Chapter Two-Hundred-Thirty-Six
Meanwhile, when Denise had gotten downstairs she ran into Brooke who was standing in the lobby tending to a crying child – just the woman she wanted to see.
“BUT HE WON’T DO IT!” the little girl wailed.
“You tell him I said he has to Ginny, or he’ll have me to deal with.”
“Can’t you come tell him yourself? He won’t listen to me!” Brooke sighed softly.
“All right. Tell him to come here then.” She told her patiently. The little girl named Ginny turned and looked toward a corner.
“You heard the woman! You come here Christopher!” Brooke looked over where Ginny was looking and for the first time noticed one blue eye looking out at her from behind the corner.
“I don’t feel like it,” He insisted calmly, acting as if it doesn’t phase him in the least that Ginny had gone to Brooke of all people to tattle on him.
“Taking on Josh’s old job, I see…” Brooke commented while rolling her eyes.
“Someone has to.”
“Well its not going to be you, nor is it going to be anyone else in my Orphanage. So give her, her doll back before I call Jennifer.” Chris, who was completely out from behind the corner now and was just leaning against the wall, crossed his arms over his chest defiantly.
“I don’t know where it is,” he insisted casually. “I think I gave it to Chance for a chew toy.”
“Nice little story Chris, but there is just one flaw in that,” Brooke replied and she went over and knelt down in front of him so they were eye to eye. “Chance is in my office asleep.”
“I gave it to him earlier. It’s probably lying around this Orphanage anywhere shredded into pieces by now.”
“Christopher…what are you trying to prove with this behavior of yours?” Brooke asked, still remaining calm. Chris crossed his arms over his chest.
“If this is an attempt at attention, then this isn’t the way to get it.”
“I certainly don’t get it when I’m good, do I?”
“Josh gets plenty of attention and he is pretty much the definition of good now.”
“Well, La Dee, da. Josh the great, right?”
“You know, most people would be happy for their best friends for being adopted. I don’t think it’s very fair the way you’re treating him.”
“Yes well, it’s a little different when your best friend stabs you in the back.”
“So he’s friends with Ellie and Kota now. Is that really so awful?”
“It is when he doesn’t have time for me. All he ever wants is to spend time with them.”
“He invited you over to his house to make Gingerbread Houses and you refused. Neither Ellie nor Kota was there. It was just him and the boys. It would have been just him, you, and the boys but you declined. That’s not his fault and that’s not the girls’ fault either.” Chris crossed his arms over his chest.
“So you know what I think? I think you’re being bitter. A bitter little boy who can’t get over the fact that you have to share your best friend now. It’s pretty selfish if you ask me. Especially to take it out on innocent people when it’s not their fault,” Brooke informed, as she indicated to Ginny. “If you are asking for pity when you’re being selfish like this, then I’m sorry honey but you don’t deserve it.” Chris crossed his arms over his chest and looked away and Brooke noticed the tears welling up in his eyes.
“If there are any other problems that I am missing here, you need to tell me.” Chris shook his head, continuing to look away, though Brooke can still see his guarded eyes. She knows he is lying to her.
“Then if you aren’t going to talk to me about it, then I need you to tell me where Ginny’s doll is. I’m not going to give you the pity that you want if you aren’t going to talk to me. I can only help those who talk to me.” Chris lifted the back of his shirt up then and pulled the small water baby out from under it and he thrusted it at Ginny. Ginny took it and held it close to her and he looked at Brooke with so much bitterness in his eyes.
“Happy?” He asked moodily.
“Id be even happier if you’d tell me what’s on your mind.” Chris shook his head.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“If it didn’t matter I wouldn’t be asking you.” Chris continued to look away, keeping his eyes guarded.
“Come on Chris. Do you like hurting like this?”
“No.” his voice faltered.
“Then why don’t you help yourself out here?” Chris started to walk away, but Brooke gently grabbed his arm.
“Christopher.”
“He broke his promise!” He suddenly shouted, as the tears he’d been desperately holding back came rolling down his cheek. Just as he had shouted, almost as if right on cue, Brian and Josh had walked into the lobby and heard him. Chris looked at Josh angrily and Brooke turned and was surprised to see them standing there.
“WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE A PACKAGE DEAL! YOU SAID YOU WOULD NEVER LET ANYONE ADOPT YOU UNLESS THEY ADOPTED ME TOO! AND YOU LIED!’ He shouted at Josh and Josh alone this time.
“Chris I…” Josh began softly.
“Save it! I don’t need any pity from back-stabbing ex-best friends! I HATE you!” He informed, and with that, he turned and stormed toward the stairs again and was gone within seconds. Tears welled up in Josh’s eyes, but he did not let them fall. He looked up at Brian though and he noticed them immediately and knelt down beside him before wrapping his arm around him and pulling him close.
“Is this true Joshua?” he asked softly. “Did you make that promise?”
“I forgot that I had…but it’s true,” Josh answered softly. “I was four years old an’ he was three. I told him I wouldn’t leave him. That no one could have me unless they wanted him too. I was so happy when you adopted me, that I completely forgot…”
“It’s not good to go back on your promises son…especially to your best friend”
“I know…I know” Josh replied, looking down ashamed.
“So that leaves me no choice,” He replied while looking at Brooke. Josh looked up at him frightened suddenly, as if afraid he is going to give him up.
“Brookie? What do you think about me having another son?” Brooke smiled a little.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea.” Brian grinned and he looked at Josh.
“Josh? How would you like a little brother?” Josh smiled in relief suddenly, as he caught onto his father’s plan.
“Only if it’s Chris.”
“But of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Can I go tell him?”
“Not just yet. I don’t want him to think that this is out of pity. We have to think of a way to make it look like we want him – because we do of course, but I have a feeling he’s too hurt to believe it at the moment.”
“How do we do that?” Josh asked worriedly.
“I don’t know yet buddy, but we’ll think of something. In the mean time, I have some papers to sign.”
“What papers?” Nick asked curiously, as he and everyone else suddenly walked in.
“I’m adopting Chris,” Brian answered casually, as if that’s not a shock at all.
“What??” Kevin asked surprised.
“Chris. I’m adopting him.”
“What brought this on?”
“Josh has a long overdue promise to keep – and plus, I love the kid – even if he’s been a pain lately.”
“What promise? What did we miss?” Howie asked confused.
“I promised him we were a package deal…” Josh answered softly. “When I was four and he was three. I forgot about it but he didn’t. That’s why he’s been angry with me.”
“I thought you two were the same age?” AJ pointed out.
“I’m two months older. Sometimes we’re the same age, and sometimes we aren’t.”
“Ah, I see” AJ replied, nodding in understanding. He looked over at Denise then; whom was just standing there listening to everybody.
“Momma what are you doing down here? Where is Ashley?”
“I left her upstairs with Marcus and Brandon. I actually came down here to talk to Brooke, but she was busy so I waited.”
“Yeah…Heh…sorry Denise. The kids have really been demanding my attention lately. That wasn’t the first argument I had to settle.”
“No problem, I understand.” Denise insisted.
“Why don’t you and Brian come into my office and I’ll take care of the both of you at the same time?”
“Sounds good. Nick and AJ, you two come as well. I think you should be aware of what I’m going to talk to Brooke about,” Denise replied. Nick and AJ exchanged curious glances, and then followed Denise, Brian, and Brooke to Brooke’s office. Nick carrying Sarah who has been pretty clingy all night. When they got into Brooke’s office, Nick shut the door behind him as he was the last one in and they all took seats on Brooke’s couches.
“Denise first. She’s been waiting the longest,” Brooke insisted, looking at Denise with a warm smile.
“Yes, and I am quite curious as to what you are up to momma,” AJ added, as he placed himself right next to Brooke and slid his arms around her waist and she snuggled into him comfortably allowing him to kiss her forehead softly.
“I’m here to talk to you about a Christmas present that I want to give Ashley,” Denise began and Nick and AJ both raised their eyebrows. “And I need your help with it Brooke.”
“I’ll be glad to. What’s up?”
“I was just upstairs spending sometime with her…and I noticed how attached she’s becoming to Bella. I know you all have noticed; it’s no secret. Well it concerned me…so I confronted her about it. About how this was going to effect her plans for the future, and if she would be able to let someone adopt Bella if they wanted to. To make the long story short…she told me that she wouldn’t be able to and was thinking about coming to you and asking you if she could put Bella ‘on hold’. If you could keep her away from adoption. That way she would always be hers but she would have the Orphanage to lean on until she was old enough and ready to take on the full responsibility herself. I asked her when that would be, and she told me after she finished school, and was able to take care of herself. I thought it was very responsible of her…it impressed me so much, so I was thinking…maybe I could help her out.”
“What do you have in mind?” Nick asked curiously.
“What if I adopted Bella for her? That way no one else could take her away. She would be the mother…Bella would be completely hers but I would be the one she leans on instead of the Orphanage. I would be her support until she is ready to take on the full responsibility herself. Would that be possible?”
“It is,” Brooke answered with a small smile, clearly pleased that she was going to get to handle two adoptions in one evening. It always makes her day – or night, when she finds a loving home for a child. “But there are two ways we can go about this. Either you can sign the papers yourself and adopt her for her until she is of age or you can make it so she can adopt her, herself so long as you co-sign the papers with her.”
“I think Ashley would like the second one best,” Nick insisted. “That way she would really feel like Bella is hers.”
“Yeah I do too,” AJ added. “Then she would really be Bella’s mom but she would have you to fall back on when she needs help.”
“Then I will do that,” Denise replied while looking at Brooke.
“Wow Nick,” Brian laughed. “Two girls...plus Sarah who I’m sure you’ll be adopting soon. You really get down to business,” he teased. Brooke laughed too and Nick rolled his eyes in amusement.
“Yeah Nick…something tells me you’re going to have about ten kids by the time you two are finally married.”
“Not ten…maybe at least four. I want to have a kid of my own in the far future – one with Ashley. Hopefully a boy…I really want a boy,” Nick insisted as he watched Brooke hand both Denise and Brian the papers.
“Now are you going to have her sign the papers tonight, or what?” Brooke questioned curiously.
“No, not yet. I want to leave her signature blank and then wrap it up for her and give it to her on Christmas morning. She is not to know about this until then,” she answered, looking over at Nick and then at AJ with extra seriousness in her eyes, knowing her son can’t keep a secret very well.
“I won’t tell her,” AJ promised.
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t. As long as she doesn’t know something is up and start questioning me, I should be good. I have a hard time lying to her once she starts questioning me.”
“Yes, we all know that” Brian replied while rolling his eyes some. “I’ll keep an eye on them Denise.”
“Thanks Brian,” Denise replied while smiling at him gratefully. When Brian and Denise finished signing the papers, Denise looked at Brooke.
“Can I keep the papers here so there is no chance of her finding them?”
“Yup. I’ll keep it safely in my drawer.”
“Thanks,” Denise replied, and she handed them to Brooke. Brooke opened up the drawer to her desk and set them inside it.
“Well, I better go let Ashley and Kota know I’m here now. They’ve probably seen everyone else and are wondering where I’m at.” Nick spoke up and he got up with Sarah placed on his hip and he looked down at her and kissed her forehead.
“And plus, I think it’s nearing bedtime for the kiddies,” he added. Sarah stuck her lower lip out in a pout, mocking Dakota perfectly well and he chuckled.
“No pouting,” he told her, while rubbing his nose over hers affectionately, and he carried her out of Brooke’s office.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
Enjoy =)
