Opal opened the door and peeked her head in. "Am I interrupting?"
"You are right on time," Fort stood to welcome her. "We were just about to come and find you."
The facilitator looked between the two in her office with a hesitant smile. Her mouth relaxed as the grin slowly became genuine. Although there were tears still drying on the wife's face, they both seemed happy. "I do like a well-timed entrance. How may I be of service?"
"We would like to discuss that paperwork I sent you earlier," Fort crossed his legs and sat back in his chair.
Sitting at her desk, Opal pulled out her datapad from under her arm and laid it in front of her. "Excellent. So you are both in agreement and wish to proceed with adoption? I do need acknowledgment that this is what you both want. It is a serious commitment."
"Does she…does she have no one else who can take care of her? No family that may miss her?" These were not the words that Noble had intended to come out of her mouth, yet they tumbled forth of their own accord.
Now that the question had been spoken, the Awakened realized that she needed the answer. Otherwise, she would forever wonder if she was somehow stealing someone else's child. If there were any relatives, Noble knew she would feel compelled to get the child back to them, maybe even find a way to support them financially. She genuinely wanted what was best.
"If you do not adopt, that sweet little girl will remain here unless someone else decides to take her in. If there were any relatives to care for the child, we would have pursued that option." The facilitator answered. "For now, the choices are your home or here. You decide."
"If she agrees, you mean?" Noble remembered where Seb had signed his own acceptance of the adoption and then pledged to be a law-abiding citizen.
"Only older children can accept or reject an adoption. That rule does not apply to those under the age of eight." If Opal had meant to settle Noble's nerves, then she had failed.
"I think we would both feel better if the child we want to adopt wants to come with us. I hope that doesn't seem unreasonable," Fort intervened.
Just because the law did not require it did not mean that they were forced to skip the step.
The facilitator gave a small nod. "I actually agree with you. I only wish everyone viewed this sort of thing with such a level-headed compassion. I will arrange a meeting now."
Typing into her datapad, Opal notified one of the staff members of the request. Noble took a few deep breaths, careful not to project her inner turmoil into the room. If she were to affect the little girl negatively when she arrived, perhaps the child might suddenly reject her.
All Noble's angst was dispelled the moment the door opened. A tiny squeal was followed by a little leap of the child into the woman's lap. Noble barely had time to compensate for the change in weight to keep herself from painfully landing on the chair.
"It is good to see you, little one," the Awakened patted the girl on the back.
"What about me? Do I get anything?" Fort gave an exaggerated pout.
The child giggled and blew him a silly kiss, before snuggling deeper into Noble's arms.
"So cheeky!" The man teased.
Noble brought her face close the little one in her arms. Her voice was gentle, barely above a whisper. "We have a question for you. It is a very important one."
The Awakened glanced at her husband. He also spoke kindly. "I know it is wonderful here, but we were wondering if you might like to come to our house and live with us?"
Nodding, Noble pushed the girl's dark hair away from her face. Two dark, innocent eyes stared up curiously.
"What Fort means is that we would like for you to join our family. Would you like that?" For a moment Noble was afraid the little girl would not understand.
Could a three-year-old, who only recently had been orphaned, comprehend what it meant to join a family?
The child stayed silent for a long time.
Fort motioned to Noble's communicator. "Maybe if you showed her pictures of our home…"
"Home?" The girl broke her silence.
"Yes! Our home!" The woman shifted to get her communicator from her bag and showed as many pictures as she could find of where she lived. Some had images of Seb in them, but somehow that did not feel as painful as it had before.
The child looked through and studied each image. Her eyes grew wide as they came across a picture of the front with Fort and Noble posing outside. Seb had forced them to get a photo for their anniversary.
"Home!" the child pointed.
"Yes! That is our house." Fort confirmed. "Do you want to live there?"
"I…I want that." The girl pursed her lips. "Family?"
"We would be your family, yes," Noble hoped she was answering the question the tiny child was asking.
The child placed her delicate finger on Noble's nose. "You be mom." She looked at Fort, "You be dad. I want that."
"I want that, too." The woman's eyes swirled as she fought back happy tears. "What about you Fort?"
"You know my vote. Of course I want this. Our home will be sweeter. What do all Bees need? Honey!" The man winked.
"Are you calling her that too now?" Noble shook her head with an exasperated grin.
"Honey!" the child laughed. "I want Honey!"
Fort laughed, "The name or the food?"
"Yes!" Honey exclaimed. Now that her silence had been broken, she was becoming more vocal by the moment.
"That works for me." The floating Awakened doubted that the child had ever had honey, but she would make sure to remedy that by the end of the day.
"I think that is my cue," Opal grinned, "I am afraid I will have to repeat my question, even though I am pretty sure you all just answered. But do you consent to the adoption?"
"I consent," Noble kissed the child on the head.
"I consent as well," Fort added.
Honey gave the facilitator a thumbs-up. "Let's go!"
-----------------
A few hours later, three individuals exited Orphanage 113 for the final time. The man held a lady's bag while his wife clutched a wisp of a girl in her arms. The little girl's tan sweatshirt and pants were too big and barely thick enough to keep out the chill of the coming evening.
"Your mom has bought some dresses and is bringing dinner over in a little while," Fort read the message off of Noble's communicator. "She cannot wait to meet her new granddaughter."
"You two will get along very well," Noble tickled the girl.
Fort smiled at his wife and daughter. They would, of course, have to finish paying all the fees before things could be finalized, but in their hearts, things were already done.
His heart was full, "The sun is shining and we are here. So, what do we do now?"
Honey's dark eyes reflected the sun overhead. She looked over her mother's shoulder and a small moment of melancholy filled her.
Sensing the shift, Noble turned the question to the little girl. "What do you think, Honey? Where do you want to go first?"
The cloud of doubt quickly swept away. A smile bloomed on the child's face. "Home," she answered. "I want to go home!"