Grace unlocked the doors to the orphanage and excitedly opened them, letting Lillian, Susan, Lucas and Harry in with a smile on her face.
She was the first one to take off her coat and hurried inside, knowing that it was almost lunch time and that the children were playing games.
"Munchkins!", she called out "We have guests!", she turned toward the doors and saw Susan hesitate.
Grace's good heart clenched in sympathy and she quickly took Susan's palms.
"Remember, there is no pressure. You take as much time as you need. After all, this is for a lifetime", she gently said and watched Susan carefully.
As Susan took a few deep breaths in, she nodded and smiled at Grace.
"Alright", she gently squeezed Grace's fingers "Thank you".
Grace smiled and slowly pulled Susan with her inside the room.
"Oh, my God", Susan whispered, holding a hand to her chest at the sight in front of her.
The room was filled with children and they were all having the time of their life playing, drawing or just sitting together whispering to each other and giggling.
Harry was awestruck just as his wife.
"How many kids do you have here?", he asked, barely managing to speak.
"Right now, 43. We had 50, but seven kids were adopted in the last two months", Lillian replied as Grace disappeared among the kids, watching what were they doing. Right now, she was sitting with Anna and Tess who begged her to let them do her hair.
"Okay, but on one condition", Grace closed one eye, put her index finger up and pretended to be serious.
"What, Gwacie?", asked Tess.
Grace turned toward the entrance to the room and called Susan with her fingers to come and join them.
"That you also do hair for my friend Susan", she said, smiling.
Tess and Anna looked to the direction Grace was pointing and gasped.
Susan froze.
What was wrong?
In the next moment she got two little girls rushing to her, looking at her in awe.
Tess' eyes widened as she looked at Susan.
"Goldilocks!", she whispered, mesmerized by Susan's golden hair.
Lillian, Lucas and Harry watched as the girls took Susan's hands and led her to Grace who was sitting on the floor, already arranging little brushes, combs and pins for the task in front of them.
"Gwacie? Are you gonna be mad if I do her hair first?", asked Tess.
Grace shook her head.
"Of course not. Anna and I will have tea until you finish and then Anna will do my hair. Okay?", as both girls nodded, Grace turned toward Anna and said "May I have a tea with honey, please?"
"Suwe", Anna gave her a little cup accompanied with a toothless grin.
Grace glanced at Susan.
"Are you okay? This isn't too much for you?", she silently asked.
But, just as she expected, Susan's eyes shone with tears, but her lips shone with a smile.
"Oh, Grace! They're so precious!"
Grace smiled happily.
Harry watched with tears in his eyes as his wife relaxed and smiled around the little ones. It was like he was trying to stay strong for both of them since they lost their child and now, as Susan looked so calm and happy for the first time in years, he broke down.
Lucas saw his friend loosing composure and quickly pulled him to the hallway, away from Susan and the kids, signaling to Lillian that they were leaving.
Lillian nodded, understanding and sympathy etched on her face.
She will make sure that Susan doesn't suspect anything.
She came down the two steps and inspected girls' work on Susan's hair.
"You wike it, Wiwian?", grinned Tess, putting another pin in Susan's gold locks.
Lillian hid her smile at the mess in Susan's hair and quickly nodded.
"I do! When is my turn?", she asked, causing Tess to giggle.
"Aftew Gwacie", she patted the carpet next to Grace, inviting Lillian to sit down.
Susan smiled at Lillian and glanced toward the doors.
"Where did Harry and Lucas go?", she asked, her eyebrows slightly creasing.
Lillian smiled, accepting a tiny tea cup from Anna.
"Just to see is everything ready for lunch. They will be back soon", said Lillian.
In that moment, a little girl with golden curls toddled over to Susan, giggling as she put her little fingers up. Suddenly she stumbled on the carpet and started to fall, but Susan was quicker and she caught her before the little girl hit the floor. Still, she got quite scared from the tumble itself and she bursted to tears.
"Hey, hey, little one, it's okay", Susan instinctively held a child close to her and hugged her, gently rocking her "Don't cry, sweetheart. It's okay".
Little girl hid her face into Susan's neck, sobbing.
"Sssssshhhh", Susan gently kissed little girl's golden curls "It's alright, sweetheart", as she felt little girl's sobs calmed down into hiccups, Susan put her on her lap and gently wiped her tears "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?", she gently asked.
"No", little girl mumbled.
Susan gently carressed her cheek as child looked at her completely in awe.
"You have same haiw as me", little girl whispered.
Susan smiled.
What a precious little girl!
"Yeah, I actually do. Look!", Susan took one of her curls, leaned forward and put it beside little girl's golden head.
Little girl took a paper and crayons and climbed right back on Susan's lap.
"I dwaw us", she said matter of factly, taking a yellow crayon and starting to draw golden locks.
Susan gently held little girl on her lap so she wouldn't take a tumble again as the child worked diligently on her drawing.
As she finished, she gave it to Susan along with a toothless grin.
"I can't wwite. Can you wwite our names?, she offered red crayon to Susan who accepted it with a smile, completely mesmerized by this little girl.
"Alright", smiled Susan "But, first you have to tell me your name".
Little girl slightly nodded.
"I am Mawy", she said shyly.
A crayon shivered in Susan's fingers and she slowly looked at Grace and Lillian who simply nodded with a smile.
A few tears escaped Susan's eyes as she wrote little Mary's name on the drawing.
It was the first time she wrote it, but Susan knew right then and there - that it won't be the last.
—--
Lucas held his friend in a hug as Harry cried, not saying a word. Just giving him time and support.
"I'm sorry", Harry mumbled.
Lucas patted his friend's back.
"Nothing to apologize for, Harry. I know you've been trying to stay strong for both of you", Lucas said.
Harry pulled away, nodding.
"Third pregnancy almost took Susan away from me. We can't risk anymore. She wouldn't be able to make it, the doctors said so", he let out a shivering breath "That's why we decided to
adopt and when you told us about this place, it was like a sign from Heaven. And Susan seems so happy and relaxed for the first time in years, Lucas, and I… I just", his voice stammered.
Lucas put a hand on his friend's shoulder and gently squeezed it in support.
"I know. Everything caught up with you. Everything you felt, everything you went through. Just finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel seems like you can breathe again and you think you will suffocate from relief", Lucas said, his voice comforting.
Harry nodded.
"Yeah", he mumbled silently. In the next moment, he wiped his face with both hands and took a deep breath in. He glanced at his friend "Thank you, Lucas. For everything".
Lucas patted Harry's back with a warm smile.
"Come on. Lets see is the beauty treatment finished so we can take those munchkins to have a lunch", he quipped and Harry smiled.
They went back to the room and Harry's breath got caught in his throat as he saw Susan standing up, holding a little girl with golden hair in her arms.
She slowly went toward her husband and whispered.
"I've found her, Harry".
—--
Hours later, after the kids went for an afternoon nap, Grace, Lillian and Susan drank some coffee and tea, while Lucas went to show Harry around the orphanage.
"I feel that I can breathe again", whispered Susan, holding little Mary that was fast asleep in her embrace "I can't wait to come back tomorrow to spend a whole day with these two little darlings".
Lillian smiled happily.
"We can tell you where you can take them. There is a beautiful park close by", she suggested and Susan nodded with a smile.
"Thank you both so much", whispered Susan "Whatever you need in life, know that you will always have friends in Harry and me", as she talked, little Mary snuggled closer to her, whimpering in her dream.
Grace instinctively went to the couch and picked up a teddy bear. Bringing it over to Susan, she whispered:
"Here. Just put it beside her. She'll calm down immediately", she whispered.
Susan did just as she was told and little Mary let out a small sigh as she kept on sleeping.
Susan smiled as she looked at Grace.
"That's amazing", she whispered.
Lillian gently smiled.
"I don't think that there's a child in here that Grace doesn't know his or hers small pains and sorrows", Lillian looked warmly at her sister.
Grace shrugged, looking down at her hands and missing Lucas' and Harry's return to the room.
"You are so in tune with all of the children, Grace, it's amazing", Susan reached out and gently took a hold of Grace's hand "How do you part with them when the time comes?"
Grace swallowed and replied, not looking up.
"I just remind myself that they are going to have a loving home…. Not the childhood and youth I used to have", she whispered and taking a deep breath in, she quickly got up and still not looking up, she mumbled "Excuse me", before she ran away from the room.
Lillian quickly got up to follow her, but Lucas stopped her.
"I'll go, Lillian", and with those words he quickly followed the way where Grace left.
He reached the doors of the bathroom that closed behind Grace and heard her crying
His heart broke.
Lucas gently knocked at the doors.
"Grace? It's me, Lucas. Can I come in?", he asked gently.
No answer.
He slowly pressed the doorknob and opened the doors.
"Grace!", Lucas gasped
The sight in front of him sprung him into action.
He quickly closed the doors and went down on his knees, picking up her shivering body from the tiles on his lap and pulled her close to him. In the next moment he took off his sling and wrapped his arms around her.
Her entire body was trembling from sobbing hard.
Lucas remembered that she also ran away from the room when his parents asked about her and Lillian's childhood. And he remembered Lillian's words from back then.
"Even after all this time, Grace can be so hard on herself. Like it's her fault nobody wanted to adopt her. That pain is still deep in her heart. I don't think that she will ever believe in herself completely".
This was the first time Lucas witnessed firsthand what it did to her.
She looked so small in his embrace, her form crumpled against his chest as sobs shook her body.
Desperation and fear of being abandoned.
"Grace", Lucas tightened his hug "My sweet Grace. You are not alone anymore. And you never will be", he whispered, holding her tightly in his arms, his lips kissing her forehead.