by Anne Stone
“He needs us. He knows he can count on us to be there for him.”
Alejandro was stunned. “I don’t know, Angelina, if this is the best thing for him.”
“Why wouldn’t it be? We want a family. He’s alone without his parents to care for him. We’d be perfect for him. He trusts us…”
“Angelina, we haven’t even been married six months. Don’t you think we need some time together? Just the two of us?”
“Alejandro, what are you afraid of?”
“Nothing.”
“You are. You’re afraid of getting too close to him and then having something happen, aren’t you?”
“I’m his doctor.”
“That’s easy—we’ll just switch doctors.”
“Angelina, please be rational. We can’t just switch his doctor when he’s comfortable with me.”
“I understand that, but something needs to be done here. He can’t just be farmed out to someone he doesn’t know. He needs you—us to care for him when he has his transplant. We have to be the ones.”
“Sweetheart, I don’t know. I just don’t know.”
“Alejandro, what don’t you know?”
“I care for him a lot. It’s just…”
“Too close to Michael.”
“Yes, that’s it. I don’t know if I could lose another child. And there’s a chance…”
“Alejandro, you’re a doctor. You know that life can be taken in an instant. Matthew’s illness shouldn’t prevent you from loving him as your own child. If we have him in our lives for only a short time, that’s better than never having him a part of our family. I love him. I want to be able to call him my son for as long as I possibly can.”
Alejandro didn’t know what to say. He stood and started pacing the room. Angelina sat on the couch watching him. She witnessed a variety of emotions cross his face.
Finally, he turned to her. “Let’s take that chance. You’re right, we’ll enjoy whatever time we have with him… And hopefully, he’ll be able to be a part of our lives for a long time to come.”
“Can we go tell him? Now, tonight, and see what he thinks about it?”
“Angelina, don’t you think we need to investigate this a little further before getting his hopes up?”
“No. I think we need to see if he would even consider us as his parents before we move forward. He has to want us in his life before we do anything else.”
“Okay, then. Let’s go.”
They arrived at the hospital shortly before eight. Matthew was in bed watching a cartoon.
“Hey there,” Alejandro called as they walked up to his bed.
“What are you guys doing here?”
“We came to talk to you.”
“What about?”
“Angelina and I were talking, and we have an important question for you.”
“Okay, what is it?”
Angelina took Matthew’s hand. “Matthew, you know how much Alejandro and I care about you.”
Matthew nodded.
“Well, I was wondering how you would feel about us adopting you?”
Before either one of them could continue, he started shouting, “Yes, oh yes! I’d love that.” Matthew had also come to care a great deal for Angelina and Alejandro. He missed his parents, but the fear that he’d first felt after hearing about their deaths lessened on a daily basis, especially since Angelina had been in his life. “I miss Mom and Dad a lot. But, if I had to choose a new set of parents, I choose you.”
Angelina pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly. He hung onto her, burying his head into her chest.
She turned towards Alejandro with a huge smile on her face. “We wanted to check with you before we proceed. I would imagine we’d have to become your foster parents first and then petition for adoption. We still have to meet with the authorities and this isn’t cut in stone yet. We wanted to check with you first. And with the way you just reacted, we will move forward. We can’t guarantee that it will work out, but we will do our best to take care of you and hopefully become your parents.”
Alejandro added, “We’ll never replace what you had with your parents.”
“I know,” Matthew said. “I’ll never forget them. I don’t care what you have to do. I just want a home to go to after I leave here.” Matthew stopped for a second. “Will you still be my doctor?”
“I don’t think so. It wouldn’t be right to have me operating on you if I were to become your father. But whatever happens, know that I’ll be by your side and we’ll go through this together. As a family."
They sat with him until he fell asleep. Angelina stroked his cheek while Alejandro looked on. “Look at him. He’s such an angel lying here.” She looked up at Alejandro, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For saying yes.” She reached over and brushed a soft kiss on Matthew’s cheek and then reached for her husband’s hand. They left Matthew’s room and headed home.
Angelina couldn’t contain herself the next morning when she called Gabriella. “Alejandro and I are going to try and adopt Matthew.”
“You’re what?”
“You heard me. Gabriella, he’s a wonderful little boy. I’ve come to love him, love him as if he were my own flesh and blood.”
“And how does my brother feel about this?”
“Well, he was a little apprehensive at first.”
“I can certainly understand that.”
“Gabriella, he cares a lot about him, too. Even before this tragedy occurred, Alejandro used to come home and tell me about him. He’d go on and on about what a special little boy he was. The only thing that concerns me the most is that Alejandro is going to turn his care over to another doctor. I think that’s what’s really going to bother him.”
“Why?”
“Because he wanted to see him through.”
“But he’ll still be seeing his care through, only this time it will be as a parent and not his doctor.”
“I know. It’s just… Never mind. When would you like to meet Matthew?”
“When are you going to tell everyone? I promise to keep my mouth shut until you do.”
“I think we’ll drop by my parents tonight and hopefully we can see yours as well.”
“Just let me know so I don’t ruin your news. I’d like to meet him as soon as you tell everyone.”
“Gabriella, thank you for always being there for me. You’re the best!”
“Anytime.”
Angelina headed off to the hospital to see Alejandro and discuss their plans for the evening.
“Alejandro, what do you mean you can’t meet with my parents this evening?”
“Honey, I have a meeting this evening. I’m sorry I forgot to tell you. I guess my mind’s been elsewhere.”
“Well, when are we going to tell our parents?”
“Can it wait until the weekend? I have such a busy week and I want to be focused on our discussion. If we wait until then, maybe we’ll have some more details.”
“I’ve already told Gabriella.”
“Okay. And?”
“And what?”
“What did she say?”
“She’s happy for us. She promised to stay mum until we tell everyone.”
Angelina agreed to wait until the weekend to share their news. She called his mother and invited his parents for dinner.
“Anything wrong, dear?”
Angelina said no, that she and Alejandro just wanted to have the family for dinner. Then she contacted her mother. Jackie wasn’t home, so she spoke with her father instead, who gladly accepted the invitation.
That evening in bed, as she laid in Alejandro’s arms, she discussed her day. “I invited our parents to dinner Saturday evening.”
“That’s fine. What did you tell them?”
“Only that we hadn’t seen them in a few weeks and wanted to have them over.”
“You’re sure about this?”
“As sure as I was the day that I accepted your ma
rriage proposal. I love Matthew, and I know that he loves us, too. I want him to be a part of a family that loves him with all of their heart. I know we can do that. Who else would care for him? With his illness and—”
“Is that the only reason you want to adopt him? Is it because you feel sorry for him? That he’d remain in foster care?”
Turning towards Alejandro she said, “No, is that what you think? How could you say that? I love him. He’s a special little boy and I want to be a part of his life.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear. I care about him, too. I don’t want you taking pity on him, that’s all.”
“Pity? I thought you knew me better than that.”
“I’m sorry. I’m pretty tired—I don’t know what I’m saying. Forgive me?”
“Of course,” but she moved out of his arms. She didn’t understand why he was acting the way he was. She wasn’t mad at him, she just didn’t understand why he said what he said.
They went to sleep that night not under the best of terms. He was worried that she wasn’t thinking the whole adoption thing through.
The next morning, when Angelina woke, she realized that she was alone in bed. She sat up and saw a note addressed to her sitting on the nightstand.
Darling, I had to go into the hospital. I didn’t want to wake you. We’ll talk later.
It was short and sweet, nothing more. Angelina reread the note and began to wonder if she should be upset. Alejandro never left her during the night without waking her and letting her know that he was called into the hospital. She decided to try and not let it bother her, but it did.
Angelina had just finished preparing the menu for their family dinner when Alejandro ambled in. He looked exhausted and it was only four o’clock in the afternoon.
“You look pretty tired.”
“I am. I went in at two this morning.”
“That early?”
“Yeah, I didn’t want to wake you. You’d just fallen asleep, and I thought you should get your rest.” He walked to the refrigerator and retrieved a bottle of water. He pulled a chair out from the table and fell into it. Rubbing his hand over his chin, he suppressed a yawn. “What are you working on?”
“My grocery list for tomorrow night’s dinner. You do remember that we are having our parents for dinner, don’t you?”
“Of course, I do. Why would you think that I’d forget something like that?”
“Well, after last night…”
“Angelina, let’s not argue. I’ve had a pretty rough week. I’m sorry if I hurt you, but I’m still concerned about why you want to adopt Matthew. Yes, I know that we’ll make fabulous parents. I know that we both love him. I just want to make sure that you want it for the right reasons.”
“Alejandro, I want us to have a family. You know we have to adopt to have that family. We know Matthew and his circumstances. I feel that we can provide him with everything that he needs right now. We understand where he has come from. We can sympathize with him over his parents’ deaths. You knew his parents. I think they would want us to adopt him and provide for his future. I think we’re the perfect fit for his situation, especially understanding his physical needs. I want to make sure that he has the medical attention that he requires. You’re the best physician at what you do. You’re the best person to become his father because you understand his condition. You could immediately determine if he were in a crisis. He needs us and we need him… Plain and simple. I don’t know what else I can say to make you understand that.”
Alejandro reached across the table for her hands. He drew them to his lips and kissed them. Holding onto them tightly, he said, “You’re right. We’re the best fit for him. I just hoped that we’d have had a little more time together before we had children. I understand how much children mean to you, I guess I’m just a little apprehensive. I love you, and I love Matthew. How about I get cleaned up and I’ll take you out to dinner?”
She nodded and withdrew her hands from his. Alejandro headed off to the bedroom to change. She pondered their conversation. They’d be alright. He just had to get past Michael’s loss. She’d help him, but so would Matthew.
*****
The doorbell rang and Angelina answered it. Both sets of parents had arrived at the same time. She welcomed them and informed them that Alejandro was at the hospital but would be home shortly. “Originally, he was scheduled off today, but he was concerned about one of his patients so he went in to check on her. He called about half an hour ago. He said he was getting ready to leave the hospital, so he should be home—”
“Good evening, everyone,” Alejandro said as walked through the front door. He quickly kissed her on the cheek and then turned towards their parents. He kissed both mothers and shook hands with his father and Ben. “Anyone care for a drink?”
“We just got here,” his father said. “A glass of wine sounds good.”
Alejandro poured the wine and Angelina set out the appetizers that she’d prepared.
“You okay?” she asked as they finished up in the kitchen. Alejandro looked upset.
“Yeah. I didn’t want to tell you, but the patient I saw was Jessica. She was readmitted to the hospital a couple of days ago.”
“Is she okay?”
“She had a rough night.”
“And?”
“It’s touch and go. She might need another kidney transplant.”
“I should go see her.”
“Let’s wait and see how she progresses. I’ll tell her you’re concerned and that you said hi.”
“Alejandro?”
“Let’s leave it for now. We’ll talk about her later. We have company right now and we have our own issues to deal with.”
She preceded him out of the kitchen with a plastered smile on her face. His mother knew something was awry but kept it to herself. They were enjoying dinner when John asked how Matthew was doing.
“Well, Dad, that’s one of the reasons why we asked you all to dinner.”
Alejandro looked across the table at Angelina. Smiling at her, he turned back to his father. “Angelina and I have decided to adopt Matthew.”
“Really?”
“Yes. We decided that since we’re going to have to adopt to have our family, why not start with a child we know? Someone we care for and who cares for us in return.”
Jackie jumped up to hug her son-in-law. Maria hugged Angelina.
“We’re so happy for you,” Alejandro’s fathered interjected. “Have you started the proceedings?”
“We have an appointment to speak with Social Services. I hope we can set things in motion based upon our meeting. I know there’s a lot that goes into this—looking at our finances, our backgrounds, but I don’t think we’ll have any problems. We’ve briefly talked with the social workers and they’ve started to put things into motion. Matthew’s so excited. His only concern is that I won’t be his physician any longer.”
“You can still oversee his care.”
“I know, Dad.”
Everyone was excited with their news. “I’ll call Joe and Alec and let them know our plans. Angelina already told Gabriella.”
“She didn’t say anything to me.” Maria added.
“She was sworn to secrecy.”
They enjoyed the remainder of the evening. On his way out, Alejandro’s father mentioned that he’d like to meet with him, so they made plans to get together the following day.
After their parents left, they relaxed.
“Are we okay now?” she asked.
“Yeah, I think so.”
They sat wrapped in each other’s arms as they replayed the evening. Their lives were going to change shortly in more ways than one. They were going to have a family.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
While Angelina was out running errands, Alejandro went to his parents’ house.
“Thanks for coming by.”
“Dad, I was planning on calling you today. I need your advice.”
“Son, are you sure abo
ut this adoption?”
“Yes and no. No, because I’m worried that Matthew’s condition won’t improve and that we’ll lose him. I’m concerned about Angelina. I think she wants children so badly that she’ll do anything to have a child. Since we have to adopt, Matthew’s the perfect choice. We know him and understand his health… But it’s just too soon. We haven’t been married that long and—”
“I agree with you. But I also have concerns for you as well.”
“Dad, I know I still have issues. At first I wasn’t sure about this, but I am now. I just hope that nothing happens to Matthew because I’m not sure how Angelina will handle it.”
They talked for a while about Tammy and Michael when Maria entered the room. “Alejandro, I didn’t realize you were here.”
“Hey, Mom.”
Maria walked over and kissed him on the cheek. “Alejandro, I’m happy with your news, but I’m worried.”
“I know Mom, so am I.”
Alejandro spent a good hour going over the situation with his parents. “As I told Dad, I still have times when I struggle with Tammy and Michael’s deaths, and I’m sure I will until the day I die. I know the only way we can have children is to adopt.” He paused, “I hope I’m not being selfish. I just wanted a little more time with just Angelina before we have children. But then, I feel this is the right thing to do, a blessing in disguise. I knew Matthew’s parents…”
“You’re the only one that can answer the question for whether you should adopt Matthew. Your mother and I are here for you, but we can’t tell you what to do. Only you and your wife can make that decision, and we’ll be here to support you in whatever you choose.” John hugged his son and patted him on the shoulder.
“We’re both here for you if you need to discuss this further,” said Maria.
Alejandro thanked his parents for their love and support. When he left their house, he still wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing in adopting Matthew. His heart kept telling him it was going to be okay, but logic kept rearing its ugly head making him unsure of their decision.
Alejandro returned to an empty home as Angelina had yet to return from her errands. He moved to the couch in the study where Angelina later found him. She entered the darkened room, turned on a lamp, and she saw him staring out at the backyard. He was in his own world and didn’t recognize that she’d returned. She called his name, but he didn’t respond. She placed a hand on his shoulder.