Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2015 16:57:27 +0000
From: David Lee <dlee169@hotmail.com>
Subject: A Day in June, Chapter 14

A Day in June, Chapter 14

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The university's spring term ended ahead of the public schools.  Jade had
all of his work completed to graduate, but Devon wasn't as lucky.  He had
another week and a half to teach.

For Jade, it was fortunate that he was all done because his mind was
distracted by the prospect of having a son of his own.  It wasn't that he
didn't love Jayden like a son, but there was something slightly different
about having his own flesh and blood to rear.  He felt quite sure it was
the right thing to do.  As he had told Dyani and Devon, he needed to save
this child from suffering for their father's misdeeds.  This was an
innocent infant who deserved to have a real chance in life.

Despite the paperwork and red tape that would prevent having custody of the
baby until sometime after Saturday's graduation ceremony, Jade decided to
go to see him.  He packed a small suitcase and drove to the hospital in the
town near the reservation, hoping to spend time with his "son" and to meet
with the social worker in charge of the case.  He figured this could go a
long way in speeding up the process.

Having left in the convertible very early in the morning, he was able to
get to the hospital before noon.  He immediately identified himself to the
staff as a relative who hoped to adopt the infant.  After verifying his
identification and checking him out with the sheriff's office, the hospital
personnel allowed him access to the neonatal unit.

"It's lucky that your background has been thoroughly scrutinized for
working with children," the charge nurse said.  "That should help a lot in
making things go smoothly.  Sheriff Burns also vouched for you.

Now that you're here to sign a release, we can go ahead with the DNA test
to make a positive identification of this child's ancestry.  When you see
him, you'll probably want to adopt him whether or not you're related.  He's
adorable, though somewhat underweight.  We've checked him from stem to
stern and he has no signs of disease.  From the notes his mother left, she
evidently didn't use drugs or alcohol while she was carrying him.  I
suspect that she may not have had as good a diet as she might have.
However, given her circumstances of being on the run, I think she did well
by him."

Jade scrubbed his hands and put on the gown he was given before going into
the room where the more fragile newborns were being monitored.  The moment
he saw the tiny boy, he fell in love with him.  He was startled at how much
the infant resembled the pictures of him as a newborn.  This child could
easily pass for his own son.  A couple of the nurses commented on the
resemblance.

The baby wasn't technically a preemie in the sense of a shortened gestation
period, but because of his low birth weight, he was treated like one for
the time being.

"You may handle him in the incubator," the nurse told him.  "Children who
experience human touch tend to thrive better than those who don't.  In
fact, we can wrap him in a blanket and you may sit in the rocking chair to
hold him if you like."

Jade's eyes glistened as the child was placed in his arms.  He bit his
lower lip in an attempt to control his emotions as he held the baby near to
his heart as he often did Jayden.

"It's about time for him to be fed.  Would you like to do the honors?
We're a little short-handed this time of day.  Do you need any instructions
on how to proceed?"

"I don't think so.  My partner and I have a son who's only about five
months older and I've been intimately involved in his care."

"Great!  I'll make sure his bottle is at body temperature and let you take
over."

The nurse kept an eye on the pair from a distance, but didn't interfere.
She could tell that Jade knew what he was doing.  She was impressed that he
got the baby to burp and that he asked for a new diaper after making the
"sniff" test.

Jade handled the change quickly and efficiently.

"I'm pleased to see that he's intact," he commented.

"Intact?"

"Yes, that his foreskin hasn't been removed."

"Oh, of course, I'm sorry to be so dense.  These days, members of the
medical profession tend to give parents a conscious choice instead of
assuming they want it done."

"I definitely DON'T want him circumcised.  I suppose I'm making assumptions
when I'm not yet his parent, but I'm hoping my wishes will be considered."

"If you are his closest relative, other than the mother who has voluntarily
given him up, I'm sure we'll abide by your decision."

"Cool!"

----------

After Jade had placed the sleeping infant back in the incubator, he went to
the cafeteria to get a bite of lunch.  He had been so excited that he'd
forgotten to eat when he arrived.  Now his stomach reminded him that he was
past due for a feeding.

Sitting at a table after eating most of his big salad and sandwich, sent a
text to Devon to tell him how the day had gone so far.  He also sent a
picture of the baby, which he had taken with his phone, and said that he
was going to stay at least another day or two.

Devon wrote back that while he would be missed, he should take all the time
he needed.  It was never too early to begin bonding.

Jade responded that he was thinking of an appropriate name for their new
son.  He asked what Devon thought of "Dakota" for the first name and
"Devon" for his middle name.  That way there would be one son with the
first initial of "D" like one dad as well as one with "J" like the other.

Devon liked the idea.  He said he thought "Dakota" would be good as a
Native American first name even though it was from a different nation.  He
would be honored to have Dakota bear his name as well.

Since he had a few minutes without kids, he switched over to phoning
directly.

"You should do what you think is best.  I appreciate being in on the
decision, but it should be your choice first and foremost.  As I said, I
like the name for a boy.  It sounds kind of rough and tumble."

"I still want you to be involved.  We ARE a team, after all."

"We have been from the first day."

----------

Jade ended up staying three days.  Even though the baby's DNA test was
requested ASAP, the results weren't available within 24 hours.  Therefore
Jade felt he should stay until there was scientific proof.

When it was finally proven that "Dakota" was Jade's brother, Jade set up an
appointment with Ms. Callahan, the social worker, to discuss adoption
procedures.  The interview started out bleak from Jade's viewpoint.

"Well young man, you have established kinship, but you will have to be
thoroughly checked out before I'll allow you to have custody of this
infant.  There are cases of children being sold on the black market and
that's not going to happen on my watch!"

"My interest is in giving my little brother the kind of chance in life that
I didn't have.  I'm not saying I had it as hard as many kids do, but it
wasn't easy."

"What makes you think you can provide a good life for the child?  There are
many established couples who would love to provide him with everything.  I
take it that you're single, and you appear to be about 18."

"I'm not sure what my apparent age has to do with anything, but I can prove
that I'm 22, a college graduate with a double major in business and
psychology, and that my fiancé and I plan to get married next month.  We
will be able to provide a stable home and give him the kind of love that
will be, in my opinion, unmatched by strangers.  I don't see a lot of
people lining up to adopt mixed-race children.  We half-breeds don't always
fit in."

"Well then, she will have to be thoroughly vetted as well." Ms. Callahan
went on, ignoring Jade's comment.  "What is her name and what kind of
combined income do you have?"

"His name is Devon Cook, and since he's a public school teacher, he's had a
complete background check already.  He makes a pretty good salary because
he has his master's.  I receive a monthly income from the casino revenues,
and I have an assistantship set for next fall which will not only pay me a
stipend but also allow me take my courses tuition-free.  I have all of our
finances listed here to submit," Jade said as he handed her the statement.

"Wait a minute, you said `he' in talking about your fiancee."

"Yes, we are a same-sex couple.  Since the terms for male and female lovers
are pronounced the same, you couldn't have known.  Now that you do, may we
continue?"

"This puts things into an entirely different perspective!"

"How so?"

"Obviously you're not capable of providing a nurturing atmosphere with both
a mother and a father to help the baby to thrive."

"Gay couples are eligible to adopt in this state.  My fiancé is raising
his son, and I am helping.  My grandmother acts as our nanny and provides a
feminine touch.  My tribe is content with the arrangement.  I've already
talked to the elders."

"I'm not sure that matters."

"Look, I didn't come here to argue with you or have you throw roadblocks in
my way.  Here is my lawyer's card.  Expect to hear from him shortly," Jade
smiled tightly as he got up to leave.

"We don't have to make a federal case out of it and take it to court."

"That choice is entirely up to you.  I will leave all of the pertinent
information.  You're welcome to use it to fill out the forms and complete
the procedure.  I will return next week with my legal counsel to sign the
papers, or you may fax them to his office.  His fax number is on the card.

Good afternoon, Ms. Callahan!"

Jade left the welfare office with adrenalin surging through his body.  He
had kept his temper in check, but he was seething inside.  He sat on a
bench in front of the facility to cool off a few minutes before he hit the
unlock button on the key fob and opened the door.  However, a gentleman
stopped him as he was about to enter it.

"I'm Howard Price, the supervisor of this unit.  Ms. Callahan just came
into my office saying that she'd had an encounter with a client and feared
there would be a lawsuit.  I'd like to hear your side of the discussion if
you have a minute."

"I'll be happy to fill you in," Jade smiled.

About 45 minutes later, Jade left Mr. Price's office with a relaxed look on
his face.  All of the necessary paperwork had been completed except for
Devon's signature on the adoption papers, and he would be able to pick up
Dakota on the following Monday.

The baby's name would appear on the birth certificate as Jade had requested
it, and the hospital would receive a notarized reminder that NO
circumcision would be performed.  He had asked for that just to be doubly
sure his wishes were carried out.

Jade was welcome to have everything reviewed by his lawyer and he could fax
the signed forms back to the welfare office in order to expedite the
process.

He pulled out his phone and quickly texted Devon to give him the good news.
Then he went back to the hospital.  It was kind of late to be heading home,
and he wanted to spend more time bonding.

He arrived just in time to give Dakota another bottle.

-----------

Jade's graduation ceremony would always be a bit of a blur in his mind.  He
appreciated that his diploma was a symbol of the hard work he'd put in, and
the support he'd received from Devon and Grandma, but he kept seeing a tiny
boy in his mind's eye.  A week ago, he hadn't known this child existed.
Now he could focus on little else.

Devon took their little family out to dinner to celebrate Jade's
accomplishment.  He splurged a bit when he chose a good steak house.  It
was a first-rate place, reminiscent of the roadhouses of days gone by.

He was especially pleased that the hostess didn't bat an eye when she saw
that a baby was part of the group.  In fact, she offered to have his food
warmed immediately so that he could eat while the adults were deciding on
their entrees.

Devon had asked for menus that didn't show the prices because he wanted
Jade and Dyani to choose their food on the basis of what they liked rather
than on the cost of the items.  Both of them stayed away from the lobster
which they assumed was the most expensive dinner in the restaurant.

Everyone had a glass of wine with their appetizers and used it to toast
Jade several times.

When the waitress discovered that this was a graduation celebration, she
told them that their desserts were on the house.  That made it seem that
they were getting a lot for the final total of $100+ tip.

----------

That night, Devon was determined to have a very private and intimate
celebration with Jade in their bed.  He hoped that Jayden would sleep
through the night so that they wouldn't be interrupted.

Dyani assumed that her boys might like to share their bodies, and offered
to keep the baby monitor in her room in case someone had to get up.  She
phrased it in such a way so that it sounded like she was concerned about
them having a good night's sleep.  The guys figured out her true motive and
were thankful for her thoughtfulness.

Devon very much wanted to do whatever Jade would love to have done to him.
It was his night.  He had earned it.

However, Jade expressed the desire to have it be a mutual commemoration.

"Without you, this day might never have come because I might not have lived
to see it.  It certainly wouldn't have happened this spring.  I'd have
dropped out to pay off my bills from rehabilitation, and I'd have missed
all the hours I earned in summer school.  This accomplishment has as much
to do with you as it does with me."

"I didn't do all that much!  It's your intelligence and drive that have
earned you your degree."

"Smarts and perseverance are fine, but without opportunity they have no
chance to flourish.  You provided that.  This is OUR accomplishment."

"We do make a good team.  So what do you want to do tonight to celebrate?"

"I'd like to reenact what we did after I'd lived with you for about a month
and we hadn't had sex together yet.  You know; when I could use only my
mouth to bring you pleasure.  I want to get you off using only my lips and
tongue.  Well, I might do some full-body rubbing too."

"I'm all for it if you'll let me do the same to you in return.  It'll be
even better since I don't have to interrupt our fun to hunt for condoms.  I
plan to feast on all that high-quality protein you've been storing up."

They didn't talk much from that point on, other than for Jade to instruct
Devon about removing articles of clothing from both of their bodies.  By
this time in their relationship, they were so aware of which erogenous
zones turned each other on, that they had a difficult time not coming
prematurely.  It became a kind of challenge to see how close they could
bring each other to the edge without going over.

When they finally could take no more of that exquisite torture, they came
together with moans and gasps expressing the extreme pleasure they
experienced.

In the afterglow, they kissed and cuddled for several minutes before sleep
overtook them.  All of their dreams were filled with sunlight and love.

----------

The public school term ran about a week and a half later than the
university.  Devon had to go back to do his best to engage his students as
spring fever and the desire to be free for the summer were at their peak.

Jade left very early on Monday morning with a sense of restlessness too.
He wanted to have Dakota home with them as soon as possible.  He must have
checked a dozen times the night before to make sure he hadn't forgotten
anything that he'd need.

After his experience with the social worker the week before, he was amazed
at how quickly everything was taken care of.  He was actually back on the
road before lunch.  He had hoped it would work out that way so that he
could stop for a bite at Edna's Cafe where Devon and he had eaten a snack
on the way home from the hearing where Jayden had become theirs.

Edna recognized him and immediately came to seat him at a table near the
kitchen where she would have more chance to chat as she came and went with
customers' orders.

"And who is this young man?" she asked.

"This is Dakota.  He's our new son.  He's blood kin to me, and we're going
to raise him."

"He does look like you.  I wish Milo would drop in to see this little doll.
I know he'd say all the appropriate things.  He's become a lot nicer since
taking the sensitivity training."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"You're taking lunch a bit late.  I think you held off eating so you could
stop and show off your son."

"I'll plead guilty to that charge, Aunt Edna!  I had to share my special
day with you.  Devon would have come too, but he couldn't miss work. The
university is out for the summer, but the high school isn't."

"So, you're a college student I take it."

"I graduated on Saturday and I'll start my master's in the fall."

"That's wonderful!  I'm so pleased.  Are you two married?"

"We will be in the middle of June."

"Well, congratulations on both events.  I guess I should say on all three.
You have a college degree, a new son, and a husband all in the matter of a
few weeks.  I'd say that's a very big deal."

Just as Jade's lunch order arrived, Dakota woke up and loudly demanded to
be fed as well.

"May I impose upon you to warm his bottle?  Then, if you could wrap up my
lunch, I'll eat it later on the road.  I can feed him in the car so he
won't bother the customers."

"You'll do no such thing!  Everybody in the place either has or is raising
kids.  They aren't going to be offended by a little crying.  I'm about
ready for a break, and I'll feed him while you eat.  I'm good at it and I
love to hold these little ones."

True to her word, Edna took over the duties so that Jade could enjoy his
meal without being stressed.  Several of the regular patrons came by to
have a look at Dakota.  All of them commented on how adorable he was and
what a lucky daddy Jade was.

When Jade asked for his bill, Edna said it had already been paid.

"You can't keep doing that!" Jade exclaimed.

"I didn't.  Do you remember the elderly couple who sat in the corner booth?
They insisted on doing it.  They also left a very generous tip."

"I don't know what to say."

"Just say `thanks' and I'll relay that to them when they come in next time.
I do have something for you to take home.  There are three pieces of my
famous pecan pie left.  As I recall, your grandmother is living with you as
well as your man.  This can be your dessert tonight, and it IS my treat!"

"Please let that couple know how much I appreciate their kindness, and
please accept my thanks for the pie.  That's probably our favorite."

----------

Once his tummy was full and his diaper changed, Dakota fell into a sound
sleep, allowing Jade to concentrate on driving without any distractions.
Traffic was light and the miles clicked by steadily.

Jade did have to take another short feeding and diapering break before he
arrived at home about 6:30.  Since he had called Grandma during his last
stop, she had timed dinner to be ready when he got home.

Dakota slept through dinner, but there were three adults who would have
jumped up immediately if he had needed anything at all.

After dinner, Devon cleaned up the kitchen, allowing Dyani the time to
spend with her new grandson.  She was mesmerized by him, saying that he was
far cuter than the pictures had portrayed him.

She held both boys for a short time.  Jayden seemed to be trying to
communicate with his new brother by making sounds and waving his arms.
Dakota looked his direction, but didn't respond.  Dyani was sure that
Jayden would probably speed Dakota's development along.  She thought they
might become as close as twins.

When the after dinner chores were finished, Devon handed Jade a small
package which he said was Dakota's first gift.

"What is it?"  Jade asked.

"It's small and soft and it has two brothers who already live here," Devon
grinned.

"Is it a sock monkey?"

"Open it and see."

"It is!  That's awesome.  How did you think of it?"

"I'm merely following your example from Christmas.  I think all boys should
have a sock monkey to share their joys and sorrows.  I stopped by the
hospital gift shop on the way home today.  The same lady is still making
them."

"Thanks!  Then the monkeys really are brothers.  Have I told you how much I
love you?"

----------

Dakota cried in the wee hours and Jade jumped up quickly to tend to him.
He didn't want Devon to awaken because he had to go to school in the
morning.  Luckily, Jayden didn't wake up too.  Jade breathed a sigh of
relief when he was finally able to crawl back in bed with his love.

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Author's notes:

I heard from the following readers this week: Wayne, Joe W, Ott H, Gary P,
Mike D, Jim W, Darell R, Tony W, Tom A, Paul R, Bill K, Douglas and
Lawrence, Walt S, William J, Andrew C, Trish R, Mendy D, Michael C, Jeremy
R, Jim M.  I appreciate your words of encouragement and hope I didn't leave
anyone off the list!  I need to thank by faithful editors, Tom H and David
S for their suggestions and corrections.  They are an integral part of this
team.

Please remember to support this free website if you are able.
David