Yet another "sicky" chapter. Enjoy!

Through

"To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping" ~Chinese Proverbs

Tim and Laurie Bauman had been trying to adopt a baby for two years before Clare and Eli were directed to them by their adoption agency. The couple had been married for 6 years and had decided to put their careers before having children. This turned out to be futile when Laurie was found to be unfertile. It was devastating but when the two teenagers showed up at their door, a glimmer of hope was restored.

Laurie was a petite blond woman who worked as a wedding planner. Most expected her to be snobbish from her appearance, but she was quite the opposite. She was actually very soft spoken and kind. But the one thing she wanted in life right now was to be a mom. She felt like it was she was now being called to do.

When she answered the door of their suburban house to find the two parents of her hopefully adoptive son, she couldn't hold back a smile. She beamed and gestured them to come inside quickly. They followed looking around the welcoming home.

"Shit…" Eli mumbled in awe. Laurie turned back to him.

"What?" she hadn't heard him completely, but guessed what he had said. She loved that reaction whenever people stepped into their home. She tried to keep it at top shape.

"Eli was just admiring your wonderful home," Clare answered swiftly, pinching the back of her boyfriend's arm. He grabbed the spot she had dug her nails into and mouthed "Ow" to her.

In the living room sat Tim Bauman. He was a pretty built man, with a charming smile and perfect brunette hair. He was a surgeon himself and that was where most of the funding for their beautiful home was from. He too had wanted a child for a while now and was glad that Clare and Eli were ready to give them theirs.

Also, there sat the agency representative, Mrs. Hallstead. She had been helping the Bauman's with the adoption process from the very beginning and was thrilled for them to finally be receiving their first child. She knew they deserved him more than anyone.

"Please have a seat," Laurie offered, sitting down next to her husband. Clare and Eli both sat on the small loveseat across from them. It was really close, but Clare liked that. She grabbed Eli's hand for reassurance. He squeezed it back, very nervous himself.

Mrs. Hallstead was the first to speak. "So your papers say that Luke is 6 weeks old…"

Clare nodded, "Yes…" she turned to the couple in front of her, "I'm sorry it's late but we were planning on keeping him…but things got too difficult."

"Oh, it's alright…" Laurie interjected quickly, "I'm sure he's lovely."

"He's a handful," Clare replied.

For the rest of the time, they discussed how everything was going to play out. The papers were all signed and they agreed to meet again in a week to officially sign Luke over to them. Clare and Laurie did most of the talking, while Eli eyed Tim carefully. He wanted to make sure his son was going to the right family.

During the car ride home, Clare spoke the moment they got into the car. "I like them…they're nice and seem very homely."

Eli nodded with his eyes still on the road. He wasn't so sure about the whole adoption thing. He still wanted Clare to say they could pull out and keep Luke. But there was probably no way that was going to happen. Her mind was set and there was no way of changing that.

"You've been really quiet," she pointed out, still looking at him. She wanted so badly for him to say something. Just talk to her. Tell her that they were making the right decision.

"I guess I'm just waiting to wake up," he confessed, still focused on driving.

Clare quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

He sighed loudly and explained, "I'm waiting for this to all be a dream and for us to go back to being normal. I hope that if we're going to do this…it's the right thing. Our lives will go back to being like they were."

"They will. And we'll be together through it all. I promise you."

He nodded another time and zoned out again.