A new start. (Jacksepticeye)

Home

We walk up the front path, tears start coming down my face. I wipe them away as they come. Signe even reaches over to wipe a couple away. We get to he front door and stop. "You ready Sunshine?" Sean says with his hand on the door knob. I nod through tears. He turns the nob and pushes the door open.

Signe takes my hand and leads me inside. I can't believe my eyes. I see a living room to the right and the stairs to the left through my tears. There's a hallway directly in front of us.

Sean sets down my bag and comes over and kneels before me looking me right in the eyes. "Erin Marie, you are officially a McLoughlin. Welcome home Baby, welcome home." He stands up. I wrap my arms around him and hug him tight. I wish there were words to describe how this makes me feel. I put my forehead against his chest and opening cry because it's the only thing that I can do right now.

Signe comes over and joins us rubbing my back as I cry into Sean's shirt. All the loneliness and pain and darkness seems to be flowing out of me. I lose track of time while we stand there together, as a family, holding each other. I finally try and pull myself together with a few sobs still coming.

"Oh Erin, I love you." Sean says giving me a final squeeze before letting me go.

"I love you too. Thank you." I say with a sob breaking it in the middle.

"Let's show you your room. Right this way." He says picking up my duffle bag and leading the way towards the stairs. The stairs are hard wood and have a turn win a landing like at the Girls home.

When we get to the second floor there's a hallway with four doors each with a little sign hanging on the outside. We walk down and stop at each one. The sign read 'Where dirty clothes go to die'. "This is the laundry room. Washer, dryer, hampers... Whatever. Moving on..." We go to the next one. This one has a sign that reads 'Enter at your own risk.' "This is your bathroom. There's also a door that goes into it from your room into it." I look down at the next door. "And that's your room. Go ahead, go."

I walk down the hall and open the door I don't even read the sign on this one. I stop dead in my tracks at the sight of the room before me. It's giant! The bed is huge, like twice the side of my bed at the girls home,  with a white headboard. It's the first thing you see when you walk in. The room has beautiful hard wood floors. There's a dresser to my right against the wall with a lot of drawers just for me. And a vanity on the opposite wall. I go and sit on the bed already made with grey and white sheets. I fall back and stare at the ceiling. There's a ceiling fan at the end on my bed in the middle of room.

I get back off the bed and walk around the bed. I then notice a small black metal dog kennel tucked neatly in the corner. Inside is a grey bed that matches the rest of the room with a collar and leash placed neatly inside along with bowls. I look back at the door to check for Sean and Signe. I see a streak of green flee from sight. I turn back to the kennel. There's a note taped to the top of the kennel. It reads-
     You have found your next surprise. Meet Corey the hound puppy. He's all yours and we can go pick him up whenever you want.
Printed on the paper was a picture of Sean holding a white and light brown speckled hound puppy. The cutest little thing I've ever seen.

This can't be real. My own room and a dog in the same day?!

I leave the note and go to the dresser. There are eight drawers; four smaller across a the top and four bigger in a 2x2 pattern. I open each and they are empty but in the top right is another note, which reads-
     You have found it. This means we will be going on a shopping trip and getting you clothes to fill this dresser with new clothes just for you.

I step back from the dresser and just turn in place looking all around the room. One I had turned about 720 degrees I stopped when I noticed a pair of heads peaking in the doorway. I run over and hug them both. I hear Sean's phone buzz in his pocket and then again and again. I see Signe give him a look and Sean nods and takes out his phone and turns the ringer off.

Alright someone wants to get in touch with him.

"So would you like to settle in or explore the rest of the house or we can go out for lunch? Up to you." Signe says running her fingers through my hair.

"I think I'll uhhhh..." I look back at my new room. I don't know I don't really want to leave.

"I'll tell you what, you unpack what you have and I'll go down to the kitchen and whip up something. Sound good?"

"Yeah. Ok." He gives me a wink before heading down the hallway. Signe follows a few seconds behind him.

I pick up my duffle bag in hallway and bring it in my room. I look at the sign on the door his time when I enter 'Erin's Oasis  Welcome Home'. I smile and go in. I lug the bag up on the bed and unzip it. I take the books out and set them aside on the bed. I go through my clothes refolding all of them and separating them into different drawers (like pants, shirts, underclothes, etc.) I put my books on top of the dresser and climb up on the bed. I hug Johnson close to my chest with my blanket over my lap.

"Can I come in?" Signe says from the doorway making me jump out of my skin. "Oh sorry Baby."

"No it's fine, sure come on in." I say with a smile. She walks over and sits on the edge of the bed.

"You love that bear don't you?" She says looking down at Johnson.

"Yeah..." I say giving the short answer.

"Can you tell me about him?"

"My birth parents gave him to me when I was turned over to the system. He's all I have left of them. I don't even know their names. But no matter where I was Johnson was there with me." I pick at a piece of fluff on his coat.

"Oh I see." I think she feels like she made it uncomfortable. I scoot over next to her with my feet hanging over the edge. I lean against her.

"Thank you." I say softly and then look up into her eyes.

"Oh baby girl. I love you. You're home. No more boarding houses or girl homes. You're home." She says giving me a light kiss on the forehead. She puts her arm around me.

This is love. This is what I've dreamed of a mother. A loving mother.