Thanks for the reviews! And here... the finale!
Finally the wait was over. It was announced that Louis was stable and he would survive. It was several weeks before he completely recovered, but it was really worth the wait.
Dr. Johnson announced that Louis was better, and the Millers celebrated. He told them they could visit Louis, but only for a certain period of time.
The Millers quietly stepped into his room, where Louis was laying quietly. He saw them, and quietly said, "Hey."
Romeo sat down and said, "How ya' doin' bro?"
Louis looked up and whispered, "Not so great."
"Anything we can help you with son?" Mr. Miller boomed.
Louis looked up with pain-filled eyes. "I've just been thinking."
"What?" Mrs. Miller asked gently.
"What it would be like to have real parents."
"But Louis," Jodi quavered. "We love you like we do a real brother."
"No you don't," Louis choked, the tears starting. "I'm just a foster child. Nobody's ever going to love me like I'm their real son."
"Who told you that?" Mrs. Miller asked quietly, stroking Louis's cheek.
"The Kolinskis. The kids at school. Everybody," Louis whimpered. "Even you Romeo."
Romeo looked shocked and said, "What? I never said that!"
"Yeah, you did," Louis said. "A while ago. You were really mad at me, and I said that it wasn't my fault and we'd still be brothers anyway, even if you decided to hate me for the rest of my life and you said, 'No. You'll never be my real brother. You're just a foster kid.' Romeo, those words hurt me so much. They hurt me more than anything my real parents ever said or anything."
"But I didn't mean it- No I didn't say it," Romeo stuttered. "Fine. I did. But I didn't mean it. You may be a foster kid, but you're my brother. It doesn't matter what we look like or anything, because I love you man, and you're my bro."
"If I'm your brother," Louis whispered. "Why'd you let me go? If I was Jodi, you wouldn't let me go, would you?"
The Millers stood silent, not knowing what to say. The silence fell on them as they were led into a trap, scared, quiet.
Finally Gary broke the silence by bursting into tears. "B-but where are Louis's real parents? Why didn't they want him?"
Louis looked at him with tired eyes. "I don't know Gary. I really don't know."
"Why don't you tell us about it?" Jodi suggested, starting to cry.
Louis sighed.
It was windy that night. In a small apartment that was falling apart, a ten-year-old boy looked out from behind the couch, listening as his parents ranted and fought. A liquor bottle hit the side of the couch, small fragments of the glass cutting into his face.
"Louis!" his mom shrilled. "Get out here now!"
The little boy stumbled to his feet, eager to run to his mother before he was beaten.
"Louis?" Mrs. Testaverde asked him. "Don't you think your dad is mad?"
Ten-year-old Louis looked up, not knowing what to say. He shouldn't go against his dad, should he?
"Come on Louis," Mrs. Testaverde soothed. "Come on. Mommy's always right, isn't she?"
Louis stared up at his mother. What was going on? Why was his life like this? He knew other kids' lives were different. The kids at school seemed so carefree.
"Louis," Mrs. Testaverde coaxed.
Louis stared up at his mother. "I don't know."
"What?" Mrs. Testaverde shrieked. She slapped him hard across the face.
Louis looked down, trying not to cry, but the tears came anyway.
"What are you, some kind of wuss?" his father roared.
"Yes, he's a wuss," his mother agreed.
The Testaverde parents laughed their heads off and then left, leaving Louis standing quietly in the room.
"And then," Louis sobbed. "They didn't come back. And I waited and waited. But then, somebody told me they'd been hit by a car, and they died."
The Millers stood silently. Jodi was crying so hard, even Romeo was trying to comfort her as he brushed away the tears that were forming in his eyes.
"I'm sorry Louis," Mr. Miller heaved a sigh. "I didn't know it was like that."
"But that's the past," Louis said. "What's going to happen now?"
"I don't know," Mr. Miller answered. "I really don't know."
There was an awkward silence, that was broken when the nurse came in, announcing that visiting hours were over.
The Millers came in, visiting again the next day.
Louis looked up tiredly. Maybe the new foster home was ready.
Romeo collapsed in a chair next to his bed.
"You know bro," he said. "You really tick me off some time, but I guess I'm going to have to get used to it."
"What?" Louis asked, confused.
"Man," he grinned. "Welcome to the family."
"What do you mean?" Louis asked.
"You're joining us. Mom's already gotten all the adoption papers, so, you're my bro, and I'm never ever going to let you go anywhere."
Louis smiled – a real family.
You like? Maybe I should write a sequel...
FiNnGrl
