The Barnstable Chronicles: Charlie Danner Finds His Way - 14. A Very Special Boy (Part Three & Epilogue)

I started crying as Jacob took me into his arms. He calmed me down and reminded me that Noah needed me right now. That’s all it took for me to get my shit together. Katie handed me a box of Kleenex as I dabbed my eyes dry.

“You know this boy?”

“Yes, he’s one of the boys I told you about last month. He’s part of our theatre group, and he sang at our wedding just two days ago. What happened to his mother?”

“The medical examiner has her now and will perform an autopsy. We should have a preliminary report in a day or two.”

I looked through the window and took a deep breath. Noah was sitting on the floor with his arms folded across his chest. He was rocking back and forth and looked terribly stressed.

“Can we go in? Noah needs me right now.”

“Of course.”

Katie opened the door, and I walked over and sat next to Noah. He looked up at me and immediately stopped rocking. While he didn’t actually smile, he certainly looked relieved to see us.

“You’re here, Charlie.”

“Yes, little man. I’m here.”

Noah climbed into my lap, and I wrapped my arms around him. He lay his head on my chest and sighed. Katie, Beth, and the doctor looked shocked to see Noah relax with me.

“Mommy won’t wake up, Charlie. Did you wake her up?”

“I’m sorry, little man. I couldn’t wake her up, either.”

“What’s wrong with Mommy? She needs to wake up.”

“I don’t know, Noah. But would you like to come and stay with Jacob and me until we find out?”

“Yes, please. I don’t like it here.”

I looked over to Katie and mouthed “sorry” to her. She just smiled and watched us. I handed my phone to Jacob and asked him to call Jeannie. I know she has dealt with death issues with Timmy and figured she would be a great help.

“Ask if she and Timmy can be at the house in an hour or so. Also, can you call Cam and let him know what’s going on? I’ll need a few days off so I can be with Noah. Can you see if they could come by tomorrow? I’m sure Noah would love to meet Eli.”

I looked over to Katie and Beth next. “Could someone go to the Graham’s house and pack a suitcase for Noah? We’ll probably need at least four days' worth of clothes.” Beth opened her notebook and started taking notes.

“Noah? Do you have a special doll or toy that you like to sleep with?”

“Buzz.”

“Buzz?”

“Buzz Lightyear.”

“Oh, okay. We’ll make sure you have him to sleep with tonight. Is there anything else?”

“Woody. Buzz needs to be with Woody.”

I looked at Beth, and she nodded as she wrote.

“Are you hungry, Noah?”

“Very hungry.”

“What would you like when we get home?”

“Cheesey Mac.”

Katie told us that they would check the kitchen for any food that might be there for Noah. Beth told us she had one or two of the microwave mac and cheese cups in her office and would make sure we had it when we left.

Jacob walked back into the room and told us that Jeannie and Timmy would be at the house in an hour. Cam said not to worry about work and take the time I need to take care of Noah. He also said that he would bring Ian and the baby over tomorrow evening after dinner.

I looked at Katie and again and asked if they were able to get Noah’s car seat. She said they have it in her office. I asked Jacob if he could get that set up in the back seat. Beth offered to help since they could be tricky for someone unfamiliar with car seats.

“Noah? Are you ready to come home with us now?”

“Yes, please.”

I looked over toward a table by the door and saw his winter coat and gear. “Let’s get you bundled up, okay?”

“Okay.”

As I was getting Noah into his coat, hat, mittens, and shoes, Katie came over to me.

“Charlie, you are a miracle worker. You went into daddy-mode like nothing I’ve ever seen. How do you do it? I’m pretty sure our classes aren’t that good!”

“Katie, Noah is my friend. More importantly, I’m his.” I finished zipping up his coat and asked Noah if the noise had stopped.

“Yes. It always stops when I’m with you, Charlie.”

“Noah, you’re such a good boy. Let’s go out to the car, okay?”

“Okay.”

The trick with Noah is always to let him know what you’re going to do and ask him as many questions about what he needs or wants. When he has an understanding of what’s happening at the moment, he remains calm.

We got to the car just as Beth and Jacob got the car seat locked into place. I put Noah in his seat and strapped him in. I decided to sit in the back with Noah. I asked Jacob for my phone, so I could call Mom and let her know we were on our way.

Mom told me she had put fresh linens on the bed and ran the vacuum. Since Dad had left, she swapped rooms with us so Noah would easily be able to find us across the hall. She was way too excited, so I told her it was essential that she calms down. The thing Noah needed more than anything was normalcy and calm. She understood and promised to calm down. She also promised to speak with Gramma. Like that would make a difference!

I asked Mom if she remembered where the box of my old children’s books was in the attic. She said she knew exactly where it was and would go up and get it immediately. I thanked her and ended the call.

I had been running my fingers through Noah’s curls while I was talking with Mom. I looked over, and the poor boy was sound asleep. He must be exhausted!

Before we knew it, Jacob was pulling up to the front of the house. I unbuckled Noah from the car seat, and he stirred a bit.

“Where are we, Charlie?”

“We’re at my house, little man. Let’s go in and get you something to eat, okay?”

“Okay. Hungry.”

I pulled Noah into my lap, and he wrapped his arms around my neck. Jacob opened my door and helped me out with my precious cargo. He had three of those microwavable mac and cheese snacks. We got inside, and Mom walked up to greet us.

“What a precious little boy!” She was great, speaking softly and keeping a distance as I got Noah out of his coat and gear. Jacob made a beeline to the kitchen, and I heard the microwave buttons as I got Noah’s shoes off.

“Guess what Jacob is making for you?”

“Cheesey mac?”

“That’s right, Noah. You’re such a smart boy!”

“I know. Hungry.”

I carried Noah into the kitchen. Mom found my old booster seat in the attic during her trip upstairs and had it ready for Noah. Go Mom!

The microwave beeped, and Jacob finished Noah’s food. He put it on a plate and spread it out so it would cool off more quickly. He put the plate in front of Noah with a spoon. I told Noah to be careful because the cheesey mac might be too hot.

“I’ll blow on it first.”

The boy was starving! It hit me that he probably hadn’t eaten a thing all day. Jacob noticed, too. He immediately started another portion. Noah finished his plate of yumminess in no time.

“More?”

“It will be ready in a minute, little man. But this time, you have to slow down. I don’t want you to get a tummyache, okay.”

“Okay. I’ll eat slow now.”

“Did it taste good?”

“Yummy. I like cheesey mac.”

The doorbell rang, and Mom let Jeannie and Timmy in. As soon as Timmy was out of his coat, he came into the kitchen.

“Hi, Charlie. Hi, Noah.”

I opened my arms for a hug. “Hi, Timmy. I’m glad you came over today.”

“Watcha doing, Noah?”

“Eating cheesey mac. I’m hungry.”

And right on cue, Jacob put the second plate in front of Noah.

“Don’t forget to blow on it, Noah.”

“And I’ll eat slow this time.”

Noah offered a bit to Timmy, but he said he wasn’t hungry. He then offered me a spoonful. I opened my mouth, and Noah fed me.

“Yummy! Yummy! Thank you. Noah! That hit the spot!” I made a goofy face as I chewed, and that almost got a smile out of Noah. I’ll take that as progress.

Mom and Jeannie came into the kitchen, and Jacob offered coffee, which we all took him up on. Of course, as soon as we got settled, the doorbell rang again. Jacob told the ladies to sit, and he answered the door.

Katie and Beth came in with a suitcase, a bag of groceries, and, most importantly, Buzz Lightyear and Woody. As soon as Noah saw his dolls, his face lit up.

“Buzz!”

Katie handed Noah the doll, and he hugged it for dear life.

“Noah! You have Buzz and Woody!”

“Would you like to hold Woody?”

“Yes, please.”

I introduced Jeannie and Timmy to Katie and Beth. Jeannie told us that she was glad we called her. She had helped Timmy through his grandmother’s death and was preparing him for Walter’s demise in the future. She suggested that Mom, Jacob, and I take the suitcases upstairs, and she would take Noah and Timmy into the living room and see if she could help him understand what happened this morning.

Katie thanked her for her help and then turned to Mom. “Mrs. Danner, I’m sure you already know this, but you have an amazing son. His connection with Noah is nothing short of miraculous. I do think Charlie may have saved this young boy’s life today.” Katie started to get a little emotional, and Mom handed her a tissue.

“I’m sorry. I usually don’t get so emotional, but this has been a special day—one I’ll never forget. But—Beth and I have a ton of paperwork to finish, so we should get back to the office. Charlie, Jacob—I’m going to be your caseworker. I’ll be checking in a couple of times a day to see if you need anything or have any questions. I’ll also let you know as soon as we find out about any relatives as well as the autopsy results.”

Katie and Beth left, and the three of us took Noah’s clothes upstairs while Jeannie took the boys into the living room. I hugged her, thanked her, and wished her luck.

We got upstairs, and for the first time in a while, I sat on the bed and started to cry. Jacob came over to me and wrapped me in his arms. I was glad he didn’t say something stupid like ‘everything’s going to be alright.’ I just needed to release all the pent-up emotions that I’d been holding in.

Mom sat down with us on the other side of me. “I’m so proud of you boys. You are both making a huge difference in Noah’s life. I know it’s hard not knowing how long he will be here. I know it’s hard with so many questions hanging in the air. But for the next few days, you have the wonderful opportunity to make that little boy feel less alone. You boys are just angels walking on this Earth. So proud. Now, let’s get these clothes put up.”

It didn’t take long for us to get things set up for Noah. We hung his shirts and pants on the lower bar in the closet and put his clothes in the dresser's lower drawers. We didn’t know how much he was able to dress himself, but we were at least making it easy for him to see his things.

When we were done, we went back to the kitchen, and Jeannie was sitting with the boys. They were quiet. Noah was holding Buzz, and Timmy was holding Woody with one arm and had his other arm around his buddy.

Jeannie wanted to talk with Jacob and me in the living room. Mom offered the boys some apple juice and sat with the boys while we spoke with Jeannie. She told us that Noah understood that his mother would not wake up and that she would be with him in his heart for the rest of his life. He was sad and cried a bit, but Timmy told him that it would be okay since he would be living with Charlie and Jacob now. God, I love that little boy!

That night, we were sitting in the family room with Noah on my lap while Jacob read him The Ugly Duckling. Noah enjoyed the story and thought it was neat that the book was mine when I was a little boy. Our boy didn’t make it to the end of the story and was fast asleep. We took him upstairs and got him in his pajamas.

We tucked him in with Buzz and Woody, and we each kissed him on the forehead. We left the bedroom doors open so we could hear if Noah had any problems during the night.

About two in the morning, I was awakened by Noah calling out for his mommy. I pulled myself out of Jacob’s arms and went across the hall. I crawled into bed with Noah and took him in my arms. I ran my fingers through his curly hair, and in no time at all, he was once again fast asleep.

When I tried to crawl out of bed, Noah got a little fussy. I just got under the covers and held on to Noah and slept with him.

The smell of bacon cooking woke us up. Mom made waffles and bacon for breakfast, and Gramma was already eating when we got to the table. Jacob made some coffee, and Mom put a waffle in front of Noah.

That little boy was still hungry as he devoured the waffle and two pieces of bacon. Gramma adored Noah and helped him eat and enjoy his breakfast.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Gramma, little one.”

“Hi, Gramma. I’m Noah.”

“It’s nice to know you, Noah. You are a handsome young man, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

We spent the rest of the day watching Disney movies and just chilling around the house. Katie called a couple of times to check up on us and was happy to know that things were going much better than any of us could have hoped.

Noah slept through the night and seemed to be settling into his new routine. He loved his Buzz Lightyear and held him pretty much the entire day and clung to him at night. I wondered if Buzz helped Noah with the noise.

The next day we got a call from Katie telling us the medical examiner determined that Noah’s mother had a brain aneurysm sometime during the night. He felt that she passed away very quietly and with minimal pain. It still broke my heart that someone so young could be gone so quickly.

New Year’s Eve arrived, and we were all looking forward to the party. Jeannie came and picked up Noah, and he was excited about his sleepover with Timmy.

The party was wonderful. Especially wonderful in that we didn’t have to do a thing! The Franklins, Greenelys, Jacob’s dad, Liz, Sarah, and even Katie and her husband were there. It was so nice to be surrounded by friends, but I was missing Noah! After we all rang in the New Year, people started to leave. Katie pulled Jacob and me into the kitchen and told us that she was thrilled with the great job we were doing with Noah. She lamented that it’s rare that foster parents aren’t in it for the monthly check. We were fast becoming her favorites.

On the 2^nd, Mom and Gramma left to return to Florida. Mom told me that she would probably end up staying with her mother for a while, but now that Gramma could travel, they would try to make a few trips home during the year.

School started back on the 3^rd, and Noah was thrilled. Katie had contacted the school and told them that Jacob and I would be bringing Noah to and from school for now. We got up and got our boy dressed, fed, and were soon on our way to school. I walked Noah into his classroom, and his teacher was wonderful. She thanked me for taking one of her favorite students into our home as I was getting my boy out of his coat and mittens. As I was hanging things on his hook, Noah walked over to the other kids and was immediately playing with a car.

From school, I went to the shop and rejoined Cam in grownup-land. He was happy to let me work while Noah was in school. I would leave in time to pick him up and take him home.

About an hour after we got home, the doorbell rang. It was Katie. I invited her into the kitchen, where Noah was enjoying some sliced apples.

“Good afternoon, Noah. Are you happy to be back in school?”

“Yes. I like school.”

“That’s wonderful. Do you like being here with Charlie and Jacob?”

“Yes. Charlie is my friend and holds me when I’m tired. Jacob reads me stories, too.”

“That’s wonderful, Noah—it makes me happy to hear that.”

Katie then opened her briefcase and pulled out our folder. It was a lot thicker now, that’s for sure.

“Well, Charlie, I wish Jacob were here, but you’ll just have to let him know what’s going on. I have what I hope is good news. We’ve been looking for a relative that might be willing to take in Noah, and all we’ve been able to find is a distant one in New York City. However, as we investigated, we discovered that she has a problem with opioid addiction.”

“What does that mean, Katie?”

“That means we have a new contract for you and Jacob to look over. If you like what you read, then the two of you will become permanent foster parents.”

That was the best thing I’ve heard since the wedding! I started to (surprise!) cry from happiness.

“Charlie? Are you sad?”

“No, little one, I’m happier than ever!”

“You should smile then. You have a pretty smile, Charlie.”

So I smiled at Noah—and he smiled back. I’m learning that it’s definitely the little things like that that make the world a much better place.

“Katie, is adoption a possibility?”

“Most definitely, especially in this case. But I would suggest you wait at least six months. Not a requirement, but a strong suggestion.”

“Just knowing it’s a possibility is all I need right now.”

Katie had to run to another appointment and left the paperwork with me to go over with Jacob. When he got home, I ran to the door and greeted him with a kiss. Noah was taking a nap, so I definitely enjoyed the chance to have a full-on, grownup kiss with my husband!

I took him into the kitchen and made coffee. When I told him the news that Katie had shared with me, my husband got tears of joy in his eyes. We signed the new contract and called Mom. She was thrilled that she would be able to refer to Noah as her grandson, at the same time insisting that she was too young for a nearly eight-year-old grandchild.

That night, after putting Noah to bed, Jacob and I talked about what we wanted to do for our boy’s birthday. February 10 was the big day, and we wanted to make it something uber-special.

After toying around with some ideas, we decided to turn his bedroom into a dream bedroom. Jacob got on his laptop and did some Googling. He immediately found the perfect thing. We would be converting his bedroom into a duplicate of the bedroom in Toy Story!

We found a child-sized double bed, complete with the carved quarter-moon in the headboard. We found most of the other pieces, and we then hit up Amazon to get as many of the toys from the movie we could find.

This year, February 10 would fall on a Saturday. It couldn’t have worked out any better. You see, Jeannie would pick up Noah with Timmy on Fridays, so Jacob and I could have a date night every week. Jeannie rocks!

On Friday, Jeannie picked up Noah as usual. I had asked Cam for the day off, which he agreed to when I told him why. What wasn’t usual was that Jacob, his dad, and I spent all day Friday working on the bedroom. The walls and trim were done by 3:00, and by five, we had all the furniture in place.

We went to the kitchen, and I fired up the stovetop grill. I cooked up some steaks, Jacob zapped some baked potatoes in the microwave, and I put together some roasted asparagus. Jacob and his dad enjoyed a couple of beers while I had a nice merlot. I never was much of a beer drinker.

We sent Jacob’s dad on his way, and I went to get all the Amazon packages that contained the toys. This was going to be so much fun!

The first box we opened had a large Hamm, the piggy bank—which we set on top of the dresser. Instead of the miniature toy soldiers, I found some that were about 10” high, and we put five of them in the corner. We put the oversized Mr. Potato Head next to the large toy box and put Barbie and Ken inside a sports car. I think my favorite toy was the kid-sized rocking horse that was based on Woody’s horse.

The finishing touch was a light blue comforter with a yellow and white star pattern. The last thing to be done was mounting four square pieces that looked like alphabet building blocks. They spelled out Noah’s name, and Jacob placed them on the wall over the bed.

When we finished, I called Cam and Ian to make sure they were ready for their part of the surprise. Oh my God! They were giddy with excitement! Liz was meeting them at 1:00 to help them with the finishing touches.

We had done everything we could do. Jacob and I hopped into the shower and had a blast. I do enjoy the alone time Jeannie allows us to have. We got each other off in the shower so that we would both last a little longer when we climbed into bed—after we made a trip upstairs to enjoy some herbal relaxation.

Yes, we did last longer as we made love—and even longer the second go-round! When we were totally spent, my husband wrapped me in his arms, and we fell asleep.

We slept in Saturday morning and woke up around 9:00. Jacob made the coffee while I toasted some bagels. Jeannie was going to bring Noah back at 10:00. Because it was Noah’s birthday, Jacob had found a sub for the library reading.

When Noah returned, he seemed to be quite happy to see us. He gave each of us a hug and told us about his evening with his best buddy. Noah decided he wanted Jacob to read him a story. I took Noah’s backpack up to his room and unpacked his things. Damn! The room is fucking amazing! I sure hope Noah loves it as much as I do!

When I made my way downstairs, I heard Jacob and Noah talking in the living room.

“I miss Mommy. But now she comes to me and gives me a hug when I’m sleeping. She tells me that everything is okay, and she feels a lot better now that she’s in Heaven.”

“Did you know my Mommy is in Heaven, too?”

“Did she go to sleep, too?”

“Yes, she did. And sometimes she comes to me when I’m asleep and hugs me, too.”

“Do you think my mommy and your mommy play together in Heaven?”

“You know, I bet they do!”

“Okay. will you read me Aladdin now?”

“Sure, little man.”

I was thrilled that Noah had let Jacob in. It took a little longer than he had hoped, but I think their connection started with Jacob reading to our boy at least once every day.

After a lunch of Noah’s favorite—cheesy mac and hot dogs—I bundled our boy up and was out the door at noon. I had an hour to keep Noah out of the house so our guests could arrive for his surprise.

We went to Toys R Us in Hyannis, and I told Noah that he could pick a toy for his birthday present. Of course, he knew exactly where the Toy Story section was. I gently guided him to choose the Hot Wheels track and cars since that was one of the things we didn’t get already.

When we finished at the store, I texted Jacob and told him we were on the way home. He sent a text back saying that everyone was there and ready to go. He also said Ian looked amazing. I couldn’t wait!

As we approached the house, I noticed our friends’ cars were scattered along the street, so when we pulled up to the front, there was nothing to look like we had company. I helped Noah out of his coat, and we headed back into the kitchen with me carrying my boy. We had asked that they not yell “surprise!” so we didn’t frighten Noah.

When we walked in, Noah’s eyes got as big as saucers when he saw the Toy Story cake with eight candles burning. Everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to him, and I helped him blow out the candles.

“It’s a Toy Story cake! It’s my birthday!”

“That’s right, Noah. Do you know how old you are?”

“I’m eight. I’m a big boy now.”

“Yes, you are! Why don’t we take your new present up to your bedroom and then we can have some cake and ice cream?”

“Okay. I like cake and ice cream.”

“Everybody likes cake and ice cream, little man!”

“Yeah.”

When we got upstairs, Noah looked confused because his door was closed. I told him it was okay for him to open it. He did—and gasped!

“Buzz! What are you doing here?” Oh my God! Ian looked—and sounded—awesome. Liz did a great job on the makeup, and he had the voice down perfectly!

In the perfect Buzz Lightyear voice, Ian answered, “I heard it was a very special boy’s birthday. And I wanted to come and wish him a happy one!”

“My room! It’s just like the movie!”

“Yes it is! I feel right at home. Do you like it, Noah?”

“Yes.”

Noah walked around the room and looked at all the new toys. “Buzz, are these my toys?”

“Yes Noah. Before I came here, Andy told me he wanted you to have them.”

“I like Andy.”

I got a couple of pics of Noah and Buzz as our other guests came into the new room to ooh and ahh. Timmy was blown away by the room and asked Jeannie if she could make his room cool like Noah’s. Jeannie smiled and mouthed, “I hate you” to me. I smiled back and mouthed, “We love you!”

Timmy went over to Noah and put his arm around him. “You’re lucky to have two cool daddies.”

“Charlie and Jacob are my friends. They aren’t my—" He stopped mid-sentence and turned to look at me. Noah cocked his head and then turned to Jacob and did the same. He then took Jacob’s hand and walked him over to me so he could take mine. He led us over to the bed, where we sat down, placing himself between us.

Noah looked up at me and asked, “Charlie, can you be my daddy?”

I put my arms around him. “Noah, I would love to be your daddy if that’s what you want!” I kissed him on top of his head.

He then looked over to Jacob and asked, “Jacob, can you be my da—”

He turned to me and told me that Jacob couldn’t be his daddy because it would confuse him. I leaned down and whispered a suggestion into my boy’s ear. He smiled and turned back to my husband.

“Jacob, can you be my papa?”

“Yes, Noah! Oh yes! I want more than anything to be your Papa!”

“Will you still read me stories?”

“Of course, my precious boy! As often as you want me to!”

Needless to say, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. I looked up and noticed Katie dabbing her eyes as well. I couldn’t hold back my gigantic grin when she smiled at me through her tears and nodded her head with a “yes.”

Two months later, Mom, Gramma, Jacob, and I walked out of the county courthouse with our new son—Noah Graham Anderson Danner.

EPILOGUE

Noah thrived over the years and grew into a handsome, and more importantly—an independent young man. He and Timmy remained inseparable and grew closer as they grew older.

They really wanted to get a place of their own, and we wanted the same for them. But, Jeannie, Jacob, and I didn’t want them to be entirely away from us. Jacob to the rescue! He designed and added an apartment over the garage. The boys loved it and felt they could be on their own, but still spent a lot of time with us—especially for meals!

Their relationship was something to behold. I don’t know if the boys considered themselves gay, but their love for each other was palpable.

The coolest thing that happened was several years after Noah became our son, I auditioned for and actually made it on to Project Runway! It was a total blast! Tim Gunn was terrific and a true mentor. I did really well, too! I made it all the way to the semi-finals but unfortunately was sent home and didn’t get to do a show at Fashion Week.

That was the bad news. The good news was that I made quite a name for myself and was swamped with work. I was a semi-famous, nationally known designer!

It seems that in my life, no matter what direction things took, life just got better and better. Sure, I had my disappointments (Frankie, David), but my triumphs (Jacob, Noah) more than made up for it. But when it all comes down to it, Noah taught me so much about the important things in life. Noah Graham Anderson-Danner—a very special boy.