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Prologue It's just after 7 AM on a brisk November morning and a bus pulls into a bay at the South Station Bus Terminal in downtown Boston. Everyone gets off the bus except one. Still remaining in a seat in the back of the bus is a little child, barely older than 4 years old, looking around scared and unsure what to do now. The child has long brown hair that is twisted and frayed at the ends. It appears to be a boy judging by the colors and cut of the clothes but it is hard to tell with the hair covering the child's face. The clothes are torn and heavily stained, whoever dressed him either had nothing else for him to wear or had no money to replace the clothing. Whatever the reason, the clothes were unfit for New England fall weather. The driver doesn't say anything, he just waits for the child to react. The child just looks up at him and utters a weak and simple, "Home?" The driver grabs the child by the hand and escorts him, as he had decided the gender to be, off the bus. Once outside the bus he was no longer his problem, he is the Transit Police's problem now. He closes up the bus and walks away leaving the child to find whoever was supposed to pick him up and if not then find a cop to take things from there. Inside the terminal two Transit Police officers notice the child wandering about at this early time without and adult. They approach him and kindly ask, "Where are your parents?" Seeing the badges the child quietly says, "Mommy just died, I don't know where daddy is." The child was clutching a piece of paper in his hand. The officers asked to see it, hoping there is some identification information or note explaining the situation. Both look up at the child after reading the note, quietly asking, "Do you know who this person is?" The boy nods, saying, "Mommy said to find her, she should help me." Looking down at the paper again the officers take the boy by the hand and escort him to a nearby office so they can get someone to look him over while they make some inquiries about the name and address on the paper. They didn't like that they had to do this but the kid had nobody with him and couldn't be left alone. After a quick exam by BostonEMS, the little boy was judged to be alright but the wait was on for contact with who the person was on the paper. An hour later several miles away in the City of Winnisimmet a call is received. The officer identified himself and asked for someone by the name of, "Claire Peterson." A shocked woman explained, "My name is Lilly Peterson, can you explain why you are asking for my daughter?" Taking a deep breath the officers explain the situation. Lilly explains she has no idea what is going on or what her daughter has to do with a 4-year-old boy. The officers insist that they speak with Claire as it may be the only thing that can help the boy. There was something going on and they had to ensure that it wasn't foul play or an attempt to abandon the little by boy Claire Lilly felt for the child. He was all alone in a strange city sent to find someone he never met even if she was just a 14-year-old girl. Lilly reluctantly agreed to help but only if she had some friends who were familiar with that kind of situation assist her. The officers were told exactly who they were and what they did for a living and agreed to bring the child by. Lilly placed two important phone calls to friends. First went to Anne Connors, her close friend and resident social worker for their group of misfits that had somehow collected into a family. Second was to Valerie Finn, the aunt to all of their children and a keen legal eagle with a heart of gold. Both agreed to help if only for the sake of the boy and Anne would be the one assigned to the boy's case by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families(DCF) anyway. The two officers drove the child the short seven miles to Winnisimmet for the meeting. They were pleased to be rid of him in short time. As sweet as the child was they still had to work and their bosses were already getting angered that they were taking so long with this situation, it was in the hands of DCF now as they had no further need to be involved. The little boy was oblivious to the world around him, he seemed to not have a care in the world. He didn't speak during the 20-minute drive, much to the officers' delight. He just stared out the window as the cruiser drove through the O'Neill Tunnel and over the Mystic River Bridge. At the Peterson home, three women greeted the officers. They introduced the little boy and showed them the note. Lilly stared in shock, her daughter's name was there as well as their address but she had no idea who the child was, let alone his relationship with Claire. Claire, her 14-year-old daughter, came outside to see what was going on. She stopped suddenly as she noticed the boy standing there with two officers and her mother staring at a piece of paper. She tried to say something but was at a loss for words about what was going on. Anne, Valerie, and the two officers stared closely at Claire and at the little boy. They realized why he was sent to find her, she was clearly his sister. The resemblance was striking, Claire favored her father but it was a shock to think that she may have a sibling out there Lilly was the first to speak. She fought back years of bad memories but finally said, "Honey, I believe this little boy is your younger brother. He was sent here by his mother to find you." Claire was dumbfounded, asking, "How can that be, dad died six years ago!" Lilly shook her head in disappointment at not telling the truth but admitted, "Your biological father left me when I was pregnant with you. He wasn't your 'real dad' so to speak. Your real dad met me when I was struggling around campus pregnant with you. He and I married soon after and I swore I'd never tell you the truth but I guess the time finally came to address the truth. I'm sorry, honey." Anne thanked the officers for their assistance and took over. The officers stated she would get copies of their report on Monday and left. Anne went inside to talk with the boy while Claire and Lilly talked with Valerie, Claire would need a lot of time to come to terms with the shocking revelation that had now changed her entire past. Valerie was the first to speak saying, "He must have had at least one other child after he abandoned your mom at the college. He isn't your father no matter how much he may have caused you to look like him. This little boy needs your help, I know the truth is hard but you deserved to know it. We need to help him out and he will need you to help him. You are all that he has in the world." Lilly tried to comfort her distraught daughter but she ran inside, tears falling down her face heavily. Anne came outside with the boy and could only say, "His name is Dale and he's four. His mother just died from what I believe to be a drug overdose and he doesn't know who his real dad is. I take it from Claire's reaction she didn't take the news well?" Lilly nodded. Valerie asked the obvious, "What do we do with him? I don't think it'd be wise for him to stay here, at least for now, Courtney needs to settle down and Lilly needs to get things in order with her family first. She can't keep this from the boys and if Claire doesn't want to come around to the truth Dale will be in a tough spot." Anne tried to think about the situation. Leslie Finn came to mind immediately. She would be the only one trusted enough by them all and experienced enough with kids Dale's age to help the boy until things were sorted out with the Petersons. Valerie asked something more important, "We need to test them to see if they really are related. I don't want them to be forced together only to find out it was a mistake. Neither he nor Claire will take the news well if they bond and find out that they aren't actually siblings." Lilly added a simple, "So be it. He deserves the truth one way or another. I just hope that he doesn't endure any more pain, he looks like that's the last thing that he needs." Chapter 1 Claire listened in on the conversation outside. Despite the painful revelation, she felt for the little boy and his situation. He didn't ask to be sired by the same man who abandoned her mother nor did he ask for his mother to die suddenly. It was terrible and she felt horrible for reacting badly to the news. The news was sinking in hard. The man she had called daddy and played tricks on, hugged, kissed, and loved unconditionally wasn't her real father. Her brothers weren't her real brothers. The closest relative to her was a little boy dumped on their doorstep after traveling halfway across the country. It started to get too much for her, she needed to call in support from her boyfriend Will Riley. Will answered on the first ring. He immediately asks, "What's the matter?" Will was the best listener you could ever want. He tried hard to understand what you are saying and work out your problem with you. His friends thought that he might make a good therapist if he ever wanted to but secretly he had no real plans for his future yet, he just wanted to graduate and enjoy time with his girlfriend. Claire tearfully told him everything that had just happened. She broke down several times talking with him but managed to get the whole story out, especially the revelation that she wasn't her the biological child of the man she had called, "Dad". Will let her get her pain out and talk, knowing from their past experiences to let Claire vent while trying to find the right words to respond to her. He finally said, "Your mother loves you and kept the truth from you for a reason, your real dad isn't the guy who got her pregnant- it's the guy who loved her despite carrying someone else's baby. Look at Michael and Uncle John, is Uncle John any less of a dad to Michael because he isn't his biological father? Your dad may have passed away six years ago but he was still your dad no matter what. Now you have a chance to help someone who needs you to be his big sister, you are his only family and he needs your help." Will never talked like that to her before, and Claire had completely forgotten that Michael Finn and his dad aren't biologically related. John Finn was the greatest man the kids knew and there was no denying that he was Michael's father. Claire came to the realization that maybe the man she had called her dad was her real dad even if she was not his biological daughter. Lilly and Valerie came inside and upon seeing them Claire apologized to Lilly for her overreacting to Dale's arrival. Turning to Valerie she said, "I'm sorry that I forgot about Michael and Uncle John." She started to cry as she begged for their forgiveness but neither lady felt that there was anything to forgive. Lilly didn't have the heart to say anything. Valerie though admitted, "It'll take time to fully accept it but you deserved to know the truth. Now we need you to help with this young boy. He needs you. Do you think you can help him?" Claire nodded but asked, "Does he need to know the truth yet? I don't want him to get his hopes up until we know for sure." Both ladies nodded in agreement at Claire's wisdom. Lilly tried to assure her, "It'll be alright. Leslie will take him to the doctor and we will get the needed tests done to make sure. Leslie also asked that you try to get to know him so he feels less scared of his surroundings. I think you will benefit from this as well, you need something to do after school now that cheerleading is almost done for the season." Anne came in and announced that Leslie was on her way to take care of Dale. Dale looked up at Claire. He wanted to say something but couldn't form any words. Claire walked over to him and sat down next to him. He looked at Claire closely. He stared at her for a minute then quietly asked, "Are you my sister? You look a lot like me." Claire tried to make up an excuse but he saw through it, hugging her tight and saying, "Mom said I'd find you, that I'd find my sister one day. Dad said he had a daughter here but mom never met her." All of them were shocked. Lilly whispered to Valerie, "There goes that plan, now we have to tell him the truth. It wouldn't be right to keep it from him." Claire leaned in and told him, "We think you might be. We want to take you to the doctor to confirm it. It wouldn't be right to get your hopes up just to have it prove to be wrong." Leslie Finn knocked on the door and entered. She looked at the boy and at Claire and shook her head saying, "You two are so much alike it's scary." The others didn't have the heart to respond, unable to find the right words without upsetting Dale. Leslie took the boy to her home and Claire went about her business which meant fielding a bunch of texts from the girls about the new arrival. Jaimie Finn didn't take long to tell the others about what had happened, her mom leaving in a hurry will do that. Claire could only tell her and the rest what they suspected and confirming that they did look a lot alike but not to get their hopes up yet. Chapter 2 Claire was taking the news hard. Lilly knew it was wrong to hide the truth from her for so long but it wasn't something that she was proud of. Her biological dad just disappeared and Lilly's new boyfriend treated her so well that she fell head over heels for him immediately and forgot all about the man who left her high and dry and knocked up. Lilly let Claire calm down and talk with Will. He was a good person for her, he always calmed Claire down whenever she gets hysterical and always makes her smile when she is feeling depressed. He had a way of knowing exactly what to do to and when to do it. He was a smart alack around others but he and Claire were always great together Ever since the two started to date he had become like her third son. They were friendly for years in school but ever since the problems with his father were revealed to the rest of their extended group of friends the Peterson home had felt like his second home. Lilly's other sons have taken to him as a little brother, they loved that he was making Claire into a better person and were the first to notice that she transformed from a bossy brat into an understanding and caring young woman almost overnight. That doesn't mean the two eldest Petersons didn't have their issues. Claire was their sister so Will had to endure a lot of ribbing and several times had to leave in frustration while the two college students were chastised. Claire never blamed Will for leaving, she simply told him that it was what brothers did to their little sisters' boyfriends and one day he might have to do the same if his mother had a daughter. She pulled herself together for the boy and told him the truth but after he left she went back to her depression. Not even Will's presence could help her, she needed some alone time to process what was going on. She may have been blossoming into a young woman but Claire was still a little girl deep inside and this was earth shattering news to her. Lilly thought back to that time 15 years before. She was just a freshman at Rutgers and met him one night at a party. He said his name was Reggie and was from a city close to Boston. He was tall and skinny, well built and had a perpetual 5'clock shadow on his face. He was ruggedly handsome, charming to the point of being sickeningly sweet. Lilly was instantly infatuated with him. Lilly was also from the Boston area and it was the first time in a year that she had met someone who was from home. Sensing an easy conquest Reggie took this as an opportunity to get close to Lilly, and after a few too many beers the two had sex. Lilly never saw him after that night, he had run off soon after they had finished and nobody else noticed him. She asked about someone by the name of, "Reggie Finnegan" but nobody seemed to recognize the name, with several suggesting it was probably a fake. Three weeks later she got the bad news, she was pregnant with, "Reggie's" baby. As she left the campus health center in tears she literally ran into the real love of my life- Jerry Peterson. He was tall and well built, much better looking than, "Reggie" and while at least a decade older than her he wasn't married at the time. He apologized profusely but wouldn't accept Lilly's own apology. Seeing the tears in her eyes he offered a shoulder to cry on. He wasn't interested in her as a sexual being like, "Reggie", he had an actual concern in his eyes. Lilly told him everything including the fact that her parents were going to disown her. He put his arms around her and let me cry herself out. Lilly looked up and he had genuine tears in his own eyes. He quietly said, "You don't deserve any of that, you deserve better. You made a simply, youth-oriented mistake, you are an adult and you are going to accept the consequences. Any parent who casts their child out after that doesn't deserve that child to call them parents." Overcome with passion Lilly kissed him deeply. She didn't know why but she kissed him but it felt like the right thing to do. He was compassionate and caring despite only just meeting her, he was just a true gentleman and made her heart melt. They talked for several hours before they had to part ways. He gave her his phone number and address and told her to come over anytime she needed someone to talk to. She came over the next day. Within days they were spending all of their time in between classes and studying together, helping one another out and keeping each other focused on what was most important- their degrees. He told Lilly about his family and understood her plight. His elder sister was dumped in a similar manner once and lost the child. She had found a good husband and was now helping him run their family's business while Jerry obtained his MBA. He then told her about his ex-wife and their two young children. She cared for them full-time while he finished his MBA, the two were barely on speaking terms but the kids understood what he was doing was for the benefit of them all. When the time came to tell Lilly's parents he went with her. As expected they tossed Lilly out and cut off all support, telling her that she would be nothing without them. He stood before Lilly's father and mother and told them that they were losing a treasure and she didn't deserve them in her life. He got down on one knee and proposed to her in front of them, saying, "I wanted to do this in private but seeing that you need some actual love in your life please do me the honor and marry me." Lilly gladly said yes. He took her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Her parents were outraged at the display but he simply said, "You are losing out on an amazing daughter and your future grandchildren. What do you care, I would gladly raise her child as my own as long as I have Lilly in my life. The man is gone but I will happily call her child my own child." The two walked out hand in hand as he drove them to his parent's house and gave them the news. They took it better than Lilly had hoped. He explained the situation and what he was willing to do for Lilly's child. She wasn't going to be a single mother, and as long as Jerry lived she or he would never know the truth about the true biological father. When Lilly and Jerry broke the news to his children they were happy to have Lilly as their new mother. His ex-wife was glad to be rid of his kids, she never wanted to be a mother and she hated the, "Boring" life of a stay-at-home mom. She was freed from all financial and parental obligations and let Lilly adopt the children as her own. The kids were happy to know that they would have a new brother or sister. Even though they weren't blood they were happy to have another sibling especially with their dad happy. When Claire finally came and she favored the sperm donor, "Reggie" they didn't say a word, anyone who asked they simply said she looked like her maternal grandparents. Jerry was killed in a crash six years before when Claire was 8. Claire took it hard, trying to hide her feelings behind her tough persona that until she started to date Will was unbreakable. She was tough for others to deal with and until Jaimie befriended the group she kept on the outer edge of her few friends. Only Courtney Lawrence could get her to open up at times and Jenna kept her moods in check but otherwise she was a tough nut to crack to others. Claire came into Lilly's room after dinner and asked to talk. Lilly saw from her expression she wanted the whole story to which Lilly told her everything. She left out no details, explaining why she never met her maternal grandparents and why her brothers were so protective of her without thinking about it. She was in tears. Genuine tears. She apologized repeatedly for how she reacted then hugged Lilly until she fell asleep in her arms. She kept things in perspective. They needed to know the truth about that little boy and fast. He needed to be with his family and if Claire was his sister then his place was with her in the Peterson home. Even if Lilly had to endure a lot of criticism from her sons it was worth it to give him a home with family. She couldn't let him endure alone. Chapter 3 Anne called Leslie Finn early Saturday morning to tell her that she was needed. Leslie knew this wasn't your normal situation or a social call from Anne. Despite being friends with her sister-in-law Leslie and Anne weren't really that close and had only met a few times before. This was something serious. Anne would only call her if she needed someone to care for a child in need. Leslie doesn't mind that, Anne was a good person who trusted her completely. If she was calling Leslie then it's an emergency, Leslie was proud to help her no matter what time it was. In her mind, the child shouldn't have to endure more pain and suffering because she didn't want to do the right thing and help them out by providing a safe and caring environment until their situation was resolved. When Leslie got to Lilly's house Anne explained the situation. Leslie could see the little boy and Claire was strikingly similar to the point that they could be siblings. Anne read her expression exactly and whispered into her ear, "That's why we want your help, we think they may really be siblings." Leslie introduced herself and told him warmly, "I'm Leslie and I am going to be taking care of you for a bit. Anne and Mrs. Peterson need to do some things so you are going to stay with me at my apartment. Don't worry about them being upset at you coming here, we just need to get you settled in first while they work on your case and make sure you are alright." She took his hand and took him home. He didn't seem to mind that they were leaving, he had already had a hard day and meeting these new people would take a lot out of you. Leslie smiled and asked what his name was to which he quietly said, "I'm Dale." Leslie smiled and told him, "That's a lovely name." He was quiet, looking out the window at the buildings as they drove across the city to Leslie's small apartment. When they pulled into the driveway her aunt and uncle were outside waiting for her return. They heard her leave in a hurry earlier and suspected something like that was going on. They took one look at Dale and stated the obvious, "He looks like Claire." After looking at Dale closely for several minutes Victoria Castillo was the first to say something. She shook her head and asked, "Does he have any other family other than Claire?" Leslie could never lie to them. She quietly said, "We don't know yet. He has a father out there but Claire seems to be at this moment his only next of kin. We have to get him tested to see if she is." Jorge Castillo understood what this meant. He looked at Dale and asked, "If she is, her mother will do the right thing for him." Dale looked up at them with happiness in his eyes. Jorge must have read his mind because Dale kept smiling at the idea of staying with Lilly and Claire. Leslie told them she would update them when she had more information. They got the real meaning and let them go inside to get acquainted with one another. Leslie though expected they might be stuck together for a while until Lilly could get the answers that she needed. Dale walked through her apartment staring at all of the things inside. He seemed to be surprised that she had such a large apartment for someone who lived alone. She showed him into his room and told him that she would take him shopping for clothes so he could have something decent to wear instead of the rags he had on. He was happy to hear that, he hated the clothes he had on. She let Dale get settled down in front of the TV and within minutes he was asleep, taking a needed nap. Leslie made a hasty phone call to the doctor's office to make an appointment to get him checked out. Just by looking at him she could tell he had something wrong. He was underweight and under height. Her day care center job had given her a good glimpse as to what a child his age should look like even if he had short parents, Dale was smaller than he should have been for a four- year-old child. The doctor listened to the situation and her concerns. He didn't like what he was hearing either and agreed that it more than warranted a visit. It was rare to use it but sometimes being the sister of a multimillionaire philanthropist has its perks, he heard Leslie's name and immediately set up a consultation with a specialist to get a more in-depth look at Dale's smaller size. Dale slept most of the day. Leslie moved him from the couch to his bedroom and relaxed while he slept. Her niece and nephew Jaimie and Michael came by for a visit hoping to meet Dale but were disappointed that he was asleep. Jaimie correctly guessed what she was going to do on Monday and why she was doing it. Jaimie seemed to empathize with him without having talked with him. Both kept staring at him, trying their hardest not to mention his similarities to Claire but failed. Michael gave in and finally asked if the story was true, he may be Claire's brother. She didn't have the heart to lie, she told him exactly what she told his great aunt and uncle-, "We don't know yet." Michael understood. He said he'd talk with Claire later about all of this, he was the only one who could. Will was a good friend and great boyfriend but this was a job for someone who had been through that before. The two left to go home for dinner but only made it as far as the porch before being forced to eat with Jorge and Victoria, they honestly expected to slip by but the elders would enjoy the company. Dale awoke shortly after and helped her make dinner. He seemed eager to please her, she had to keep reminding him that he was a guest and didn't have to do anything but he kept trying to help. She didn't have the heart to stop him, he needed to feel loved and contribute. She tried to ask him why he wanted to help, all she could get was a mumbled, "Mommy told me I had to earn my keep." That explained a lot. He had to work for his food! Poor kid probably never had a decent meal or stayed with someone who had his best interests at heart. He didn't deserve that life, he deserved a caring home. If Claire wasn't his sister then she was not going to let Dale get lost in the system. He needed a caring family and if she had to she would take him in as her own. Chapter 4 After all of the commotion the day before the next day was boring. Valerie was sorting through, "Next of kin" laws and other legal issues and her husband John Finn was busy working on what his students were going to learning in class that week. Jaimie was out for a walk with her boyfriend Richard while Miles Finn was out with his girlfriend Christina Connors at her house. Michael was essentially stuck babysitting his sister Cat and brother JD for his parents. He didn't mind, he needed to figure out how to help Claire with dealing with her shocking parentage. John wasn't his, "Real" dad but everyone knew that he was the best father they had ever met. Claire just finding out that the man whom she had called, "Daddy" wasn't her, "Real" dad meant Michael had to help her see the same about the man who raised her from a newborn. She knew where his biological father was, and he hoped that man stayed there for a long time. She, on the other hand, had no clue where her biological father was, only that he had lied to her mom about his name years ago and she had gotten a new father almost immediately. Valerie finally finished what she was doing and took the twins off Michael's hands, kissing him and telling him, "Good luck." She knew where he was going and why he had to do it. Claire was his friend and she needed help that day that only he could give. He rode his bike over and Lilly met him at the door with a big hug. She was on the verge of tears with gratitude saying thank you over and over again, all he could say was, "I'll try my best." He looked into Claire's room and he hated the sight before him. Claire looked extremely depressed, she wasn't wearing makeup and was only in a loose fitting t-shirt without a bra on and just wearing panties under it. Will and Michael's girlfriend Courtney would kill him if they knew he noticed her breasts but he couldn't help it if those things were flopping around in front of him. He was still a 14-year-old boy and she was only in a loose shirt showing her breasts with every movement of her body! Claire seemed to pull herself together as he knocked on her open door. She tried to apologize for being selfish, then started crying again. He hugged her tight, letting her know that he understood exactly what she was going through as well as showing that it wasn't anything to apologize for. He asked her what she knew about him and his, "Real" dad before the family had moved east to live in the Finns' hometown. She only knew that John wasn't his biological dad and that his mom had been abandoned by his dad before he was born. That was the crux of the story but he had to tell her the rest of it so she understood fully why he understood her best. He began, "Mom told me when I was 10 why I didn't have a dad like all of the other kids. When I heard who it was and tried to talk with him he kicked me out of his office and told me never to go near him again. I swore I would never want anything to do with him again after that. When he tried to frame dad and take away Jaimie he did it because he was jealous of what Dad was doing for mom and what he had missed out on and hoped to win mom back by showing that he was a better man that dad was. But he ended up losing everything when he tried to do that to dad, including his freedom. He lied in open court about dad, tried to make dad out to be a danger to people because of his past, then was exposed as having done that to many other people over the years when his files on people he wanted targeted was uncovered. He is in prison now for what he did to dad and others. Be glad you didn't have to live with that heartbreak. He didn't love you mother enough to stick around, your mom is lucky to have been rid of him. You had a real dad, not some sperm donor. Always remember who your real dad was!" Claire listened to every word closely. She understood. She hugged him and told him, "I'm so selfish, I was spared the pain that you went through. I had a great dad and you had to live without one for a long time until you got one that we all love and are jealous of." He couldn't help it, he burst into tears alongside her. After over two years of knowing her they finally had something in common besides Jaimie and it stunk, at least they understood each other's feelings and had something to bond over. She finally started to perk up and get back to normal, he was glad to finally help her come to terms with what happened. She realized she was hugging him with just a t-shirt on so told him to get out so she could change. He snickered and left and asked her mom what she would do if Dale was Claire's sister. Lilly tried to hide her fears but he could tell she hadn't thought about it yet. He asked, "Can you take Dale in so he can be with Claire?" Lilly didn't answer. Claire came in and said, "Mom we can't let him go. I don't want to lose another relative. If he is my brother I can't bear to think that I might never see him again." Lilly asked him what he would want if he found out he had another brother or sister. He tried to not think about this but all he could picture was someone who had the same thing done to them by his supposed, "Dad". He didn't want that to happen to someone again. He told her the honest truth, "I would want them with me but if that wasn't possible I'd want them to have a stable family. If that meant I'd never see them again I would be fine with that, just as long as I knew they were safe." Lilly went silent. Claire picked up on this and asked, "Would you take Dale in if there wasn't anyone better? I don't want him to go to someone who can't care for him." Lilly nodded, adding, "I couldn't let Dale go. He is your family and he needs you." He asked the obvious follow-up, "What if Dale isn't Claire's brother?" Lilly didn't answer. She tried to hide her fear but he didn't think she wanted them to know the answer. Claire didn't like this, saying, "He comes all this way to find me and he has nobody to help him. I hope you at least try to help him find a permanent home!" Claire burst into a stream of tears. She didn't even know the boy but she started to get sisterly towards him. Michael admitted to Claire, "I think Aunt Leslie is feeling the same way about Dale. I saw how she was looking at him, I don't think she would allow him to go into the system, I think she would want to adopt him as her own so he was around people he knew and trusted and who could offer him love." Lilly looked upset, Claire's outburst might have caused her to see the same thing and hearing that Leslie might want to adopt him made her look like she wanted to do the same. Claire and Michael exchanged looks, Dale had a choice of two homes no matter what happened. He'd have himself a new mother who was going to adopt him as her son- be it one with three siblings or as an only child. Chapter 5 Dale was quiet after dinner. He fell asleep fast and huddled into a ball at the foot of the bed like a dog instead of a child. It was heartbreaking for Leslie seeing this, he had a large full-size bed to himself yet he couldn't bring himself to sleep in the middle as any sensible person would do. Leslie kept the front door open and went downstairs to the porch to talk with her aunt and uncle. They were waiting for her to come outside, it was past the normal time they would turn in for the night and it was obvious they needed the truth from her. The two were kind enough to wait until she was ready to tell them the whole story before asking questions. Their first was obvious- was he Claire's brother? Leslie couldn't answer that yet. They looked so much alike it was startling and for them to come out and say it meant they were sure themselves. Leslie wanted to wait until she had the truth, they deserved nothing less from her as did Claire and Lilly. Their next question shocked her- what would she do if he wasn't her brother? She was honest to them, she wanted Dale to have a home with people who loved him and if it meant going elsewhere she would rather have that than have him stay in foster care. If that wasn't likely she would want him to remain with her even if she had to adopt him herself. She hoped Lilly saw in him something that would want her to adopt him, it might be best for all if she did. She knew Claire well enough to know she was starting to think that he needed an experienced mom and a younger family than what Leslie had. Jaimie, Michael, Miles, Bryan, and Hannah are great but that is nothing compared to having siblings. Victoria saw her face and smiled. She knew what Leslie was thinking without saying it. Jorge nodded in agreement, saying simply, "He isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Why doesn't Claire and he get together so they can get used to one another? Lilly will do the right thing for him." She had to excuse herself, it was getting a bit much for her. Her family was supporting her no matter what she did but it was going to be the hardest thing she ever did. Caring for a child in need was what she had always done but to go out and adopt one in need was something else entirely, but she felt that it was what was best if Lilly chose not to take in Dale as her son. Dale slept until mid-morning. Leslie didn't want to wake him, he needed the rest and he looked like he had never slept that well before let alone in a place that had enough space to stretch out. It was tough to see him curled like an animal but she kept from trying to move him lest she upset him. When he did finally come into the living room he looked around scared then remembered where he was. He looked up at Leslie and smiled, he remembered she was nice and he was safe with her. He didn't say anything, all she could utter was a simple, "I'll give you your breakfast in a second. I waited for you to wake up on your own, you needed the rest." She ushered him over to the kitchen table and set some cereal down for him then juice and milk. He dug in fast and hard and finished in minutes. He drank both glasses fast then took all of the dishes to the sink and started cleaning them. She rushed to stop him but he was already done. Leslie had to hold her tongue at seeing this, this was more than instinct: this was ingrained conditioning. She sat him down and told him, "You don't have to clean up, you don't have to do any work for your food. You are a guest here and you are under my care. I am not going to withhold your food or make you sleep at the foot of the bed. You don't have to do the dishes or prepare food if you don't want to, you are too young to be forced to do any of those things. It's my job to do them for you. I cook, I clean, I set your bedtime, I help you bathe- it's part of the job of being a parent." He started to cry, he thought that she was mad at him for breaking her rules. She held him tightly and quietly assured him, "I'm not mad at you for doing those things, I just don't want you to feel that you need to do those things in order to be able to live here. If you want to do them I am proud to have the help but you don't have to do them if you don't want to." She asked him about the sleeping issue. He quietly told me, "Mommy and I had to share a small bed and that was the only space for me. People kept saying I was a little puppy because I had to sleep there. If I tried to sleep anywhere else they would beat me and make me sleep outside. Mommy's friends thought it was funny to do that and mommy let them do it." She felt a rage building up inside her, quietly thinking, "Oh the poor child." That was seriously screwed up. She hugged him tight again and assured him, "You don't have to worry about any of that, you can sleep wherever you like but I'd prefer that you sleep in the bed. That is your bed and you can sleep in the middle or off the side or turned around to face the wall, it's your bed now." He hugged her back, he understood that she cared about him and really wasn't upset after all. They went outside for a long walk. He held her hand tightly as they passed by anyone. She got a lot of weird looks from people over Dale's presence but those who actually knew her got the gist of the whole situation and let them have their privacy. If she wanted to tell them she would have done so so they were more than willing to let things go for the Dale's sake. He was quiet for much of the walk, only really asking a couple of questions. He loved that people were kinder there, they weren't as rude to each other and weren't knocking each other over to get where they needed to go. She smiled and told him the truth, it was just a Sunday morning and that happens there a lot and that people were kind because they knew her and her uncle and didn't want to risk upsetting him. He seemed to understand why, but he was still smiling nonetheless. After an hour he started to get tired so they walked home. He was happy to get out and see the new city even if it was just the neighborhood. Dale was tired and went upstairs to take a nap, the excitement was a lot to take and being small he burned through all the breakfast energy faster than expected. His small size was definitely not natural. Leslie had made this same walk with her niece and nephew before and they had lasted almost as long as Dale and both were 15 months old. Dale needed that checkup badly, especially given this new bit of information. Victoria relayed the neighborhood was abuzz over Leslie's guest but nobody was going to question the reason why he was here. Leslie told her to ask them for some privacy, Dale needed it. Jorge spread the word about Dale, if he was asking you to do something then it wasn't a question- it was a statement and one to be followed. Anyone who dared to defy it would not want to live peacefully in the neighborhood for long; Dale and Leslie would be left alone by everyone, they would give, "Hellos" but weren't going to be interrogated by anyone. Chapter 6 Dale slowly started to realize that Leslie was a nice lady. She fed him and took care of him like nobody else had before. His mommy was too busy with her friends to care for him unless he was really sick. She didn't like doing that either, making him stay inside all day and saying he was costing her money. He hated when she was like that, it made him feel like he was a burden on her and not a real child. Leslie's uncle was funny to him. Jorge kept making him laugh and teased her a lot. Her aunt was nice, she didn't let him make fun of her and made him look funny for trying. They tried hard to make Dale feel better, he liked them a lot more than anyone else he had ever met. They were fun and he hoped they weren't just being nice because he was with Leslie. Leslie took him shopping after his nap. She told him that she didn't like the clothes that he had on and wanted him to have something new especially clothes and shoes which actually fit him. She said his clothes were too small and his shoes were too ruined to wear anymore, they had to go in the garbage. She also said he needed a good jacket because it was going to get cold soon and he couldn't go out without one or he would get sick. His mom never bought him any clothes, whatever he had she took from a thrift store without paying. His mom didn't like to take him anywhere so he spent his time at home cleaning up messes while his mom met with friends. He didn't know what they were talking about behind her bedroom door, only hearing men grunting and her screaming. They left after giving her some money, not saying anything to her or him but looking happier. When they went into the store Leslie told him to pick out whatever he liked. He ran right for the clothing racks and picked out some pretty shirts that featured cats and Disney princesses. She didn't say anything about what he chose, just gave him a weird look and asked: "Is this what you really want?" He looked down at the clothes and didn't notice anything wrong with them, in his view they fit him and were comfortable. Leslie knelt down and told him, "These are clothes normally worn by girls, are they what you really want to wear?" He nodded, saying, "They are pretty and I like how they feel." Leslie simply nodded then asked, "Is it OK if I find you some clothes normally worn by boys? Some people may not like that you are wearing girls clothing. I will get these as well so you feel comfortable." He nodded, he guessed she wanted him to be OK in case someone said something. He asked her, "What are you going to say if someone asks why you are buying girls clothes?" He was legitimately concerned about that, he didn't want to cause trouble for her and make her mad at him. Leslie smiled and said, "I have a niece that's growing pretty fast, I'll just say that they are all for her. I am not going to stop you from wearing girls clothes if you feel that you need to. And I know someone who might be able to help you if you do indeed feel that way. She is a doctor who deals with kids who feel that way. Would you speak with her about that? She speaks with kids feeling like that every day." He smiled at hearing that, Leslie understood him. She wasn't mad at him and she was only trying to help him. His mom would have yelled at him and made him work off the cost of the clothes but Leslie was spending her money on him on something he needed and something he wanted. They went back to her house and she called someone on the phone. Dale couldn't hear her but he thought she was talking about him. She sounded afraid, he ran to her and hugged her to make her feel better. He didn't want her to be mad or scared for him because he wanted to wear girls clothes. Leslie explained to him what was going on: her brother was on the phone and he was going to see about helping him with the clothes situation by having him talk with the special doctor. She told him that there could be something wrong with him that might be explained but first he needed to see a special doctor about it, the doctor she told him about before. She again explained the doctor was a nice lady who helped kids like him find out who they are, and if they were boys who were meant to be girls or girls who were meant to be boys she would help them start becoming what they had to be. He didn't know what she meant. He only understood that he needed to see a special doctor. But Leslie was so nice to him that if she said he needed to go then he was going to go for her. He wanted her to be happy and that would make her happy. Chapter 7 Dale was turning into an enigma to Leslie. He was a bright child but had a lot of problems going on for him. This new gender issue might be just the tip of the iceberg. At least the family knew about it early, with Dr. Eliza's help they could nip it in the bud and help Dale become what Dale needs to be, whether it will be as a boy or as a girl. John was quick to help and asked Dr. Samuels to oversee Dale's exam the next day. He was more than willing to jump at the chance to help the family out especially with such a young child involved and his experience with tough cases like Dale's. They didn't tell him about the gender issue, this was something they wanted to know about first before they let him in on it. Dale and Leslie ate a late dinner, he kept close to her during the evening and until it was time to sleep he only let her out of his sight to go to the bathroom. He didn't do it for attention, she thought he was scared for her because of the phone call to John. He kept looking at her to see if she was upset at him but she kept a stoic expression and didn't let on that she was scared of what might happen to him. When he was asleep Leslie crept downstairs to talk with Victoria. She had a sneaky suspicion that his mother wasn't exactly the best mother towards him. The way he acted it was almost as if he wanted to protect her from herself. Jorge suspected she might have been involved in some illicit things, either drugs or prostitution. The way he acted it had to be one or both, he wanted Leslie to be safe and all she had done was show him compassion and understanding. In the morning she woke Dale up early. He ate his meal quickly and drank both glasses of juice before she had even had a chance to sit down to eat her own. She asked him softly to wait a bit before she helped him get dressed, hoping this would calm him a bit. Dale listened and sat back down, but kept a close watch on her. She tried to eat as fast as she could knowing he was anxious, almost bouncing in anticipation. Dale sensed that she was hurrying for him and calmed down, but he was still fidgeting in his chair. She picked out his clothes and left the room so he could get dressed. He didn't try to put on the girl clothes, accepting that there was a reason why she put him in boys clothes for the day. She explained to him exactly why before he could give her a forlorn look, "We are going to have you examined by some doctors, one of which is a close friend of my family. They want to know why you are so small for your age and will try to help you grow bigger." Dale understood. She added, "We will be seeing the special doctor tomorrow, she will talk with you about the clothing issue. I promise that you will like her, my niece sees her and she swears that the doctor is an amazing person. We trust her to help you." They left quickly and drove over to the hospital in Boston where Dr. Samuels worked. He spent some time examining Dale along with the help of the endocrinologist that was there to observe. They didn't like what they saw and were hoping that she was simply being a hypochondriac but she was right that he was smaller than he should have been for his size. When he was done with the examination Dr. Samuels looked closely at the two of them and asked to take a sample of Leslie's DNA. He said it was needed for a second test that he felt that she was going to ask for in the near future if his hunch was right. He said he had obtained Claire's DNA from her the day before and then took a small sample from Dale with him explaining to Dale why he needed it and what was going to be done. Dale understood fully and was proud to let him take the sample. They told Leslie Dale was undersized due to undernourishment. With proper food intake he should start growing to normal size soon and in time he would gain some additional height and weight. They gave her a prescription for medication that would help start his growth. He would likely still be smaller than most boys, his stunted growth might not be overcome for several years if ever and he would be lucky to achieve average height for a male. That was the first of the news, there was more news that shocked her and needed a lot more help than she could give. She needed to talk with Anne fast, Dale had a problem that went beyond the normal foster parent/child relationship and might lead to a major showdown in the courts. Chapter 8 Leslie sounded seriously disturbed when she called Anne after Dale's exam. Anne didn't expect her to call her at all, but it sounded serious. Anne rushed over to Leslie's apartment as fast as she could. hoping that whatever was going on wasn't serious. Dale was sitting in his room playing with some toys when Anne arrived. Leslie sat her at the kitchen table and gave her the results of the exams. She wasn't at all surprised that Dale was undersized and underweight and could understand why he was that way, but the other news was a complete shock. Dale wasn't a normal boy. By the doctors' examination, Dale wasn't even a boy. Dale was intersexed and may be female internally or a mixture of both sexes. To Anne that was epic. She could see trouble ahead for the five of them, especially as it was a touchy subject for DCF. Dale would need an operation and as he is a ward of the state that would be tricky to get approved even with pressure from John on the hospital to allow it. Leslie explained that Dr. Samuels could see that Dale had both sets of privates and that Dale's male parts were smaller to the point of being useless if there were any internal working parts at all. He used the phrase, "Ambiguous genitalia" to describe what was going on down with Dale's genitals but really it was malformed and enlarged female parts that gave the appearance of male. They wouldn't grow much more due to being female instead of male and if Dale had received proper medical care when he was born the problem would have been surgically corrected. Dale had suffered from that medical error due to his mother's issues and outright apathy towards his well-being. Anne asked what Leslie knew about Dale's home life before the bus ride. She explained what she, her uncle, and her aunt suspected and judging by Dale's reaction the previous night and in the store, it wasn't a good one. The woman sounded unfit and likely a danger to Dale. Anne asked Dale to come into the room. Dale reluctantly came in and saw Leslie sitting down he went right for her, holding onto her tightly trying hard to defend her from Anne. He tried to get in front of her as if protecting her, he had a look of fear in his eyes that Anne was going to hurt Leslie. That all but confirmed her suspicion without a word- he cared about her immensely. Anne calmly asked Dale why he did that. Dale quietly said, "Mommy used to have meetings with guys and they would sometimes hit her until she gave them money. She would have meetings at other times with guys who would give her money after they yelled and screamed and moaned. I don't want you to hurt Leslie, I don't want you to yell at her and hit her like mommy was hit." This was becoming almost crystal clear to Anne. She asked him if his mom acted funny after the guy who hit her left. He mumbled something about her smoking something then walking strange and finally stumbling into things and passing out on the bed. She wouldn't wake up for several hours so he had to eat cold cereal and bread while she slept. She asked him about the bus ride to Boston. He told her the man he was with was hired by his mom's friend to take him all the way to Boston and left him on the bus as soon as it arrived. He said mom gave him the money to send him to find Claire, that she would help him. Anne understood exactly what he was saying. His mother was a prostitute and a drug addict. The poor kid had never seen anyone act like a decent person towards someone else before and was only trying to protect Leslie out of fear that Anne would hurt her even if she had no intention of doing that. She finally asked Dale about the clothes. He grew scared then told her that he liked the look and feel of them and always wanted to wear them. He looked at her concerned, she whispered, "It's alright. I understand. We will introduce you to someone who was like you. Or at least had those feelings. You aren't actually like her, you are really a girl inside but she wasn't blessed with the parts that you have." Leslie and Anne drove over to Leslie's brother's home and talked with Valerie. Valerie needed to help Leslie out more than ever. Anne feared that whatever happened with Dale would end up in a courtroom with Valerie and her parents fighting for Dale. It would get ugly and end badly for whomever was on the other end of the battle, but Dale would get what he or she needed. Valerie pulled Dale aside and asked about his mom. She asked him what happened to her and why she gave him the note. Dale got quiet and said, "Mommy didn't wake up one morning. The man who came around to collect money from her told me I had to leave and gave me the paper that he said mommy gave him in case something happened to her. He had mommy's friend take me to Boston." Valerie and Anne shared the same look. She was dead and with no father to claim him Dale was all alone. Dale asked what happened to her, Valerie held him tight and said, "You mommy has died, that's why she sent you to find Claire. She wanted you to have a new family who could care for you. She wanted you to have a new life and we will make sure that happens for you." Dale started to cry but stopped when he saw Leslie. He ran to her and held her tight. Leslie picked him up and held him tight until he stopped crying. She was the closest he had to a family member until the DNA tests came back. If they were negative this could turn ugly for Dale as it was just another in a long string of disappointment in his young life. Anne told Valerie about what the doctors had said and what Dale admitted that he was feeling before the tests. She nodded in agreement, this was going to be a big problem. Anne asked that she start the paperwork to get Leslie or Lilly assigned as Dale's guardian permanently, this was going to be a long, drawn-out process and Dale needed a home with people who understood. Lilly called Anne just as Valerie started the paperwork. She asked to come by as soon as possible. Anne suspected that she already had her answer as to what was going to happen to Dale permanently. Valerie smiled and nodded adding, "Michael called her on it already, she either is going to ask to adopt Dale or ensure that Leslie adopts him. Either way, Dale has a home and loving family." Chapter 9 Valerie, Anne, Leslie, and Lilly had an impromptu meeting in the Finn home. Dale was playing with the twins on the floor but was listening to what the four adults were talking about. Cat tried her best to keep his attention, JD tried to show he was a big boy like him but kept failing to keep up the act much to Dale's amusement. JD loved making him laugh so he continues on doing it for fun. Leslie told Lilly what the doctor had said and what Dale was feeling about clothing, all but confirming to them that he was really a girl inside. Lilly sighed as she thought about what was going on. Dale already had enough problems now he had a genetic disorder and gender issues? The poor kid didn't deserve that kind of drama, let alone the issues with possibly being Claire's brother or rather- her sister. Valerie asked if Lilly had given Michael's questions much thought. She hung her head in shame and admitted, "I tried to find every reason possible not to go through with it but I can't find one that I could live with. I can't let him go into the system, especially not now. Dale needs a family even if Claire isn't his biological sister. I don't want him to be hurt any more than he already has been." Leslie smiled and said, "I figured you would do the right thing. If you weren't going to I was going to do it. But Dale needs siblings and you can give him that. He belongs with you." Valerie asked if Lilly was serious about that, she looked down at Dale and couldn't help but feel a love for him. He needed them all and she didn't want to break his heart. Claire would understand why she was doing it, Michael made it clear that she wasn't alone and Lilly know Claire's brothers would tell her exactly what they told Lilly when she adopted them as her own. Lilly called Dale over and asked him, "How would you feel if I became your new mommy?" He looked at Leslie who nodded. He asked, "What about Leslie?" Leslie smiled and said, "I want you to have a good family, one that has more than just me. I'll always be around you, but you'd have Claire and her brothers there for you. You will never be rid of me, not with your new sister being so close with Jaimie, Michael, and Miles." Dale looked at Lilly and didn't say anything. She didn't know if he didn't want the adoption or if he was deciding if it was alright. He crept away and held onto Leslie tight. Valerie and Anne looked at him in astonishment, he didn't want to leave Leslie's side. Leslie leaned down and picked him up, holding him in her arms and said, "I'll always be your aunt, just as I'm Claire's aunt. Lilly needs you as much as you need her, I know you are scared about what'll happen to you and I but she is the nicest person that you will ever meet and has the nicest family. You will be safe with her, you are better off with her as your mother." Dale let go and finally said, "Alright, I'll do it for you, Leslie." Anne asked him if this was what he truly wanted, Dale didn't answer. He needed time to let it process. He had latched onto Leslie and saw her as safe, Lilly was new to him and to ask him if he wanted to go with the new person that he didn't know all that well wasn't what he needed at that time. Anne turned her attention to the medical issue. She asked Dale to sit at the table while they talked about something important. Dale looked scared but Leslie and Lilly assured him he was alright. Anne asked him if he felt he was a girl. Dale looked stunned then tried to say no only to mumble a, "Yes." Valerie nodded and asked, "Do you know the difference between boys and girls?" Dale let out a quiet, "Just that they wear different clothes and boys don't have boobies." Anne told him softly, "Things are more than just boobs and clothes, you have different parts between the legs. The doctor you saw today found something about you that makes you special, you were born not like other boys or girls and something should have been done about it when you were born to correct the problem. You were born with what looks like boy parts but are really girl parts. You are a girl- not just because of how you feel but internally. What you felt was the real you coming out." Dale looked happy. He asked, "I can be a girl?" The question was innocent but it caught them off guard. Dale was hoping for a solid answer, this was something he had been thinking about ever since Leslie told him about getting him help after the shopping trip. All four of them looked at each other and smiled. He jumped ahead of where they were going with the discussion. Lilly leaned in and said softly, "We will have to have you looked at by a special doctor and get their opinion. The doctor Leslie is taking you to see tomorrow will help you figure out if you are supposed to be a boy or a girl so you match. I know you feel that you are a girl already but what she hears and decides could make what happens with the special doctor a lot easier. She will know if your feelings are real or if they were due to your privates not being right. But we think you really are a girl, both in body and spirit." Dale cheered. They couldn't believe how much he had changed in a few seconds but he seemed a lot happier and less anxious. Valerie was on the verge of weeping, saying, "I always wanted to know what John felt when Jaimie and he found out she was transgender officially, I guess I know now. It's hard not to feel that this is best for Dale even with Dr. Eliza's diagnosis." Leslie hugged Dale. Dale was crying tears of joy as they hugged. Anne nodded happily, the meeting had gone a lot better than expected. Leslie and Lilly talked about what to do next. Lilly asked that Claire come over to help for a bit so the two could get to know one another. Leslie asked that Lilly let the boys know about Dale and what was going on but leave out the gender issue. Valerie insisted that as soon as Dale got the answers from Dr. Eliza that Dale lived as Dale saw fit. Anne then pointed out that they might have an issue with the doctors. Dale would need to have surgery to correct the problems especially since school would be an issue. Valerie would do some research into the problem and if need be she would force the doctors to perform the medically necessary work, even if she had to use John's monetary prowess to do so. John would agree with her there, he didn't like to toss money around or use it to threaten but for a child he would- especially a child of family members. Chapter 10 Dale and Leslie went home and ate dinner with Victoria and Jorge. Dale didn't try to help cook or clean, Victoria saw to it that he was distracted the whole time. When they were called to eat Dale looked at the food and got scared, Jorge just pointed to a chair and signaled for him to sit. Leslie whispered, "He never lets anyone help cook, he would never let you help even if you begged. It's been his rule since I was your age. Only Aunt Victoria is allowed to help him cook, and she only does certain things." Dale looked at Jorge who nodded. He got the hint, he didn't have to do anything for them. He hesitated at the sight of a large amount of food but when Leslie dug in to eat he started as well. He was slow and methodical but he ate the whole plate of food. He was smiling as he ate, he clearly liked it. Jorge laughed at his expression, saying, "Are you sure he isn't related to you? He's eating just like you kids used to eat." Dale said softly, " mom said that my dad said once never say no to a plate of rice." Jorge and Victoria looked at each other then looked at Leslie, they had heard someone say that before but couldn't place who said it. He was local, someone they had all encountered before and someone who had clearly eaten similar food. They were starting to narrow the list of possible fathers down, and this just made the list much shorter. Dale and Leslie sat down for an evening of watching TV. He wasn't tired, he had a lot of energy to burn off and his anxiety about his appointment the next day was evident. He just watched in silence while Leslie would occasionally laugh at some lame joke that he didn't understand. He wasn't really paying attention, only enjoying being close to Leslie. After an hour of watching he couldn't fight anymore and fell asleep in Leslie's arms. She lifted him up and put him up onto the bed, draping the blankets and sheets over him so he wouldn't get cold. To her surprise, he didn't move. He spent the whole night in the same spot in the middle of the bed. In the morning she had Dale take a shower. She handed him everything he'd need and told him to call her when he was finished. She stayed close by, he may be old enough to shower on his own but wasn't quite big enough to stay out of trouble. Years of helping her brothers and both sets of twins had honed her skills at helping a little kid show and leaving them alone but stay close by. Thankfully he didn't need help and didn't get into any trouble. He did make a little bit of a mess but since all of the water was inside the tub and there weren't a dozen towels on the floor it was a big improvement over what his niece Hannah used to do at his age. She was a total slob, the exact opposite of her brother who was clean and tidy. She let him choose what he wanted to wear that day. Dr. Eliza wasn't about to judge Dale for what he chose to wear especially if it was girls' clothing. Dale smiled and rushed into the room to choose the clothes, calling her in after a few minutes to show off his selections. As expected, Dale chose a skirt with leggings and Disney Princess t- shirt. She smiled and nodded in approval, he wanted to wear that and it matched perfectly so there wasn't anything she could say that wouldn't make him sad or fearful. It did look cute on him and with his long hair, it was hard to think of him anything except a little girl while wearing that. Dale thanked her for not getting mad at him. She hugged him and told him exactly why she did it, "You are going to see a special doctor today about this and this will only prove that you want to be a girl. You chose this on your own and by the look on your face you put a lot of thought into it. I can't say anything against you wearing it, this is what you need to do and I already said I would help you with it. Besides, you are very pretty in it and with a little trim you would be unmistakable as a girl." He softly asked about Lilly and Claire and what they thought. She sat him down and told him the truth, "You met Mrs. Finn, my sister-in-law, twice now, but you haven't met her daughter Jaimie. She was like you, she wanted to become a girl. She didn't have a problem with her private parts that you have, she had boy parts that were regular parts. But she needed to become a girl and we all love and support her for it. You are a special person so we would never let you be what you didn't want to be. We would be doing something bad and Jaimie would never forgive us for it." Dale understood. She told him, "You will meet Jaimie. She has an appointment before yours and my brother will wait until yours is done so he can talk with us about it. He'd want to know what's going on with you and how he can help us." Dale was now eager to go to the appointment. She had to calm him down several times including taking him for a walk. She styled his hair so it looked different in case someone said something about his change but knowing Jorge was helping her they wouldn't dare say something out in the open or that could get back to him. Plus it was hard to mistake Dale for anything other than a girl with his long hair and cheerful demeanor especially wearing his skirt and leggings. John was waiting for them when they arrived. Jaimie was inside with Dr. Eliza for her appointment so Dale had a short wait until he could meet her. Dale understood why she wasn't there at the time so sat down quietly and waited. John introduced himself to Dale who seemed to notice their resemblance. Dale asked, "Are you her brother?" to which John nodded and said, "Unfortunately for her, yes." Dale smiled at the joke then sat quietly until Jaimie's appointment ended. When Jaimie came out she immediately ran over to Dale and hugged him. Dale looked at Leslie asking without saying if that was Jaimie. She nodded and he hugged back. Jaimie let him go so they could go inside but sat down to wait until Leslie and Dale were finished talking with Dr. Eliza, not wanting to miss being there for Dale. Dr. Eliza introduced herself and went through a series of questions with Dale. Dale quietly answered them, looking at Leslie to see if she approved or disapproved of what was being said. She had to assure him several times that it was alright, that she was not judging him either way and to answer truthfully no matter what. Leslie could tell that Dale was trying to hide his true feelings, she nodded at Dr. Eliza and told Dale that she was going to go outside and talk with John and that whatever was said inside to Dr. Eliza she was not going to be told so he could answer the doctor however he felt as long as it was the truth and she would never know what he actually said. Dr. Eliza picked up on what she was doing and mouthed a quick, "Thank you" as she left. John asked her what was going on but Jaimie answered for her, saying, "Dale doesn't want to answer truthfully for fear of how Aunt Leslie would react. She left so Dr. Eliza could get real answers. She'll be called back in a few minutes to talk with her." Leslie knew she was a smart girl but darn it she was almost a psychic at times. She nodded and smiled saying, "If you don't go into psychology or at least some sort of criminal profiling you are wasting your talents. Dr. Jaimie Samuels, PhD. has a nice ring to it." Jaimie blushed at what she had just said. John almost collapsed in fear, she had jokingly married Jamie off to Richard Samuels, Junior without his approval! It was a forgone conclusion that they were going to be married but it was still tough for John to hear that. Chapter 11 Leslie left Dale alone with the doctor so he could speak freely with her. He was scared but Dr. Eliza explained why Leslie left the room. He wasn't telling her the truth, he was just trying to please Leslie. He told her that he didn't want to make her mad with what he said, but Dr. Eliza explained that in doing that he was hurting himself and that would make Leslie sadder than whatever he might say in front of her. She added that if she was anything like her brother she would understand that he needed to say some things that might be uncomfortable or make someone feel bad but as long as he was honest she would be happy that he told the truth and didn't lie just to make Leslie happy. He agreed to answer truthfully from then on. She asked why he was dressed in girls clothes so he told her about the shopping trip and telling Leslie that liked girls clothes and how he had felt about them as he had learned about their differences. He told her that he didn't like how boys clothes felt between his legs and how they scuffed his skin and made his privates feel hot and sticky. She asked if he had worn girls clothes before, he blushed and told her that his mom gave him some to wear once and took them away from him when someone said he wasn't wearing boys clothes and that he looked too much like a girl to be caught wearing them as he'd get mistaken for one. Dr. Eliza realized that it was more than just clothes by the way he was talking about them. She asked if he felt like he should be a girl. He told her that he wanted to be a girl because he didn't like how boys acted especially the guys her mother knew and he didn't like how his mom was treated by men and how women were always nicer to him than men. He told her that everyone thought that he was a girl because his hair was always so long and he didn't want to correct them, he liked that he looked like a girl. He said he wished that he really was a girl so he didn't have to stop pretending and could wear the clothes he liked or look pretty all of the time. Dr. Eliza wrote the reaction down then asked about his private parts. He honestly didn't know what she was talking about, but he admitted, "Leslie, my new mom, Mrs. Finn, and Mrs. Connors told me I was special because I had a boy's outside but a girl's inside. I don't want both, I don't want boy parts at all. I want to be a real girl, not some boy who acts like a girl. I wish I was a girl completely." Dr. Eliza looked at him funny. He told her, "Doctors looked at me yesterday and said that I had both. My new mom said I was special and would love me not matter what but I don't know what they meant. I don't want to be special, I want to be a real girl. I want what girls have, not what boys have." Dr. Eliza asked for Leslie to come in and asked her about what he said for a further clarification. She told her, "Dale was born with a deformed clitoris and labia. Apparently, this wasn't noticed until we had a real doctor look at her until yesterday. Dale is technically intersexed from what I was told, but as you probably know now is leaning heavily on the female side mentally. Internally Dale can be female but further checks are needed to ensure that it's the truth." Dr. Eliza asked him if he felt like he was a girl. He firmly told her, "I want to be a girl. I don't want to be a boy. I hate boys." Leslie calmed him down while Dr. Eliza wrote some notes. She told Leslie and him, "I'd start picking out a new name for her, Dale doesn't quite fit a cute little girl like her. It's a girl's name but she should be able to choose her own name." Dale looked at Leslie who smiled back at him. Dr. Eliza said Dale was a girl! Dale was going to be a girl and the newly dubbed she could choose what she wanted to be called! Leslie led the newly dubbed her out to where Leslie brother and Jaimie were sitting. She went back inside with Dr. Eliza while Jaimie sat Dale next to her. She started to tell her, "Dr. Eliza knows how to tell if you are really feeling what you believe you are feeling. She will help you." She hugged her deeply while her dad hugged her as well. She waited with them until Leslie came out, Jaimie looking over at her a lot and was smiling. She didn't need to be told what Dr. Eliza had said, it was pretty obvious from Dale's reaction what the diagnosis was. Dale was a girl. Chapter 12 When Dale sat down with Jaimie Dr. Eliza and Leslie went to her office to talk for a few minutes about Dale. Leslie told her about why Dale was with her and what her connection to Claire may be. She told her that their friend Lilly was going to take Dale in no matter what happened. She nodded and agreed, she understood Dale was safe with people who understood all about her situation. She asked about the intersex situation to which Leslie said: "Valerie is looking into it, she will need surgery to remove the vestigial parts and open her vagina so she could lead a normal life but it might be a problem since she isn't in a permanent home yet and the adoption could take months." Dr. Eliza asked who they had working in our favor. Leslie explained, "Dr. Samuels who examined Dale and is familiar with our family, Anne Connors who is Dale's social worker, and Valerie. John has offered his financial clout to force things if need be but we don't want it to come to that." She cocked her head for a second trying to remember Dr. Samuels. Leslie smiled and said, "You him through Jaimie. You met his son last June, Richard Samuels, Jr. He's Jaimie's boyfriend. You also met Anne Connors, Jenna Connors' mother, that same night. The same is true of Lilly Peterson and Claire." She laughed at the realization. Leslie told her, "It was pure coincidence that he was working when I made the appointment but knowing that Dale is among us he is going to help her any way possible. He would have insisted on her being his patient as the other kids and teens are." Dr. Eliza told her she'd give her support. This was a serious matter now. Dale already expressed her anti-maleness stance so she would be vehemently supporting her surgery and having it done as soon as possible for both her mental health and her physical protection. When they went back into the waiting room Dale and Jaimie were talking quietly while John was working on his classwork. John asked if everything was alright, Leslie only nodded saying, "Dr. Eliza is going to support what needs to be done with her. Dale just needs to get a new name. As much as she may be used to being called it, she isn't really much of a Dale now." They parted ways in the parking lot with Jaimie saying she'd keep her mouth shut about what the doctor said. This was something Dale would have to tell others on her own. Dale smiled at hearing, "Her" and, "She" and almost dragged Leslie into the car in happiness. At home, Leslie explained to her what the doctor had meant. She was giving her her blessing, meaning she believed that Dale was born a girl despite what her private parts may look like. Dale seemed to understand some of it but she had to explain further which was tough given that Dale was so young and it was something you just don't talk about with a little kid. She tried to change the subject and asked her, "Dale is a nice name but since you are going to be a whole new person you should choose your name. You can still be Dale but I thought you might like to have a say in the matter and choose the name yourself. It's your choice." She looked up at her and smiled, saying, "I want to be Daisy. I love those flowers and if my new mom is going to be Lilly I should be named after a flower as well." Leslie called Valerie and Anne to tell them what had happened. Both wanted to meet with Lilly to get her input. All four of them plus Claire met at Lilly's house shortly thereafter. Lilly was the first to notice Daisy's clothes and smiled. Daisy said proudly, "I picked them out myself." The ladies all smiled at hearing that. Valerie sat them all down and asked her, "What did the doctor say?" Daisy didn't miss a beat and proudly said: "I'm a girl and she is going to help me become one." Anne looked at Leslie. She nodded and added, "The two had a solo discussion about her wanting to be a girl and about her whole intersex issue. Dr. Eliza is standing behind her, she is adamant that she is a girl and the doctor agrees. She believes that it's going to get worse the longer she is forced to present as male. It may come down to her doing something horrible to herself if she can't have surgery to correct the issue. Plus school would be a major problem as it'd be tough to avoid issues and upsetting parents." Valerie asked if she had a recommendation regarding the surgery. Leslie nodded saying, "She strongly recommends it. Otherwise, it will only harm her. She is genuinely in fear that she may harm herself." Leslie looked over at Lilly and told her, "Dr. Eliza told her to pick out a new name and Dale has chosen one." Daisy smiled and said, "I'm not Dale anymore. I'm Daisy, Daisy Peterson." Lilly hugged her deeply followed by Claire. Daisy looked at Leslie concerned but all three of us were smiling at her. Leslie whispered, "You don't have to be scared of them, they are going to be your sister and mom after all." Valerie and Leslie discussed some concerns regarding the surgery. They were looking at a few weeks until the DNA tests would be back even if there was a rush placed on them. The adoption would take longer, and without a true next of kin they were risking losing her should someone take issue with her gender ambiguity and surgery. Leslie asked about the medical necessity part of the surgery. Valerie mumbled that the administrators would likely try to fight it despite the need. The doctors were behind her but the administrators didn't care about her health only, threats of a lawsuit and bad publicity over the perception of mutilating boys. They would get a lawsuit from her but she didn't want to do that unless she had to. Daisy heard what Valerie was saying and started crying. She mumbled, "I don't want to look like a boy anymore! I don't want to! I'll cut it off if I have to!" The five of them tried their best to calm her down but Claire picked her up and led her into her room out of earshot of the adults. She tried to do her best to be sisterly but it didn't seem to work. Anne wrote down her reaction and bluntly said, "Dr. Eliza will need to hear about this. This is no longer a medical issue, now it's a mental health and safety issue as she suspected it would eventually become. I don't doubt she wouldn't hesitate to mutilate herself to get rid of the excess parts." They all looked over at her in shock. This was going to be a war that they were going to have to fight and now it was going to be for more than her health, it was now for her safety and well-being. Chapter 13 Daisy cried for an hour in Claire's room. She hugged her and tried everything that she could think of to get her to calm down. She tried to get her to understand they were trying their hardest to ensure that she would be safe and get what she needs but Daisy feared the worst. Will came over and tried to help out. Daisy hugged him and wouldn't let go of him. He had the brilliant idea of going for a walk to calm her down while the adults talked. He didn't say anything about the clothes or that Claire was calling her by a different name. He told Claire, "Whatever is going on you will tell me when you feel I need to know. As long as she is happy then that is all that matters." Claire kissed him deeply. He understood what was going on and purposely said, "She" so Daisy knew he wasn't going to judge her. He was a perfect gentleman as always. Daisy hugged him and grabbed his hand as they walked along. Will talked very little during the walk but looked down at Daisy to see if she was feeling better which she certainly was judging by the small smile on her face. He knew what to do to get her feeling better and gave Claire some relief. When the trio reached Will's aunt and uncle's house Richard looked at Daisy then at Claire and Will and joked, "Aren't you two a little young to have kids?" Daisy started to laugh then said, "I'm her sister, not her daughter." Dr. Samuels came outside to watch. Daisy looked up at him then held onto Claire tight. Dr. Samuels asked them to come inside to talk, telling Richard to wait outside with Will. This was something that wasn't for their ears Richard didn't need to be told twice. Will told him simply, "This is not for us to hear, we are just outsiders for now." Dr. Samuels asked Daisy, "Did Dr. Eliza tell you the results?" Daisy nodded then said, "She said I'm a girl." Claire added, "She chose the name Daisy for herself." Dr. Samuels told her, "Now that that is cleared up you made my job easier. I'm going to try my hardest to help you, I know Anne, Valerie, and Leslie are going to do the same and Dr. Eliza will be adding her input as well. We don't know how long it will take but we hope to have all of this cleared up before Christmas, I'm sure your sister would agree?" He looked at Claire smiling. She looked at Daisy and said, "Mom will make sure it's special for you. Uncle John and Aunt Valerie will spoil you as well." Daisy looked at them in disbelief. She asked, "I get presents? I don't have to work for them?" They both looked at each other but didn't say anything. Leslie probably knew what she meant but that was beyond their comprehension. Claire only said, "Presents are never earned, they are given because you care about someone. Everyone you have met cares about you and I guarantee you will have a lot more than just us giving you presents." Dr. Samuels asked if they had plans for Thanksgiving, Claire told him, "Leslie and Daisy are going to be eating over at Aunt Valerie and Uncle John's house. Mom and I are staying home." Dr. Samuels smiled then said, "I don't think that's the plan anymore, I think you two are going to be with the Finns for dinner. I suspect Miles will be the only one not there now but you know how he is." Claire's phone rang and sure enough, her mom told her that they were invited to her Uncle John's house for Thanksgiving so Daisy could have a family meal with her new mother and sister. She smiled at Dr. Samuels and asked how he knew, he just said: "Valerie and John were not about to let the two of you eat alone, and Daisy needs more time with you." Claire understood the reasoning. They wanted them all together because Daisy needed them as much as she needed Leslie. It was classic John and Valerie Finn. Will was disappointed that the Petersons wouldn't be eating with his aunt and uncle that year but happy that Daisy was going to be with family. Daisy held his hand firmly during the walk home, smiling the whole way. Claire kissed him goodbye which Daisy giggled at. She smiled at her and said, "Just wait, 10 years and you will be doing the same thing." She shot Claire a mean look but started to laugh. Lilly heard them and started to laugh at the two of them acting like siblings without thinking about it. Chapter 14 Daisy was getting along well with Claire. The kiss just about made Lilly and Leslie lose themselves, the two were fighting like sisters and didn't realize it yet. Lilly whispered, "I think Will did that on purpose just to get a rise out of them. Remind me to thank him for that." Leslie tried her hardest to hide her smile but Daisy saw it and asked what was so funny. Leslie lost it, breaking down into a big laugh while Lilly did the same. Claire glared at them then mumbled to Daisy, "I think they heard what I said to you. My brothers said the same to me when I joked about kissing." Daisy blushed, Lilly finally pulled together and told them simply, "Leslie was only pointing out that you two are already acting like sisters and I just pointed out that I needed to thank Will for that kiss. You two really are getting along well which we are both proud of." Will winked at the two adults, it was definitely a set up by him and the girls fell for it. Claire rushed off inside in embarrassment at being setup. Daisy rolled her eyes and grabbed Leslie's hand to pull her home. She just kept silent, though. She didn't want to make things worse for either girl but it was just so sweet. Leslie wished Cat and Jaimie had more moments like that but it was a larger age difference. Victoria was outside when they arrived and waited for Daisy to go upstairs before Leslie said anything. She told her flatly that Daisy was her name now and that she was adamant that she not be thought of or referred to as a boy. Victoria nodded and left it alone, she knew not to say or do anything that would upset Daisy lest the family becomes outraged at her again for shooting her mouth off at a vulnerable child. She made that mistake before with Jaimie and wasn't about to do it again. Jorge came out and asked if she was alright, Leslie told them that Daisy needed surgery for the removal of excess parts but they were going to have a problem getting it done for her. They asked what she meant so she told them the truth, getting a cringe from both but they understood completely. Daisy came back down to see what Leslie was doing, she wasn't afraid of their reaction instead just sat down on the stairs. Jorge laughed, she was clearly comfortable there with them as she was with Leslie. Victoria gave her a drink and they just sat watching the neighborhood walk by without saying much of anything for several hours until it was dinnertime. During dinner, Leslie told Daisy the next day she would have to come with her to the daycare center so Leslie could get back to work. She was reluctant to go, but Leslie told her that she already knew Cat and JD and there were other kids there that she would be able to play with. She agreed but didn't want to let Leslie out of her sight. Melanie Lopez, her co-owner, knew about her situation by now and was prepared. Leslie called her anyway just to confirm. She was more than happy to accept Daisy and agreed to keep her with Leslie all day until she was confident enough to go with the other 4-year-old kids. Daisy enjoyed the next five days in daycare with Leslie. She was by her side for much of it but by the following Tuesday, she went with Melanie and the other 4-year-old kids. She listened to whatever Melanie said and got along well with the kids. It was like watching Daisy blossom into being a normal kid, after all that time being sheltered and scared. Daisy and the twins were inseparable whenever they were together. Cat and JD rarely had fun with other kids but with Daisy, they opened up and even let her lead them. Cat always had to have her way but Daisy made her give up some of that control. JD actually let her be in control, something he only ever did with his older brother Miles. Daisy tried to help with little DJ Lopez as much as she could. DJ seemed to like her, not even his older sisters Rebecca and Stacy could get him to laugh like Daisy had been doing. She even enjoyed helping change diapers, being the first to rush to him when he cried for one. Melanie couldn't stop looking at her, though. Leslie told her the situation but she still couldn't get over her close resemblance to Claire. And what is more, she kept looking at Leslie and Cat, whenever she was with either of them Melanie had trouble stopping her stare. The other parents were just as shocked as Melanie at Daisy's demeanor. They gushed at her politeness and her way with the babies. The older kids were indifferent but she had them acting better whenever she was around as if trying to copy her attitude and keep out of trouble. For the two days that they were going to be closed for Thanksgiving Melanie was going to allow Daisy to help out with DJ as a reward for being so well behaved. It was really for the older girls to meet her but Daisy didn't care about that, she wanted to meet them and play with DJ. When Leslie told her that the twins lived next door she was practically bouncing off the walls in happiness. She was going to have a fun two days with all of them. Chapter 15 With so many coming over Lilly went over to the Finn home earlier than normal so she could help with the cooking. Daisy slept in while the teens all went to the high school's football game, Miles pointed out that it wasn't right to subject her to the scrutiny of the other teens, parents, and the teachers yet. He had a point, he himself kept his distance from her to let her get used to the others as he wasn't sure what to think about her situation himself. After the game at the Finn home, the Petersons and Daisy got to see their tradition in action as John got kicked out of the kitchen and forced to keep an eye on the twins and the three teens. Miles slipped out to eat with the Connors family after giving Daisy a hug for encouragement. She seemed to understand him wanting to give her this moment especially after it was explained to her why he cared enough to do it earlier in the week. During the game itself, Jaimie and Stacy kept pumping Claire for information about Will and her long walk with Daisy that Richard had told her about. She told them already everything that happened but they didn't want to believe it was just a simple kiss. Finally, she told them, "He did it just so Daisy would say something about the two of us kissing. The weasel knew that she'd say something and mom and your aunt would say something about it. He wanted her to feel like a sister and got exactly the kind of response from her he was looking for. Mom and your aunt Leslie were watching the whole time. He staged it for them! He knew what she'd say and what I'd say back!" Jenna and Christina Connors and Jessica Nelson were all laughing at this. Will never acted that way so it was a big deal for them. Claire groaned and said, "Wait until Cat, JD, and DJ get old enough and you will have them doing the same thing. On second thought, you guys will all be married and have your own kids by then so it wouldn't matter one bit." Both Jaimie and Stacy clammed up. Courtney tried to stifle her own laugh but then realized that she was included in that family grouping thanks to Michael. They hadn't thought about those three doing the same thing Daisy did. Jenna finally broke the joke fest and asked when the rest of them were going to meet Daisy. Jaimie and Claire looked at each other then at Stacy, they were all seeing her later but that was a good question. Jaimie saved Claire the trouble and quietly said, "She needs time, she is going through a lot more than we can say at this time and meeting all of you could be too much too soon. Stacy is only meeting her because Aunt Melanie and Uncle Dan are coming over for dinner and she wants her to play with the twins and DJ more. Bryan, Hannah, and Aunt Karen are coming too so it'll be a lot of people there." Claire added, "We will ask if you could meet her on Saturday but it's up to Leslie and mom. If they say no then you will just have to wait. We may have to babysit her for them anyway." Courtney moved the conversation onto something else saving Claire and Jaimie from any further interrogation. She was set to meet Daisy the next morning when all of their moms went shopping. She was Claire's best friend so it pained Claire that she hadn't had the pleasure of meeting her new sister yet. She understood why and was willing to wait for Daisy's sake, it was the least she could do. The game was a big win and the boys gave the ladies all deep kisses after the game which made John groan. Jaimie, Stacy, and Claire complained that they were just giving them a reward which got him even more red and flustered. It was fun at times for them teasing the overprotective John. Michael finally came out of the locker room after a while and they went to John's house for dinner. Daisy ran out and hugged Claire as soon as they parked, making Stacy and Jaimie laugh at her. Michael hushed them, telling them to knock it off. The two looked at him and saw he was serious, Daisy needed to let her emotions out and didn't need them teasing the new sisters. Dinner would take a couple of more hours to finish so the four teens and kids were left to entertain themselves. Michael suggested they look at the photo albums which John quickly said no to making Michael rush to grab them which got Lilly and Valerie laughing. Daisy was cheering, she said she loved pictures and wanted to see what the fuss was about. They looked through two albums as Michael pointed out different people to Daisy. She looked at them sadly when she heard that some of them had passed away and others weren't happy with the family like the angry Victoria Williams. Claire had to bite her tongue as she remembered them from the previous November at, "Grandma" Finn's wake. She didn't like them. The more she heard about them the less she liked them. She had to tell Daisy that the ones not happy weren't nice people and wouldn't like her so she is better off never knowing them. She hugged her when she said that, Michael tried hiding a smile but he was happy too. In the last album, Daisy gasped then pointed at one of the photos saying, "That's my daddy! That's my daddy!" Michael looked closer and screamed, "DAD! MOM! AUNT LESLIE! COME SEE! NOW!" The three rushed into the room and saw who she was pointing at and swore. To Claire's huge surprise, John actually swore! They got on one knee and calmly asked Daisy, "Are you sure that is your daddy?" Daisy nodded and said softly, "Mommy had a picture of him and said he was my daddy." Valerie called Lilly to come over and showed her the picture. Lilly gasped in shock then said, "It's Reggie. It's Claire's real father. He doesn't look much different from when I last saw him." Claire looked up at the three of them and asked, "Who is he really? I know that's not his real name so he is he?" Leslie looked at the picture and asked Lilly, "Are you sure that is him? A lot of time has passed since that night and you did say you had a little to drink." Lilly said simply, "I'd know that face anywhere. They have his eyes, nose, and chin. All that is missing is his sly grin and it'd be dead on the money." Claire asked again, "Who is he really?" Leslie tried to avoid the question, only saying, "We need to wait for Karen and the twins. You need to hear this from all of us together." They sat in silence for several long minutes until Karen Finn and Bryan and Hannah Morris came inside. John told them to come into the living room immediately then told them what Lilly and Daisy had said. Karen swore loudly while Bryan and Hannah hugged Daisy and told her, "We are so sorry, you deserve better than him." Leslie sat down between Daisy and Claire then quietly said, "Reggie isn't his that man's real name. His real name is Roland Finn. He's our younger brother. He's both sets of twins' uncle, the black sheep of our family and the one person we would hope wasn't related to you in any way. I'm sorry, girls." Jaimie and Michael looked at each other then at John and Valerie who were both looking at Claire for a reaction. Claire jumped up and hugged John tightly, crying into his chest. John was really her Uncle John and Jaimie was really a cousin, not an honorary uncle and cousin. She couldn't be happier. Michael mumbled, "We better save this news from Miles. It's not the right time to tell him the man he hates with justified rage is their father. He already tries to stay away from Daisy as it is, he can't take the news well and not even Christina could quell his anger." John tried to make them feel better about all of this saying, "I guess you don't have to worry about having to explain why you call me Uncle John now" which eased the tension in the room. Daisy didn't understand what he meant but was happy to have a family now especially Leslie. She may not have been her mom but she was happy to have her as her aunt. Chapter 16 That news was unexpected and hit Lilly hard. The man whom she slept with only to have disappear on her all those years ago was the younger brother of the man who was the best father she had ever met. And a young girl that came into their lives two weeks before is also his daughter and unknowingly placed into the care of her aunt. She guessed things are never quite as simple as they had hoped, they now had a name and face to go along with the myth that he had created. Daisy was never going to get away from Lilly now. Claire was her sister and Lilly wouldn't let her daughter lose her only sister. In her mind, Daisy now had two uncles, four aunts, seven cousins, and a lot of unofficial cousins and aunts and uncles to love her. No matter how long it took she would have a mother and two brothers to to go along with her sister. John, Karen, Leslie, and Lilly talked while the four twins, Michael, and Jaimie kept the two girls from getting too anxious over the revelations. They needed to piece together what Roland had been doing all of those times he had been away from the family before being kicked out of their home. There was a lot of trips that he made, almost all of which he made without reasonable explanation. Lilly told them how they had met in New Jersey to which Karen recalled him mentioning once that he had a girlfriend down in that area but had made several trips down there. Something else was the whole point of his visit, but since Lilly had only just met him at a party it must have been that he was either lying or worse he was cheating on her with Lilly which made her feel terrible. John assured her it was all a lie, he couldn't remain steady with anyone so it had to have been drug related. Valerie tracked down all possible information about Daisy as she could find and they managed to piece together another trip that Roland had made, this time coinciding with a supposed job he had lined up in Chicago. It didn't last long and he returned home after a week. John surmised that he was either lying again or he was fired, but thankfully the only good thing to come from that trip was Daisy. They all looked at Daisy and smiled. She was happy and enjoying herself knowing that she was among actual family now. In their mind Roland be damned, Daisy was a treasure. Lilly asked them what they thought about all of the revelations, hoping for their honest reactions. John was his usual quiet self but Karen bluntly said, "We aren't happy that Roland did that to you but we will never turn you away. You are family now more than ever. We will find a way of explaining why Claire is our niece so she doesn't have to deal with any uncomfortable questions about Roland and besmirch your husband Jerry's legacy. He was her real father, not Roland, no matter what anyone claims" Lilly tried to keep a brave face but finally lost it. All these years of not knowing who he really was and why he did what he did came pouring out. John comforted her, telling her, "He is a terrible person and you found someone with whom you belonged with. Never forget your husband, Roland doesn't deserve any tears to be shed over him." Karen grew angry at hearing that about Jerry and told Lilly, "Roland has been in and out of jail since he graduated high school. I can guarantee that he was down in New Jersey for drugs, probably also why he was in Chicago. John tried to help him get clean once and for all but as soon as he got out he went right back into the game with his old crew and got picked up with several kilos of cocaine and is now in a prison for at least 10 years. Then he had the balls to try to kidnap Miles multiple times! You are lucky you never met the real Roland, Claire never has to know the real man." Claire asked, "Is it true? He's in prison?" John sat her down and told her softly, "It's true. We tried to help him but he wouldn't listen. He tried to hurt Miles, he was so sure that he could get away with it that he gloated to me that he was doing that. He made his choice long ago and you are better off never having met the real man. I wish you didn't know that he exists but that isn't fair to you two, you deserve to at least know who he is and who you are related to." She looked up and asked, "Are you OK with Daisy and I as your nieces?" John smiled and hugged her tight, softly saying, "I couldn't ask for better nieces. Maybe with you two, we will get ones who are less bossy and manipulative and won't cause trouble for everybody." Hannah heard that and let out a loud, "Hey! That's not fair! What did I ever do to you...OK on second thought don't answer that" which got the kids laughing. Claire cried into John's shoulder again at finally getting the joke and the meaning. Daisy didn't seem to realize what was going on and kept quiet. Lilly sat down next to her and told her, "Your daddy has a brother and two sisters. You are a Finn by blood." She looked at Lilly like she was joking then looked at John, Leslie, and Karen. She nodded and told her, "Leslie, Karen, and John are your aunts and uncle. Your daddy is their brother. Jaimie, Michael, Miles, Hannah, Bryan, JD, and Cat are all your cousins. JD, Hannah, Cat, and Bryan are cousins by blood." She started to cry, telling Lilly, "I just wanted a mommy, you gave me more." It was heartbreaking and heartwarming. The little girl accepted that sad truth with love and happiness. With that out of the way, they all sat down to eat in silence. There wasn't anything to say that couldn't wait and wasn't polite dinner conversation. The mood had changed dramatically, Claire didn't fully comprehend the situation and Daisy was overwhelmed with emotions. The next morning was going to be a different world for them. Melanie called and John gave her the news. She and Dan canceled their visit to give them some privacy, opting to eat with Victoria and Jorge instead. Stacy and Rebecca were going to know but this wasn't the time for them to come over. Daisy and Claire needed some time to let this all sink in and adding the five of them to the crowded house would be too much for them. Chapter 17 Once they left the Finns Lilly was silent the whole night. Claire could hear her softly crying in her room while she texted Will about what happened. He was jealous that she was blood to John but she really got the message that he was fine with all of that. He was mild-mannered and took things in stride to the point of being almost too calm about things but had a joking streak that was bigger than any of their friends' streaks. She loved him for that, he was the perfect counter to her timid yet brash side. She asked her mom why she was crying. Lilly told her she was happy to finally know the truth and that her prayers had been answered. She admitted that she was jealous of John and Valerie for all that they had despite the Petersons being well-off financially but what Karen had said made her feel like the kids were really part of their family and not just because Jaimie and Claire were friends but because now they were really part of their large family. She asked that Claire not call them, "Karen" and, "Leslie" since they were her real aunts and needed to realize that they would never let me call them anything but aunt from now on. Lilly was smiling as she said that, Claire asked her, "How do you feel about that? I know you are happy that I have more relatives but how do you really feel about that?" She got quiet then said, "I always wanted to have sisters and brothers. Your grandparents weren't happy when they had me and were never happy with me. Your great-grandparents wanted nothing to do with us so I never new any my cousins. Your father's parents were more like the parents I always wanted and despite what happened with Roland took me in as their own daughter. I wish they could see you now, they would be so proud of you and the young woman you have become." Lilly started to cry again, the situatio was too much for her. Claire told her softly, "If you don't want to go shopping I'll stay home with you. Daisy will understand. This is painful to you as much as us." Lilly pulled herself together and told her to get dressed. She wasn't going to let the past stop her. Claire was going to spend the day with Daisy, Rebecca, and Stacy and it was final. Lilly drove them to the Lopez house and Claire was almost knocked head over heels by Daisy's huge embrace. She hugged her tight, grabbed her hand, and dragged her inside. Rebecca was practically rolling on the ground laughing at Claire's reaction, Stacy told her to knock it off but she just kept at it. Lilly and Melanie told them that they'd be back in a few hours and to be good. The girls waived them off and went inside to talk. Daisy immediately sat down to play on the floor with DJ and tried hard not to listen to what they were going to say but it was tough for her not to. Claire asked what Jaimie told them about the day before. Neither would admit anything so she said the truth, "Uncle John really is my Uncle John. It's not an honorary title anymore, it's the truth. My 'real' dad is his younger brother. I'm a Finn by blood!" They looked at Claire to see if she was lying then at each other and hugged her. She asked what that was for to which they said, "That means you are our cousin or did you forget we are also Uncle John's nieces? It may not be real but it's close enough for us." Claire tried to say they weren't related though but they added a quick, "They will find a way of changing that, we heard mom and Aunt Leslie talking about it. We don't know what they will do but the way mom sounded she's hopeful that it gets done." Daisy asked, "Why is everyone calling Uncle John Uncle John if we aren't all related?" This was going to be tough for them to explain to someone so young but it had to be done. She had heard the girls use it enough times to know that it meant something more and wanted the truth from them. Rebecca tried to hold her laugh then said, "Some kids call their parents' close friends ?aunt' or ?uncle' because they are as close to brothers and sisters as you can be. Since only Courtney has an uncle that lives close by and cares about them anymore Uncle John has become all our friends' uncle. Mom and he have been close since they were in middle school, they started it but the other parents continued it. Just ask Jenna about that" which caused a little snicker from Claire and Stacy. Daisy was satisfied with that answer and left it alone. Jaimie and Michael came over and could barely contain their happiness. Claire groaned and told them, "Let it out, I know you are bursting at the seams so just let it out." Both hugged her deeply while Stacy tried to stifle a giggle. Claire groaned and asked them, "Do you do this with Hannah and Bryan or is this just a special one for me?" Both started laughing. Claire groaned and told them, "If the twins do that I'm heading for Uncle Jorge's house. At least I know he won't crush me in a hug." Michael shot back a quick, "No, but Aunt Victoria will. Her hugs are even bigger and you can't escape them no matter how hard you try." Jaimie tried her hardest but couldn't contain herself and hugged Claire again, then told her, "Mom is trying to find a way of keeping Uncle Roland a secret so you can call us your cousins and not have to explain your relationship to him. Grandma and Grandpa are working with her, I heard them talking this morning." Stacy told them her mom as doing the same which got the three thinking that it wasn't a coincidence. Valerie and her parents didn't do things on a whim, something was up. Michael and Claire talked alone. He asked if she was really doing OK after the big revelation. She tried to hide it but she felt weird that her best friends were now her relatives and they were related through the one relative nobody liked. She hugged him again, telling him, "I almost wish it was Uncle John who was our real dad, but he wouldn't abandon us nor would he do that to Daisy and her mom." Michael and Claire talked about how the others were going to be told, which they agreed needed to be done right away. Courtney was coming over in a few minutes and would be the first, Will knew already and she suspected that Richard probably already knew due to his father's reaction to Leslie and Daisy. Miles had already told Christina, Jenna, and Paige during dinner the night before. That just left Jessica, Scott, Eric, and George to be told. The only one so far to take the news badly was Miles, which was expected. With his bad history with Roland, it was understandable that he'd react that way. Christina and Paige kept him grounded in reality but the pain was still there for all to see. Jenna wisely kept her distance from all of the drama, she was concerned about Claire's reaction more than anything. Miles would cool down once some time passed, with Claire being directly impacted Jenna's focus was on her. As if on cue Courtney rang the doorbell. Rebecca answered it then told her to go right to where Claire was. She didn't flinch at seeing Daisy, Rebecca's tone told her something more important was going on. Her sister Jessie took this as her opportunity to bow out and leave this to the older teens, whatever was going on didn't involve her and Rebecca would tell her later. Courtney sat down next to Michael and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He got up and left the two alone so Claire could tell her what happened the night before. Claire told her, "We were looking at old pictures and Daisy pointed out a picture she said was her dad. Mom and Aunt Leslie came over to look and mom almost broke down crying seeing who Daisy pointed out. Aunt Leslie told us my real father is Roland Finn, Miles, Jaimie and Michael's uncle. Daisy and I really are sisters and are their cousins." She looked at Claire as if Claire was joking then looked at Michael who nodded. She took a minute then asked, "How did your mom take the news? This is the worst news anyone could be given short of cancer. After what he put Miles through it's even worse than cancer." Claire told her how she was happy to know the truth and that she now had a family who are so loving and understanding. She asked about Daisy who by now came in to see who the new person was. Daisy looked over Courtney and innocently asked, "Is she our cousin too?" Michael started laughing hard while Claire tried to keep a straight face to tell her the truth but Courtney beat her to the punch joking, "Maybe in a few years but not yet." Michael nearly fainted at hearing that as Jaimie, Stacy, and Rebecca burst into laughter. Michael was trying his hardest to find a way to reply but Daisy stole his thunder saying, "OK, as long as he is as nice as Will." Now it was Claire's turn to almost faint. Courtney started uncontrollably laughing which got the others laughing hard as well. Daisy just had her marrying Will without even thinking about it, just as she did with Michael and Courtney. Jaimie grinned and said, "I'm glad she doesn't know about me and Richard or we'd end up with a triple wedding." Sure enough, Daisy said, "Richard is nice too. Aunt Leslie already said you were going to be Dr. Jaimie Samuels or something." Stacy stopped laughing before the others took aim at her. Rebecca didn't miss a beat and told her, "Stacy and Scott are almost like a married couple already. They just don't argue like married people." Daisy asked who Scott was which thankfully got the teens the needed change of topic. They told her about Christina, Miles, Scott, Jessica, Jenna, Eric, and George which she seemed to take little interest in. To her, they were more big kids but she humored us by letting us tell her all about them even though Miles was her cousin too. John checked in on them after hearing the loud laughter. They told him how she had married them off without thinking about it. He then told them, "Well as long as she gives her blessing then alright, we can start picking out your wedding dresses tomorrow." Jaimie, Courtney, and Claire shooed him off as he tried to keep his laughter to a dull roar but had gotten them all good with that joke. Daisy was smiling brightly as she heard John's joke and made them all start to calm down. There was something about her smile that warmed them. Lilly and Leslie came to get them after three hours. It was fun spending that time with the girls and Michael but Claire wanted more time with her mom. Her brothers were going to have to be told soon and they wanted to prepare them for the news. Lilly was concerned about their reaction but Claire was not too afraid of it. Daisy was her sister and soon to be their sister and they either accepted her or they were done as her siblings. Chapter 18 The girls took the news well but Leslie and Valerie were still concerned about Daisy's future. They needed those DNA test results and fast. Without them, Daisy may not get her surgery and both knew she might do harm to herself if that happened. It was a matter of life and death. Daisy was already abused and tormented, losing the family she had just met could cause her to do something drastic. After John told them, Evelyn and Joseph Johnson, Valerie's parents, were trying to figure out ways to make it so Claire and Daisy's true parentage remained hidden and spent hours that night thinking about what to do for both Lilly then for Melanie. Valerie suggested they just adopt Lilly that way it was true both ways. Both looked at her with wide smiles and told me, "You may have been joking but you are brilliant!" That reaction caught her off guard. If they did go through with it, Lilly would be her sister and thus the kids would be her nieces thus, "Uncle John" would be a true statement without requiring any kind of explanation to those outside of the family and wasn't really needed at all in their eyes. Leslie and Karen would still be their aunts but they wouldn't have to explain because they are John's sisters and being her nieces they are able to be called that and being related to Jorge made all questioning stop. She told them simply, "Ask Lilly. She doesn't have any other family other than her children. She need only sign the paperwork to make it happen. The boys will understand, Claire would be happier to just forget that man even existed let alone that she was his daughter." Evelyn asked if Melanie would do the same, Valerie almost fainted at the idea. They had grown close enough to be sisters but this might make John's head explode at the idea. Evelyn smiled and quietly said, "She's the same as Lilly, and you two are already close to being sisters in all but name. I'm proud to call the girls and boys our grandchildren. We are old enough to be their grandparents so it's alright." Joseph didn't say anything, but she could tell he was thinking hard about what was going on. He finally said, "You always wanted siblings but we couldn't give you any more siblings, well now you might have two. Lilly and Melanie are good people, the girls deserve to go without having to explain everything and nobody outside the family have to know about the girls." Valerie looked at the laws and told her dad, "Roland has to know but we can get him to sign his rights away. He can't care for Daisy, worse case we can petition the court to terminate his rights based on his abandoning her mother. Anne is going to have to help us with this as well." She asked Lilly and Melanie to come over early before the kids came by. Both were concerned when they saw her dad and mom but they smiled and asked them to sit down. Evelyn got right to the point and asked if they were willing to be adopted for the sake of all of their kids. Both looked confused but Melanie realized what was happening and asked: "Are the kids going to call you ?grandma' now?" Lilly looked at Melanie who was smiling and holding back a laugh. Lilly didn't seem to get what was happening yet but Melanie had it down pat. Melanie finally said, "Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are considering adopting us as their daughters so the girls don't have to explain why John and Valerie are Uncle John and Aunt Valerie to them. That includes Claire and Daisy. They may be their aunt and uncle but many people knew Jerry before he died and knew him as Claire's father. Nobody but our family and close friends will know the truth." Lilly looked as if they were joking but Joseph asked her again, "Are you willing to be adopted for the sake of the kids?" Lilly agreed, Melanie agreed as well. Evelyn gave them hugs then told them they'd draw up the paperwork but would hold off telling the others for a while. Lilly got serious and asked them if they had found anything regarding Daisy's next-of-kin issue. Valerie tried hard but there was going to be a strong chance that Daisy would be denied until they got the test results back. Once they had the results Leslie could force them to go through with it as her relative and make sure that she got the proper care elsewhere if thy denied it. Lilly asked about moving up the adoption if that was possible, Joseph told her that the easiest route was that Roland needed to give up all rights but they are probably going to have to force the issue and get a judgment in Daisy's favor since he has neither tried to contact her mother again nor is he capable of caring for her due to his drug and legal convictions. The problem was it would take a while to make it official so Leslie would still be her next of kin until then. They were stuck either way. Lilly was now on the verge of tears. This was the worst news that they could have given her. Melanie tried to cheer her up but not even her good nature could do it. Evelyn tried to explain that they would fight for Daisy in court if they had to, she was getting the surgery no matter what. Lilly could only whisper, "She will hurt herself. I don't want her to do that." Evelyn hugged her while Joseph started to make some calls to get the results sped up. If need be they'd call in every single favor possible but we were going to get the results faster. Chapter 19 Melanie told Leslie what Joseph and Evelyn had planned and it infuriated her, the scumbag would try to use Daisy to his advantage. No matter what happens he would know that she existed and that they actually cared about her. Daisy was just a bargaining chip for Roland, none of them wanted her to be used that way but Roland would do it just to get his way. Valerie talked with Roland's lawyer and let him know that they were going to bring paperwork for him to sign. She didn't specify what it was about only that he would be alongside them during the visit. His lawyer was incompetent if not unethical so it would be a tense meeting causing all to lose their cool. The meeting was in two days. Leslie asked Lilly to watch over Daisy while they were at the prison as it was no place for her to be at. They would be gone most of the day so this would be her biggest chance to get to know Daisy so far. They both needed this time together to help build up their bond. When she told Daisy she was happy. She wanted to go with Lilly right away but it was too early for that to happen. Anne had to explain that while she was going to be her mother Leslie still had to care for her until the adoption was done. Daisy was disappointed but Anne assured her that Lilly was just as eager to have her for the day as she was to go with her. Anne was told about the suspected father and she almost collapsed from the shock. Leslie reminded her that she was the one who started the whole, "Uncle John" thing among the kids, she simply said, "Well at least Claire's will have a stronger meaning. I just hope the others don't get too jealous." Leslie shot back a quick, "Richard and Courtney won't have that problem, he will be ?dad' to them. Plus Stacy and Rebecca aren't going to have to explain him to others anymore. The Johnsons have figured out a way around that and help Claire and Daisy." She gave her an odd look to which she whispered: "Joseph and Evelyn are adopting Melanie and Lilly for the sake of the four girls." Anne burst into another round of laughter which got Daisy concerned. Leslie tried to explain what she meant which caused her to smile, she didn't really understand but she was happy that she tried to explain it to her. Jenna entered with Jessica Nelson as Leslie was laughing but didn't ask what was going on. They only told them they were talking about Daisy but the girls were suspicious. Anne had to think fast then told them, "We were just talking about how Daisy is overexcited to go with Lilly for the day, you can ask her yourself and she will tell you all about it." The girls didn't buy it but they knew enough not to question Anne about certain things. Leslie told her they would give her more information when they had it, but they were going to have to prepare for the inevitable Roland backlash. Anne nodded and said she would try to use the DCF aspects of the adoption laws in their favor but with Anne's, Leslie's, John's, and Karen's undivided support her part was just a formality. The girls looked exhausted as they left Daisy's room. As expected Daisy was a bundle of energy and sapped all of their energy quickly. Jessica could only manage a simple, "I hope Mrs. Peterson is ready for her because I don't think I could last an hour let alone a day." Jenna tried to look strong but even she was exhausted from Daisy. Anne tried her hardest not to laugh but Jenna was at a loss for words and barely able to say two words together. Anne whispered a hopeful, "I think I might need to borrow Daisy some time for when Jenna is punished, she has never been this exhausted. Poor Christina wouldn't last a minute with Daisy, I shudder to think what she'd do to Paige but I suspect being Hannah's best friend she's used to someone with her energy." The three left with Daisy coming out all smiles. Leslie started laughing and asked her, "What did you do to them? You wore them out. They haven't been this tired since they had an all night movie marathon before the start of school." She tried her hardest to stay serious but started giggling. She finally admitted, "I just kept asking them questions. I wanted to get to know them. They are nice, but Jenna seems a little bossy." Now it was Leslie's turn to laugh. She nailed Jenna's personality right away. She asked her what she thought about Jessica to which Daisy said, "She doesn't talk all that much, she did what Jenna wanted to do and let her do the talking. She sat next to me and listened to me, Jenna didn't seem like she wanted to but Jessica did." Leslie smiled and nodded. She could tell their true personalities within minutes. Jessica would be happy that she thought highly of her but Jenna may not be happy that another person thought that she was a little bossy. It was bad enough the others did. Daisy was concerned and asked, "Did I do wrong?" Leslie just told her the truth, "No, you did great. Jenna is bossy but she makes her friends do things they wouldn't normally do and Jessica is quiet and listens but will stand up for her friends. You just wore them out with your all of your energy, they didn't expect you to be so enthusiastic to talk with them. Mrs. Connors is happy and I am sure Mr. and Mrs. Nelson will be the same, you made a great impression on the girls and they will try harder to treat you like a bigger kid next time." Daisy got the excitement out of the way so they started dinner. She was a lot more helpful but let Leslie do most of the preparations, finally understanding that she didn't have to work to earn her meal. Daisy's appetite remained large, thankfully for her she started to gain a little weight now that she wasn't just burning so much energy worrying about the new people she was meeting. At daycare, Daisy was her usual happy self and kept busy with the other 4-year-old kids. She was starting to distance herself from Leslie which was a great sign. She did have moments when she was unsure what to do, but deferred to the group and followed her teacher's lead. Dr. Eliza was happy to hear that Daisy had chosen a name and that it was because of her new mother that she had chosen it. Leslie had to explain the situation to her but Dr. Eliza smiled and said simply, "I expected as much, she shares a lot of features that you and your brother share and while I didn't think about it at the time I should have noticed it in Claire when I met your sister last June." Daisy asked if she was still going to become a girl now that she knew her father was alive and where he lived. Dr. Eliza leaned down and quietly said, "This changes nothing, your mom, aunts, and uncle will ensure you become the girl that you truly are. Your dad did bad things and you never have to see him, in fact, he never has to know that you are a special girl. He only has to know that you exist because it is required by law but I don't doubt for a second that your aunts and uncle will make sure he never finds out anything else about you." Daisy hugged her and thanked her. Leslie talked with Dr. Eliza for another minute about the visit and told her, "Lilly is taking Daisy for the day. I don't know if Lilly will be able to put up with her energy, she already wiped out all of Jenna's and Jessica's energy yesterday and gives her teacher a run for her money in daycare." Dr. Eliza stifled a laugh then proudly said, "This is the best thing for both of them. Lilly needs to know she can handle Daisy and Daisy needs to know that Lilly loves her. She will find the energy to deal with Daisy and Daisy will probably hold back a lot of what she released yesterday. Just be focused on getting your brother to sign those papers, and don't let him trap you into any deals because he will use her any way he can. I have faith in you, you are stronger than he thinks you are." She thanked Dr. Eliza for the pep talk and left. Her reassurance was key to Leslie, she thought it might have been a mistake to unleash Daisy on the girls. Daisy was quiet then asked, "Did I do good today?" Leslie nodded, quietly telling her, "You can do no wrong with Dr. Eliza as long as you are honest. She knows what you are going through better than anyone as she has seen similar situations before. You aren't the first person to have to deal with this and you won't be the last." Chapter 20 Roland Finn is about as slimy as you can get as a human being, Valerie felt like she needed shots just to visit him. Leslie thankfully felt the same way, trying her hardest not to get outraged at him. She loved him but even her love has limits. Karen and John had long since given up on him but still Leslie held out hope that he could reform and be a decent human being. Unfortunately, it was misplaced hope that everyone could see Roland constantly tried to take advantage of. He wasted John and Valerie's generosity less than a day after returning from his stint in rehab. He went right back to his old, "Friends" and helped them unload a shipment of cocaine, keeping several kilos for himself while reverting back to his old ways of manipulating others to do his bidding. It wasn't that much of a surprise but they had thought he would wait a few weeks before reverting back to form. He had the nerve to try to ask them for money and help when he was arrested by the state police at the airport when he received his shipment. Valerie and John ignored his pleas and threats from his lawyer and firmly told his lawyer not to contact them again but the man held firm to the belief that John was going to save him again. She made it clear to his lawyer: if they wanted contact, Valerie would be the one to initiate it and it would not be about getting him cleared of the pending charges. That was before they found out about Roland's ties to Miles. Roland tried to have Miles kidnapped and beaten then gloated about it. He was in prison for those crimes, pending trial on serious charges. They finally contacted Roland's lawyer on the Saturday after Thanksgiving for a meeting with Roland. They told him that they had something important that Roland needed to sign and that they would be bringing an additional lawyer to witness their discussion. He tried to make a deal with them hoping to get something for Roland but Valerie cut him off and told him they would not make any deals and this meeting was going to happen with or without him present as it was a civil matter and not a criminal matter making the lawyer's presence unnecessary. Leslie and Valerie dropped Daisy off at Lilly's house and watched as she ran up the stairs to her as quickly as she could. Daisy almost toppled her as she jumped into her arms, they told Lilly that was exactly what she would do but she didn't believe them. Daisy waived them off as they left and dragged Lilly inside, giggling happily. Leslie couldn't help but say, "She will be just fine today." The drive out to Walpole wasn't long but to them, it felt like a lifetime to Leslie. The prison was surreal, it was massive and there was razor wire and tall fences everywhere. She had been to the county house of corrections multiple times over the years but this was something else entirely, it was a whole other world and emphasized just how dangerous Roland could be. The duo went through the normal checks then had their bags checked. Inside they met Ricardo Ramirez whom Valerie had hired on Daisy's behalf to witness their meeting and act as an advocate for her rights. He would report what he witnessed to Anne, she would then use it to help in their upcoming battle with the hospital and in the adoption. They were shown inside a conference room as two guards stood to watch over them. Roland and his lawyer were shown inside and sat opposite them. Roland tried to put on a sly expression but neither Leslie nor Valerie responded. Ricardo whispered, "I see why you wanted me here. I don't think for a second he will sign any of the paperwork without trying to blackmail you. This guy reeks of arrogance and self-importance." Leslie was the first to speak, saying, "We are here because we have found two of your children. Don't play dumb because we both know that you likely have more out there that you sired over the years. One of them thankfully had a good life so far while the other was abused, tormented, and neglected. They have found each other and your older child's mother is planning on adopting your younger child as her own. We want you to sign over all rights so we can get it started." He tried to act dumb and say, "I don't have any children." Valerie showed him two pictures, one of a younger Lilly and one of Daisy's mother. His eyes got wide at seeing both, betraying his true emotions. He shot back, "Never seen those women before in my life." Leslie gave him a quick, "You say one thing, your eyes just said another. You know those women don't you? You can lie but your own expression gave you away. You know exactly who they are." Roland shot back a quick, "So what if I do. They were just one night stands. Those tramps were nothing to me except a good lay, I almost wish I had seen them again- they were that good." Valerie bit her tongue and asked, "Did you ever contact them after your one night stands? Ever see if you caused any little swimmers to hit their mark?" He shot back a quick, "No" which got Leslie angered at the blatant lie that he almost believed himself. Leslie gave him another quick, "Then how do you explain a picture of you being in the possession of one of those ladies along with an address of the elder child? Even you can't deny you didn't check up on them afterward. There is no other way to explain that, you kept tabs on both enough to have visited one while ensuring the other was kept a close eye on." Roland blurted out, "So what if I did see her a second time, the bitch that I banged down in New Jersey already got married and moved on. She had herself a rich husband, she was untouchable to me." Valerie called his bluff and said, "Then why did you give the girl in Chicago the address of the older child in Winnisimmet if you didn't give a damn about them? Why tell her that she was living there and she should be contacted if anything were to happen to her?" His reply shocked her. He smiled and said, "She was a junkie that I spent a few nights with while we had a few hits. I told her if she ever needed it she could contact that lady and get what she needed from her. She could use the kids as bait. The bitch had money that she got from her husband's dying. She would fork it over to make the reminder of her little ?mistake' go away." Roland realized he had just said something that he would regret. But in true Roland form, he had a sly smile on his face. He shot back, "Why should I help you?" Valerie shot back, "You aren't helping us. After what you just said in front of your child's advocate we don't need you anymore." Roland countered with, "And if I refuse to sign? If I have my lawyer protest?" She held off Ricardo then said, "You would willingly ignore the rights of a child that you have never met, and openly admitted that you gave information about to another child so your baby mama could extort money from. You have shown you could not care any less about the child and only care only about yourself. Further, you have ignored basic parental rights and obligations in abandoning your children not just in one state but in two. That in and of itself is a crime. You could be facing additional charges for doing so if DCF saw fit. But given your pending charges it'd only be adding time onto your life sentence for murdering your nephew Miles' father." His attorney tried to intervene as soon as she mentioned additional charges but Ricardo bluntly said, "Your client just freely admitted that he was going to use his child as a bargaining chip to extort money, he knowingly left her in the care of an unfit mother who subsequently neglected and abused her and until this moment ignored her in all forms. He made no arrangements for their care and well-being all in an attempt to avoid his children. Your client doesn't need to sign, I'm petitioning on the child's behalf for DCF to have his rights removed for his child's own safety. This man is a danger to my client! They had grounds before due to his upcoming prison sentences but this just proved that he lacks the best interests of my client thus he will lose no matter what you do. His attorney tried to counter but Leslie shouted, "How the hell can you sit there and try to argue this with us? Your client just admitted to not giving a damn about his children, we are not going to let him use them as leverage to get anything out of us. I hope you enjoy your job because you won't have it much longer. I'll be damned if my family doesn't go after you for your actions today!" Valerie bluntly added, "Counselor, Mr. Ramirez was asked to be here on behalf of the child and after hearing your actions I would advise you to stop. You are knowingly participating in extortion of his client's welfare for your client's interests. He won't let you get away with it. I suggest you advise your client to knock it off before you have to recuse yourself to save your own skin. You are on the line and you will see just how nasty we can be when you cross it." Ricardo simply said, "I am already going to go before the bar association to lodge the complaint no matter what, he should have stopped as soon as his client admitted to knowing she was a junkie. That is enough to show that you are willing to disregard your client's freedom in favor of extortion. This isn't the first time you've done that, the Finns already have two complaints against you as it is." They left without the papers signed. Roland was smug and said, "See you in court" which his attorney bluntly said, "Roland just shut the hell up. I'm not losing my license for you!" At their cars, Ricardo swore loudly. He was pissed and frustrated over what just happened. Leslie did her best to try to calm him saying, "He doesn't have a leg to stand on, he is just trying to cause trouble. This is all revenge for John scaring the piss out of him last month. He can't get at John so he went after the girls. He's a coward, pure and simple he's a coward." Valerie added, "You held your cool, you did better than I thought you would." Ricardo mumbled a soft, "How do you guys do it? That man is a living slimeball. How the hell can you be related to him and be people that all others try to imitate?" Leslie burst into laughter. Ricardo looked at her as if she was insane. Valerie started to laugh then said, "He has made many people appreciate their own family and friends. Once you have seen the worst of people it's hard not to see the best in people." Ricardo understood what she meant then muttered, "You poor people. I hope that's the last time that you ever have to deal with him." They all shared a mutual agreement, Roland was done with them. None of them would willingly see him again. Even if he fought them in court they would not acknowledge him or say anything to him as he wouldn't physically be there. It was the last time any of the Finns would see Roland Finn alive. Chapter 21 While Valerie and Leslie were off to get the signature from Roland, Lilly silently wished them luck in their foolish pursuit, from what Jaimie told her they will need it. The real Roland was a scumbag and someone who would sell you out for his own benefit. Leslie was a kind person at hear but Lilly hoped that kindness wasn't misplaced. Thankfully they aren't going alone, she hoped they don't need Ricardo but his being there ensured that Roland didn't get the better of them at Daisy's expense. Hiring him was a genius move by Valerie and Lilly insisted she let her pay his fee. Daisy almost toppled her when she got out of the car. She dragged Lilly inside and hugged her hard. She was a bundle of energy, Lilly hadn't seen someone so energetic in years. The last time was before Jerry died, Claire seemed to lose all energy and zest for life after he was tragically killed. He and Claire were close, she took his sudden death the hardest. Her brothers tried to get her out of her funk but they couldn't do it. She spent a lot of time in therapy, Dr. Dane helped her deal with the grief but she just wasn't the same after his death. She became cautious and didn't take any risks. Even in school she went with the easier choices and shied away from anything that could hurt her grades or her friendships. It wasn't worth it to risk losing everything all over again and be disappointed, it was better to go the safe route. Daisy was the opposite. She wanted to do a lot of things that Claire wouldn't think of. She was artistic, enjoying drawing and coloring. They spent an hour coloring, then drew on some blank paper. Lilly kept the drawings, putting them alongside Claire's old drawings on the wall as a show that they meant a lot to her and she was part of their family now. Claire came home from school to find them on the floor coloring. She tried to sneak by but Daisy asked her to join them. Claire didn't look like she wanted to but Daisy gave her a sad expression which just melted her heart. She dug in beside her while Lilly moved off to start dinner for the two. Daisy asked her why she didn't want to color. Claire held back her answer. Daisy saw the sadness in her eyes and asked her softly, "It's OK, you don't have to do it. I understand." Claire didn't say anything. Daisy moved over and hugged her. Claire was trying to stop herself from crying but let loose. Daisy just hugged her until Claire stopped crying. Daisy gathered the crayons and coloring books, she didn't feel like coloring anymore. Claire just looked up at Lilly and said tearfully, "I miss dad." Lilly was at a loss for words, she could only say, "I do too" and hug her tight- the two sharing a feeling of grief that Daisy had unintentionally caused. Daisy hugged Claire again, neither Lilly nor Claire moved for a while. Lilly eventually told Claire to show Daisy pictures of her dad. This prompted Daisy to pull her to where the albums were, handing her as many as she could carry. Claire started to show her every picture she had of Jerry. Daisy kept asking questions about him which Claire answered, sometimes somberly sometimes with happiness. Claire started to perk up as she told stories untold since Jerry's death. Daisy was making her get out a lot of grief just by having her talk about her dad. Dr. Dane had helped her deal with Jerry's death before but it was nothing compared to what Daisy had been doing for Claire in just a matter of minutes. After they went through the last albums Claire went to her room to do her homework. Lilly asked Daisy, "Why did you do that?" Daisy shrugged and said, "She looked sad, I just wanted to make her be happy. I don't want her to be sad anymore." Lilly hugged her and gave her a kiss on her forehead then told her, "You just did what nobody had done for six years, you got her to open up about her dad. He died when she was eight and she hasn't been the same happy, energetic little girl since." Daisy started to feel bad. Lilly hugged her again and quietly said, "Don't feel bad about him dying. He would be happy that you found us and would love to have had you as his daughter." Lilly told her that she was going to tell the boys about her soon. Daisy got scared but Lilly assured her, "They are good boys, they will accept you as their sister new little. They hate to remember it but they know that Claire isn't their sister by blood but I suspect they have forgotten that. It's been over 14 and a half years since she was born and they have grown up a lot since then." Valerie and Leslie came just as she finished hugging Daisy. They told her what Roland had said and what he was going to do. Daisy was listening and started crying, Claire hugged her and told her softly, "He won't stop us, he can't stop us. Aunt Valerie won't let them stop us!" Leslie knelt before her and softly assured her, "We had someone with us who is working for you to ensure he won't be able to keep you. What he said to the three of us will be used against him, he can't use you like he wanted to use you without losing you. Anne has already been told and is writing a report to her bosses to ensure he never gets a chance to be your dad." Valerie signaled for Claire to take Daisy out of earshot then told Lilly the bad news, "He is going to ensure that he causes ripples. He gets a hearing before a judge but Anne and Ricardo are going to fight for Daisy. Leslie is going to have to be there as both a witness and as her foster parent. With this now going on her doctors are going to be even more reluctant to help her. Dad and mom are looking at having Ricardo taking direct control from Leslie if they are going to try to draw this out more than a few weeks. She retains custody but her interests are looked at by him." Lilly started to get angry. Daisy kept getting hit with roadblocks that weren't her fault. Daisy wanted to be normal and things kept getting complicated for her. Lilly asked Leslie when her next appointment was, thankfully it was the next day but she said Dr. Samuels was expecting a forced meeting on that Thursday with the administration over Daisy's situation. Chapter 22 Lilly took the news hard. Leslie could tell she was ready to hit something in frustration and neither of them blamed her. Daisy tried to comfort her but even she couldn't ease Lilly's growing anger. Roland had managed to anger the sweetest woman you could ever meet and he didn't need to do it in person. Lilly had never met the real Roland yet he was doing wonders to infuriate her. Daisy was silent the whole ride home. She knew Lilly was upset and they were all concerned. Daisy tried to make Leslie feel better by telling her about Claire and how she was opening up to her. Leslie had to hand it to her, Daisy knew just how to cheer you up when you needed it. Victoria could tell that they had a tough day. Daisy was happy but she could read Leslie like a book. Daisy went inside with Jorge to help him with dinner while they talked outside, Jorge expected them to have a tough time and was ready for Daisy to, "Help" while Leslie got her frustrations out. Victoria listened as Leslie told her about Roland's antics. Victoria tried to keep a strong face but was losing her composure as she told her more and more about what he tried to do. Finally, Victoria snapped and let out a loud swear, which got Daisy gasping and Jorge laughing. Victoria rarely got angry. There was only one person who could make her lose her composure like that. She mumbled, "Roland went too far this time. He can go after you and John and Karen but not any of the kids. I'm going to see him myself, he will sign the papers and that is that." Jorge told her to let it go, he wasn't worth it. He wasn't happy with Roland but looking down at Daisy he didn't want him to use her and Claire as pawns in his game against his brother and sisters. Victoria wouldn't last five minutes in the prison before she beat him senseless, the whole visit would be a waste of time and energy and end up with her going to jail herself for assault if not outright manslaughter. Daisy ushered them inside to eat. She got Victoria to calm down and relax, her smile melted her frustrations away. Daisy wouldn't eat until Victoria was settled in, she didn't want her to miss dinner because of whatever was bothering her. After dinner, Leslie put Daisy to bed. Daisy hugged her tightly and thanked her for letting her spend the day with Lilly. Leslie told her, "I was happy that you could spend the day with Lilly but I wish things were better. You did a lot of good today for Claire and Aunt Victoria, everyone is happy that you are enjoying your mom and sister. We are going to try hard to get your adoption done smoothly and ensure that you never have to worry about being taken away again." Daisy fell asleep with her in her arms. Leslie started to cry thinking about how Roland could not care any less about her or her mother after all those years. How he could be so different than his three elder siblings was beyond comprehension, whatever goodness he had must have been given to them because there was nothing redeeming about him- he was just a terrible person. In the morning Daisy and Leslie made their way to Daisy's doctor's appointment. Dr. Samuels met them and gave Leslie the bad news about Daisy's surgery: they were summarily denied. No explanation for why was given, only that the surgeons refused to do the operation. She asked if there was a way to force it. He shook his head and said, "The administration is refusing to allow it. They don't want anything to do with her, they don't even want me to treat her. They claim she is too young and others say the real reason is she isn't with a permanent family yet. I doubt that is the real reason, I think they don't want to be viewed as giving that kind of surgery in case a few nut jobs think we are giving boys surgery to turn them into girls, the typical transphobia hysteria." He sighed and continued, "This is despite you finding out that she is your niece or have full medical care oversight as her DCF guardian. They stand firm that they won't do anything until they have solid proof despite the laws allowing it. What's worse is none of the surgeons will go near her, not even ones at the other hospitals. They don't want to go against the hospital and the other hospitals won't accept her as a patient on the same grounds. They have threatened to revoke privileges from any private surgeons who try to help her. There is nobody in a 100-mile radius that will help her." This was the worst news possible, Daisy was going to be heartbroken. Leslie asked if there was a legal option, he smiled and said, "Funny you should say that. Dr. Eliza and I were just talking about it and we think we have a way of forcing this through the court. It'll mean she and I are done with this hospital but it's worth the sacrifice. I don't want my son's future cousin-in-law to suffer anymore." She smiled and laughed, then said: "Does Olivia know yet that you are already planning Richard and Jaimie's wedding or does she already have the rings ready to go?" He started laughing as they left the office, it was just too funny not to. Daisy looked up at her and asked: "What's so funny?" She tried to hide her smile but failed, saying, "We were just talking about Jaimie and Richard." She shook her head, muttering, "Why do I always end up getting mixed up in the older kids' marriage talk?" They went into the exam room for her appointment. Daisy had put on a few pounds and looked healthier. Dr. Samuels asked what they were feeding her, Daisy said simply, "Uncle Jorge keeps giving me big plates of food while Aunt Leslie gives me two sandwiches and lots of yogurts." Leslie told him what they fed her in daycare and what she usually cooked at home. He nodded and said it was doing wonders for her health and to keep it up. It was high-calorie food but she needed it all. As long as they didn't go overboard with the sweets she would steadily gain weight which was what she needed most from the meals. He said they were finished escorted them out. Daisy said goodbye to the receptionists and nurses while Leslie declined their offer to book her another appointment. It would be pointless, Daisy was going to receive care from someone else shortly. On the way home, she told Daisy the bad news. Daisy started to cry but she told her the good news: Drs. Eliza and Samuels were going to fight for her. She explained that they were going to be going to a new place soon and she was going to see a new doctor, possibly even Dr. Samuels at his new practice. She perked up at hearing what they were doing for her, it meant a lot to her to have them do that but she was still feeling down. Chapter 23 Daisy and Leslie drove to the Finn home directly after Daisy's appointment. Daisy was sad and Leslie was visibly angry. Leslie didn't need to tell Valerie what happened, she could already see the outcome of the request for surgery. Valerie called John at school and told him the news. He tried his best to remain calm but she could hear Jaimie and Michael trying to calm him down in the background. He was still able to think clearly long enough to mumble a simple, "Get us all a meeting with them. I mean all of us, Ricardo and all of our friends are coming. And inform Ricardo to draw up a lawsuit, they overstepped their boundaries and denied her medically necessary care without a thought about the circumstances. We know damn well it isn't for the stated reasons and they are doing something illegal to prevent others from helping her." She smiled and proudly said, "Do you want everyone or just a couple of us?" John muttered a terse, "All. No holding back. They did this to a patient in need, they could do it to any of the kids!" She hung up with a grin on her face. She knelt before Daisy and quietly told her, "You are going to see just how serious we are about you getting what you need. We are your family and we are going to make them see you don't mess with one without messing with all of us!" Leslie nodded. She understood completely. Leslie told her, "Richard, Jenna, Jessica, Scott, Jaimie, Michael, Will, Thomas, Jessie, Claire, Courtney, Bryan, Hannah, George, Eric, Paige, Francesca, Amy, Iris, Kelly, Pete, Rebecca, Stacy, JD, Cat, and DJ. Mrs. Connors, your mom, Mr. and Mrs. Nelson, Dr. and Mrs. Samuels, Ms. Riley, your aunts and uncles, and your great aunt and uncle are all going to be there for you. Finn or not, we are family. Only Sam, Miles and Christina will not be there, they won't let the others suffer in school because they are helping you." Daisy looked up and asked, "Who is Ms. Riley and Mr. and Mrs. Nelson?"They both laughed then forgot she hadn't met either yet. Valerie told her, "That's Will's mom and Scott and Jessica's mom and dad. You haven't met Eric's and George's fathers yet but they are working a big assignment for the state police so you aren't likely to meet them for a while. And Willie and his wife Kennedy have to stay out of it because they can't be viewed as trying to help influence your case. They would be there for you too but can't be. I'm sure Kennedy will have someone keeping an eye on it so the state can have a go at them once we are through with them." Her eyes grew wide. People she had never met were going to help her and wanted to be there for her. Valerie softly said, "We are family, our kids may be friends but we are friends too. We care for one another and help one another. If they did this to you they could do it to them and we won't stand for it. We weren't joking, mess with one of us you mess with all of us." Daisy hugged her and started to cry. She was overwhelmed with joy. She had family beyond her wildest dreams, more than just blood relatives- a real family who cared for one another. They drove over to the daycare center so Daisy could take her mind off the events of the day. Melanie hugged Daisy and escorted her to her class while Leslie and Valerie waited. Melanie returned and asked bluntly, "Did they refuse?" Leslie nodded. Melanie swore under her breath then asked: "When are we going and how many of us are forcing the issue?" Leslie smiled and said, "As soon as possible and all of us, every one of us minus those who need to stay home and Sam, Miles, and Christina so the kids don't lose out on school." Melanie laughed, it was almost an evil laugh and one Valerie hoped never to be on the receiving end of. She wasn't one to get angry so this was scary to Valerie. Daisy was Melanie's niece and she wasn't about to let some idiot bean counter push her around. If Melanie was this upset Valerie could only imagine what John was going to do to them. He didn't get angry like normal people, he let it build up until it exploded. His anger had been contained thus far but he was going to explode at them and it would be something nobody had seen before, except possibly Roland. Kennedy said it was enough to make him piss his pants, John was that scary when angry. Leslie finally said, "Dr. Samuels and Dr. Eliza are leaving the hospital and starting on their own. The kids will need new doctors after this. He is probably hoping that they follow him to his new practice." Melanie again smiled then said, "It's worth the annoyance to all of us. We would be setting a bad example for the kids if we let this slide. Richard will be fine out on his own, and with a built-in group of patients, he will have partners soon enough. Dr. Eliza is the same, she will have her pick of new locations and possibly new hospitals but she has a good network around her and a reputation that is unmatched. She will be fine." Valerie left the two of them to talk more and get back to work. She needed to talk with Ricardo about Daisy and she needed to call her mom and dad to get them up to speed. Her anger and frustration had abated but it could easily spark up, she hoped it didn't do so at the wrong time. Ricardo was justifiably pissed when he heard the news. He said he would draw up the lawsuit and he had no intention of withdrawing it no matter how much they begged him to. He was out for blood, she would get what she needed and they would pay dearly for denying it. This was now personal for him, she was more than a client: she was a friend's relative. Valerie liked his fire. Ricardo didn't care about the money, he cared about Daisy. He'd get a handsome fee from them for his services but the way he was acting he'd just as likely refuse to accept it which the family wouldn't allow. He earned it and she knew he was getting even more from word of mouth so it was pennies to him anyway. Evelyn and Joseph were also angry but they were both laughing at Melanie's reaction. They were going to be there for Daisy as well, with their own firepower on standby. They wouldn't use it unless they had to but it was a big bombshell. They also had Anne's counter to Roland's attempt to obtain custody, one that he didn't expect. Roland's hearing was the next day, he wasn't going to be there but his lawyer was. Ricardo and Valerie were not going to let him forget his part in Roland's sleazy actions, he would be lucky if the judge didn't just summarily dismiss Roland's claim and bring his lawyer up on disciplinary proceedings but he would face that anyway thanks to Ricardo not joking about doing so. Evelyn told her that Melanie and Lilly's paperwork was finished and ready for their signatures. Valerie asked that they hold off for a few days so they could get the whole Roland fight out of the way. The girls didn't know yet what they were planning and she wanted it to take center stage. She hung up with her mom and was immediately called by Dr. Samuels. He turned in his resignation immediately after Leslie left. Dr. Eliza was going to do the same shortly thereafter. Valerie told him that they were all going to the meeting with the administration and he proudly said he was in too, both as a dad and as Daisy's doctor. As expected the hospital administration called Leslie to try to dissuade the lawsuit. She directed them to call Valerie and warned them that any further attempts to contact her directly would result in Valerie suing them for harassment. When they did call Valerie they demanded a meeting with them, she told them bluntly that they would meet after Roland's hearing and they would be there in full force. They tried to threaten her by saying, "You can't dictate what we do and how we do it." They had no idea who they were talking with nor who she was related to. She just shook her head and steeled herself before she said something she would regret. After a minute of listening to their threats, she calmly told them that she was Leslie Finn's lawyer and that both herself, Daisy's lawyer, Daisy's social worker, Daisy's aunts and uncles and all her family would be there. She also told them that if they threatened her client again she would personally see to it that they were not only sued by Leslie but they would have a hefty price to pay for their threats- both civilly and criminally. She then also explained to them that they might want to look in on who their biggest donors were because two of them would be there and they would not be happy with how someone they personally knew was being mistreated. They immediately disconnected, Jaimie and John were going to have a field day with those idiots. One thing they understand is money and she didn't have to hear it from either of the two to know that both of them were going to revoke their donations to the hospital and give the money to another place that would treat patients better. She also knew they wouldn't bother with her suggestion which was going to bit them in the ass when they begged to keep their jobs. Chapter 24 Anne wasn't the least bit surprised that Roland had been true to his word, he had his lawyer block the adoption attempt by filing a claim before the court laying claim to Daisy. They were ready for him with overwhelming firepower. They had all of the ammunition ready to fight and backed up in droves and what is more, they had legal precedents and his own family there to fight back. He didn't stand a chance in court. But that wasn't the point: inconveniencing Leslie was. Roland's lawyer, Mr. Cole, was already waiting for them when Anne entered with Ricardo Ramirez. Cole tried to act like a big shot and taunt them but his smile evaporated when Valerie came in with her parents and Lilly. Daisy's biological relatives Leslie and Karen Finn and Jorge and Victoria Castillo were the last ones in and caused him to realize just how much trouble his case was in, Leslie he could handle but not the family together- especially not Valerie nor the fabled Castillos. He had one sense of relief. John wanted to be there but couldn't get the time off from school, that probably saved Cole from being run off in fear knowing just how much John knew about Roland to cause their case to get tossed out fast. John wasn't one to mince words and could talk down to anyone who was dumb enough to try to demean or belittle him, Cole had no counters to that ability but he was oblivious to the fact that Victoria and Jorge were the ones who taught John that ability. Cole tried to play the family being there off as a stunt but Valerie bluntly said, "This is very real. It's your own fault for not fact checking who Roland's relatives were. There was a reason why I was at the meeting in the prison, I was there as an advocate for his daughter as well as keeping an eye on the Finns' interests. The name ?Finn' isn't all that common, especially in our state. You should have known that my parents and I were related to her. You wanted a fight, you are getting one. Not one of us will stand for Roland's attempt to use our niece as a bargaining chip." The judge entered and asked for the specifics of the case. Anne told him, "Your honor, Mr. Finn is trying to claim his child after knowingly abandoning her and her mother four years ago. He tried to use her as a bargaining chip to get his sister-in-law to get his sentence lowered and has admitted to only keeping tabs on her so her mother could use his previously abandoned elder daughter as a cash cow for her drug habit whenever she needed money." Cole tried to claim otherwise. Anne shot back, "Did you or did you not hear Roland say those very words in MCI Ceder Junction last week? We have three witnesses here who will attest that you, in fact, were not only present but tried to help with the attempted extortion." Cole shut up immediately. The judge demanded that he answer the question. Cole mumbled a quick, "Yes I did hear that." The judge asked who she was and why she was concerned. Anne told him, "I am Anne Connors, the child's social worker and am assisting in the adoption of the child to a mutual friend of the child's paternal family who is also the mother of Mr. Finn's elder child. With me are almost all of her next of kin- the child's aunts Valerie, Leslie, and Karen Finn and child's great aunt and uncle Victoria and Jorge Castillo. In addition to me is her lawyer who is acting on her behalf. Valerie Finn is acting on behalf of the child's adoptive mother and as a witness to Mr. Finn's actions." The judge nodded and asked Karen and Leslie why they were allowing the adoption. Leslie and Karen looked at each other and said in unison, "We believe she belongs with Lilly Peterson, the mother of her half-sister and a close friend of our family." Leslie added, "Our niece has suffered years of neglect and abuse at the hands of her birth mother and needs a home with people who understand and love her. Our brother was unwilling to act as a father to either child for years despite knowing of their existence yet our friend Lilly is ready, willing, and able to provide the loving home that our niece needs. We were quite intimate with her daughter before finding out that she was our niece as our niece and nephew have been friends with her for over two years. We trust her completely with our niece's safety and well-being and want her to continue that with our other niece. We don't want to split the sisters up, she belongs with Lilly." Karen added, "She has suffered so much that denying her the chance to grow up alongside her sister would be too much for her. She needs a loving mother and her sister and we believe she can find no better home than Lilly's home. We would not allow our niece to go anywhere except the best possible place and that place is with our friend Lilly." The judge asked about the other witnesses there. Victoria stated, "I am Daisy's paternal great-aunt and have known Roland since birth. I can attest that he is the worst person we have ever met and should he have any connection to his daughter she is in danger and will be both neglected and abused and considering his line of work worse- murdered. He is a habitual drug user who is spending the next 25 years to life in prison for drug trafficking, assault, multiple counts of criminal conspiracy including conspiracy to commit murder and kidnapping of a minor, extortion, and murder itself. He can't care for her and without a mother, she would end up back in Leslie's care. We want her to have a stable home with her sister, and Lilly can provide that." Jorge reiterated what Victoria said and added, "Leslie is the eldest and Karen is already a mother and John has the means to support her but that is not what she needs. All have stated that she belongs with Lilly and we have no reason to doubt that. We want her to be with her sister. Her father is connected with people who would stop at nothing to harm anyone associated with him including his daughters. Taking away his rights to her will prevent anyone from using her as a pawn to get back at him." Valerie finally rounded out the witnesses saying, "My husband, Roland Finn's elder brother, tried to get him help but he refuses. To allow this child to be forced to live with someone who can't care for her and who ignored her before she became a convenience to him is ridiculous. She needs a family who loves her, not someone who uses her for his own greedy needs. We trust Lilly completely, our niece deserves someone who actually loves her." Anne stated bluntly, "We have enough to revoke his parental rights by going through DCF channels but we want this to be over and done with fast as well as send a message to Roland Finn that his family will not be used by him any longer. The longer this takes the more the child is suffering. What is in the best interests of the child should matter more than anything else, and the best interest in DCF's view is to be with Mrs. Lilly Peterson." The judge looked at Cole and ruled against Roland's motion. Roland's parental rights were terminated under multiple provisions of the law. Daisy was now cleared for adoption. Lilly hugged Anne deeply and thanked her. Karen and Leslie hugged Lilly and whispered, "Welcome to the family" while Victoria and Jorge watched proudly. The display wasn't lost on the judge. He looked right at Anne and asked, "Why didn't you just go with the laws right away? That could have avoided a lot of wasted time." Anne looked at him and said bluntly, "I needed to show to Mr. Cole and Roland Finn that this wasn't about using the laws, this was all about family and the best interest of the child. This will get back to Roland that all of his own family is against him, and they are the strongest family I have ever seen. The laws are all well and good but there are cases where family matters more than just legalities especially with some who just can't grasp that basic concept." The judge nodded and excused himself. The Finns made an impression and Anne was damn proud to be part of it. The Johnsons were especially proud, they didn't have to say a word or do anything. Leslie and Karen had done all the talking on their own and it was hard to argue against them especially with their unison response. Back at Valerie's house, they prepared for round 2 which was going to happen the following week. Valerie and Anne tried to figure out how they were going to get around the administrators. Joseph suggested that they hit them where it hurt- the wallet. Valerie told him, "We are already doing that with all of the families pulling the kids out of their care." Victoria countered with a simple, "What if we bring a lot more than just the families you know? You have resources beyond just our group, it's high time to use them." They looked at her oddly. Victoria laughed then Jorge added, "How does three dozen families sound? That's just the folks on our block, we can get three times that number with more time." Karen and Leslie burst into laughter. Neither Valerie nor Joseph understood but they clearly did. Leslie finally told them, "One word from him and the neighborhood rallies around Daisy. She is already the darling of the neighborhood, Uncle Jorge need only ask for help and he will get as many people as he needs without question and without delay." Joseph shot back, "That is so crazy that might just work!" Valerie cautioned them to save that for the last resort. They didn't want to overplay their hands early. They had John and Jaimie's money and they had a direct impact statement with their own people, plus Ricardo had them by the balls with the lawsuit. Either way, they were doomed financially. Anne offered a solemn and angry, "If only that damn DNA test came back we wouldn't need to fight them over this whole mess!" The others didn't offer any kind of retort, Anne was right and it was too hard to deny that it hinged on the test. The one thing they couldn't deny was the DNA results but even then they thought those administrators would refuse to do anything just on principle. Trying to change pace Lilly told them that her sons were coming home soon and Daisy was going to finally meet them. Leslie and Karen wanted to be there, John was going to be there as well but Lilly was going to do all the talking while they were there for support. It was going to be a tough situation and all hands were needed to show just what it meant. Anne told her that Jenna wanted to spend some time with Daisy, she felt she was missing out on all the fun. Leslie asked if she wanted to watch her while they shopped for Daisy, Anne smiled and quickly agreed. Jenna was going to get exactly what she was hoping for, Anne just hoped she was ready for the whirlwind that Daisy could whip up. Christina tried to caution her but Jenna seemed to think it was all due to a sugar rush and she couldn't be that wound up, she hadn't seen Cat when she was in a similar mood but Christina had and knew Jenna was in for a surprise. Chapter 25 The week passed slowly after the court showdown. They still had another week to go before they had their meeting with the hospital administrators. There was still no word yet about the DNA results and Lilly was getting anxious. The highlight of the week was Miles spending time with Daisy to give Leslie, Valerie, and Lilly a chance to do some important shopping and take the twins to the doctor. As expected he was great with her and shared some tough memories and experiences. Daisy got him to release a lot of built up anger and frustration about Roland and being the newest member of the family that he hid from the others. He openly cried as he talked with her. She was the one person who understood what he went through as her mother was similar to his father except Miles had more physical and psychological abuse. Daisy was relieved to hear that she had it slightly better in that her mother never hit her but Miles was glad that he didn't get treated like he was a little pet for his father's entertainment. Christina came by with the parents' blessing and was instantly charmed by her. She was so different than Jenna that Daisy had a hard time believing they were sisters. Christina finally admitted that she was adopted so it made sense but Daisy smiled and told her, "You are still her sister but you are still different." That got a hug from Christina and a smile from Miles. Their mothers were pleased that they had gotten along. Daisy had to be told by Leslie, "Miles needed your affection, you allowed him to release a lot of fear and anger that Roland caused him." Daisy shed a tear, admitting, "I just wanted him to be happy, he was a lot worse than Claire was before she talked about her daddy." The Miles babysitting evening led to the girls backing away to give Daisy space. It wasn't all good though as Lilly had to finally face the inevitable reveal to her sons. They could only hold off telling them for so long, the time had finally come. Claire had fielded phone calls from the boys for the past three weeks and had to watch what she said around them to keep the secret. She kept trying to say she was busy and couldn't talk but they kept at it. Things finally came to a head when the boys finally came home for winter break, they couldn't keep Daisy a secret any longer. Patrick was 21 and a senior in college studying engineering. David was 20 and a junior who was studying criminology. Both were bright and took after their father in their athleticism and looks. Lilly looked at the two of them and can't help but have her heart melt at remembering their father. They were going to be proud husbands and great fathers one day. The boys are good young men but she had a lingering feeling that the meeting would drag up long suppressed memories. What was worse, they might take offense to Daisy's gender situation. If that happened Daisy could have the fabled meltdown that they all feared was looming. She finally told Claire to tell the boys that they needed to meet with them as a family. The plan was that John, Karen, and Leslie would bring Daisy by so the boys would realize how serious this was and how much they as a family was intertwined. It was a long shot but she hoped they would understand. The boys came home in the early afternoon after the two-hour drive from Amherst. After the usual pleasantries, Lilly let them get situated then told them they were meeting at 6 PM for a dinner with family. David ignored her statement but caught something in the meaning. Patrick looked like she was kidding and said: "Unless you are digging up grandma and grandpa it's just us four as a family." Claire tried to say something but Lilly beat her to the punch and said: "We will talk about this later, why don't you relax for a bit." She shooed them off to their rooms so Lilly could get things ready. Claire went out with Will for a bit. She needed to clear her mind or else the big reveal would be ruined. Will kept her mind occupied with school and gossip, she didn't notice that they had just walked around the block four times before they parted ways. Lilly hugged him for what he did. He whispered, "You know I'd do anything for the girls." He really did love Claire and Daisy was becoming his little sister by default. Lilly had to thank his mom for raising him right but realized that she already knew that or else he wouldn't be around Claire so often. John, Leslie, and Karen arrived soon after Will finished his walk. Daisy waited outside with Claire and Will with Claire trying her best to keep her hushed so the boys didn't know she was there. It was harder work than she realized as Daisy wanted to burst inside and hug Lilly and the boys. Lilly sat Patrick and David down then told them, "Do you remember before Claire was born?" Patrick cringed at the memory. David looked surprised that Lilly would bring it up. She went on to ask, "Do you remember the special circumstances that surrounded her birth?" Neither wanted to admit it then Patrick mumbled, "She wasn't dad's daughter but he loved her anyway. He said that the man who left you all alone didn't deserve to call the baby his child but he would be more than happy to do so as he loved you." Lilly nodded then told them the whole story of what happened to her and her husband back then. When she was done she waited for them to finish remembering that time. They finally looked up at her still not knowing what was going on. She told them, "Thanksgiving Day I found out who Claire's biological father really is. And what is more, I found out that Claire isn't his only child, outside is his daughter Daisy. She showed up on our doorstep looking for Claire with a note saying should anything happen to her mother to contact Claire. She needs a home and love and I want to give her both. She needs to be here with her sister and with or without your blessing I am going to adopt her as my daughter." Patrick and David looked at each other then at Lilly to see if she was joking. They then looked up at John and asked, "What's Jaimie's father doing here? I thought you said this was a family meeting." She shook her head and tried to put it best but just let it slip, "Their father is John, Karen, and Leslie's brother. His name is Roland Finn. Jaimie is Claire and Daisy's cousin." David clearly didn't believe this. John responded with a quick, "Believe it or don't, but Claire and Daisy are our nieces. He confirmed it a couple of days ago when he tried to fight us for custody of Daisy and admitted to knowing who Claire was." Patrick tried to rationalize saying, "So you slept with a man 15 and a half years ago and by coincidence, the resulting daughter becomes the friend of that man's niece 13 years later? And on top of that, he had another daughter with another person and she shows up looking for Claire?" Leslie responded with a firm, "That is exactly it." David and Patrick asked for some time alone to process the news. The four decided to wait on telling them about the gender issue until they accepted what was going on. They were struggling to fight old memories of bad times, they were just five and six when Lilly adopted them and tried hard to forget the women they were sired by. After a half hour, both called them into the room. Patrick spoke saying, "OK what was done was done. You can't change the past and obviously, you are set on helping this girl. But we don't get how this affects us. We aren't related to them, how does this impact us?" Karen asked, "Should I tell them or do you want to?" Lilly nodded so Karen stated, "Daisy needs family support and if you two can't give that then she will have a hard time. You two are going to be her brothers and she needs your help. We promised your mom that we would help in all ways but without you two it will be tougher. We were willing to consider you family but if you don't want a part of this then we will leave you out of it but it will only be harming your sister, both of your sisters." Claire and Daisy came inside. Both looked at Daisy then at Claire and saw the familial connection. They tried to say something but Daisy asked: "Who are they, mom?" Claire looked at them waiting for their answer. She wasn't happy with their lack of response. After a minute Claire picked up Daisy and said, "They were my brothers. They don't want you as their sister then I don't want them as my brothers." Daisy started to cry. Claire made her point and Daisy was disappointed, she hoped that they would want to be her brothers but hey weren't doing that. For the second time in her life, Daisy's heart broke. Claire glared at the boys then left the room silently. Daisy held together enough to avoid bawling in front of them but they could hear her crying uncontrollably in Claire's room. Leslie got up to check on them while John shook his head in disappointment. Karen got up and left. John held off for a second then bluntly said, "I was proud of you two but I see now that pride is misplaced. Daisy is a delightful young lady and your mother loves her more than you will ever realize. I have never seen her so happy before and I have never seen Claire so affectionate. Daisy is changing their lives for the better and you two are going to miss out on it for whatever reason you have in your heads. I hope you enjoy yourselves because you just broke the heart of a four-year-old who has known nothing but hell since she was born. She was hoping you would accept her as your sister but you just ruined that chance. I hope you are happy with yourselves because you have undone in one minute what you mother and my sister have been trying to mend in several weeks." John stomped out in disgust. Leslie left with Daisy still visibly crying while Claire called Will for support. Lilly checked in on her to see if she was OK, she was curled up on the bed crying into the phone with Will trying his best to talk with her. The boys were silent for the rest of the night. Claire spent all of her time in her room and had to be coaxed out for dinner. She was hit hard by the boys, in her view if they rejected Daisy how could they accept her? They had little reason to, they can't really accept Claire without accepting Daisy. Chapter 26 Will tried his best to calm Claire down after the disastrous first meeting between Daisy, Patrick, and David. He tried everything short of saying, "I love you" to calm her down. He didn't need to say it, she already knew it and he showed it many times over. Lilly checked in on her and told her dinner was ready. She didn't want to leave her room despite her lingering hunger. She didn't know what she would do but she knew she couldn't face either of her brothers. Lilly returned with her dinner, she knew Claire wasn't ready to face them yet and wanted to give her some space as well. Patrick and David had gone out to meet with some friends. Lilly suggested she check in on Daisy, she would need some reassurance and Leslie needed some time for herself. It was a smart move but it was needed by both girls. Lilly dropped her off at Leslie's house. Victoria was outside as normal but didn't say anything to them. She knew what happened and didn't want to say anything that would upset either Daisy or Claire. Jorge hugged her and told her, "To hell with them" which got a glare from Victoria but a deep hug from Claire. He knew what to say to make you feel better. Daisy was dressed warm and ready to go out. Leslie said Daisy wanted to see the Christmas tree lighting at city hall, Daisy's face lit up hoping Claire would take her. She couldn't say no, she needed this moment and Daisy's warmth was making her feel better. Leslie walked with them to city hall and got them hot chocolates and cookies. Daisy had to be told several times to be careful or she'd make a mess of her coat. Daisy was too energetic, she tried hard to keep calm but it was hard with the nervous energy she had built up. Claire felt a tap on the shoulder and saw her former boss, the imposing Louis Reagan. He gave her a hug and asked who the little girl was with them. Daisy introduced herself to him then dragged Leslie for a better look at the tree, Leslie looked like she was exhausted but went along unwillingly. Louis asked what was going on. She tried to find a reasonable explanation that hid the truth but all she could come up with was, "She is staying with Leslie for a while. I can't go into detail here but you can get them from Uncle John." Louis didn't buy the excuse. He took her aside out of earshot of anyone else around then asked again what was going on. She asked that he not tell anyone else as it was a family issue and it would be too embarrassing for them if it was known. She told him that they were sisters and Roland's daughters and Lilly was going to adopt Daisy. He didn't react one way or another, only hugged her. He finally said, "How did your brothers take the news? This has to be terrible news for them to remember before you were born." She looked down in frustration and told him how they were apathetic towards Daisy and shed a tear. He grew angered at that, saying, "Jerry taught them better than that. I know he'd welcome Daisy with open arms and a smile on his face. I'll pay your brothers a visit, if they can't accept Daisy afterward they are not the men your dad thought they were." She muttered, "Uncle John said the same thing." Louis laughed then led them towards Daisy and Leslie. He leaned down and asked, "Who is this beautiful little girl?" Leslie looked at Claire to which she nodded indicated he knew. Daisy saw this and answered, "I'm Daisy." Louis smiled and picked her up and gave a big kiss on the cheek. Daisy blushed and hugged him back. She asked, "Who is he?" They both smiled as Leslie told her, "He's a close friend of our family. He was dad's best friend growing up and acts like our uncle." Daisy smiled and said, "He's nice." Louis quickly shot back, "Who do you think taught your family to act that way in the first place?" Daisy started laughing and looked at Leslie who grew embarrassed. He knew just what to do and say to make Daisy feel better and welcomed. Louis excused himself to start the ceremony. Daisy watched in awe as the tree lit up. She felt a lot better and was calmer than before. Claire told her that they were going to set their tree up soon so she could enjoy that a second time. Leslie drove Claire home and hugged her goodbye. Lilly asked what they did and smiled at hearing Daisy's reaction to Louis. Claire didn't tell her about Louis' upcoming visit, that was going to be a surprise for her brothers that they badly needed. At 9 AM the next morning the doorbell rang while both boys were still asleep. Claire let Louis in and watched as he went right for their rooms. He wasn't wasting any time and woke them up which both shocked and angered them. Lilly quickly figured out what was going on and tried to hide a smile. Louis gave her a wink and dragged the two out of bed and into the living room. Louis sat down and looked both in the eyes and asked: "Do you love Claire?" Both said, "Yes" He asked, "Did your father love Claire?" Both said, "Yes, a lot more than us." He then said, "Then why do you think he wouldn't love Daisy like he loved Claire?" Both seemed to want to avoid the question. Louis asked it again. Patrick finally said, "Because it would bring back bad memories for all of us! That woman is long gone and we get reminded that mom wasn't our real mom!" Louis shook his head. He bluntly said, "That could not be further from the truth. I knew your father for a long time and Jerry Peterson would love her as his own. As for bad memories, do you even remember your birth mother? I remember Sophia Peterson. I met her and heard what she was doing and what was done after your mom and dad married. It wasn't pretty. Lilly adopting you was a blessing to all of you." Patrick tried to say something then didn't. David finally said, "Mom is right there. Why are you even talking about Sophia! That woman abandoned us and gave us to mom to raise!" Louis fought a laugh. Lilly finally added, "You are to me what Claire and Daisy are to your father. You may not want to remember her since you were five when she gave you up after divorcing your dad but your birth mother gave you up to lead a carefree life. When your father and I married before Claire was born she gave you up for good. You tried to block it out but you still remember her." Patrick mumbled, "It's true, you don't remember it too well because grandma and grandpa kept you away from it but I heard the fights and arguments. We used to live with our real mom while dad earned his master's degree. She never liked us and didn't want us around and after dad married she told us not to contact her again and signed over us to mom so she could adopt us and love us." Louis smiled and asked, "And again I ask how is this different from Daisy? Your mom here has raised you as her own sons, given you love and support for six years since your dad died. If she didn't love you she would have sent you to live with your grandparents to live after he died. Daisy needs your mom and Claire, but she also wants you two as her brothers. She needs your help, to reject her as your sister is to reject your father's wishes and rejecting yourself because you would be doing what Lilly and your father were not willing to do." They asked for some time to think. Away from the boys, Lilly asked Louis, "Why are you really helping Daisy?" Louis said three words she'll never forget, "You are family." Claire hugged him, he deserved nothing less. Lilly had to fight tears again. She just smiled and mouthed a, "Thank you" to him. Patrick and David came into the room and quietly mumbled, "We don't have a choice, you played the dad card and brought up our mom. We aren't any different than the girls. We don't have to like it but we don't want something bad to happen to her." Lilly hugged them and thanked them. She told them, "Daisy will be coming over for the weekend so be ready for her. The girls are also going to babysit her while their mothers and I go out shopping so you don't have to be around the whole time." Chapter 27 Lilly and the other moms along with Leslie were going shopping for Daisy and the girls. David and Patrick were left in charge of the girls at home but were wisely told to not let the power go to their head nor upset Daisy. Claire made it clear that they were going to stay out of their way and Daisy wouldn't bother them, she was still scared of the two and wouldn't go near them without someone with her. Claire wasn't happy with them even though Louis forced them to see things differently now. They did not blame her one bit, they screwed up badly and Daisy was hurt. Louis made them think long and hard about what Daisy was going through especially without two people she hoped would be helping her. David didn't say much after Louis left, he and Patrick both kept quiet for Daisy's sake but were thinking long and hard about their dad and what he would have said to them and it wasn't pretty. They knew that he would have cut them off and tossed them out for how they had reacted especially towards a little child in need. Lilly thankfully didn't do that to them, but she did make it clear that Daisy wasn't going anywhere once the adoption was finalized. They were going to be her brothers whether they wanted to be part of her life or not. The girls were quiet for most of the day. Jenna left early to have some time with her boyfriend George and Stacy went with her sister to Rebecca's friend Kelly's house. David decided he had enough of the house and wanted to go to the mall to at least get some fun and look at the ladies shopping. Claire wanted to stay home but Patrick vetoed that idea, they needed to get out before the tension got the better of them and they did or said something neither of them could take back. He didn't want Louis angry with them and he especially did not want to anger John any more than they already had. He wasn't an easy person to anger but they had already angered him when they met Daisy. Jaimie told Claire exactly what Patrick was thinking and she reluctantly agreed but only if they didn't tell their mom. The girls were quiet in the van. Daisy settled into her booster seat and held onto Jaimie and Claire while Jessica and Courtney kept her distracted. After the tense 20 minute drive all of them got out and went their separate ways. Daisy led the girls one way while David and Patrick walked another. The guys walked around for an hour before they had spotted the girls again. Daisy was leading them around again but stopped short when three guys started to talk with them. From the looks on their faces, they weren't saying anything good either. Their big brother instincts started to kick in, something was going on that needed their attention. Jaimie was shaking. Claire and Jessica were tensing up while Courtney was looking around for help. Patrick and David walked closer and heard, "How the hell did they let this tranny freak into the mall. They should have laws against people like you. Get out of here and we won't hurt you." Daisy angrily told them to be nice to her cousin. She jumped in front of Jaimie to try to protect her, not even thinking that the boys could easily hurt her. The three started laughing and pushed her away then tried to grab at Jaimie. Daisy fell backward and hit her head on the floor causing her to become dazed and burst into tears as she let out a loud cry. David and Patrick jumped forward and knocked down one then grabbed the other two by the arms and yanked them behind them, getting them away from Jaimie and the girls. They did not think for a second about not hurting the boys, they went in instinct to protect Daisy and Jaimie The boys struggled to pull away but the two held tight. Both of them had worked as security guards on campus so they had trained in detaining people while awaiting police, which were trying to make their way through the crowd. They turned and demanded to know what the hell they were doing. David and Patrick looked at each other and Patrick loudly said: "You hurt our little sister." Daisy was crying loudly as mall security showed up followed by a local police officer. The three tried to claim David and Patrick assaulted them but the officer shut them up saying, "It's all on video and seen by dozens. Don't bother trying to claim otherwise, we heard everything you said. You three are going to spend a long time in jail for assaulting these two girls." Claire and Courtney got Daisy calmed down while Jessica and Jaimie gathered the group's bags. Daisy grabbed Patrick's leg and wouldn't let go while they walked out to the van. David drove while Patrick got stuck in the back seat next to Daisy. She stopped crying but wouldn't let go of him no matter how hard he tried to untangle her arms. Daisy still held firmly until they came home. Lilly didn't say anything with Daisy around but she hinted that she wanted to know what happened. David tried to stifle a laugh but Claire shot him a look that made him shut up immediately. Lilly told him bluntly, "This isn't a laughing matter." They ate dinner and were quiet until Daisy went to bed. Lilly finally asked what happened, Claire told her what the boys had done and what Patrick and David did to them in response. Lilly looked at them and asked, "Why?" David spoke first mumbling, "We didn't want the girls to get hurt." Claire shot back, "She wanted to protect her cousin and sister." Lilly added, "All she wants is family. She just wants you two to be family. She doesn't want you to hate her or ignore her, she just wants you to be her brothers." Patrick asked about her grabbing onto him and not letting go. Lilly sighed and said, "She was scared that you would be mad at her for having to help her. She has never had anyone do anything for her that didn't expect her to do something in return. She had to work for her food and her clothes and even her bed. She is scared that you are going to force her to earn your protection or make her pay you back." David asked, "Is that what John was talking about, that she knew nothing but hell?" Lilly nodded, telling them, "Before she died her mother was a prostitute and drug addict. Her father is a local drug pusher that unfortunately is John's younger brother. He's also the same guy who tried to kidnap Miles back in September and October. John and his sisters took your rejection hard, Daisy has known nothing but neglect and abuse since she was born and you two refusing to have anything to do with her caused them to break. They can't handle her feeling any more pain from people." Lilly asked Claire to leave the room and go out of earshot then started explaining something else, "I didn't want to tell you this yet but Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were going to do something for me and Melanie Lopez to end any talk about why Claire, Daisy, Rebecca, DJ, and Stacy are calling him ?Uncle John'. They are going to adopt me and Melanie so we would be Valerie's sisters allowing the girls to claim John as their uncle without answering a string of questions. That means by you rejecting Daisy not only hurts because you are rejecting her as your sister but rejecting them as your aunts and uncle. They are the only family we have and they wanted us to be part of their family but you rejected that by rejecting Daisy" David looked like Lilly was joking. Her face showed that she was serious. Patrick asked, "What about us? That makes them our grandparents, why would you do that?" She shook her head and said, "They know and they are fine with it. You don't need to acknowledge them as grandparents, they understand that you may not accept it but they are doing this for the girls. You two being their grandsons now would be an extra bonus to them." Patrick didn't know what to say. He finally said, "When are we meeting them? Surely you aren't going to do this without them telling Daisy and Claire first." Lilly smiled then said, "It's already been done, but they are going to announce it to them later. Right now we have a fight on our hands and the adoptions are secondary to it." Lilly stopped then swore to herself. She didn't mean for that last part to come out. David asked quickly before she could think up an excuse, "What fight are you talking about? Are you in some kind of legal trouble?" Lilly explained that Daisy wasn't a normal girl and told them about her genital abnormality and what was needed that why it had to be done for her safety. David nodded silently. They understood now why she was so protective of Jaimie, they shared something in common none of them would understand even if it wasn't exactly the same thing. Patrick silently said, "I can't speak for David but if you think I am going to sit on the sidelines while you fight for her you are fooling yourself. We saw what she will have to go through if they don't do it soon, it'll only get worse once she starts regular school next year. I am sorry for what we did to her before but I don't want her hurt again." Daisy and Claire were listening and sat down next to them. Lilly just nodded and let the girls get their hugging done before they all turned in for the night. Daisy hugged Patrick tight and wouldn't let go until she was back in her bed asleep. Lilly hugged then kissed both boys, saying, "Thanks for that." Chapter 28 Claire told Leslie about what the boys had done for the girls. Jaimie mentioned it to the mothers when they picked her up but hearing it and seeing Daisy's reaction was something entirely different. Daisy was by Patrick's side, hugging his waist as he led her out the door. Daisy wouldn't let go of him until Leslie picked her up, giving her a big hug and telling her, "You are a brave girl. Your aunts and uncles are so proud of you." Daisy looked down in shame. She asked, "Did I do wrong? I got Patrick and David in trouble." Lilly leaned down and told her, "They weren't in trouble. The ones who hurt you and tried to hurt Jaimie are. You tried to protect your cousin and your brothers were protecting all of you." They left and stopped off at John's house for a bit. Valerie was happy that the boys were going to be by their side and that they had looked out for the girls. Miles asked, "Why the change of heart?" getting all of their attention. Jaimie spoke for Leslie saying, "They saw her try to protect me and Claire. She was doing what they weren't going to do and got hurt doing it. What Aunt Lilly said to them afterward made what dad said to them finally click. They know the truth about Daisy, all of it." Valerie told Leslie that the meeting was set for the following Monday. They had a week to get everyone ready. John got the other teachers to cover his classes and all of the kids were excused from school for the day provided they obtain a doctor's note which Dr. Samuels and Dr. Eliza were gladly giving to the kids, after a checkup and counseling session. As expected Miles and Christina bowed out of going, same with their neighbor, Sam Raymond, who'd get the work for the 7th graders among their group. All three were going to get class notes for all of the others as they were the most trusted among their friends When Daisy asked why he didn't want to go, Miles told her that he was the one that all of their teachers knew could get the best notes and not focus on the wrong stuff to which Jaimie complained about and John confirmed as being the truth leading to a snicker from Daisy. She understood and was fine with his answer, she had thought it was because he felt bad about being around her. Looking around the living room and dining room Daisy asked why the house wasn't decorated for Christmas yet. Valerie smiled and told her, "Funny you should ask that. We were actually waiting for next Saturday to do it. We wanted to make sure you were comfortable with your mom and sister and brothers first before we started to decorate." Daisy's face lit up. Valerie and John had been so busy that they hadn't been able to decorate yet and Daisy reminded them what they forgot. Miles, Michael, and Jaimie tried to hide their giggles but it was clear they knew their mom had forgotten and was making it all up and Daisy had bought it entirely. John caught their giggling and told them slyly, "Jaimie, Miles, and Michael haven't cleaned up the corner yet so we couldn't put up our tree anyway. We can't put up the tree in a messy room." Daisy dragged the three of them off to clean. Valerie shook her head at their mistake. The three earned their little punishment but they didn't mind it too much with Daisy doing most of the work for them. Cat and JD tried to help but had to be lifted away when they were close to knocking over the coffee table trying to lift books off the floor. Daisy walked them out of the way and back to their play area and distracted them while Miles, Michael, and Jaimie cleaned. John and Valerie were giggling at the three muttering at their siblings' luck, especially the usually quiet Miles. Daisy and Leslie left after dinner and told Victoria and Jorge the news. They would relay it to their friends and neighbors and have them ready just in case. She then called Lilly and told her that Daisy was going to drag all of them to John's to decorate their tree Saturday so expect her to beg them to come. Lilly started to laugh as she told the boys and Claire what Daisy had done but none of them responded which Leslie thought was a good sign. Chapter 29 Leslie took Daisy to her next appointment with Dr. Eliza. Daisy told her all about what the boys did for her and how they started to let her be their sister. Dr. Eliza was happy that she protected Jaimie and explained why the boys tried to hurt Jaimie which the little girl felt bad about but understood. Daisy told her that the boys treated her differently now after that incident. She suspected that Lilly had told them something while she was asleep and they started to let her get close. Patrick didn't stop her from hugging him, he didn't like it before but now he didn't stop her which caused Dr. Eliza to grin widely at it being a sure sign that they had accepted the little girl as their sister. Dr. Eliza said they were probably told about what was going on with her and thought it was better to help her than ignore her. She wanted Daisy to keep being close with them, that she needed them to know that she loved them even if they didn't love her the same way. Leslie talked with Dr. Eliza for a few minutes then left with Daisy. Leslie didn't say what they talked about but she wasn't happy saying it. Dr. Eliza was unhappy as well. It concerned Daisy as she is never unhappy which meant more bad news had been told. Leslie and Melanie let Daisy play with the twins and DJ in daycare once they arrived. It was sweet as DJ was making her push him in his carriage while Cat and JD wanted her to play blocks with them. She had the attention of all three without doing anything except show up. The twins would get jealous when she spent more time with DJ, Cat doesn't like to share Daisy with anyone and JD doesn't like to go against Cat. It was endearing if it wasn't serious at times as Cat had tantrums over Daisy not paying attention to her. Melanie had to grin at her antics but it was understandable as she was so used to getting her own way. Melanie said DJ is probably going to say, "Daisy" as his first words if she kept playing with him. Dan kept trying to get him to say, "Dada" but he won't say anything only laugh at them. He tried to say what Daisy said, though, Melanie said Daisy could probably get him to say it before they could. She told her that he was too young to talk anyway but he was making an effort just for Daisy. Friday night Daisy slept over Lilly's house. Leslie dropped her off and the boys hugged her. Lilly asked if they were still going to go to John's house the next day which Daisy practically screamed, "Yes!" to. Claire went out with Will, who gave Daisy a kiss on the cheek for no reason. Claire asked, "What did you do that for?" which he said, "I can't help but kiss a pretty girl". Lilly was giggling, Claire rolled her eyes and dragged him off before he embarrassed her even worse. The boys helped with dinner and made Daisy watch TV in the living room. Lilly said they didn't want Daisy to do anything, she didn't need to earn her food. Lilly told her they knew everything that she told Leslie and they changed their minds about her because of it. They wanted to protect her, she only had to do what was asked not was demanded. Lilly put her to bed early, Claire wasn't back yet but Lilly said she was going to get a ride home from her date from Mrs. Riley. Daisy told her she was glad Will liked her, Lilly said, "He likes everybody, but he loves you a lot. All of the girls do and boys do. You are special to them, you are the youngest of them who isn't in diapers and who makes them all appreciate what they have." The next morning Lilly woke Daisy up and fed her cereal. She told her Bryan and Hannah were going to pick her and Claire up so Daisy could get something special from their house. Karen didn't say what but said it was for Daisy and Claire. Daisy asked if they were walking but she laughed and told her, "They can drive, they have their licenses and a car." Chapter 30 Bryan and Hannah picked the girls up and took them to theirs. They called Lilly, "Aunt Lilly" which Daisy and Claire thought was odd. Bryan said, "Mom asked us to do it because your mom is family too even if she isn't really our aunt the same as Aunts Valerie or Leslie." Karen met them outside and quickly ushered the two inside. She didn't say why they were there just simply ushered them in. Bryan and Hannah kept quiet about why they were there as well, neither saying a word once they left Lilly's house. Karen showed them to her Christmas tree then took off an ornament and handed it to Daisy. It was an old hand painted wooden bear, it looked like a boy by the clothes. There was a similar one on the tree but it was a girl. The girls didn't know what to make of the ornament. Karen knelt down in front of Daisy and told them, "Your great- grandmother gave us those bears when we were little. Your dad was your age that year. I only have it because it was put with my things years ago but you two should have it for your own tree." Daisy was starting to cry, Claire took the bear from her while Hannah picked her up. Bryan started the car so the five of them could drive to John's house. Daisy held Hannah tight as she put her inside her booster seat, finally calming down as they drove off. Bryan whispered, "She has wanted to get rid of that bear for a while, we don't blame you if you just throw it out." Claire whispered back, "Mom would never let us do that. It's the only thing we have of his and Daisy wouldn't want her to do it anyway. It's a bad memory but it's still a piece of our father and from what Aunt Karen said our great-grandmother as well." Leslie, Lilly, Patrick, and David met them at John's house. Daisy had stopped crying but you could still see that she had cried. Lilly asked what happened to which Hannah showed her the bear. Leslie shook her head and explained what it was which Lilly shed a tear over. Hannah said, "You guys are crying more over Uncle Roland than anyone has in years. It's just a stupid ornament." Leslie told her fiercely, "It isn't just an ornament, it was a gift from your great-grandmother and is the only thing that they have of your uncle that doesn't require clearing by the police and DEA. How would you like it if we tossed out your father's pictures and yearbooks because they were just pieces of paper and books that nobody reads anymore?" Hannah shut up fast and beat a hasty retreat inside, fighting tears at angering her relatives more than she had ever before. Bryan carried Daisy inside while Lilly took a minute to gather herself. David asked what was going on, Leslie told him simply, "Your sisters were given something special that Hannah didn't appreciate the true meaning of." Inside John told Hannah, "Sometimes your mouth needs to take the scenic route from your brain. I know you mean well but you could temper your sharp tongue every once and a while. Daisy is only four and doesn't know just how terrible Roland was so this meant more to her than just being his bear, it's her only real connection to him." Patrick and David started laughing. Lilly smiled, Hannah wasn't amused but knew not to say anything else lest she walked home alone. John told Claire to get settled while they got out the ornaments and decorations out for the three youngsters to put up. Jaimie and Michael were still asleep despite all of our noise. Miles beat a hasty exit to Christina's house to avoid more awkward moments after hearing Hannah's admonishment. As much as he wanted to help keep JD in line he couldn't hold his tongue about Roland for long in front of Daisy. The tree was halfway erected when the still partially asleep Michael and Jaimie walked out looking for breakfast. Michael jumped back several feet when he heard Claire say, "What took you two so long?" Jaimie was starting to laugh when she heard Patrick ask, "Are all of these ornaments new?" Both ran back to their rooms and changed fast. Michael told Claire, "If you tell Courtney you saw me in my pajamas I'll make your life miserable." Jaimie was silent, trying to keep out of sight of Patrick and David. David whispered, "Why is she acting weird?" Claire giggled and said, "She thinks you saw her in her nightgown and is embarrassed. You would be the same way if a girl saw you right after you woke up still wearing your pajamas and half asleep." Valerie and Lilly were laughing hard over the little flub, Claire and David just shook their heads and ignored Jaimie until she calmed down. It took them an hour to get the tree setup and decorated with Daisy doing most of the work. Hannah was quiet the whole time, she had done enough damage already and didn't feel like saying or doing anything else that would hurt Daisy. Daisy finally came over and hugged her, Hannah just hugged her back saying, "Sorry" to her. The others left the two of them in the room by themselves while the rest had lunch, saving some for the two for when they came over after their touching moment was finished. Chapter 31 After lunch Daisy was keeping her cousins busy in the living room. Lilly was talking with the Finns about something in the kitchen. Cat was walking around looking for someone to pay attention to her and grabbed onto Patrick. He tried to wiggle away but she climbed up on him and sat down, hugging him for some reason. She held onto him hard then went limp, falling asleep in his arms. David started laughing but JD did the same to him, imitating his sister after seeing that it was safe for him to do so. Patrick called for Lilly but only got a laugh from the five of them. The guys didn't think it was funny, they haven't dealt with toddlers since Claire was one. Lilly finally said, "Pick them up and put them in the playpen, it's probably their nap time." The two lifted the sleeping toddlers up and moved them to the playpen where they cuddled with their blankets. Lilly cursed herself for not taking pictures when she had the chance, David said: "If you did your phone would be broken as soon as you saved them." Valerie finally settled Lilly down and called the two into the kitchen to discuss something. Lilly told them what they did for Jaimie and the girls. John asked them why did it, looking surprised while also concerned that they had done something like that. Patrick told him simply, "They hurt Daisy." He asked them what they knew about Jaimie and why the boys were trying to hurt her. The two didn't know, they only knew that Daisy and she had some similar things happen to them. They hadn't interacted with Jaimie much and Claire was silent about her past. He shocked them by saying, "That isn't the only thing. As you know Jaimie is adopted but she wasn't always a girl. Daisy is the same way, she was born with what looks like both parts but neither were fully formed and needs surgery to correct the problem. She is a girl inside but looks like she has a penis and testicles. Daisy is officially male but has always leaned towards female and we are supporting her change. Since Jaimie is doing a similar change Daisy wants to protect the only person who could understand her. Daisy is trying hard to protect whatever family she has even if it means she gets hurt." Patrick and David told him that they knew about Daisy's past abuse and thought that was why she wanted to help Jaimie. He looked at Valerie, Lilly, and Leslie who all nodded. It was apparent that he didn't know about that yet and was hearing it for the first time. Claire walked in and asked what they were talking about. Patrick told her what they told had just told. She asked, "Have you found out anything about Daisy's mother? Does she have a name?" Hannah walked over with Daisy. Patrick asked Daisy if she knew her mom's name. Daisy took a minute to think then said, "Some of the men who came to our home called her Sophia Peterson. I don't know if it was true or not." Lilly, David, and Patrick looked at one another and asked: "If we showed you a picture would you tell if it was her?" Daisy nodded, trying to figure out what they were thinking. Lilly rushed home to look for one of their photo albums. 20 minutes later she was back and rushing to the table. She showed Daisy the pictures and Daisy started to cry. Lilly asked softly, "Is this her?" Daisy quietly whispered, "That's mommy. I don't know who that man is but that is my mommy." David and Patrick looked at Lilly who was now crying. Claire asked what was going on, John broke the silence and said, "I think Daisy is more than just your sister, I think she is also your brothers' long lost sister. She is related to all three of you by blood." Claire asked what he meant, still not understanding. Patrick couldn't take anymore yelled at her, "Our real mother is her mother. She divorced day just after David was born then dumped us on mom for good when dad fell in love mom while she was pregnant with you. She must have had Daisy at some point and now is dead. Daisy is our sister as well as yours." Claire looked at Lilly who nodded silently. David hugged Daisy who was now starting to cry. Patrick got up and went outside, trying to clear his head. This was too much to deal with. John tried to say something but let Patrick calm down. He said a simple, "I know it's hard to hear that someone you loved did something horrible. She did the right thing for the wrong reasons, she got Daisy to the four of you. She had to have known that Claire was your mom's daughter, Roland is a conniving weasel and would have told her just after Daisy was born just so your mother knew about connecting the four of you together. She kept away from you for a reason, she didn't want to harm the two of you even though she could have done so. Deep down, she was still a mother and tried to help Daisy in the end. She found the three of you, even if she hid the truth from Daisy." Patrick mumbled, "David and I only have the five of us. Daisy and Claire have all of you. It doesn't seem right that someone who hurt the girls for so long gave them so much." John shook his head. He told Patrick that Patrick was wrong. He admitted, "You still don't understand. Your mom is becoming part of us and that includes you two as well. I am sure by now she told you what my mother and father-in-law are doing for her and the girls. You may not understand our family but it's more than blood, you don't have just blood family you have us all. You see how close Stacy and Rebecca are with your sister and Jaimie. They aren't blood, yet they are family. You two are part of our family even if you feel otherwise. Your mom is as close as a sister as Valerie could dream of and the adoption only makes it official. You are Valerie's nephews now, therefore, you are my nephews too and part of our family. It's not the five of you at all. Not now and not ever." He waited a second then explained, "It isn't the five of you, it's 25 of us. Karen and the twins, Leslie, Dan, Melanie, Rebecca, Stacy, and DJ. Even my aunt and uncle. All of us. You are fooling yourself if you think we would ever allow you to be anything but family to us. You are older than the others but you are still family. Bryan needs an older guy to look up to, you two might be the only two who can go toe to toe with Hannah. Karen and Leslie are proud of you even if they never told anyone." He got quiet for a second but handed Patrick an envelope. Inside was a check for $120,000. Patrick didn't know what to make of it nor did he understand why it would be given to him. Patrick asked what this was for, John told him, "Part of being a family is helping the family. All of the other cousins both by blood and by choice have their funds started but you and your brother haven't had the pleasure yet. Whatever loans you had are paid off in full, all of your books are paid through a different account. Whatever is left over from this is yours to keep to spend on clothes and your own transportation. Your job at school is now only for your own spending money, you don't have to worry about finances anymore. I also paid off the rest of the money you already spent on school into a third account that you will get when you graduate. You can either spend it on your first apartment or for further studying." Patrick didn't know what to say. John grabbed him and embraced him and simply said, "Let it out. It's not healthy to keep it in." Patrick thanked him for his generosity then started to cry. John did more in two minutes than his mother Sophia had done in 21 years. He wasn't even blood yet he did something Patrick would never forget. If this was what having an uncle was like then he was glad Claire met Jaimie. Chapter 32 The ladies went looking for Patrick and were caught off guard by the embrace, he took the news from John well. Lilly looked over and noticed Patrick's reaction and nodded in approval, it went better than expected. Valerie thought they had better hold off until Christmas on giving him the other big gift, it might cause him to break down completely. She pulled David aside and told him to step outside with John. Lilly nodded to him to do it. Valerie walked outside and told John he should tell him as well then stepped back inside while David got his reaction out of the way. Lilly leaned over and asked, "Are you sure they can handle all that money?" Valerie smiled and then told her, "We trust them. Our sources at UMass told us they didn't do much except study and work. They even said they didn't date too much and were careful as to who they associate with. They aren't partiers and don't drink to excess if they do drink at all. John did say that they would need a little talk about protection now that they didn't have to work themselves ragged to make ends meet." Lilly almost choked on her soda hearing that. Valerie knew Lilly was going to react that way but she had to say it. They were good boys but they could still use the talk. Lilly returned the joke by saying, "Maybe John can give it, he will need to have the talk with Bryan at some point." Valerie tried to counter with, "What about Hannah?" She was quick on the volley saying, "Any boy who tried to bed her would need protection- and I'm not talking about the one on his ?you know what'. I hope Pete and her are soulmates because if not some other poor fellow is going to face her wrath when he expects something more than she is willing to give. She's an amazing young lady but she's hell on wheels to guys." Valerie conceded, she had her good there. Leslie heard the whole exchange and burst into laughter adding, "Congratulations, you are now officially our sister. Only sisters could have a verbal volleyball match like that and laugh it off." The boys and John came back inside. Leslie told them, "We were just talking about how the boys needed ?the talk' now that they have more free time since they don't have to work so hard. Then they went at it over you doing that same talk with Bryan." John knew what was coming next but asked anyway, "What about Hannah? On second thought, I don't even want to think about what she'd do to the poor guy. Thank goodness for Pete or there'd be a few boys in the high school singing soprano and missing some important bits." Leslie shot back a quick, "Exactly what Lilly said." John proudly said, "Karen is going to bust a gut laughing at that. Never let it be said your five aren't sisters" The boys were lost. They didn't know what to say or feel. John laughed and said, "You two haven't seen Hannah at work. She is smart on the uptake, quick to make a joke at your expense, and knows what to say to cut you down to size, and is stronger and faster than she appears. If she wasn't so caring she'd be dangerous. Take whatever you know about Claire's worst attributes and double it and you get Hannah." David laughed and said, "And how is it that she scares the boys?" John smiled and said, "She taught them long ago that she won't put up with any garbage especially towards her family. Pete is the only one who had the courage to try to ask her out and did so after he showed he cared about her and her family. And she, in turn, loves him deeply, he's the only one that can get her to calm down at times." The boys understood. They went into the living room and watched the final tree decorating as Daisy placed the star on top of the tree with Bryan's help. Lilly, Claire, and the boys left soon after allowing Daisy to unwind before Leslie went home. On Monday morning the family had the preliminary meeting with the hospital administrators. Daisy's situation was reviewed and for the first time, Valerie was able to hear their reasons. Ricardo Ramirez and Anne joined them for the meeting, coming with a copy of the state laws and the DCF guidelines for custody issues to shut their argument down. Leslie told them exactly who she was and what her relationship was to Daisy. She then told them, "As of Thanksgiving Day I have come to find out that I am Daisy Peterson's paternal aunt and due to the fact that her father is in prison I am also her default next of kin. I understand that you may be reluctant to believe that part but it is the truth and has been approved by the court in writing." They ignored her claims, harping on about the custody issue that wasn't an issue. Anne bluntly stated, "There is no issue. DCF stands firm that Leslie Finn has the full legal backing as her guardian. The fact that she is the de-facto next of kin only backs up our claim. You are denying her for no reason except your own bias. You have no legal reason to deny her the surgery, there is no custody issue at all." Anne's claims were simply ignored as they went about stating they would not want the liability issue which caused Ricardo to pounce, he had heard enough. He handed them a packet and told them bluntly, "I don't know about you Valerie, Anne, and Leslie but I can't watch this farce any longer. My client's rights have been trampled by you long enough. You have been served. See you in court." They looked at him and laughed in his face. The group walked out in disgust. Valerie turned around to address them again and said, "We will be back in three days, my advice to you gentlemen is to have your resumes up to date because when we leave that room you will not have jobs within the hour. I warned you before to look and see who your biggest donors are. The names should come as no surprise. They will be there in person and will not be happy at what you have been doing to Daisy Peterson." She called John and told him, "It's a go. They refused her surgery outright yet again. Ricardo served them the lawsuit and they laughed in his face." John calmly told her, "Make the calls. I hate to do it but rally everyone. Mom and Dad don't need to act as anything other than family. This time it is personal. Jaimie and I will have the papers drawn for our part. They are going to regret messing with us." Chapter 33 Leslie kept quiet about what happened. Victoria and Jorge understood what happened and only asked: "When is it happening?" She could only mutter a quiet, "Thursday morning. Everyone is going." They nodded and told her, "We will be there. We don't know how many are going to follow behind but we aren't coming alone. Daisy is family, they know her and they love her and they will make people take notice of her." She told them, "John is taking this hard and pulling his own purse strings tight. The neighbors won't be needed this time. This is too personal for him, he is going for their throats and biting down hard." She left them to give the bad news to the neighbors. She rested until it was time to pick up Daisy from daycare. Melanie sensed something was wrong and asked if they were going to have the whole family or half the city with us. Leslie muttered, "Just the family. John is going right for their throat and hitting them where they only care about. She'll get what she needs, even if it's not from them." She left Leslie alone to gather her thoughts until it was time to go. Daisy was kept occupied and didn't know she was there, Melanie rightly assumed she wouldn't want Daisy to see her looking defeated like she was. Leslie kept busy doing some administration work while keeping an eye on the groups just in case she was needed. Daisy saw that she was there but left her alone. She looked disappointed that she wasn't doing her normal work with the kids. When it was time to close up Daisy finally came over and asked what happened. Leslie tried to say everything was fine but she insisted. She said sternly, "I know you better than that, you would not stay in the office unless something bad happened." She had the same look Jaimie and Hannah had whenever they weren't going to let something go. Leslie tried hard to find what to say without causing her to do something to hurt herself. She could only tell her the truth, She couldn't lie to her, explaining, "We had a meeting about what needs to be done about your excess parts. We were denied again." Leslie knew she was fighting back tears. She hugged Daisy tight and told her, "We are going to fight for you. Your uncle is angry and when he is angry things happen the way he wants them to happen. All of us are going to fight for you, and I mean ALL of us! All of your aunts and uncles, all of your cousins and all of our friends and family. We are all going to fight for you. They made a major mistake- they messed with the wrong family." Her face brightened. Leslie was almost shouting and Daisy was happy. She hugged Leslie again, this time tearfully saying, "Thank you, Aunt Leslie." Melanie backed out to give them some time. She was smiling as Leslie walked Daisy out. DJ shifted trying to go to Daisy but Leslie ended up holding him while Melanie knelt in front of her and told her, "Your uncle is a powerful force, nobody hurts his family and gets away with it. We are going to all force them to help you and they will listen or they will be hurt where it hurts most- in their wallet." Daisy liked what she heard but then realized something. She looked concerned, asking, "Why are you going to help? I thought you weren't my aunt." Melanie smiled and told her softly, "I think it's time you were told the secret. Your mom and I got adopted by your Aunt Valerie's parents, you now have another aunt and uncle and three cousins and two new grandparents. We did this for your sake, you won't understand yet but we wanted to make our family more official so we don't have to always explain how we are your aunts and uncles and cousins to non-family members." She was smiling. She gave her a quick, "OK Aunt Melanie" as they started to walk outside. Daisy was more than happy to have her as part of her family especially ones she already knew and liked. Daisy was smiling the whole way home. Leslie asked her why she was so happy. She just continued to smile, all she would say was, "You gave me more family." Victoria tried to get her to snap out of her happiness stupor but failed badly. Daisy was just appreciated what people were doing that she didn't care about anything else around her. At that point she only wanted people to love her and she was getting more than she could have dreamed of. By now her count is up to 25 relatives from her dad's side and now her mom's side. Each one of them loved her and would fight tooth and nail for her and do whatever it took to ensure she was happy and healthy. In a span of just a few short weeks, she went from having nobody to being part of a family of two dozen and that was before she included their close friends who were just as much family as any other members. Leslie feared for the idiots at the meeting. They expected to get their way, the family wasn't going to be pushed around. The family was coming full force and armed with everything possible to get our way, and that was before Ricardo used his legal magic. Chapter 34 Ricardo was doing some heavy thinking. Valerie and the Johnsons were a force to be reckoned with, they were vicious when they wanted to be, and they could strike down any argument you make and counter with irrefutable arguments of their own. He was damn proud to call them friends. Valerie hired him to be little Daisy's lawyer since she was acting as her sister-in-law's lawyer and they needed someone who didn't know Daisy yet and didn't have a personal stake in her case. Valerie had recommended him to Anne to hire on behalf of Daisy and whom she trusted fully to work hard on her behalf while not being afraid to tell off Valerie if she was getting out of line. He respected Valerie and kept a friendship with her after he was fired from his former law firm for his personal life. Valerie left them a short time later and kept on good terms with him, one of the few who she truly cared about and trusted outside of her parents. Daisy was hitting him hard, she was the kind of case that Ricardo hated having because he'd fight hard to the point of risking going to jail- just to get the best outcome for her. Daisy was bright but quiet. She knew why he was meeting her and why everyone was on pins and needles that week. In two days the family had a showdown with the hospital over her surgery but she didn't know about it. But the next day they were in court on her behalf to sue the hospital over denying her the medically necessary surgery in the first place. The sad thing was that the judge couldn't force the hospital to give the surgery, but he could force them to pay up for their actions preventing other hospitals and doctors from doing it. The hospital had gone to colleagues at other hospitals and, "Poisoned the wells" by getting them to refuse any surgery on Daisy in solidarity, conveniently without saying why they were forcing them to abide by their wishes. They also threatened surgeons with revoking their privileges if they performed the surgery in any facility not under their control, something that would earn them a harsh punishment from the court. Those actions were both illegal and immoral and Ricardo had the evidence to prove that the hospital had done it. The whole point was to force changes and make others aware that this could happen to them if administrators were running around unchecked and unchallenged. Valerie didn't initially see that but after her brother-in-law's actions, she changed her mind. She didn't want the blackballing and refusal to happen to anyone else, there was nothing stopping them from doing it to others in need of surgeries like Daisy but with less support than Daisy had. Leslie was eager to put the battle tor rest. Daisy was becoming anxious and Leslie feared for her safety. She had let it be known to Ricardo that she would harm herself if she wasn't given the surgery forcing him to investigate deeper into the refusals from others. To refuse her treatment after confirming that she would harm herself was tantamount to mental abuse in both Dr. Samuels, Eliza, and Ricardo's opinions and any kind of abuse by a hospital was moral, ethically, and legally unacceptable. Ricardo talked with Lilly and Patrick about that and they were in full agreement with Leslie and Valerie. Ricardo asked Patrick to stand beside Leslie to show both sides of Daisy's family were in full agreement with Patrick deferring to Leslie as she was experienced with children. Patrick was more than happy to oblige, even suggesting that it go on record as standing behind her decisions without question as her closest next of kin who is of age prompting Ricardo to grin at his idea. When they arrived the hospital tried to show off their muscle by bringing multiple high priced lawyers each laughing and smirking as the group entered. They knew Ricardo was representing Daisy but when they saw Valerie, Joseph, and Evelyn their smirks faded just as quickly as they appeared. Ricardo could hear one of them say, "You better have everything in order, the Johnsons play hardball and Finn is out for blood. Ramirez won't fool around, if both are involved you are toast." Ricardo relayed what they said to Joseph who calmly said: "They know that they have lost already." Ricardo nodded in agreement, Valerie had already warned them about checking their donors but they were clearly ignorant of just who she really was and why she was warning them in the first place. He almost felt sorry for them, they were hired to win the hospital's case that was gong to be lost before they had a chance to step inside the courtroom. The judge called the court to order and read what the complaint was about. He looked at our group and then at the hospital's group and shook his head. He calmly asked if this was serious, Ricardo and the group all said in unison, "It is your honor." Ricardo got things kicked off by reading the state's statutes about a child's next of kin, the state's DCF guidelines for care, and the hospital's own rules for informed consent. The judge asked what his point was, Ricardo calmly stated: "The hospital has ignored all of the previously stated rules and regulations by denying my client medically necessary surgery based on the supposed claim of her being in foster care and used her sudden placement as a custody issue." The judge asked for the paperwork. Ricardo handed over all of the hospital's correspondence and then showed the DCF paperwork regarding Leslie and Daisy. He then handed over the custody paperwork regarding Roland Finn and the judicial order regarding Daisy's guardianship. The judge asked for the hospital's counter to our claims. They stated, "We are denying solely for the patient's benefit. The child is not in a permanent home and her true next of kin has not been proven yet. We cannot in good conscience allow major surgery on a child who has no permanent home." Both Patrick and Leslie stood up and shouted: "That is not true!" The judge asked who they were to which Leslie said, "Leslie Finn, currently Daisy's foster parent but as of Thanksgiving her paternal aunt." Patrick stated, "Patrick Peterson, as of this past weekend Daisy's elder brother by way of her biological mother." The judge nodded and asked Leslie if she had sought the care for Daisy. She said a heartfelt, "Yes. In fact, I have been with her for all of her appointments and discussed her care with both of her doctors. It was my request for a medical exam that the discovery of her need for surgery arose." He then asked if she had consulted with DCF about her needs. Leslie stated, "I have been in constant contact with Daisy's social worker and she is well aware of everything going on with Daisy. All documentation was provided to her and she has been in contact with the specialists and her pediatrician regarding the need for the surgery." He asked Patrick if he was aware of her care. Patrick stated, "I am and I defer all decisions to Leslie with my full support. She has more experience than my brother and I and we have little reason to go against any of her recommendations for our sister's care." The judge asked the lawyers if they were aware that as her guardian and with the knowledge of DCF there was no issue. They tried to argue on other grounds but the judge called them on it and asked: "Where exactly in the laws, rules, and guidelines do you have a basis for denying her necessary medical care when there is no actual reason to do so? Your only reasons for denying care are ones that are not grounds for justification no matter how you feel personally about them." None of them could respond. The judge shook his head in disgust. He looked over the paperwork and made sure there wasn't anything that was overlooked. The judge read one page and stated, "I see that you have a DNA test pending. I understand that you have tried to use it to assess if you are family to bolster your claim but judging by all of the rules and laws that you have in your favor this wasn't necessary in the first place. I am ruling in your favor and giving you the full amount of your claim plus additional for pain and suffering." Reading further he got a look of anger on his face. "I don't have the power to force them to allow the surgery but I am writing a cease and desist order to prevent them from denying Daisy Peterson care at a facility elsewhere in the Commonwealth. This memo to other hospitals and surgeons in the region is despicable and disgusting. I will have a memo sent to the state to investigate this action and ask that they audit your hospital because I don't believe that this is the only time necessary care was denied in such a horrid way by administrators at the hospital." Valerie boldly stated, "The state is aware of the case and is investigating on Daisy Peterson's behalf. It is their belief that laws were violated and as such criminal prosecutions will proceed. They are more than happy to fulfill your order now that you have made their jobs easier." The family had won. The money didn't matter to the Finns but the point made by the judge was. Daisy had her own nest egg that would ensure she lives comfortably when she left her mother's home. Valerie told Ricardo that the money was going to invested in her name, that her uncle John had started a trust fund for her as he had done with his other nieces and nephews and this would be an entirely separate account just for her. He smiled and told her, "John is something else, you all are one amazing group of people." Chapter 35 Daisy was going to get her operation no matter what but their fight was personal now. In the morning they all gathered at the Finn house before heading to the hospital. Jorge had held off requesting help from the neighbors but he had already told them what happened and they were ready to fight back for her regardless. Thankfully for the neighborhood, he kept it to a mass exodus of patients and not a full riot as they had wanted to do. The hospital would feel the pain soon enough with just the few who had a strong grudge against the hospital doing their part to spread the word. As much as the hospital would like to brush off the loss of dozens of patients word would spread why they left and people would not appreciate their children potentially being harmed because of people pushing their own agendas. Then there was the inevitable media storm that was going to happen as word leaked to them. And it would leak, people would not be able to keep the information from them and the media thrives on those kind of stories. The gathering was the first time most of the parents and kids met Daisy. She charmed the lot of them with Quentin and Scott Nelson getting the bulk of it. She loved Scott, he was the usual gentleman and had her gushing over him. She was even making Stacy jealous, he was just so good with her. Jessica made a joke about Scott being a great father which got both him and Stacy embarrassed and almost made Quentin faint. That was the last thing on their minds at their age. Greta Nelson and Gabby Lawrence couldn't help but smile as they mentioned how much Claire and she looked alike, Gabby nearly laughing as she said: "Claire's beauty and Hannah's attitude, I hope you are ready for that fun." Lilly just shook her head and smiled as she said, "The best of both girls, with Bryan's stubbornness, Jaimie's empathy and Michael's compassion you have the best of everything. Hopefully she doesn't have Cat's temper or things'd be terrible for everyone. Thankfully she has Miles' patience so she puts up with so many of us meeting her for the first time and not reacting badly to it." Eric Vincent and George Daniels worked hard to impress Daisy but she just shook her head. Jessica and Jenna were trying hard not to laugh at their boyfriends but they were losing the battle. Daisy finally said to them, "You are trying too hard, you don't have to do anything different for me. Besides your girlfriends already told me all about you two so you don't have to worry about anything. Just don't try to kiss me like you kiss them. I don't want all of your slobber on me." They grew embarrassed at hearing that. The girls comforted them to which Daisy rolled her eyes and walked away, she didn't understand teenagers. Jessie Lawrence and Rebecca tried their hardest not to laugh at her, telling her, "Aren't you a little young to make boys blush like that?" Daisy didn't know how to answer, only saying, "All I did was tell them the truth" which the girls proudly said, "Right, and you need to learn the truth can hurt boys especially ones trying to impress girls. They don't mind, the girls are making sure their bruised egos are soothed over with kisses." The group all started laughing as she walked to the car and waited for the others. The little angel was making the family proud so much that day and all she did was be herself. It was all they wanted and she was fitting in nicely with them as if she belonged there all along. At the hospital, John and Jaimie stopped off at the finance office and gave two sealed letters with instructions that they were to be opened at exactly 9:05 AM. He then walked up to the executive offices and handed two more envelopes to the secretary and gave the same instructions. The family all knew exactly what was inside those envelopes and why he was giving them. John winked and simply said, "The real fireworks happen after we leave." The secretary didn't even need to ask who he was, she knew him by sight and knew if he was there it was serious and needed to be taken care of quickly. They saw her making phone calls as they were leaving the office, she had a scared look while John had his pissed off look that Valerie rarely saw but knew never to get on the wrong side of. She loved him dearly but when he made that face even she got scared. The rest of the family were speechless and had to back away from John, they didn't need to know that his expression was one that could cause injury to someone if he wanted to do so. They walked into the conference room where the meeting was to be held and awaited the arrival of the administrators and the hospital's legal team. When those people started to filter in there was several audible swears as John, Joseph, and Evelyn were noticed. John had a knowing smirk on his face as he was being glanced over several times by the administrators while the lawyers whispered to one another. They didn't know who he was but the lawyers did. Valerie knew they had dealt with him before regarding his donations so they knew exactly why he was there and what was about to happen. And that was only from the money point of view, they didn't think to put his name together with Leslie's name nor Valerie's name. They realized that that was a mistake they would regret, that was the warning that Valerie had given them multiple times before. All 59 members of the family present were ready for battle for Daisy's sake, all of them not in the least bit happy to be there and were ready for a war. At exactly 9 AM the meeting officially started and the administrators stated the case up for review again and summarily denied Daisy's care yet again. The lawyers tried to get them to change their minds but they categorically denied the request without so much as an argument from the lawyers. John let out a big laugh, a booming, almost maniacal laugh that the family collectively shivered at hearing. The lawyers shook their heads and swore under their breaths as they scribbled some notes to one another then tried to whisper one final time to change the administrators' minds. The administrators had just cost themselves big time and were about to get a reckoning courtesy of John Finn. Ricardo went to work and informed them that they had already had a judgment against the hospital and that in refusing to give medically necessary care to Daisy they had just cost the hospital several million dollars. The administrators ignored him stating, "We are aware of the judgment and we are appealing it. We are confident that the courts will side with us against you and if need be we will string this along for decades before we have to pay a penny." Evelyn asked, "On what grounds do you have to appeal the judgment? Everything was laid out before the judge and there were no arguments legally, morally, and ethically that you could argue against. Your threats are baseless as is your original reasons for denying care." The administrators tried to come up with a reason for appeal but the lawyers told the head administrator, "We do not have cause for an appeal. As she just said all reasoning for denial of care were shot down yesterday. The judgment states it clearly, you violated her rights to seek care without valid reasoning." Their lawyers were now clearly against them. Uncaring and unmoved a second administrator stated, "We do not offer the service being requested and have no coverage for that kind of operation. That is grounds enough to deny the surgery for liability reasons." The family knew this was a bold faced lie. Joseph jumped on it and said, "You are a liar. You carry out that operation several times a year. It is standard surgery for babies born with the same birth defect as Daisy has and several medical papers have been written about it that your hospital has proudly touted. I know for a fact you do as we have a leading pediatrician with us who until you denied Daisy's care was your top pediatrician and in fact dealt with many of those who received the operation." Dr. Samuels came forward and bluntly said, "I have treated a dozen cases in my time at this hospital and each time it has gone through without a hitch. The only difference between the last one and now are you four gentlemen. You clearly have no idea what you are doing. How you lot ever achieved your positions should be investigated!" The lawyers told the administrators that they might want to end this while they are behind. They again ignored their legal counsel with another saying, "We are a hospital, not a charity. This child has no way of paying for the operation and the state doesn't cover it." Karen stepped forward and shouted, "You are full of garbage. It is covered by Medicare and Medicaid and has been for the last six years. The fact that you are unaware of it shows you have no clue what you are doing as administrators. That fact would have been quickly pointed out by anyone in your billing department with a simple query that would take seconds. I doubt you even know what you are arguing against at this point." Beverly Riley stepped forward and announced, "For your information, the child is covered under her guardian's medical insurance as a dependent and it is for a lot more coverage than even you are covered for, all paid for by her employer and backed up by your biggest donors. Her own family would pay out of pocket for her care if we had to and do so without a second thought so money has not been nor will ever be an issue to her. You never even bothered to mention that to her before today!" The fourth administrator came up with the lamest excuse of all saying, "This operation is of no benefit to the hospital. It costs us money to undertake it even if we are fully reimbursed by the state. There is no justifiable reason for tying up an operating theater for an operation that is of no benefit to us." John finally had enough and stepped forward and stated calmly and loudly, "That is both a lie and a joke. The only people that have cost the hospital money are the four of you clowns. And what is worse is you have just told everyone here that you could not care less about the medical necessity of procedures, all you care about is making more money for your hospital." The lawyers knew what was going on and told the administrators to end things immediately. They didn't listen and shouted back, "Just who the hell do you think you are? This child is costing us money in the form of two doctors and lawyers fees." John laughed and gave a sly smile. He finally said, "I'm John Finn, your hospital's largest donor. The child you have denied care is my niece, by way of my brother and in the care of my sister. As of 9:05 AM I have pulled all of my donations from your hospital and informed your board of directors why I was doing so. I have also asked your second largest donor to do the same to which she has agreed." Jaimie stood up and smiled and said, "All of my donations are being pulled and directed to other hospitals. They can make better use of our money because you clearly have no need for it. I will not allow my money to be associated with people who could not care any less about the health and safety of patients and openly lie about why they have denied care to patients." The administrators tried to protest but were told to end things immediately by the lawyers. Ricardo finally stated, "We came here hoping you had changed your mind about Daisy receiving care, clearly you haven't. As a final act, we are all pulling our care from your hospital. There are 59 of us here, you lost hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of care per year just from us alone. I expect within days that number will go to several hundred people pulling their care from this hospital as those who are friends and neighbors hear about what happened today. That means you have cost the hospital millions in patient care in addition to the lawsuit that you just lost yesterday. There is nobody else to blame except yourself for this, your own lawyers told you to stop and you ignored them. This is all on your heads. Your own arrogance was your undoing." He paused for a moment then smiled adding, "And John's claim wasn't a threat. He followed through on it before he entered this room I expect you to be receiving a phone call right about now from the board of directors demanding an explanation as well as firing you four outright." The phone rang. All eight faces went red. They knew who was on the other end and reluctantly picked up the phone. They heard shouting and finally a quiet, "Yes sir." John smiled and said, "The board of directors has just informed you four that you four are no longer employed and the reason for your termination is obvious. When my wife warned you to have your resumes up to date she wasn't bluffing. Good day gentlemen." The family filed out slowly, letting the eight argue among one another. John ignored the phone calls pleading with him to not pull his donations. Valerie finally answered and stated, "My husband made it clear in your agreement that should he be informed about patients being denied care for any reason that he would pull his donations. That happened and he has stood by his pledge. Please do not call again or we will inform other donors about your hospital's behavior towards patients and donors." The group broke up for the day as Dr. Samuels and Dr. Eliza talked with the kids and Daisy. They had just seen sides of the adults that they never wanted them to see. John, in particular, wasn't the same man they knew and showed the dark side of him that he kept hidden away from them until he couldn't hold back. Thankfully for them, Dr. Eliza explained why he acted that way which they were pleased to hear but all agreed that they never wanted to see again. Daisy had managed to stay quiet the whole time and finally let loose. The adults all gave the kids some space so they could handle Daisy. The adults weren't required, this was something the kids needed to do together as a family. She needed to see they were all with her and loved her. She calmed down after a few minutes with Scott doing the soothing. Stacy shot Jenna and Jessica a glare that dared them to say anything but the two just sat next to them. Daisy finally asked, "Does this mean I can't get rid of those things?" Dr. Samuels smiled and said, "I know a few people who are going to help you and are not afraid of those four clowns. I had them schedule your surgery for Friday afternoon. Hopefully, you will be fully recovered by Christmas Eve." Daisy cheered and hugged him. She was smiling the whole way home. The group silently broke up with John and the teens minus Claire going to school to catch the final three class periods of the day while the others allowed the new family to rest a while. Chapter 36 When the Petersons arrived at Leslie's house she had an envelope waiting for her. When she opened it up she shook her head, saying, "There was a delay in revealing the results due to the intervention of hospital administration. When the injunction lifted that intervention they overnighted the results." Lilly asked what that meant. Leslie's anger started to rise and she barely kept from screaming, "We should have had them two weeks ago! The bastards knew we were going to get them and used their clout to destroy the evidence. The bastards would have succeeded had one of the technicians not noticed that they had no legal right to block the results. They don't matter except to give Claire and Daisy peace of mind." She turned to Daisy and said calmly, "I have bad news for you Daisy. You are not only related to Claire, you are indeed our niece. I hope you can forgive us for making you part of our crazy family as there is no way that we will let our nieces get away from our love." Daisy squealed with delight. It was official. There was no denying it anymore, she was a Finn through and through. She turned to Lilly and smiled and asked: "Are you, happy mom?" Lilly nodded. She was with the people she belonged with. Leslie then opened another envelope and smiled, saying, "Your petition for adoption is being held before a judge tomorrow. It's just a formality but you now have the full support of us to go ahead with making it official." Daisy was jumping up and down with joy. This day was getting better for her. Valerie smiled then said, "If I am right Melanie should be calling in a few seconds with her letter. Yours should be waiting at home if your mailman came already." Sure enough, she was on the phone saying they had a hearing in front of the same judge as Daisy. Lilly now knew that she didn't need to call the boys, she already knew hers was waiting for her at home. They hugged Victoria and Jorge goodbye and left, with the two saying, "We will be there with you, this is something we all need to be there for." Claire was silent. She didn't need to say anything, Lilly knew she was happy for them and exhausted from the tense day. When they were in the kitchen eating dinner she finally said, "I am glad this is over, I don't want to deal with another hospital until Jaimie has her surgery. That's not for another three and a half years thankfully." Lilly smiled and agreed. Patrick and David told her about the letter, she told them they were all going tomorrow to the hearing then she was going to the hospital with Daisy. They understood what that meant and told them they'd take care of the hidden items while Daisy was away. Claire asked what he meant, Lilly pointed to their Christmas tree. She realized what Lilly was talking about then asked: "Where did you hide all of them?" She had a sly grin which Lilly took to mean she wanted the secret Christmas hiding spot. Lilly shook her head and laughed. She and the boys never found theirs when they were kids, she wasn't about to tell her now. Claire pleaded with her to tell her, Patrick and David tried hard not to laugh but it was hilarious. Claire realized she was joking, they weren't in the house at all! She had them hidden at Olivia's house for safe keeping. Will and Richard had managed to go against their better judgment and kept that a secret from their girlfriends. Jaimie and Claire were going to have some choice words with them about that secret but it wasn't something that wasn't being done by all of the parents already. In the morning they had their day in court. Claire was excused from school again as were Michael, Jaimie, Miles, Rebecca, Stacy, Bryan, and Hannah. They had a lot of homework to do but their teachers were more than happy to let them slide due to the circumstances Daisy stood front and center with Lilly and Leslie. John and Karen stood alongside Leslie while Victoria and Jorge stood beside Lilly. The kids were sitting all together behind them. The judge asked for Daisy to step forward and asked if she wanted to be adopted. Daisy said a loud and boisterous, "Yes I do." The judge asked Leslie if she had any objections. She said, "We do not." He asked if any other family member had any objections, John, Karen, Jorge, and Victoria all said: "We do not." He asked Lilly if she wanted to adopt Daisy knowing who her father and mother were. Lilly proudly proclaimed, "I love her with all my heart despite whom she may have been sired by. Her paternal family has shown they are amazing people and we are honored that they would allow me to adopt their niece." He asked about the name similarities, Lilly bowed her head and told him, "Her mother was once married to my deceased husband. She has two brothers by her mother to go along with a sister by her father. All three are my children, Claire is my daughter by birth and the boys are my sons by adoption after marriage." The judge nodded and signed off on the adoption. He asked one final question, "The names do not fit and I see a change of name is filed. I ask if you still want to be ?Dale Peterson' or are you going to legally change your name to ?Daisy Peterson'? Daisy smiled at me and said, "I am Daisy. The part of Dale I have will be gone this afternoon. I am not a boy and need a girl's name to go along wit being a girl." The judge asked what she meant. Lilly quietly said, "She is intersexed and has to undergo a medically necessary operation for her health and safety. What appeared to be Dale's parts are being removed to allow her innards to develop normally." He shook his head and said softly, "You folks must have big hearts to take on this kind of drama." She smiled and told him, "Family is worth fighting for. She is a gift and deserves a normal life which she will now get." He signed the paperwork and proudly proclaimed, "I am going to include a judicial request for a change of birth certificate to show that you are female and not male. You are hereby Daisy Peterson, daughter of Lilly Peterson. Your change of name, as well as adoption, will be sealed as per law and her birth certificate will be impounded as part of my request. Nobody will be able to get information about Daisy without going through me and you two." He got down to his next case which was the finalizing of the adoption of Melanie and Lilly. He looked at both then laughed. He simply asked, "What's the real story, this isn't a usual situation." Melanie smiled and said, "It's for our children's benefit. They no longer will have to explain why they are calling John and Valerie Finn ?Uncle John and Aunt Valerie'. It's a long story your honor but it is simply helping both of our families." Lilly added, "It also allows us to hide my daughter's true parentage. As far as the world will know her father's name is Peterson and that's it. Nobody outside the family needs to know nor will they care." He asked what the reason for hiding the parentage is, Lilly, shook her head and said, "He's a drug dealer in prison for trafficking, attempted kidnapping, and multiple conspiracy charges including conspiracy to commit murder who has stated that he wanted to use his kids as leverage to get a better deal with the state. He already tried to block the adoption and we fear if someone learns they are his children they may come after them to get at him." The judge smiled and said, "You folks are something else, to do that for your kids is outstanding. I'll put in a notation to combine the two adoptions so all three are sealed together. Congratulations Mrs. Lopez and Mrs. Peterson you are now Johnsons." They hugged then thanked him for his time. Claire hugged Joseph and Evelyn while Daisy cried into Dan's chest causing him to flinch and blush. They were one big family now. The boys were reluctant to get close to Joseph and Evelyn until they were grabbed into hugs by them. The two simply said, "Thank you for doing that for us" which the two replied, "Anything for you kids." Chapter 37 Daisy hadn't eaten for 24 hours and Leslie hadn't given her water since dinner the night before. She was hungry and thirsty but happy to go to the hospital with her aunt. It wasn't the same hospital she had been treated at before, this was clear on the other side of Boston and actually a rival to their former caregivers and with a history that is much more lenient to specialty patients like her. Her mom checked her in, gladly telling the receptionist that she was her daughter. Leslie whispered, "Her adoption was finalized a few hours ago. They are still giddy about being mother/daughter." She was all smiles after hearing that. The nurse that took Daisy to be prepped was all smiles as well, Daisy was confident and happy and the staff was pleased that she wasn't scared. She told them, "I am happy to be having this done so there is no need to be scared. No matter what happens I am happy to have it done." Lilly kissed her as they wheeled her out. The wait was excruciating but after three hours she was finished and in recovery. There were no complications, once the swelling went down she would be evaluated but expected to be able to leave in four days. Leslie called Valerie and Claire to let them know that Daisy was doing fine and when she would be coming home. Claire told the boys while Valerie told John and Karen. Leslie told them to hold off celebrating, she needed a few days to rest and recover plus it would be pointless as it would be Christmas Eve when she was able to get out and about. Leslie left so Lilly could look after Daisy, her job as guardian was done. Lilly was her mother, Leslie was now just her Aunt Leslie, and she was happy to be just that for her. Lilly did not need her looking over her shoulder, she could handle Daisy on her own with Claire and the boys for support. Victoria was waiting for her on the porch. She asked about Daisy to which Leslie told her she was doing well and would be home in a few days. She went upstairs and gathered all of Daisy's clothes and toys and packed them in boxes for Lilly. Claire would be coming by in the morning to help take them home before they went to the hospital to see Daisy. In the morning Patrick and David dragged Daisy's boxes down to the car while Claire, "Supervised". Leslie couldn't help but laugh at her for doing it. She asked what was so funny, Leslie smiled and said, "You definitely are Hannah's cousin. There is no denying it, that is Karen's, Hannah's, Cat,'s and mom's signature trait- getting someone else to do all the hard work for you. I'd say it's a Williams woman trait but I don't want Aunt Victoria to get made at me. I'm too much like John and dad so I didn't develop the trait as strongly as they did, but you have showing strong and Daisy is showing the beginnings of it." She looked at Leslie funny but realized what she meant. She started giggling which the boys groaned at. Leslie could only say, "Sorry, it's a girl thing. We know how to make you boys work for us while we ?supervise'. You'll find out the hard way once you are married. Don't worry, they'll appreciate that you know your play among women. It's best to acknowledge it an let them have their victories." Before they could leave, Victoria made sure the three of them ate Jorge's food. The boys were reluctant to try it but Claire shook her head and stated: "There is no way you are leaving here without eating, it's a requirement to eat what he gives you and nobody has refused yet." They ate and not surprisingly they liked the food. Jorge nodded as Claire smugly said, "Told you so." Victoria grinned widely as Jorge blurted out, "Definitely like your cousins, poor Will doesn't stand a chance against her." At the hospital, Lilly was helping Daisy eat some applesauce. She was still a little groggy but happy to see them. The boys kissed her forehead and hugged her while Claire sat beside her. Daisy was quiet but happy to not have the unwanted flesh between her legs anymore. Lilly told Leslie the doctors checked her that morning and scheduled an ultrasound for her to check for any internal issues. Leslie asked, "Did they expect to find something inside her? Please tell me it's not cancer. She doesn't deserve that horror on top of all of this trauma." She got quiet then said, "There may be a chance she could have children. They want to make sure she has the parts as her supposed testes were just bits of scar tissue. She might be more of a girl than they realized, and would have known if those idiots had just allowed her care in the first place!" Leslie smiled at hearing that. Lilly looked at her oddly to which Leslie said, "There is no way in hell that anyone in their right mind can say you aren't her mother. I'll be completely blunt: only her real mother would react that way regarding her child. You are her mother." She smiled and calmed down. They sat by Daisy's bedside for an hour then waited for another to hear the results of her ultrasound. Lilly came back with a big smile, Daisy was smiling as well. Lilly proudly said, "She has them alright, they weren't as badly affected by her development as realized. She almost fell out of the gurney jumping for joy when they told her what she was seeing and what it meant. She loved that she could become a mother one day and would have periods like other girls. There is nothing male about her- it was a true birth defect! She's all female." Leslie and the others left on that happy note. The boys were surprisingly happy about the news. Leslie asked them about it which Patrick mumbled, "She doesn't have to explain things anymore. It'll be like she was a normal girl all along. Kids won't tease her and girls won't harass her. Once she is healthy Dale can just fade into memory never to be thought of or spoken about again." Claire and Leslie looked at each other and smiled. The boys were taking the situation well. Claire just had to add, "It'll be fun in 10 years when the three of us have our periods at the same time." Both boys cringed. She added, "Better make it five of us. I forgot to include your wives as well." Leslie could barely control her laughter. She apologized to the boys then tried to scold Claire but it was too funny. Claire just smiled and said, "I knew you'd love that Aunt Leslie, Hannah told me to tell that to them. Something about knowing their place among us women." Patrick muttered, "Remind me to tell Aunt Karen about that, it's not fair getting teamed up by them. Leslie smiled and said, "If she is teasing you then Hannah accepts you two as a cousin, that's the way she does things in the family and you will learn how to get her back soon." With that, they left the car in silence. Claire giggled as she whispered, "That was actually Aunt Karen's joke." Leslie grinned and added, "Actually it was Aunt Victoria's, it just made its rounds through them. I told you, it's something about we Williams women that make us that way around the guys in our family. John's been on the receiving end of it since he was born, poor JD is just starting to get on the wrong end of it. Just wait until Will starts to be the butt of their jokes, that'll be worth the price of admission." Chapter 38 The family all visited Daisy daily as she recovered. She was only in for three more days but would need a full week to recover her strength. Lilly kept constant vigil over her while Valerie went back and forth spending the bulk of the time coordinating with Claire and David preparing their home for her arrival making sure she had everything she would need. Patrick, Quentin, and Dan spent the time setting up her new room once they had what she needed from the various stores. Leslie oversaw the three grown men assigned to that project because David was too busy laughing to help. An engineer, and architect, and a contractor all trying to work together was something that made for great comedy. Each had their own ideas as to how to set up her furniture. David knew enough to let them argue it out while the two of them waited for Claire to get home. Claire and David listened as Leslie just read the instructions and did it in half the time it took the three guys to argue over how to do it. Valerie just sat back and let them try to explain why they didn't just follow the instructions, David and Valerie almost lost it when they started arguing with each other but Claire just rolled her eyes and announced, "Men!" The whole family was with Daisy as she was wheeled out of the hospital to Lilly's car. At the house, Daisy was carried into her new room and she burst into tears, hugging Lilly for getting everything for her. She loved it. There was pink and white everywhere. There was a princess themed vanity table and dresser and a canopy bed. She climbed into her bed and hugged the comforters and fluffy pillows then asked: "Where did this come from?" Lilly smiled and said, "The furniture was in the basement. Almost all of it was Claire's but I couldn't part with them when she outgrew them. They have been waiting for the right little girl to come along for several years." The family left the Petersons to themselves while Leslie and Valerie drove home. John wished he could have seen her look but he was busy with the twins who didn't need to see Daisy hurt as she was. Melanie heard where the furniture came from and laughed, adding, "It was as if she was hoping that she would have another daughter." Valerie just nodded, it was very coincidental and even if it wasn't meant for Daisy's appearance it would have been given to her future granddaughter when one of the three had a grandchild. Miles, Michael, and Jaimie came home and were mad that they missed Daisy's homecoming. Stacy and Rebecca weren't happy either but they didn't want to interfere with that family moment and set their cousins straight over their complaining. The Lopezes and Finns kept to themselves while the five Petersons got used to one another as a family. Claire got a ride to school from Evelyn and Joseph so Lilly didn't have to leave Daisy's side. They, in turn, spent some time with Daisy and started to get used to her energy and personality but thankfully for all Daisy didn't wear them out. Christmas Eve the family drove to the hospital to have Daisy examined again to check on her healing. She was fine and only needed a couple of more days before the last of the bandages were removed but was otherwise healed. Daisy wasn't happy that she had to wear diapers for a few weeks until she was fully used to going to the bathroom in a new way but it was a small price to pay for her. The drive home took them a lot longer than needed. The family stopped for lunch at Kelsie's Roast Beef for a special treat for Daisy. Again it took longer than needed. When they finally got to Lilly's house Daisy burst into tears seeing what happened. The Christmas tree was filled with presents that weren't there that morning. She hugged Lilly and thanked her but it wasn't her idea to do that, it was actually Patrick's idea. She never noticed that he wasn't at the beach when they ate their lunch. Claire smiled at her and told her, "That's just from mom and us. Tomorrow you will get a lot more. Uncle John and Aunt Valerie had to be told to hold off buying you everything in the store but they still got you a lot." Daisy squealed in delight. The boys winced in pain from the noise but braced her hug. Lilly joked, "I hope you have earplugs and padding, she is going to knock you over." Valerie and John nodded, it was exactly what they wanted. She needed this as much as the adults did. She deserved to be spoiled on her first true Christmas and by those who loved her. Back at home, John cleared as much space as possible for the following day. The twins were going to be into everything and the boys were going to be busy dealing with them whether they wanted to or not. Valerie told Michael and Jaimie that they were dressing up since Daisy wanted to wear her new red velvet dress. Michael wasn't happy to have to dress up so early but he didn't want to make Daisy feel bad. Miles was glad to not have to endure that, he was going with their neighbor Sean Beretta to help at the homeless shelter then heading to Christina's house to exchange their gifts. Daisy and he would see each other for a short time but he made a promise to Sean and he intended to keep it. She would understand, he made it clear that he was always going to be there for her before. Dinner at the Finn home was eaten in silence as the kids rushed to go meet Christina, Richard, and Courtney. Anne, Olivia, and Gabby were more than happy to have them over for a few hours while Valerie and John got the presents spread out for Daisy and the twins. Anne made good use of Miles, getting him to prepare the family's dinner with Christina and Jenna while Paige and she relaxed. The three younger teens weren't happy to get duped into doing all the work but it was a tradition with the Connors family to do that for Anne and Jenna had never had help with the meal before. When they returned home after their night out Jaimie and Michael saw how big the pile was for the three youngest and didn't say anything, just going to their rooms to sleep. Jaimie did ask that they wake her up before the boys came, she didn't want to be seen in her nightgown again. Miles just shook his head and told them that he was glad that he was going out so he didn't have to haul all of the trash out after Daisy and the twins finished opening everything. Chapter 39 The Petersons were up early. Lilly got all but Daisy up to finish the final preparations. She was allowed to sleep in while they got dressed and ate. Lilly wanted Daisy to feel special so they didn't move after finishing eating until she woke herself up. Lilly came in with her breakfast on a tray. The boys got the living room prepared for her as she ate so she didn't have to move around much. She liked that they had allowed her such comfort while still letting her know that it was a special day for her. When she came out she sat down on the couch and dug into the presents handed to her. She didn't say much, only a quiet, "Thank you" to whoever got the present for her. They were mostly clothes and a few things for her bedroom, nothing major. Claire sensed that was all at John's house and bought by everyone else. The boys got the car ready with twins' presents while Lilly and Daisy got dressed. The three ladies had similar velvet dresses but Daisy wore a red and green bow in her hair. The boys tried to make a joke about how they looked but Lilly told them, "One word and you two are walking back to Amherst" which quieted them quickly. Michael and Jaimie were waiting outside for them. John carried Daisy inside while Lilly and the boys carried the presents. Valerie asked why they weren't too happy, Claire told them what Lilly said which got her laughing. Miles gave Daisy a big hug and kiss causing her to blush. He handed her his present and watched her open it then hugged her goodbye. She felt bad about him going out but understood why as she saw Sean Beretta and Christina across the street waiting for him. She smiled at Miles being true to his word to the older man and happy that he was doing good for others. When the trio drove off Daisy's attention was shifted as the twins latched onto Patrick and David before they could even sit. Jaimie shook her head and groaned, they weren't going to pay attention to their presents now. Valerie said it was fine, they would only take a quick look then ignore them anyway. The twins loved getting attention from the boys and refused to move unless prodded by Valerie anyway, at least they were out of their hair so they could deal with the other presents. John handed Daisy her presents which she slowly opened. He specifically chose one present to give her which Lilly and Valerie nodded at. She started to cry then showed it to Claire. It was a beautiful doll that looked just like her. John whispered to her, "Every little girl needs a special doll to call their own." She hugged John then Valerie and showed it off. Michael snapped a picture of her before she dug into another present. Jaimie was grinning widely and texting the others about her reaction, it was the one present that all wanted to know what her reaction was. Daisy opened present after present, most of which were dolls and Barbies and doll clothes. She had just about everything a little girl could want. She even got a pony, albeit a stuffed one. She said she would sleep with the little guy and hugged it tightly. She barely said anything after that, she was too excited and happy. John handed the boys two small boxes. Lilly looked at John who gave her a sly smile. The boys opened them and looked at each other, then at John. They were confused and asked, "Why did you give us car keys?" Lilly, Jaimie, and Michael started laughing. The boys' faces went white as they looked at John who gave them both envelopes. Inside were the titles to the cars that the keys belonged to. They weren't new but they weren't exactly ancient. He gave them a couple of used Toyota Prius cars that he said, "Serve the needs to get back and forth so you don't have a reason not to visit your mother on weekends and see your sister at games. You have jobs so you can maintain them without anyone helping you out. If your grades slip the cars get revoked." The boys hugged John, visibly moved by the gifts. They were starting to cry, neither Lilly nor Claire had not seen them cry since their dad died so this was rare for them. All they could say was, "Thank you, Uncle John." Lilly was given a small box from John. She opened it and started to cry. She showed it to Claire which made her cry as well. It was a small pendant with six birthstones in it. They represented all four of the Peterson children's birth months as well as Jerry and Lilly's birth months. Lilly hugged him deeply, John quietly said: "Thank your sisters, all four of them." John handed Claire her presents. He asked that she open two of them last. She ended up getting a bunch of outfits from Miles, Michael and Jaimie and some jewelry from Valerie as well as a few gift cards from Miles and Christina. Claire grabbed the last two presents that John wanted her to save for last. The first was a jewelry box that contained a few small pieces of jewelry. She recognized a ring and necklace, it was something special and one she hadn't seen in over a year. John nodded at her recognition saying simply, "It was your great- grandmother's and some are even your great-great-grandmother's. Hannah wouldn't go near them and wanted us to hold onto them for Cat or someone special. She insisted that you have them and split them with Daisy when she gets old enough. You deserve a piece of your grandmother's family, even if they aren't the best people." He handed her another present. It was a framed picture of, "Grandma Finn" and Claire. It was the only picture of just her and Claire together, they didn't see each other much before the elder Catherine Finn died so to have that reminder meant a lot to Claire. Daisy asked who she was, tears welled up as Claire said: "She was our grandmother." Daisy hugged Claire and kissed her cheek. John, Valerie, Jaimie, and Michael opened their presents while Claire calmed down. Jaimie got the usual clothing and jewelry while Michael got a newer laptop and clothes. John got a nice suit that Daisy actually picked out for him. Valerie got a watch that Daisy also picked out. Both John and Valerie kissed Daisy who hugged them back. Cat was getting jealous of all the attention Daisy was getting. Patrick wasn't paying enough attention to her either once the emotional presents were opened. She hopped down, walked over to Daisy and said, "Dayee" while pulling her arm. She only wanted attention and certainly got it. All nine gasped in shock. Once that initial shock wore off Lilly started to laugh, asking, "Who won the pool?" Valerie pulled out some sort of paper then read down a list. She laughed and said, "Victoria won, she just beat out Miles who had her saying it last night. The pools for JD and DJ are still open but DJ won't do it before Spring and JD will only do it in front of Miles." John shook his head and smiled. Daisy didn't know what was going on, Claire told her, "Cat just said her first word. Your name was her first word." Daisy looked up at John and Valerie puzzled. Lilly picked up Cat and asked, "Who is that?" pointing at Daisy. Cat grinned and said, "Dayee" again. Daisy realized what she was saying and laughed. John asked JD the same but only got a puzzled look. Michael shook his head and told him, "He won't do it without Miles here, he won't do anything without Miles." They figured he wasn't ready to speak yet and without Miles, he wouldn't do it anyway. Cat got her wish, she got all the attention now that she was the big girl she thought herself to be. John asked Daisy and Claire to make a special visit across the street to deliver presents to their new neighbors. Claire knew where they were going, asking, "Does Sam and Virgil know we are coming by? It doesn't seem right to barge in on them." He shook his head no, but that was the whole point- it was a surprise for the kids. They were going to show them they were more than just neighbors. If they were lucky Daisy would be making friends with Virgil as well as making the family feel better about being close with the Finns. James York answered the door and let the trio in. John hugged Tanya Raymond and Claire hugged the younger Sam. John smiled as he introduced Daisy to Sam, it was the moment that they were there to see more than anything. Daisy smiled and promptly said, "She's beautiful." Sam hugged her deeply. Daisy had said exactly what the two expected and gave Sam a special present without realizing it. James nodded at John as John handed them their presents. Daisy handed them to Sam and Virgil who looked afraid to receive them. John crouched down and quietly said, "We know you are reluctant to accept them but it's from all of us. You deserve these more than anyone else." Daisy was busy with Virgil who was watching his sister slowly opening her presents. Daisy and Virgil didn't waste time enjoying each other's company and got along well. Sam was trying to keep an eye on Virgil but saw Daisy was making him happy so she focused her attention on the others and her gifts. When she finished she hugged John and thanked Daisy for the kind words. Daisy just shrugged and said, "I just told the truth." When the trio was across the street John told Daisy, "Sam is like Jaimie but just started to become a girl. What you said made her happier than you can ever imagine. It meant a lot for you to say she was beautiful especially as you just met her. You gave her the best gift she could get, you gave her hope." Daisy shrugged it off again. She didn't see it as doing anything but being honest. Claire quietly told John, "She doesn't realize what she is doing, maybe one day she will." After visiting the York house the day wasn't as boisterous for Daisy or the other Petersons. The Petersons visited with Melanie and Dan for a bit before seeing Karen and the twins. Daisy got a few more dolls and toys and more clothes. The boys started to complain about carrying all the toys home which made Lilly laugh and Karen point out, "Didn't you two just get cars? You could use them to carry the presents home." After visiting with Victoria and Jorge and eating dinner with them the Petersons finally went home and put Daisy to bed. It was a long day and she was happy to finally go to sleep. She kissed Lilly and told her how happy she was to have her as a mother which was the best present Lilly had gotten that day, one that she knew was coming right from Daisy's heart. Lilly and Claire talked about the day to which Claire could only say, "It was fun and Daisy and the boys are happy. I am glad you finally have closure and we are closer than we were before. Daisy needed us and we needed her as well. She made me feel better than I have in years and she made you be more mom to us than you could have ever been. Finding Daisy was the best thing to ever happen to all of us." The End.