:: Trigger Warning! Some material in this section may be sensitive, or graphic::

After Nick introduces himself to Doug and Kelly, they head inside to enjoy their final day off from their jobs at BIC Pens and supplies. Doug is tall, balding, close to a middle-aged man, and an Area Expert at work, while Kelly, who's about two and half years younger with salt and pepper hair and a figure any teenage girl would kill to have, is a Senior Line Production worker. They're excited to get off work Monday afternoon as their social worker called a few days earlier to tell them that they have a foster and could end up in adoption if all things go right.

Kelly is especially excited since she has endometriosis, and every time throughout her 20's would suffer a painful miscarriage where she would be bedridden. Being the compassionate Southern Baptist Christian man, Doug always brought up the idea of adoption, but Kelly was convinced they would be blessed with a child. It wasn't until they went with their church on a missionary trip to India that her heart would fill with guilt, seeing babies underweight and suffering.

"C'mon Monday! I want to meet our foster child." Kelly tells Doug as they prepare dinner.

"It will come, my love. We need to stay calm. I'm excited, too; I get to be a dad, and I don't care what this child has been through, and we will support, nurture, and, God willing, become a family at last. It is our time, and our lord has finally blessed us." Doug replies while he chops up vegetables for homemade soup.

While the couple continues to make dinner, they can overhear Candie Garner and her oldest daughter arguing again. Doug and Kelly stare at the other and gulp when it dawns on them that it could be them in time with the child coming to them.

"My goodness, they're at it again. Trixie needs to get away from her mother. I don't mean to sound judgmental, but when she made that poor girl drop out of high school to help out with all her brothers and sisters, it just breaks my heart. I am glad she went and got her G-E-D, but she deserves better than being her mom's glorified babysitter." Doug says with a hint of concern to his voice.

Kelly nods then shakes her head with her eyes closed. The sounds of the mother-daughter verbal assault carry throughout the trailer park. There is so much yelling it draws Nick from his office to try to handle the situation. When he knocks on the door, Candie flings it open and screams in Nick's face.

"WHAT? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT ASS-CLOWN?"

"Listen, Ms. Garner, I understand families argue, and all of that stuff, but you both need to bring it back down to an acceptable level. If not, I'll have to write up a noise complaint and file it as a strike against you." Nick politely informs her trying to keep a level head.

Candie leans against the door. She's a lean woman in her late thirties with brown hair and big brown eyes. She's a chain smoker, and she's had several kids since dropping out of high school and living off the welfare system. Trixie's oldest is nearly identical to her mother, with a lean figure with long brown hair and brown eyes, but Trixie refuses to smoke or get pregnant to get government assistance. Trixie wants more in life and wants away from her mother.

"Excuse me for bothering you, your majesty! Good God, I'm disagreeing with my daughter. It's not like I'm killing her or nothing. Get off my back, man." Candie says in a snarky manner.

How Candie comes across begins to annoy Nick. He stands there with his arms crossed and begins to tap his foot.

"Listen, how you talk to your child is on you, but how you talk to me has other consequences. I'm not the others that have come and gone as manager. I will toss you out of here in a heartbeat and call CPS if I ever hear, see, or expect any abuse on anyone in your home. I am here to ensure rules are followed and rent is paid on time. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever guy, I'll tone it down and let my kid walk all over me. I gotta go; my stories are on right now." Candie replies and slams the door and locks it.

Nick walks away to return to his office. He goes over to the counter and marks down the incident on a calendar, then finds the file for the write up on the laptop his mother placed in the office and fills it out and prints an extra copy and places it inside an envelope, and tapes it on Candie's front door.

Once the issue blows over, Doug and Kelly return to Bible study for the evening. When they begin to feel sleepy, they curl up in bed with their favorite DVD, The Old Testament, and fall asleep near the end of the movie.

As time ticks away until they meet their foster child, the couple discusses what they'll do when the time comes and can't wait to get the back story on the child.

"Do we have the bedroom fully set up yet? I mean, we have everything, I think, but is it ready?" Kelly asks, getting more nervous.

"I'm confident we have it all ready. Lord, I'm more than ready to feel like a family at last. We've been through so much, and I remember how worried you were when we decided to stop having children naturally. I love you, and I always have since we started dating. You are my angel, my gift from God, and nothing could ever replace how you got me into the church and give my life in service to do good deeds. You saved me from myself." Doug says in his long-winded reminder.

All Kelly can do is reach out to take his hand and pull him in for a hug.

"I'm no angel, but I am glad you followed me into fellowship. You are my rock, and every time I pray, I still give thanks that you came into my life. I was so distraught when I couldn't conceive and maintain a baby that it broke my heart. I know I ran at first, but when you came here to me, and we decided to start over, I knew this was God's plan for us." Kelly explains while she feels safe in Doug's arms.

Doug comes in for a kiss, and they pull themselves apart they head out to the grocery store. The usual items are picked up with hamburger meat, turkey, and ham from the deli for lunch at work, while they pick up cases of bottled water accompanied with flavor packets since they don't drink soda. Kelly goes and picks out a roast and vegetables while Doug picks up a cake for their small celebration when the social worker arrives.

"I think we have everything we need. Is there anything special you think we should get for the child?" Doug asks and browses through the frozen food section.

"Yes! I see chicken nuggets and get some French fries too. I mean, it's not exactly healthy, but we have a child to feed, and they might be a bit picky at first." Kelly says and nearly squeals in excitement.

Doug nearly goes overboard when he picks up four bags of dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets and curly-style French fries. Kelly even picks up a couple of boxes of Kool-Aid Jammers to have chilled in the refrigerator. Their excitement is shared with their family and friends when they posted about having everything ready for the arrival of their foster child.

At church the next morning, the pastor makes the announcement and has Doug and Kelly stand so the church may recognize their accomplishment and their patience in waiting for a child to be selected for them. The day drags on, and the couple skips the typical after church luncheon. They rather head home and do extra cleaning with vacuuming and dusting to ensure everything is ready, and nothing is out of place.

The rest of the evening, they sit and relax after cleaning around their trailer. Doug goes over to inform Nick about the arrival of their social worker with their foster child.

"Knock, knock," Doug calls out, seeing the door open.

"Hey! What's up?" Nick asks, ready for some bad news.

"Not much. I just wanted to let you know that our social worker is coming tomorrow with our foster child. Kelly and I just didn't want you to think that something is wrong if you see her car parked at our place tomorrow. The last thing we want to do is cause drama or think we are troublemakers."

"Doug! I've talked to mom, and you both welcomed me when I arrived. I would never think that about either of you. You and Kelly will be wonderful foster parents, and if you need a reference for adoption, don't hesitate to ask my mom. She spoke highly about both of you. If something is ever wrong, I know you would be right here to tell me. Y'all are not my troubled lots. Now Candie and a few others, that's another story, but y'all are the gold standard around here." Nick explains and waves Doug inside.

Inside they continue to discuss topics, and Nick brings up what happened with his wife and their issues. Doug does his best to counsel Nick and use certain Bible verses to help clarify things to Nick, and before they realize it, nearly two hours fly by before Kelly comes looking for her husband.

"Hey, there you are, Doug. I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"

Doug looks shocked and looks at his watch, "Oh my, have I been over here that long already? I'm sorry, my love, we just got on the topic of cheating and divorce, and I lost track of time."

Not angry or concerned, Kelly waves to Doug and comes in to join the conversation. They kill the rest of the evening helping Nick and reminding him that it wasn't his fault that Alice went astray, but that God always has a plan and that he must be here for a reason and that he will see his kids again and he will feel more love from being away from them.

When the morning arrives, the couple watches out the windows for the social worker to pull up. Bic has given them paid time off to adjust to having a child in their home as one of their benefits. Doug and Kelly try not to rush outside when the engine is heard, and the brakes squeak to a stop with light dust lifted in the air.

"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Fisher. I have someone here I would like for you to meet. Before I open the door and introduce you to him, I must tell you; he is a bit skittish, having witnessed ICE raiding the apartment complex in Charlotte. Some of the others refused to be taken back to Mexico, and a deadly altercation occurred. Four fatalities total, and three ICE Agents were injured. That being said, I'd like to introduce you to Carlos Santos." The social worker says and opens the left rear door and gives her hand to help the short, dark-haired young Latino boy and introduce him to the Fisher's.

"Carlos, Estos son Doug y Kelly Fisher. Ellos te atenderan bien y te ayudaran con tu ingles. Estas son buenas personas de la iglesia y volvere en 90 dias ver como estan." The social worker says in Spanish.

Doug and Kelly both extend a single hand out and kneel to try to help the young boy. When Carlos hides behind the social worker, she puts a hand on his head and explains more in Spanish that he won't be hurt or taken away by authorities since he was born in America.

"Hey, Carlos, no te lastimaremos. Estamos aqui para ayudarte. ¿Te gustan os neggets de pollo? Podemos prepararle algunos para el alumuerzo si lo desea." Doug says in Spanish feeling a bit rusty with some of his pronunciations. "Sorry, my Spanish is a bit rusty. Come inside and enjoy food and a safe place to stay."

Carlos slowly comes out when he listens to Doug in Spanish. He's scared, but with a shaky hand, Carlos reaches out to take his hand, and his lip begins to quiver.

Kelly stays kneeled and prays silently for Carlos to learn to trust them. After Doug takes the scared little boy inside, Kelly gets to her feet and talks to their social worker.

Inside the trailer, Carlos goes over to the couch and takes a seat. Doug walks to the refrigerator and takes out the bag of chicken nuggets and French fries. Doug holds them over his head, and the smile on Carlos's face speaks volumes. The laughter is heard outside, and Kelly looks inside to see Carlos clapping and screaming 'yes' in Spanish.

"Sounds like he's opened up a bit. That's a good sign; Kelly, you have no clue what this child has seen in his young life. I'm hoping the judge will look at this after the ninety days and award you temporary custody with a petition to follow for a permanent case to be heard within the year from the temporary order is in place. If you need anything, please do not think twice to call me. I am here day and night to assist with anything. Carlos has just had all the vaccinations, and the school will be expecting him in the fall. I'll keep y'all in my prayers for this little guy, and well, go meet your son, Momma Kelly Fisher." The social worker says and watches the impact wave over Kelly as tears begin to stream from her eyes.

The social worker stays a few steps behind and watches from the other side of the front door, so Carlos doesn't see her. From a distance, she observes Carlos bouncing in his seat as Kelly acts like a goofy mom dancing and making faces while Doug heats food in the air fryer. Once the three of them seem content, and Carlos is in safe hands, at last, the social worker gets in her car, driving away with hope in her heart.

When lunch is made and Carlos eats, he points to the refrigerator and calls out "drink, juice, please" in Spanish.

"Absolutely little guy. We will work on your English this summer. Do you understand any English at all?" Doug says.

"I know, little; I am sorry," Carlos says in broken English with his sweet childish voice.

"That is okay. I do have one question for you. Would you like a haircut and buy you some new clothes? You can even pick out the style you like the best, and we can take you to the mall and find you some clothes. Oh, do you like church? We attend Mt. Zion Baptist Church." Kelly mentions and maintains eye contact with Carlos.

"Si!" Carlos cries out and claps at having some choices, "you not sad to see me out with you?"

The comment hits deep with both Doug and Kelly. They realize he's been kept inside to hide his family, and his family couldn't do much for the young man to stay off the radar of the authorities due in part to their illegal status.

"You are our foster child, so no, we are delighted, or very happy, to take you out and show you off. You will always have an opportunity to do what makes you feel happy here. We will get you enrolled in school and do what we feel is best for you, Carlos. We hope that in time if your birth parents can't return to America that you would like us to adopt you and become your parents." Kelly states with a look of happiness in her eyes.

Doug doesn't hesitate to jump in to make sure Carlos doesn't get the wrong idea.

"That also means we won't keep you from your birth parents either. If they ever get the chance to call, want to video chat with you, we won't stop that. We understand that they love you and they want the best for you too. We believe in love and trust, and integrity, and we want what's best for you. Do you understand?"

"I do," Carlos says with a smile on his face.

"Good. Now, go wash up, and we will take you to The Children's Place and find you some new clothes." Doug says and washes the plate; Carlos hands him.

Carlos is shown his bedroom and then the bathroom, where he can wash his hands and face. His hair is still greasy, but rather than waste time washing up without a change of clothes, Doug and Kelly head out to the mall, where the three of them buy clothes and some new toys for Carlos to play with at home. Doug and Kelly even go above and beyond at Books-A-Million and purchase English lessons on Rosetta Stone and one for them in Spanish to brush up on their skills.

For dinner that night, Carlos gets to experience spaghetti and meatballs for the first time. Once the noodles and sauce enter his mouth, he enjoys nearly two full plates before shoving the plate back and burps and covers his mouth, giggling.

"¿Fue Bueno y taty?" Doug asks and giggles with Carlos.

"Yes," Carlos replies and keeps his hands over his mouth.

Kelly finishes her food and takes the plates from the table, and rinses them off. Doug takes Carlos back into the living room, where he puts on a CD for a Bible lesson. It isn't long before Carlos heads back to his bedroom and begins to play with his new toys, and Kelly checks on him without breaking his concentration. She joins Doug back in the living room, where they sit and chat on the couch.

"Today was better than I expected. Carlos is such a lovely little boy. I know I shouldn't get my hopes up, but I hope God finds a path for us to become his parents. I know not every day will be like this, but I want those experiences. What are your opinions?" Kelly begins with her hand over Doug's.

"I want to keep him. There's something in him, and Carlos is such a bright kid, from what I can tell. If we can adopt him, I want to pull from my 401k to put a downpayment on a house and give us a better home. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad neighborhood, but I want Carlos to see that he deserves better than a cramped apartment or a tin can for a home."

Doug's statement sinks in quickly and leaves Kelly smiling. Whatever happens, she knows Doug will be there, and through her hopes of prayers and faith, so will Carlos as their adopted son. With a small squeeze of their hands, Doug and Kelly go back after their lesson is finished to spend time with Carlos until bedtime.

Over the next few days, things continue to chill and gel between Carlos, Doug, and Kelly. One night that Kelly stayed up when Carlos has several and dreams. He relives days were tension was high in the small one-bedroom apartment he lived in with his parents and several others from Mexico. Carlos remembers days were he had little to nothing to eat, and some days he would receive a whipping for looking out the window, and his parents would fear they would be caught. Tired, Kelly goes nearly a day and a half before she gets some rest.

"Hey Kelly, my love, go get some rest. I can take care of Carlos tonight. If he wakes up screaming or scared, I can take care of him. You look beatdown, and I have this tonight." Doug offers and pulls up the covers over Kelly.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to think I can't handle it," Kelly says and yawns with her eyes drooping.

"Get some rest, we are a team, and we always will be a team. I can handle some bad dreams and comfort him if it comes to that. I need to be a dad, and I'm not going to do that if I let you handle everything. Get some rest, and I will come to bed when I know he's sound asleep."

The moment Kelly's eyes shut, Doug kisses her on the cheek, then makes his way into the living room and turns on the TV, keeping the volume low. Carlos sleeps for a few hours, and around 10 PM, he wakes up and comes out to find Doug in the recliner. In a gentle tug, Carlos wakes Doug up.

"Poppa Doug, I no sleep. Will, you read me a story?" Carlos asks as Doug regains his attention.

"Yes, I will be more than happy to read you a story. Go pick you out a story, and I will do my best. Do you want me to try in Spanish or English?"

"English, please. I be your son one day, so I listen and learn more English for you and new momma."

Inside, Doug's heart fills with joy and picks up Carlos and takes him back to the bedroom, and waits while he waits for Carlos to hand over a book and crawl back under the covers. Doug waits until Carlos is comfy and enjoys the smile on his face.

"Okay, let's begin," Doug says and opens the book and reads until Carlos is sound asleep.

As another hour passes, Doug turns off the TV and joins Kelly back in the bedroom. With his arm around Kelly, he sighs one good time, falls asleep, and doesn't wake up until a little after seven o'clock. Once he wakes up and stretches, Doug joins Kelly and Carlos out in the living room.

"Good morning, handsome."

"Hello Poppa Doug, Momma Kelly says we have to see a doctor today."

"I nearly forgot, yes we do, and he's a really nice doctor too. He specializes in kids, and if you're good, he'll give you a lollipop." Doug says and cracks his neck.

The promise of a lollipop has Carlos smiling, and he rushes back to get his clothes.

"I am ready!" Carlos calls out and bounces in place in the kitchen as Doug and Kelly snicker at their foster child's eagerness.

When they arrive and fill out the paperwork, Carlos plays with the toys in the waiting area while Doug and Kelly flip through a few magazines.

"Fisher! Dr. Killjoy will see you now." A nurse calls out when the door to the patient rooms opens.

Together they make their way back to patient room number five, and the nurse helps Carlos up on the table.

"You must be Carlos Santos. Aren't you the cutest little guy in the world?" The short, thin nurse with bleach blond hair says as Carlos giggles. "I only need to get a couple of things for the doctor, and he'll be right in with you. I need to check your temperature and blood pressure, and I promise it won't hurt one bit, I promise."

The nurse takes out a digital thermometer, slides it across Carlos's forehead, and then checks his BP.

"Okay, that wasn't so bad, was it?" She says while Carlos shakes his head.

Shortly after she places the BP cuff back in place, she exits the room. Another five minutes go by before the doctor walks into the room. Dr. Killjoy is a middle-aged, tall, thin man with a beer belly with dark eyes behind a pair of glasses and thinning silvery hair.

"Good morning everyone, I hope you're all well. I see we have we have a special little man coming in for his first visit today.

"We do, Dr. Killjoy, this is Carlos Santos, and he is our foster child. The social worker said to make an appointment for him as soon as we could, and here we are, sir." Kelly says as she sits and stares at Carlos.

"It's nice to see people willing to take in a child to provide protection and a safe place. I've been in touch with your social worker. We are old friends, and Donna is a trustworthy person. I see his temperature and blood pressure are good. I have to ask because of the situation Carlos comes from with being a siege on illegal immigrants, but did he have to be treated for lice or anything else?" Dr. Killjoy brings up and begins to jot down notes.

"No. We did have to buy some clothes, and we wanted to get a haircut, but we did go ahead with lice treatment just to play it safe. He will get one soon, but we wanted to get appointments like this and such out of the way. Are there things we should do or any counseling we should get for him? Carlos does experience sleepless nights. How can we help him adapt and overcome the trauma we don't know he went through?" Kelly continues to ask with a miniature notebook to keep track of opinions from professionals.

Dr. Killjoy continues to look over Carlos and listens to his heart and lungs before he answers. The last thing he does is go over to a cabinet to take out a couple of vaccines and explain what he's about to administer.

"Those are great ideas, and sorry for not answering right when you asked. Dr. Mukiri is a wonderful child psychiatrist who can also speak Spanish. Now, I can't be sure, but I will give Carlos a couple of things. One is a chickenpox shot and a booster shot. Studies show that nine times out of ten, these children are not vaccinated when they need to be, and in about two weeks, they bring him back for MMR and then do some bloodwork to check for anything he may need. He seems in good spirits right now, but I want to be certain you give him the best quality of care available."

Carlos barely flenches when Dr. Killjoy gives him the two shots. When he doesn't move, it surprises both Doug and Kelly with Dr. Killjoy.

"What a terrific young man we have here. Would you like a sucker for being so brave?"

"Si."

The doctor doesn't waste time taking out a jar of suckers and opens the top to allow Carlos to pick out the one he wants. Doug gets up and goes over to help Carlos down and takes his hand as they wake their way out to the waiting room while Kelly stays behind to talk to the doctor.

"I've never had a patient sit that still and not struggle to get a shot. I don't know if I should be shocked or concerned. Typically, and this is only my opinion on the matter, kids who don't react to needles are usually around drug users," Dr. Killjoy explains.

"That says a lot. Carlos can put away food, and when he wakes up screaming, he yells in Spanish. We're about to start helping him with his English speaking skills, but yeah, I can't believe how he didn't react. I'm a grown woman, and I loathe needles! Lord, I pray nothing happened to him while he was living with his birth parents. Now I do want to make sure we build a case to adopt him."

Doctor Killjoy jots down some notes in Carlos's file, gathers his thoughts, and offers Kelly some advice.

"If you need anything at all, call my office, and I will give you my card and pager number. I know I said two weeks, but I want to get blood work done ASAP if you can bring him in next week. The sooner, the better and call Donna today. I'll let her know to expect your call. My recommendation if he settles with you and your husband is to keep him and adopt him. Every child deserves a loving home, and foster parents like y'all make such a difference in the world." Dr. Killjoy says and closes the file and escorts Kelly to the receptionist to make another appointment and handle the co-pay.

For behaving like a champion in the doctor's office, Carlos is treated to lunch at Dairy Queen, trying a hotdog smothered in ketchup, mustard, and onion with his first taste of onion rings and a hot fudge sundae for dessert. Doug and Kelly both enjoy a bacon cheeseburger with the enjoyment of seeing Carlos's eyes light up even more with how amazed he is to experience things most people take for granted.

Time begins to roll by as hours turn into days, and the week to the follow-up with Dr. Killjoy arrives. Once again, Carlos sits there with a half-smile and barely swings his legs while Dr. Killjoy and a nurse use a butterfly needle to collect three vials of blood to be sent off for various tests. When they're finished, Dr. Killjoy again opens the jar of suckers and allows Carlos to take two this time.

Doug and Kelly treat Carlos to Dairy Queen with another hotdog, fries, and sundae. While they sit there, they both silently pray for the best blood results. Carlos tries to use more English and struggles, and when he can't articulate what he wants to say begins to get angry at himself.

"Me, so dumb!" He says and crosses his arms with a frown.

"No, baby boy, you are far from it. It will take time, and we are here to help you. Carlos, it is okay to feel frustrated or mad, but you will get this. You have all summer to learn your English and if you want we can work on it more than we already do. Understand?" Doug explains and puts his hand on Carlos's shoulder.

With a nod and tear in his eye, Carlos sniffles and returns to eating his sundae. The rest of the day, they spend at home working on different things with Rosetta Stone to help Carlos and help build his confidence.

It doesn't more than two days for the results of Carlos's blood tests to return. When the results are laid on Dr. Killjoy's desk, he looks over the results and quickly picks up the phone to call the Fisher's at home.

"Oh! It's Dr. Killjoy!" Kelly nearly screams, "Hello."

"Mrs. Fisher, it's Dr. Killjoy. I have Carlos's test results."

The doctor pauses before he reads over what's in his hands, "everything is clear. No diseases, nothing to indicate any worries, and I can give Carlos a clean bill of health. Congratulations, your boy has the best shot to get a better quality of life."

"Oh, thank you, Jesus! A clean bill of health!" Kelly screams and over her mouth when she hangs up the phone and drops it on the floor.

Doug rushes over to catch Kelly when she drops to her knees. Carlos comes over and hugs her, thinking she's sad.

"Don't be sad, mommy. I give you a big hug, and I love you." Carlos says, which sends shockwaves through Kelly.

"Oh my God, I love you too, buddy."

That evening to celebrate, the three of them go out and enjoy dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Carlos is dressed up in a cowboy shirt with blue jeans and cowboy boots, and dark brown boots. After that night, things fall in place. Carlos undergoes weeks of talking to a counselor about what he's experienced, and records are kept for court. There are good and bad days, but Doug and Kelly handle it all and learn more about patience and understanding than they ever knew.

As the ninety days come to an end, their social worker makes an appointment to come for a home visit. When she walks up to the door, she knocks and is greeted to enter.

"Hello. It's good to see you two. Where's Carlos?"

"He's back in his bedroom enjoying a movie. Is something wrong?" Doug asks.

"No! Things are great, and I wanted to talk to him before I come to talk to both of you. So if you will excuse me, I will return in a few minutes."

The social worker excuses herself and takes about fifteen minutes to talk with Carlos. Doug and Kelly feel their hearts beat like a drum until their social worker appears with a smile on her face.

"Relax. I have good news for you. Carlos looks so much better than he did when I brought him to you. I've talked to Dr. Killjoy and Dr. Mukiri, who tell me that you've worked so hard with him, and his English is getting better. Now the ugly news about this parents, they cannot get back to take him because they tried to sneak back across the border and were killed in the crossfire between cartel runners and US Border Patrol. I hate that it came to things like this, and I didn't tell Carlos yet, but if you want him, I can file the proper paperwork to set the wheels in motion for adoption. I mean, you have won the case anyway, but that's my opinion as an armchair attorney, but he's safe here and happy. I love it that he gets to remain in a safe home, but I hate how it had to happen."

"We'll pray for them and Carlos to be able to understand what happened. He was meant to be our son, and nothing will change that now. Please, file the paperwork, and let's make this legal." Kelly says and hugs Doug with tears of joy and heartache.

The social worker goes over the details, and Doug and Kelly sign everything to get the adoption in motion. It takes them almost six months to get it all lined up for court, but when that day comes, the judge is more than happy to go over everything and signs the order to make it official. Carlos sings praise and yells in the courtroom, "I love you, mommy! I love you, daddy! Can we go home?"

The judge watches and observes the hug and exchanges of "I love you's" when he finally makes the official announcement.

"I am proud to say that on this day from now on, you are now Carlos Fisher, may y'all live a long, happy life together. The court is adjourned."

Doug, Kelly, and Carlos treat their social worker and the attorney to lunch to celebrate the happiest day of their lives, but before they call it a day, the social worker makes an announcement, "I hope this adds to the good news, but the realtor we've worked with for the last few weeks found us a home. I took the money from our savings and some from my 401k, and after the owners accept the offer, we will own three acres and a remodeled home from the late 1800s. It is four bedrooms, two-and-a-half-bath farmhouse still in our school district. Happy adoption and early anniversary!"

Kelly covers her mouth in shock while Carlos gets out of his seat and dances in excitement.

"That's good to know, and I have another child I'd love to bring to you after you close the deal and move in. She was born addicted to cocaine, and there's not another couple I don't think could handle it better or show more love than you and Mrs. Fisher."

"We'll take her! God knows our wants, and we will give that baby all the love in the world," Kelly says and hugs their social worker from her seat.

In time they close the deal on the house and take in the baby, who lives with them for nearly a year before she's reunited with her birth mother after getting back on her feet and passing all of the parenting classes. Doug and Kelly quickly become foster parents to model for others, and they enjoy their time fostering children and adopt a second child about five years after they adopted Carlos.