Adoption, Portraits and Sitters.
The remainder of their weekend in Ohio passed off well in the eyes of both Ethan and Drew. Mr Mackenzie soon found himself as wrapped around Evie's finger as his wife had been on a Sunday in New York, her good manners and endearing smile making him very comfortable with her almost at once. After the meal that first night he had returned to the drawing room and had played games with her, and the following day, he and his wife had headed out with her alone for a walk around the grounds of the house. Almost the moment that they walked out, Ethan found himself summoned to join the two women that were really in charge in the house; his parents' P.A.s. He found himself seated in his father's study again, and couldn't help but think that this was a miracle. After all, he had rarely been in the room as a child, and now he had been sat there twice in less than 24 hours…
What was even more surprising was that he was invited to sit in his father's chair, and once settled there, the two women sat down across from him. Miss Bonnar smiled at the expression on his face, then said, "Of course, one day this room will be your domain, Ethan. We have asked you here as we both agree that it is high time that we gave you an insight into exactly the kind of things that we do around here. Your parents have both given their consent, so just sit back whilst we give you a presentation that will bring you right up to date with how things are in the business." Ethan had no choice but to watch, and as Mrs Hargreaves started the show, he wondered what Drew was doing…
As it happened, his friend had recalled a regular expedition on his childhood visits, and had managed to find the library all over again, a magnificent room filled with leather bound volumes. Back in those days whilst he was still at Dalton with Ethan, they had often ended up in here, enjoying the quiet of the room, and either browsing the books for pleasure or study. It was for the former reason he was now there, and he soon found an interesting title; he headed over to an old wing backed armchair and sat down to peruse his choice. He felt calm and content. All was going well right now; his daughter was happy, and the whole process of Ethan's co-parenting adoption could soon be under way. The only obstacle there seemed to be now would be Evie herself; if she had for some reason changed her mind about the idea of Ethan as a second 'dad', then it would all be off…
He would only agree to have that final conversation for confirmation once the last pieces of the jigsaw had been slotted carefully into place. The first of those fell into place on the afternoon of that second day, when the Mackenzies took Drew to one side, and formally told him that they had no objections whatsoever to the adoption process beginning; indeed, they were 100% behind the idea, and encouraged him to take those initial steps as soon as he could. He thanked them both for their support, but then said, "I need to tell my parents, and then we need to speak to Evie. My parents will not have an issue, but I worry that Evie might like the idea of her Uncle Ethan becoming her second parent in theory, she might not be so keen in practice. If she has even the smallest of objections, then we will not proceed. Her happiness is the most important thing in the world to me, and nothing else comes close."
"That is exactly as it should be," said Mrs Mackenzie. "Whatever she decides, we want you to know that both of you are welcome to come back here at any time. She is a very special young lady, and that is largely down to having had a father that has encouraged her and taught her to act with respect and dignity. Given the circumstances that you did that it, you deserve a lot of praise. Very few others would have achieved what you did." Drew could only blush at her words before he headed off to make a call to his parents. It was time to let them know what was happening.
As it transpired, his parents were not as clueless as to what was on his mind as he had thought. They had also been concerned about what would happen to their only grandchild if they lost him, and they had agreed that they were not the best placed people to take over. "We have always felt that she would be better being with Ethan than with us if the worst took place, but we did not want to speak of it to you, as it is not the kind of subject you discuss with your child. Your mother had an idea that you would sort something out on your own, and she might have dropped a few little hints earlier this year to that effect…" Drew had paused then, and realised that he had started to think about Evie's future and his own mortality not just because of Miss Frobisher's visit, but because of something his mother had indeed said on their last visit to Ohio - "This is not where Evie should ever call home; she is a city girl, and she needs to stay there, whatever might happen." With the now implicit blessing of both sets of parents, the jigsaw was complete, and now there was just one final conversation for him to have, and potentially, it was the most difficult of them all…
Ethan and Evie were in the conservatory, playing a game as Drew walked in. He stood and just observed them for a moment, noting how comfortable they were with each other. He had planned to have the conversation with his daughter back home, but he realised that there was no time like the present, and that if he did not speak to her now, then he might let it go again and again. He took a deep breath, then headed over to join the two of them. The look on his face worried Ethan a little, until he gave him a thumbs up, which conveyed the news that he had been expecting; that his parents backed their plans. He sat quietly as Drew asked his daughter to come and sit on the sofa with him. Evie sat there and looked at her dad, with just a hint of worry. Drew decided that there was no point in prevaricating, and started to talk.
"We need to have a chat about something very important Evie. You see, there has been something that I have been talking to people about, and they all agree it is a good idea, and now we need to see what you think." Drew paused, half expecting that his daughter would speak, but she merely nodded, so he went on. "Do you remember how your Uncle Beats and Uncle Elliott adopted Dante, because his mom and dad were both dead? Well, there are other kinds of adoption too, which can happen if someone's mom or dad are still alive, but are on their own, or can't cope."
"I think that is called fostering daddy?" replied Evie. "That is what Dante was in before his mom died; he told me all about it."
"That is one of the things that can happen, but there is a different sort of thing where an adult can be a guardian to a child; someone that is there to look after them if anything should happen to their parent or parents. It is really important for that to happen if someone only has a mom or a dad to care for them."
Evie nodded, and said wisely, "So for somebody like me?"
"Exactly. Now nothing is going to happen to me, don't worry, but just in case, I want to get you a guardian. They have to be someone that will take care of you and let you enjoy all the things I would want you to. Someone that already loves you very much…"
"Do you mean Uncle Ethan?" said Evie in a joyful voice. "Do you think he should be my guardian?" She turned now to face the other man in the room, and said, "Please will you be my guardian, Uncle Ethan?"
Ethan got up from where he was sitting, and came to sit on the floor in front of Evie. "I would love to be your guardian, but the thing is, your daddy and I think that we should go a little bit further still…"
Drew smiled, and spoke again. "How would you feel if Uncle Ethan was to actually adopt you, so whilst I would still be your dad, he would be your other parent; your papa…"
"Just like Wes has a daddy and a papa? I would like that very, very much! It would be the best thing in the world! Please will you be my papa, Uncle Ethan?"
"There is nothing in the world I would like more!" replied Ethan, and he suddenly found himself wrapped in the arms of a little girl that he hadn't even known existed 18 months ago, but now could not live without…
They arrived back in New York late on Sunday evening, more like a family than ever before. The first thing that Ethan did on Monday morning was make a call to the lawyer that they has consulted about the co-parenting adoption, to instruct them to go ahead and make up the paperwork, so that they could begin the process of adoption as soon as possible. Drew had called his own lawyer as well; they could have allowed one lawyer to complete all of the legal processes, but they had both agreed that it was best that they each have their own, as it would reduce the chance of any conflict arising later over the way everything was worded.
As he set the phone down and turned back to his actual work, Ethan realised that he was happier now than he had ever been before. He had spent so long worrying over how his parents would react to his news, and now that was all finished. More importantly, he felt as if his relationship with them in general was better. The way that they had been around, had been smiling and had played with Evie had been a total contrast to the business focused couple that he had grown up with. He was also pleased to see that the worry in Drew's eyes had vanished too, now that he had secured a safe future for his daughter.
As for Evie's reaction to it all… That morning, as he had headed out of the door to go to work, she had said, "Goodbye, Papa Ethan!" and he had nearly melted into a puddle of emotions there and then. He had watched as behind her, Drew had suddenly needed to swipe at his eyes, all the time with such a broad smile. They hoped that by the time Christmas came, all of the formalities would be over; it would only be then that they told any of their friends what they had actually done…
Throughout the entire month of September, as others wrestled with the changes life was bringing, and with minor crises of their own, Jeff had spent the majority of every day in his attic studio, and sometimes most of the evenings too. He had cleared the decks, so to speak, so that he could concentrate all of his efforts on his portrait of President Kennedy, as he had a deadline in mind. The Republican Party had begun its search for a candidate for the 2024 Presidential Election; that meant that even if the official campaigns had not started, then the nation was certainly heading towards them. The unveiling of a well executed new portrait of the current occupant of the Oval Office would be an excellent talking point, a counterbalance to the Republican campaigning. There was no actual pressure being put on him by the White House, but that did not deter Jeff from concentrating all of his effort on one thing, just as he had done with both of his previous well known works to date…
To complete the portrait, he had referenced all of his sketches to date, including those he had made from photographs before the sitting as well as those made then; he had also referred to pictures he had taken on his camera during the sitting too. That enabled him to get his lightly drawn pencil outline as perfect as possible. Getting Caleb just right had been the easiest part, as he had drawn his pet so many times before; the fact that he was also more than happy to recreate his pose every time that the sun was shining on the window seat was also very helpful. Admittedly the light on those images was different to those in the room at Camp David, but he was able to interpret that.
As before, Nick had been barred from entering the studio whilst Jeff was creating his finished piece, and he had of course respected his husband's request. He had to admit though that he was very curious to see how things were going, as indeed was Trent. In the case of the latter, he also had to contend with the fact that he had been the one to recommend Jeff for the task in the first place.
On the evening of the first Monday in October, Nick arrived home from the office to find the house completely silent. He headed down to the kitchen to find that there was no dinner being prepared; there was just a note on the table instructing him to come up to the studio when he got home. He knew exactly what that meant, and so he headed up the stairs quickly, whilst mentally considering what he could prepare quickly for their evening meal. By the time he reached the studio door, he had however concluded that he would get take out instead; it had been a long and busy day at the office, and he had not the energy to spend time slaving over a hot stove. The studio door was ajar, and his husband was sitting there on his own. Nick suddenly wondered where Wes was, and a vision of his little boy sitting alone outside a dark kindergarten, tears streaming down his face, came into his head…
Reading his mind as always, Jeff said, "I didn't forget about him; he is with Beats and Elliott. I asked Dante to pick him up, and I told them all that we would collect him later, as you and I had to have a serious chat. I have to admit, that left a worried note in Beats' voice when I told him…" He chuckled then, and so did Nick, as he knew what they would be imagining, and was just glad that these days, people did not spread that kind of gossip. Jeff stood up, and motioned Nick to take a seat where he had been, right in front of the draped canvas. As his husband did so, he said, "Okay, so I have finished it Nicky, and I think that it is good, but then you know how my doubts creep up on me…"
"I know that all too well, my love. I can't wait to see the new masterpiece that you have created," replied Nick. Jeff nodded, and then gently removed the sheet he had placed over the portrait. He closed his eyes, waiting for his husband to speak. The silence that followed though began to stretch out for too long in his opinion; he began to feel tense, and wonder if he had failed abysmally in his task, and Nick was just thinking of kind words to say…
"I have always known just how insanely talented you are, my love, but this time you have excelled yourself. It is so vibrant, so real… I love it, and I know that everyone that sees it will feel the same."
Nick's words were a load off Jeff's mind, and he opened his eyes to see his husband looking at his drawing with a smile. "I do hope that you are right, Nicky. Anyway, I decided that I should let Trent know that the task was completed, and the upshot of all of that is that I will be going to Washington tomorrow with the drawing. I have been asked to hand it over and reveal it to the President in person…"
Nick looked a little surprised at the speed with which that was to happen, but before he could speak his husband continued, "To be honest, it was my suggestion actually; it made more sense for me to take it there than to try and organise for a van to come here and collect it, then obtain all of the necessary permissions and clearances for said van to then enter the White House grounds. Even sending it to Trent's house in Georgetown would be difficult, and then he would have to get it to the White House for me. No, it is easier if I take it, and fortunately, it is not too big. I will be able to take it on the train, and arrangements have been made for me to place it in the luggage car if need be, although I would prefer to keep it with me if I can. Now, my appointment with the President is for later in the day, and so I won't be able to get home tomorrow night; Trent has kindly offered to put me up for the night, so I won't be stuck in a hotel. I know that it is exceptionally short notice, but the only gap in the President's schedule for weeks was the slot tomorrow, and only then because someone else had literally just cancelled a meeting."
"No, it's okay, I understand," said Nick with a smile. "I just wish that I could be there to see how he reacts when you unveil this to him, but there is no way I could get the time off work right now. So I am going to suggest that we order Chinese food for dinner, and whilst we are waiting on it coming, I can go and collect Wes, and see if Dante would be able to pick him up again tomorrow and keep an eye on him until I get home…"
"Chinese food does sound good Nicky," replied Jeff, then added, "Do you know, I am so lucky to have you as a husband. You are so tolerant, so patient and so understanding of my career, and all of my foibles."
"That is because you and I are soulmates, tied to each other for the remainder of time. Right, I will go and place our usual order, and fetch our boy."
Nick headed back down the stairs to phone the takeaway, leaving Jeff alone again as he started to sort out the packaging for the sizeable drawing. As he did so, he became conscious that there was a pair of eyes focused on him, and looking round, he saw that Caleb had joined him and was watching him intently. "Of course, you are about to become a star of the lobby of the Oval Office too," said Jeff to him with a grin. "They will all be asking the President who that strikingly handsome cat is in his new portrait…" Caleb miaowed at him, but Jeff was certain that was more because dinner was late than an understanding of a word he had just said.
Nick returned home with Wes just as Jeff came back down the stairs carrying Caleb in his arms. Jeff carried on down to the kitchen with Wes, to get him ready for dinner, and to break the news to him that he would be away from home the following night. Nick excused himself, stating he had a small bit of work to do before their food arrived, and headed into his study, closing the door behind him. There he sat down and began to address the slight issue that he had just encountered. It transpired that Elliott and Beats had an appointment to keep the following day, and as it was after the latter finished work, they would not themselves be home until after Nick. Dante was happy to pick Wes up, but he could not look after him, as he had a long planned meeting with Lachlan and his family to attend.
His next thought was also out of the question; he placed a call to Drew to see if he would be able to look after Wes, but he too had plans; he would be taking Evie straight from school to an orthodontist appointment, and he did not think that Wes would be happy to accompany them there. Nick had to agree. He did not wish to ask Artie and Kitty, as he knew they were both tied up with work, and he knew that Mike was in the midst of intensive rehearsals for a new ballet, which would be receiving its world premiere in less than 10 weeks time. He considered whether he could just declare that he had an emergency and ask to leave work early tomorrow after all, but the meeting he was due in at 4pm had taken him months to set up, and it was something that he could not justify; nor was he happy to send his son across town in a taxi to the UN from kindergarten alone. His sister would be working too, and it was unfair really to ask Nils to take care of another child at short notice. That left him with one other option; he wondered if he was free, and up to the challenge…
The next morning would see a longer than usual hug and kiss for the two husbands as Jeff sent Nick off to work. He still had time after he went to walk Wes to kindergarten, and to appraise Dante of his instructions for that afternoon. Back home, he checked the parcel that he had made for his drawing one final time, then with his overnight needs in a backpack and his satchel slung over his shoulder, he set out, with the bulky package that contained his latest work, in the direction of the subway. He did get a few strange looks as he made his way to Penn Station, and he received a few more as he settled into the seat on the fast Acela train that Trent had reserved for him.
To his delight it was at the end of the car, and in First Class. It was a single seat, which gave him the peace he liked, and better still, behind the seat there was a gap just wide enough for his parcel to fit neatly. With his parcel stowed, he settled down for the trip, knowing that he would be offered food and drink, and treated to the best of everything. He also knew that when he got to Washington DC, things would be much easier; Trent would be there to meet him, and there would be a car at their disposal to convey them to the White House…
As the train pulled out of the station, he settled back to relax and focus on what lay ahead, and ignore the nagging doubt he had in the back of his mind since Nick had told him what he intended for their son the night before. He knew that it was the only option that would work, and he did trust Seth… However, it was always in his thoughts, even now; what would happen if he had an attack whilst he was taking care of their boy?
As Jeff's train headed deeper into New Jersey, en route to DC, back in the West Village Seth was also concerned about the fact that he was being entrusted with the care of Wes that evening. When Nick had asked him the previous day, he had felt quite flattered to still be considered; glad that he was trusted enough to be given the chance to look after him. However, as the time grew closer to when he would be dropped off by Dante, he began to have doubts about his ability, and wondered if he should have made excuses, or just declined at once. He had felt fine first thing, but now, although his hands were still okay, his legs were now beginning to give him trouble, to the point where he had needed to sit down quickly to avoid the inevitable collapse and fall he could feel approaching. He was pretty sure that sitting still in an armchair would not be an option once he had a young child to take care of; heck, even getting up to answer the door to Dante might be an issue…
He was on the point of calling Nick, and telling him he was feeling unwell, and that he would not be able to look after Wes, forcing his friend as a result to leave work early, when he felt a draught in the room. Looking up, he saw that Blaine was now standing in front of him. "One of the drawbacks of having angels watching over you, and being able to see us, is that you no longer have the ability to worry about things in private. Wes might have picked up on your stress, and here I am…"
"Tell the new Mr Harwood that he has no business spying on me," replied Seth tersely, pleased with himself that he had remembered not to refer to Wes as Mr Montgomery at that moment, knowing that most of the others still did all the time.
"Oh, please, Wes not spy on his boys? You know that he can't help it!" responded Blaine with a grin. "Anyway, he has sent me with one simple message - the solution to your problem is already in place, and his namesake is unlikely to care. Dante will not say anything either, as he is only thinking about one thing right now, his evening with Lachlan. That only leaves Nick as the person that potentially knows, and he is the soul of discretion. Use your chair. It is why you have it, to manage independently on the bad days like these."
"I know," said Seth, then sighed. "It's just that in the back of my mind I know that when I start using it is another sign that I am losing the battle against my condition, and it is winning. Yes, I know that it is going to be the victor in the end, that it is inevitable, but I don't want it to win the battles quite yet…"
"That's a very feisty attitude, and I applaud it, we all do. However, what if you get Wes in here, and then you fall, or have an attack? He will not know what is going on; he will be left petrified. Then, when Nick and Jeff discover that you knew what was happening, and decided to say nothing, just potentially placed their son in danger…"
"I do not really have a choice, do I?" said Seth sadly.
"No, you don't… Wes has also cleared it for me to stay here, on standby as it were, keeping a close watch, to swoop in should the worst happen. I know that is even less likely to be something that you want to hear, but there it is. Anyway, I doubt that I will be needed to do anything…" Blaine's words were answered with a nod from Seth, all the more determined now that the presence of an angel would be an unnecessary precaution.