Strong Enough

Alternate Ending

Kim's jaw dropped open, "How could you?" She asked, the mere thought of giving her child up crushed her. No matter how much hate she felt for his father she knew she didn't have in her to give her baby up.

She took two bills from her purse and tossed it on the table, "I'm done" she angrily left the diner, and Erin.

Trudy pulled a picture from her purse, she handed it to Adam, "that's me and my younger brother Grant, and my mom and dad" she smiled, "look how happy we are, my dad thought Grant was just the greatest little boy on the face of the earth. They did everything together, I was a little jealous when he was born. My dad finally had a son"

Adam smiled, "You were a cute kid Sarge" his anger with her slowly dissipating.

"Of course I was Adam, did you expect anything else?" She teased him.

"Of course not" he smirked, "why are you showing me this?"

Trudy took the picture back from Adam her fingers running over the faces of her parents, "My father wasn't Grant's biological father" she paused and pulled another picture out and slid it across the table, "this man was"

Adam glanced at Trudy and then to the picture and back at Trudy, "this is a mug shot, what are you doing?"

Trudy grabbed his hand, "I'm showing you that it's possible to love the child of the man who hurt the woman you love" she wiped her eyes with her free hand, she had promised herself she wouldn't cry, "that man attacked my mother one night after she left work, he grabbed her and dragged her into an ally and raped her"

Adam had flashbacks of seeing Kim in the hospital, "I'm sorry"

"My dad, he reacted the way you did, he wanted to kill him" she could remember hearing her father cry in the middle of the night when he thought everyone was asleep, "then my mother learned she was pregnant, he was beside himself"

Adam nodded, knowing that feeling all too well, "How did he do it? How did he love Grant?" He needed to know her father had pulled off what felt impossible to him at times.

They heard the bells ringing signaling the opening of the door, a smile filled Trudy's face.

She waved him over, "ask him yourself. Hi daddy" she hugged the older man, "Daddy, this is Adam, my friend I was telling you about"

"Hello son" he extended his hand to Adam, "my daughter speaks highly of you and your girlfriend"

"Mr.Platt" Adam smiled.

"I'm going to let you two talk" Trudy kissed her father's cheek as she left and smiled at Adam "you can do this Adam, I know you can"

Mr.Platt took Trudy's spot at the table, a sigh escaping his lips, "I heard about your situation. I'm sorry you're going through this, it's an awful to live with. I remember wanted to beat the life out of the man that hurt my wife" he adjusted his eye glasses, "when we found out she was pregnant it crushed us"

Adam studied his face as he spoke, "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"That's why I'm here son"

Adam leaned back in his seat, "How did you see past your hatred for his father? How did you feel when he was born?"

He rubbed his face, "Son, when our Grant was born we didn't have all the fancy medical stuff we do nowadays" he chuckled, "we went the whole pregnancy unsure of who his father was, as soon as he was born we did a DNA test"

"It must have been hard"

"It was. As soon as I held Grant in my arms, it became clear that it didn't matter if I wasn't his biological father. After a few weeks we got the results back, I won't lie it hurt, but in the grand scheme of things it didn't matter. He was my wife's son and he needed me, I was going to be the father he deserved"

Adam felt as if a weight has lifted off his shoulders, seeing Trudy's father speak about the love he had for the child of his wife's rapist gave him hope.

"I won't lie, some days it was a struggle. It was never about Grant though, it was me and my feelings for the man that hurt my wife. I decided that I couldn't waste another second thinking of that monster and what he did. I concentrated on my son, and showing him how much I loved him and raising him to be a good man"

"Did you ever tell him?" Adam asked, that was his next question how Kim's son would feel knowing how he was brought into the world.

"We told him when he was about eighteen or so" he remembered the conversation, "he was upset but we worked through it, his biggest fear was that he would be like his biological father. We assured him that wasn't possible, that he was a good kind boy"

"How is he now?"

"He's great Adam. He's an attorney out in California, he's married and has two teenage girls" he showed Adam a picture of his granddaughters.

Adam smiled, "Thank you Mr.Platt, this was exactly what I needed to hear, Inappreciste it" he stood up,'"I hate to do this but I need to go. I need to talk to my fiancé" he tossed money on the table to cover the bill.

Kim was miserable as she sat in the glider, she couldn't help but wonder if Adam had said something to Jay about putting the baby up for adoption.

She heard him come in, "Kim? I'm home" he called out, she didn't have the courage to greet him. She loved him with everything she had but she couldn't, she wouldn't give her baby up. If that meant she lost him, it would kill her but she would survive, her baby was counting on her.

Adam found her in the nursery, "Are you okay?" He asked, her eyes puffy and red, he kneeled down in front of her,his hands on her thighs, "why are you crying?"

She choked back a sob, "Erin mentioned adoption, I can't give this baby up Adam. If you want me too, I can't, I won't" she explained, "if that means we're done, I hate it but I understand"

Adam pulled her up and into his arms, "Absolutely not. I don't want you to give this little guy up" he rubbed her stomach, "I want to be the best daddy in the world to this little guy. I had a talk with someone today who showed me that DNA doesn't matter, that this little boy needs me, and I won't let him down. I won't let you down either" he kissed her, "I'm in this for the long haul, I want to be your husband and this guy's father"

Kim stood on her toes and kissed him, "I love you Adam" she smiled "who did you talk to?"

They went into the living room, "This stays between us, okay?" He knew Trudy would be okay with Kim knowing but he wasn't sure about anyone else.

"Of course"

"Trudy's mother was raped when Trudy was a kid, she ended up pregnant and her rapist was the baby's father" he could see the sadness on Kim's face, "Trudy's dad raised him, said he loved him the same way he loved Trudy. The kid turned out great, and he's married now with a couple of kids" Adam smiled, "he showed me that it's possible"

"Adam, I'm so glad he helped you, but I've always known that you could do it, you just needed to believe in yourself"

"I think I just needed to hear it from someone who has been in my shoes" he wrapped his arm around her, his hand going to her stomach, "I think we should come up with a name for this guy"

Kim looked up at him, "I know you aren't crazy about naming him after you, but I'd really like him to have your name" she hoped he would reconsider, she wanted her son to have a part of Adam.

"I think it's a great idea Adam Michael Ruzek Junior" he smiled, "has a nice ring to it.

---Note---

Unedited.

I think this has one more chapter and then it's done.

Thanks for reading!!