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Michelle picked up the phone after it rang a few times. John could feel his heart beating out of his chest.
“Hi John,” Michelle said.
“Hi Michelle, I’m sorry to be calling you this late in the evening, but I needed some guidance from you pertaining to Janet,” John said nervously.
“Yes of course. Is everything ok?” Michelle asked.
“Yes, everything is fine. I wanted to discuss with you about adopting Janet,” John said hopeful.
“About time you wanted to talk about this. You are the only person she has in her life minus her foster care. I would be happy to help you in this process. Why don’t you come to my office tomorrow afternoon so we can discuss the process? I have some free time after one,” Michelle said. John heard excitement in her voice which gave him a sense of relief.
“That would be perfect. I have tomorrow off so I will see you then. Goodbye, Michelle,” John said.
“Goodnight, John,” Michelle said as she hung up the phone.
The next day John woke up and did his usual morning routine of going to the gym and breakfast. He called Nancy to tell her that he had decided to adopt Janet. Nancy was excited to hear the news. She even offered to watch her while John was at work since she was retired.
That afternoon, John made it to Michelle’s office. As John was in the waiting room, he was trying to rehearse what to say in his mind that would make him the right person to adopt Janet. He truly hoped the state felt the same way he did about providing her with a good life that she deserves. She was abandoned because she was different; left to rot with the trash in which she was placed. John could never get that image out of his head and hoped to replace it with images of laughter, tea parties, and other joyous memories. He never had a problem with her going to a school that specializes in people with special needs, but he wanted Janet to have a family.
Michelle came into the waiting room smiling and shook John’s hand. She had a kind face that was made to do this kind of work. John could tell that the stress of the job took a toll on her by the darkened circles around her eyes and the oncoming gray hair in her blonde hair. Today though, she looked relieved. John assumed she must be relieved that someone was interested in adopting Janet.
Michelle walked John to her office a few doors down in a long hallway. There were papers that surrounded the office and she had to move some files for John to sit down. Michelle apologized for the mess and joked with John that she needs more time to organize these files.
“John, I am so happy to hear that you are interested in adopting Janet. I am hoping this process can go by smoothly. The first thing in the adoption process is to make sure that you are ready. So, John, are you ready?” Michelle asked.
“Yes, I am. I thought long about this, and I think I would make a great parent for Janet,” John said.
“I am glad you feel that way. I must mention that caring for someone with special needs can be burdensome for some with truly little rewards. There will be a lot of things required from you and I remember you telling me that you have been doing a lot of research collaborating with people with Down syndrome, which is very impressive. This is a life changer for both you and her,” Michelle said.
“Michelle, my reward is that Janet will have a permanent home with a permanent family. I want to be able to give her that when she had that taken from her the minute she came into this world,” John said.
“This is another important thing to hear. The person who saved Janet’s life wants to adopt her. There are not too many people in the world that would take on this case, but I am glad it is you,” Michelle said.
“I am glad to hear that,” John said smiling.
“Now that you are ready for this, we must do a CORI check on you and anyone in the household over the age of fourteen. I will also need to visit the house to ensure that it is a good placement for Janet. Can you give me a list of names of people in your household?” Michelle asked.
“It is just me,” John said.
“Thank you. Can I ask what your plans are while you are at work for Janet? I understand you still work for the Boston Police Department?” Michelle asked as she was writing.
“Yes, I work in Internal Affairs at the BPD and my neighbor, Nancy Calden, who is a retired schoolteacher, offered to watch her during my shifts. I do plan to take a leave to be able to help her adjust to the environment. Also, my shifts are eight in the morning to four in the afternoon Mondays through Fridays,” John said.
“Very well thought out John. I will need to get a background check for Ms. Calden as well. I will also need a couple of references for later use. I cannot use Ms. Calden as a reference, but can you give me two others?” Michelle asked.
“Yes, I have these two,” John said as he gave Michelle both Mike and Captain Stevenson’s’ contact information. John did not have the luxury of too many friends at this point in his life and found these two would give their unbiased opinions.
“Thank you, John. Now that we have all of that out of the way, I will need you to fill out this application. It is a bit lengthy so you can take your time on it. Once you fill this out, you can either fax it to me or mail it. Till then, I will do the background check and once I have the application and the background checks for you and Ms. Calden are completed, we can set up a time for me to come over to check out your house. If everything goes well and is approved, then I will set you up for our Massachusetts Approach to Partnership in Parenting program. This program usually takes several weeks. This is a great program and will teach you a lot about children who are looking to be adopted. After that, the social worker leading that group will do another evaluation of your home and that is when we check the references. Since you are a single with no other family members, we will not need a home study. Once that is completed, one of our supervisors will review everything and will decide on whether you are the right fit for adopting,” Michelle said after taking a breath and smiling.
“That is a lot of information,” John said smiling.
“Yes, it is. Do not worry. will be taking this step by step,” Michelle laughed.
“Sounds good to me. How long does the entire process usually take?” John asked.
“It is tough to put a time limit on it, but it could take anywhere from a few months to a year. Also, for the adoption to be legalized in the state, Janet must live with you for six months,” Michelle said.
“Ok,” John said nodding his head.
“Another thing I wanted to mention is when adopting a child with special needs, the state has a program to financially assist with the care. If everything goes well, you should apply for it because the medical costs alone can be heavy,” Michelle said.
“Glad I have good insurance,” John laughed.
“That is good,” Michelle laughed.
John and Michelle said goodbye as John left her office. He then completed the application in the waiting room and gave it to Michelle, who laughed and was impressed with his quickness. John then went home and felt relieved that the process was started. John took a breath, looked up to the sky, closed his eyes, and smiled hoping that Ashley was looking down at him smiling back.