Chapter 2- Big Choices
"Can't she just stay with us?" Lizzie asked the doctors as they informed her of the options for her yet to be named infant sister.
"You would have to become her legal guardian. It would be as if you had your own child. This would be a very large responsibility for someone your age. You have to think of the consequences." The woman sitting across the desk from her informed her.
"Can I have a few days to think this over and talk to some people that will help me in this decision?" Lizzie asked hopefully.
"Of course. Take all the time you need and consult with everyone. You need to weigh the options and make the best choice for you. You also have to keep your sister in mind while making this decision. Think of how it will affect her. She should be put first and foremost in your decision." The doctor told her trying to make the information sink in.
Lizzie went home to an empty house. Her brother Matt had decided to move in with their grandparents. She had a lot of thinking to do, but she still needed to talk to the people that meant the most in her life. She decided to call them.
"Hello?" A groggy Gordo answered the phone.
"Hey.Gordo, did I wake you up?" Lizzie asked timidly into the phone.
"Lizzie? No, no of course not. What do you need? Are you okay?" He asked hurriedly.
"I'm fine honey, I was just wondering if you could come over to talk. I'm gonna call Miranda over too. We need to have a serious discussion."
"Oh, okay. Yeah, that's cool. I'll be over in a few minutes." Gordo told her as he got up out of bed.
"See you then. Love you." She told him.
"I love you too." He ended the conversation.
Next Lizzie called Miranda to see if she could join them. She needed to have them both there for this conversation.
"Hey, Miranda, do you think you could come over for a little while? Gordo is on his way. We all need to talk." Lizzie asked her, hoping for an affirmative.
"Sure Liz, I'll be right over." Miranda answered, ending the conversation.
Lizzie had nothing left to do but wait. Her thoughts drifted off to what it would be like to raise her sister and to be a surrogate mother for her own. She was brought out of her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder. She was startled.
"Hey, you didn't answer the door so I let myself in. I thought something happened to you." Gordo told her in a worried voice as he searched her eyes.
"Yeah, sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. I was just thinking about what we're going to talk about today." She told him trying to ease his worries.
"Okay. Is Miranda here yet?" He asked.
"She is now. So what are we talking about?" He heard from the doorway from none other than Miranda.
"You guys, I have a big decision to make and I want to consult with you both before I make it. Gordo, this mostly applies to you because you will also have a huge choice to make." She told them receiving two very worried looks.
"Go on, you can tell us anything." Miranda assured her.
"I think I'm going to adopt my sister and take care of her. I know it sounds crazy, but I think I can handle it. I don't just want to send her away to be adopted by some random people and never see her again. I have this house in my name so I have somewhere to live and I'm almost done with high school. I think I could take care of her and give her the life she deserves. What do you guys think?" She let all of this out in one breath as she looked back and forth between her two friends trying to gauge their reactions.
"Wow, this is a really big choice Lizzie. I hope you truly understand what you are getting yourself into. You're my best friend and I'll stand behind you in anything you do, so you have my support." Miranda told her, squeezing her hand.
They both looked towards Gordo to see what his reaction was. He was now slouched down in his chair looking at the floor. They could tell he was deep in thought. Miranda decided it would be better for her to leave so they could talk it out alone. She said good-bye to Lizzie and glanced at Gordo and walked out the door.
"Gordo.?" Lizzie softly asked while looking at her hands.
She could hear Gordo mumbling to himself. He finally looked up at her.
"Lizzie, I love you, but I'm not sure if I can handle this or not. I wanna be with you and eventually marry you and have kids, but I don't know if I'm ready yet." He told her while looking at his hands that were clasped together.
"I understand Gordo. Either way, I think I'm going to take her. It's up to you whether you are a part of her life. I don't want to corner you into doing anything you don't want to. Will you come with me to the hospital so I can sign the paperwork?" She asked him, hoping he would.
"Of course I will. I'm still here for you, you know? I still love you more than anything." He told her with promise in his eyes.
He drove her down to the hospital and went to meet with the doctor with her for moral support. As they walked through the halls, Lizzie decided to take Gordo to see the new baby.
"She's so beautiful." Gordo stated in amazement.
"I know, isn't she? Can you blame me now?" Lizzie asked while watching him gawk at the tiny infant behind the glass.
"No, I really can't. Lizzie, I don't know if I can let this opportunity pass. Looking at her now, I can't help but rethink my decision. I wasn't planning on being a father so soon, but I was always planning on it being with you. Lizzie, I want to do this. I'm with you all the way. Let's be parents." Gordo said, starting to get excited at the prospects of fatherhood.
"Are you sure Gordo? You were pretty apprehensive back at the house. I don't want you to do anything you don't want to." She told him, searching his eyes.
"Lizzie, I'm more sure of this than anything else in my life other than our relationship. I know we can do this together and I already love her, just looking at her." He told her with conviction.
As they finished their conversation, the doctor approached them. She took them to her office to discuss their decision.
"Gordo and I decided that we want to adopt the baby and raise her as our own. We have thought long and hard about this and this is really what we want to do." Lizzie told the doctor.
"Are you sure about this Ms.McGuire?" She asked apprehensively.
"We've never been so sure. We have weighed the options and this one seems to fit best for us. The positives outweigh the negatives. We know that if we stick together, we can make it work." Lizzie told her while looking her in the eye.
"I believe that you two have thought this through, but are you positive that things are going to work out between the two of you? High school loves don't always last forever. Putting a child though that isn't the best thing for anyone." The doctor told them while surveying their reactions.
"With all due respect, we have been together basically forever and I love her more than anything in the world. I will always be in love with her. Even before this happened, I have planned to marry her eventually and have kids of our own. It all just happened a little sooner than I thought it would. Trust me in this, I will love them both until the day I die." Gordo told her with his emotions coming through.
Lizzie looked at him with love in her eyes.
"Well I guess there is nothing left to do but sign the adoption papers. I hope you are prepared for this." The doctor told them as she slid the papers across her desk towards them and they signed, forever changing their lives.
"Can't she just stay with us?" Lizzie asked the doctors as they informed her of the options for her yet to be named infant sister.
"You would have to become her legal guardian. It would be as if you had your own child. This would be a very large responsibility for someone your age. You have to think of the consequences." The woman sitting across the desk from her informed her.
"Can I have a few days to think this over and talk to some people that will help me in this decision?" Lizzie asked hopefully.
"Of course. Take all the time you need and consult with everyone. You need to weigh the options and make the best choice for you. You also have to keep your sister in mind while making this decision. Think of how it will affect her. She should be put first and foremost in your decision." The doctor told her trying to make the information sink in.
Lizzie went home to an empty house. Her brother Matt had decided to move in with their grandparents. She had a lot of thinking to do, but she still needed to talk to the people that meant the most in her life. She decided to call them.
"Hello?" A groggy Gordo answered the phone.
"Hey.Gordo, did I wake you up?" Lizzie asked timidly into the phone.
"Lizzie? No, no of course not. What do you need? Are you okay?" He asked hurriedly.
"I'm fine honey, I was just wondering if you could come over to talk. I'm gonna call Miranda over too. We need to have a serious discussion."
"Oh, okay. Yeah, that's cool. I'll be over in a few minutes." Gordo told her as he got up out of bed.
"See you then. Love you." She told him.
"I love you too." He ended the conversation.
Next Lizzie called Miranda to see if she could join them. She needed to have them both there for this conversation.
"Hey, Miranda, do you think you could come over for a little while? Gordo is on his way. We all need to talk." Lizzie asked her, hoping for an affirmative.
"Sure Liz, I'll be right over." Miranda answered, ending the conversation.
Lizzie had nothing left to do but wait. Her thoughts drifted off to what it would be like to raise her sister and to be a surrogate mother for her own. She was brought out of her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder. She was startled.
"Hey, you didn't answer the door so I let myself in. I thought something happened to you." Gordo told her in a worried voice as he searched her eyes.
"Yeah, sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. I was just thinking about what we're going to talk about today." She told him trying to ease his worries.
"Okay. Is Miranda here yet?" He asked.
"She is now. So what are we talking about?" He heard from the doorway from none other than Miranda.
"You guys, I have a big decision to make and I want to consult with you both before I make it. Gordo, this mostly applies to you because you will also have a huge choice to make." She told them receiving two very worried looks.
"Go on, you can tell us anything." Miranda assured her.
"I think I'm going to adopt my sister and take care of her. I know it sounds crazy, but I think I can handle it. I don't just want to send her away to be adopted by some random people and never see her again. I have this house in my name so I have somewhere to live and I'm almost done with high school. I think I could take care of her and give her the life she deserves. What do you guys think?" She let all of this out in one breath as she looked back and forth between her two friends trying to gauge their reactions.
"Wow, this is a really big choice Lizzie. I hope you truly understand what you are getting yourself into. You're my best friend and I'll stand behind you in anything you do, so you have my support." Miranda told her, squeezing her hand.
They both looked towards Gordo to see what his reaction was. He was now slouched down in his chair looking at the floor. They could tell he was deep in thought. Miranda decided it would be better for her to leave so they could talk it out alone. She said good-bye to Lizzie and glanced at Gordo and walked out the door.
"Gordo.?" Lizzie softly asked while looking at her hands.
She could hear Gordo mumbling to himself. He finally looked up at her.
"Lizzie, I love you, but I'm not sure if I can handle this or not. I wanna be with you and eventually marry you and have kids, but I don't know if I'm ready yet." He told her while looking at his hands that were clasped together.
"I understand Gordo. Either way, I think I'm going to take her. It's up to you whether you are a part of her life. I don't want to corner you into doing anything you don't want to. Will you come with me to the hospital so I can sign the paperwork?" She asked him, hoping he would.
"Of course I will. I'm still here for you, you know? I still love you more than anything." He told her with promise in his eyes.
He drove her down to the hospital and went to meet with the doctor with her for moral support. As they walked through the halls, Lizzie decided to take Gordo to see the new baby.
"She's so beautiful." Gordo stated in amazement.
"I know, isn't she? Can you blame me now?" Lizzie asked while watching him gawk at the tiny infant behind the glass.
"No, I really can't. Lizzie, I don't know if I can let this opportunity pass. Looking at her now, I can't help but rethink my decision. I wasn't planning on being a father so soon, but I was always planning on it being with you. Lizzie, I want to do this. I'm with you all the way. Let's be parents." Gordo said, starting to get excited at the prospects of fatherhood.
"Are you sure Gordo? You were pretty apprehensive back at the house. I don't want you to do anything you don't want to." She told him, searching his eyes.
"Lizzie, I'm more sure of this than anything else in my life other than our relationship. I know we can do this together and I already love her, just looking at her." He told her with conviction.
As they finished their conversation, the doctor approached them. She took them to her office to discuss their decision.
"Gordo and I decided that we want to adopt the baby and raise her as our own. We have thought long and hard about this and this is really what we want to do." Lizzie told the doctor.
"Are you sure about this Ms.McGuire?" She asked apprehensively.
"We've never been so sure. We have weighed the options and this one seems to fit best for us. The positives outweigh the negatives. We know that if we stick together, we can make it work." Lizzie told her while looking her in the eye.
"I believe that you two have thought this through, but are you positive that things are going to work out between the two of you? High school loves don't always last forever. Putting a child though that isn't the best thing for anyone." The doctor told them while surveying their reactions.
"With all due respect, we have been together basically forever and I love her more than anything in the world. I will always be in love with her. Even before this happened, I have planned to marry her eventually and have kids of our own. It all just happened a little sooner than I thought it would. Trust me in this, I will love them both until the day I die." Gordo told her with his emotions coming through.
Lizzie looked at him with love in her eyes.
"Well I guess there is nothing left to do but sign the adoption papers. I hope you are prepared for this." The doctor told them as she slid the papers across her desk towards them and they signed, forever changing their lives.
