Chapter 13 - Fostering to Adopt
Leroy was lying on his back in bed. It was the early hours of the morning. Dave had his head on Leroy's chest and was snuggled up to him. "What's going to happen when we adopt?" Leroy asked as he stroked Dave's hair.
"What do you mean?"
"Will we get times like this together, or is our time going to be cut short?"
Dave smiled and chuckled. "Ask Allison or Aaron, how they cope. It's only been two months since we've turned in our application. They still haven't completely cleared us for adoption."
"I know, Dave. I want this so bad, but I'm also afraid."
"Well, Leroy, why don't we bring that up in our session with Dr. Watts today? But tell me, what are you afraid about?"
"Yeah, that would probably be a good thing to bring up. I'm afraid that our relationship will be damaged slightly. I know it's just a fear, but I know you weren't too keen on the idea."
"Leroy, I love you, and it's time that we had our own family. I can see how much this means to you, and I want it too. I'm not just saying it."
Leroy hugged Dave. "Thank you, Babe. I love you, too."
Dave snuggled up more to him. "Are we going to get as much time with one another? Probably not. Is this kid going to test us and our sanity? Most definitely. But Honey, we will make it, because we love one another and we will love this kid."
Leroy kissed the top of Dave's head, and they fell asleep. It wasn't long before they had to be up, showered, and at their counseling appointment. It was one of the last few that they will be doing as a couple. Dr. Watts told them they are more than welcome to continue, that he likes his pockets well-padded, but they have resolved most of their problems. He was happy that they were opening up to one another at home and he hoped they would continue, but as always they could come back and see him if they needed to.
Leroy's individual sessions will continue for a little longer. Dr. Watts and Leroy agreed that they were not through. Leroy had most of his issues about his mother resolved, and he was trying to take those last few steps to walk away and not let her words affect him. There was just a little part of him that still wanted a relationship with his mother, but Leroy also knew that she would never understand. Leroy knew that he would have to deal with her in family situations, so Dr. Watt and Leroy were trying to find healthier ways of dealing with her, instead of Leroy needing to blow up at her and then feeling bad about it. If they could find a happy medium, then Leroy may be able to just walk away from Sue without feeling guilty.
*
In mid-January, Dave and Leroy were sitting in Family Services. The social worker, Lisa, was showing them pictures of adoptable kids. There were tons. There were individual kids and entire families with two to five siblings. Lisa left them in her office to talk while they looked.
"Dave, what do you think?"
"I don't think for the first time that we should adopt an entire family. Let's start out with one."
Leroy chuckled, "One is more than enough right now."
They turned the book back to the individual kids. They were looking at all the races and ages. They ran across this one picture that seemed to call out to them. He was three and biracial. He was half Chinese and half American. His name was Jason.
When Lisa walked back in and looked down at the picture. "Have you decided?"
"I guess. What do we do now?" Leroy responded.
Lisa smiled, "First we'll have him brought here from the foster home he's at, and you'll get to see him from an observation room. This is so you can see how he interacts with others. I hate that it sounds like you are looking at the doggy in the window to make sure he will be the right fit, but in a sense, it's what you are doing. We don't want you picking a child just because he was available." She looked at Dave and Leroy and continued, "Once you see how he interacts, and if you are still interested, we'll have you in the room with him for several appointments to see how he reacts to you. We like the appointments to be within the weeks' time, so the child doesn't get the chance to forget you. We want him to get comfortable with you, also."
"Once he is comfortable with us, then what happens?" Leroy asked.
"You take him home," Lisa answered, smiling. "This is the true test, which is why you have to foster him first. We don't want you to adopt and find out a month or two down the road that it wasn't a good fit and you are now stuck in a difficult situation. That is why we require that you foster them for a minimum of six months before we allow adoption. Of course, we will be coming in to make random site visits."
"When can we start this?" Leroy was nervous, but he wanted this badly.
Lisa pulled the book towards her and keyed in Jason's case number in the system. "I can have him here in a few days. He is on the other side of the state."
"Where will he stay?"
She smiled at Leroy's concern and said, "He will be set up in our facility here. He will be well cared for, don't worry. He just won't be in a family home when he comes. As soon as I get him here, I will call you, so we can start the process."
*
The wait was killing Leroy, and it had only been a day. Dave would smile, even though he knew not to laugh at Leroy because it would only make him angry. Dave decided to call Aaron and Allison over to try to distract Leroy a little while he was at work. He thought that maybe bringing their families over, having dinner and talking would help Leroy's anxiety.
Both Allison and Aaron, with their families, came that evening. They even brought dinner with them. Dave stated that Leroy hadn't been eating because he had been too worried. When they knocked on the door, Leroy opened the door to nine smiling faces. He just shook his head and let them all in.
The five nephews and nieces all hugged Leroy, and then the four adults each took their turn. "So Dave says you are beside yourself," Allison smiled.
