but eventually agreed to send Shirley a picture and news at least once a year if she chose them. Talking about terms like that made Diane hopeful that Shirley had decided to give her baby to them.
"So. After we've been through this, could you … maybe let us know your decision?" Diane anxiously asked not being able to wait any longer.
"Yes. You two are great and from what Alex told me you are the parents I imagine for him or her. So I'll let you have him or her gladly." Shirley said. Diane and Louis looked at each other and both noticed tears in each others eyes. They were so happy.
"Thank you." Diane said and hugged Shirley who was taken by surprise a little.
"No. Thank you for wanting to give this what I think really good life to my baby when I know I couldn't." Shirley said.
They didn't tell anyone yet. They arranged everything with the agency and hoped that Shirley wouldn't change her mind last minute. The baby's due date was a month after Alex's birthday. So when they celebrated Alex's and Piper's eighth birthday they eventually told everyone about their decision to adopt and about the baby being born soon with good chances to be theirs. Quite a few people were surprised but most were happy for them and wished them the best.
Two weeks later they got a call from Shirley telling them she had gone into labour. They had talked about everything with everyone upfront for this day and quickly dropped of Alex at the Chapmans house and drove to the hospital. They couldn't wait to hold their baby in their arms and still were anxious about Shirley changing her mind. Louis tried to calm Diane several times but every time unsuccessfully. Diane knew the feeling of holding the baby that grew inside you for nine months in your arms for the first time and knew how strong the emotions were. She trusted Shirley but also knew what giving birth and the moments after the birth were like. She had loved Alex the second she first saw the tiny face and feet and fingers. So far they didn't even know if it was going to be a girl or a boy as Shirley had insisted on not being told before the birth and the Vauses had agreed to waiting until birth to find out.
They waited in the waiting room until one of the nurses came out of the delivery room and told them everything had gone well, they'd take the baby to clean off and measure it and the usual proceedings. Shirley was fine and asking for them to come to her as soon as she was in her room. And they found out it was a boy. Both were really emotional and waiting for the baby to be brought to them. Before that happened they shortly talked to Shirley and thanked her again. Shirley told them she hoped they would always be as happy as she had gotten to know them the last months and then send them out as she was emotional and exhausted.
They left the room and one of the nurses found them and brought them to a separate room where they saw their child for the first time. The nurse brought him over and Diane could hold him for the first time. Both Diane and Louis were crying now and so happy they finally had gotten there. They were holding their baby they had been waiting for so long in their arms.
"Welcome to the world. Felix John Vause." Diane said. They had chosen the name carefully. They were prepared for a girl and a boy. Felix meant the lucky one and even though they felt lucky to have him they chose that one for him and the second name John was for Diane's father who unfortunately wouldn't get to know his grandson.
Later that day Louis went to pick up Alex who was excited to meet her little sibling. She was amazed by how tiny he was and Diane and Louis could already tell that Alex would be a great big sister.