"I'm adopted" Noah said loudly.
Meredith stared at Noah's face, his eyes were bulging his mouth was open and he just stared, "honey."
"I'm adopted."
"Your adopted to Noah" Ally said looking happy, Meredith looked at Noah's face and she knew that he wasn't taking the news as well as Ally was, "honey come and sit down we need to talk."
"No" Noah whispered.
"Come on mate" Derek added.
"No" Noah shouted with anger before he ran up the stairs, Ally looked at her dad in shock, "why is Noah angry?"
Meredith put a hand on Ally's shoulder before she walked up the stairs as Ally looked up at Derek who bent down to her level, "Ally its just a shock for Noah, he didn't know he was adopted and he's angry because-"
"He's angry that he's adopted?"
"No he's just, listen some kids when they find out they have been adopted for the first time, they get angry and upset."
"What's wrong with being adopted" Ally said softly, "i'm adopted."
"There isn't anything wrong with being adopted" Derek said with a fatherly smile, "its just I think Noah was very little when he was adopted and so he didn't know Meredith had adopted him."
"But Meredith's nice and she's good, isn't Noah happy he got adopted by a nice person."
"Don't worry" Derek picked Ally up in his arms, "Meredith is going to talk with Noah, he's going to be fine."
Meredith walked upstairs and stopping to listen at the doorway she heard the sound of sobbing coming through the wood of the door and her heart began to ache with sadness, she softly knocked on the door, "Noah can I come in?"
Meredith didn't get an answer, so after a few seconds she opened the door and saw Noah crying on the bed, "sweetheart."
Noah wiped his eyes, "I don't want to be adopted" he whispered.
"Noah."
"I want you to be my real mum."
Meredith felt like someone had punched her in the chest hearing those words, "I am your real mum sweetheart."
"No your not, you adopted me, your not my real mum." The words pierced through Meredith's heart as if they were sharp ice.
"Noah listen," Meredith slowly walked over to sit on the bed next to Noah and trying hard to concentrate and not be emotional herself she put a hand on Noah's back, "your right, I wasn't your mum when you were born, a long time ago when you were a baby I wasn't your mum but when I adopted you, I became your mum and I still am your mum."
"Who was my mum before?"
"When you were born, when you were a baby, you had a mum, her name was Lexie. When you were a baby, I was your mums sister and your aunt. I was aunty Meredith when you were a baby. Then when you were two years old, your mum went to heaven. When you were born she asked me to look after you and adopt you if anything happened to her and I said I would be very happy to look after you, adopt you and be your mum if she went to heaven and so I did."
Noah looked up into Meredith's eyes, "why didn't you tell me you adopted me?"
"I was going to wait and tell you when you were a bit older sweetheart, i'm sorry you found out this way."
"You lied to me," the look Noah gave Meredith made Meredith struggle to not lose her composure right then and there.
"Yes I did lie Noah" Meredith whispered trying hard not to let her voice crack with tears, "you thought I was still your mum when I adopted you because my sister, your mum when you were born and I look very much the same. When you were a baby, I didn't see you very much. So after your mum died, you thought that I was still the same mum you had when you were born."
Tears filled Noah's eyes and he said seven words that made Meredith start to cry a river inside, "your not my mum" Noah said as he cried, "your my aunt."
"Noah I was your aunt before" Meredith said softly "but then I adopted you and I became your mum, nothing's changed since then."
"Everything's changed."
"Honey" Meredith put a hand on Noah's head and Noah turned away.
"Go away" Noah said as he cried.
"Noah I love you very very much, nothing is ever going to change that."
"Go away."
A hour passed, Meredith with sitting on her bed looking through baby photos of Noah and photos of her sister Lexie holding, smiling and playing with Noah. She wiped her eyes as tears begin to fall down her cheeks again and then she heard a knock on the door and a familiar, "hey doc" that made her look up, "hi Mia."
Mia walked over and smiled at the photos on Meredith's lap before she sat down on the bed and put an arm around Meredith's shoulders, "Derek told me what happened."
"He told you everything?"
"Everything, so Noah's adopted huh."
"He is."
"And you're his aunt."
"Right now" Meredith whispered, "I wish I could have been his mum from the day he was born and that's making me feel terrible."
"How come?"
"Because my sister was the most caring person I had ever met and Noah he reminds me so much of her, me wishing that Noah was my real son its like I am saying that I wish my sister hadn't been his real mum from the start and it makes me feel guilty."
"I get ya" Mia said as she nodded and looked at the hallway lost in her own thoughts before she said, "you know when I was a little kid, I had this woman in the orphanage who was super caring towards everyone all the time. Then she left when she was getting married and her husband got offered a job outside the state which meant they both had to move far away and she didn't come back, everyone including me was really bummed."
"I'm sorry."
"Its ok, she helped others and she got to be happy and she deserved that, you know you remind me of her and you wishing you were Noah's mum from the word go, I don't think it means your bad. I kind of wish I knew your sister now, that would have been like two Meredith's, two docs, two crazy nice ladies."
Meredith smiled, "thanks sweetheart."
"Its going to be ok you know."
"I've never seen Noah this angry before."
"Well if I found out someone had adopted me when I didn't know about it, I would be pretty shitty to."
"Would you ever forgive them?"
"Well I don't know, depends who it was I guess, not that Noah isn't going to forgive you" she quickly added.
"Thanks honey."
"I mean" Mia started to grin, "Noah's going to learn that adopting kids is you and Derek's thing, soon he's going to have lots of brothers and sisters from third world countries around the world coming to live here."
Meredith chuckled, "if adopting was really our thing Mia, we would have adopted orphans from around the world by now."
"Well maybe it's in the cards" Mia casually shrugged, "I mean you guys are getting married and then, the next step."
"If that happens than all the orphans who come to live here can stay in your room."
"Hey if they're like Ally and Noah, I wouldn't mind."
Meredith just nodded lost in her thoughts as Mia's fingers patted the knuckles on Meredith's hand, "your still blue?"
"Talking to you is making me feel better."
Mia clicked her tongue for a moment then she clicked her fingers, "I know what will cheer you up." Mia took off her shoes and socks and Meredith felt a foot on her lap she looked at Mia confused, "giving you a foot rub?"
"No" Mia pointed at her toes, "tickle it."
"What?"
"Because torturing kids is what you like to do" Mia said casually as she wriggled her toes, "it makes you feel better, tickle me."
"Mia" Meredith exclaimed loudly as she pushed Mia's foot off her lap, "god the things you say sometimes, I do not tickle kids to torture them. I don't torture kids period, I only tickle the children because..."
"Because, what" Mia said with a lop sided smirk.
"Well I just tickle Noah and Ally to... we just... we just do it to have fun."
"So then what has been the story when you have tickled me in the past?"
"I've probably tickled you two or three times in your entire life and that's been after you've tortured me with tickling and big brushes its, you're the one who tickles people to torture them not me."
Mia's smirk widened, "I learned from the best."
Meredith shook her head, "you did not learn it from me."
"Like foster mother, like foster daughter."
"No Mia no look" Meredith pushed Mia's foot off her lap and Mia lied back on the bed putting both of her feet on Meredith's lap as Meredith let out a irritated noise, "will you stop doing that please."
"So if you tickle me after i've tickled you, that means you do it for revenge."
"Mia" Meredith sighed with frustration.
"Hey you can't deny it doc, torturing kids make you happy" Mia waved her feet on Meredith's lap, "so come on."
"Mia Mia" Meredith stammered as Mia started waving a foot in the air, "no no Mia, no Mia this is weird Mia, Mia i'm not going to tickle you Mia."
"See your laughing and smiling already."
"Mia go find a feather and tickle your own foot if you want to be tickled, Mia" Meredith laughed as Mia said with a sly smile, "getting warmer" and waved her foot a few inches from Meredith's nose as Meredith's giggled and leaned back on the bed, "Mia will you get your foot out of my face."
"Ok" Mia slowly got to her knees, "I guess I need to reawaken the beast, since the doc tickles kids for revenge and all."
"What Mia no" Meredith cried out as Mia straddled her waist and bent her fingers turning her hands into claws, "get off don't wrestle me, no no don't tickle me either."
"Come on i'm just awakening the tickle monster," Meredith cackled and covered her armpits with her arms, as Mia's fingers tried to find an opening, "come on give me those tickle monster rhymes you like to do, give in to your desires to torture children."
"Mia Mia no, hop off me."
"Come on your getting warmer, your boiling hot, give in to your passion to torture, its burning deep inside you, oh hey check this out." Mia made a hissing sound like a vampire and holding down Meredith's forearms so she couldn't resist, leaned in to plant a loud raspberry on the side of Meredith's neck as Meredith squealed, before she took another deep breath and leaned her mouth over Meredith's stomach as her fingers tried to lift Meredith's shirt up. "Mia stop" Meredith said as she pulled down her shirt and rolled over on her stomach to try and escape.
Mia just grinned and shifted her weight to the back of Meredith's ankles and stared intently at Meredith's bare soles as Meredith tried to pull away, "Mia don't you tickle my feet."
"I'm not going to tickle your feet" Mia said as she grinned, grabbed one of Meredith's ankles firmly with her hands and leaned over.
"What are you doing, jesus" Meredith screamed with laughter and thrashed her upper body desperately on the bed to try and escape as Mia slowly and softly nibbled on the sole of her foot, "Mia stop biting my feet."
Mia looked up innocently, "does it tickle when I bite your feet?"
"Yes Mia christ" Meredith cried out from the other end of the bed, "that's even worse than the hair brush."
Mia grinned, "oh, well it's a new fun game I recently invented doc, its called, eat the feet."
"No no, no, stop."
"Hey everyone's got to eat" Mia bent her head down again and Meredith tried in vain to wriggle her feet away from Mia's mouth, "and I see some doc's feet for me to eat" Mia said in a deep voice, "eat the feet" and Meredith screamed loudly with laughter again as she felt Mia's teeth on the sole of her right ankle. "Ahhhhh stop, stop, stop it." Meredith laughed for all she was worth as Mia started to tickle her other foot with her free hand while nibbling all over the sensitive sole of her other foot, stopping every few seconds while in between the nibbles to make silly gnashing sounds with her mouth. "Mia Mia, no" Meredith cried out as Mia slurped Meredith's toes up into her mouth, swirling her tongue around Meredith's sensitive little digits before she nibbling directly on the underside of Meredith's toes making Meredith scream and laugh for all she was worth. Mia chuckled as she gave Meredith a reprieve, "mmmm, taste like feet, I think I'm ready for the main course doc, are you."
"Stop stop, okay that's it, that is it" Meredith said loudly and firmly as she pushed her upper body up and with several mighty tugs pulled her feet away from Mia's grip before she rolled onto her knees and Mia gasped as Meredith grabbed one of her legs to unbalance her, "eat the feet, i'll give you eat the feet" Meredith took hold of one of Mia's ankles, "how about I give you my lovely long sharp nails on your feet."
Now it was Mia's turn to yelp and thrash as Meredith's fingers went to work, "dude dude."
"What does dude dude mean honey" Meredith said with a sinister smile.
"Ah dude" Mia's cried out as Meredith's fingers moved to tickle the soft digits of her toes.
"Didn't you just say you wanted me to tickle you?"
"Okay okay" Mia thrashed about and raised her hands, "please please please."
"Okay, does okay mean i'm ready to be tickled, does please mean please tickle me?"
"No no no" Mia tried to wriggle her body away as Meredith's nails raced up and down her soles, "please stop stop, my feet are so ticklish."
"Stop" Meredith's smile grew wider "but you just asked me to tickle you, you asked me to give in to my desires, you wanted to awaken the tickle monster."
"Ah ah dude, ah" Meredith's fingers made tickle motions in the air, "I take it back."
"I'm giving in to my desires to teach the ratbag a lesson" Meredith said with a evil expression as she let go of Mia's foot, rolled Mia onto her back and gently pinned the girl's arms.
"Dude, dude."
"Tickle monster's awake Mia Rose" Meredith said in her deep tickle monster voice, "when the tickle monster's awake, no mercy it shows."
"That doesn't even rhyme, no dude" Mia said as Meredith made tickle motions again in the air with one hand, "come on doc, dude dude, okay tickle monster, look look easy easy, take it easy."
"Easy, take it easy" Meredith said softly as she smiled, "well you see young Mia, the legend of the tickle monster says that the tickle monster's mission upon its birth, is to tickle kids of all ages on planet Earth."
Mia rolled her eyes, "I have the lamest foster carer on planet Earth" Mia screamed the word Earth as Meredith's fingers reached her armpits causing her to cackle, "ah ah can't breath, can't breath."
"You asked me to tickle you sweetheart" Meredith said in a sweet voice as she gave Mia a reprieve.
"Well I just wanted you to feel better and you obviously are fine now."
"I know honey" Meredith said with a sweet smile, "you have a kind heart, the tickle monster likes kids with kind hearts, tickle monster rewards them with nice belly farts."
"Oh shit dude dude fuck fuck" Mia cried out, "don't swear" Meredith put up a finger as Mia closed her mouth obediently and Meredith quickly lifted up Mia's shirt and buried her face in her stomach, "wait wait, ahhhhhhahahha dude" Mia cried out in laughter as Meredith blew a loud long ticklish fart into her bellybutton, "oh that's gross, oh that's so gross."
Meredith looked up and gave Mia a funny look, "you do that to everyone in this house you know."
"Well yeah" Mia replied, "because every one in this house likes it."
"Oh everyone in this house likes belly farts" Meredith smiled a wicked smile, "I didn't know that."
"No no wait wait" Mia stammered, "they don't, they ahhhhhahahah" she cried out as Meredith's raspberried her stomach again.
"So how do people in this house like their belly farts Mia, do they like, loud belly farts?"
"Ahhhhh, gahhhh."
"Slimy belly farts" Meredith delivered a spit filled raspberry.
"That's ahhhhhhahahha, so gross, hahahha"
"Or the deluxe special, extra long belly fart?"
"Ahhhhhahhahaha" Mia stammered as she laughed for all she was worth as Meredith delievered the biggest loudest longest rapberry of all, "ok ok have mercy, have mercy, i'm sorry, i'm sorry."
Meredith looked at Mia panting and trying to catch her breath and she gave her a firm nod, "have you learned your lesson?"
"What lesson, wait wait wait" Mia stammered as Meredith took another deep breath before she stopped.
"This is one of the most important lessons of your life, this is what will happen to you if you try and torture me with tickling again."
"Yeah ok ok" Mia took deep breaths as lied on the bed panting, "I get it I get it, I won't, I, phew, oh god I'm exhausted."
Meredith smiled and placed a gentile hand on Mia's cheek "and thanks for cheering me up."
"Your welcome" Mia said with a face that made Meredith chuckle, "can you let me go now."
"Ok" Meredith said as she released her hands from Mia's arms and turned around on the bed only to have Mia jump on her back, Meredith shook her head with a sigh as she grabbed Mia's hands before they could make a move, "and you still haven't learned your lesson."
"I have learned my lesson" Mia said with a smirk, "always attack from behind, hey i'm getting hungry what do you say we eat some feet?"
"Mia Mia" Meredith gasped as Mia nashed her teeth together making biting noises, "no Mia no."
"What when someone is hungry they eat, its natural."
Mia grabbed an ankle and Meredith screamed again as she squirmed while Mia smirked, "I haven't even done anything yet."
"Mia please."
"What please eat my feet"
"No Mia, I am going to take you straight to the densit to do something about your teeth if you bite my feet again."
"Oh scary, hmm my tummy is rumbing can you hear it, I better eat something."
Meredith yelped with laughter as Mia's teeth nibbled Meredith's ankle, "ah dinner is served" Mia said in a deep voice.
"Mia Mia" Meredith laughed before she shifted her body bringing Mia off balance and grabbed her ankle leaving Mia to raise her hands in a defensive motion, "you like playing tickle games don't you."
"Um, well, ah."
"We haven't played this little piggy before have we."
"Dude" Mia muttered, "i'm not four years old."
"Well it's a fun game for all ages I think you might like it" Meredith took one of Mia's toes in her fingers and Mia instantly cackled, "this little piggy went to market,"
"Oh Christ ahhhh" Mia squirmed and wriggled on the bed, "dude dude."
"And this little piggy stayed home."
"Dude gah, help, ah this is embarrassing."
"Really" Meredith chuckled, "calling for help."
"Let me go you bully" Mia said with a chuckle of her own.
Meredith smirked as she saw the small smile on Mia's face, "I think your secretly enjoying this."
"No, no" Mia stopped her smile, "i'm not, let me go."
"Let you go, but we still have three more little piggies to go through, then we might move on to the left foot."
"Oh hell no" Mia wriggled away and Meredith pinned her arms, "dude you've gone insane, what have I done."
"Torturing kids especially ratbags makes me feel better sweetheart."
"So you admit it."
"Yes, here's another fun tickle game we can play" Meredith's fingers made steps on Mia's belly, "all around the garden like a teddy bear" Meredith laughed at the look on Mia's face, "one step, two step, a tickle you under there."
"Ahhhhh" Mia screamed as Meredith tickled her armpit and she looked at the doorway, "Noah help me, your mums gone evil, she's torturing me."
"She's not my mum" Noah said before he ran out of the room, after a few moments of silence when Meredith looked at the bedsheets feeling all her joy fading away Mia gave Meredith a quick cuddle and a kiss on the cheek, "don't worry I got this" she said as she walked to Noah's bedroom and knocked on the door before coming in, "hey little dude."
"Hi Mia" Noah looked up sadly.
"What's going on?"
"Mom is not mom anymore."
Mia lied down on the bed next to Noah, "what makes you think that?"
"Because she's my aunty."
"Well yeah technically Meredith is your biological aunty but Meredith still think she's your mum."
"But she's not" Noah said as he shook his head.
"Well she could be, she did adopt you that technically also makes her your mum, not just your aunt."
"She can't be both."
"Okay" Mia let out a sigh, "this is like table tennis, Meredith loves you and wants to be your mum and you want Meredith to be your mum don't you."
Noah nodded.
"Then presto dingo, she's still your mum."
"But" Noah whispered before Mia took his little hand in hers, "come on dude, being adopted isn't that bad. I grew up in an orphanage full of kids who were wanting to get adopted. I bet a lot of the little kids there who would have loved to have been adopted by the doc, I mean Meredith."
"I wish I had lived in the orphanage, then Meredith could have adopted me there instead when I was a baby but she lied when I was a baby."
"Dude, its really not that bad you know, babies haven't got a clue what's going on around them unless they're in a cartoon. Sure Meredith lied but she would have told you when she was older that you were adopted, I think she was worried that you would be upset if you found out that's why she didn't tell you sooner."
"Everything has changed."
"Well what about Ally and Derek when Derek gets married to Meredith, he'll be your dad isn't that what you want and Ally will be your sister that will be cool."
Fresh tears came to Noah's eyes, "now they won't be anymore."
"Okay" Mia muttered, "i'm doing a bad job of this um, I don't know what else I can say, why don't we just play aeroplane?"
Noah wiped his eyes, "no thank you Mia."
"Really you love that game, I lift you up with my legs and you fly all over the world." Noah shook his head
"What can I say dude, I wish I could help you feel better."
"Your mum is your real mum."
"Yeah buddy, I got a mum and dad already."
"The bad people."
"Yeah" Mia nodded and looked away, "the bad people, your lucky you got adopted by Meredith and you didn't end up with two dirt bags like my parents instead."
"You can be adopted by Meredith to."
Mia looked back at Noah and raised her eyebrows, "what do you mean?"
A little while later, Meredith looked up as Mia came into the doorway, "sorry doc no luck, you have got one stubborn little dude on your plate."
Meredith smiled and nodded, "thank you for trying."
"That's ok" Mia said as she blinked quickly and looked down as Meredith got up from the bed, "are you alright?"
"Yeah fine" Mia said unconvincingly.
"Sweetheart, you can tell me if something's wrong."
"I'm cool" Mia said taking deep breaths before she quickly ran downstairs and Meredith stared after her before there was a knock on the door and she saw little Ally coming into the room holding up a drawing, "I made you a picture."
"That's beautiful" Meredith said bending down, "your a regular artist honey."
Ally smiled and pointed at the people in the drawing, "that ones you and that ones me."
"Its very nice honey."
Ally nodded before she hugged Meredith and kissed her cheek, "love you."
"I love you to" Meredith smiled before she kissed Ally's forehead.
Hours had passed, Noah had refused to come to come down and eat dinner so Meredith had made him some sandwiches and fruit which to her reluctance she had left by the doorway. Allie had gone to a sleepover with a few friends from her classroom. Meredith had asked Derek for some space so Derek had very kindly offered to spend the night on the couch. Now Meredith was lying in bed alone thinking about her past, it was years ago Amber and her husband had passed away and her sister had died in an accident soon after she had no one and nothing in her life except her work. Then she read the will her sister had left behind and upon learning her sister had appointed her as Noah's guardianr should anything happen to her and after Noah has started calling her mum she had adopted Noah and everything was perfect, now nothing seemed alright. Meredith rolled over on to her side on the bed and closed her eyes then she heard the sound of the door creak and she looked up to see Noah standing in the doorway.
"Noah, sweetheart."
Noah walked over and climbed into bed hugging Meredith close, "love you, aunty Meredith."
"Sweetheart" Meredith whispered.
"Goodnight aunty Meredith." Noah closed his eyes and was out like a light, Meredith held Noah close to her but she couldn't stop her heart from sinking again.
Meredith opened her eyes the next morning and saw that Noah was still asleep, she softly kissed his cheek and started to get up, then Noah stirred and Meredith placed a hand on his face as Noah opened his eyes and blinked before he whispered, "morning aunty Meredith."
"Honey" Meredith said softly, "please don't call me that."
"But that's who you are."
"That's who I used to be before I adopted you, Derek adopted Ally and he was no longer Derek to Ally he became her daddy just like I no longer was your aunty I became your mommy."
Noah sniffed and wiped his eyes with his hand while sitting on the bed and Meredith kneeled on the floor in front of him, "Noah I want to take you somewhere today."
"Where."
"Its hard to explain now but i'm going to show you something that you need to see that is part of your story and how I came to adopt you."
A hour later Meredith lead Noah through a graveyard until they stopped at a site, Noah looked at a large gravestone and looked at a photo of a small girl with brunette hair smiling on the stone, "who is she?"
"Noah, this is Amber,"
"Whose Amber?"
"She was my daughter and when she was your age, she went to heaven shortly before your mum went to heaven."
"She looks happy."
"She was always very happy" Meredith whispered as she smiled and wiped her eyes with her hand, "and she made me very happy to and after she died I missed being a mom so much."
"You did" Noah whispered as she took Meredith's hand.
"I did" Meredith said softly, "and when your mum died I was very sad, soon after I found out that your mum had asked me to look after you and I quickly came to love you like you were my own son. When you started to call me mum I thought that if I adopted you I would make you as happy as you make me feel every day."
"Every day" Noah said with wide eyes.
"Every day" Meredith whispered as she bent down to Noah's height, "and that's what I adopted you."
"You adopted me" Noah said, "because you want to be my mum."
Meredith nodded, "yes Noah, no matter what happens, I will always think of you as my son."
"You became my mum when you adopted me."
"I will always love you, that will never change."
Noah smiled really widely, "you are my mum."
"Yes I am" Meredith said with tears in her eyes as Noah hugged her tightly.
"I'm sorry mum."
"For what?"
"For not thinking you were my mum before."
"That doesn't matter now sweetheart" Meredith kissed his cheek, "your my son and i'm your mum that's what matters."