A soldier comes home after a three-month absence and is shocked to find a newborn baby in his house, especially since his wife wasn’t pregnant when he left.
When Adam Harris came home from the Middle East after a two-month stretch. The last thing he expected to find on his bed was a baby. He stood in the doorway just staring. The baby was lying between two large pillows and it was waving tiny Fists in the air.
Adam walked closer and stared down at the child. It yawned at him showing pink gums. Then it started to cry loudly. Adam didn’t know what to do. He sat down on the bed picked up the child and jiggled it awkwardly the baby had kept and started sucking on a fist there.
There Adam said, who was this kid where’d it come from? He knew it wasn’t his and Kathy’s. Kathy hadn’t been pregnant seven months ago.
He knew that in fact, Kathy and Adam had been desperately trying to get pregnant for six years now they had gone through several rounds of invitro fertilization to no avail, Adam hummed at the kid who just kept staring at him with those squinty unfocused newborn eyes. Who are you? He asked, then a quiet voice behind him said, she’s ours if you agree. Adam turned with the baby in his hands to find his wife standing there. Kathy! He cried. What’s going on?
Kathy sat down next to Adam and kissed him tenderly, it’s a long story, she said. I’ve got all the time in the world. Adam said, well, Kathy sighed, remember how upset I was after the last in vitro fertilization treatment failed Adam?
It had hit Kathy hard and the result had been depression and therapy. I started going to this baby shop after therapy, Kathy explained. I don’t know why, it just gave me hope. You know it even smelled like babies, so I met this girl there. A girl? Asked Adam. I presume she was pregnant, Kathy nodded.
Yes, she was about six months along, she said, and so young she’s 15, but I only found that out later she was trying to come to terms with the idea that she was going to be a mom. She kept saying she wasn’t ready that it was the wrong time, the wrong guy, that she wanted to go to prom in college, but she also couldn’t bring herself to not out the child or to give it away to strangers.
Anyway, we became friends, we had opposite problems, I wanted a baby so badly and she was so afraid to have one. What’s her name? Adam asked. Wendy, Kathy said, Wendy Harris. So we started meeting up for tea every week and it was good being able to be open and honest with someone. Then, one day about a month ago, Wendy asked me if I went to adopt her baby.
I was stunned, but she said she wanted her child to have a good mom. She thought I’d be the best mom she could imagine. She begged me to think about it. Why didn’t you say anything to me? Adam, asked we were zooming every other day. You could have shared. Kathy Shrugged, I don’t know, she said, I was afraid you’d be shocked, say no. I didn’t know if I was prepared to adopt. I wanted to know what I wanted before I spoke to you. And then? asked Adam.
Before the baby was born, Kathy said, Wendy went to a lawyer and organized everything for private adoption. The baby’s father was eager to dump the responsibility and he signed when the baby was born. Wendy signed temporary custody to me today is the 10th day. From today this little girl can be ours. Our own baby, our daughter, if you want her Adam, we can finally have a family.
Adam looked down at the tiny mite looking up at him, he touched one of the tiny fists with his finger and the baby grasped Adam’s finger with incredible strength. Adam looked up at Kathy and grind, I think she has decided for me. He whispered she’s picked me, I’m her daddy, Kathy’s eyes filled with tears, I’ll call Wendy’s lawyer in ours.
She said tomorrow by this time she will be our baby girl. What are we going to call her? Adam asked. I was thinking Mia, Kathy said. It means mine in Spanish. Mia, Adam said jiggling the baby gently, Mia. I like it. Hello, Mia, guess what? You’re ours and she was.
The next day, Kathy and Adam signed the adoption papers and little Mia was theirs forever. They finally had the family. They dreamed of three years later Kathy was astounded to discover that she was pregnant and that Mia would soon have a little sister, Kathy and Adam’s happiness was complete. The bonds of Love are stronger than the bonds of blood. The baby’s mother was too young to care for her, but Kathy and Adam became the loving parent she needed.
Sometimes what you most desire comes into your life in an unexpected way. Kathy desperately wanted a baby, but she couldn’t get pregnant. The baby she dreamed of came into her life through Wendy.
