Adopted

Chapter 31

"Welcome to the family, Jessica Urie! Our girl has officially asked to change her last name to ours, and we couldn't be happier. It was her decision, and her decision only. We didn't want to influence or pressure her because she did have a family before us. But she made the decision. Paperwork in the process to make it official! @JessB, you might have to change your username!"

Dad had posted the photo of the three of us laughing outside the restaurant, announcing that I'd be changing my name. The comments were so awesome. So positive and supportive. And a few who said they were jealous, but I don't think they meant them as mean comments. I looked at the picture and smiled, then saved it to my phone.

"Want to go watch Dad at soundcheck?" Mom asked as I continued kicking the back of the seat in front of me on the bus. "I suspect you're getting a little bit of cabin fever, and I don't want you going completely stir crazy. Besides, you're going to have to miss the show tonight anyway, by my orders."

"Okay, sure. Let's go," I said. I checked that my pass was still on, which it was, and followed Mom out the door.

"Hey, Mom," I said, taking her hand as we walked across the lot.

"Yep, hon?"

"I have a problem," I said.

"What's that?" she asked, looking concerned.

"Well, I'm calling you Mom and Dad, and I call Boyd 'PopPop'. But what do I call Grace?"

Mom laughed.

"Such a problem to have! You can call her anything you want. Most of your cousins call her Grandma. I think a couple calls her Granny. Whatever you're most comfortable with."

We walked into the venue through the back and went into the dressing room.

"Hey, kiddo," Dallon said as I walked in. "Catch."

He threw something at me, which I caught somewhat awkwardly. It was a tour t-shirt.

"Cool. Thanks," I smiled. I pulled it on over the t-shirt I was already wearing.

"Looks good on you," he said.

Dad walked into the room, frowning, but instantly brightened when he saw us.

"I didn't think I'd get to see you guys before the show!" he said, coming over and giving us hugs and feeling my forehead. "You feel cool as a cucumber. Still feeling okay?"

I nodded.

"Well, am I glad you two are here. I have so much press to do today. Something about me adopting a kid and her wanting my last name or something? I dunno. Plus there's the meet and greet, and the soundcheck, not necessarily in that order, and then dinner, but I have a meeting during dinner, and then the show. Did you come to watch the soundcheck?" he asked.

"We did. Jess isn't coming to the show again tonight, because she will be recuperating on the bus. But she's feeling well enough to come to watch your soundcheck." Mom smiled.

"Sweet. I have about half an hour before I have to go do all the other stuff I need to do. I was thinking of going online and doing a quick Twitch. What do you say, kiddo? Wanna say hi to the fans?"

"Uh, sure," I said.

"Awesome. C'mon," Dad said, and we went into the back of the dressing room where his computer was set up.

He got the stream set up, and got himself a cup of tea, and got me a bottle of water.

"Do you want a juice?" he asked.

"Sure. Do you have apple?"

"Do we have apple?" he laughed, opening the fridge in the corner of the room. There was beer, water, apple juice, cranberry juice, fruit punch, orange juice, and grape juice.

"All that for one night?" I asked.

"I suspect the unopened stuff gets recycled to the next bands that come through. But yup," Dad said pulling out a bottle of apple juice.

He turned on the webcam.

"Hello my vros!" he started. "I can't stay on long today. I have a million things to do, but undoubtedly most of you have heard the news that our girl has decided to change her last name to 'Urie'. We are so happy about this, and I swear, it was completely her choice. Right Jess?" he turned to me.

"Yep. Completely, 100%."

We looked at some of the questions coming in.

"Hey, Jess!! Lucky you! What made you decide to change your name?"

"Hey. Good question," I said. "Mom and Dad have been amazing and a little while ago I was really sick and they were there, by my side the whole time. My bio mom and dad were great, but I..."

I trailed off when I realized I didn't think we'd revealed my diagnosis.

"Well, I was only eight when they died, so..."

"Your biological parents died? OMG, I'm so sorry! What happened? If you don't mind me asking"

"My parents and I were in a car accident. They died and I was really hurt."

"Jess spent a long time in the hospital after her accident, which we found out when we went to adopt her. She made a full recovery, and now she's ours," Dad said with a smile. I knew he didn't want to tell people my diagnosis without my permission. And we hadn't decided how we wanted to handle that.

"How long did you live in the orphanage?"

"I was eight when I moved there and thirteen when I got adopted so... five years," I said.

"Dumb question, do you miss the orphanage at all?"

"Not a dumb question at all. In a way, yes. I had some pretty good friends there, granted they were all a lot younger than me, and the littles were always cute. But I definitely don't miss sharing a bathroom with twenty kids or the chaos." I smiled.

"Did you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No. I was an only child. I guess I still am."

"Beebo! You have a kid! Can she sing?"

"No. I can't sing," I said.

"I don't know. She's never sung for me. She can play the piano and she's pretty good at that. And I'm hoping to teach her to play the guitar. She probably can sing, but she hasn't let me know by, well, doing it."

We took a few more questions, and then Dad had to go get ready for all the stuff he had to do.

"Gotta go my vros. Remember, you're loved, I appreciate you, and never forget how dope you are, Byeee," he said, and then logged off.

"We never said anything about your diagnosis," he then said, turning to me. "It's totally your call, if you do or don't want to."

"I'll think about it," I said.

Mom and I then followed him out to the soundcheck.