Miss Ginny crawled onto the bed that was nearly empty except for the sweet little boy who was still fast asleep in it. "Baby," she whispered, pulling him close to her. "It's time to wake up. Come here, love. It's time to start the day." Roger stirred a bit. He squeezed his eyes closed and began to slide over to her so he could be picked up and cuddled. She giggled when he settled comfortably in her arms. Rubbing his eyes sleepily, he yawned as his new mother began rocking him. "Daddy's making breakfast. He wanted me to come in and wake you up quickly so that he could cook you something special before he goes to work - - anything you want. Are you ready to get out of bed?" she said, earning a nod from the small boy. Miss Ginny decided to carry him out of the room like a little child.
Charles stood behind the kitchen counter, preparing a few things he'd need to cook breakfast. He always enjoyed making meals, and he was even more thrilled that he now had a wife and child to please with his dishes. When he saw her carrying Roger out of the room, he stopped what he was doing to sit on the couch with them. "Well, there's my sleepy little boy," he cooed softly, hugging Roger. Roger gave them both a tired smile. "I hope you slept well." Charles said. He kissed the boy's nodding forehead. "I did, Daddy. No bad dreams." he answered.
"That's good. I'm about to make breakfast. Would you like anything special, love?"
"What are you and Mummy having?"
"We're going to have omelets, but you're welcome to choose something different."
"…May I have some pancakes?" Pancakes were Roger's favorite food.
"Of course you may, darling. I'll even put some chocolate chips in them for a little sweetness in your day."
Charles gave each of his loves one final kiss before returning to the kitchen to prepare the meal. Miss Ginny stroked Roger's feathery hair. "Did you dream last night?" she asked.
"No bad dreams. Only good dreams."
"That's wonderful, honey. What did you see?"
"I dreamed about your wedding again!"
"Again! Well, that's certainly incredible! Every good dream you have is centered around the wedding."
"Speaking of that, may I please look at the picture album again?"
"Of course, my love."
Miss Ginny went to the bookshelf and took down the white photo album that encased hundreds of pictures from the previous wedding. It had only occurred a few weeks back, but Roger remained fascinated by it. He loved examining every photo, every signature in the guest book, every framed pressed-flower from his new mother's bouquet. It was such a happy day. He decided that it was the first time he'd ever felt truly vindicated and unabashedly accepted by large amounts of people that adored him no matter what. When Miss Ginny put the book into his hands, he felt the warm emotions spreading through him again. A smile crossed his lips.
Roger busied himself with the photo album, so Miss Ginny went to the kitchen with her new husband. After they'd taken Roger (rather illegally, which came back to confront them when the mental hospital tried to press charges, but ended up getting dismissed) from the institution, she was fired and asked to never return. Her only job now was to home-school Roger, since he wouldn't ever really fit into a normal classroom. Charles continued his work at the bank, earning a good amount of income to support one parent not working. They loved each other. They loved Roger. Roger loved them. A circular pattern of affection, the family had strong bonds that had only been strengthened within the past few weeks of changing times. Miss Ginny went to the icebox and rummaged around. "I'll prepare his porridge for you," she told her husband. Roger was required by the new family physician to eat a bowl of porridge every morning with added vitamins and minerals to make him stronger. He wasn't very good at taking pills. So the doctor had ordered the pharmacy to grind them into a powder, which in turn was sprinkled into his food every morning. Charles smiled at her in response.
Minutes later, breakfast was just about done getting cooked. "Would you like juice or milk this morning, love?" Charles called to his son. Roger looked up from the picture of his mother and father sharing their first dance. "May I have juice, please?" he asked. He made sure to be polite with everything. He didn't want to cause his new family to be disappointed with their decision to take him in (although they could never be). The man smiled lovingly. "Anything, love." he replied. The family sat down together to eat. Roger giggled when he saw that his father had arranged the whipped cream on his pancakes to resemble a smiley-face. Miss Ginny touched her husband's hand lovingly after discovering that he'd put ketchup on her omelet in the shape of a heart. Charles just grinned at both reactions as he poured some tea into his cup.
Roger was quite talkative now that he was finally in a secure place in which he felt comfortable. He told them about what he was learning in his home-schooling, asked questions, expressed his feelings about things. Before all this, he didn't know how to just identify his feelings, much less outwardly say "I'm hungry" or "I feel sad". Things were different now. He was actually becoming more and more like a child every day. "Mummy's reading me The Awakening by Kate Chopin every day before naptime." he said. "It's a lovely story. Mummy explains the parts I don't understand because it's not the easiest read. The words are skewed sometimes. But I'm happy that the main character is realizing her own strengths." Charles grinned at his wife. Roger was so smart. He could understand a book as complicated as the one mentioned because he just had the brain to calculate it all out. Miss Ginny had mentioned to Charles that she was going to read him books that focused on self-help and the realization of the purpose of one's life to further strengthen his acceptance of himself. Charles immediately thought this was an astounding idea, and promised to buy as many books as his loves needed.
Once breakfast finished, Roger returned to looking at the photo album and Charles slipped his coat on. "I'll be home soon, darling. Have a good day. I love you so much." he whispered to Miss Ginny. She hugged him. "I love you so much too. Did you take your lunch? I made it for you this morning. Roger and I have a doctor's appointment again today - - his is a checkup, mine is…well…it's another one about…conception."
"We'll see how it goes. Have a wonderful day, and don't worry about the appointment. Everything will be fine, love."
The two bid each other goodbye, Charles pausing on his way out to kiss the top of his son's head. Miss Ginny sat down on the sofa across from the little one. She admired the way he paid close attention to minor details of pictures, asking questions occasionally. "Jack's mother called yesterday during your nap." she remembered aloud. "She asked if you'd like to have a playdate with him here. I told her you'd love to, so we agreed to schedule it for Saturday. Would you like that?" she asked. Roger nodded vigorously. "I want Jack to see the beautiful place I live in. And my new parents. My room too." he explained. Miss Ginny laughed. She kissed his cheek. "And you'll get to, dear. Now let's go get dressed so we can start our lessons for today, shall we?"