When I looked up, Uncle Joe was standing there crying but smiling. I jumped down from Uncle Jamie's arms and ran over to Uncle Joe. He bent down and I gave him a great big hug and told him I was sorry for ignoring him. He told me he was sorry for lying and that he left when I was so young.
"Xavy, I want you to know. I love you. So, so, so much more than you could ever imagine buddy. And I didn't want to leave you, I hope you know that. If you want to, I'm more than okay with you still calling me Daddy. But only if you want to." I nodded and smiled.
Uncle Jamie was on the phone when I turned back around, I didn't realize that it was Dad and Grandpa that he called. Apparently, there were a bunch of news reports about me running out of the hospital and no one could find me. He took me back out to the main room of the precinct and Uncle Jamie asked if Sergeant Renzulli could take care of me while he made some phone calls. I sat in his office, waiting for Uncle Jamie to get back when Dad, Grandpa, and Pop came into the room. I could immediately tell that Dad was upset. He walked in and slammed the door behind him. It made me jump.
"What the hell were you thinking Joseph? You could've gotten yourself killed." Dad was definitely upset. He rarely ever yelled at us. But when he did, I was always the one who took it in stride.
"I'm sorry, Daddy. But in my defense, I just wanted to know if it was true, so I came to Uncle Jamie to ask. You guys wouldn't answer, and you were keeping it from me. I don't think that's very fair." I started shaking my head, and looked up to Grandpa who couldn't help but smile. Grandpa sat quietly in the corner waiting for Dad to calm down. He finally sat forward, with his elbows on his knees.
"Xavier, you are so much like your Uncle Joe. Anytime I would get mad at one of the kids, he would defend them, and himself with ease. He took every bit of criticism in stride. He never let up, and I am proud that you are just like him." He started to tear up, so he rubbed his eyes. Pop came over and put his hand on my shoulder.
"You can't just run off like that kiddo. Especially when no one is with you."
I sat up and argued, "But someone was with me. That's how I got here safely. That's how I wasn't hurt during the break-in. Dad was protecting me the entire time." Dad was standing across the desk from me and slammed his hand down on the desk.
"What? I wasn't there during the break-in and I wasn't with you when you ran off. Who are you talking about?" I looked at him, to Grandpa then to Pop.
Trying to be as serious as Grandpa was, I looked Dad in the eyes. "Is it true that Uncle Joe is the one that adopted me? Am I adopted?" Everyone looked at each other, still confused on how I had found out. Then they all shifted their attention to me.