Disclaimer: I do not own these characters




Chapter Eight: Options





Lu pushed open the door to Randee's room and stepped inside, followed by another young woman. She glanced quickly at Bryan, then at Randee.

"Bryan, Randee, I'd like you to meet Dawnmarie Chambers from the Down Syndrome Association of Philadelphia. I've asked her to come and talk to you. She is better equipped to answer any questions you may have about your daughter. Dawnmarie, this is Bryan and Miranda Kollier."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Kollier." Dawnmarie pulled up a chair and sat down. Lu glanced again at Bryan, then quickly slipped out of the room. Bryan sat down on the bed beside his wife.

"Dr. Delgado says that you gave birth yesterday afternoon to a baby girl with Down Syndrome, and also that she was born two months prematurely. What is her name? I prefer to use the child's name when discussing options with parents."

"Her name is McKenzie Abigail." Randee answered.

"I really don't think..."Bryan started, but Randee interrupted. "Bryan, Lu was nice enough to ask Ms. Chambers to talk to us. I think we should listen."

"Please, call me Dawnmarie."

"Dawnmarie, you said something about options." Bryan said. "What kind of options?"

"Children born with Downs today has many more opportunities than they did many years ago. Back then, they were referred to as mongoloid. We no longer use that term. They have better educational opportunities also. She can start in special education programs as early as two years old. I suggest you decorate her room in bright colors...bright colors are stimulating to a child."

"Bright colors." Randee repeated, as if trying to make a note in her mind.

"Something else that will help you," Dawnmarie continued. "Is to get involved in a support group for parents of children born with Downs. Do you have other children?"

"Taylor. She's 10." Randee answered.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Mr. And Mrs. Kollier. Raising a child with special needs is not going to be easy. You will face challenges that you may not have had with Taylor. You will find that caring for her requires more patience, more understanding. So it is very important that you have a support system. Someone to help out when needed, someone to give you a break. Like I said, the Downs group will be an excellent source of support. Another source is a couple here in Philadelphia by the name of Seth and Keely Justin. They have adopted four special needs kids, including two with Down Syndrome. In addition, they have two foster children, both with special needs, and they provide respite for parents with special needs kids."

"Respite? What's that?" Bryan questioned.

"They care for the children to give the parents a break. Like if you wanted to go out for an evening or needed to go away for a weekend or a few days, they would care for your daughter."

"What if...what if we chose to...you know, not keep her?" Bryan questioned. Randee stared at her husband in disbelief.

"Bryan, what are you talking about? Of course we are going to keep her. She is our daughter."


"Honey, I'm just asking. We need to explore all of our options. Our baby is always going to require special care. And there are people who are better able to care for her, people who know how to deal with those needs."

"Yes, we will look at all of our options." Randee stated firmly. "But one of our options IS NOT giving up our baby. To Noone. For no reason. We are her parents, Bryan. She belongs with us. Yes, she will always have special needs. But no matter what, her greatest need will always be love. And we can give her more than enough love." Dawnmarie watched in silence for a moment, paying close attention to this exchange between the two young parents. She knew they were in for some rough roads ahead, and she wondered if they would be able to work together in caring for their new child. Even now it sounded to her as though Bryan did not want to face the challenges of caring for his special needs daughter. Dawnmarie handed Randee a piece of paper.

"This is the number for the support group. I think it would be a good idea for you to get in touch with them as soon as possible. I am also giving you the number for Seth and Keely Justin, just in case you want to check it out. And my number is here too. Feel free to give me a call if you have any questions. And I'm sure Dr. Delgado will help you in any way she can."

"I'll bet." Bryan answered sarcastically. "She's done a great job so far." Dawnmarie glanced at Bryan, then at Randee, deciding it best not to question his tone or his statement. She stood to go.

"I'll leave you two alone now. Don't hesitate to call if you questions."

"Thank you, Ms. Chambers." Bryan and Randee remained silent until Dawnmarie had left the room, then Randee turned to face her husband.

"Why would you even ask such a stupid question? You gave her the impression that we may not keep her."

"I already told you. I just wanted to know our options. All of them. Just because I asked, does not mean that we are going to give her up. I love her too, Randee."

"We can do this, can't we? I mean, we can care for her? Give her what she needs?" Randee asked.

"Of course we can. We'll learn. We can do it together. Everything will be fine." Bryan leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'd better go so you can get some rest. I'll be back this afternoon. I have a few things I need to take care of."

"Okay. And Bryan, please leave Lu alone. None of this is her fault, and we can't sue her. She did everything she could."

"I'll see you later." Bryan said as he headed for the door, avoiding her last comment. No matter what his wife said, he believed that Dr. Luisa Delgado was responsible for their daughter's serious health problems. And she was going to pay for it.