A/N- Thanks again for your reviews! I got my most reviews for any chapter so far for the last one, try and beat it!
A/N 2- Questions! I am going to keep Richard pretty prominent in here, and Chris will make appearances, too. I don't think I'll have Emily so much (I don't really like her anymore) :-D
A/N 3- I know no one's said anything about this, but I just thought I'd explain. My theory is that, if Lorelai and Rory had gotten to Luke earlier, he wouldn't have gotten the chance to become so grumpy. That's why he's so sweet with Rory and Lorelai.
Disclaimer- Seriously, I'm a 16-year-old with aspirations of being a preschool teacher. You think I own anything?
Age Five
Rory Gilmore sat at the kitchen table in her parents' small apartment above the diner owned by her father. She clutched a pencil with one hand and reached for the bowl of potato chips set out by her mother with the other, trying to finish her homework. Her mother, however, was not about to let that happen easily.
"Hey, Ror... wanna go get some ice cream?"
"I'm doing my homework now, mommy."
"C'mon- you can take a break. I'll let you get the really gross kind of sprinkles that stick to your teeth!"
"Mommy, I'm doing my homework..."
"I won't tell on you!"
"Mommy! Why don't you go bother daddy?"
"Daddy yelled at me and told me to bother you..."
"Well, why don't you go look through the newspapers?"
"Because I already watched the news today..."
"No, to look for houses for sale!"
"Oh, good idea! See, I knew I loved you for a reason!" Rory rolled her eyes and her mother sarcastically blew her a kiss, which she quickly returned.
The Gilmore-Danes family had decided to buy a new house after Lorelai and Luke returned from their honeymoon. Rory had brought in a slew of gifts that she'd received from her parents, who brought them back from their cruise in the Caribbean, and placed them in her room, finding that she herself had no room to move. Lorelai Gilmore-Danes, as she was now officially called, had decided it was a better idea to move to a bigger place now that Rory was growing and they were quickly becoming a real "adult" family.
Searching for the perfect house had proven difficult. Every house was either too small or too big, the street too noisy or too quiet, the neighbors too obnoxious or too creepy. To Lorelai, it felt as if they had looked at every house in Stars Hollow, including ones already inhabited by town residents; none of the houses they looked at were right. Their main deciding factor was Rory, and Rory wasn't comfortable in any one of these homes; she would whine, she would hide behind her parents, or generally act the opposite of her usually pleasant personality.
Lorelai found an ad in the paper for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom house on Kelly Road, circled it, and convinced Luke to allow Caesar to take over while he went with her and Rory after the lunch rush to go look at it. Luke agreed, and at 2:45, they set off for a walk down to 17 Kelly Road.
Rory was skipping ahead of her parents when she first laid eyes on the house.
"Mommy," she breathed in awe, "it's big!" Lorelai laughed and stood behind the little girl, looking up at the house; she felt a wave of emotion rush over her.
"I love it!" She exclaimed, turning around and tugging on Luke's hand, much as Rory did when she craved a treat that Luke wouldn't allow her.
"We just got here. You can't possibly love it yet."
"Says who?" He shrugged and gave the house a once-over. In spite of the fact that it was a nauseating green color, the number of redeeming qualities were countless. It was big, the yard was huge, the street it was on was quiet, but still had some activity, and it was right next door to Babette and Morey's house, which was useful for spur-of-the-moment babysitting needs.
His wife's spontaneity, however, did not rub off on him. While the house did seem to be an amazingly good fit for them, he still wanted to be sure of his decision before he committed. While he was more light-hearted when he was with the girls, he would never be as impulsive as Lorelai was.
"I love it. It's the one," Lorelai repeated matter-of-factly, an eager grin spreading across her face.
"Don't you think we should go inside first?"
"We can, but I know this is the one. When I know, I know... like how I knew with you," she added for emotional effect. Luke sighed and stared down into her hopeful blue eyes.
"I just hope Rory didn't inherit your impetuousness."
"She's all me, baby." Lorelai smirked devilishly as Rory came to her mother and asked her for a drink.
"Sure, sweets. It's in the bookbag you made daddy bring." Luke took the small, yet heavy, bookbag off his back and put it on the floor next to Rory with a grunt; he hadn't wanted to bring the thing in the first place, but with one pleading puppy-dog glance from Rory, he caved and packed a bag full of sodas, juices, and books for her.
She rummaged through the bag and pulled out her copy of the book Double Fudge by Judy Bloom and a juice box.
"That she got from you," Lorelai stated as she motioned to the juice box Rory had picked in lieu of a Coca-Cola. Smiling, Luke led Lorelai and Rory into the house.
Past the threshold of the front door, they came face-to face with an entryway boasting doors leading to a den and a staircase and another leading to the kitchen. Once they began to wander through the house and into the kitchen, Rory immediately found herself comfortable in a nice-sized bedroom coming off of the kitchen. As she sat against the wall and situated herself with her book and her juice box, her parents continued to browse through the house.
"We'll need to change the back door lock," Luke mentioned matter-of-factly.
"Reason being..."
"That's the kind of lock burglars look for. It's easy to break into... I wonder what else needs to be fixed in here... we don't need a fixer-upper, Lorelai. We need to have money to spend on other things... We need a new car, for instance, and if the house costs more to repair than it does to actually purchase, then we can't get the new car..."
"Luke!" Lorelai interrupted him, "Honey, you're ranting. This is a nervous tangent; that's all. You've found one thing, other than the color of the house, that needs to be fixed. We need more room, Luke. And we have your car, that's enough. Not to mention the fact that the house won't cost that much, and it won't take that long to save up for a car, ok? Now, let's go look upstairs and see what needs repairing up there before you flip out and we wind up living above the diner until Rory's kids complain that they want to move out." Luke looked ashamed, but slightly calmer.
"Ok... I'm sorry. Come, let's go upstairs." He kissed her, a request for forgiveness, and she eagerly pardoned his behavior.
Upstairs, they found a bathroom, closet, and bedroom, which they promptly entered, arms around each others' waists and her head on his shoulder. Lorelai's eyes grew wide as she surveyed the room.
"Luke, this is our room!"
"Sweetheart, you're getting ahead of yourself." She let go of him and began to pace around, gesturing wildly with her hands,
"No, Luke! This is the house! Can't you see us living here? Having movie nights in the den? Rory studying in the kitchen? You and me waking up next to each other right here every morning!" Grinning at her (he adored when she was passionate), he pulled her into a hug, kissing her head.
"I think, if you like it, then it's perfect." She smiled up at him and kissed him sweetly.
"I love you." It was her answer to anything he said when she knew she had won an argument.
"Yeah, well, I only want you for your looks." Lorelai feigned disgust,
"You mean like "looks" like you're sleeping on the couch tonight?" He snickered at her, then pulled her close to him, engulfing her in a passionate kiss. A minute later, he pulled away,
"I love you." She paused, considering,
"I love this house."
"Then this is home."
Later that night, they told Rory their plans to purchase the house; Rory was ecstatic,
"Mommy, can the room I was in be my room!"
"Of course, baby."
"It's so big! I'll have a place to put all of my books!"
"We can even buy you more books to put in extra spaces you have."
"Daddy, can you paint my room?"
"What color, princess?"
"Pink! With princesses on them, like me!"
"Sure, sweetheart." Luke smiled at his girls, admiring their excitement and the similarities between them.
Later that night, as Luke and Lorelai put Rory to bed, Rory was full of questions, though her eyes and yawning mouth betrayed her true sleepiness.
"Mommy, when can we move into the new house?"
"Soon, sweetheart. I spoke to the guy and he said probably later this month."
"Is that how fast it usually goes?"
"No, sweets. It's quick, but we're not selling our old house and the people moving out of our new house are anxious to get out and go to their new house."
"Ok. Hey, daddy, could you make the princesses in my room look like me?"
"Sure, princess."
"But, daddy... promise me something."
"Anything."
"Now, I don't want to sound silly or like a baby but... promise me I'm your only princess. Like, that you won't find another girl and call her princess and forget all about me." Luke marveled at how Rory's five-year-old mind worked, but he made sure to soothe her fear.
"Of course not, sweetheart. You're my only princess, you know that. Nobody could take your place, ok? Mommy and I love you. You're mommy's sweets and my princess, got it?" Rory nodded and put her arms up for her goodnight hug and kiss from her parents, falling asleep the moment her light was turned off.
That night, as Luke and Lorelai were getting ready for bed, Lorelai was sifting through the mail; her busy day hadn't allowed her to read it before now. After numerous bills, postcards from her parents, and papers informing her she "may have won!" , she picked up a piece of mail that made her eyes widen.
She ripped open the paper and gasped.
"Luke! Luke!" Luke came rushing in from the bathroom.
"What! What's the matter!"
"Look at what came in the mail!" She handed him the letter and he read it once quietly to himself, then again out loud, a smile stretching from ear-to-ear.
"Dear Mr. Lucas A. Danes,
This letter is to inform you that the final adoption trial of minor Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, age five, is to be held on Tuesday morning, the twenty-fifth of October, at 10:30 am.
There will be no attorneys present. This trial is to check the well-being of the child, both physically and emotionally, and to grant legal custody to whoever may provide the best opportunity for the child.
Wishing you and your child happiness,
Paula Redmond
Sec. of Childcare" Luke smiled uncontrollably as he pulled Lorelai to him with one arm, holding and rereading the letter with the other.
Three weeks later, the Gilmore-Danes family was fully packed and on their way to move into the new house. Luke and Lorelai set Rory's boxes of books, toys, and clothing in her new bedroom and instructed her to unpack what she could; they'd be down to help her later.
After unpacking all of their things in the bedroom, Lorelai and Luke made their way down to the den, taking out the countless videos they hadn't seen in years. Making a vow to have a movie night with Monty Python's "Life of Brian", "Meaning of Life", and "Holy Grail", along with "Spinal Tap", they opened up the box marked "Pictures" in Luke's sprawling handwriting. At the bottom of the box, they reached a photo album which Lorelai recalled making the day after Rory's kindergarten graduation.
"Oh, honey! Come, let's look through it."
"We need to finish with this."
"We can take a break." She pulled him up and sat him on the couch, plopping herself down onto his lap.
The photo album was in chronological order, from the day Rory was born onward. Lorelai gasped at each picture, smiling and explaining the story behind it, even for the ones Luke was there for. Eventually, they came across a picture of Luke and Rory; it was Rory's third birthday, and she was leaning over from her place in Luke's arms, attempting to blow out the candles. Right next to her face was Luke's, his cheeks puffed out in the same way, helping her in her attempts. Luke smiled as he remembered that day- that moment.
Lorelai had decided that she was going to be the photographer for the day; it had been a week since Luke had proposed and she was on a new mission to take as many pictures of their happy little family as possible. She never wanted them to pose for pictures; she loved candid shots, showing how their family truly was.
When she had gathered the party around the large picnic table in the backyard of the Independence Inn, Lorelai led the group in a chorus of "Happy Birthday". Rory had attempted to blow out the candles, but couldn't reach her head over the table, so she tugged at Luke's shirt. Obligingly, he picked her up, waiting for her to lean over to finish the job she had attempted to start. After ten seconds of waiting, Luke turned to his daughter.
"Ror, what's the matter?"
"I want you to help me, daddy."
"Help you what, princess?"
"Help me blow out the candles." Luke was taken aback; he'd never known Rory to want assistance in anything.
"Ok... 1, 2, 3..." They blew out the candles and everyone clapped, but Luke turned to Rory, "Rory, why did you want me to help you? You know how to do it, you could've done it on your own." Rory looked sheepishly at Luke, then quietly answered,
"Cuz I wanted to share my wish with you." Luke was puzzled.
"What do you mean, baby?"
"Well, mommy always says that she got her wish. That she got you and me and that that was her wish. To have us. And I got my wish, cuz I got you and mommy and my friends and my party. But you didn't get your wish, daddy. And I want you to get your wish." Luke smiled and kissed her forehead.
"Believe me, munchkin, I got my wish. You and mommy are my wish, and I couldn't ask for a better one. I love you."
"I love you too, daddy."
"Happy birthday, little girl."
"Happy engagement, big man."
In the present, Luke smiled to himself and was possessed to go help Rory finish putting away her things in her room, logging some quality daddy-daughter time.
That night, the night before Rory's official adoption, Luke and Lorelai lay in bed, unable to fall asleep.
"It's going to be great. Sookie's doing the food for the after-party. She wants to make Roquefort puffs, but I told her to make hot dogs, too. And Miss Patty's bringing the music. Mia wants to come to the actual hearing; I told her it was ok. I mean, Mia's like a grandma to Rory, you know?"
"Lor..." Luke interrupted Lorelai's tangent and she seemed shocked- he usually loved her enthusiasm.
"What's the matter?"
"What if... What if the judge decides that I can't adopt her? That it's in her best interest to stay Chris's kid?" He managed to choke out.
"Oh, hon, don't be crazy! Rory loves you. Everyone can see that."
"But he's still her biological father."
"Yeah, but you're her daddy. Luke, there's overwhelming evidence that Chris has been negligent while you took over. I mean, even just at our wedding, he almost hit you in front of Rory. She can barely even recognize him, but if she ever sees him, she shudders. She sees you, she smiles and runs to give you a hug. She loves you." Luke smiled at her as she got up, picking up the new dress she had bought for Rory specifically for the occasion. She continued, "You have to understand that tomorrow, we will leave this house Luke Danes, Lorelai Gilmore-Danes, and Rory Gilmore. But when we come back, you and I are going to be the same, but she's going to be Lorelai Leigh Gilmore-Danes."
"You're sure it's what she wants?" At that moment, they heard a small knock on the door, an unexpected noise that caused them both to jump.
"Come in!" Lorelai called, sitting back on the bed next to Luke.
"Mommy? Daddy? I couldn't sleep." Lorelai patted the space in the bed in between her and Luke and Rory eagerly jumped into her spot, clutching her favorite stuffed animal, Colonel Clucker.
"What's the matter, baby?"
"Nothing, I'm just excited for tomorrow. It kept me awake."
"Yeah, that or the huge slice of chocolate cake mommy let you have after dinner." Rory laughed and settled herself under the blanket.
"Can I sleep in your bed tonight?" Luke and Lorelai nodded, and Rory leaned over, kissing her mother on the cheek.
"Night, mommy," She leaned over to Luke, "Night, daddy. I love you."
The next morning, Lorelai woke up first; she leaned over Rory to give Luke a kiss, trying to wake him up.
"Good morning." He smiled and his eyes opened slowly, blinking to adjust to the light.
"Hey, good morning." Lorelai smiled as her eyes shot to Rory.
"Luke, you still questioning whether she wants you or not?" He noticed the way Rory was sleeping. His arm was protectively around her small body, her legs curled up in front of her stomach, her head resting on his chest. He smiled contentedly.
"Not anymore."
Four hours later, Luke and Lorelai set out with Rory, who was dressed in a sleeveless purple dress with pink polka-dots of all sizes. Luke and Lorelai both looked at their little girl, who skipped happily while holding her parents' hands, and marveled. They couldn't believe that the tiny, innocent, defenseless baby from yesterday was this beautiful little girl today. Even in the past few months, she had grown so much, emotionally, physically, and mentally; she was intelligent and sweet, and very well-behaved. Her relationship with her parents had grown over time; she and her mother were closer than best friends, and she was a daddy's girl in nearly every sense of the word. Both Luke and Lorelai would do anything to protect her, and she knew that better than most 5-year-olds.
Inside the vast courthouse, they sat nervously, waiting to be called in. Rory sat on Luke's lap, holding Lorelai's hand. Luke's leg bounced nervously, Lorelai bit her nails, and Rory was subconsciously scratching at her arm. Mia, standing across from them, finally had had enough,
"What are you three so worried about?" Luke looked up, his whole body shaking from his leg's vibrations. He gave her a weak smile and looked back at the floor; Lorelai had only seen him like this once before- when Rory had a high fever and needed to go to the hospital. She was fine, but Luke didn't deal well with hospitals. Mia inhaled, then began to talk again, "Will you three relax? You're already a family. A piece of paper doesn't change that." Luke was about to answer when a woman with gray hair and glasses peeked her head out of the oversized door.
"Lucas Danes and Lorelai Gilmore?"
"That's us," Luke answered, and he picked up Rory, them, Lorelai, and Mia walking into the room.
The woman sat at a table and instructed Luke and Rory to sit across from her, while Mia and Lorelai sat behind them, a box of Kleenex sitting in between.
"Now, we are here to discuss the adoption of a minor, age 5, Lorelai Leigh Gilmore. Is the minor present?" Rory looked up at the woman, who continued, "Are you Lorelai?"
"Mommy says that's my real name. But everyone calls me Rory." The woman laughed.
"Hi, Rory. Who's this guy sitting next to you?"
"This is my daddy," she said matter of factly as he squeezed her hand for strength under the table.
"You are Lucas Danes?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"And you are here because you wish to adopt this little girl?"
"Yes, ma'am." She nodded and looked down at the paperwork under her nose.
"Well, I have reviewed your case. It seems we have a negligent birth father, a man taking over in the role, and testimonial from your wife requesting that we allow 'Rory to be with her real father, Luke Danes'. We also have a request for a name change from Lorelai Leigh Gilmore to Lorelai Leigh Gilmore-Danes. Is this correct?" Luke nodded; he knew his tears would flow if he spoke, "Well, after rereading the doctrine and taking into account all possible situations for this beautiful little girl, it is my pleasure, on behalf of the state of Connecticut, to grant the adoption of Lorelai Leigh Gilmore to Lucas Andrew Danes, and to change the name of said minor to Lorelai Leigh Gilmore-Danes. Congratulations." Tears filled Luke's eyes as he picked Rory up and spun her around, kissing her hair. Lorelai and Mia ran to them and threw their arms around them.
"Daddy!" Rory called, trying to get his attention.
"What, princess?" He wiped tears out of his and Lorelai's eyes, grinning as widely as he had on their wedding day.
"Guess what!"
"What?"
"I'm Princess Rory Danes now!"
"Yeah, you are." And with that, they left, smiling and crying, to meet with their friends and family and celebrate the final union of their family.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kirsten stood in front of the mirror, her eyes red, her cheeks tear-stained, smoothing her black dress, wiping at ther sore eyes, careful not to smudge her mascara and eyeliner. She felt Sandy's strong arms wrap around her and she allowed herself to collapse into his body.
"You holding up ok?" She nodded silently. Ever since her mother had died three days earlier, it had been difficult to form words. Sandy understood ad continued to explain the day to her. "Allison is here; she's downstairs with the boys. The limo's going to come and take us to the funeral home... It's going to be you, me, and Hailey. Your dad wants to ride alone... I told the boys we won't be home until late, but I gave Allison our number..."
"I don't want to stay out late. I want to be home to tuck Seth and Ryan in tonight," She suddenly blurted, and for the first time, Sandy noticed she was fingering a picture of her mother, who looked frail and fragile, with the boys at Christmastime the previous year.
"Oh... ok. I just though you'd want to be with your dad and Hailey."
"I want to be with the boys."
"Not a problem. I'll tell them we'll be home earlier." She reverted to nodding again as he kissed her cheek, gave her an encouraging squeeze, and headed downstairs.
Later that evening, around 7:30 pm, Kirsten and Sandy returned home. The day had been a blur, a frenzied tornado of black, tears, and "I'm so sorry"s from nameless, faceless strangers. Exhausted, they trudged into the house and found Allison, the babysitter, sitting with the boys and watching a Power Rangers tape. Sandy paid Allison, thanked her for coming, and drove her home. Kirsten collapsed onto the couch, curling her legs under her. She allowed tears to drop- tears that she quickly and silently wiped away. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes.
"Mommy?" Ryan's voice startled her.
"Hi, baby." She patted the two seats next to her and motioned for Seth and Ryan, who were standing side-by-side, to sit with her.
"Mommy, are you ok?"
"Yeah, Seth. I'm fine, sweetheart."
"Mommy, are you sad?"
"A little." The boys both leaned in and gave their mother kisses and hugs, then leaned on her, their symbol to show that they were there if she needed them.
When Sandy returned, he and Kirsten took the boys to bed, and, per her request, lay in bed with them as they fell asleep.
"Daddy?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah, pal?"
"When's grandma gonna come over?"
"Yeah, we miss her." He heard Kirsten choke back tears; she needed to be strong for her boys.
"Boys, mommy and I need to talk to you about something."
"What, Daddy?"
"Grandma..." He struggled to get his words out, "Grandma needed... to go away."
"Oh... When is she coming back?"
"I'm not sure, Sethie... It might not be for a long time." Ryan seemed puzzled,
"Is it pretty where she went?"
"It's beautiful there. I'm sure of it." He smiled at his son, willing him to go to sleep, which he knew he wouldn't. At least not yet.
"So... can we go visit her?"
"No, pal. But we can do a lot of other things, like looking at old pictures and watching old home movies. You know how much Grandma loves that."
"Yeah, daddy." They slowly fell asleep and Kirsten and Sandy made their way downstairs.
The next night, they put Seth and Ryan to bed at 8, as usual, and sat together on the couch, flipping through old photographs of the boys and of Alice. They laughed as they came across a picture of the boys at the zoo, clutching cotton candy and stuffed giraffes.
"Remember, that was the day that Seth decided that giraffes were his favorite animal."
"And Ryan decided he wanted an elephant."
"But then Seth asked him who was going to clean up after it..." They both laughed at the memory as they flipped the page again.
Suddenly, they heard Ryan's anguished screams from upstairs,
"MOMMY!" With a quick glance at each other, they dashed upstairs, making a quick left to Ryan's bed when they reached the boys' bedroom. Kirsten sat on the bed as he flung himself at her, and she cradled him in her arms, rocking back and forth.
"Shhh... sweetheart, it's ok. Mommy's here. Mommy's here. What happened?"
"Mommy... don't... leave me!" He choked out, tears flowing freely down his cheeks.
"Shhh... mommy's not leaving you, honey. Mommy's right here. I'm not going anywhere," her attention turned to her other son, who was sitting up, wide-eyed, in his bed, "Seth, are you ok, sweetheart?"
"Yeah, mommy... I'm ok."
"What happened?"
"I don't know. I just woke up and Ryan was crying."
"Ok, baby. Go back to sleep."
"Mommy, is Ryan going to be ok?"
"Ryan's going to be fine, sweetheart. He just got scared. Go. Goodnight. I love you." Sandy re-tucked Seth in and kissed him goodnight as Kirsten carried a shaking Ryan downstairs. Sandy came back downstairs, holding new pajamas for Ryan (his were soaked through from crying and wiping his nose on his sleeve), and kissed his son's head affectionately, sitting next to his wife and hysterical son.
"What's the matter with him?"
"I don't know. He's not sick- I felt his forehead. And I tried to put him down, but he just screamed and wouldn't let me go. I think maybe a nightmare."
"Is that it, Ry-guy? Was it a bad dream?" Ryan nodded into his mother's chest and allowed a sob to escaped him. They decided not to prod; it was better that he didn't discuss his nightmare before going back to sleep. Fifteen minutes later, Ryan's tears had pretty much subsided, and Sandy decided to try and persuade him back to sleep.
"Ok, buddy. I think it's time for you to go back to bed."
"NO! MOMMY, DON'T LEAVE ME!" His hysterical crying began again, and Kirsten began to rock him once again.
"Shhh... shh, baby. I'm not going anywhere... Do you want to sleep in mommy and daddy's bed tonight?" Ryan nodded again and she carried him to her bed, lying with him until he fell asleep.
When his breathing became slow, she motioned for Sandy to join her outside, and she slowly got up from the bed.
"What was that?" Sandy asked, incredulous.
"I have no idea... It's worrying me, though."
"Yeah... I mean, maybe Seth I would expect this from. But Ryan? He's our rational child."
"Looking forward to their teen years?"
"Of course." A short pause was permeated by Kirsten's nervous breathing.
"Sandy?"
"Yeah, honey?"
"I'm worried about him. He's usually so calm. That wasn't normal."
"I know, honey. And if it continues, then we can figure something out." She nodded, and he pulled her into his arms.
"Let's go back. Before he wakes up again." He kissed her hair and they went back into their bedroom.
The behavior continued for a week; the boys would be put to bed at eight, by nine Ryan would become uneasy in his sleep, and around ten he'd wake up screaming for his mother. They had asked him about it one morning, and he had answered that he didn't remember the exact dream; he only remembered that in all of the dreams, Kirsten had left him. He shuddered at the memory and they let it drop. They soon discovered that if Kirsten lay with him as he fell asleep, he would generally sleep through the night.
One night, however, Ryan's behavior changed patterns. Kirsten had a meeting that night, but had made a request that it be a late meeting- 9:00. She laid with Ryan until he fell asleep around 8:25 and made her way, with Sandy, who had been laying with Seth, down into the kitchen.
"Ok, well, I'm going to be at the Arches. Here's the number in case you need me or if the boys wake up. If Ryan wakes up..." Sandy interrupted Kirsten's rambling,
"Honey, I'm their father. I know what to do if Ryan wakes up. I'm not the babysitter. What, are you going to tell me to help myself to anything in the fridge next?" Kirsten, embarrassed, looked at her shoes,
"I'm sorry, honey... It's just... I worry about them so much. I know I should just relax."
"No, no. It's ok. I didn't mean it like that. You're their mom. They need you to worry about them," He kissed her, "Go ahead. Have your meeting. Maybe slip your father some shellfish for me."
"My father hates shellfish."
"I know." She smiled and left, anticipating the agony that came with waiting.
An hour later, Sandy sat watching one of the boys' Power Rangers tapes, trying to see if he could decipher what they were talking about half the time. He was distracted, however, by a muffled noise coming from upstairs. He muted the tv in time to hear Ryan scream,
"MOMMY!" He rushed upstairs to the boys' bedroom to find Seth and Ryan sitting on Ryan's bed, Seth trying to calm his brother.
"Ry, it's ok! Mommy's here somewhere! Mommy wouldn't leave us! She loves us too much!"
"MOMMY!" Seth winced as Ryan screamed.
"Ry, is it a dream? Did you have another bad dream?" Ryan nodded again, then once again called out,
"MOMMY!" Seth noticed the light leaking into the room and found Sandy standing at the door.
"Daddy! Look, Ry, Daddy's here!" He turned his attention to Sandy, "Daddy, Ryan's sad again." Sandy ruffled Seth's hair and picked up Ryan, giving him a kiss on the head.
"Ok, buddy, go back to bed," He ushered Seth to his bed on the opposite side of the room and tucked him in, Ryan's tears soaking through his shirt, "Ok, goodnight, Seth. Thanks for being such a good brother. Say goodnight to Ryan."
"Night, Ry... Hey, Ry? Don't be sad. Mommy wouldn't leave us." Sandy smiled and kissed his son on the forehead, then bid him a goodnight and took his other son downstairs.
"Ok, Ry. What happened?"
"I... want... mommy!"
"Mommy's at a meeting, pal."
"Mommy left!"
"No, buddy! Mommy's going to be back in a little while."
"Mommy left me... and Seth... Mommy left me... and Seth," He managed to cough out, his nose running, his eyes red. Sandy was reminded of his wife the day her mother had died. If that's not mother-son similarities, I don't know what is.
"Buddy, mommy didn't leave anyone. You want to call her?" Ryan nodded, wiping at his eyes.
Sandy picked Ryan up and made his way into the kitchen, picking up the phone number Kirsten had left him and quickly dialing it into the phone.
"Good Evening, The Arches," came the voice from the other side of the phone.
"Hi, I'm Sandy Cohen. My wife, Kirsten, is there with the Newport Group. Could I speak with her, please?"
"Just a moment, sir." A minute later, Kirsten's panicked voice answered the phone.
"Hello? Sandy? What's the matter? Are the boys ok?"
"Hi, honey. I have someone here who wants to speak to you." Sandy handed the phone to Ryan, who had been reaching for it ever since Sandy had dialed.
"Mommy?" He asked weakly, clinging to the phone with all of his strength.
"Ry? Are you ok, baby?"
"Mommy... don't... leave me!" He managed to sputter out before bursting into tears again.
"Ok, Ry, honey... I'm not leaving you. I'm going to come home right now, ok?"
"Yeah."
"Ok, I'll see you in a few minutes, sweetheart. I love you."
"I love you, mommy."
"Put daddy on the phone." Ryan handed the phone to Sandy and collapsed into a sobbing heap on the floor.
"Hello?"
"Honey, I'm coming home right now."
"You don't need to do that."
"Yes, I do. He needs me. I'll see you in about twenty minutes."
"Ok, I'll see you then. Love you."
"Love you, too. Bye."
"Bye."
Sandy picked up Ryan and carried him into the den, putting on his favorite Power Rangers tape and returning to the kitchen to get Ryan a water-bottle filled with chocolate milk. He didn't try to get Ryan to talk; he knew his son and knew it was useless to talk to a hysterical Ryan who wanted his mommy. Suddenly, however, he felt Ryan tug at his arm.
"Daddy?"
"Yeah, pal?"
"Mommy's coming home?"
"Mommy's coming home."
"Daddy?"
"Yeah, buddy?"
"Thank you." He smiled at his son and wrapped his arm around his shoulder, kissing his hair.
"Any time."
Back at the Arches, Kirsten quickly returned and gathered her stuff from the table, feeling a hand on her shoulder. She turned and was face-to-face with her father.
"Kiki, where are you going?"
"I'm going home. Ryan woke up and he's hysterical."
"Well, shouldn't Sanford be able to deal with this?"
"Ryan won't let him."
"Well, then Ryan needs to learn. He needs to become patient. You're indulging him."
"I'm not indulging him, dad."
"You certainly are. Running home to him because he had a nightmare is indulging him." Kirsten did not want to deal with this, especially not right now.
"Dad, I'm going home to my son. He needs me. And I need to get home before he loses his mind, and before Seth thinks I'm leaving him too, and before Sandy goes insane, and also for my own piece of mind."
"Kiki, I forbid you to leave."
"You can't forbid me anything, dad."
"I certainly can. I'm your father."
"And I'm his mother. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, she left, leaving her father stunned at the confrontation behind her.
Fifteen minutes later, Kirsten arrived in the driveway of her house, nervously opening the door and rushing inside. As soon as she had closed the front door to the house, she heard the rush of tiny footsteps coming towards her.
"Mommy!" Ryan crashed into her and she wrapped her arms around him, picking him up as he repeated, "Mommy, don't leave me... Mommy, don't leave me..."
"Sh, baby. I'm right here. Mommy's not going anywhere. Shh." Sandy came and greeted her, kissing her cheek, explaining what had happened. She got him to calm down and put him to bed in her bedroom. That night, she and Sandy sat in the den, discussing what to do.
"Honey, I know you're not going to want to do this, but maybe... maybe we should send him to a psychiatrist. You know, just to see what it is that's bothering him. Maybe we can figure out what's wrong." Kirsten had no hesitation,
"I think so, too."
"Really?"
"I think he's not going to tell us and I think it's something underlying that we can't figure out. It's what's best for him."
Two days later, after some protest from Ryan, they took him for a meeting with the psychiatrist. He came skipping out into the waiting room where Seth, Kirsten, and Sandy were waiting.
"Mommy, daddy! I had so much fun! I got to color and play with trucks and watch a video then answer questions about it..." He continued to tell his parents about what he had done as the doctor came out of the room Ryan had just emerged from.
"Mr. and Mrs. Cohen?" They took the boys' hands and led them back into the room, going into the office to talk to the doctor. The doctor sat them down and began, "Now, I would like to begin by saying that you have a very sweet little boy in there."
"Thank you very much."
"And next, I would like to say, that he's perfectly normal." Kirsten smiled and nodded, waiting for the doctor to continue- she didn't want to wait any longer, "Now, I believe that you said that your mother recently passed away?"
"Yes, about a week and a half ago."
"And you explained it to your sons as that she had to go away?"
"Yes, why? Is something wrong with the way we did that?"
"No, no. That's the best way to explain it to a child your son's age. But, for some children, it hits them in an unexpected way," Kirsten nodded, "Now, Ryan is adopted, is he not?"
"Yes, he is. But we adopted him the day he was born."
"Yes, I know. I've been told the stories. But, still, he was abandoned by his birth mother. And I believe that this has stuck with him, subconsciously, and when he thinks about your mother leaving you, it comes back to him, even though you made him feel secure again. Some things trigger reactions like this in certain children."
"Ok... So, what do you suggest?"
"I suggest a change in location..."
"A vacation?"
"It may be a better idea to move away. The house reminds him of his grandmother, seeing his grandfather reminds him of his grandmother... pretty much, this whole town reminds him of his grandmother. Giving him a change in atmosphere may be the key to ending his fear of abandonment."
That night, after putting the boys to sleep, Sandy called a real-estate dealer; they'd be moving away from Newport shortly.