A long lane at night

1.EXTRA 6. DOUBLE TROUBLE

A/N: This is it! The final extra chapter! The next update will be the prologue for book 2! I can't wait to bring wattpad up to date with the uploading schedule! I might still update parts on a whim until it happens! 

Allow me to share a second behind-the-scenes tidbit. I wrote this extra when I had already started book 2. The thing is, the prologue of 2 was actually an extra and my mind was somehow always fixed on 6 extras. I wrote what now is the prologue as extra 5 and, once you read it (which will be soon, I promise), you'll see right away how it gave me the idea for book 2, so I decided to move it. In order to keep the number of extras at 6, I wrote this one.

Enjoy!

** BRIAN **

'HAVE WE ACTUALLY BEEN LUCKY THIS TIME around?' I ask Allan with a wide smile. 'It took us more than a year to finally get Jack, I can't believe they're already giving us a baby.'

We were currently at an excessively bright office that was on the third floor of the children's home we were currently visiting. We were sitting across from Tony Hitchcock, the social worker who had been working with us for the past three years, overseeing both Jack's conditions with us as well as our new adoption now.

'About that...' I didn't like the look on his face. Was I looking at...?

'You look apologetic, Mister Hitchcock,' Allan said, taking the word right out of my brain. His tone was a bit tone-in-cheek, especially using Tony's last name, something we had stopped using a long time ago. 'Is something wrong?'

'Well, Mister Altridge-Leech,' Mister Hitchcock returned the joke, but sighed when he turned to Allan, 'you two are the only ones who can tell whether there is a problem or not. We do have a perfect match for what you were looking for but, there are, how can I say this ... a couple of things that don't exactly match what we have on your file.'

'And which are they?' I must admit that worry was starting to wear my patience thin.

'They are two, actually. Two boys who entered the system the last month after being removed from their grandparents' house. Mother and father died on a plane crash some eight months ago and the boys had been with their paternal grandparents. The maternal ones have already passed. According to their file, their living grandmother has severe dementia, she can't even answer for herself anymore, and the grandfather isn't suit to care for an ill wife and two toddlers. He has already signed away his rights over them. And, since two seems to be the number of the hour, they also happen to be two years old.'

Allan was holding my hand all the way through Tony's tale and I am positive the lump on his throat was as big as mine. Seeing we remained silent, he went on.

'I understand if you would rather remain in the waiting list until a suitable child that matches all of your criteria appears, but seeing the amazing work you have already done and continue doing with your first son, Jack, we believe that these boys will be in good hands.'

I took a glance at Allan and knew he had made his decision and also that it was the same as my own. I cleared my throat, crossed my legs, let out a sigh that was full of thought, and finally asked:

'And what are the boys' names, Mister Hitchcock?' I surprised even myself for carrying their previous little joke.

'William and Chadwick Tuckerman.'

'Let's have that changed to William and Chadwick Altridge-Leech, shall we? Will and Chad for shorts.'

Tony let out a relieved and wide smile. Right next to my seat, Allan was smiling so brightly I could actually hear it.