Where The Heart Is

Chapter 8

A/N: hey guys! Hope you're all doing great. Here it is, chapter eight, another long one! Thanks for your patience. Warnings include semi-graphic descriptions of child abuse. Also, a ridiculous amount of fluff, and a moment that you've all been waiting for! I hope I did it justice. Please Read & Review, friends!

The last thirty-nine hours of torture had been the worst experience of Jonathan Turner's life. The kid he loved more than anything in this world was laying unconscious in a hospital bed, hooked up to wires and machines that were keeping his vitals stable. Shawn had yet to wake up, but doctors assured Jon that it wouldn't be long before he regained consciousness.

Eight cups of coffee, hours of failed attempts to rest, and a lot of heartache and pain later, Jon was sitting by Shawn's bed, holding his hand as he had been for many hours now. Shawn began to fidget as he slowly awoke from his forced slumber, his brow furrowing as he began to feel the pain from his multiple injuries.

When he felt the boy's hand begin to twitch under his, Jon jolted upright in the uncomfortable hospital chair sat next to Shawn's bed. His eyes widened and his heart started racing. "Shawn?!" He whispered, finding himself unable to speak above a whisper. Shaking his head to rid himself of the stress and fatigue, he cleared his throat and spoke louder. "Shawn?"

Shawn started shaking uncontrollably at the sound of his name. He began to whimper quietly, mumbling something along the lines of, "Please stop," and a little louder and more forcefully, "Go away!" He tried to curl up to protect himself from blows that only he could remember, but Jon reached out to soothe him, afraid that Shawn might pull out the I.V tube.

The feel of someone touching his arm made Shawn start kicking and screaming in terror, the adrenaline pumping through his veins shielding him from the pain coming from his multiple injuries. The nurses rushed in, but the doctor, seeing that Jon was trying to calm him, decided to give Jon a few minutes to calm Shawn down before he stepped in and gave the order to sedate him.

Jon held Shawn's hand tightly in one hand and stroked his hair with the other, wishing he could wrap the kid in his arms, as he tried to soothe his traumatized charge. "Shawn, kiddo, listen to me. It's me, Jon. I won't let anyone hurt you, little buddy. It's all going to be okay, all right? I'm right here beside you." When Shawn seemed to slowly return to reality and began to calm down, the doctor nodded his approval for the nurses to leave Shawn's hospital room.

He continued to observe their interaction, however, taking mental notes. He saw how Shawn was clinging desperately to Jon's hand as he wheezed, his still healing lungs in great pain from the exertion of screaming. He gazed on as Jon leaned down to kiss the teenager's forehead. He watched as Shawn immediately reached out for comfort, receiving a careful but loving hug in return.

The doctor smiled. He'd seen everything he needed to see. Jonathan Turner obviously cared for Shawn, and he was clearly more than able to calm Shawn down when needed. He walked out to go see his next patient.

Jon squeezed Shawn's hand gently. "I missed you, kiddo." He said softly.

"I missed you too." Shawn said quietly. "I didn't think I would ever see you again."

Jon's heart clenched in his chest as he watched the teenager start crying. He was close to tears, himself. "Oh, Shawn…" He sighed, carefully wrapping an arm around the boy's shaking shoulders. "It's all going to be okay now, buddy. Your father can never hurt you again. Ever. All right? Chet is going to jail for what he did to you, and you are coming home with me where you belong."

"You still want me to live with you?" Shawn asked through his tears, obviously confused.

Jon's brow furrowed. "Of course I do, Shawn. What made you think that I wouldn't?"

" 'Cause I'm bad. I'm stupid and worthless and a screw up. I even used to fail tests and run away and yell at you. And I wake you up in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder for no reason. I guess I thought that this was a good opportunity for you to finally get rid of me." He mumbled.

"Shawn…" Jon sighed heavily. "These past thirty-nine hours were the hardest experience of my entire life. I was terrified not knowing where you were or whether or not you were safe." His voice cracked. "When your father took you from me, it was as if he had stolen the most important part of me. You are the most important part of me, kiddo. You are not bad. You are good. You are the most wonderful, amazing, smart, funny, creative, loyal kid I have ever had the pleasure of loving, okay? You are not, under any circumstances, worthless or stupid or a 'screw up.' And those nightmares? I would rather wake up every night for the rest of my life than let you suffer through this pain alone. As for those things that you did in the past, I loved you back when you were in full rebellion mode, and I still love you now. So, so much, kiddo. Nothing you could ever do could make me love you any less. Nothing. You hear me?"

Shawn buried his head in Jon's shirt. "You promise?" He asked, his voice muffled but vulnerable.

"Yeah, buddy. I promise." Jon kissed the top of Shawn's head.

Just as he finished speaking, Shawn's head nurse walked in.

"Hello, Shawn! My name is Ann, and I am your head nurse. So anything you need, I am the gal to talk to! How are you feeling, honey?" The pretty young nurse, about Jon's age, asked kindly.

Shawn looked up at her, wiping his tears on the sleeves of the hospital scrubs, and answered quietly, "Okay, I guess."

Jon looked down at Shawn, disbelieving. He could see a subtle mixture of pain, exhaustion, and determination written in his features. If Shawn was in pain, why wouldn't he mention it so that the doctor and the nurses can help?

Then he remembered how Shawn had refused to tell Jon that he had a terrible headache while he was sick. Until Jon had seen how uncomfortable he was and asked him if he was hurting. Even then, Shawn had tried to hide it from him, later admitting that his dad had told him to "stop being such a pussy" whenever he was in pain. He didn't want Jon to think he was weak.

"Shawn," he said quietly, "It's okay to be in pain, kiddo. Everyone knew you would be in pain when you woke up. You're not weak, little buddy. You're so strong, Shawn, stronger than anyone I've ever known. And it's all right to ask for help."

Shawn nodded slowly, swallowing hard before asking, "Actually, I'm hurting a bit, ma'am. Can I have some pain medication?"

She smiled softly. "Please, call me Ann, sweetie. And yes, I can give you something for the pain." She turned to leave so that she could ask the doctor which medicine to give him when she hesitated and turned around and said to Shawn, "You're a very brave guy. And you are very loved. Those people in the waiting room can't wait to see you. I hope you remember that."

Jon smiled at the woman, silently thanking her for her kind words. Shawn smiled at her, too. "Thank you ma'am – I mean, thank you Ann. I'll try not to forget it." He promised.

"Good." She winked at him in a friendly manner as she left the room.

Jon took a deep breath as he contemplated how to phrase the important question that he needed to ask Shawn. "Hey, kiddo?"

Shawn looked up at Jon, his hazel eyes questioning.

"The doctor explained that these pain meds might make you a little more tired, so I need to ask you something before you take them, okay?"

Shawn nodded, a little more worry in his expression.

Noticing this, Jon smiled and spoke reassuringly. "It's not a bad thing, little buddy."

The teenager relaxed a little but kept his guard up, just in case it wasn't good news.

Jon took Shawn's hand in his own and squeezed. "You know that I love you, kiddo. You know that I want you with me no matter what. I feel like you have a home with me, that you belong there. I want to protect you and take care of you and love you for the rest of my life. You know how much I want that, right?"

"Yeah." Shawn answered softly, still unsure where this was going.

"Well, part of loving somebody is wanting the best for them. I told you what I want more than anything in this world. But now I want to ask you what you want, Shawn."

"What do you mean?" Shawn asked, confused.

"Do you still want to stay with me forever, like you said before?"

Shawn looked at Jon like he had grown another head. "Yeah, of course I do Jon. You keep me safe. You gave me a bed to sleep on and food to eat and allowance to spend. You let me have Cory over. You helped me study, and I got my first A. We watch the Phillie's games together. I love living with you. I love you, you're like my - " He cut himself off quickly, scared that he'd crossed a line.

"Kiddo," Jon reached out to stroke Shawn's hair affectionately. "I love you more than I ever could have imagined loving anyone. You are like a son to me. I couldn't love you any more if you had been born to me, little buddy. I wish I could've been around to protect and love you back when you were a child, but I will tell you that even though I didn't spend the beginning of your life with you, I want to spend the rest of my life loving you, protecting you, and doing whatever I need to do to make you feel happy and loved."

Shawn started to cry again, unable to reply at first. Jon just wrapped his arm around Shawn and pressed a kiss to his forehead, holding him as he cried. When Shawn had calmed down sufficiently enough to communicate, he looked at Jon with tears in his eyes. "Promise you won't get mad when I tell you something?" He asked quietly.

"I won't be mad." Jon promised.

"I was going to say, 'I love you, you're like my dad.'" Shawn whispered, as if he may get in trouble. "Not like you hurt me or anything!" He added quickly, not wanting to offend Jon. "I meant that you're like the dad I always wanted."

Jon smiled and squeezed the boy's shoulders as his heart nearly exploded in happiness.

"Shawn, a lot of important people are going to ask both of us this question, so I want to ask you first, before they do. I want to know if you would consider making it official... by letting me adopt you."

Shawn looked up in mild disbelief. "You mean…like you would really be my dad?" He whispered, trying and failing to keep the hope out of his voice.

Jon grinned broadly. "Yeah, little buddy. It would be legal and everything. What do you say, kiddo?"

"I say… I say yeah!" Shawn grinned his characteristic grin, looking like his old self again. He reached out for a hug, nearly accidentally choking Jon in his excitement. "Thank you." He whispered.

Jon grinned widely. "The pleasure is all mine, kiddo. Thank you." He said quietly, his voice raw with emotion.

Nurse Ann returned to the room with Shawn's pain medication. "Okay, honey, I'm just going to inject a very low dose of morphine into your I.V. We don't want to give you anything too strong. Hopefully, this should help with the pain. It might also put you to sleep, but don't worry, that's normal. Does that sound okay, sweetie?"

Shawn nodded, and she gave him a reassuring smile as she administered the dose.

Very soon, the combination of the morphine and Jon's reassuring hand stroking his hair gently put Shawn into a deep sleep. Jon was finally somewhat reassured that Shawn was okay, and that he was no longer in pain, so he also fell into a much needed light sleep.

It didn't last for long, though. Within fifteen minutes there was a light knocking on the door. Jon startled awake and looked at Shawn to make sure he wasn't disturbed, but the pain medication had done it's job, and Shawn stayed fast asleep. So Jon turned his attention to the people who had knocked.

A man in a suit with a badge on his belt stood next to a woman in a professional pantsuit, who was carrying a planner under her arm. Jon assumed that these people must be the detective and Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) worker that he had been informed would be alerted when Shawn regained consciousness.

His assumption was proved correct when the woman smiled and held out her hand to Jon. "You must be Mr. Turner. I'm Lisa Williams from the Department of Children and Family Services, and this is Detective Kyle." The serious-looking man nodded towards Jon.

"Hello. Please, call me Jonathan."

"Okay, Jonathan. So you probably already know why we're here."

Jon nodded.

"The Department of Children and Family Services and the local police department's Child Protection Unit was notified upon Shawn's arrival to the hospital. They said they would call when Shawn regained consciousness. We received said call about an hour ago. As the social worker on duty, my job is to interview Shawn and people close to him, such as yourself. I'm also handling Shawn's custody arrangements. Detective Kyle is here to collect information about Shawn's family history. Any suspicions of neglect or abuse should be reported to him, as well. He is handling the criminal aspects of this case." Lisa explained.

"Okay, thank you, I wasn't quite sure exactly what you each do. Shawn just fell asleep about twenty minutes ago."

"Yes, we were informed by his head nurse. She said not to disturb him. We will speak to Shawn when he wakes up. In the meantime, may we step out in the hallway and ask you some questions?"

"Yeah, of course." Jon looked towards Shawn's sleeping form. He hated to leave Shawn alone. He wanted to have his eyes on Shawn, keep him safe like he had promised him he would. But he told himself he was being ridiculous. He would only be a few minutes, and they were just in the hallway.

They stepped out of the room and into the hallway.

Detective Kyle cleared her throat. "So Jonathan, what is your relation to Shawn?"

A simple question, but the answer was difficult for Jon to explain. "I met Shawn about a year and a half ago. It was my first day teaching at John Adams High, and his first day of seventh grade. I was his homeroom and English teacher. I still am, actually."

He took a deep breath and made a conscious effort not to show the anger he felt at the situation he was about to explain. "But towards the end of that school year, Shawn's mom left, taking the trailer she was living in with Shawn and his father, Chet Hunter. Chet took off after his wife, saying he couldn't live without her. He dumped Shawn at a crappy motel, but he came to my apartment saying he had to ask me a question, and the poor kid was hungry and exhausted, so he ate some leftovers and fell asleep on the couch. I couldn't bring myself to take him back to that motel, so I took him to the Matthews' place."

Lisa raised her hand so he would pause his story. "How did Shawn know where you lived?"

"I told him. He and his best friend, Cory Matthews, were missing an assignment once, so I told them to give it to me before I graded my papers on Sunday. I gave them my address and phone number. Cory is a trustworthy kid, so I knew he wouldn't abuse the phone or show up at my place for no good reason. Shawn…I knew he had a tough life. I wanted him to know that there was a safe place for him to get help if he needed it. A number to call if he needed to talk."

"And did he call you or come to you to disclose any problems he may have had?"

"No, he was the kind that said he never needed anybody. He had learned not to depend on people... He never asked for help. Not until that night. And he didn't tell me what he was thinking that night, not until a month ago."

"Okay. Continue your story. You said you took him to the Matthews' place. Who are the Matthews to Shawn?" Lisa prompted.

"Alan and Amy Matthews' son Cory is Shawn's best friend. They have been since a kindergarten trip to the zoo when Shawn rescued Cory from the llama pit." Jon smiled, remembering Shawn telling him the story of how he and Cory met. "They're inseparable. Cory's a good influence on Shawn, and Shawn is very loyal to Cory. They're really good for each other."

"And you took Shawn to see Cory that day?"

"Actually, I went to see his parents. I wanted to get their advice on what to do. They cared for Shawn like a surrogate son. I talked to George Feeny, who lives next door to the Matthews', as well. He has been Shawn and Cory's teacher since the first grade. Now, he teaches History and is the principal of John Adams High. While we were talking, Chet Hunter showed up. He basically said he was only back to touch base, and that he was going to be gone for what he said was a few days. He asked Alan if Shawn could stay with them until he got back. Then he left."

"Did he come back after a few days, like he said?" Detective Kyle asked.

"No. He was gone for three weeks. Shawn tried hard to fit in with the Matthews' routine, but he struggled. It was hard for him to understand that his parents leaving wasn't his fault. So he acted out. One night he was hanging around with some older kids who were planning to do graffiti and he got picked up by a local police officer. He told the officer that he was staying with me. I let Shawn sleep over in the guest bedroom, and took him back to the Matthews the next morning."

"And then what happened?"

"Alan and Amy were frustrated by the whole situation, and I tried to get them to see it from Shawn's side. But before we could really talk, the phone rang. It was Chet. He told us that he found the trailer, but he was going after his wife, and he wasn't going to come back anytime soon. He didn't seem to care too much about the impact he had on his son, who was eavesdropping without us knowing about it. Shawn got upset, he felt like the Matthews didn't want him. He ran, but I caught him. He was angry and hurt, and he felt like no one cared about him. But he acted tough, saying he just needed a place to sleep. I offered him a home. With me."

"And why was that, exactly?" Ms. Lisa asked, curious.

"I didn't really know at the time. It was this unexplainable connection between us. All I knew then was that I cared more about this kid then I had ever cared about anyone else. I started thinking about Shawn staying with me for a temporary thing when the police officer brought Shawn to my apartment. The next day, after I asked him to live with me, I told Feeny and the Matthews about it, and that was when the Matthews told me about Shawn's nightmares. It was only a handful of times, but Cory had woken up to Shawn mumbling and crying in his sleep. He always woke up by himself, and when Cory or anybody asked about what happened in his nightmares, he said it was about something stupid, and then he changed the subject."

"Did Shawn's nightmares continue?" Lisa asked.

"Yes, they continued after he came to live with me, but after we had our first disagreement, the nightmares got worse. And they continued to get worse after every disagreement we had. Every test he failed, every lie that was told, every time I was at all frustrated, the nightmares got more intense, until finally he was screaming and kicking and crying in his sleep. Every night I asked what they were about. Every morning he pretended it didn't happen. Until a month ago, when he had a fight with Cory. Cory had gotten incriminating footage of a gang in the trailer park Shawn had lived at. Shawn's half-brother Eddie was the leader of the gang, and he felt like he had to protect his family. In Shawn's world, lies and danger and crime were all part of life. You didn't tattle to the cops, because then the people who committed the crime would hurt you."

Detective Kyle nodded in understanding. He had seen that type of situation before.

"Then Feeny had a talk with him about the meaning of family. He told Shawn that you didn't have to be related by blood to be family. Shawn thought about it for a while, and then sided with Cory against Eddie. He had done a lot of thinking about who was family and who was only blood. Cory was family, because he was kind and loyal and cared about him. Eddie was just blood."

"You said that Eddie was Shawn's half-brother? How old is he? Do you know if he was being abused, as well?" Lisa asked, concerned.

"Yes, he and Shawn both have Chet as a father. Eddie's twenty years old, and from what Shawn has told me, both Eddie and Stacey, his twenty-four year old half sister on his father's side, were also victims of abuse at Chet's hands. Shawn's mom was, as well. Shawn thinks that's why she left."

There wasn't much that Lisa could do for Eddie or Stacey, since they were no longer minors. "Okay. Please continue."

"That night, Shawn had a really bad nightmare. I asked him if he was going to tell me what it was about, and he thought for a minute before deciding that his dad wasn't really family, just blood. And then he told me what the nightmares were all about, and I understood why. His father had been physically abusing Shawn for as long as he could remember. Punching him, kicking him, burning him with cigarettes, hitting him with a belt, throwing things at him, locking him in a closet. He told Shawn that he was a worthless piece of shit, among other things, and that he didn't deserve food. Even when food was available, which wasn't often, Shawn wasn't allowed to have any. He shoved Shawn's face into his own vomit when he got sick and violently beat him for no reason at all except that he had a bad day."

Jon took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. The pain and anger that he felt thinking about Chet hurting Shawn had made him lose focus. He had described the physical and emotional abuse and some of the neglect, but he hadn't gotten into the medical neglect. "Then, when he hurt Shawn to the point that he needed medical attention, he took him to his cousin Stan, who went to med school but never passed his finals. He gave stitches, fixed up broken bones and sprains, but he never gave Shawn any shots to keep healthy or anything like that. As far as Shawn could remember, he'd never had any." Jon knew that that was serious neglect. Shawn's health and safety must always take priority.

Both Lisa and Detective Kyle were scribbling notes when a scream sounded from inside Shawn's room. Jon completely forgot about them as he threw open the door and ran to Shawn's side.

"Hey, Shawn, kiddo, listen to me. I'm right here, I won't let anyone hurt you, little buddy. I've got you, it's all gonna be okay. I love you and I won't let him hurt you, ever again." He murmured softly, holding Shawn's hand in one of his and stroking his hair in a comforting manner with the other. Shawn stopped kicking and screaming once he heard Jon's voice, but once he returned to the present moment, he still had to work on calming his breathing and slowing his heart rate down.

Detective Kyle and Lisa were watching as Jon gradually calmed Shawn down, both of them quite impressed. Detective Kyle was glad to see that someone was able to get Shawn's nightmares under control. Lisa was pleasantly surprised by the close relationship between Jon and Shawn. Both Lisa and Detective Kyle were hoping that Jon would want to continue that relationship.

Once Shawn was looking a little more settled, Lisa decided that it was time to speak up. "Hello, Shawn." She greeted warmly.

Shawn's head jerked up from Jon's shoulder and his eyes got wide. He started shaking and he clung to Jon tightly. Jon could tell by Shawn's tension that he recognized these adults, the policeman and the social worker, as the people that he had been ordered as a child to never talk to, let alone trust.

"It's okay, little buddy. There's nothing to be afraid of. Just try to relax, all right? They're good people." He said softly, trying to convince Shawn to talk to them.

Shawn gave Jon a wary look, but took a deep breath and turned to Lisa. "Hi." He said softly, unsure of himself.

"I'm Lisa, your social worker, and this is Kyle. He's a policeman."

Shawn's fears had been confirmed, but he took a deep breath and pushed himself to reply, knowing that it was important, and that it would make Jon proud. "I'm Shawn." He said quietly.

"We just want to ask you some questions, Shawn. Do you mind if Jon steps out for a few minutes?" Detective Kyle asked, and Shawn lost his nerve, remembering how his father had threatened to kill him if he ever told anyone about the things that had happened. He had warned Shawn that these people, social workers and police officers, had the power to hurt people and that if Shawn answered their questions, they would tear him away from his home and his family and send him to live with strangers. He wondered if this meant that these people had the power to take him from his home with Jon, too. Would they force him to live with strangers?

He looked up in a panic, staring at Jon with wide eyes. Jon closed his own, wishing that he could stay and comfort Shawn, but knowing that it was protocol for the authorities to question Shawn without anyone else present. He hated it, but he had no choice but to leave Shawn with them. Jon opened his eyes and smiled reassuringly at Shawn, squeezing his hand. "It's okay, kiddo. I'll be right there in the hallway, alright? If it gets to be too much, you just call for me and I'll be back in here in a heartbeat." He promised. "And kiddo, it's important that you tell them everything. Be honest, little buddy. They just want to help."

Shawn watched Jon walk out the door and took a deep breath as he turned to the social worker and police officer. "What do you need to ask me?"

"Well, let's start simple." Ms. Lisa smiled at him. "Can you tell me your full name?"

"Shawn Patrick Hunter."

"What's your favorite band, Shawn?"

Shawn looked at her, puzzled, but answering the question nevertheless. "Counting Crows."

"Not my kind of music, but I heard they're very good. What do you like to do for fun?" She knew that the simple questions were strange to the fifteen year old boy, but she was hoping that they would help put him at ease.

"Play basketball with my best friend Cory." Shawn replied, looking confused.

"That's nice. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?"

"At home, with Jon." Shawn answered easily.

Lisa smiled. "So you and Jonathan Turner are close, then?"

Shawn gave her an genuine smile. "Yeah. I live with him...well, I did, before my father took me. He gives me food, and a bed, and even an allowance. He helps me with my homework, watches the Phillie's games with me. He lets me have Cory over to hang out. He's like a dad to me."

"That's really great, Shawn." She was really happy that Shawn had someone who cared so much about him in his corner. It was more than some of the kids that she worked with ever had. "So, I'm going to have to ask you some questions about your father, Chet Hunter. Is that okay with you?"

Shawn took another deep breath and nodded slightly. He knew that he had to be brave and answer their questions so that his father wouldn't be able to get him back.

Lisa smiled in a way that she hoped was reassuring to the brave young man before her. "Okay. Now, if it becomes to difficult to answer our questions, just let me know so we can take a break, all right?"

Shawn nodded again.

"Shawn, how is your relationship with your father?" Lisa asked, taking out a pen and notebook to record Shawn's answers to her questions.

"Not good. He doesn't like me very much." Shawn replied, swallowing hard. It was still a painful thing to say.

"What make you say that?"

"He told me that he hates me. He yelled and called me names. He told me that I'm retarded and stupid and worthless and useless and "a little shit," stuff like that. He wouldn't let me eat. He hurt me, too." Shawn said quietly, hating that his voice sounded so small.

"How did he hurt you, Shawn?"

Shawn averted his gaze to the wall behind her. "He hit me with his fists and he kicked me. He hit me with a belt, and threw stuff at me, like dishes and beer bottles. He burned my arms and chest with cigarettes. He locked me in our kitchen closet and he shoved my face in vomit."

"I'm very sorry that happened to you Shawn." Lisa said gently, and Shawn blinked back his tears. "Did your father ever hurt you to the point that you needed a doctor?"

Shawn nodded. "My cousin Stan fixed my broken bones and gave me stitches when I needed them. But he never gave me pain medicine. Or any medicine, even when I was sick. I got sick a lot before I moved in with Jon. Jon took me to a real doctor to get me shots, and after that I didn't get sick so much."

"That's good, that Jon got you those shots. They're important. You said that your father wouldn't let you eat. Can you tell me more about that?"

"We never had food much, anyway. But he said that I was a waste of space and that I didn't deserve food. If he caught me eating his food, he'd hurt me even more." Shawn started to shake. "Are we done yet? I want Jon to come back in."

"Yes, Shawn. We can be done. You did a great job answering my questions. Thank you." Lisa signaled to Jon that he could come back in, and he opened the door immediately.

"Hey, little buddy." He smiled and took his place by Shawn's bed, taking his shaking hand in his own and rubbing circles to calm the teenager.

"Shawn did an excellent job. You would be very proud of him." Detective Kyle told Jon.

"I am. Very proud." Jon said simply, smiling at Shawn. Shawn smiled back, but started to yawn. He didn't have a lot of energy and the concussion and the pain medicine made it hard to stay awake. "Okay kiddo, try to rest, all right? I'll be right here."

Lisa turned to Jon. "We'll be in the waiting room. We'd like to speak to the Matthews and Mr. Feeny."

"Okay. I'll be right here." Jon said again, smiling at Shawn, who was beginning to fall asleep again. As the social worker and the policeman left they room, Jon spoke softly to Shawn. "I'll always be here for you."

Shawn gave him a tired smile and fell into a peaceful sleep, knowing that Jon would always be right there for him.

A/N: There it is, my lovely readers! I know a lot of you have been waiting for the whole adoption topic to come up (I'm very excited about it myself!) and I hope that it was up to your expectations. Please let me know in a review! Also, keep an eye out for Nurse Ann. She might become an important lady... ;)