Once In A Lifetime

World Turned Upside Down

Melissa's POV

I went and got the procedure done and Seth was wonderful while I healed. I was happy we came together about making this decision. I didn't want to do this unless he was okay with it. But we had a lot to go through. Seth and I sat down with the boys and asked them if they wanted Seth to adopt them. Jacob and Josh said yes but KJ was reluctant as he feared it meant replacing his father. We tried to reassure him that was not the case. But he was still against it and as Seth said he wouldn't do it unless all the children were on board. So, we held off and hoped he would change his mind. One night, I was picking KJ up from baseball practice. He got in the car and I asked, "How was practice?"

"Good." He said, happily. He looked in the back seat and saw James. "Hey, buddy." KJ said. He loved his little brother.

I smiled at him. KJ finally buckled up and we left. I drove and I asked him, "Did you give any thought to Seth adopting you?"

"No." He simply said.

"I wish you would at least think about it." I said to him.

"But he is not my dad, mom. He is a great step dad and I love him, but he isn't dad." He told me.

I sighed. "Baby, I wish you would understand, this doesn't mean Seth will replace your dad. It just meant he too will be your father, legally. He already acts like a father to you. This would mean the world to him."

"I know, mom. But I don't think dad would like that." He told me.

I smiled. "I really think your dad would be okay with it. I think he would want this for you guys."

"How do you know that?" He asked.

"Cause your dad asked something of Seth before he left." I told him.

"What is that?" He asked.

We got to a stop light and I stopped. I looked over at him and said with a smile, "Your dad asked Seth to take care of you before he left. Even afterwards, Seth got a letter from your dad, one he wrote while he was over there, just in case something happened to him, asking him to step up and care for you guys since he couldn't. And he did without a second thought."

"Really?" He looked shocked.

"Yes, baby. Your dad understood how much Seth loved you guys. He knew Seth would do this. He knew Seth would take care of you when he was gone. I know your daddy would be okay with this baby." I told him.

He gave me a small smile and said, "Dad was a smart man, huh?"

"At times, son." I laughed.

He sat back for a moment and breathed, "Okay, I'm okay with it."

I smiled. "Seth would be so happy. I think you should tell him the good news."

"Okay, I will." He smiled at me.

The light turned green and I started to go. Then I heard tires squealing and looked out the window on the driver side. I saw two headlight heading towards me. I gasped and heard KJ scream, "MOM!"

I didn't have time to react when I felt the impact. The truck flipped on the road and during the roll, I hit my head. Everything went black.

I woke up and heard a machine beeping. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. I saw Seth's face looking at me. He looked horrible. He gave me a weak smile and said, softly, "Hey."

I was confused. I looked around and saw I was in a hospital room. I asked, my voice sounded hoarse, "What happened?"

"You were in a car accident. A semi ran a red light and hit you." He said, almost broken.