A Foster's Home

Chapter 14

It's been a week since visiting Freddy's parents at the cemetery, and the week was amazing. Almost every day Freddy would excitedly go to the cemetery with Victor. Ezekiel became a friend to the entire family. The six siblings bonded better than ever, talking, playing, and carrying each other's burdens. Billy loved every second of that week.

Ezekiel was with them today. He sat at the dining table with Freddy. He showed him designs of what Billy assumed were snowglobes. They looked beautiful. One was of a small boy kneeling in front of two graves. He had flowers in his hand and a smile on his face. It was filled with joy, not sadness, just like Billy wanted it to be. The other one was of a family of two parents and six siblings that looked nothing like each other. They stood in a circle and held hands, each one having love and smiles on their faces.

"I haven't made snowglobes since the accident," Ezekiel said to Freddy. "It feels good to be doing it again, especially now, knowing that one of my best friends is here with me."

Freddy smiled and gave Ezekiel a side hug. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," Ezekiel said, kissing the top of Freddy's head.

"These designs look great. They're gonna love them."

"I'm sure they will. And I know that your parents already do." Ezekiel looked at the design with the big family and felt warmth in his heart. "You've been blessed a lot more than you know. This foster family--what they did for you--is beyond amazing words. Even in tragedy you can find hope where you least expect it."

"They're awesome. I'm so glad that I'm with them. They've helped me with so much and continue to do so. I love them."

"And cherish that love, Little Fred. In days like these, that kind of love is not easy to find. Never take each other for granted, okay?"

"I won't."

Billy took those words to heart. It was hard finding the kind of love that this family had shown him, but all that searching was worth it, and he would cherish it.

He walked away from the dining room, and walked up the stairs to his bedroom. When he opened the door, he stood in shock.

He slowly walked inside and smiled at what he saw, what he felt. It felt...full, like an empty space had finally closed up. It felt right, as if everything was normal.

The posters were up, the books were back in their place, the action figures stood at their post once again. But most of all, the Batarang was back on Freddy's desk.

Billy walked to Freddy's desk and picked up the Batarang. His mind went back to the day where he met the family. He smiled at how close they got to each other in just a few months, not even a year. He loved them like he'd known them his whole life.

The tension he had felt since this whole thing started had finally left. He felt relief, as if he was able to breathe again. Everything was back in its place. Everything was back to normal. Maybe even better than normal.

Billy put the Batarang back on the desk and started looking around in the room, making sure nothing was missing. As far as he could tell, all was put back.

"You like it?"

Billy looked over at the door and saw Freddy standing there. He smiled.

"Yeah. It looks awesome, just as I remember it."

Freddy walked up to the desk next to Billy and grabbed the Batman action figure. "They're not painful reminders anymore. I like having them around again. And you're right, they're who I am. I shouldn't get rid of them."

Billy nodded. "Good. I was worried that I was gonna lose my brother." He put his arm around Freddy's shoulders. "So what do they remind you of now?"

"They remind me that my parents aren't really gone, just in a different place. They also remind me of what an awesome family I have. I wouldn't trade any of it for the world."

"Me neither."

Billy pulled Freddy into a hug, and they stayed like that for a while.

"Hey," Freddy said. "Thank you for what you did. I know I said I didn't want you putting your nose into my life, but I'm glad you did. I'm really happy now. And I'm sorry for getting mad at you."

"No, you had a right to be mad. I went behind your back even though you told me to stay out of it several times. Even though I'm glad I did it, it was still wrong of me."

"I forgive you guys."

Footsteps were heard near the door. Freddy and Billy stopped hugging to see who it was. It was the rest of their siblings.

"Do you really forgive us?" Mary asked, still feeling guilty for telling them his secret.

"I do."

Darla ran toward Freddy and hugged him tight. He returned the hug. "I'm so glad you're happy again. I didn't like it when you were sad."

"Yeah, me neither," Freddy responded.

"Group hug?" Eugene asked.

All of them came together and hugged each other tightly, as if they would fly away if they let go of each other.

"I love you guys so much," Freddy said.

"We love you, too," Mary said. They all nodded in agreement.

Billy looked around in the group hug, the faces of his siblings. It was hard to believe that only a few months ago he wanted to be alone. He can barely remember the life before he met them. He was happy. He was glad to have left that life behind.

He loved his family with a love he had never felt before. This is his family. This is his home. This is a foster's home.

"Hey, Mary," Billy said. "How did you become a foster kid?"

                          The End