Chapter Eight:
Nick remained out on the curb just thinking about things until Brian and Riley came out holding hands. He looked up at them as they came outside.
“Nick…I know that you’re upset and all…but Ashley is in there by herself.”
“I know…” Nick replied softly. “I’ll go in there now. She’ll be okay…”
“Okay…” Riley replied and she looked up at Brian.
“Come on,” Brian said softly and he led her away toward his car. Nick sighed and then wiped his tears away before standing up and going back inside. When he got in there he didn’t see Ashley standing in the lobby so the only other place she would be is her room. He went and got in the elevator and pushed the button to her floor, than the door closed. Once he was up there he headed to her room. He peeked inside to see her sitting up in her bed writing. Seeing that she’s okay he went next door to Dakota and he peeked in her room. She’s lying in bed staring at the wall and Nick could hear her sniffling. He went inside and she could see his shadow on her wall but she just remained right where she was pretending she doesn’t notice him. He crawled into the bed behind her and wrapped an arm around her and he lay there delicately playing with her hair. She made no reaction what-so-ever except letting a tear fall and he wiped it away and kissed her cheek.
“I love you Dakota…so very much.” He told her and she still didn’t reply. That’s not what she wants to hear. She wants to hear him say that he’s not letting her go. She wants to hear him say that he’s going to adopt her. And until he does, she’s not speaking to him. “Just know that no matter what happens baby….I will always love you. Always…” he added. He needs her to know that. He needs her to know that whatever his decision may be he will love her no matter what. She is his pride n joy. She is his everything and nothing in this world could ever change that. But is he really capable of being her father? That he doesn’t know. He’s terrified beyond belief. He’s terrified of being the one person Dakota depends on. EveRi thing was fine when he had the Orphanage to lean on. He knew that he could always count on them to take care of Dakota when he couldn’t. But if he adopted her she would be ALL his. She would be HIS responsibility and he couldn’t rely on the Orphanage to take over when things got hard. And that really terrifies him. What if he screws up? What if he turns out to be just like his own parents? That terrifies him even more. He’ll be damned before he ever screws Dakota up as bad as his parents screwed him up. He’ll be damned before he ever forces her to live on her own by the time she is 16. Was it really true? Do kids really turn out to be just like their parents when they have their own children? That would be horrible. But then again… he does have the other guys to help him out. Brian did say they would always be there for him. They would kill him before he ever did anything to screw Dakota up. Especially Kevin. They love her almost as much as he does…Almost. Brian is right. There is no one in this world that loves her as much as he does. He definitely loves her more than the Parsons he knows that for sure. He has known her longer. And they don’t know the first thing about fighting the monsters away at night when she wakes up screaming. Dakota wakes up screaming for him in the middle of the night. Almost every night. Though she hadn’t been doing it the last couple of nights when they’ve been in Ashley’s room. For reasons he has no clue… but he just knows she would start right back up again her first night staying there. And they wouldn’t know how to get her to stop. Not the way he does it anyway. He knows that no one could ever replace the way he is with his baby girl. His angel. He’ll be damned before he lets anyone even try it. He wants Dakota. He wants to adopt her. He wants to keep her for himself. But that part in his heart that makes him afraid is holding him back. He doesn’t know what to do. He feels so helpless. He lay there just watching her for a long while and thinking about things and when she had fallen asleep after an hour he kissed her cheek and crawled out of bed. He covered her up and he went and decided he would go ask Ashley for advice. She’s pretty good at giving him advice. She’s been giving him a lot of advice lately and it has helped him big time. It’s pretty funny when you think about it… because it’s supposed to be the other way around. Him the caregiver, her the patient.
“Hey…” he spoke softly when he walked into her room to find her still sitting in her bed writing. She looked up at him and then back down at her notebook and she didn’t reply. He went and sat next to her.
“What are you writing?” He asked her curiously.
“Nothing… just some stuff.” She answered, and she scooted away from him so he couldn’t see and went right back to her writing as if he isn’t there.
“Is something wrong?” Ashley shrugged.
“Honey why are you pulling away from me again all of the sudden?” Ashley looked up at him again, and really looked at him for the first time since he had walked in and she glared at him. This glare being way worse than the one she had given him the day they had met and he pissed her off. He knows he’s in trouble.
“Are you mad at me?”
“What do you think Nick?”
“Look…please don’t push me out because of this. I already feel like shit enough as it is…I came to you in hopes that you would help me.”
“You don’t need any help at all in adopting Dakota, Nick. You know how to sign the papers you’re a big boy, you can do that all on your own. So why don’t you quit being a baby and go do it?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Yes it is! It’s more then simple. She’s already yours all you have to do is go and sign the papers and make it official! How is that hard?”
“Because I am terrified okay? I am terrified beyond belief at the thought that Dakota would be all mine. She would be MY responsibility and I am scared of screwing her up! I am scared that I am not capable. Yeah, people keep telling me that I am but how do they know? I’ve had the Orphanage here to help me for the past four years. If I adopt Dakota I am completely on my own. And I’m afraid that I couldn’t be the father that Dakota needs! …that she deserves.”
“If you would open your goddamn eyes Nick you would see that you’re already the father Dakota needs and deserves! I may have only been here for a short time but it doesn’t take a genius to see what the two of you have! You have been her father since day three Nick, and she’s turned out pretty good so far hasn’t she? And that was all your doing, not the orphanage’s. You raised her. You turned her into the beautiful, sweet, and caring little girl that she is now, YOU did. All they did was provide her with a home and you did all the rest. She depends on YOU. It’s you that she wakes up screaming for in the middle of the night, it’s you that she goes to when she is scared or upset, or being bullied by Josh, it’s you that she goes to for all her hugs, it’s you she goes to when she needs love and you’re always there with open arms to give it to her. You love her and she loves you shouldn’t that be enough?”
“Of course I love her but she needs more than that! She needs a mother and I can’t give that to her right now. She needs a stable home and with the career I have, that’s not going to happen any time soon. She needs a normal childhood just like any other child.”
“Dakota doesn’t care if she has a mother right now or if she has her own home to live in all that matters to her is you. She could be living in a shack for all she knew and it wouldn’t matter as long as you were right there living in it with her. That’s the best thing about children. They love you unconditionally no matter what the situation is. Sure you can’t give her those things right now but you can give her love, security, and your last name and that would be good enough. Maybe someday when the time comes you will be able to give her all those other things. But that’s going to take time and there’s no rush.”
“If I adopt her we would be living right here in this orphanage.”
“So what? You’ve been doing that for four years why should that be a problem now? She’s comfortable here… ignoring the small fact that Josh bullies her constantly but other than that this is her home. This is all she’s ever known. So there you go Nick…you’ve given her a stable home.”
“I just…I just need time to think things over before I really decide anything…” Ashley sighed heavily.
“What time Nick? You have until tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day. If you don’t get your ass in gear you’re going to lose her forever. You will never ever get to see her again. Are you prepared to lose her forever?”
“No…” Nick answered softly, as tears rolled down his cheek. Ashley sat there looking at him for a couple of minutes not knowing what else she could say. She’s pretty much said all that there was needed to be said and Brian probably said the exact same thing. But he needed to hear the cold hard truth, not the sugarcoated version that she knows Brian probably gave him. She is not going to sugarcoat anything. She loves the man in front of her but he is being downright stupid right now and if he lets that little girl in the next room that he loves more than anything go then she will never ever talk to him again so help her god. She sighed quietly and then scooted closer to him and she slid her arms around his neck and pulled him close for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her waist in return and hugged her back.
“I care very deeply about you Nick… you’ve done so much for me and sometimes I feel like I don’t even deserve you because of how great you’re. You’re the first person who has ever made me feel this safe in the past five years. But if you let that little girl in there that you love so much go…then you’re an asshole and it’ll be all your fault and I won’t speak to you ever again. Adopt her Nicky…everything’s going to be okay I promise.” Nick didn’t reply, he only hugged her closer.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“So what should we pick up for lunch? We’ll take it to the beach with us and have it there. It’s a nice day to have a picnic.” Brian questioned, as the two of them had left Ramsey and were driving down the road and looking at the many fast food places.
“Hmm… Panda Express sounds good. I haven’t had that in awhile.” Riley answered as she spotted one up ahead.
“Okay,” Brian replied and he drove into the parking lot of Panda Express. When he found a parking space he parked the car and the two of them got out. Brian waited for Riley to come around to his side and he took her hand into his and brought her into Panda Express. The two of them ordered a family meal and got a variety of different things. Orange Chicken, fried rice, chow mien, egg rolls, and a few other things that Riley requested him to get. While Brian was waiting to pay he noticed Riley starting to get her money out to help and he took her hand into his stopping her.
“Nuh uh, don’t even think about it. I’m paying.” He told her.
“But Brian I -” Riley started to protest.
“- Riley no. Lunch is on me today.”
“But really Bri-”
“- God you’re stubborn,” Brian laughed and Riley smiled at him innocently.
“Yeah but you love me anyway.” she told him, smiling proudly. ‘Yeah, I do. More then you know’ Brian thought. Suddenly it was their turn to pay and the man behind the counter handed Brian cups. He turned to Riley and handed them to her before she even had the time to try and get her money out.
“Here Ri, why don’t you go get us some drinks? I’ll have a coke.” Riley scowled at him and he just smirked.
“Oh alright,” she gave in and she turned and walked off to the soda fountain rolling her eyes on her way there.
“And don’t you be rolling those eyes at me, woman!” he called after her, knowing her all to well.
“Who me?” she asked innocently, and then started to get the sodas. Brian shook his head grinning and he turned his attention back to the patient man waiting for him to find him standing there watching the two in amusement. Riley looked at Brian and saw him talking to the man at the counter. She smirked and turned and looked at Brian’s empty cup and the choices of sodas that there are. Suddenly while looking, she noticed a fake spider sitting on the counter - how in the hell it got there is beyond her. Probably some kid left it behind or something. She smirked and placed the toy into Brian’s cup and then filled it up with ice and coke like he had requested. Then she put the lid on it and put a straw in the drink. Next she got her a dr pepper. By the time she was done getting her own drink, Brian was standing beside her. She handed him his drink.
“Careful, I may have spit in it.” She warned playfully and he giggled.
“OH haha, very funny.” Riley just smirked and she grabbed her dr pepper and walked toward the door. He raised his eyebrow curiously, but then shrugged it off and followed with the bag of food in his hand. They walked out to Brian’s parked car and got inside it, and Brian drove them to the beach. When they got there they noticed that hardly anyone is there. Just a mother and her two children. The mother is sitting on a blanket under an umbrella and she is reading a book and her two children are playing in the water near by her. Brian smiled at the fact that the beach is pretty much empty. Perfect. The two of them got out of the car, Riley now holding the food and Brian a blanket in his hand and they chose a spot to set up their picnic at.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“NICKY!! NO NICKY PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME, PLEASE!!!” Nick, who was still in Ashley’s room now watching TV with her, heard Dakota scream next door and then start crying. He jumped up from the bed and immediately ran next door to find his angel now sitting up in bed. Her eyes barely open, her hair now a mess from sleeping, and she’s drenched in sweat from her nightmare. Nick’s heart broke at how a complete mess she is and what hurts the most is that he’s the one who made her that way. He then went and crawled into bed with her and he pulled her into his arms and hugged her close as he cradles her and he began to rock her gently.
“It’s okay baby…it’s okay I’m here. I’m right here…” He told her gently. She slid her arms around his neck and held onto him tightly in fear that if she doesn’t hold on tight enough he is going to leave her forever.
“Don’ts leave me Nicky, please…don’ts let them take me I don’ts want them I really don’ts!” Nick didn’t reply, he only held her close as tears roll down his own cheeks and he rested his forehead against hers as he sat there just rocking her. After a long while she calmed down some but she never loosened up her hold on Nick. He lay back against her pillows with her upon his chest and he covered the two of them up and he just lay there with her and holding her. Not planning to move at all if he can help it. He hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head and he just lay there watching her until she soon went back to sleep. After awhile he suddenly noticed a concerned Ashley appear in the doorway and he looked at her before looking back down at his sleeping angel. He hugged her tighter and rubbed his hand over her back. Ashley went further into the room and she went and crawled into bed beside him. He held the covers up for her and she lay down next to him, resting her head against his shoulder and she wrapped an arm around Dakota.
“Please don’t lecture me right now…I’m really not in the mood…” Nick pleaded.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” Ashley replied softly and she kissed his cheek. “I have nothing more to say Nicky. You already know what you need to do.” Nick didn’t say anything else, he only rested forehead against Dakota’s and he lay there in silence just rubbing her back and the two of them soon fell asleep too. Little did they know, Brooke was standing behind the door just listening. She had heard Ashley and Nick arguing earlier too. She had gone to check on them several times since Riley wasn’t there to do it. Just listening to his and Ashley’s argument, and then watching Dakota wake up from a nightmare Brooke knew what she had to do. She turned around and walked back toward the elevator headed to go to her office so that she could think about her plan all the way through.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Later on that day Riley and Brian walked into the Orphanage ready to start their night shift and they saw Doctor Adams and Doctor Johnson standing in the lobby.
“Hey guys, how was your afternoon off?” Doctor Johnson asked, grinning when he saw Riley smiling from ear to ear. The first real smile he has seen on her in ages.
“Pretty good, except for the part where Riley put a fake spider in my drink,” Brian complained and Riley just giggled.
“A fake spider? Where on earth did she get a fake spider?” Doctor Johnson asked curiously.
“At Panda Express. I was filling up mine and Brian’s drinks and since he was being a pain in the butt I decided I would get him back for it. I saw a fake spider sitting on the counter that a little kid must’ve left behind and put it in his drink.” Riley explained.
“And THEN, later on as we were window shopping at the little shops along the beach I took a drink and all of the sudden felt something weird fall into my mouth. It wasn’t cold so I knew it wasn’t ice, and it definitely wasn’t my coke. So I spit it into my hand and realized it was a spider - at first I wasn’t paying attention and thought it was real and totally freaked out in front of everybody. Riley was just standing there laughing the entire time as I embarrassed myself.” Doctor Johnson and Doctor Adams both burst into laughter at Brian’s story and Brian’s entire face turned into a shade of red for the second time that day. Riley giggled once more.
“Wow Brian that is the second time today you’ve turned red. You’re kind of sexy when you blush you know that?” She teased. Brian looked at her with narrowed eyes but she knows he’s just playing with her as they’ve been joking around all day long.
“Watch it you. There may not be an ocean for me to throw you into this time but there IS a swimming pool!” he threatened and Riley just laughed some more.
“You’re pretty sexy when you’re threatening me too.”
“ANY way,” Brian replied, hoping to direct the subject away from him.
“Where is Frack? Is he okay?”
“He’s upstairs with Ashley and Dakota. They’ve been sleeping all day,” a familiar voice answered behind them, and Riley and Brian turned to see Brooke coming up to them. “I’ve been going up there every now and then to check on them. He and Ashley had a huge argument earlier about him adopting Dakota. They didn’t know I was listening. Then an hour later when I had gone back up there to check on them again Dakota woke up screaming from a nightmare. Nick ran in and comforted her and got her to go back to sleep and then Ashley ended up going in there later and crawling into bed with them and the two of them went to sleep too and have been that way all day.”
“Oh…” Brian replied softly, as he is worried about his best friend.
“Ri come with me please, I want to talk to you about something in my office.”
“Everything okay?” Riley asked worriedly.
“Yeah, fine. I just need your help with something,” Brooke answered reassuringly and she turned and headed toward their office. Riley leaned up and kissed Brian’s cheek, than she turned and followed Brooke into her office and she shut the door behind her.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day Nick woke up bright in early - six o’clock to be exact and he found himself still in his and Dakota’s bed, but Dakota like always gone and Ashley still beside him. Nick raised his eyebrow and looked at the alarm clock to see that it’s six o’ clock in the morning and the sun is pouring brightly through the window shades. ‘Did we really sleep all day and all night?’ he asked himself. He kissed Ashley’s forehead and then slowly crawled out of bed and he headed downstairs to the lobby. Once down there he didn’t find Riley and Brian standing there like usual but he knew they would probably be in the cafeteria by now setting it up for breakfast. He went in there and he found only Riley, Dakota, and Doctor Johnson in there setting up tables.
“Good morning Nick,” Riley greeted him when she saw him come in and doctor Johnson looked up at him too.
“I guess,” Nick grumbled, and he kissed Riley’s cheek before looking over at Dakota. She’s sitting on her usual stool at the island and she is coloring. Riley wasn’t surprised by his grumpiness, she knows he’s upset.
“Where is Brian?” he asked.
“In the playroom with the kids…Hannah and Rochelle conned him into playing dress up with them.” She answered, and couldn’t help but smile a little bit.
“That’s cool…” Nick replied, and he went over to Dakota and sat in the stool next to her.
“Morning baby…” He greeted her gently. Dakota didn’t reply, she only continued to sit there coloring and she pretended that he wasn’t there. He kissed her forehead softly and raked his fingers through her hair as he sat there watching her, than he got up and decided he would help set up the tables. Riley exchanged worried looks with Doctor Johnson. She is really starting to get scared that he isn’t going to adopt her. Doctor Johnson gave her a reassuring look and hoped to god himself that it wasn’t for nothing. Nick went about doing his morning routine, helping set up the cafeteria and getting it ready for breakfast. Then they let the kids in and they had breakfast. Dakota sat at the grownup table but she refused to sit next to Nick. Instead she sat on the other side of Ashley who also wasn’t really talking much. She just kept looking over at Nick quizzically, wondering what he was planning on doing. After breakfast was over and all of the kids had gone off to do their own thing Riley looked at Nick.
“Nick, you’re coming into the playroom with Bri and me today for playroom duty. Bring Ashley with you” was all she said. Nick nodded and followed Riley and Brian in there with Ashley at his side and Dakota trailed behind them with her coloring book and crayons. She may be mad at Nick and refusing to talk to him but she’s not going to leave him out of her sight for ANYTHING if she can help it. When they got in the playroom Nick went off and sat at the play dough table with a bunch of little kids bringing Ashley with him and Brian gathered a bunch of kids in a circle and began to read them a story. Riley sat at the puzzle table and Dakota lay in the middle of the floor minding her own business where she continued her coloring. After an hour had gone by of this happening, Brooke walked in with The Parsons at her side.
“Dakota sweetie…the Parsons are here. They’ve decided to adopt you.” Brooke answered, smiling at Dakota. Dakota looked up at them and then she got up leaving her coloring book and crayons on the floor. She saw that Brooke had already done her packing for her.
“Ready to go?” Dakota took one last look at Nick hoping he would jump up and stop them but when she saw that he was making himself look busy with the other kids she forced herself to hold back her tears as she looked up at Brooke and nodded.
“Okay, well the Parsons still have a few forms to fill out. So we’re going to go into my office first,” Brooke explained to Dakota but she made sure to make eye contact with Nick as she did.
“Kay,” Dakota replied, and she began to follow them out of the playroom. When they were out in the lobby Brooke led them all into her office. When they got in there she looked at the Parsons and Dakota.
“There are three chairs for you to sit down, go ahead and make yourselves comfortable.” She told them politely gesturing toward the chairs. The Parsons sat down in two of the chairs and Dakota sat in the third one closest to Brooke. She sat back in her chair and hugged her legs to her chest and she looked at Brooke sadly and with a look on her face like she is going to cry. Brooke saw this and she winked at Dakota before pulling out a few papers. Dakota raised her eyebrow but she didn’t say anything, she only continued to watch as Brooke began to explain the papers to The Parsons.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile in the playroom, Nick continued to sit at the play dough table with the kids but by now he wasn’t paying much attention to them and neither was Ashley. She was only sitting there staring at him with disgust as he just sat there staring off into space toward the direction that Dakota was at earlier. The now empty space on the floor where her coloring book and crayons still lie. Brian who saw the upset look on Nick’s face finished up on reading to the children, than he got up and went over to Nick and Ashley. He pulled up a chair beside Nick and sat down and he placed his hand on his shoulder interrupting his thoughts.
“It’s not too late for you to go after her you know,” he encouraged. “They’re in Brooke’s office. Go to them Nick…hurry. Before they sign the papers.”
“This is what’s best for her Brian…”
“No it’s not what’s best for her buddy and you know it. You know in your heart that it’s not what’s best for her. She needs you and you need her. So go to her now before you lose her forever and regret it for the rest of your life.”
“Think about how broken up she was yesterday when she woke up from that nightmare Nick. Think about how terrified it made her thinking that she was going to lose you forever. Remember how scared and upset she was? Remember how much it pained you?” Ashley asked. “She’s going to be like that for the rest of her life if you let her go. You’re the most important person in her life and if you didn’t see that yesterday then you’re pretty stupid. Go to her Nick, hurry.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Do you have any questions, Mr. and Mrs. Parson?” Brooke asked the couple in front of her.
“No, not that we can think of...” They answered, looking at each other questioningly.
“Okay, well then I’m going to need you two to sign your names at the bottom here on the two lines that say signature.” She explained, placing a paper in front of them and a pen. “And then I will need to sign it to make it official and you two can be on your way with Dakota” Mr. and Mrs. Parson signed their names on the two lines that Brooke had said to sign them on, than they handed it back to her. Brooke took it and put it down on the counter and she took her pen and began to write her signature but she only got half way through it when she suddenly ‘remembered’ something.
“Oh I almost forgot!” she said quickly and she got up and went to her filing cabinet. The Parsons just sat there looking at her confused. She began to look through her files for Dakota’s folder. When she found it after awhile she turned and handed it to them.
“That’s Dakota’s files. It holds every important thing about Dakota in it that you will need to know.” She told them.
“Thank-you,” Mr. Parson said and Brooke nodded and went back to the adoption papers on her desk. She picked them up and looked back at the Parsons once again.
“Well here you go,” she told them and handed it to them.
~*~*~*~*~*~
After listening to Ashley and Brian’s encouraging words, Nick got up and went over to Dakota’s coloring book and crayons. He picked up her coloring book to look and see what she had been coloring and a ripped out paper suddenly slipped from it. Nick caught it in his hands dropping the coloring book on the floor during the process and he looked at it to see a picture of a man sitting in a rocking chair holding a little girl. Dakota had colored it in and made it look just like her and Nick and on the paper she had written ‘To Daddy, Love Dakota.” on it. Tears fell from his eyes as he read those four words and he suddenly craved so badly to hear Dakota say ‘I love you’ and ‘Daddy’ in the same sentence. Memories of all the times he had with Dakota flashed through his mind at that moment and it hit him: Dakota really is his little girl and he’s not about to let some couple steal her away from him. He suddenly dropped the paper to the floor and he turned around starting to head for the door to the lobby and he found Riley standing there behind him. She had been looking over his shoulder at the picture Dakota had colored as well.
“Move Riley, I need to go get my baby girl!” he demanded hurriedly and Riley shook her head.
“Go out the exit door Nick, they will be out in the parking lot by now and Brooke is with them. Hurry!” Nick turned around the other way and he darted toward the exit door not having to be told twice. He pushed it open and ran outside to see Brooke walking with the Parsons and talking to them about Dakota and Dakota trailing close behind them as she looks at the ground and he can tell from there that she is silently crying.
“WAIT! BROOKE STOP!” He shouted as he quickly ran after them. “PLEASE STOP, PLEASE!” He begged through tears, the desperate father side to him suddenly hitting him for the first time ever in Dakota’s entire four years of living as he is afraid he is going to lose her. Brooke, The Parsons, and Dakota all stopped where they were at.
“Nick…what are you doing out here?” Brooke asked confused as he finally approached them. He dropped to his knees in front of Dakota and he pulled her into his arms hugging her tightly.
“What’s going on?” Mr. Parson asked confused. “Why is he hugging our daughter?” Nick suddenly looked up at Mr. Parson and he held Dakota closer as he spoke to him firmly.
“She is not your daughter, she’s mine and I will not let you take her.”
“What are you talking about? Of course she is my daughter, I just adopted her.”
“I’m sorRi but you’re sadly mistaken Mr. Parson. She’s mine. I’m the one who found her in the dark ally abandoned in the garbage can, I’m the one who rushed her here and saved her life, I’m the one who raised her for the past four years, me. I’m the one she screams for in the middle of the night when she wakes up from her nightmares, I’m the one who fights all the bad guys away at night. She comes to me when she is scared, upset, lonely, or just needs to be loved, ME. I’m the one they used to call when I was on the road touring with The Backstreet Boys to tell me that Dakota was sick and I was the one that she needed. I was the one who rushed off the stage in the middle of a concert and flew all the way back here just to be with her and I would sit up all night rocking her until she felt better. She’s my little girl and if you take her away from me you will be taking the air from my lungs. Please Mr. Parson, please don’t take my baby girl away from me. I would have adopted her the minute I brought her here if I wasn’t sixteen at the time and not capable of it just yet, but I’m old enough now and more then ready. I would have spoken up sooner but apparently I’m incredibly stupid… and I was scared and it took a picture in a coloring book to bring me to my senses.” Mr. Parson looked to his wife not knowing what to do for a couple of minutes, than he looked at Nick.
“I’m sorry…but we already signed the adoption papers. It’s too late…” He told them and Nick’s heart broke at his words.
“Wait a minute honey…look.” Mrs. Parson said, showing him one of the papers. “Brooke didn’t finish signing hers.” Mr. and Mrs. Parson looked to Brooke who now looked incredibly confused.
“I didn’t? What? Of course I did…” she replied, and she moved beside them to look at the papers and prove them wrong but sure enough, there was only half of her signature there.
“Oh my gosh…I’m so sorry I can’t believe I did that. I really thought that I had signed it.”
“So what do we do now?” Mr. Parson asked softly, and he again looked to his wife for answers but she shrugged.
“I don’t know…”
“I think that it’s only fair if we let Dakota decide…” Brooke spoke up again, and she looked at Dakota who still stood in Nick’s arms as he is on his knees in front of her and she is holding onto him tightly. “Dakota sweetie…who do you want to adopt you? Nick or the Parsons? It’s all up to you.” Dakota looked at Nick as tears roll down her cheek and Nick sat down on his bottom in the middle of the parking lot in front of her and he turned her to face him and pulled her closer, his arms wrapped around her waist.
“Kota baby… I know that you’re angry with me for taking so long and almost giving you up, I know that you aren’t speaking to me. But just hear me out okay?” he asked her gently and he wiped away a falling tear from her cheek with his finger as he gazed into her blue eyes. “I love you so much Dakota…with all of my heart and you were right. I have been your daddy all a long…it just took me a bit longer to figure that out. You’re my little angel, my pride and joy, and you mean the whole world to me and I don’t want to ever lose you. I would never be able to forgive myself if I let you go.“
“But what about a mommy? You said you can’t’s be my daddy without a mommy. And you said that you’re never home…” Dakota asked softly and she sniffled a little bit from when she was crying.
“I know I said that honey and it’s true… I can’t give you a mommy right now but that’s okay. I will someday I can promise you that right there. And yes, I never go home but that’s okay too because we will live right here in the Orphanage… that’s if Brooke will still let us. We can turn your bedroom into our apartment and I will continue to work here and take care of Ashley. Are you okay with that sweetie? Are you okay with just having a daddy right now and living here? Please say yes baby… please give me another chance and I promise that I will be the best daddy ever.”
“You’re already the best daddy ever… and I loves you so much,” Dakota answered, and she threw her arms around him and began to cry all over again. Nick slid his arms around her waist and hugged her in return and he gently rubbed his hand over her back as he places soft kisses on her forehead. After awhile when she had calmed down he looked up at Brooke and The Parsons and Dakota rested her head against Nick’s shoulder and held onto him tightly as she looked at them as well.
“I’m sorRi Mr. and Mrs. Parson… you’re really nice peoples and all but I have a daddy right here and I love him so much.”
“It’s okay sweetie…we understand.” Mrs. Parson replied gently.
“There are plenty of other children in the Orphanage though if you two still want to adopt and I can promise you that none of my employees are attached to them.” Brooke offered.
“Maybe some other time…but not right now.” Mr. Parson replied and Brooke nodded. She watched as he took a hold of his wife’s hand and they went to their car. Nick stood up from sitting on the ground and he picked Dakota up and cuddled her close to him. She slid her arms around his neck and again rested her head against his shoulder. When the Parsons were in their car and were driving out of the parking lot Nick looked at Brooke and Brooke smiled at him as she wiped away her tears.
“You scared me for a minute there you know… I was beginning to think that I was actually going to have to say good bye to her.”
“Did you really accidentally not sign those papers Brooke?” Nick asked, as he rested his forehead against Dakota’s. Brooke looked at him innocently.
“Of course it was an accident. Do you know how much trouble Id be in if you hadn’t come running out here and stopped them from taking Dakota and they had gone home and later realized that the papers weren’t all the way signed?”
“Brooke…” Nick replied, looking at her with a knowing smile.
“What are you trying to do Nick, get me in trouble? I know better than to do stuff like that.” She replied but she winked at him. Nick laughed.
“Okay, okay.”
“Anyway, let’s go to my office and make Dakota officially yours so we never have this problem again shall we?” Nick nodded.
“Definitely,” he answered and he followed Brooke back into the Orphanage carrying Dakota’s bags with him as well. Doctor Johnson and all of the employees that were in the lobby looked at them as they came in and Doctor Johnson smiled happily when he saw that Nick was holding Dakota. Nick followed Brooke into her office closing the door behind him and he sat in one of the three chairs with Dakota in his lap.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
Enjoy =)
