Found Family
A/N: So I tried to do something a little different with this one. I tried to make it as accurate as possible and I did research on the adoption process for this piece
TRIGGER WARNING: (This will also be tagged) There are mentions of infertility (I tried to keep it brief) and adoption within this story
Request: “I’m so happy! I can’t wait for our little one to arrive!”
You had wanted a child since you were younger. Having grown up around a number of cousins and being around kids your entire life, it just felt normal that you would one day settle down and have a family of your own. When you were little it had been seven kids, to which your parents had laughed, as you grew the numbers varied anywhere from two to five children but one thing was consistent, you wanted a child to call your own.
The baby fever began to really set in while you were in college, it seemed like all around you people were getting married or having babies. You had been a Godmother to your best friend’s baby and many of them called you “Aunt Y/N”. It was fun and you loved being a part of those kids' lives, but every day you wanted one of your own, trying so hard to stick to your rules about finishing college first.
When you met William, one of the first things you had shared with him was the idea of one day settling down and having a family. Obviously things with his career meant that you needed to be ready to up and move at any moment, thankful you had a job that could be done in nearly any city. It didn’t steer you away from wanting that family though, so the two of you sat down and had a serious discussion about how you wanted your relationship to progress.
~
Five years later, you had been married for two and were happy as could be. You both were settled in Toronto, you had a steady job, and a wonderful support system. The only thing that was missing was the one thing you had wanted since you were a child, playing with baby dolls. It wasn’t for lack of trying though, you and William agreed when you got married that you both felt like you were in a good spot in your relationship to begin trying.
You did everything that you possibly could, you tracked your cycle, you were off birth control or any kind of contraception, and every time there was the same empty result. Finally, after nearly a year of trying, William made the suggestion that maybe both of you go to the doctor to see if something was going on. He knew it would be difficult, but watching you month after month disappointed when you had a negative pregnancy test staring back at you, it all was beginning to weigh on him. He wanted to give you that family so badly, but if it was something with him then he needed to know.
You could remember the day clearly, it was the start of the off season and it was raining, the grey sky reflecting the mood that the two of you felt as you sat in the doctor’s office, waiting for the results of your tests to come back. When the doctor came in and sat down, you could feel your stomach drop as she cleared her throat to deliver the news.
“I’m not saying it’s impossible, I’m just saying that it would be very difficult for you to conceive… I’m very sorry.”
The words had hung over your head as you cried into William’s arms, on the drive home, and through the night that you spent laying in bed. She had said it wasn’t impossible, but those words seemed to have crushed any hopes that you could have had. Willy could see it too, the way you avoided sex for a while after that, how you looked longingly at teammates babies, the sadness in your eyes when you held them. It broke his heart to see you going through it, knowing that you were struggling to have the one thing you wanted.
~
After a few months he had sat you down again to have the talk over again, because he was determined to give you the family you always wanted and he had dreamed about with you. Which is how you found yourself, sitting across from William at your dining room table, pamphlets and papers scattered in front of him.
“Willy, what is all of this? Are you divorcing me or something?” You tried to joke, though the initial sight of the papers had been enough to make you wonder if that was where this was going.
“No, no. I’d be crazy to do that,” he smiled softly, “This is our future or could be, if you hear me out.”
You cocked your eyebrow at him, briefly glancing at the papers and gesturing to him for further explanation. After a long day of work, your mind wasn’t prepared to have to process stacks of paper at a glance.
“I know you want a child, and while the doctor said there’s a possibility, I noticed the shift in you over these last few months. I know how hard this has been for you and it seems that it’s never going to happen, but I think it still could and in the meantime…” He gestured to the papers in front of him. “I know there are a number of kids who are looking for that perfect family too.”
It was then that it dawned on you that he was talking about adoption, reaching to pick up one of the pamphlets that he had on the table. It was clear that he had put a lot of thought into this idea, seeing as how he had so many resources in front of him.
“There are kids of all ages and I reached out to a few agencies to see what the laws are and stuff and there’s a lot of work we would have to do. There will be house inspections and we have to get approved but I think it’s an option worth pursuing. For both us and our future child. I know this isn’t exactly how you wanted to build our family but... I think it’s an idea worth looking into.”
You could sense the hesitation in his voice, knowing that you two had skirted around the topic of kids since that day in the doctor’s office months ago. It seemed though, while you were processing your grief over the struggle, Willy had taken it upon himself to look into other options. Looking up at him, you could see he was nervous about this and knowing him, he was probably worried that this was going to offend you in some way. You, on the other hand, were so wrapped up in looking at all the papers, pamphlets, and work that your husband had put into the last few months. You didn’t even notice that tears had slipped from your eyes until you felt Willy’s thumb gently wiping them off your cheeks, drawing your eyes away from the paper you had been reading and up to his.
“We don’t have to, if this isn’t what you want, I’ll throw it all away and we can forget I even brought it up.” He whispered gently, his heart aching at the thought that this may be doing more harm than good.
“No!” You rushed, looking at him. “No, this is just… You put all of this work in all this time, I didn’t even think about how you were feeling during all of this-”
Willy cut you off, quite literally, by putting his hand over your mouth. You raised your eyebrows at him, resisting the urge to lick his hand like you normally would and he could tell you were holding back because he chuckled.
“Don’t do that. We each worked through this ourselves and together, I just think… This is a good way to start our family.” He smiled widely.
It was a smile that you thought could brighten a room and right now it was brightening your day. You may not have been able to have a kid on your own yet, but you could have one and still build the family that you and Willy always dreamed of. You giggled below his hand, reaching up to gently pull it away from your mouth so you could speak again
“So, where do we get started?”
~
The first step it turned out was to contact an agency and begin the piles of paperwork, you could have sworn that you would need glasses by the end of it. All and all, between meetings, the discussion, the training classes, and the paperwork, it took you and Willy about five months to move on to the next step of the process.
The home study, in your mind, was the most nerve wracking part. The agency looked into every detail of your lives: Your jobs, your home, your routines, who was around you, it sent your mind into a whirl. You were worried, despite Willy constantly reassuring you, that they would find something that would prohibit you from adopting. It felt like a vigorous interview process that never seemed to end. It was another six months before it all came to an end, and you felt like you were back in time, waiting for results.
“Well Mr. and Mrs. Nylander, I am pleased to announce that after review, we can approve you for adoption and we can now begin the final step of the process, which is going to be getting your family started. Your profile will be available for expecting mothers to look at, there really is no time frame here. Just be patient and all will fall together.”
It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off your shoulders, you were going to have a kid. Your family was going to grow and you could see that Willy was feeling the same. You left the agency meeting with happy tears in your eyes, a skip in your step, and the knowledge that you were going to be a mother.
~
A year after beginning the process you received a phone call from your caseworker. Willy was gone at practice and you knew you should have waited, but your curiosity got the better of you and you answered on the third ring.
“Hello?” You greeted, wiping the counter as your phone was tucked between your ear and shoulder.
“Hello Mrs. Nylander, I have some great news for you,” her words made your movements freeze, leaning against the counter to brace yourself. “Your profile has been out for a few months now and I am so pleased to tell you that there’s a young mother who has chosen you two for her baby. She’s currently six months pregnant and she would like to get in contact with you. I highly recommend taking these next few months to have open communication with her, it will highly benefit both of you.”
You nearly dropped the phone at the news, scrambling for a pen and paper to write down all of the information your caseworker was giving you so that you could properly relay it to Willy when he came home that night.
“Congratulations Mrs. Nylander.” You could hear the smile in her voice as you hung up the phone, the happy tears falling down your cheeks again.
You had waited so long for this to happen and now you were about to begin the final leg of your journey. You slid down your cabinet, sitting on the floor and laughing as you placed a hand on your chest. It was really happening, all of the pieces were falling into place. You were going to be a mother, Willy was going to be a father. The rush of emotions you felt kept you sat on the floor, happily crying as you thought about how to break the news to him. Though, as luck would have it, your emotions took up more of your time and before you could put any of your thoughts into actions you heard the front door open.
“Y/N? Babe, I’m home!” Willy’s voice was close and no sooner had you heard it, was he rounding the corner.
The sight of you on the floor must have shocked him because seconds later he was at your side, hands cupping your cheeks as he wiped your tears away gently with his thumbs. His face conveyed worry and you wanted to assure him that you were fine but your voice failed you.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” He urged, sitting down across from you so he could prepare for the worst.
“We’re gonna be parents.” You smiled tearfully, reaching blindly behind you to pull the notepad off the counter and hold it out to him. It was nowhere near the announcement you wanted to give him but it was the best you could do, hoping your scribbled words would explain what you verbally couldn’t.
“What?” He took the paper from you, reading it over quickly. You watched with a wide smile, his eyes turning into saucers as he exchanged looks between you and the paper.
“We’re going to be parents!” He smiled, hugging you tightly, laughing in relief as the weight was beginning to lift off of you two.
~
The next few months were filled with meetings with the mother of your soon to be child, more paperwork, appointments. You did your best to be there for the woman whenever you could, getting to know her and forming a relationship with her to help ease the transition.
You had made arrangements with Lila, the mother, to take the baby home following their birth, allowing her the time during birth and right after to have with her child before the baby was officially brought home to you. When the day came, the two of you could hardly wait for the news about how the baby was and how mom was doing.
“Willy, she’s going to be fine. The doctors there are great and Lila already said that she’s not worried.” You tried to assure him as you watched Willy pace back and forth in the waiting room of the hospital. You were grateful the hospital you were at allowed adopting parents to visit the baby and mother after birth, you hoped it would make the transition easier for everyone. That being said, Willy was restless after the second hour of labor, and that was nearly eight hours ago. You were surprised there weren’t marks on the floor from his endless pacing.
"I know, I'm just so happy! I can't wait for our little one to arrive!" Willy explained and you chuckled, grabbing his hand just as the doors opened and you saw your adopting agent come out, bringing you to your feet beside him.
“Would you like to meet your baby?” She smiled, letting you exchange a quick glance followed by eager nods as you followed her back to the room. Lila sat in the bed, cradling a small bundle to her chest, and when she saw you enter she gave you a gentle smile.
“Congratulations, you guys have a baby girl.”
The moment that she was placed into your arms, Willy right beside you with tears in his eyes, the world felt right. It may not have been how you planned, but looking down at the sleeping face of your child you knew this was just as special.
You wanted a baby, but what you had found along the way was so much more. You had a family, one that went beyond just you and Willy. A family that you had found and made, together. Just like he had always promised and one that you wouldn’t trade for the world.
“She’s perfect, our own little angel.” He whispered, stroking her cheek as he pressed another kiss to your forehead. You could feel your hair dampen slightly with the tears that had inevitably slipped from his eyes.
“Our little angel indeed.”
