Where Dance Fits In

Chapter 22: Life Changes

Miss Laurie

Waking up this morning, I'd never thought I'd come to this conclusion today. It had been a rough morning;we were all really tired from the hospital last night. Reagan had spent the night and we had to get ready for the show today. Mark had also been sick and was throwing up the minute we woke up. It was not the best way I liked to spend my morning before one of my most important shows.

Everything had been going downhill until I get a call from Reagan's mother. "Hi Laurie, how is everyone?"  Mrs. Donahue asked me. "All is good, Mark's not feeling so well though." I answered. I was not expecting to hear the words that Mrs. Donahue would now tell me. "How is Conner?" I asked her. "Well," she begins. "Conner, afterall, does not have a desease!" I almost started to cry. Once we're done talking, I hang up the phone. "Reagan, Kyle, Mark, would you please cone down here?" They all come down the stairs in a flash. Reagan's in her dance shorts and one of my smaller t-shirts. Kyle's wearing his usual boxers and his hair is a tangled mess, and Mark almost looks green. This motley crew was about to get some pretty great news.

"Good morning." Reagan says tiredly. "Yes, it is a good morning!" I say. I'm to excited to hold it in any longer. "Conner doesn't have a desease!" Reagan doesn't believe me at first, but then she goes into a fit of jumping and crying, but crying tears of joy. Kyle is almost as happy as Reagan and Mark seems to be feeling a whole lot better.

"Ok, crew!" I say. "I'm going to take Reagan to the hospital; Kyle, Mark, start getting ready for the show!" Reagan and I scuttle into the car quickly, us both in our pajamas.

When we get to hospital, we run inside and see Conner and his mom sitting in the waiting room. Reagan runs up and hugs Conner so tightly, he's out of breath when she releases him.

"Oh Conner!" Reagan says happily. "I can't believe this! What's wrong with Dr. Peters?" She looks at her mom and Mrs. Donahue answers "Dr. Peters was kind of crazy." "That would explain the screaming in my face." Reagan says. "Well we better get going!" Conner says. "We've got a big show." We all head out of the hospital and I head to my car. As I'm driving home, I get a call from Ryder, who has been in Atlanta all week but is coming back for the show tonight. "Hey hon." I say, turning up the volume of the stereo so I can hear him better. "Hey." He says. "So did you ever tell Kyle about the.... situation?" "No, not yet." I say back. "Conner Donahue had a terrible accident last night, but all is well, and I couldn't just throw it at Kyle to make a life changing decision." "Well you need to ask him before the show. I was gonna pick up the paperwork on my way back from the airport." Ryder says. "You need to ask him as soon as you get home." "Ok." I say. "Wait, should I ask him with Mark and Jackson there?" "No," Ryder says. "I think he should be free of pressure. I love you and I'll see you when I get home." I hang up and prepare myself for the life changing decision I'm about to ask a fourteen-year-old.

When I get home, Kyle is helping Mark spike up his hair. "Hey boys." I say as I walk in the door. "You're looking well." Kyle has even brought Jackson's pop-up crib down and Jackson is laying in it, playing with his toys.

"Hey, Kyle. Can I talk to you in private?" We go upstairs into my room and close the door. "So what do you want to talk to me about?" I begin to tell him Ryder and my plans for him. "Kyle," I begin. "In these past few weeks, you have been through so much. You've had someone walk out on you, you've had to change your lifestyle completely, and you've seen friends get hurt. However, you've pulled through unlike anyone has ever before. You've not only been great company to Mark, but you've also been more of a brother than anyone ever has. I have been talking to my husband and we have a life changing decision for you to make. We would like to adopt you, and make you a permanent brother of Jackson's and Mark's.

Kyle, at first, looks off into the distance, confused, bewildered, but then his face changes into the widest grin you've ever seen. "Oh my gosh Miss Laurie! I don't know what to say. I mean I say yes, I'm just so happy!" He gives me a huge hug and says "Thank you so much. You have been more of mom than I've ever had in my life."

We go downstairs to tell Mark and he is ecstatic. "I have another brother?" He screams with joy and he runs up and embraces Kyle. "My dream did come true!" Everything is so happy.

Once the boys are ready, we head down to the studio. Once everyone is there we pile into the vans and head down to the theater, liked planned. I leave my brother and the other teachers in charge and I go down to the sound booth, cable box, light workers, whatever it's called. I speak to the manager and make sure everything is working perfectly. Once I know it is I go back down to the backstage and I gather all my dancers together. Giving them a famous pep talk, we say our school motto, 'We won't be done, even if we're number one! And if it's true then we'll give our prayers to you. Let's train this thang until we've one! O'Brien school we're number one!' Everyone cheers and gets fired up.

I see Ryder walk in and I walk over to him. "Hey." I say, putting my arms around him. "Hey." He says back. "Did you..." "Yes I did." I say, finishing  his sentence. "And..." "He said yes!" Ryder cries a sigh of relief and he kisses me. I look at the time. "Woah." I say. "People will be arriving any minute. Let's go backstage."

And people do start arriving, just in time, too. Loads of people, ages high and low, pile into the theater that I can barely afford. But it's all worth it because I have an amazing show and experience for them that they'll never forget; of course that is what I say in my speech before the show starts.