Evolution - The Oasis Project Book 3

Twenty-Nine - Linkin

Fang sat in Four's lap as Bruce helped me place the contact lens in my eye. It felt thick and unnatural. I blinked rapidly and pulled back from Bruce, holding a hand over my eye. "Well, here's the moment of truth," he said as he strolled back over to the black computer monitor.

It took me a second to find the courage to open my eye, when I did, I couldn't see a thing out of it. It was entirely black and the strange sensation quickly gave me a headache as I looked around.

"Well?" Bruce asked. I could hear the anxiety in his voice.

"I can't see anything."

I looked at Bruce who laughed, nodding. "Good, good, and now?"

It was like he flicked a switch. My right eye went from blind to seeing everything. There were a few unnatural lines in my vision, but something I could easily get past. I glanced to the computer screen, and it was as if two mirrors were placed in front of each other. It was recording.

"It works." Four let out a small laugh as I looked away to face Fang with a forced smile. He looked at me sadly, chewing on his lip. We both knew what this meant.

"Hey Bruce, you said you could write messages to me which I can answer by looking in a certain direction, right? Show me?"

Bruce turned to the computer and pressed a button. A green flashing light appeared in my right eye and I could see the letters appear as he started typing testing, testing.

"It works," I sighed, rolling my eyes which appeared on camera – I'd have to remember that.

"This is excellent," Bruce exclaimed loudly. "I really didn't think it would!"

The room went silent and I closed my eyes. "Thank you Bruce, Four. You two can go downstairs to the party. Send up Thierry for me?" I asked as I went over to sit down with Fang who had moved off Four's lap and onto the couch.

They nodded uncomfortably and left, leaving the door slightly ajar as I wrapped an arm around him. "So, what do you think?" I asked. Fang was quiet, looking down and refusing to talk. "Would you hate me if I left?"

He looked up at me finally and his eyes said yes. "No... But I don't want you to."

"I know," I whispered and just sat there, hugging him until Thierry walked in nearly fifteen minutes later. He had a glass of water in his hand and a smile on his face until he saw the two of us sitting there.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly as he came into the room.

Fang and I shifted over to give Thierry more room. He sat down and wrapped an arm around the both of us. "You know you two are my boys, right? That I love you both so much?"

"Tina, where is this going?" Thierry asked just low enough for me to hear.

I smiled and glanced between the two of them. "I have to go to Russia, and I don't want to argue about that anymore with either of you." I let that hang in the air for a moment and when I was met by silence, I continued. "But I also don't want to leave without us being a family."

I wiggled out from the two of them and went to the desk. "What are you doing, Tina?" Thierry was hesitant to ask.

I took out two pieces of paper, glancing them over once before switching hands and presenting one to each of the boys. "Fang, we love you," I started off, glancing to Thierry with a smile. "And we want you to know you have a home with us for forever. This paper is just legal mumbo-jumbo and you can say no, but this is an adoption paper so Thierry and I can legally be your parents."

"Really?" Fang's voice was so soft and it sounded as if he was going to cry.

"Well, as long as Thierry signs this," I paused and glanced to him with a small smile. "It isn't as romantic as you want it to be, I know... But it's a marriage licence. Sign on the dotted line and you're stuck with me for forever."

There were a lot of hugs, a few tears, and the three of us had our own private party upstairs as the others celebrated their China victory in the living room. Fang brought some of his craft supplies and he cut out small flowers to throw into the air as Thierry and I each signed the paper. With a quick kiss and a picture which Fang caught on camera, it was official.

Signing to legally adopt Fang wasn't as much fun. It was a twelve-page, endless document with a lot of skimming of seemingly dull information. Fang grinned and hugged the two of us as we worked on filling it out. He was taking a lot more pictures of Thierry and me hunching over, arguing about whose name went where in our unceremonious wedding.

In the end, it too was completed. The three of us stood in silence before letting out a laugh. "Aunt Ira's going to be so mad." Fang pointed out.

Thierry and I both nodded. "At what point?" The three of us laughed again. "Come on, we should go downstairs." I pointed out before adding in, "For only an hour, then it is your bedtime, Fang." Now that I was officially a mom, I had to stop expecting people to help me out with raising an excited nine-year-old.