Jesse and Becky sat on the living room sofa, discussing the interview that had just taken place.
"So, what did you think of her?" Jesse asked, as he held his wife's hand, knowing they were discussing one of the most important decisions they may ever make together.
"Well, honestly, I really liked her. I do think she has some problems that need to be addressed, but I think we'll get that with any child we may meet. I think she's sweet and I think somewhere deep down she wants to trust somebody. I honestly think if we did adopt her, and put her into some kind of therapy to help her, she'd be okay." Becky said honestly. "What did you think?"
"I liked her too. Like you said, she does have problems, but I think she would be okay. I think what she needs is a family. From what she's told us about herself, I really think her and Steph would get along." Jesse said with a laugh. Becky laughed too.
"I got that impression too Jess." She admitted. The two sat in silence for a few moments, as if considering the possibilities.
"What are you thinking?" Becky asked after a few minutes. Jesse lowered his head.
"Becky, I think I really want to adopt her." He admitted. Becky smiled and gently hit him.
"You're kidding. A couple of days ago, you thought adoption was a bad idea." She said.
"I never said it was a bad idea. I was just worried about the whole idea. But now that we've met Sara and talked about it a lot more, I don't know. It just seems right. I don't know about you, but I sort of felt some sort of connection when I met Sara. Maybe that's weird, but I kind of felt like we were meant to be her parents." Jesse explained. Becky shook her head unbelievingly.
"That's amazing Jesse. I felt it too. I thought it was just some kind of motherly instinct, but it felt like it was more than that. I really want us to be the ones to help Sara. I want us to be the ones to show her that people aren't going to hurt her like her parents did. Oh Jesse, I want to love her." She said. Jesse smiled.
"Me too." He agreed.
"So, are you saying, you want to adopt Sara?" Becky asked. Jesse grinned.
"I guess I am. Do you?" He asked. Becky raised her eyebrows with a smile.
"Of course I do. Jesse, you know I've been for the adoption process all along." She said. He nodded.
"I know, I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this point." He apologized. Becky leaned in and kissed him.
"I don't care. We got to this point together and hopefully, Sara will soon be a part of our family." She said.
"Should we call Ms. Morrison?" Jesse asked. Becky nodded.
"Yes, we should. But I think we should wait until morning." She replied.
That evening at dinner, Jesse and Becky told the family about their decision and everybody was excited.
"So have you called the social worker yet?" Joey asked excitedly. Jesse laughed.
"Relax Joey. We're calling in the morning. Don't worry, Sara will still be there, I'm sure." He replied with a grin.
"So what color are you going to paint her room?" Stephanie asked as she stuffed a large forkful of spaghetti in her mouth. Jesse shrugged.
"How the heck should I know? I know nothing about girl's bedrooms." He admitted plainly. Becky laughed.
"We haven't actually talked about that kind of stuff yet. I mean, we don't want to make those kinds of decisions until we're sure there isn't any problem with the adoption. I mean, there's always a small chance we won't be able to adopt Sara." She said, suddenly feeling very nervous about the phone call she was about to make the next day.
It was now Thursday morning, and Jesse and Becky didn't even bother to get dressed as they came downstairs to use the telephone to call Ms. Morrison. As the couple made their way into the living room, they realized everybody else was already sitting in the living room, all wearing their pajamas as well. Becky laughed.
"What are you all doing here?" She asked.
"We want to be here when you make the phone call." Stephanie replied, speaking on behalf of her family.
"You guys are all crazy." Jesse said with a smile.
"No, we're family. If we're adding someone to the family, we're a part of it too." Danny explained. Jesse and Becky smiled.
"You guys are great. Just make sure you keep it down while I'm on the phone." Becky said as she picked up the receiver of the phone. Everybody leaned in as Jesse held his wife's hand. Becky took a deep breath, feeling nervous, and dialed Ms. Morrison's phone number.
Ms. Morrison was in her office, working on some paper work when her phone rang. She answered it.
"Ms. Morrison, it's Becky Katsoppolus." Becky greeted.
"Oh hello Becky, how are you?" Ms. Morrison asked, curious as to why the Katsoppolus' were calling back. I wonder if they want to set up another interview.
"We're doing great Ms. Morrison, thanks for asking. How are you?" Becky asked.
"I'm doing well, thanks. What can I help you with? Were you thinking of setting up another interview?" Ms. Morrison asked, feeling a little disappointed that they weren't interested in Sara, but little did she know she was wrong.
"Actually, no we don't. Jesse and I have been discussing some things and we really hope we can do it. We want to adopt Sara." Becky explained. Ms. Morrison felt her heart skip a beat and a smile crossed her face. She wanted to jump for joy, but maintained her composure.
"You do? You'd like to adopt her?" Ms. Morrison asked, as if making sure she had heard her correctly.
"Yes we would. We think she's a very sweet girl who needs a lot of love and we have that love and would like to share it with her." Becky explained, as Jesse squeezed her hand in agreement.
"Well, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you all. I've been hoping Sara would find a family since she's been here. I really believe that would help her overcome the pain she's been feeling. Not right away, but eventually." Ms. Morrison said.
"Jesse and I were thinking the same thing. Of course, we've talked about it together, and discussed the possibility of putting Sara into therapy or something, just to help things along. What do you think about that?" Becky asked, wanting as much advice as she could for the daughter she was about to adopt.
"I think that's a wonderful idea. Every little bit helps." Ms. Morrison replied. Becky paused and smiled at her family.
"So, how soon do you think we can have Sara come?" She asked, hoping it would be sooner rather than later. Becky could hear papers' rustling on the other end of the phone, as Ms. Morrison was searching for her date book. She flipped through her calendar quickly, not wanting to keep Becky waiting.
"Well, I can send you a fax with the adoption papers today and if you fill them out immediately and send them back as soon as you can, I think we can have Sara packed and ready to go by next Friday." Ms. Morrison said. Becky felt her heart skip a beat. This is really real now. We're adopting Sara. We're going to be her parents.
"That's perfect. We can't wait." Becky said with a smile.
"Okay, I'll send them immediately. I still have your fax number from your last visit here, so I'll send them to that number." Ms. Morrison explained.
"That's great. Thank you so much Ms. Morrison."
"No problem. I'll probably call you in the middle of next week just to update you on what time we should be there on Friday."
"Thank you very much Ms. Morrison. We'll talk to you then. Goodbye." Becky hung up the phone and everybody knew by the huge smile on Becky's face that Jesse and Becky were going to be the official parents of Sara.
"Becky? What did she say?" Jesse asked, as everybody listened carefully and anxiously. Becky sighed happily.
"Ms. Morrison is sending us the adoption papers as we speak and if we fill them out and send them back right away, we can have Sara by next Friday." She explained. Everybody cheered as Jesse gave his wife a big hug. As everybody chatted excitedly about the new addition, Jesse stared at his wife.
"Can you believe it? We're going to be parents to a teenager." He whispered.
"I know. Are you sure we made the right choice?" Becky asked, knowing they had, but wanting to know what her husband thought. He smiled.
"Yes, I'm positive. I felt it from the minute I saw her, and I feel it every time I see your face." Jesse kissed her. "Just think, next Friday, a new life starts for all of us."