The Family Rossi-Part Two
It was still early, but Emily had already gone to the bedroom. She lay on her side, staring at the wall. When they’d put Mark to bed, she started to read Green Eggs and Ham, but Mark complained she needed to do the voices. She started to try the voices, but apparently they still didn’t sound right. Dave ended up taking over, which pleased Mark. Plastering on a smile, she’d kissed the boy goodnight.
She went over the last few weeks in her mind, searching for any moment she might have missed with Mark; a time where she might have inadvertently ignored him when he wanted to do something. Some missed opportunity. Maybe she said something unintentionally mean to Mark. Emily immediately dismissed the thought. She’d had to discipline him before, but there had been no severe punishments for things like not picking up toys.
Dave seemed to have easily bonded with the child. Why couldn’t she?
Hearing the door creak open, she didn’t bother turning over. The sound of Dave’s heavy footsteps grew closer as he stood at the foot of the bed. “I just checked on Mark. He and Mudgie are snoring so loudly that I think a power saw would sound quieter.”
The mattress dipped under Dave’s weight as he sat down. “What’s going on, Em? You’ve been quiet all evening.”
“Nothing,” she lied. “I’m just tired from the flight.”
He didn’t say anything, lying down next to her. Gently, he started running his hand up and down her back.
“I’m sorry about the whole bedtime story thing. Mark got fussy one night while you were gone and wanted me to sleep in the room again. He calmed down when I read the book doing goofy voices.”
Shrugging, she murmured, “Its okay.”
After all of their time working together and being married, Emily still didn’t know why she thought she could fool him. A moment of silence went by before Dave quietly asked, “Is this about Mark?”
Her muscles stiffened as she didn’t answer him. She tried to subtly scoot closer to the edge of the bed. Dave just laid his head next to hers on the pillow, spooning behind her. He wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him.
Strangely, it was his touch that put her over. The tears she’d held back for days slowly slid down her face. “It’s just,” she paused, swallowing. “I don’t think Mark likes me very much.”
“What?!” She could hear the incredulity in his voice. “How could you say that?” He tried to turn her to face him, but she struggled for a few moments before she realized she didn’t have any fight left.
Turning over, her eyes remained downcast. He placed a gentle hand on her cheek. “Mark doesn’t not like you. That boy loves you.”
“It’s not about that.” She sucked in a shaky breath. “I haven’t spent any real time with him. We haven’t really…bonded. You’ve got the firefighter thing and baseball with him. And I don’t have a special activity with him.” Her voice cracked.
“Oh, sweetie…” Tucking a strand of hair around her ear, his eyes shone with sorrow and more than anything she didn’t want his pity.
“I know I sound needy and silly, but that’s how I feel.” She fiddled with a button on his shirt. “But I know the most important thing is that Mark be happy, but maybe…” A fresh set of tears pooled in her eyes. “Maybe I’m not maternal and he senses that.”
“Hey now,” he gently admonished. “That’s my wife you’re talking about.” His thumb brushed away the wetness on her cheeks. “Do you remember the day we got Mark’s picture?”
How could she forget? Emily remembered that day as being the best one she’d had in the months of getting heartbreaking fertility news and jumping every hoop in the adoption process only to find more hoops. It was the day she knew her dreams had come true.
After nodding, Dave went on, “You cried when I showed you Mark’s pictures. In your gut, you knew we were supposed to raise him; that we would be a family.” Entwining their fingers, he kissed her knuckles. “And who would have done that, but a mother?”
“I guess,” she murmured, not fully conceding he had a point.
“And how would you profile a kid who clings to male figures?”
She frowned in thought, wondering where he was going this one. “That they didn’t have a strong female presence in their life.”
“Precisely. I read Mark’s file, and the foster home he stayed at the longest was one where the father worked from home.” Dave moved closer to her. “The mother was a teacher, and was gone all day.”
Kissing her forehead, he let his lips linger on her skin. “It’s not you, Emily. Mark just needs time to get used to spending quality time with a mother. You are doing a great job.” He forced her to look him in the eye. “You are.”
She exhaled a shaky breath. “I hope so.” She realized she answered both of his statements. He pulled her to his body in a comforting embrace, and she let the hot tears fall on his shoulder.
*********
“Of course they’ve already bonded! They’re boys; boogers and dinosaurs are part of the universal male language.”
Emily’s body fell back in the chair as held the telephone. “As always, Grandma, you know what to say to make me feel better.”
“I’m serious,” her grandmother continued, oblivious to Emily’s dry tone. “Did you know there are parts of the Y-chromosome that scientists have dubbed ‘junk DNA?’ Seriously. There are thousands of genes they cannot figure out.” She chuckled. “I’m sure the whole secret to the male bonding experience lies within those supposedly useless genes.”
Emily bit back a frustrated sigh. “And what does this have to do with me?”
“Well, if we knew how it worked, we could get you bonded with Mark.”
Taking a deep breath, Emily silently counted to ten. “Thank you for the great advice Grandma, now if you’ll excuse me-” Before she start the syllable of her next word, her grandmother cut in.
“Emily Rose, don’t you dare hang up the phone,” she sternly demanded, one of the few times Emily remembered Estelle raised her mother.
Gripping the phone harder, Emily bit her lip, silently waiting.
Her grandmother’s tone softened slightly. “Now I apologize, dear; I was only trying to cheer you up. But you need calm down. You always come to the worst possible conclusion when something doesn’t go right.”
A moment went by as Emily let her words sink in. “You’re right,” she quietly admitted. “I’m sorry.”
“Sweetheart, you know this thing with Mark isn’t about you,” she told Emily lovingly. “He hasn’t had a stable home with a woman who could give him individual attention. Don’t foster homes often have more than one child?”
“They do,” Emily answered.
“Kids that young are also blank slates; you never know what they’re going to like until you hand it to them. Dave has just gotten lucky with finding out what Mark likes. You, my dear, just need to keep trying. Don’t push him, but don’t give up.” There was a faint sound of a seagull, and Emily knew Estelle was sitting on the deck. “Because if you give up, I will personally come all the way to Georgetown to kick your butt. You got that?”
Rolling her eyes, Emily grinned. “Yes, Grandma.”
********
A few days later, Emily spent the afternoon alone with Mark. Dave had asked to play a round of golf with Hotch, but she suspected his real motive was for her to have one-on-one time with Mark. The day had passed normally with walking Mudgie and a game of Go-Fish. Mark had gone down for a nap a little earlier, and Emily took the opportunity to watch Star Wars: A New Hope. She had always found comfort in watching the sci-fi adventure.
Just as Obi-Wan and Luke had entered Mos-Eisley, Mark came into the living room, rubbing his eyes.
Emily sat up. “Hey, there. Did you sleep okay?” She smiled when he yawned, nodding. “How about a snack?” She got up from the sofa to go to the kitchen.
A few minutes later she returned with apple slices and a small cup of peanut butter. She found Mark sitting on the sofa, engrossed in the Cantina scene. “What is this?” he pointed to the TV.
“This is Star Wars. Do you want to watch it with me?”
“Yeah!”
They settled back against the cushions together. Almost immediately, Emily began to fret about her decision. Besides Penelope, Kevin, and Reid, she didn’t know any one who loved Star Wars movies. Dave simply put up with her multiple viewings the same way she did with him and The Godfather. She worried she had made her choice in letting Mark watch it haste. Was it too violent? Would Darth Vader give him nightmares? Would the other aliens and creatures scare him?
She held her breath when Mark’s eyes got big as he first saw Darth Vader when the Millennium Falcon got pulled into the Death Star. But he leaned forward slightly. “Who is that?”
“That’s Darth Vader,” she told him. “He’s the bad guy who is after Luke.”
“Whoooah.” He drew out the word. “Is he like a robot?”
Emily contemplated her response for a moment. The nerd in her wanted to tell Mark the robots were called droids, but she knew the simplest answer would suffice. “He’s more machine than man. But yes, he is a robot.”
Throughout the rest of the movie she patiently answered all of Mark’s questions about the characters, creatures, and space ships. He crawled closer to the TV as the Rebels attacked the Death Star and cheered when Han knocked Vader’s TIE Fighter out of the fight so Luke could fire the proton torpedoes.
“That was so cool!” Mark told her as she put the DVD back in the case causing Emily to grin down at him.
The next day brought inky, black clouds that turned into a nasty rainstorm, complete with thunder and lightning. To distract Mark, who grew frightened from the loud cracks of thunder, Dave suggested a movie night. “Let’s pop some popcorn, grab some blankets and pillows, and watch a movie.” He opened the door to the large DVD shelf. “What shall it be?”
“Star Wars!” Mark exclaimed.
Cocking an eyebrow, Dave stared at Emily. She waved her hand at him. “Oh I was watching it yesterday when he woke up from his nap. He seemed to like it.”
“Enough to watch it two days in a row like some people I know.”
She narrowed her eyes in a mock scowl at Dave. Then she looked at Mark. “You know there is more than one Star Wars movie?”
“Really?”
“Yup.” She brushed passed Dave, showing Mark the DVD case. “The next one is called The Empire Strikes Back.”
He took it from her, staring at the cover. “Can we watch this?”
“Of course,” she replied. “Go get your bear and blanket and I’ll put this in.” She watched as Mark scampered off to his bedroom. When she turned back to Dave, he smiled smugly.
“I have to make a quick call to Morgan so don’t start without me.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “Why do you have to call Morgan?”
“Because he owes me money.” At her stare, Dave went on, “We made a bet on long it would take for you to show our child a Star Wars movie. Morgan thought it would be at least six months, but I knew better.”
Even though he’d made it across the living room, the throw pillow still hit him in the face.
********
Dave’s obsessive, neat freak habits mostly drove Emily to thoughts of alcoholism, but occasionally they were useful; especially when she went searching through the attic. Every labeled box sat neatly stacked against the wall. It didn’t take her long to find the one with her figurines in it. She dragged back downstairs, opening it in the hallway. The box contained all of the Star Wars figures she’d had as a child. Her grandmother had taken her to see Episode IV in theatres and she’d been hooked ever since. Much to her mother’s dismay, Estelle had sent her the toys while they lived in other countries.
The figures weren’t worth any money as they had been taken out of the packaging and well loved. She thought if Mark was interested, he could have them.
Bringing the box to the living room, she set it down near where Mark played. He stopped rolling his fire truck around. “What’s that?”
“These are some of my old Star Wars toys.” She started pulling them out for him. “I thought if you wanted them, you could play with them.”
As she brought them out, Mark named each of the characters, already displaying his knowledge of the movies. He’d begged nearly everyday to watch them in the last two weeks. Emily had watched the original trilogy with him, being careful of any parts he might have found scary and explaining each character to him. Mark did well, having no sci-fi related nightmares.
“Will you play Star Wars with me?” Mark asked once Emily put aside the empty box.
“Sure, Mark. Who do you want to be?”
“I wanna be Luke Skywalker and Yoda.”
“And who do I get to be?”
He thrust a brown figure at her. “You can be Chewie.”
Staring at the toy in her hand, she shook her head slightly. How did she get associated with the hairy Wookie? But one look into his big brown eyes had her pulling out her best Wookie call, causing him to laugh. They spent the rest of the afternoon creating their own version of the films through Mark’s imagination.
********
There was no doubt in Emily’s mind that Penelope Garcia was a genius. The tech analyst could claim every one of her self-proclaimed titles. Garcia had become very excited upon hearing Mark had enjoyed Star Wars. She started drowning the boy in movie related clothing, stuffed animals, and other toys. She’d even sent Emily a website, describing how to make lightsabers out of silver duct tape and pool noodles. It became her afternoon project with Mark while Dave took his truck for an oil change. She made a green lightsaber while Mark fashioned himself a blue one.
Then of course it was necessary to make sure they worked so it was off to the backyard for an epic battle. Emily chased Mark all over the yard, much to his delight. At one point she’d managed to knock his lightsaber out of his hand, and she possessed both. He started backing away as she advanced on him, but he stopped and held his arm out toward her.
Stopping her attack, she stared at Mark. “What are you doing?”
His face scrunched up in determination. “I’m using the force to get my lightsaber back.”
“Aaaaah, gotcha.” She tossed him the lightsaber and they continued to battle.
Dave came outside just as they stormed over the deck. “There you guys are! I was looking everywhere in the house for you when I came home.” He gestured to the pool noodles. “What are those?”
“Lightsabers,” Emily answered as if it weren’t unusual at all to own one. Mark had gained some momentum, swinging his lightsaber with more force.
“I see.” A quick glance at Dave showed he was watching them with odd fascination, much like the first time he found her collection of Star Wars novels.
The split second she didn’t pay attention to Mark proved to be fatal as he hit her legs, effectively “cutting” them off. She fell to her knees in a dramatic fashion complete with groans.
“Now finish her,” Dave playfully encouraged, and Mark followed his instructions, softly jabbing her in the stomach.
“Aaaaaah!” she yelled before falling to her back, arms and legs spread out as she closed her eyes.
She kept her eyes shut as she felt Mark approach her side. “Did I getcha, Emily?”
Then her eyes shot open, and she grabbed Mark, pinning him on his back to the ground. “No, but I got you!” she triumphantly declared before she started tickling him. He tried to protest, but was too busy laughing and squealing. Her fingers wiggled over his sides and his stomach.
“I’ve got you! I win! I win! You have much to learn about the ways of the force before you can get me, young Padawan.”
********
Through their many play sessions, Emily found Mark had a creative imagination. He could turn any surface into the desserts of Tatooine or the forests of Endor. When Mudgie would decide he wanted to join them and trample through their play areas, Mark morphed the dog into an AT-AT. Emily learned to perfect her Darth Vader imitation, often using it on Mark.
One evening Mark protested against taking his bath, but Emily simply scooped him off of the floor. “Your destiny lies with soap, Skywalker. Obi-Wan knew this to be true.” The impression made Mark to giggle.
On a gorgeous, cool summer evening, they decided to have dinner on the deck. Dave and Emily talked about projects for the house. Emily mentioned putting in a small fire pit in the back so they could roast marshmallows for s’mores.
“You know, we still haven’t redecorated Mark’s bedroom.” Dave took a bite of mashed potatoes. “Has he mentioned anything to you about what he wants?”
“Nothing.” Picking up a fork, she put it in Mark’s hand. “You don’t eat potatoes with your fingers, honey; use a fork.” She faced Dave again. “That would be a great project for the weekend though.”
“Definitely,” Dave nodded in agreement. “We can get started on finding what we need.”
“I’ve got some kids’ bedroom décor catalogs in the house.” Placing her napkin on the table, she stood up. “We look through them after dinner to see what he likes.”
Mark put his fork down. “Can I have dessert now?”
Dave glanced at his plate. “You got to do a little more justice to your peas, buddy.”
Sighing heavily, Mark picked up his utensil again. “Okay.”
By the time Emily came back, Dave had told Mark to eat just one more bite of peas. Mark stuffed a huge forkful in his mouth.
“Now can I have dessert?” he asked with his mouth full, spitting out chewed up peas with each word.
“First, don’t talk with your mouth full.” Leaning over, Dave wiped the child’s mouth. “And yes, we can have dessert now.” Dave stacked the plates to bring in the house.
Sitting down next to Mark, Emily opened one of the catalogs. “C’mere and look at these, Mark. This is stuff we can use to make your room different. Let’s pick out something you like.”
She allowed Mark to flip through the pages as she pointed at certain pictures. He shrugged and shook his head at many of the options. After what seemed like his five-hundredth “no” she sat back in chair.
Sipping her tea, Emily started going through a bedding catalog when Mark’s voice broke her thoughts. “Can we make my room Star Wars, Mommy?”
She stared at him a full ten seconds before she responded. “What…what did you ask, sweetie?” Her throat became dry. She had to make sure she heard him correctly.
“Can we make my room Star Wars, Mommy?” He pointed to the page. “Look! They have Darth Vader on the sheets and a Yoda on the pillow. And look! There’s a Millennium Falcon on the wall!”
His words echoed in her brain, but she really didn’t register any of them except for “Mommy.” Her heart beat wildly in her chest, and she took shallow breaths.
They never asked Mark to call them anything other than Dave and Emily. And for a while, Emily feared the boy would never think of her as a mother, let alone call her mommy.
For whatever reason, she’d never thought too much of playing Star Wars with Mark. She didn’t want to jinx those moments, and have them ripped away from her. Now her son had uttered the most beautiful words she’d ever heard; her son!
Unable to hold back the tears, Emily leaned over to hug Mark tightly. “Sure, baby. We can decorate your room with Star Wars.”
“Mommy, what’s wrong?”
Chuckling through her tears, she kissed the top of Mark’s head. “Nothing’s wrong, sweetie. Absolutely nothing.” She rocked him a bit. “I just love you very much.”
His little arms went around her. “I love you bunches.”
Dave came back out, carrying a pie. His face scrunched up in confusion. “What’s going on, guys?”
“Daddy!” Mark exclaimed. “Mommy said we can make my room Star Wars! Can we also make it baseball too?”
Blinking, Dave’s mouth hung open. He finally worked his mouth into a shaky smile. “You want to make your room baseball and Star Wars?”
“Yes.” Mark’s head bobbed up and down several times.
As Mark crawled into Emily’s lap, Dave joined them at the table. Leaning over, Dave pressed a soft kiss to her lips before hugging Mark. “I think that can be arranged, son.”
*********
“Daddy, why do we have to get dressed up?” Mark played with the buttons of his long sleeved shirt.
Reaching down, Dave straightened the little boy’s collar. “Because we’re going to the courthouse and it’s respectful to dress up for the judge.”
“Why are we seeing the judge?”
Emily walked into the living room, fastening in an earring. “We’re going to sign the papers that say we’re your mom and dad,” she grinned.
Mark’s forehead furrowed. “But you are my mommy and daddy.”
Pulling Mark to his side, Dave laid an arm on his shoulder. “We know, buddy. This just makes it official.”
They arrived at the state courthouse, and walked down a long hallway to Judge Holstein’s office. As they approached the door, they noticed a crowd waiting outside.
“What’s going on here?” Emily started to ask, but then she recognized all of the faces. “Oh my God, guys! What are you doing here?”
The whole team had showed up along with Will holding Henry, Kevin next to Garcia, and Jack holding Hotch’s hand. She and Dave were then met with hugs and kisses from Nick and his wife who had surprised them by bringing Dave’s parents.
“You all were supposed to meet us at the restaurant,” Dave shook his head in amused disbelief. They’d decided to have a big dinner to celebrate the signing of the official adoption papers, only it appeared everyone wanted to start the celebration early.
“Now you couldn’t possibly think we were going to miss this moment, did you?” A voice piped in from the back of the group. Morgan and Reid parted to reveal Estelle as the owner of the voice, as well as Emily’s mother and father.
After embracing her parents and grandmother, Emily laughed at this wonderful surprise. The group started happily chattering away when a befuddled assistant emerged from the judge’s office.
“Um, David and Emily Rossi?”
Dave waved his hand. “That’s us.”
“The judge will see you in his chambers now.” The assistant looked at the rest of the group. “Just these two.”
The two brought Mark to the office where Judge Holstein sat behind a large mahogany desk. The judge first asked Dave and Emily a few questions and then he turned his attention to Mark. He asked the toddler about how Mark liked living with Dave and Emily and what kinds of activities they did together. Mark excitedly told him about baseball games, all of his Star Wars toys, and playing with the dog.
“Well, everything seems to be going great with you three,” the judge grinned. “I see absolutely no reason to delay this any further.” He pulled out a stack of papers when the same assistant came into the room, looking a bit more frazzled.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, your honor, but I cannot hold that group any longer. They are demanding to come in.”
“We’re sorry about that,” Emily apologized. “It’s our families. We told them we would meet them afterward.”
Still smiling, the judge waved a negligent hand. “It’s no problem. I’m always happy when I see the whole family for occasions like this. It lets me know the state has made the right decision.”
Within moments, the group pushed inside the room, behind and to the side of where Dave, Emily, and Mark sat.
Pulling out a pen, Judge Holstein scribbled his name across the bottom of the page. He then turned the paper to Emily and Dave. “All you need to do is sign at the bottom.”
Taking the offered pen, Dave’s hand shook so badly, he had to take a moment before signing. When it was Emily’s turn, her vision blurred with tears so badly, she was sure half of her signature ended up below the line.
When she handed the paper back, the judge set them on the blotter, folding his hands over them. “By the power vested in me, by the District of Columbia, I now pronounce Mark David Rossi as your son.”
The sound of clapping filled the room as well as a few sniffles. Emily hugged Mark to her chest with one arm while Dave grasped her other hand tightly. How long had she dreamed of a family of her own? Now she didn’t have to fall asleep to be with that family. Dave and Mark were part of that beautiful reality.
The End