Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Hazel wanted to take every baby in the nursery home with them. Of course, she didn't know what she'd do with a dozen children who needed her help, but she knew that with enough family around like Betty had said, they'd be loved. But she was almost positive, though, that loving on them wouldn't be enough to feed them and change their diapers. She was still smiling about that when a nun came out of the nursery department with a smile on her face.

"I've come to answer any questions you might have regarding the parents of this young man. He's not small by any means. Weighing in at just over nine pounds when he was born, he's a beautifully healthy baby boy." She had no idea if that was a big baby or not, so she didn't say anything. The nun, in charge of the comings and goings of the infants, she told them was Sister Mary Grace. Logan asked why the parents were giving him up. "They're too young to be trying to raise a child on their own, I was told. Her parents have said that if she keeps him, they'll disown her and not be there for either of them ever. Despicable way to raise a daughter, but then I don't know the entirety of the story, I'm sorry to say. The young man's parents are of the notion that the girl is at fault for getting impregnated by their son, and they want nothing to do with the baby. It breaks my heart if you wish to know the truth. But it isn't my call to make. I only want, as his parents do as well, is what is best for him. I don't think there could have been a better couple for him to be going with than the two of you."

"Thank you." It was mostly Jayden who asked questions about the new baby. Hazel hadn't ever babysat for a child, not in all her life, so she knew little to nothing about them, much less what to ask. However, she did remember to ask if he'd been named as yet. "That way, we can call him whatever his new parents were going to be calling him."

"I'm sorry. There must have been some miscommunication. The child is yours to keep. Call it a way for you to get your feet wet with having an—I'm not saying that right. The child isn't up for adoption unless you nor your husband wish to not take him. If that's true, we can—" It was Jayden who said that they'd keep him. "Oh, good. Yes, that's wonderful. Do you have any more questions for me? I'm afraid that I only just came on duty this morning, so I know only a little about his parents. I do know that they want no contact with him after they leave here. The two of them wish to part ways themselves and just want to go on with their lives as normally as they can."

Hazel didn't think that if she'd had a child and had given it up, she'd want to know everything every day about him either. But then, she wouldn't give up a child, she didn't think. However, she was going to make sure that the little boy knew that he had biological parents who only wanted the best for him. She was going to do that for him by being his mother.

Jayden was pacing the little hallway that allowed them to look into the nursery. She didn't know which child they were bringing home with them but thought, just looking at the infants in front of her, that they were going to be getting the best of the lot. Smiling to herself, she couldn't believe how mean she was to a bunch of little people who hadn't left their beds yet. Talking to Logan when he joined her at the window, the two of them talked about the babies and what they'd name them if any of them were coming home with them.

"What's taking so long?" Telling Jayden that she didn't know, for the eighth time, she asked him to please sit down. He was making her nervous. "I can't believe that you're being so calm. We're about to become parents, and you're just standing there."

"I'm just standing here because no matter how long this takes, I know that I'm taking one of the little babies home with us. If not, then I'll get upset. But your pacing is making me crazy. Please tell me that you're not going to stress like this when we…well, I guess we're parents already. Now, behave, Jayden, before I make you stand in the corner over there." He laughed at her, which is what she needed. When he did sit down, she thanked him.

It was taking a long time, but they had told them when they arrived that they had to make sure they were sending a healthy baby home with them. Pictures to document everything and recording it was a priority. She didn't mind at all. She was going to be a mommy to someone's child, and she couldn't have been happier.

"I think he's coming." They were taken to a room a few minutes later. The child that Logan had thought was theirs was taken down the hall. By the time they were dressed in masks and gloves, in the event that they didn't take John Doe with them, this way, they wouldn't give him a cold before he was adopted. They were also given the rules about the child. Not to undress him completely unless he needed changing, and they weren't to leave the little room they were in with the baby either. There were alarms all over the place and, even on the infant. Not until things were finalized, at least.

The bassinet that was pushed into the room with them had the three of them taking a step back. She wanted to rip the blanket off him and see him but knew that if she did that, she'd be jeopardizing their ability to take him home. Hazel didn't want anyone to think that she was going to be a bad parent. So she waited for him to be handed over to her first. Then she panicked.

"Let Jayden go first. I've never handled a baby before." The nurse, she didn't see if she had a name tag on right then, told her that she'd be a pro. "I don't know. I mean, he does weigh nine or so pounds, but he still looks tiny to me. Just let Jayden hold him first."

In the end, she was handed the child after sitting in the rocking chair that was provided for them. To say that she was surprised by how well he fit into her arms would have been a gross understatement. And if anyone would have asked her, she would have told them that she would never love a child instantly like she did this little man.

"Oh, Jayden. Look at his cheeks and little fingers." Digging around in the swaddled-up blankets, she was not only able to find his feet but to pull them free of the blanket as well. Just when he curled his tiny little toes around her finger, she knew that he was going to be her little boy, even if they had to run to another world so no one could take him from her. "I've fallen in love. Is that possible?"

"'Tis very possible, miss." She looked at the nurse, not having seen her nametag until that moment. On it was one word, "Minx." With a wink at her, she stood up and gathered some of the supplies that were on the table next to the bassinet, as well as the drawers that were on the bed. "You'll need this and more for the coming years, I believe. Logan, my dear friend, will be making sure that you have enough advanced notice so that you can be prepared at all times. As I said before, he will be a great help to you and your helping the world."

"You're saying that this isn't the only child that we'll take care of? I think I might have figured that out, but now that I've had time to think about things, I want you to know that even though I said yes before, I truly mean it now." Minx asked her if she was prepared to have to let some of them go. "I don't know right now. I know that it'll be difficult, but I'll try."

"You'll be a good person to all the children. Some of them, most anyway, won't be infants like your son is now. They'll be more at the age of Logan, well, how old Logan appears to be. He is, in the event that you didn't know, a very old and wise man nearly as old as the earth. He has taken on the appearance of a young man in order to be accepted by the children that he is going to help you with." She had thought that he was older than he looked but not nearly as old as she'd just been told. Sometimes, too, he seemed so much younger than he was, even at fourteen. "You'll be a good person for this job, my lady. I know that."

A nurse came in to check on them just as Minx disappeared. She didn't say anything but just simply was gone. After asking questions of the nurse, they were set to go. Jayden held the little boy while she was told about the things that would be coming to them in the coming days. The hospital was going to make sure that they had plenty of supplies in the way of blankets, diapers and formula because they were helping them out. She knew that she could afford it if it came to them having to supply the things that babies would need, but then she realized that if older children came their way, the hospital wouldn't be able to help them with those items.

"You'll need to hit up thrift stores for things like clothing. It will save you a bundle. And something that you need to do. You cannot buy them everything new all the time because they'll not know how to make sure that it's safe if they were to leave you." Jayden said that he could understand that. "I knew that you would. So, are you ready to go? Oh, sorry, but we'll need a name for the child so that we can push the paperwork through for your adoption."

"Roger Sherman Allen Dixon." She looked at Jayden when he laughed. "I know it's a mouth full, but I think that he's named after three of the greatest men that I know."

"I agree." Before they left, they signed off on the paperwork that would get them into the system for child care. Jayden and Logan were both discussing the fact that they'd have to come up with a shortened version of his name when it occurred to her that they'd simply call him Allen. It was a good, strong name, and it was a name that no one in the family was using at the moment. Allen Dixon was loaded into the car seat and taken out of the hospital without so much as a ripple of trouble. She knew that her plan to run away with him wasn't needed. This time. She thought for sure that she'd remember this day for the rest of her life. This day and the one that Logan came into their lives.

The grandparents were all still at the house, but it looked to her like they'd all been ordering things to be delivered. There were boxes and bags of gifts for their grandsons, and when they told them his name, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Even she was having trouble controlling her emotions about how it had affected the family to have him named for all of them.

The gifts were mostly sleepers and diapers. There was also a kit that would take care of his nails when they needed to be clipped. That was something that Hazel thought that she'd leave to someone else. She had enough trouble making sure that her own nails weren't too long. Laughing a little, she wondered if Allen would hate it as much as she did. There were things for Logan as well. A nice laptop. Some gift cards that he could use, as well as a gaming system that she might have to play around with when he had it set up.

After making sure that the little man had on a dry diaper and his belly full, they laid him down in the bassinet. She'd been told no less than a dozen times that she couldn't hold him all the time, or he'd get used to it. But she pointed out that this was his first day on earth and had been abandoned by his parents, so she was going to love on him as much as she could.

"That's a wonderful idea." She handed Allen to his great grandda Roger and laughed when he looked at him. "I think he knows that he's going to be all right with me. It's been a very long time since I've held a baby. But it comes back to you, doesn't it?"

"It was like that for me too. Holding him the first time." She watched as Roger held him gently in his arms. "I didn't think to ask if he was human or not. I don't know that I would be able to tell."

"He's part wolf. The other half of him is human. But being in this house, he'll more than likely become a little of everything and everyone. It'll keep him safe." She asked Logan if he was going to be harmed. "Never. But he will need the protection of his other selves so that he'll be safe from everyone."

"I don't understand. You make it sound like…is it his parents or his grandparents that try and take him. I don't know why I'm thinking that, but it does make sense." Logan told her what he knew. "So they have a change of heart. I hope they understand that they'll not get this little boy over my dead body. He's mine."

"It won't come to that, but it's good to know that you're going to be that protective of him." Logan laughed a little. "You're a great mom. I hope you know that I'm thrilled to be a part of your growing family."

It occurred to her that this little man wasn't addicted to any drugs. So he wasn't the child that she'd dreamed of. While Allen was handed around, each of them hugging him and telling him some of the things they were going to do when he got older, she leaned back in the chair she was in and thought about what that meant. There would be others, she knew that, but while she was nervous about being a mom, she knew now that she could handle it.

"I think we need to put Allen to bed. He's going to be sore for the next few days while we all get used to having him around." Betty said that he was used to being in the womb and hadn't been touched like he'd been today. Sherman agreed. "He's going to be a good boy to you both. I cannot wait to see what the future brings to him and this family."

It was nearly midnight when she and Jayden went up to bed. The family had gone home a little after ten. They hadn't wanted to. That showed in all their faces, but they did, knowing that they'd need to be rested up so that they could babysit Allen when necessary. Like she was going to need them for the rest of her life, watching the baby all the time.

The crib was in their room for now. The nursery was being worked on, and she was happy that there would be plenty of room for Allen and any other children that they brought here. Her grandma would have been thrilled about all of the children making the house full of love and laughter again. She knew that she was. As soon as Jayden snugged around her, she was out. Exhaustion was making her whole body achy from trying to stay focused on not getting up every two minutes to check on Allen.

~*~

Logan used his magic to have a large structure put on the back of the house. There were shelves along the walls that were labeled with large totes of clothing arranged from preemie to adult. There were also shelves of things like bottles and distilled water. A shelf full of toys that were brand new for the children to use. Minx joined him as he was working on the other items that would be needed. Very few people, not any that he could think of, knew that he'd been created just for this family. Minx had made him so that when the right couple came along, he'd be ready to help them.

"You've been very busy. I love this and the way that you've organized it." He said that he'd been planning this since he knew what his role was going to be when the Dixons came along. "I hope you don't overdo it, Logan. They'll need you more as the years come along."

"I'm pacing myself. The building was put up a couple of years ago, however, it was only now that anyone can see it. The shelves, too. They were there, just waiting for the time when we could go to them." She asked him if he thought that she'd made a mistake in choosing Jayden and Hazel. "No. I know that you thought that it should be Dallas to do this for us, but you made the right choice in the end. Jayden and his mate are going to be better at this than I think we could have imagined. Besides, I believe that with their love for each other it's going to help the children in ways that no one could have guessed. You made the perfect choice in them. What's going on? It's not like you to second guess yourself. Did something happen?"

He didn't know if she was going to answer him, but in the end, when she did, he laughed. Something that he seldom did before coming here. Living here with this family, all of them had given him a great deal to be happy about, too.

"I think that you are going to be called grandma soon if I don't miss my bet. But in order for the children to get to know you, you're going to have to settle down and show up more. Popping in and out of their lives like you do now isn't going to help anyone to get to know you." She told him that she didn't want to be a nuisance. "Doubtful that anyone would ever think of you like that. In fact, I know that I'd love to have you around more often. Some of the things that I know I can't discuss with my new parents."

"What sort of things? He only cocked his brow at her, and she laughed. "All right. I guess there is a great deal that you know that you won't share with even me. You do know that I created you, correct?"

"I do. And I thank you daily for that. Especially now. I love that I'm able to help the family as much as I can. And to be honest with you, I believe that this is the best of all the couples that I've been with to figure out if we had gotten the right one or not." She asked him if the others had been so bad. "Not bad. But greedy. Very much so. This family will do well with the children that come to them. And I believe that someday they'll look back on all this at the beginning and wonder why they were so terrified. Jayden isn't so much as Hazel is, but he is nervous about messing up their lives."

"I don't know what else to say to them in order to make them feel like they are the perfect couple. I believe you were right in not telling them that they weren't the first couple that we had decided on. I think it would have them second-guessing their roles, thinking that we might well have made a mistake in having them help. That was a good call on your part." When he finished up with the large baskets to carry things to and from the building, he sat down with Minx to relax. It was hard on him, using so much magic to make things here work out, but he couldn't have been more proud of the way things were going. "Will you stay the young man that you are now? I can see you being both a good big brother and a great grandda too."

"I've decided that I'm going to get my own home soon and try very hard to make myself age over a time. It's draining, as you told me it would be for me to hold this persona and use my magic. It would be nice, I think, to be able to be myself around them. All though I'm not nearly as old-looking as I am, being a fourteen-year-old is difficult, to say the least." She asked him to show himself to her. When he changed to his natural self, she laughed. "You could pass for an adult easily, and you're not that hideous looking either. Stay that way, Logan. I'm sure they'll notice it and they'll be all right with you being yourself. They'll love you all the more for it."

"I'll think on it." When he decided that he was going to stay the way he was naturally, he'd talk to his ‘parents' first. He didn't want them to come up on him and be startled into thinking he was a complete stranger and may well hurt the children. "I need to go away for a few days. There is some trouble brewing in another county that will need my attention. Also, I want to protect Cullen. The man is nearly worn to the bone. He needs to retire from the service and learn to be a regular man again."

"Is it that bad for him?" Logan nodded. "I see. Is there anything that I can do to help him? Cullen is a good man and I would hate to see him burnt out when things are finally coming together for this family. He's going to be needed as much as you are."

"I'll have to talk to him soon. He's not having a good time being home. I think he's so used to working alone that having his family around is making him nervous all the time. I know that he needs his heart taken care of. Not that he can die from a heart problem, but he does need to learn to take care of himself rather than everyone around him. When his mate comes, she's going to have her work cut out for her." She asked him when that was going to happen. "Not for a while now. Like I said, he's going to have to get used to having family around that are willing to help him rather than doing it all for himself."

The two of them spoke about the others in the family. The unmated men were to get their mates soon enough, but for now, Minx was keeping her eye on the candidates that would be joining the group. Hoping that they'd be as happy as young Jayden and his mate were, she could also hope that it was soon. They were in need of being settled the other four of them.

When she left, Logan continued to sit on the sofa that he'd put in the building just for the two of them to sit on. It would disappear when he left and then return when he and Minx, or any of the others came out here with him. Looking around the expanse of the room, he was glad to see that the shelves, all of them magical, were doing just what he wished. Filling themselves up with the essentials.

While he wished that he could buy the things locally and help the economy with the purchases, he didn't think it would be wise to have it out there that a family was taking on the children of their parents. Having large quantities of things purchased by the family would be a red flag for someone looking to cause trouble. Keeping them safe was a priority, and he was going to make sure that the least number of people knew where the children were.

It was nearing midnight when he finally went into the house. Both his parents had been out off and on today, and he was happy for them visiting him. As he made his way to his room, having never had one of his own in his life, Logan laid down on his bed. Not that he'd go to sleep. There was no need for him to do that, but he did need to rest at least a couple of hours a day. Today, he'd been extra busy, so he knew he'd be down for a few hours.

"I've got an idea that you aren't one to sleep all that much?" He laughed when Sherman contacted him. "I'm having a bit of trouble sleeping myself. Too many things going on in my head right now. Why don't you and I talk a bit about who you are. I think that someone suggested that you were an elite shifter. And you might well be, but that's not all you are. Why don't you and I talk about that."

"You might not want to know the whole truth." He said that he wasn't sure either until he heard about it. "All right. Yes, I am a shifter, but I'm everything, too. Not just shifting into other living beings but also things that don't have a heartbeat."

"That's a new one on me. So you can become a refrigerator, too, then. Can people open you up and take stuff out of you?" Logan laughed and said that no, he couldn't be opened. "So you're just for show. All right then. What else can you do?"

Instead of telling him, Logan appeared where Sherman was sitting in the kitchen, having a hot cup of tea. Producing cookies to go with his own tea, Sherman just laughed. It brought a smile to his own face.

"I guess there are plenty of things that I'm going to be learning about you over the years. The family told me that I'm immortal. I don't know that I cotton to that all the much. I'm an old man and not getting younger by the day. Plus, I got me kinks and pains that are there with me." He told him to have a cookie. "I'm not supposed to have sweets all that often, but I will have one of them. Are those strawberry pieces in them?"

When he bit down on the cookie, Logan watched as all his pains of being old, as he called it, disappeared. There was more going on, his finger that he'd broken when he'd been a child showing off for his mate. He was able to straighten it out and bend it like he'd not been able to for years. When tears rolled down his cheek after finishing off the magical cookie, he asked him if this was temporary or if he would go back to his old self when he left this room.

"You're just the way that you want to be. The magic was in the cookie, but you're the one that wanted it to heal you. I'll leave these for you so that you can have your wife take one, too. You'll see a great deal of differences in yourself as you go on. Even your gorilla will be affected by the magic. How does being immortal feel for you now." He nodded. Logan thought the words to express himself were stuck in his throat. "You're a good man, Grandda. I hope you know that having you around for them, the children coming, not just the ones from Jayden and his mate but the family as a whole, will benefit a great deal from your kindness and wisdom."

They spoke about a lot of things. When the sun came up, he was still sitting with the elderly man when his mate joined them. She asked what was different about her mate, and all Sherman did was offer her a cookie off the full again plate. Looking at him, she took one of them to her mouth and bit down. That was when he decided that it was time for him to leave. They were going to be just fine, he thought. All of them would be.