Will Gets Adopted

 

 

Margaret drops off a sleeping Mickey at Leo’s office, so she can go to a Sisterhood meeting in the White House mess.  She sets the baby carrier on the floor near Leo’s chair, with a quietly sleeping Mickey tucked inside. Leo’s happy to keep an eye on his baby son, while he works on his reports.  

 

Fifteen minutes later Leo gets up and reaches for a large book from the top shelf of the bookcase.  Leo’s stretching to extract the book and he tugs a little too hard. The book pulls free and goes over his head to land with a crack on top of his desk.  Mickey wakes up crying at being so rudely awaked.  Leo hurries over and removes his son from the carrier.  “It’s alright my little man.  I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to scare you.  Daddy’s got you.”   Mick’s still crying softly in little baby hiccups as he lays his head on his Daddy’s shoulder.  

 

Will’s passing by Leo’s office door and hears Mickey crying.   “Hey, Leo what’s wrong with little Mickey?”

 

Leo explains while rubbing Mickey’s back and kissing him on the head,  “I dropped a book onto my desk and scared him awake.  Margaret’s at the Sisterhood meeting and dropped him off here a little while ago.  She said she just got him to sleep on the way here so he’s still needs to finish his nap.”  Leo then mummers into Mickey’s ear to quiet him and Mickey takes a big shaky breath.  Leo looks up and sees Will’s concerned and unhappy face. “He’ll calm down in a little bit.”

 

 Will slightly grins, “Yeah, life’s tough for a little guy.”   Hearing the sympathy, Mickey reaches out for his other favorite male, with his little hand.  He’s still not raising his head from the security of his dad’s shoulder.  He wants both men to comfort him.  Will takes the small hand stretched to him and places a kiss on the top of it. Leo kisses Mickey’s head as he’s still making catchy little crying sounds.  Mickey is definitely in the sleepy mood, for a sympathy party.   Mickey decides that this is too good and opportunity to pass up for a second pity session with Will and raises his head and reaches for Will and even leans his head toward Will, in a silent command for Will to take him.  

 

“Guess he wants more sympathy, now from his favorite big guy.” Leo knows that Will has a calming effect on Mickey.  He just has the touch when it comes to his son.

 

Leo lifts Mickey from his shoulder and gives him a loud kiss on the cheek.  Mickey takes it as his due and Leo turns him around to hand him over to Will. 

 

Will takes Mickey easily in his arms “Yeah, he just needs to get all the loving he can from this.” Will looks at Leo, “You mind if I sit with him a little while?”  

 

Leo grins to let Will know he knew that question was coming, “Fine, maybe you can do your magic with him, as usual, and get him back to sleep.”  Leo watches Will, move over to the sitting area of the office.  “I’ll just sit back down at my desk, so he doesn’t see me and want to play, ‘pass me back and forth’, which he likes to do.” 

 

“Sure, Leo, I’ll get him to sleep again.  I always do.”  Will is now slumped into the corner of Leo couch with Mickey lying on his chest. It’s Mickey’s favorite position for going to sleep.  He is definitely a chest baby. 

 

Just as Mickey is finally asleep, but not sound enough asleep to place him back into his carrier, the President quietly pops his head into Leo’s office to check how things are going.  He had heard Mickey crying and wanted to see if he could help with his Godson.  He immediately waves Will to stay seated with the baby. Jed looks at Leo, “How did Will get him to sleep so fast?”

 

“It’s a mystery, between my two new kids.  I can’t explain it.”  Leo shrugs his shoulders, unable to give a factual reason.  He just accepts it with pleasure.  It’s coming in handy now that Mickey’s cutting teeth though.

 

The President has a hopeless look on his face as he asks Leo, “ You adopted another one?”

 

 Leo gives him a look and answers him with a calm tone, “Yeah, Mick needed another big brother.”

 

The President is using small words to review Leo’s ‘kids’, “Leo, you already have two adopted sons, Josh and Sam, plus the two girls Mallory and Donna.  Including Mickey, that gives you five kids.” 

 

“Yeah, but the four older ones have each other, Mick and Will just clicked.”  Leo tries to rationalize it, “Mick adopted him first.  They bonded. He grins at his best friend and in a teasing tone explains, “I just got two new sons this year, a big one and a little one.  That makes it an even six.”

 

Will is feeling a mixture of emotions, from embarrassed and enlightened, to proud and pleased.

 

The President looks softly at Will, “Will, you ‘do’ know that when Leo adopts a kid, it’s permanent?  No getting out of it.”  He grins and points out, “You now have three brothers and two sisters on the east coast.”  He smiles and looks between Leo and Will, “As your ‘new’ father’s best friend.  Let me welcome you to the McGarry clan.”

 

Will looks back and forth between the two older men.  One is the President of the United States and the other is the Chief of Staff of the White House.  He’s still the new kid to the senior staff and still in awe of where he works.  Now, out of kindness and great luck, he finds himself included into one of the most unusual and caring group of people he has ever met.  He’s now treated as family, in every sense of the word.  If before he arrived in D.C., someone would have told him he’d casually be at ease with most of the senior staff of the White House, well at ease as he’s able to achieve, he would have told them they were out of their minds, to even dream it.  But now, here he sits with the COS’s son sleeping on his chest in the COS’s office and conversing with the President about family matters.  It just boggles his mind to dwell on it.   He pulls himself back to reply to the President and to address Leo.  In a slightly choked and soft voice, due to his new baby brother asleep on his chest, he responds, “I’m not sure how to reply, except to say that I’m honored and proud that the McGarry clan has accepted me as one of their own.  Especially, with this little McGarry guy.”  He drops a kiss on the top of Mickey’s head.  “I’m still adjusting to all the connecting ties that everyone has to each other and I’m not sure where I come in, but Leo’s right.  Mickey and I just clicked.  It’s nice to have a family here, with Elsie back in CA.” 

 

Leo smiles at Wills remarks, “That’s exactly how the McGarry clan got started.  I just gathered my ‘kids’ of the White House and took them home with Margaret. He softens his voice to show how sincere he is, “We’re glad to have you and the President is right, it’s permanent and official.”   Leo decides to tease his newest kid, “There’s only one rule though, no calling us Mom and Dad.”

 

“Sure, no problem.  Margaret would kill me anyway,” Will agrees with all honesty.

 

“She would,” Leo, confirms his assumption.  “Oh, and there is another rule, no fighting with your new big brothers in the house.”  Will is shaking his head, no way, while he tries to figure out if Leo is serious.  Leo is still pulling Will’s leg,” Mickey is too small for rough housing and the house is too small for you three older boys.”  Leo is remembering Josh and Sam getting into an impromptu wrestling match, a couple months ago.  He looks at Jed while saying this. “The girls seem to have more sense than the boys.”

 

Will decides to test run a tease, now that Leo can’t disown him, “OK, Dad. We’ll remember to take it outside.”

 

He rolls his eyes, ~Not another one like Josh.~ “Oh, Lord, Mr. President, now I remember why we both started out with just girls.”

 

Jed decides to add to Leo’s dilemma, “It’s OK, Leo.  Just think of the backyard, touch football games we can have with your boys.  Add in my team of future and present sons-in-laws.” The President gets a glean in his eyes, “Maybe we can drag in some of the staff and start it this year.”

 

  Leo sees that the President is excited at the prospect of the competition.  He immediately propels the President back to the Oval office with a hand at his back. 

 

The President is listing candidates for his team while he’s walking. There’s Toby and Charlie.  I could possibly get Ed and Larry…his voice and laughter are cut off as Leo closes the connecting door.  

 

Leo looks back at his two newest sons, “See what you started.  I don’t want to hear any complaining when you find yourself spending all your weekends at home, like a kid home from college this fall, playing football against the President’s team.”  Leo shoots a worried look at the door to the Oval office, “I just hope he understands I’m a coach, not a player, not with my game knee.”

 

“It’ll be nice, Leo, just to be home with family.”  Will and Leo grin at each other. Leo’s amazed at his newest ‘big’ kid.  Will has been raised around the world with his biological family, but is still so touched by the simple act of being included as family, by those who now care about him.  Leo just keeps adding to his blessings.

 

END

 

For Lee, who mentors my adventures in fan fiction as a newbie writer, with real patience!

 

blessings

chipmunk