Chapter Five

Author's Note: Been doing some more spell checking on some older chapters. Writing this on an iPad is not easy. And by this chapter, you already kinda can make a good guess what the final chapter will be.

Also, more research was done. Also, hints of Game Changers even though this story is AU.

December 17th, 1998

Charlie watched impatiently as the elderly lady working at the Family Justice Center in downtown Minneapolis photocopied page after page of court documents. There were forms after forms to fill out. Pamphlets and handouts to read. Documents to file. Eden Hall had a legal and civics class but it didn't come close to providing the information Charlie needed to navigate his way through the Minnesota family court system.

Once Charlie had all the legal forms he needed in hand, Charlie made his way to a small cafe near the courthouse. He was supposed to meet Coach Orion there in half an hour. Charlie was deeply engrossed in reading an affidavit that he bumped into a middle-aged man causing the papers to go everywhere

"Hey watch it kid!" The man yelled.

"Sorry," Charlie apologized as he picked the papers off the floor.

The man bent down to help Charlie. He looked at one of the papers and then looked at Charlie and then back at the paper. He had a hard time believing what he was reading.

" Affidavit to Waive One Year Residency Requirement? Gordon Bombay is looking to adopt a child? I cannot believe it. Is this some sort of joke?"

Charlie blinked. He has never seen this man before. "And you are?" Charlie asked.

The man laughed. "Frank Huddy. Ducksworth, Saver, and Gross."

A light went on in Charlie's head. Ducksworth. Bombay's old firm. "You're a lawyer, aren't you? You used to work with Gordon Bombay?"

"More like against," Frank Huddy laughed heartily. He looked at the affidavit. "I can't believe Bombay lost his touch. I mean, I know he's hasn't practiced law in years but everyone knows that no judge is going to waive the one-year residency requirement for someone who has lived out of state for the past two years."

Charlie bristled at the comment. Bombay was the best lawyer he had ever seen. He got to witness him in action firsthand during the board meeting when the alumni tried to revoke their scholarships during his freshman year.

Frank Huddy laughed again and handed the sheet back to Charlie.

"You look almost too young to be a legal intern. I must get getting old. Anyway, make sure you make double copies of everything. He fired the last intern that forgot to do that. Good luck. If you ever want to go work for a real law firm, give me a call," Frank said handing his business card to Charlie.

Frank Huddy took out his cell phone to make a call. Just before he was out of earshot, Charlie heard Frank say to someone, "You are not going to believe this. Remember Gordon Bombay…"

Charlie watched him walk away. Stunned. 'Did that just happen?' Charlie wondered aloud to himself.

"Did what just happen?"

Charlie spun around. Coach Orion stood there smiling.

"I'm not sure what just happened.," Charlie said. " I'm going to treat it like a UFO sighting. I saw something. I'm just not sure what it was."

Orion laughed and handed Charlie a hot chocolate and a neatly typed letter. "I took the liberty of getting it notarized."

Charlie had asked Orion to write Bombay a letter of recommendation like Hans had 5 years ago. Charlie could think of no one better the Coach Orion. He had known Bombay for years. Starting in peewees and through Eden Hall. There was no one Bombay trusted with his team more than Coach Orion.

Coach Orion watched Charlie as he added his recommendation to the rest of the paperwork. When Charlie had first asked him, he was initially hesitant. When Orion saw how serious Charlie was at seeing this though, he not only agreed to write a letter of recommendation but reached out to a relative of his by the name of Alex Morrow who was somehow able to get any paperwork that was needed to be notarized to be signed off.

Charlie smiled appreciatively. "Thank you. For everything."

December 21st, 1998

Charlie fidgeted with his tie as he waited patiently for his mother to get home from work. He had just gotten home after attending Goldberg's annual Hanukkah party with the rest of the ducks. Every year, Goldberg's parents would put on a large Hanukkah party at the deli at night and all the ducks and their friends were all invited.

It had started as a small gathering for just a few friends so Goldberg wouldn't feel left out while all his friends were out enjoying Christmas but it had evolved into an annual gala that raised money for the local district five peewee hockey team. All the original ducks were long past the age of playing pee-weeks, but they still volunteered so future generations of ducks had the same opportunities there were given

They decided that this was going to be the last year. The team had lost the magic it once had and rather than making hockey fun, they were becoming too focused on winning. The team had gone as far as recruiting the new and upcoming mysterious Coach T. Charlie and duck had met him once and they all agreed that he was no Coach Bombay.

Charlie stood up as he heard his mother getting home from work. He clutched a manila envelope full of all the adoption paperwork. He had done as much as he could but there was no way any of it was going forward without his mother agreeing to it.

"You're home early," Casey said tossing her keys into a large bowl on the side table. "Have you finally decided what you wanted for Christmas?"

"I have," Charlie said.

He placed the manila envelope before her on the kitchen table and their eyes met.

Casey was speechless. Casey had thought that when had she talked to her son a year and a half ago about it, that it wouldn't come up again. Bombay was going to adopt Charlie if they somehow managed to make it work. They both moved on and that was all there was to it.

"I don't know Charlie," she said quietly

Charlie had not moved. He carefully considered his words. He didn't want to make his mother think that she wasn't enough for him. She was. But this was not about her.

"I love you," Charlie started. He could see his mother's eyes starting to glass over."But I need this."

"You need to do this?" Casey asked in disbelief. "Did he put you up to this?"

It was five years ago that Bombay last offered to adopt Charlie. A lot had happened in five years. And the last time they had spoken, Bombay did not indicate that he was thinking of adopting Charlie. At all.

"No. I'm doing this," Charlie replied. "For the both of us."

Casey was breathless. She tried to speak but she couldn't. "Why?"

Charlie took her hand. "Mom, for sixteen years you have been my whole life. My whole life. Nothing will ever change that. And for the first ten years of those sixteen, I never felt like I was missing something. Not once."

Casey wiped a tear away. "And when you were ten years old, you met Bombay."

"I did," Charlie said smiling at the memory. "I hated him when I first met him."

Casey laughed too. "I was so mad at him that day."

"But that all changed. He needed me and I needed him." Charlie thought for a moment. "I never told you what happened that one morning after Hans' funeral when Bombay came by and spent the day with me."

Casey shook her head no. She had seen her son do a complete one-eighty. Her son left that morning as a moody, insolent teenager and by the time he returned that evening, her son was back to his old self. She had wanted to know what happened but knew Charlie would come to her when the time was right.

"The few months at Eden Hall were hell. Complete hell. Orion had taken away my C and my jersey. I couldn't stand up to the varsity team. I quit hockey. I pushed away all my friends. Hans died. Even though it was my own doing, I felt completely lost and alone."

Charlie's looked over to his mother to see how she was taking it. She knew most of it.

"I even tried to push Bombay away. He wasn't going to have any of it. He showed me that Coach Orion just wasn't some hard-ass drill sergeant. He was able to make me see what a jerk I was being without lecturing me. But most of all, he told me the best thing that ever happened to him was that he got arrested and sentenced to community service. And because of that, he had a life for the first time in years. He told me that I was the real Minnesota Miracle Man. For the first time in months, I feel like I was wanted. That I was worthwhile. That I was loved." Charlie paused as his eye started to water. "I don't want to think about might have happened had he not come by that day. He saved me from myself."

Casey sniffled. Charlie continued. "That's why I have to do this. Bombay has no actual family left now that his mom has passed away. I need to show him that he does have a family. Doing this won't change anything about how I feel about you. It will, however, let me make official what I already feel and show him he doesn't have to be alone. Let me do this for him. For us."

Casey was touched by her son's words. But her son was still naïve and had blinders on when it came to Bombay. "What if he says no?"

Charlie was incredulous. In his mind, there was no way of Bombay saying no. "Not possible. You've read Hans' letter. Hans wouldn't lie."

"People change," Casey said. "He's been gone for years. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Casey knew that if Bombay turned Charlie's offer to adopt him down, it could, and probably would, break him. "I'm only looking out for you."

Charlie went quiet. He had never considered the possibility of Bombay saying no. He knew it would hurt if Bombay turn his offer down. It would hurt a lot. But it would hurt more if he just stood there and did nothing.

"I know you are just trying to protect me Mom. I appreciate it. I know he might say no. I know that. But I cannot stand idly by and watch the man who has been a father to me for six years go through this life thinking he's alone. He's not alone. I need to prove that to him."

Touched by her son's words, Casey finally agreed. "Okay. Let's do this. But he hurts you, he'll have me to deal with."

Charlie beamed through his tear. "Thanks Mom."

One more chapter and I'm leaning towards an epilogue. So, maybe two?