The next few months flew by quickly as everyone involved in Johnny's and the DeSoto's life adjusted to the permanence of the situation. It wasn't long after his Uncle Roy and Aunt Joanne told him that how he was would be with them forever and that they would be able to do a sort of adoption with him in a few months. Johnny lit up at that and trusted the family even more. Knowing he was where he'd always be seemed to help with Johnny's comfort level and his ability to cope grew quickly. Soon, between the work that the NAMI group was inadvertently doing and the teaching Joanne was doing, he was venturing out into the world with the family.

As time passed, life developed a patterned for everyone in the DeSoto's family. Chris and Jenny would go to school and take part in any activities they wished, as long as their parents approved, while Johnny loved going on what he called his NAMI outings. Chris and Jenny always made time for Johnny, teaching him to read, helping him and their parents out as they could. It wasn't always easy and at times, the family got into some fights, but overall, it seemed what happened to John strengthened them and made them closer as a family.

Every six months, a judge would look over a medical evaluation and sign off on papers stating that Johnny was temporarily mentally incompetent. Each time, the same judge would look over the paperwork and listen to Doctor Early. A year and a half after the accident, the judge finally declared John Roderick Gage permanently mentally incompetent. Although it was a hard decision, he made sure to include the doctor's notes, the physical evidence of why he had come to the decision and that he felt that if there came a time when the original injury healed or was fixed, experts should be called to decide to overturn his decision. The judge also included that the reason he ruled as he did was after so long of no improvements, he wanted to make sure that the DeSoto family could live an easier life and this would help the family get the disability checks Johnny was owed from the fire department.

Despite the oddness of it all, on the day of the judge's announcement, Roy and Joanne felt it was time to celebrate. Finally, Johnny was a part of their lives and as such, they wanted to welcome him. After the party, as the two of them were tucking him in, John asked if all of this meant they were now his parents.

"Well, we could never take the place of your mom and dad," Roy stumbled over his words.

"I guess in a way though," Joanne thoughtfully said. "It's the courts way of saying, we are doing what your parents did for you."

"So, you are taking over for mom and dad?" Johnny squinted his eyes. "Yet, it's okay to love them because you all are my parents."

Thinking on it, Joanne nodded, "Yes. I guess you got lucky in a way. Your parents would have loved to be with you yet, but since they couldn't, somehow, they found us and we are more than happy to do what they can't."

"So, you love me like them?"

"Yes," Jo smiled, squeezing his arm tightly. "I, we, love you very much."

"Will you be my mom and dad?" he asked softly.

Clearing his throat, Roy looked up at Joanne in shock, "What?"

Chris and Jennifer had been listening in since Johnny had talked about this subject before and wanted to make sure everything went okay. Stepping inside, Jenny took over.

"He wants to know if he can call you mom and dad," she bluntly stated.

Reeling back in shock, Joanne felt tears coming to her eyes. Looking at her husband, she saw that Roy, too, had tears in his eyes.

"It's more than fine with me, sweetie," she assured him.

"Me, too," Roy chocked out. "Are you two kids fine with it?"

"We told him to ask you tonight," Chris admitted. "He needs us."

"Just as much as we need him," Jenny added

Smiling, Johnny looked at his family and felt a warm feeling spreading from his heart throughout his body. Yawning, he burrowed under the covers deeper.

"Love you all," he murmured, half asleep.

"We love you too," Joanne whispered, sweeping the hair that was once again too long and out of control.

It had been a long hard road for all involved and even with his challenges, Johnny was more than happy, as were the DeSoto's.