Angel Academy

Chapter Twenty-eight

Niamh's POV

I sat at the hospital with Dean. He was sitting up in his bed, his arms wrapped nervously around his shins. The hospital had been able to keep him a little longer than they had planned, but Natasha had told me they wouldn't be able to keep him here for much longer. I looked around us, smiling at his drawings that were taped on the walls. It was bright pictures with big yellow suns in the corner and people with too big heads walked or stood holding hands.

"Do you remember your name?" Dean shook his head, a small frown on his delicate features. I shrugged. "It's no biggy. Besides, you like the name Dean, don't you?" He grinned, his nervousness forgotten as he nodded enthusiastically. "I'm gad," I laughed. Dean sat watching me for a few moments before he crawled off the bed and slowly walked towards me, looking up at me shyly. I smiled at him, and he grinned back, holding up a piece of paper that he had had hidden behind his back. I took it from him, a smile on my face.

Dean had drawn a picture of a woman and a little boy. They were holding hands and they had the biggest smiles on their faces. The background had birds and flowers and a big house. Above the boy it said in crudely written letters: Me with an arrow pointing to the little boy. Above the girl it said: You. My smile grew.

"This is an amazing drawing, Dean," I told him, and he blushed, looking up at me through his long eye lashes. He hesitantly reached his arms up, and I carefully picked him up, setting him in my lap. He leaned his head against my shoulder, sucking on his thumb. I couldn't help myself, and I gently ran my fingers through the little bit of hair that was finally starting to grow back on his skull. I carefully rocked him, humming a lullaby that Heath had loved since he was born. Soon I heard the soft snores of Dean, and knew he was asleep. His thumb fell from his lips, and he snuggled deeper into my chest.

Natasha walked in and stopped in surprise. "Oh my God!" she squealed quietly and I sent her warning glares. She grinned at me and whispered, "This is amazing. Such a huge step! How did you..?" I smiled at her and looked down at Dean's sleeping form. When I looked back up, Natasha looked deep in thought. When she noticed me looking, she smiled and motioned for me to meet her out in the hall.

I carefully stood up and laid Dean in his bed. He reached out to me, crying a little bit. "Shhh," I soothed him, brushing back his hair a little. He looked up at me, his bottom lip hanging out in a pout. "I'll be right back. Go back to sleep." He slowly let go of my hand, and closed his eyes, sucking on his thumb. I walked out into the hallway and Natasha cornered me into the wall.

"He trusts you, doesn't he?"

I raised my eyebrow questioningly. "Who? Dean? You could say that, I suppose."

Natasha chewed on her cheek a little before saying, "No, I mean, he does trust you. He only lets you near him, and only me when you're there. I mean, he even crawled into your lap and fell asleep."

"Okay. Where are you going with this?" I asked suspiciously.

"You love him right?"

I nodded. "Of course. He's an amazing little boy."

Natasha grinned. "Great! Then it's settled!"

When she went to walk away, I grabbed her wrist. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm going to recommend to Dean's social worker to allow you to adopt him."

I gasped. "What? No. I-I can't."

"Why not? Niamh, he needs someone he trusts."

I frowned. "I can't. My ex is trying to take custody of my son right now. I can't throw adoption on top of everything."