The Man Inside the Iron Fence (The Boy in the Woods Pt. 2)

Chapter 29 - It Started All Over Again

December 1942

"Mr. Blackwell, Mr. Duncan is on the phone for you."

Jonathon stopped rubbing his frozen hands over the cast iron radiator in his office and pressed the button of the intercom device on his desk. "Thank you, Mrs. Gibson." He picked up the telephone receiver and leaned back in his chair. "Hello, Mr. Duncan."

"Mr. Blackwell, we were wondering if you could come to the office tomorrow. There are some things we need to discuss."

Jonathon smiled. "Is it about the adoption?" he asked, lowering his voice even though his office door was closed. "Are the papers ready?"

"Uh, yes, they are. Are you available at three o'clock?"

"That will work for me," Jonathon said, trying to reign in his excitement so Mr. Duncan wouldn't hear it.

"Very well. Good bye."

There was a click as the phone was hung up, and Jonathon placed the receiver back in the cradle while he grinned. By tomorrow afternoon, Douglas would legally be his son, and he couldn't wait. As soon as he signed those papers, his family would be complete.

~~

"How was your day?" Helen asked that evening as she leaned forward so he could kiss her.

"It was great!" He took off his coat and threw it over the banister so he could take a sleeping Douglas from her. "There's my little boy," he said, as she shifted him into his arms. Once he was holding him, he bent low to kiss him on the top of his head, smelling the sweet baby soap on his skin. "How's he been today?" he asked Helen.

"He's been good."

Jonathon went into the grand parlor while Helen hung up his coat, and sat on one of the couches.

"Oh, he did something that really surprised me," she said, sitting beside him.

"What's that?"

"Well, usually when he wakes up from his naps, I feed him and then change his diaper. But when he woke up this afternoon, he stopped crying when I picked him up, so I thought maybe he wasn't hungry. I laid him on the bed to change him, and he got the funniest look on his face. He stuck out his bottom lip, like he was disappointed I'd changed the routine and started crying. I wish you'd been there to see it, he was so cute! As soon as I picked him up and he realized I was going to feed him, he stopped."

"Only three weeks old, and he's already a smart little fellow," Jonathon said, smiling down at him with pride. "I got a call from the law office today," he said to Helen. "The adoption papers are ready for us to sign. We go in tomorrow afternoon, and I want to bring Douglas with us."

Helen immediately looked worried. "Do you think it'll be alright? What if someone sees him? What if we run into–" She stopped, but Jonathon knew she meant Dwyer.

"The office isn't anywhere near the pharmacy so we shouldn't see anyone we don't want to, and he'll be bundled up. No one will be able to tell how big he is."

"Are you sure?"

"Don't worry about it," he said, putting his free arm over her shoulder and pulling her close. "I'll make sure nothing happens."

She let out a deep breath and relaxed against him. "I know you will. You've taken good care of us."

He kissed her forehead. "Tomorrow is going to be a big day for our family, and I want Douglas to be there – to be a part of it."

"You're right," she said, smiling up at him. "He should be there."

"I can't wait to sign those papers," he said, grinning with excitement for the hundredth time since he'd gotten the phone call.