~

Elizabeth was sitting on her bed, a gentle smile on her face, as she cuddled Brian close to her chest. He had been crying into her sweater for the last ten minutes, and was showing no signs of slowing down. Seeing the face of his mother had been more painful than he could have possibly imagined, and his following meltdown had completely shattered his mental state. Elizabeth knew that he simply needed to be held and comforted while three years of pent up emotions finally rose to the surface, so that’s exactly what she did. Cradling him with one hand and gently petting his back with her other, she allowed him to let it all out while she provided him with the tender affection that he had been cheated out of for so long. Cooing and murmuring the occasional words of soft comfort at him, she had never been more committed to her self-imposed role as his much-needed motherly figure. Brian, having long lost the mental strength to muster any feeble attempts at resistance, fully accepted Elizabeth’s attention as he wept into her chest like a child.

Elizabeth felt bad for leaving Allison with Laura and Jennifer, who likely were experiencing their own forms of a breakdown, but she knew that her work with Brian was more important. He simply had not been ready for such a meeting, and the consequences were immediate and devastating. Elizabeth had stood opposed to Allison and Jennifer on this matter, and she had never been more unhappy about being able to say “I told you so.” While pondering how they were feeling at that moment, she suddenly heard a small and unsteady voice.

“I’m so embarrassed…” Brian whispered, occasionally interrupted by a sniffle or sobbing gasp. Elizabeth frowned in concern, before lifting her hand a little closer to her face.

“Why, honey?” she softly asked. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Brian weakly shook his head, unable to make eye contact.

“I s-shouldn’t have met with her… I shouldn’t have said all that s-stuff…”

He began to cry slightly harder as he recalled everything that he had screamed at her. 

“N-Now Jen knows…” he whimpered. “She knows what Mom said… she knows that I thought she h-hated me… she knows that I was r… that I tried t-to…”

“Shhh… don’t worry about any of that right now…” Elizabeth soothed, wiping a tear away with her thumb. “You were pressured into that meeting, sweetheart. It’s not your fault, nobody should have expected you to react any differently. Frankly, I should have put my foot down and stopped the meeting from happening in the first place.”

“No… it’s my fault… everything is my fault!” Brian cried, before burying his face in his hands as he grit his teeth in anger. Elizabeth’s heart was being absolutely obliterated, but she was somehow able to keep her emotions in check. She lifted her hand even higher, until her face was right at his level. She then began to speak in a firm, but comforting tone.

“Look at me,” she instructed. Brian weakly shook his head, still buried in his hands. 

“Brian, look at me,” she repeated, bringing her other hand up and gently teasing his chin upwards with her index finger. Brian complied this time, reluctantly pulling his hands away and looking his enormous guardian in the eye. Her dark brown eyes were fierce and determined, but also radiating an overwhelmingly soft aura of reassuring comfort. Without even speaking, her gaze alone imprinted a message directly onto his soul, which was only accentuated by her following words.

“This was not your fault,” she declared. Her tone made it clear: this was not an opinion, this was not a suggestion - this was a pure statement of undeniable fact, and anything less than listening to her was entirely unacceptable. Still, she continued.

“None of this was your fault, you hear me? Not what happened to Timmy, not what your mother said, not a single thing that has happened in the last three years. Not a single thing. You did nothing wrong. You have been through so much, but I promise you that none of it was your fault, okay? Absolutely none of it. Do you understand?”

After a few moments, Brian weakly nodded. Elizabeth’s eyes softened, and she resumed her petting on his back. Eventually, Brian spoke up again.

“She made me feel so alone…” he whispered tearfully. “She made me feel so worthless… every time I see her face, it just makes me feel alone all over again…”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Elizabeth breathed, unable to prevent a few tears of her own from forming. She lowered her hand, and once again hugged him to her chest. She could feel him lean into her sweater, as well as his tiny fists grabbing handfuls of the fabric as his shoulders continued to shake. It was her best approximation of a hug, and she hoped it was enough.

“You’re not alone,” she continued. “I’ve got you, and I’ll keep you safe. You’re never going to be alone again. I’m here for you, always. I’m not going anywhere, I promise. She’s not going to hurt you ever again.”

“But… she’s s-still here…” Brian said, his voice slightly muffled. Elizabeth lightly shushed him.

“It’s just you and me right now, sweetheart. Don’t think about anything else. My door is locked, so nobody is going to bother us in here,” she replied reassuringly. Although she couldn’t see it, she could just barely feel him nod once again as he resumed crying into her sweater.

“There, there, honey…” she cooed, hugging him a little tighter. “It’s okay… Everything is going to be alright… I’ve got you… I’ve got you… You’re safe…”

Ever so slowly, her warm touch and even warmer words started to slow Brian’s tears.

“Okay… okay… okay…”

~

Some time had passed. Brian was no longer crying, although he was still tightly hugging Elizabeth’s chest. His eyes shut tight, he was just allowing himself to be fully surrounded by her warmth while he calmed himself down. She was still on her bed, now leaning against the backboard while she continued her efforts to physically soothe him. Feeling his tiny little body pressed so closely to her chest made her heart positively melt, and she would have been perfectly fine with staying like that for the rest of her life. Brian had never felt more like her baby, and she was truly grateful that he trusted her enough to be so vulnerable in front of her. Eventually, though, she heard the distinct noise of a door opening and closing. She perked up, wondering if Laura and Jennifer had finally left. Despite her intense desire to nuzzle Brian for the rest of eternity, she decided that she had to see what the deal was. First, though, she needed to make sure that he would be okay by himself.

“Brian, did you hear that? I think that was the door,” she whispered, while gingerly pulling him away from her chest. Once he was in view, he opened his eyes and looked up at her. Elizabeth saw that his eyes were extremely red, and the nonstop tears had turned his whole face somewhat raw. Her eyes softened in concern, and she started to think of what she could do to help clean him up. While she pondered this, Brian weakly nodded in response to her question.

“If you’re okay by yourself for a few minutes, I’d like to go check with Allie and see what’s going on. Is that okay, sweetie?” she asked. After a brief hesitation, Brian nodded once again. Elizabeth smiled warmly, and brought him up to her face to give him a soft kiss on his side.

“That’s a good boy,” she said adoringly. “I’ll be right back, honey. I’ll bring back some stuff that’ll make you feel better, too.”

With that, she turned and gently lowered Brian to the bed, right next to where she was sitting. She pulled the covers back a bit and slipped him under, until he was sitting with his legs covered and his back resting against the pillow. Once she confirmed that he was comfortable, she rose from the bed and made her way out, shooting him one last loving glance before exiting the room. 

~

Elizabeth hurried into the dining room, looking around as she went to see if Laura and Jennifer were gone. Quickly checking the living room before entering the dining room, she was extremely relieved to see that they were indeed gone, and the only one left was Allison. Allison was still sitting at the dining table, looking unbelievably sad, with her head resting in her hands. 

“Are they gone?” Elizabeth asked. Allison flinched a bit at the unexpected voice, and she snapped out of her melancholic haze. She turned to Elizabeth and gave her a small nod. Elizabeth closed her eyes and sighed in relief. She then began to move towards the kitchen, while motioning for Allison to follow. She complied, and soon found herself at the edge of the kitchen while Elizabeth began to rummage around.

“What happened after I took him?” she softly asked, while grabbing a tray. Allison cleared her throat, and began to speak in a small voice.

“His mom cried… a lot,” she answered. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone cry that hard. Coming from me, that’s really saying something.”

Elizabeth nodded, before filling up a small bowl with water and grabbing a towel from a nearby drawer.

“And Jennifer?” she asked.

“Jennifer just… sat there,” Allison replied, frowning a bit at the memory. “She was just silently staring into the distance. She looked a little overwhelmed, to be honest.”

“Can’t say I blame her,” Elizabeth muttered. “That was a lot for her to find out all at once.”

“Yeah… eventually, she just stood up, grabbed her mom’s arm, and dragged her out the door. Laura was still a mess, so I’m assuming Jennifer was the one who drove the car away,” Allison continued. Elizabeth shot her a questioning glance, before turning back and opening the cabinet where they kept all of Brian’s 3D-printed utensils.

“I see. Well, I’m glad they’re gone. It’ll be easier for Brian to calm down, now,” she said. Allison nodded guiltily, before looking down at the floor.

“Is he, um… how is he doing?” she asked nervously. Elizabeth let out a small sigh.

“About as well as could be expected,” she answered flatly. “He was not ready for that meeting, Allie. His anger was too raw, too overwhelming. We should have at least waited to find out if he will be able to regain his size before considering a meeting. Now, the part that makes me mad is that he completely understood this. He knew that it would be too painful, and he had absolutely no desire to meet with her.”

She turned back to Allison, who was still looking down at the floor in shame.

“Jennifer I can understand, she didn’t have all the information. What I don’t understand is why you, knowing exactly what she said to him and how it made him feel, still thought it was a good idea to hear her out. Why are you so eager for them to reconcile?” she asked sternly. Allison weakly shook her head.

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I don’t know what I was expecting. I think… I think I’ll bring it up at my next therapy session.”

“I think that’s a good call,” Elizabeth replied. “By the way, has Brian been any more receptive to the idea of therapy?”

“Not really, he’s still pretty reluctant,” Allison answered. “I guess I can understand why he wouldn’t want to be alone with a stranger while small, but I just know that it would really help him.”

“I see. Well, it won’t help him if we try to force him into it. Maybe he’ll be more open to it after what happened today. Until then, we can just occasionally try to nudge him in the right direction,” Elizabeth responded. She finally finished rummaging around, and soon had a collection of items on a tray, ready to be brought back to her room. Sensing that she was about to leave, Allison spoke up.

“Does he want to see me?” she asked quietly, somewhat afraid of the answer.

“I think you should hold off on that for a bit. Just give him some time to calm down,” Elizabeth replied. Allison closed her eyes, and sadly hung her head.

“He must be so mad at me…” she whispered. Suddenly, she felt Elizabeth’s hand on her shoulder.

“He’s not mad at you, honey. He’s just embarrassed,” Elizabeth replied reassuringly. “He’s really upset that he lost control like that in front of you and Jennifer, despite the fact that he really isn’t to blame. He’ll be fine if you give him some space.”

Allison looked back up at her and nodded.

“Okay… I’m just so worried about him, though,” she said. “I mean, I guess it isn’t that surprising, but I had no idea that he actually tried to…”

“Allie, don’t worry,” Elizabeth said firmly. She then grabbed her tray, stood up straight, and adopted a warm smile.

“Leave this to me.”

~

“Alright, honey, I’m back,” Elizabeth breathed, before setting the tray down on the edge of the bed. Brian regarded it with curious eyes, before turning back to Elizabeth as she closed the bedroom door. Turning around, she saw that he still looked incredibly sad. His eyes were still quite red, and completely sunken. He was borderline slumped over on the bed, and his arms were hanging limply at his sides. Elizabeth frowned in sympathy as she made her way over to him. She then kneeled down by the bed, so her face was roughly at his level.

“Laura and Jennifer left, so don’t worry about that anymore. I’m sure Jennifer understands that you just need some time to recover, so you really don’t need to worry about her either. Do you want to talk to Allie?” she asked, already knowing the answer. After a moment, he shook his head. 

“That’s okay. We can keep it just you and me for a while. I’ll never pass up an opportunity to spend time with my favorite sweetheart,” Elizabeth replied softly, before pulling the tray closer.

“Like I promised, I brought you some stuff to make you feel better,” she continued, while grabbing an incredibly tiny cup and filling it with water from the bowl.

“Here’s some nice, cool water, honey. It’ll help your throat, so have a sip of that.”

She handed the cup to Brian, who received it with a nod. While he took a few shaky sips, Elizabeth grabbed a small towel and dipped a corner in the water bowl. After squeezing the excess water out, she brought the damp towel a little closer to Brian’s face. He shot her a questioning glance, but he was gently shushed.

“It’s okay, sweetie. I just want to clean you up a bit,” she soothed. After a brief hesitation, Brian nodded once again. Elizabeth smiled warmly, and began to gently dab his face with the towel. With precision and skill that should have been impossible for such a large creature, Elizabeth continued to wipe away his dried tears with the damp end, before drying him off with another corner. Once she was done, aside from his reddened eyes, Brian’s face looked a lot cleaner.

“That’s better,” Elizabeth sighed, while lovingly brushing his hair out of his eyes. “Is the water helping?”

Brian nodded. He hadn’t said one word since Elizabeth returned, only occasionally nodding in affirmation. He knew what she was doing - she was babying him, no doubt about it. However, he had never felt more starved for motherly love in his entire life, and thus found it physically impossible to muster the will to resist. Besides, he’d be lying if he said that it didn’t feel very nice.

“Good, good…” she cooed. “Anything else I can get for you, sweetheart? Some food, maybe?”

Brian shook his head. After a small silence, he finally spoke.

“Thank you,” he whispered, his raspy voice illustrating the extent of his abused vocal cords. Elizabeth’s eyes softened, and she tenderly stroked his cheek with her finger.

“You’re such a sweet boy,” she replied softly. “You’re kind, considerate, smart, funny, and unbelievably strong. You deserve so much better. Any mother should be so lucky to have such a wonderful son. That woman clearly didn’t know what she had.”

Brian turned quiet for a moment. 

“She wasn’t always like that,” he whispered, to which Elizabeth made a questioning noise. After a small hesitance, Brian began to share one of his most treasured memories.

“It was before Jen, so I must have been four,” he started. “I was running around, and I accidentally knocked a flower pot onto the floor. The flowers were on the floor, dirt was everywhere, and there were a bunch of ceramic shards just waiting for someone to step on them. My mom ran over to check on me, and that’s what happened. I’m pretty sure it was the first time I ever heard an adult curse, and unfortunately it was directed right at me.”

Elizabeth frowned slightly.

She cursed at a four-year old? Over an accident? she thought, not wanting to interrupt him. Not seeing her frown, he continued.

“After all the bleeding, crying, scolding and everything, I asked her a question. I remember thinking that I wasn’t sure anymore. I asked her if she still loved me.”

He adopted a small, wistful smile as he recalled what happened next.

“She said ‘forever and for always. The day I stop loving you is the day you stop being my son.’”

His expression darkened.

“I asked her when that day would happen, and she said ‘never.’”

His next words broke Elizabeth’s heart.

“She was lying.”

Elizabeth stared at him for a moment, not knowing what to say. Eventually, she held out her hand, quietly asking permission to hold him. Brian nodded, and she took him in her palm. Once he was secure, she held him close to her chest. She could feel him hug her sweater, and it made her want to cry. Keeping him secure, she then sat down on the bed.

“I’m so sorry, my sweetheart…” she whispered. “Love is the only requirement to be a parent. It’s all you need, and it really isn’t hard. It sounds like she knew this at one point, but completely lost her way…”

She hugged Brian a little tighter.

“With my own son…” she started, trying not to get emotional. “I gave birth to him, I held him in my arms, I rocked him to sleep, and I raised him to the best of my ability. But, you know… that wasn’t what made me his mother.”

She pulled him away, and looked him in the eyes.

“What made me his mother was the unconditional and undying love I carry for him in my heart. Everything else was a result of that love, and it was all I needed to know that he was my boy. It’s the kind of love that is supposed to be forever and for always. The moment someone gives up that love, they lose the right to call themselves a parent,” she said earnestly. She then softened her tone, and gazed down at him tenderly.

“Brian, I am so sorry that your mother ever forgot this. I am so, so sorry that she put you through so much pain, born out of nothing but pure cruelty. Nobody, and I mean nobody, could blame you for not wanting to see her again. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t ever forgive her. You very well might, one day. Maybe you’ll make peace with what happened, and maybe you’ll even form a desire to let her back into your life. Or maybe you won’t, and that’s completely fine, too. What it does mean, though, is that you’re the only one who gets to decide. Because, the moment she threw away that love, she also threw away any claims she had to you as your mother. If she wants to make peace with what she said, then her first step is to realize and accept that fact. She needs to come to terms with the fact that the only person who gets a say is you. If she has a problem with that, then she can take it up with me.”

Brian listened silently as she spoke, wave after wave of emotion washing over him. It was everything that he needed to hear at that moment, and he was completely reassured all the way down to his soul. Finally, he smiled. It was a smile of overwhelming gratitude and love, and he had never been more thankful to have Elizabeth in his life. At that moment, he came to an extremely important decision.

“Elizabeth, can I ask you a question?” he asked quietly.

“Of course,” she replied. After a brief hesitation, Brian steeled his spine and opened his heart. He knew what needed to be done.

“Would you be my mom?”

~

Elizabeth’s heart stopped. Suddenly, her aura of calm reassurance vanished, and was replaced by one of pure shock. It took a few moments for the question to even fully register, but once it did she immediately got emotional.

“What…?” she whispered. Brian looked down at her palm as he developed a small blush.

“I know you’ve already kinda taken on that role, so maybe it won’t mean much…” he said quietly. “I just… I need you to know how grateful I am for everything you do for me. Aside from a few fleeting memories, I’ve never known what it feels like to have a mom. I’ve never even known what it really feels like to have a guardian, since I always took on that role for Jen. But… you make me feel like how I always thought having a mom would make me feel. You make me feel like I can talk to you about anything. You make me feel like I always have someone who’s looking out for me. No matter what happens, you make me feel comforted and reassured. You make me feel loved.”

By this point, he was crying again. However, these were not tears of sorrow. He looked back up at Elizabeth, who was holding one hand to her mouth.

“I’m really lucky to have you in my life. You’re a better mom than she ever was. So, um… would you be my mom?”

Elizabeth immediately started crying. It was taking everything she had to keep her hand steady. It would be impossible to describe just how happy she was at that moment, and she could hardly stand it. She wanted to jump for joy, smother him in kisses, hug him forever, and a multitude of other things to convey to him just how much she loved him. For now, though, all she needed to do was answer his question.

“Yes,” she whispered, before finally hugging him to her chest. After a small eternity, she pulled him away. He had a huge, emotional smile on his face, which Elizabeth quickly reciprocated.

“I love you,” she said.

“I love you, too,” he replied.

Just like that, for the first time ever, Brian truly knew what it felt like to have a mom. Everything was perfect.