Lyon tossed and turned at night in his sleep; he was having another dream about his parents. He felt a bit of cold sweat, and felt a bit of unease. He whimpered as he called out his parents in his sleep. "Mum, dad," he whined. Immediately he opened his eyes, and saw the dark room; looking at his nightstand's clock, it was 2 AM. Lyon sighed, and rubbed his eyes after the nightmare. The wolf dog jumped off his bed, grabbed the empty glass cup, and went straight to Rad's bedroom to ask him for a glass of water.
The seven-year-old stared intently at his father, who was fast asleep. Rad slowly opened his eyes, and gasped as he saw Lyon looking straight at him. "Oh, Lyon…you surprised me there," groaned Rad. "Did you had another bad dream?"
"Yeah, that's the third one. I thought I was able to move past them," Lyon added. "Can I have some water?"
"Yeah, okay just give me a minute," yawned Rad while stretching. Both went downstairs, and Rad turned the light on inside the kitchen, and turned on the tap to fill Lyon's cup. Lyon sat there patiently with the exhausted Rad with his eyes half closed. "Dad," asked Lyon meekly.
"Yes," asked Rad.
"I was thinking about what you, Uncle Bandit, and Uncle Stripe explained to me from our camping holiday. About how special people come and go in our lives. When I asked if we'd ever see Jean Luc again, it made me think about my parents. Do you think…maybe I'll ever see them one day?"
Rad's eyes soon went from half closed to wide awake. "What makes you think about that," inquired Rad while raising a brow.
"Oh, well I just wondered someday if I were to… you know, if there was a possibility that someday I would go up there, will I see mum and dad again?"
Rad never thought he had heard a complex question coming from a seven year old. He set the glass of water down on the counter and walked towards Lyon. "Look, these things are hard to predict. There is a chance you will see them one day, but it's too early to be thinking about that stuff. You have a whole life ahead of you. I promise you your parents would prefer that you live out your days being happy and healthy. After all, you only have one chance in life," explained Rad firmly.
"Okay," said Lyon quietly. "Sorry, that was a silly question."
"Don't be. We're talking about these things, and it's okay to chat about them," reminded Rad about talking things out. The two head back upstairs where Rad was tucking his son back in his bed. He yawned and jumped on his bed with his eyes closed. Unlike his father, Lyon just stared at the starry ceiling in his room. He still can't get over these nightmares.
When morning came, the two were on their way to Chris and Bob's apartment building; Rad had to get his driver's license renewed and he believed it would be best if Lyon spends time at his parent's place since waiting in line for his license would be tedious for Lyon. When they arrived, they saw Chris waving hello from the balcony. "You'll be with your Nana and Grandpa for a while I get my license renewed," explained Rad.
"I want to stay with you," demanded Lyon.
"It wouldn't be exciting to wait in line. It will take a while," reminded Rad knowing Lyon will be bored. "Come on, I'm sure your grandparents would be happy to have you around for the afternoon." The two went inside into the elevator and went through the hallways to find the elderly couple's door number. Chris opened the door and saw her eldest son and grandson. "Hello Radley, and Lyon. It's good seeing you two," greeted Chris.
"Hey mum. Thanks for offering to look out for Lyon while I'm renewing my driver's license," added Rad. "Now you be good to your Nana and Grandpa, alright?"
"Yes sir," stated Lyon. "Good. I should be back around the afternoon. You guys have fun," said Rad waving goodbye to his son and mother. Lyon waved goodbye at his adoptive father. "It's always nice to see you here," said Nana. "Where's grandpa," asked Lyon. "He's in the living room," said Chris pointing to the direction. They saw Bob who was reading a novel by the couch. "Ah, there's my grandson," said Bob while lowering his book. "Hello, grandpa," said Lyon. "So, what are we going to do today?"
"What do you think we'll do today," asked Chris giving her grandson options. Lyon pondered unsure of how he'll spend time with his grandparents; the possibilities are endless. "Well, I do want a snack right now if that's alright?"
"Of course. Let's go see in the kitchen," added Chris. The three went in the kitchen with Bob and Lyon siting together while Chris opened the fridge to see anything to eat. She noticed she had meat pie and decided it would be a good snack to eat. "I have some meat pie left over from yesterday," said Chris while taking it out.
"That would be great," said Lyon. The three dined at the table snacking on the meat pie with tomato sauce. "Do you enjoy being in the family, Lyon," asked Bob. "Yeah, it's been great. I've never met any friendly family like you guys," stated Lyon while wiping the tomato sauce off his face. "It's always nice to see you happy. I know your father has been very accommodating to you as of late." After feasting on the meat pie snack, the three went to the living room; Lyon drew some pictures on the coffee table while the elderly couple were sitting on the couch. Bob was watching the television while Chris was examining Lyon's drawings.
"Now those are some wonderful pictures," said Chris admiring Lyon's work.
"Thanks, I'm drawing our family altogether," said Lyon. He drew members of the Heeler family with him next to his adoptive father. He was about to draw his biological parents but realized he had no room left in the sheet of paper. He then looked at the paper with a dispirited face. Chris noticed the immediate change in her grandson's mood. "Oh, what's the matter sweetheart," said Chris. "I ran out of room in the paper. I wanted to include my parents as well. My real ones, but I have no room left. I still consider them my family as well," explained the wolf dog.
"Oh, that's not a problem. You can draw on another sheet of paper," suggested Nana.
"Mmm, okay Nana," said Lyon while grabbing another sheet of paper. He still wanted to include Audrey and Marc in the family picture since he still considers them as a part of his life, but it couldn't be helped. He drew both the white husky and wolf parents next to him in the middle. "Your parents look amazing," said Bob now noticing the new illustration. "I love how your father has mismatched colored eyes."
"Thanks. Mum has the bright blue eyes so I got those from her," added Lyon. After finishing the image of his parents, Lyon decided to chat to his grandparents. "I've never had grandparents before until meeting you two," explained Lyon.
"Oh yeah, just us," asked Bob.
"Yeah. I've never met any grandparents before while living with my mum and dad. I don't know if it's because I don't remember them or if I never met them at all. I sometimes wonder if I did had at least one from my mother or father."
Chris was very intrigued by Lyon's situation; he seemed unaware that he never met his parents' mothers and fathers. "So you've never met one from your blood relatives from either parents?"
"No, not really," sighed Lyon. "I would like to know if I have any family related to my parents out there."
"I'm sure there might be," added Bob.
"How can you be sure? Mum and dad would have told me. Who knows if I did have any grandparents from them."
The two elderly couple looked at each other nervously. Unsure of how to explain to their grandson about this, Chris thought of something to distract the wolf dog. "You know what? I think I have something to show you. Come with me." Lyon shrugged not knowing what his Nana has in store for him. Both of them went inside the couples' bedroom where Chris was searching for something in her closet. "What are you looking for," asked the curious seven year old. Chris took out what appeared to be a music box. Lyon was intrigued by the fine detail of the box. "A music box?"
"Yes. This used to belong to my nana when I was young. I still have it to this day," explained the elderly heeler. "How long ago was that," inquired Lyon. "Ages ago. She and I used to listen to this when I come over to visit her." The two went back to the living room; Chris cranked up the music box which played a soothing lullaby with a tiny ballerina figurine moving in a clockwise direction. Lyon listened to the mechanical melody; he felt at ease when Chris showed him a music box from a very long time ago. The song soon finished, and Lyon's face beamed with happiness. "That was nice," said Lyon. "I'm happy you liked it," added Chris. Lyon soon pondered about what he asked earlier to both Bob and Chris. "Nana. Grandpa. If I asked my father about my original grandparents, do you think he might know?" Once again, the couple looked at each other hesitantly. "You know, mate. That is a good question. Perhaps he might think of an idea," added Bob.
"You really think so," asked Lyon earnestly. "If there is the possibility that I could have grandparents from my mum or dad, I have to know."
"You could try. I don't see any harm in that," stated Chris.
"I think I'll ask him once he comes back."
"How about we play a game before he comes back," asked Bob. "Hide and seek," inquired Lyon. "Of course," said the older grey blue heeler. Both Bob and Lyon played hide and seek in the apartment. Bob was counting down to zero from twenty to give his grandson a chance to hide. Lyon decided to hide in one of the spare rooms in their apartment inside the closet. After Bob finished counting, he searched around the apartment from kitchen to bedroom. "Where are you," he asked with a playful grin. Lyon hid beneath the blankets in the spare room's closet. "Now where could Lyon have gone," asked Bob while scouting around the spare room. "I can't find him anywhere." Lyon silently chuckled when Bob was struggling to see him behind the closet. The elder heeler heard a faint giggle across the room. He slowly approached the closet, and opened it, spotting the wolf dog pup through the blankets. "There you are," he said.
"Ah, you found me," said the wolf dog. The two spent the rest of the afternoon with their hide and seek game until the elder couple's first son came back. Rad opened the door as he saw both his father and Lyon playing. "I see you two are having fun," stated Rad.
"You're back," added Lyon as he sprang up from the couch. "Yup. I already finished with what I needed to do." The red blue heeler adult looked at his parents. "I hope he wasn't too much work," said Rad. "Oh, no. It was a pleasure having Lyon come over today," said Chris. "That's great. Ready to head back home, mate," asked Rad.
"Can we stay just a little while longer," pleaded Lyon. "Well, I suppose we could stay over for dinner," agreed Rad. Lyon smiled at his adoptive father who was willing to spend more time with his grandparents. The four spent the evening conversing with each other while eating dinner. When it was time to go home, Lyon said his goodbyes to Chris and Bob. "Bye Nana. Bye grandpa. See you next time," said Lyon while hugging the couple. "Come back soon. We look forward to seeing you again," said Bob. "Thanks mum and dad," thanked Rad to his parents. "No trouble at all, son," said Chris. Both father and son drove back to the house. On the way back home, Lyon pondered about asking Rad in regards whether if his parents had anyone living in Brisbane. "Dad?"
"Yes, sport," asked Rad while eyeing on the side to Lyon.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure. What's up?"
"Do you know if mum and dad had anyone related living here? And if so, is there a way we can find them?"
Rad was silent for a moment, wondering where that question came from. "Oh, well I don't know their families very well, but why the sudden interest?"
"Because if I had grandparents from mum or dad and if they lived here in town, I was wondering if there is a way we may be able to find them? If they're here, I want to know, and be able to meet them. Or anyone like an aunt, uncle, whatever they are."
Rad was still hesitant about that fact. "Lyon, mate. I'm not sure if that is-"
"You don't want me to find out if I had family related to me," asked Lyon concernedly while interrupting Rad's sentence. "No, that' not what I meant. It's great that you want to learn more about your family, but I'm not sure where to find that answer out."
"But you have to. Nana and Grandpa Bob told me you might know a way. Weren't you friends with my parents?"
Oh, biscuits he's serious about this, thought Rad. The two arrived back at the house while Rad wasn't sure how to answer the question to his son. "The thing is, mate. Even if I did find a way to find any relatives, I wouldn't know if this is a good idea." Lyon's face turned to a slight frown. "So is that a no?"
Rad rubbed his neck nervously. "Not a no. Just more like a maybe situation."
"But it sounds more like a no," said Lyon with a serious expression. "Look, I'll see what I can do. I won't make any guarantees if this works," said Rad tentatively. "Okay," said Lyon quietly. Lyon got off knowing he might not actually do this. Rad felt somewhat guilty putting his son's request on hold. Although he knew both Marc and Audrey personally, he hadn't met any of their parents'; he then wondered if his first lead could be the foster home. Perhaps they might have some sort of idea regarding about any family connections Lyon is linked to.
The following day, Rad wrote an email to the foster home through his phone in regard to inquire about whether Lyon did had any blood relatives here in Brisbane.
Dear Queensland Foster Care Home,
I am Radley Heeler, the adult that adopted Lyon several months ago. I am emailing you in regards about my adoptive son's question about having any blood relatives related to him. I ask because recently he asked about it last night and wanted me to find out. I thought if there was one place that has any records of Lyon's information and history, it would be from you guys. I know this is a question out of the blue, but I would like to find out the answer for the sake of my son's curiosity. If you have any answers, I would greatly appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Radley Heeler
Rad tapped the submit button and thought if he was doing the right thing. "For now, I should wait and see what they have to say. But is this the right decision," asked Rad to himself. He didn't want to break Lyon's spirt, but he didn't want to pry any information that isn't his business either.