~ One week later ~
PAUL's POV :
It's 7am and I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock. I felt Nina stirring in the bed, and I said "Good morning darling." She replied with a sweet and loving tone "Good morning you." Then we looked at each other with a smile plastered on our faces. She placed a hand on my cheek and said "Today is the day." I replied "Yeah I can't wait." and then I place a kiss on her forehead. She came closer to me and kissed my lips passionately and said "Me too." I said "Well we better get up and prepared ourselves to make sure we arrive on time at the orphanage." Nina replied "Yeah you're right, omggg I can't wait !!"
We quickly prepared ourselves and an hour later we made our way to the car. I opened the door for my wife and she said smiling "Always a gentleman" and I chuckled. I drove for about 30 minutes and once we parked I look at Nina, she was stressed, I noticed that as I saw her biting her nails. I took her hands in mine and said "Stop that", she looked at me and said "I'm stressed." I replied "I know darling, try to relax, I'm sure this will to go well." Nina said "I'll try, I can't believe this is The Time." I replied "Yes finally, let's meet our kid."
NINA's POV :
We got out of the car, Paul gave me a quick kiss on my left cheek, and we walked hand in hand to the orphanage. We entered and a woman came towards us and said smiling "Welcome to the orphanage, I'm Ophelia Clark, I'm the one who is in charge of your child adoption." Paul and I thanked her, Ophelia told us "So today you are going to meet the children. From the last call we had, you told me you were looking for a girl around 3 years old, is that right ?" We nodded smiling, and Ophelia said "Okay guys follow me." We headed to what I supposed was the living room, and before Ophelia opened the door in front of us, I looked at Paul right in the eyes, and I caught him already looking at me. He took my right hand in his left hand and brushed his thumb over the back of my hand. He mouthed me "I love you", I smiled and mouthed back "I love you too".
Then Ophelia opened the door and we entered in a huge living room with a large bay window overlooking the garden. There were 8 little girls sat on the couches waiting patiently for Ophelia. My heart melted when I saw them, they all seemed so sweet. Ophelia said "Hey girls, here are Nina and Paul, they are here to adopt one of you. So please be kind and polite." They all answered in unison "Hello", then Ophelia turned towards us and said "So now I'll let you talk to each girl, I have to go check something on my computer at the reception, so if you need anything I'll be 2 doors away." Paul said "Okay thank you." and I smiled nodding. Ophelia said to the kids "Okay girls, now you can return to your activities, but stay here and don't go outside."
We went in front of a girl still sitting on the couch and she said to me with sparkling eyes "Wooow you're so pretty." I crouched down with Paul and said "Awww thank you, that's very sweet of you. What's your name sweetie ?" She answered "I'm Mavis" and I exclaimed "What a beautiful name" and she replied "Thank you." Then she asked "Can I show you my drawings ?" and Paul replied "Yeah of course." She got up and walked to one of the tables and she said showing her draws "That's Elsa my favourite princess." Paul said "Wow that is amazing Mavis" and she smiled widely. Then Mavis continued her drawing, so we went to talk to the 7 other girls for about an hour.
After we finished to talk to the last of the girls, I caught up Paul who seemed confused, I asked him "Everything alright ?" He replied "Ophelia told us there were 8 girls, isn't it ?" I answered "Yes that's what she said." He noticed "Well I can only see 7, one is missing. We better find her before Ophelia goes back here." I said "Where could she have gone ?" We thought for a minute and looked around the living room. Then I gasped when I saw the bay window opened. I said to Paul "She sneaked out in the garden, look the window is open." Paul said "Omg let's go check." I said to the other girls "Stay here calmly girls, we will be back in 2 minutes."
The garden is huge, that will take an eternity to find the missing one. "We better warn Ophelia, look how huge is the garden, it's gonna take us forever." Paul said "Yeah you're right, let's go back inside to tell her." We we're heading back to the house but we suddenly stopped because we could hear in the distance a little voice asking for help. We tried to follow the voice and we spotted a playground further. We ran there and we saw a little girl at the top of a slide, and a dog was at the end of the slide waiting for her to get down the slide.
The little girl was so scared and the dog was growling but wasn't barking. The dog was trying to got on the top of the slide where was the girl, as if he wanted to attack her.
Paul said "Hey honey, we're going to help you." She said "Dog want to eat me" and she started to sob scarily. I said "No no don't worry sweetie, stay up here, I'm gonna get you out." Paul suggested "I'll deal with the dog while you get her." I nodded and quickly went on the top of the slide with the scale.
I approach the little girl and asked her "What's your name honey ?", she answered "I'm Flora", and I said "Okay Flora, listen to me, we will get down together and I'll bring you back inside of the house." She said through tears "I don't want to come down because dog is scary." I told her "Look honey, I know you're scared and I understand, but we can't stay here forever. Don't worry I'll take you in my arms to protect you, so the dog can't reach you, okay ? Also my husband is taking the dog far from us, so there is no way that this dog even gets near us." She nodded and came closer to me, I held her like a baby koala so she wrapped her legs around my waist, and she engulfed her head in the crook of my neck. I rubbed her back in order to calm her, and said "Okay let's go Flora."
I went down the slide ladder, and I felt Flora little hand tightened at the hem of my shirt. I whispered in her ear "It's okay Flora, you're safe with me."
Once my foot touched the ground the dog growled even more, I saw that Paul was struggling with the dog by holding him by his collar. I quickly made my way to the opened bay window that was at the complete opposite of where we were. Paul said out loud "Nina hurry !! That dog is mad and uncontrollable, I don't know for how long I'll be able to resist." I walked faster as before, but I heard Paul again "NINA RUN !! THE DOG ESCAPED !!" I started to run but it wasn't easy when your holding a kid. Flora put her head up and she saw the dog running after us and not far from us so she screamed in high pitched. I reached the bay window and quickly went inside, closed the window and I ended up in front of a worried Ophelia.
She asked "What's going on ?" I answered out of breath, still with Flora in my arms, "There is a crazy dog outside, he was chasing us. My husband is trying to deal with him but it looks like he is out of control." Ophelia's eyes widened and got out quickly, she saw Paul trying to catch the dog. He finally caught his collar again, and a few second later Ophelia was near him. She said to the dog "Stop it Lucifer !!" Paul asked "Is that your dog ?", and she answered sighing "Yes it is, I adopted him recently and sometimes he turns completely crazy and angry because of a health issue. I'm so sorry you had to deal with him. I hope you are all alright." Ophelia and Paul brought the dog in an isolate place in the garden, and she locks the dog in his pen. She said "Thank you so much for your help." Paul replied "Your welcome, now let's check if Flora is alright, the poor little girl was so freaked out."
The both of them went back inside the house, Ophelia walked towards me, and she said "Are you okay ?" I answered "Yes I am thank you, but maybe you should check on Flora, she still seems upset." I handed her Flora, who was still crying, she sat her on the couch and asked her "Hey honey it's alright, the dog is locked up outside and you are inside so nothing can happened to you right now." Flora replied "I got really scared", Ophelia said "I know Flora, that's why I told y'all to not go outside. For now I promise Lucifer won't be near you again." She hugged Flora, and wipe her tears away. Ophelia asked Flora "Does Lucifer hurt you ?", Flora shook her head no and Ophelia suggested "Do you want to watch Bluey ? I know it's your favourite cartoon." She nodded so Ophelia turn on the TV and put a blanket on the little girl to let her feel cozy.
Ophelia went towards Paul and I and she apologised "I'm so sorry, all of that should never have happened. I'm glad that everyone is safe and sound, and thank you so much for rescuing Flora, she wasn't supposed to be outside." Paul said "No problem, when we saw that the window was open we immediately got out and we heard her asking for help, so we did what everyone should have done."
Ophelia asked "So now let's go back to our main subject : who do you want to adopt ?" I replied "Well with all that incident we didn't have discussed it yet, can you give us just a few minutes ?" She answered "Yeah of course, take your time." Ophelia went away and she sat next to Flora.
I returned to Paul and we sat down on to chairs. Paul asked me "So what's your opinion ?" I replied "In fact they are all sooo kind and cute. But I think I got a connection with Flora when I held her in my arms, I don't know how to explain, it was a weird but good feeling." Paul said "Yeah I know what you mean, the fact that we rescued her also make me realise that I want to protect her especially. So are you ready to adopt Flora ?" I answered a bit emotional "Yesss !! We will finally have our family, I can't believe it." Paul put his hands on my cheeks and we kissed lovingly.
Paul asked for Ophelia, she came towards us, I looked at Paul and he slightly nodded. I said to Ophelia "We would like to adopt Flora." Ophelia smiled widely and said "That's great, I'm glad she will finally be able to be a part a of family. Let's announce her the big news." Flora had calmed down since she was watching TV. Ophelia asked her to come to us. Her little footsteps went towards us and Ophelia leaned down and said to the little girl happily "Flora I have something really important to tell you." Flora asked back "What ?" and Ophelia pointed at Paul and I, and said "Nina and Paul would like to adopt you, are you happy with that ?" Her smile widened from ear to ear and she replied with excitement "YAYYYYY !!" Paul and I smiled to Flora and I squatted down and took Flora's little hands in mine, and said "You're finally having a mother and a father who will love and cherish you unconditionally. Are you ready to be a part of the family ?" Flora answered by nodding her head quickly. I was about to hug her but she stepped back to Ophelia. I gave Ophelia a confused look and she said knowing that I was disappointed "Well, now I need to tell you all the information about her current situation and her past. Also you will have to meet her psychologist to learn how to act with her." I stood up and we nodded, Paul took my hand to reassure me about what had just happened, and Ophelia put Flora back on the couch to let her watch TV. Then, Ophelia gestured us to follow her in another room so we could talk without the girls around.
~~~
End of the 1rst chapter
> What do you think that had happened to Flora before she got admitted to the orphanage ?
Tell me what do you think in comments and don't hesitate to vote ;)
-This story is mostly written by my friend Selenia (I helped her by giving some ideas)
<3