A/N - apologies again for any errors. Wanted to get this up quickly.
Chapter 4 – Welcome to the Grey Family
Elliot nods happily. Grace and Carrick prepare to bring home a new sibling for their first son, also adopted. Their plan is to move back home to the Seattle area and raise their family there. Grace has finally been offered a position at a Washington hospital. Carrick will no doubt have little problem finding a new law firm to work with.
Lovingly, Grace sets up a bed for their new addition in Elliot's bedroom. Hopefully once in Seattle, they can get a home where each child could have their own rooms. They plan to adopt perhaps one more child, so a number of bedrooms would be perfect!
Grace smoothes out the blue and green bedspread, wistfully eyeing the stuffed bear sitting atop the pillow. Carrick enters and places a gentle kiss on Grace's head.
"Excited?"
"Yes" Grace nods. "Nervous too, though."
"Why?" Carrick sits next to her on the bed and takes her hands in his.
"Do you think he'll like us? Will I be a good mother?"
"You've been the best mommy to Elliot. Why do you think you'd be anything less with this one?"
"Being a mom to two is exponentially harder than being a mom to one."
"You're destined to be a mom, Grace. And an amazing one at that. You'll see." Carrick reassures her.
"I hope they get along."
"I'm sure it'll take some adjustment on both parts, but I think things will sort themselves out."
. . .
They arrive at the foster home. Christian and I remain unseen behind the Grey family, privy to all they experience. They sign some paperwork with the social worker, and their new son is guided into the room. He has a mop of strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes, and a scowl that appears to be permanently etched on his face. Grace and Carrick rush over and embrace him. They bring him over to Elliot who is shyly waiting in a chair at the side of the room.
"Elliot, this is your new brother: Jack. Jack, this is Elliot. You're both seven years old!" Both boys eye each other warily. Elliot shyly hands over a teddy bear with a blue bow around it's neck.
"This is for you. I have one just like it. They're brothers!" Jack eyes it impassively, but doesn't move to take it.
"Why don't we head home and start making some lunch?" Carrick says cheerily.
Throughout the drive home, Jack is silent. He watches the three members of his new family intently as they interact. He nods or shrugs when spoken to, but otherwise remains aloof and impassive.
At home, Jack has unpacked his meagre belongings and sits on his bed mindlessly fidgeting with his new toy. Elliot entered with his bear. It is practically identical, save for a red ribbon around it's neck rather than a blue one.
"Do you want to play?"
Jack gives a shrug. Elliot sits at the foot of Jack's bed and begins to talk excitedly.
"So, I'm adopted too, you know. Mom and dad are really nice." He pauses, waiting for a response, but continues when none is offered. "I hope you're happy here. I really like it, but mom and dad said that one day we'll move to a bigger house and we can each have a bedroom of our own!"
Wordlessly and without warning, Jack reaches out and snatches the bear out of Elliot's hands. Elliot looks uneasy, but replies, "See? He looks just like yours." Jack looks it over, then places his bear into Elliot's hands, clutching Elliot's bear to his chest.
"No, Jack! That's mine!" Elliot reaches to take his bear back, but gets a sharp shove and a kick that nearly sends him off the bed. "Give him back!"
Jack's eyes ablaze, he stares intently at Elliot as he wrenches the bear's head from its body, tearing the stitches and exposing the stuffing. Elliot wails and Jack throws the bear at him, grabbing his own back and scrambling to hide in the open closet.
Grace and Carrick rush into the room investigating their son's cries.
"What's going on?" They survey the scene and Grace comforts Elliot while Carrick kneels in front of Jack who is sitting on the floor inside his closet.
"Jack. Why did you do that to Elliot's bear?"
His face blank, Jack just stares coolly at Carrick.
"That is not acceptable behaviour in this house, young man. We'll have to think about what your consequences will be, but right now, you need to apologize to your brother."
"I wanted his bear." He growls. His first words to the Greys.
"Jack, that is Elliot's bear, and you have yours. I would like you to apologize."
Jack looks from Carrick's determined face, to Grace's concerned expression, and lastly to Elliot's hurt and tearful visage. With a slight smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes, he mutters, "Sorry."
Grace mirror's Carrick's concerned expression as they glace at one another, and they both stand.
"Come on Elliot. Let's see if we can fix your Mister Bubba Bear, huh?" Grace takes Elliot's hand and leads him out of the room.
Carrick looks at Jack. Unsure of what to say, he asks simply, "Would you like to talk?"
Jack shakes his head. Carrick sighs and rubs his head. "I'm working on making us some lunch. Do you want to help me prepare it?" Jack shakes his head again. "Okay. I'll come let you know when it's time to eat."
Jack says nothing, just stares at his hands until Carrick leaves the room. Once he is alone, he hops back onto the bed, lays back and stares at the ceiling, lost in thought.
...
"Okay, so another kid gets the opportunities I had. That's great, right?"
"Jack is different than you Christian. You were both abused as children, but Jack spent a lot longer in that abusive environment than you did. You were three when the Grey's adopted you. Jack is seven. He's gone from an abusive and neglectful infancy and early childhood, and then from foster home to foster home in the last year. It's affected him. Significantly. You think you're fifty shades of fucked up? Jack's got you beat."
"Hey, are angels allowed to swear like that?"
I ignore him and continue.
"It's not like a different face is slotted in and living your life, Christian. He's not a direct replacement for you. Life in the Grey family is very different without you in the picture and with Jack in your place."
"But Grace and Carrick are amazing parents. Surely they're able to change things for him."
"They could only do so much. By a certain age, a person's personality becomes a little more fixed. Experiences in childhood, and just general brain wiring, all make a difference in setting up who you are and what you're like. At this point, he's going to be a challenge for them. More than they did with you."
"I wasn't exactly a model child."
"No. But they've got their hands full with Jack. Loving him isn't going to be enough."
I spin my umbrella and we find ourselves a little further along.
