Chances - 1D KidFic

This Is It

*Liam's POV*

The next morning, Louis and I drive to the orphanage, Louis having taken the day off work. We set up our appointment after we had finished crying. We then went to the store and bought a couple things for Harry: a teddy bear and a little blanket that had stars all over it. We didn't know what he had or what he liked so we decided to go simple for today and save the major spending for a little later.

We arrive about 10 minutes before our appointment.

"Ready?" I ask.

"As I'll ever be."

*******************************************************************************

We ring the doorbell and a cheerful woman answers the door.

"Hello!" she says reaching out her hand. "I'm Carrie. You must be my 10 o'clock appointment. Correct?"

"Yes ma'am," I answer.

"Please follow me this way," she says as she led us into the... house? facility? What would you even call this kind of place? It looked like a house from the outside, but inside you can tell it's not a typical house. It's almost doctors office like. Yes, you can hear children playing in the back, but the entrance looks like a doctor's office with pristine white walls, tiled floors, chairs off to the side (like in a waiting room), and what looks like a small reception desk. It seems like a relatively nice place, but it was almost... institution like. It makes me feel a little uncomfortable.

Carrie leads us down a small hallway into another room that looks like an office. There is a desk with chairs on both sides, a computer, a small sofa, and a bookshelf with some books. At least there's some color in here. The walls are purple and there are some yellow flowers on the desk. It seems a bit more homey. 

We sit down on the opposite side of Carrie and wait as she pulls up some stuff on her computer.

"So," she starts, "you're here about Harry, correct?"

"Yes," Louis answers.

"Let me start off by saying he is a wonderful little boy. So bubbly and full of life. He deserves a good home, and I've read your file. I'm sure you'll be wonderful parents for him. I see you've already brought a couple gifts," she says with a small smile.

"Yeah well, we wanted to give him something that was from us, you know?" I answer.

"I understand. Most people who adopt from here bring gifts on the first visit. The children, though they are well cared for, don't have much to call their own. When the older children outgrow clothing, it gets passed down to the younger children. Toys and games have to be shared. The only things they have to keep are what they came with, if anything."

"If you don't mind my asking, how many children do you have here?" I was curious. From the outside it looked like an average sized 2 story house, but it could be much bigger.

"We have about 25 at the moment ranging in age from newborns to 15 years old. We have 10 staff members to run the place. We kind of take turns caring for the children and working on the paperwork and adoptions. The older children help the staff with the cleaning and the housework."

"It seems like a fairly efficient system," Louis comments.

"It is. And the children are well-behaved for the most part. There's the occasional fight, but with 25 children in the house, it's kind of expected. We try to prevent confrontation as much as we can but there's only so much you can do.  The children just want attention and someone to love them. With only 10 of us and so much to do, it's difficult to give each child individual attention. Also, we're not allowed to get attached to them. Yes, we care for them but ultimately they're here so they can eventually go somewhere else and live in a home with a real family."

"Well, I'm glad we can help Harry," I say with a smile.

"Yes, definitely. Here is his file." She hands me a folder with several papers inside. It has photos, a birth certificate, medical and police records, and some other papers. "This is all the information we have on him. He came to us when he was about a year and a half. His mother was single and died of a drug overdose. The neighbors heard him crying and found his mother in the bathroom. There was no one else to care for him, so he came here."

"It says here he has a sister. Is she here as well?" I can't bear the thought of separating siblings.

"No," Carrie answers pulling a document out of the back of the file. "She passed away when Harry was a baby. She was a very sick child. That's why his mother was so depressed. At least that's the report that the neighbor gave. It's quite tragic. Luckily Harry was healthy and has been thriving since he came here. He's very caring and loves to make people smile."

"When do we get to meet him?" I ask.

"I'll go get him right now, if that's okay with you."

"That would be perfect," Louis asserts.

"I'll be right back."

Louis grabs my hand and kisses my cheek.

"This is it," he says.

"This is it."