How It Happened

Chapter 23

Grace

When I wake in the morning, I reach over and notice my husband is not in bed with me. Looking at the clock I see it's only eight a.m. Carrick would only be up this early on a Saturday if we were heading out to get Christian, but this is our 'quiet family weekend at home,' and Christian is, thankfully, already here, so where did he get off to?

I've only really had about three hours of sleep, so I'm not exactly feeling like a morning glory. I had such a hard time letting myself fall asleep; worried I would sleep through any issues Christian may have, and not be there for him as I had promised. As it turns out, I was up with him several times throughout the night. I was worried those nightmares may wake Elliot, but thank goodness, he slept right through them. They did wake Carrick however, who was surprised and I think more than a little concerned, at their intensity.

Having the blanket was a god-send. I don't know how Helen went without it all those days. He hugged that thing so close and hid his face… He squeezed my fingers with strength way beyond his size, and I sang to him like I had done in the hospital. That seems to soothe him rather quickly. I wonder if maybe classical music would do the same. I'd like to try it when he stays next time.

I really would like to get some more sleep but I hear a loud commotion from downstairs. Running back and forth, clanging dishes… I don't know if it's the boys getting into something or Carrick trying to make breakfast. Both are equally frightening things to consider.

As I get up, I hear Carrick's voice telling the boys to 'hurry up and get dressed' and their footsteps make a loud pounding as they come up the stairs. I didn't realize adding one more small, little boy would add so much noise; and he isn't even talking, just stomping. Elliot does enough talking for the both of them, but I can only imagine what it will sound like around here once Christian starts talking again. I do wonder what his voice actually sounds like…

I'm tying the belt of my robe when Carrick opens our door. "Oh. Good morning, Baby," he smiles at me. "I didn't think you'd be up yet. I was going to let you sleep a bit more. You didn't get much last night. You feeling OK?" He leans in to give me a soft kiss, which I gladly return.

"I won't lie. I am tired, but I don't want to leave you to…"

"Mom! Where's my green sweatshirt?!" I'm interrupted by my older son's far too energetic voice. I look up at Carrick who is shaking his head.

"I told him to be quiet. Sorry, Sweetheart." I have to laugh. I could never be disappointed to hear Elliot's voice. Not hearing Christian's, I am much more appreciative that I can hear Elliot's. "We're heading out to rake the leaves. I thought the boys could help and have some fun jumping in them. I went out earlier and bought another small rake so they won't fight over Elliot's. Should we start in the front so you can go back to sleep?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Start where ever. If I need to, I can take a nap later. But what about breakfast?" He tells me the boys had cereal and juice. He made some toast and coffee for us and mine is waiting for me downstairs. I'm glad I'm up. Toast doesn't hold up much past fifteen minutes.

"Found it!" I hear from Elliot's room. I want to go check on both of my boys. I know Elliot is capable of getting himself ready to spend some time outside, and that Christian is, as Helen puts it, 'very self-sufficient,' but I'm a Mom. We're just wired this way. I walk past Elliot's room and see him with his green sweatshirt on backwards putting on his socks. I hope he remembers to untie his tennis shoes before he puts them on this time. I have to smile. This is a normal Saturday occurrence. I walk in, kiss him good morning and leave the shoe comment to myself.

As I look in the guest room, I see Christian has his jeans on and is trying to put on his sweatshirt. He's got one arm in a sleeve and his head stuck in the other one. It's obvious he's getting frustrated but it's so adorable, I have to laugh. I see him tense up and go still. "It's alright, Darling. It's just me. I didn't mean to startle you, just coming to say good morning. Do you need help?" He shakes his head and the arm of the shirt flops around. It is quite comical, but I keep my laugh internal since I can tell the last one made him uncomfortable. I watch him work out the problem himself. I want so badly to help him, but more for my needs than his apparently.

He gets the shirt figured out and is working on his shoes. Unlike Elliot probably will, he actually unties them and gets them on quiet easily. He tries to tie them himself, but four year old small motor skills just aren't quite capable. I can see him getting frustrated so I go over to him and reach out to assist. I see him tense up as I get closer, but when he realizes what I'm doing, he puts his foot out to me and lets me help. I don't say anything; just revel in this ordinary mother-son moment. Once the job is done, I look at his beautiful face. He's giving me a questioned expression, then reaches out to wipe a tear from my cheek.

"C'mon boys! Those leaves aren't going to rake themselves… and you've got a lot of jumping to do!" I hear Carrick's voice coming down the hall. I notice Christian is a bit unsure. I don't know if it's because he's not understanding what Carrick means, or the volume of his voice. "Elliot! You don't even have your shoes on yet… Untie them son. We go through this every day…"

I laugh at my husband's comment and reach my hand out to Christian. He takes it cautiously and we head over to Elliot's room. "Well, Daddy, Christian is all set… shoes and everything." Carrick smiles at him as he finishes helping Elliot. We all head downstairs, the boys get their coats, hats, and mittens, as October mornings can be pretty nippy here. Then I watch my family head out to experience a typical, father-son activity.

I can watch them through the window. When the pile was small, Elliot jumped in but Christian just watched. As the pile grew larger, Elliot was right in there. Christian wouldn't jump yet, but he did enjoy throwing some leaves into the air. But now that the pile is absolutely huge, he's looking ready to try it himself. Elliot runs and jumps… Even Carrick dives in. I watch as Christian walks cautiously to the pile, leans forward a little and slowly falls in. Elliot is laughing that deep guttural laugh that always makes my heart melt. Carrick is having so much fun with them as I can hear his deep laugh as well… I see Christian smiling and rolling back and forth in the pile. Elliot is trying to bury himself while Carrick dumps more leaves on top. Christian just watches, learning how to have this kind of fun too. When Elliot jumps out and screams, it scares him a little, but then I do see a smile develop.

I watch a while longer, then notice a couple red noses and decide to have some hot cocoa waiting for my 'hard working' men. I think Carrick will send the boys in soon, as it isn't getting any warmer. The leaf pile needs to be cleaned up and bagged, but I'm not sure how much help the boys will really be in that arena. I'm right. The boys come in and take off their outdoor clothes. "Hey you two… Who's up for some hot cocoa?"

"Oh wow, Mom! Do we have marshmallows too?" Elliot must think he's gone to Heaven this weekend; first root beer and now hot cocoa…"

"Actually, yes I do have some here somewhere…" Elliot climbs up to sit at the table. Christian follows, not really knowing what is coming next. Maybe this whole hot cocoa thing is new as well. I make sure the cups aren't too hot and let them add their own marshmallows. Both boys are enthralled in the cocoa and licking their lips. This has been a big hit!

They're on their second cups when I hear Carrick come in. Yes I let them have two, but that's the limit. I'll have them bouncing off the walls if they have any more sugar. I also have a hot cup ready for Carrick. "Oh, Baby, thank you! It's getting almost bitter out there." He takes a big drink. "Man! I always forget how good this stuff is!" We look over to the boys and let out a chuckle. "Gracie, go get the camera. I want a picture of that, please." He doesn't know I've taken about a dozen while they were raking and playing outside, but I agree. We definitely need a picture of their matching chocolate mustaches.

Wednesday Evening

I wish I could say it was easier sending Christian back to the Colliers this time, but it wasn't. In fact, knowing he is legally going to be ours almost made it worse; why can't he just be with us while the paperwork gets settled? I decided I'd focus and use this time to redecorate the extra room. It's going to be his now. I've been looking through catalogs for airplanes and helicopters, we've decided to go with light blue, like the sky, and I did find an adorable ceiling fan that looks like a propeller… So even though we miss him when he's not with us, this is giving me some joy! I haven't let Elliot see the items for the room at all. I've been hiding everything and plan on doing the work soon when he's at school or gone to bed.

We decided to talk with him about everything at dinner tonight. I can't see how this could go negatively, but for some reason, both Carrick and I are a bit nervous about how to have this conversation. We're not asking him, we're telling him, so really what's to discuss? But I agree he should know ahead of time. It will be a major change in his normality; he'll be going from being an only child to being the big brother, and it's not like he'll have nine months to get used to the idea of a new child in the family, it's going to happen relatively instantaneously. We'll walk into the courtroom a family of three, and when we walk out just a little while later, we'll be four. Christian won't just be visiting anymore, he'll be family. Life as Elliot knew it prior to September, is over. That's kind of a lot for a six year old.

I've made all of Elliot's favorites for our special dinner; pork shops with apple and walnut sauce, baked potatoes with bacon and cheese, and carrots with ranch dip. Usually I'd make a hot vegetable but this is the way Elliot likes his carrots best, and tonight, it's all about him…

I have the dining room table all set up and formal. OK, this is not Elliot' favorite, but he'll know this evening is special when he sees we're eating in the dining room. I poured his milk in a wine glass for a little something extra. I even bought some root beer for him to drink with dessert. Carrick is on his way home with him from an after school scout meeting. Once he's changed, we'll sit down to eat. Let's hope this goes well…

Carrick let Elliot change into whatever he wanted to wear. Personally, I would have wanted him in dress clothes, but as Carrick pointed out, we're already going formal with the dinner. If this is about Elliot, he should feel like himself. So my son comes to the dining room table in his ripped jeans, a bull dozer t-shirt, and his big dimpled smile.

"Good evening, Darling! How was scouts?" He tells me all about the bird houses they're making and how he used the hammer all by himself. He's so proud, and so am I. We head into the dining room and suddenly the smile is gone.

"Why are we eating in here? Whose birthday is it?"

"It's no one's birthday, Sweetheart. We just have a reason to have a special dinner tonight. I made all your favorites." I show him all the foods he loves.

At first he seems excited, but when he takes his seat he asks the big question on his mind, "Do I gotta' use table manners too?"

"'Do I have to'… and yes, Darling, you do…"

"It doesn't matter which table we're at son, you will use appropriate table manners," Carrick adds as he enters the dining room. He's still in his suit and I'm in a dress with heels and some special jewelry. Elliot seems to notice all the details about this meal all at one time and I see him tense up as he places his napkin on his lap.

Our dinner starts and we all enjoy Elliot's favorites. He has fun drinking from a wine glass, and even asks if we can 'cheers,' with them, so we do. At this, Carrick begins the conversation neither one of us is sure how to conduct.

"El, Mommy and I have something very important to talk to you about. It's not a question; we're not asking you. We're telling you something that is going to happen. We just felt we should tell you first, before it does."

"I already know what it is, Dad." Carrick and I both look up quickly at each other wondering who let the cat out of the bag. "It's about Christian, isn't it?" he adds. "I had a feeling it was going to happen. I'm not happy about it. It makes me kind of upset, actually." He's put his fork down on his plate and is looking down at his hands that are now folded in his lap. It makes him upset? This is not what either of us expected. How do we turn this around so he's excited about it? They have so much fun together, I was sure he would be…

"Well, yes, Darling it is about Christian…" I begin. I'm not sure where to go now. Anything I had planned to say went out the window with his response.

"We wanted to tell you before we tell anyone else," Carrick chimes in. I can tell he too is trying to turn this to a happier situation, but there's uncertainty in his voice. "Christian doesn't even know yet." Carrick and I exchange looks again. He continues and asks "Do you have any questions about this, Elliot?" Oh, that's a good idea. Maybe if he lets us know his concerns we can address them and swing this back to something positive.

"I guess I just want to know when it's gonna' happen." He's leaning his head back in his chair and looking at me. He seems to be trying to act like he's handling this, but I can tell his feelings are over powering any attempts to do so. There are actually tears starting. I look over to Carrick and silently plead with him to do something here.

"Well, Buddy, we're not exactly sure. Hopefully soon. We'd be happy if it was tonight, but there are certain things that have to get taken care of before everything is final." This piece of news is more than Elliot can take. The tears fall, and as much as he's trying not to, he begins to sob openly.

I get up from my chair and go to wrap my arms around him. I hold him for several moments while he continues to cry into my shoulder. Carrick gets up as well and comes to pick him up out of the chair. What a disaster! We expected such a positive, excited response, but this news is killing him which is breaking my heart! Carrick is holding him like a small child, rubbing his back and shh-ing in his ear to calm him down. "El?... Elliot? Will you tell us why this is upsetting you so much? Please?"

The crying gets louder and now he's shaking. Carrick walks with him into the living room and sits with him on his overstuffed chair. The last child in turmoil to sit in that chair was Christian during his tantrum. Tonight it's Elliot's turn, apparently. "Sweetheart…." I start quietly, and I too rub his back. "Elliot, Darling…. We need you to talk to us."

"Mom and Dad can't help unless you talk to us, remember?" Carrick whispers in his ear.

His sobbing has turned to the hiccupping stage but he can't get anything out. "Oh Darling!" I wrap my arms around my son again and lay my head on his back. "Sweetheart! Elliot… It's not going to be bad, we thought you'd be happy about this." And his sobbing starts again. "Oh, no, my baby…. No..." And now I start sobbing… Carrick continues to rub his back and I try to stop my own overactive emotions. When I calm myself a bit, I reach over to take him from Carrick and pull him close to me. I rock him on my lap, gently kissing his head while he finishes his own emotional outpouring.

"Elliot…" Carrick begins quietly. "Look at me, son." Elliot turns his head into my chest but I reach down to lift his chin so he can see our faces.

"Elliot? Look at your father please. Daddy and I want you to hear what we have to tell you. …" Carrick has reached over now and is running his hand down Elliot's cheek. Elliot is facing Carrick, but still has tears running down his face.

"Elliot Trevelyan Grey…" He looks right into his eyes. "You are our son. We love you so much… You will always be our son, but…" Elliot turns to hide in my chest again.

"Elliot, Darling…?" I'm not exactly sure what to say yet, but thankfully something just comes out. "We love you and we love Christian too…" Carrick continues to rub Elliot's back while he finishes his sobbing, then leans down to kiss him on the head… What else can we say now? "Elliot, Sweetheart… Do you have any other questions about this? We thought you'd be happy… Can you tell us what's bothering you about this? Daddy's right. We can't help if we don't understand the problem."

Elliot sits up and through his tears and sobs we can just make out his question; "Can I… still… call you… Mom… and Dad?" I'm so stunned by this question, I notice my mind just halts. "When I move away? Can I? But I don't want Christian to come here 'cause I don't wanna' move away! I don't wanna live with the Colliers, please? I just wanna' stay here!" Elliot hides back into my chest and lets out another sob. Then I look at Carrick and we both realize at the same time.

I see my husband close his eyes, and tears escape them, while he whispers to me "Oh my god… he thinks…" Carrick looks as if someone has just ripped his heart right out of his chest. My own heart has just shattered into a million pieces. "Elliot, son…" Carrick takes our son's face in his hands and begins again, kissing his head between almost every phrase. "Listen to me now. We love you. We adopted you. You are ours and you're going nowhere. You are staying right here with Mommy and me." At this, Elliot's sobs quiet a bit, as he listens to his father. "We love Christian, too. We're adopting Christian just like we adopted you, but that means he'll be moving here with us, and you. No one is going anywhere, and of course you can still call us Mom and Dad, because that's who we are. We'll just be Mom and Dad to two little boys and not only one anymore. Do you understand now?"

Elliot is wiping his eyes and sniffling. He looks at Carrick, then up at me. His expression is begging for me to assure him Daddy is telling the truth. "That's absolutely right, Darling. Christian is coming to live with us, here. All of us. And just because he'll be part of our family, in no way, does that mean you will not. Things will be different. In some ways, very different. There will have to be more sharing because it won't just be you anymore, but the two of you will get to play together every day…" He's looking a little less distraught now. "And we decided to have a very special dinner for you tonight because you are going to be a big brother, very soon."

Finally we get a smile, and I hug him close to me. Carrick reaches for him and picks him up again in a tight embrace. I see him kiss our son's cheek several times. "Feeling better, Buddy?" Elliot nods silently. "I'm so sorry you felt like this. You are not leaving, ever! At least until you're grown up and can't wait to get out of here." I hear Elliot laugh a little. "Or you're 46 and living in the basement and Mom and I kick you out!" Elliot leans back and laughs.

"46?! I'm only six, Dad."

"Yes, I know. And that's just the perfect age for you to get a four year old little brother." Carrick starts heading back toward the dining room, still carrying our son. I follow them and we all take our seats to finish our celebration dinner, just for Elliot.

Saturday Morning

Christian arrived last night and Elliot could hardly hold it in, but we made him promise not to say anything about the adoption until Mom and Dad were ready. They played together quite well with very little issue. They raked more leaves and jumped in; well, Elliot did. Christian seems to be getting more at ease with this game, just not ready to go all 'rough and tumble' quite yet. Maybe that's just his personality. Perhaps he's just not as physically expressive as Elliot. Maybe he's still not comfortable with how this game works. Carrick was ready to just go out there, pick him up, and toss him on the pile. He's thinking we need to just touch him and let him learn to adjust. I'm not sure that's the best idea. I got him to agree to wait until the adoption is complete and we get to talk to the psychologists ourselves. Secretly, I'm hoping this will all just work itself out eventually, but sooner rather than later.

This morning the boys got up and played together, stopped to eat pancakes, played some more, stopped to get dressed and are back to playing again. Elliot knows it's Halloween and has asked if it's time to put on his costume at least fifteen times already. Christian is tuned in to Elliot's extra excitement, but isn't sharing in it. Maybe once we start everything we'll see some change.

I'm getting some of the easy things out of the way for the party tonight. We had decorations up already but we made it a bit more party atmosphere with streamers and balloons. Carrick went out to pick up some of the food I ordered for tonight. My parents will be here and are very excited to finally meet Christian. They wanted to earlier, but we decided to wait until we knew for sure; no sense breaking everyone's hearts.

I'm really excited too, because my younger brother will be here. He was in Columbus on business, but decided to drive up to Detroit for the weekend when we told him the good news. This will be a surprise for Elliot as well, as he hasn't seen Uncle Dennis for almost a year. He lives on the west coast and it's hard for us to get together other than holidays every other year.

There will also be some of our neighbors and friends who have seen Christian visiting here. Some of our friends from church will be coming as well. I figured they can be here when we make the announcement too, then we won't have to keep telling people. And besides, Halloween parties are always fun!

When Carrick gets home we'll be telling Christian. I've thought about this all week long. We decided he should know ahead of time and not be put on the spot at the party. He's already going to be in the spotlight, and I'm not sure he's going to like it. Elliot will eat it up!

We're including him in our telling Christian as well. His job is to explain what adopted means. We tried to find a book to read, but all of them were about adopting a baby, and none of them covered the death of a parent first, then being adopted. So, we've had to create our own little performance. We'll see how this goes. The hardest part will be knowing if he even understands what we're saying, and if he'll be happy about it. Again… it's a done deal. Happy or not, it's what's happening.

Carrick has arrived home and we're getting everything together to tell Christian the, hopefully, good news. I have the old photo albums, several of the pictures I've taken of the two boys, and even the photograph of Christian's mother. I don't know how he'll react to that one, so I'm keeping it hidden for now. I'm playing that one by ear. Carrick is a nervous wreck. After Elliot's evening, I guess I can't blame him, but he's pacing back and forth… I finally have to break the ice. "Hey Carrick, you can relax and sit down now. We already know it's a boy."

"Very funny, Grace. I'm a bit on edge here. What if he has a breakdown like Eliot did? I can't even pick him up and comfort him… I'm telling you, I think we just need to touch him and help him get over it."

"And we've decided to wait, please. Believe me, I completely understand how badly you want to hold him. It just about breaks my heart, but, not yet. I told Elliot we'd call them upstairs in five minutes. He's about to burst, so help me finish with this so we can get this show on the road." He manages to help me with the last items and it's time; I call Elliot and Christian up from the game room. Carrick and I smile at each other as we hear four little feet stomping up the steps.

Suddenly, I'm so nervous my hands are shaking. Carrick can't leave that one alone. "Hey Gracie, it's a boy." I have nothing I can say in response to that so I stick my tongue out at him, and we both laugh. Elliot is bouncing up and down he's so excited, and we all head into the living room. I motion for the boys to sit on the sofa and Carrick and I sit on the ottoman. Commence Operation; Tell Christian.

"Darling," I start, looking into those beautiful gray eyes. "There is something very important we need to discuss with you. Elliot already knows, so he's going to help us. We hope it will all make sense to you, but if anything is confusing, well… We'll do our best OK?" He nods that head of copper floppy hair. It's so adorable.

"OK, Christian," Carrick begins. "Elliot is going to start for us, so let's hear what he has to share with you." Elliot has his baby book and steps up onto the fireplace hearth like it's a stage. "Take it away, son."

"Hello. My name is Elliot Trevelyan-Grey. But I wasn't always that. One time, I was something else." He opens his baby book and shows us the pictures of the day he was born. "I grew in a different tummy, not Mom's. See this lady? She's my bya..biloj…bilojkle mother. That means I grew in her tummy, but she isn't my mom. That's my mom and my dad." I'm so proud of him. He's pointing at us and doing wonderfully. Christian is looking at us, and back at Elliot like he's daft. "I don't live with this lady. I was 'dopted when I was only, ummmm, wait… ummm… Oh yeah! I was 'dopted when I was only five weeks old. I don't know what my name was but Mom and Dad named me Elliot. I went to live with them 'cause they signed the papers and stuff and I became their son. If I was a girl, I'd be a daughter, but that would not be good because I don't like girls." I give him the look to get back on topic.

"Yeah. And 'dopted means you get a new mom and new dad. You live with them and they take care of you 'cause they love you…" Then he looks at me with a slightly nervous expression. "… And sometimes, you get a brother." Elliot jumps down, hands me back his baby book, and sits on the sofa next to Christian. Now it's Carrick's turn.

He leans forward on his knees and looks directly at Christian, who starts to look a little nervous. "Hey Little Man, everything is alright. We just want to show you some pictures; some are family vacations, or trips to see some sites…" He opens one off the albums. Christian starts looking at the photos of Elliot when he was much younger. There are pictures of Carrick and myself holding him or pushing him in a stroller… "We were so happy to have Elliot come and live with us. We loved him the minute we saw him. See there? That's me holding him while he slept. And that one? That's Mommy rocking with him in the rocking chair. But here is one of my favorites…" He turns the page to a family portrait of the three of us; Carrick, me and a little baby Elliot. "This was taken the day he was adopted. Like Elliot said, that means he became our son. We loved him so much… we still do… And he has lived with us ever since. We became his Mommy and Daddy that day." I can hear the hitch in my wonderful husband's voice. When I look over, I see the tears welling up. Good. I'm not the only one.

I better pull it together though, because now it's my turn. As I look at Christian's face, I'm suddenly overcome with that motherly, unconditional love… the one that just pours over you when you look in the eyes of your child. "Darling, when you came into the hospital that night, I knew I loved you. When Carrick saw you, he knew he loved you. When you and Elliot played together the way you did, we just knew it was perfect. Elliot was even worried about being able to play with you once you were 'done in the hospital,' that's how much he cared about you.

"When you are not with us, we miss you Christian. We miss you terribly and it feels like there is a hole in our hearts because you are not here." I see his expression shift slightly at this comment, although I continue just as I had planned. "But soon, we won't have to miss you like that anymore. You are coming to live with us, Darling. You will be adopted just like Elliot. You will have all your clothes and toys here, you will wake up every day in your own bed in your own room here, in this house… You can play with Elliot every day. I will see you every morning and we will kiss you good night when you go to sleep.

"See these?" I show him the photographs I've taken on our visitation days. He's surprised and excited to see himself and Elliot in the pictures. "They are going in here, right now." I pick up the brand new photo album I purchased and we all help put the pictures in. I even write small notes about when they were taken and where we were. He's surprised to see himself running with penguins and sitting on a pumpkin. But I think the ones that surprise him the most are of the boys raking with Carrick and playing in the leaves.

"We're leaving this page though," Carrick points to a blank page. "It's for a special picture. Just like Elliot, there will be a day when everything is all done and you will become Christian Trevelyan-Grey. That day will be very soon, Little Man. You will be our son too. You will be Elliot's brother and he will be yours. We will be your new Mommy and Daddy. We will all be a family and we'll have a new picture with all four of us. That will be the picture that goes right here."

We've reached the end of our planned program and we're watching Christian for his final reaction. It's very unexpected, but he reaches for Elliot's baby book and opens to the pictures of his birth mother. Having an open adoption was wonderful and there have never been any secrets where Elliot is concerned. We don't have all the information for Christian, though. He points at the picture and looks up at me. Silently I pull the photograph of his mother from my under the ottoman and hand it to him.

Christian looks at it for what seems like an eternity, with no reaction. He looks at Elliot's pictures then back to his own. I wish he could tell us what he's thinking… Finally he hands it back to me; no facial expression, no grunting, just hands it back. I slide it into the pile of photos that haven't gotten into an album yet. He didn't throw it or push it away, so I'm going to keep it. When he's ready, we can have another discussion about her.

Thankfully my older son takes this moment to bring us all back to the topic at hand. "Well? What d'ya think? You're gonna' move in and I'm gonna' be a big brother." Christian looks up at him with no real change in expression. "Fine. Well, I think it's cool." This makes Carrick and I both smile, but it's the next comment that seals the deal for us, "… But you can't come in my room unless I say and you can't touch my Legos or Godzilla unless I say, and when I…"

"Ok, Buddy. We all get it. You're the big brother." Carrick stands up laughing. He looks at his watch. "And Big Brother, would you like to help your new little brother get everything together for trick-or-treating? We've got about one hour until it'll be time to go."

"Yes! Finally!" Elliot jumps up and reaches for Christian at this comment. Christian looks at Elliot and slowly reaches to take his hand. Carrick and I watch through teary eyes, as the new brothers head off together hand-in-hand, up the stairs.