Back in the other room, Easton looked around at everyone staring at the kitchen door with varying degrees of frowns on their concerned faces.
"Why Mommy runned into da tichen, Daddy?"
"I'm not sure, Easton, but Melanie is checking on her, so I'm sure she'll be okay." He tried to reassure him.
"I wanna go help." Easton stated.
"Let's give them some privacy to talk. You can hug your mommy when they come back out." Paul declared softly and at the same time firmly.
Easton frowned and looked away.
Felix stood up and picked Easton up, giving him a little squeeze and a bounce. "Sometimes people need to talk something out without everyone hearing what they have to say." Felix attempted to explain. "I'm glad you want to check and make sure she is okay, but it's also okay that your mommy might need a moment, okay?"
Easton laid his head on Felix's shoulder and gave a shuddering sigh without answering, his concern evident in the stiffness of his small body.
Felix swayed slowly with him in his arms to try and soothe him.
Scott stood up and came over to place a hand on Easton's back. He hated to leave just now, but he trusted Felix and the others to help Easton. "Daddy needs to go get cleaned up to leave for work. I know Papa will take good care of you. And I trust Melanie can help your mommy and whatever she's feeling."
Easton buried his face further into Felix's neck without responding to him.
Felix rubbed his palm on Easton's back to soothe him. "It's sweet you want to take care of your mommy, but now your mommy has lots of people to help her and you can just be her little boy now. Children are not responsible to take care of their parents all the time. It's okay to help some, but it's a parent's job to take care of the children.
You'll see for yourself when your mommy comes back out of the kitchen."
Easton lifted his teary face and looked at Felix. "Mommy an' me cake care of eatz udder. We a team." He frowned mutinously.
"Yes, of course you're a team. Family is a team, but still children get to be children too. I just want to help you learn that it's okay to be a little boy. We don't want you carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders." He ended with a gentle bear hug.
"Oh." Easton replied softly, his frown looking less fierce and more confused. These were all new ideas to him, but he liked the sound of them except Papa wasn't making sense, so he asked. "Papa, I no tan tarry word. I too 'ittle."
Felix smiled and rubbed their noses together. "My point exactly, Easter!" He knew Easton had taken his words literally, but if it planted the seed in his mind that he couldn't do everything alone and he wasn't expected to, then it was a small victory. He'd take every one of those he could get.
In the kitchen, Jewel wiped the last of her tears and smiled sadly at Melanie. "They're probably all wondering what happened to me."
"Easton may be, but the adults all understand how challenging everything is right now. They're no strangers to it. Everyone out there has been in their own pit at some time and someone has helped them out of it."
"They all seem to have it together so well. It's hard for me to imagine them making any of the poor choices I have made." Jewel shook her head in regret as she stared down at her feet.
"Everyone has a past with choices they regret. What's important is to learn how to make different choices now." Melanie encouraged.
Jewel scoffed in disbelief. "You make it sound so easy."
"I don't mean to, because it's far from easy. We're all just human beings and we do the best we can. We learn and hopefully grow."
Jewel sighed. "It feels like those teens are more grown than I am. They are so awesome with him."
"Yes, the boys have had lots of opportunities to develop their nurturing skills. Easton is not the first foster for this family and they both have their personal experiences that awakened their empathy. Besides, Easton is an extremely easy child to love. He melts hearts with no effort." Melanie smiled as she spoke sensibly and sincerely.
"I guess it will take me some time to build my self-confidence." Jewel responded.
"That's fair. Just as long as you listen to those of us on the outside looking in when we tell you that you are doing better."
"I'll try, I promise."
"Good, now if you're up for it, let's rejoin the family. I'm betting they've had to seriously distract Easton from running in here."
Jewel smiled and took a cleansing breath as they stepped back through the kitchen door.
"Mommy!" Easton called immediately, wiggling to be put down.
Felix released him with a chuckle as Easton scrambled over to his mother.
"You otay, Mommy? I wanted tome in tichen, but Papa say wet you calk wiz Mewny." He was frowning.
Jewel scooped him up and gave him a big squeeze. "Thank you, Eassy for wanting to take care of me and for waiting to come back out. I love you and I'm okay. I feel good knowing that when I need some time, there are lots of people to take care of you."
"It my zob to cake care of Mommy." He said with a pout and a frown.
"No, Eassy, it's Mommy's job to take care of you. It's your job to grow up."
A tear slipped down his cheek. "But me an' Mommy iza team." He whispered sadly.
"We can be a team, but it's still my job to be able to take care of you. We both have to learn to do things differently than before. Mommy wants you to worry less and learn what it means to be a little boy." Jewel touched their foreheads together.
"I is a 'ittle boy, Mommy. I no tan be anyfing else. 'Cept maybe a puppy. I tan be a puppy. Woof woof." He barked and then giggled.
"Yes, Eassy, a little boy can pretend to be a wonderful puppy." A smile eased the last of the sadness lingering in her eyes as a laugh escaped her lips.
"Eassy make Mommy waugh?" He asked expectantly.
"Yes, because you're so sweet and cute. You fill my heart so full."
"Mommy's hot is full?" Easton asked in surprise as he laid his casted hand on her chest.
"How Mommy donna wove anybuddy new if you hot is full?" Concern was evident in his voice.
Naomi interrupted their conversation. "I have good news, Easton. A heart can grow. It can be full and then when you meet new people that you love, your heart grows bigger to make room for more love. That's why a parent can have more than one child and still love them all. Their heart just grows and grows." She smiled softly as she spoke so earnestly to him.
"Hots tan gwow?" He asked with his eyes getting round in surprise.
"Mmhmm." Naomi confirmed nodding her head.
He looked around at the others for confirmation and saw them each nod and smile.
"I dess my hot growed a wot cuz I gots so many peoples I wuv now!" He held his arms open wide to show how big his heart had grown.
Jewel squeezed him close to her and nuzzled her nose in his neck. "My heart sure has grown, Eassy. We both have so many more people in our life loving us. Isn't it wonderful!?"
"Es, it wunnerfoo." He agreed happily.
Author's note: I hope no one gets a cavity from all the Easton sweetness. May your hearts be full of all the people that love you!
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Adored
General FictionOne little boy is going through a hard time with his father. However, when he's thrown out on the streets, will there be anyone out there who can adore him? Family means more than just blood.
