Line of Time

Found a Home

Chase and Debra put Tino's wheelchair in the back of his truck and then they loaded into the cab. He sat between the two of them and Debra held him while Chase drove. The whole time Tino tried to see over the dashboard and watched how Chase drove. He watched the scenery of the town pass by and soon they arrived at the agency. 

When they went inside, Debra went to get Tino's things, she came back with a backpack and a set of clothes for him, seeing of how he was still in hospital pajamas. Chase took up the pile of clothes and Debra pointed him to the bathroom so he could help Tino change, he walked in and put the pile on the counter. He found underwear and jeans. He knelt down so that Tino was leaned up against his shoulder. 

"Pants first, okay?" He asked as he slipped them both on over his leg braces.

"Okay." Tino said as Chase then pulled them up, Tino shifting from his should to hold onto his head as his dad buttoned and zipped up his pants for him. Chase took his hands as he looked up at him, making sure he wouldn't topple over, he did a little as he let out a gasp but then he laughed as his dad caught him from falling over.

"Now for your shirt bud." He said as he picked him up and sat him down on the counter and found a T-shirt. He untied the hospital gown and Tino then put his arms up and then looked down at his shirt. Chase gave him a smile as he then put socks and shoes on him. Tino insisted that he could tie them, Chase held his foot still for him.

"So how do you tie shoes, I know how to tie boots, but how do you do shoes?" Chase asked as he joked a bit, he wanted to see what Tino would do. To that he just smiled and reached down for the lances. 

"You make a knot... and make loops, like this... Then you cross and go under, after that... You pull them together." He explained as Chase nodded and cracked a grin.

"So like tying boot, just smaller?" He asked as Tino smiled as he giggled.

Chase then tied his other shoe and then picked him up again, now that he was all changed and had nothing else to put on. He picked up the gown and tickled his chest a bit.

"Feel better to not have your butt hanging out?" He asked as Tino nodded and then they went back out where Debra was waiting for them. She said that Chase had some paper work to fill out before she could approve the adoption, so he sat Tino down on the bench outside of her office and then walked inside. Tino sat there and waited happily, he was finally getting adopted, he finally found a parent... He started wondering if he would make a good son and started to get scared that he wouldn't be.

"Hey Tino,come play with us." A few girls said as they ran up and grabbed his hands and tried pulling him up off the bench. When they let him go his hands flew backwards and found the bench before he hit the ground. He lifted himself up and sat down, they looked at him with a weird eye. 

"What's wrong, don't you like us anymore?" They asked. 

"I still like you guys but... I can't run anymore." He said.

"Then, we'll walk." One of them said with a smile but it dropped when he shock his head. 

"I can't wake either..." He told them. 

"Can you stand?..." One of the older girls asked as she has her suspicion about why Tino hadn't been there for a while and now why he said he couldn't walk.

"The doctor say I won't be able to walk ever again..." Tino said as the girls faces shifted to sadness. They then all sat down on the bench and then on the floor around him. 

"Don't worry, Tino, we'll still play with you." They said with a smile. 

"I don't think that that can happen anymore... Miss Debra is in there getting my papers signed..." He told them as they all were taken back for a minute before they all swarmed him with hugs and a few of them kissing his head or cheeks. Once they backed away all they could say was that this was great, that he was getting a family and other jumbled things that he had trouble catching. They calmed down though when they saw the door opening and a tall man walk out. His appearance scared the girls and they were quiet. He smiled down at Tino.

"Ready to go home Tino?" He asked as his son then turned to the girls around him and gave them goodbye hugs. Chase then picked him up and they waved goodbye as they walked away. Chase and Tino drove back and the whole ride home was filled with Tino asking Chase questions and then him giving him answers. 

When they got there, school was already over with and Miss Cooper had already left to go get her three boys along with Erin in tow. Chase had put him down on the picnic table and then went to get his wheelchair and brought it up the stairs as Tino looked around. As he did so the gate door flew open and three boys around his age raced through and up onto the picnic table without even noticing him. Miss Cooper walked in after them and shut the door before telling them to calm down. She smiled at the new little boy that she hadn't seen before. 

"You're new here, what's your name?" She asked.

"Tino." He answered shyly.

"Well it's nice to meet you Tino, I'm Miss Cooper and these are my boys. Mathias, Lukas, Berwald and Erin." She said as she gestures to them all in turn, they stopped when they heard their names and then waved to him before going back to their rough housing. 

He smiled at each of them and waved back in turn. Then Chase came down the stairs and the boys stopped and looked at him before getting up off the ground, knowing that he would surely tell them if they didn't.

"Looks like you've met Tino, already." Chase said as he saw that Tino looked tired, he had noticed before in the truck that he was getting dark circles under his eyes but now he just looked like he was in pain or at least his body was.

"You feeling okay, bud?" He asked as Tino looked up at him. 

"It's hurting..." He said as Chase then reached into his pocket and pulled out a orange bottle.

"Mind if we borrow a glass of water, May?" Chase asked as she then put Erin down on the table and walked away to get a cup for him. She came back and handed him the cup with a smile, her boys looked at each other with confusion as Chase handed him a pill. Tino took a moment before swallowing it down and drinking all his water. He had a face as it was harder to swallow than he thought and then handed the empty cup back to Miss Cooper. 

"Is it gone?" Chase asked as Tino nodded. 

"Open up I wanna make sure your not playing a trick on me." He said with a chuckle as Tino then opened his mouth and showed him before they laughed at it. Tino's laugh had quieted down quite a bit. The painkillers were already taking effect and by effect sending him to sleep. 

After a while of talking with Miss Cooper, Chase felt a light tug on his shirt and found Tino rubbing one of his eyes. He was partially already falling asleep on the table.

"Bed?" He asked as he picked him up as he nodded with his eyes both shut as he yawned. 

"Okay, I guess that means that's all for tonight. See you tomorrow May, night boys." Chase said as the boys yelled back their good-nights and Miss Cooper waved goodbye to Tino. But he had already fallen asleep on his dad's shoulder. 

"Alright, bedtime big guy... " Chase whispered as he walked up the stairs with him, being careful not to wake him up. 

Chase opened the door and then walked into the back bedroom where he slept and placed Tino on his bed. He kicked off his own shoes and took off his jeans before doing the same to his son. After that he turned out the light and crawled into bed next to him. He wrapped a protective arm around him after he wrapped the blankets tightly around him, making sure that his legs and feet wouldn't catch cold. Tino shifted under Chase's arm causing him to lift his arm, with the little light that came from a street lamp outside he saw Tino trying to toss and turn but he couldn't. Chase had placed him on his back when he put him down but now rolled him onto his side and then Tino flopped down on his tummy, stopping his restless sleep and drifting off once again. Chase then put his hand on his back and found sleep as well.