As soon as the doorbell rang for the first time, Nick quickly walked into the family room to wake Kindlin up. "Kin," he whispered, shaking her shoulders. When she didn't awake, and the doorbell had rung for the second time, he quickly made the decision and pressed his lips against hers.
Kindlin woke up with a start. She looked at Nick and before she could say anything, the doorbell was ringing for the third time. She stared at Nick and jumped up, running to the door, with him right behind her.
Noticing Kindlin's hesitation, Nick gave her a small hug from behind, whispering gently in her ear, "Open it."
Kindlin sighed and nodded, before opening the door. The lady that had been in charge of them getting Alex back, was standing on the doorstep, with Alex on her hip. Nick and Kindlin grinned, seeing their son for the first time. His 1st birthday would be in 2 weeks, making him 11 1/2 months old. He had blonde hair - like his dad - and brown eyes - like his mom. He looked a lot like Nick, but definently had Kindlin in him too.
"Oh my gosh," Kin whispered, tears in her eyes.
The lady, who was known as Mrs. Criberson, cleared her throat and stepped inside. "He's asleep," she said quietly, motioning to Alex who's head was on her shoulder, his eyes closed.
Nick and Kindlin nodded, with a small smile.
She continued, "Can we put him in his room? I'm sure he'll be out for the night. But I need to talk to you two."
They nodded and led Mrs. Criberson to Alex's new bedroom. Mrs. Criberson placed him down in his crib and they all silently left the room. They walked into the family room. Nick and Kindlin sat down next to each other on the couch, while Mrs. Criberson sat down in the arm chair across from them.
"Mr. and Mrs. Carter... it's understandable that Alex would be upset when taken away from the only parents he's known. He's almost a year old, he's not a baby, and he knows who his parents are. Well, at least, to him they were his parents, adopted or not. It will take him a while to adjust to all of this... he may be upset for quite some time."
Nick and Kin nodded, silently.
~*~ Later That Night ~*~
Nick plopped down on the couch, pulling Kindlin down next to him. "Tired?" he asked, with a yawn.
"Well, it sure sounds like YOU are," Kindlin smiled at him, before resting her head on his shoulder. "But yeah... maybe a li'l."
"Let's get to bed, alright?"
Kin nodded. "Okay. Hey, Nick?"
"Yeah, K."
"I think I've decided to live here for a while longer," she smiled up at him.
Nick looked down at her with a grin on his face. "Good," he kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad."
"Thanks," Kin whispered, before yawning.
"C'mmon, let's get some sleep."
Standing up, they both went upstairs and to their bedrooms. The day had worn them out and they, both, quickly fell asleep.
~*~ In The Middle of The Night ~*~
Kindlin woke up, groggy and disoriented. She glanced to her bedside table to see what time it was. "3:18," she murmured to herself, before remembering why she had woken up, in the first place. 'Hm, must've been a nightmare.' she couldn't fall back asleep, so she got out of her bed and walked quietly down the hallway, not wanting to wake Alex.
Kindlin soundlessly opened Nick's bedroom door and stepped inside, closing it behind her. She slipped over to his bed and pulled back the covers on the side that Nick didn't sleep in. Crawling into the bed, Kindlin laid down and closed her eyes, feeling Nick cuddle up to her a few moments later.
"You okay?" he murmured, sleepily, making Kin realize he was awake.
"Yeah, Nick. I'm just perfect," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him and closing her eyes again.
She felt Nick nuzzle her neck as he fell back to sleep. "G'night, K," he mumbled half asleep.
"Goodnight, Nick. G'night," with that said, Kindlin fell into a, now, peaceful sleep.
