Susannah stared down at Adam, who had now turned over on his stomach as he continued to suck his thumb. "You've certainly made some first impression, Adam. You've really shaken things up around here." Susannah whispered to the sleeping child. She carefully stepped around him and lowered her tired body to the reclining chair that had been set up for Viki. She knew it was safe to allow herself to sleep. Dave was right outside the door and he and the other staff members would be checking on Adam often. The day shift would be coming on in just a couple of hours. Shortly after that Téa and Kevin would be coming in for some training in ABA. An EEG had been scheduled for this day, but now that Todd's brain had a recent seizure that would have to be postponed again. Susannah doubted that they would have been able to get Adam to hold still long enough for it anyway.
*****
Viki was surprised to see Sam sound asleep in one of the beds in the family lounge when she woke up at seven. Her first thought was that something happened to Adam. Her heart started to pound. Viki took some deep breaths and calmed herself. She realized if something had gone wrong Sam would not have simply come to the room and gone to sleep, he would have told her. She took a long look at Sam. He still didn't look right. He hadn't undressed. His clothes were very rumpled, as was his hair. His skin was a sickly greenish gray. His mouth looked parched. Viki realized that Sam probably had not felt well after his night of drinking and thought it best to come here to sleep.
Viki quietly got out of bed. She took fresh clothes to the bathroom and showered and changed. Sam was still sound asleep when she came back out. She decided not to wake him. He needed his sleep. Viki headed for Todd's room. She wondered if Adam was still out.
Téa had not slept much the night before. She was both anxious and excited about learning to help out with the program Susannah wanted to do with Adam. She didn't know for sure that Viki would go along with it. However she assumed she would. Téa knew this was probably the best way to help that little boy. Téa was also worried about Sam. She hoped he was all right.
After she left the hospital, yesterday evening, Téa headed the mall. She knew they had a large fabric shop there and it would still be open. Téa found just what she was looking for, extremely soft, high quality fleece. It was just like the material Adam's favorite sweats were made from. "You must be planning to make sweatshirts for the whole world with this amount of material," the woman at the counter commented when Téa paid for the vast amount of the material she had bought. "No, just some blankets," Téa informed her. A worker from the stocking department carried the heavy load to Téa's car for her. Next, she headed for Mrs. Lopez's home. Mrs. Lopez ran a small tailoring business. She was the woman Téa told Viki about. She also made clothes to order. Téa knew she would be able to make blankets out of the material Adam liked.
"Téa, yes I can make up these blankets for you, but does it have to be tonight? I never go back and open my shop after dark." Mrs. Lopez did not understand the urgency.
"Mrs. Lopez, please. I will go to your shop with you and I will stay with you while you sew them and then drive you back home. It's not very difficult to make a blanket, is it?" Téa asked.
"No, I just have to cut the material to the size you want and then put the trim around it."
Téa held up some sew-on circus animal figures she saw and bought at the fabric shop. "Would it take very long to sew these on it."
"No, I could have the whole thing done in a couple of hours, but what is the urgency?"
Téa did not know Mrs. Lopez that well and didn't want to go into it. "There is a little boy in the hospital. I want to bring the blankets to him. His skin is very sensitive and regular blankets hurt him. Please, Mrs. Lopez! I will pay you three times what you normally ask."
"Ramon," Mrs. Lopez called out to her son. "I need you to come to the shop with me and Mrs. Manning. I have an emergency job to do for her." Mrs. Lopez turned to Téa. "Consider this my present to that little boy."
"No, I want to pay you. You don't have . . ." Téa was stopped by the look on Mrs. Lopez's face. She knew she wanted to do this. Téa smiled and hugged this woman she hardly knew. "Thank you," Téa said, simply.
Téa arrived on Todd's unit a little before eight. Eileen rushed to the doors when she saw Téa about to buzz to be let in. Téa was trying to balance these two huge shopping bags and reach the buzzer at the same time. "My goodness, what do you have here?" Eileen inquired, taking one of the bags from Téa.
"Blankets for Adam. Three blankets all made out of the kind of material he likes," Téa answered and smiled.
"I'll bet he'll love them. He's still asleep, but he does seem kind of cold and we had nothing but some more sweatshirts to cover him with. He's . . . " Eileen was just about to tell her that Adam and Susannah were both sound asleep in Todd's room when they saw Viki walking down the hallway towards them.
Viki could not believe Téa had managed to get the blankets made so quickly. She hugged her and thanked her. Viki felt the soft cuddly material. She loved the little animal figures that covered one side of each blanket. Viki filled Téa in on what happened late last night.
"Oh my God! Todd would die if he knew everyone saw him like that. I hope he never has to find out." Téa knew that Todd always made sure that she never saw him even partially dressed the whole time they were married. "Partially dressed!" Téa thought to herself, "he felt naked without a vest covering his shirt." "Oh no, he had another seizure," Téa was upset when Viki got to that part of what happened. "Was it a bad one?"
"He seized for about three and a half minutes. His vital signs all returned to normal right away. He was still postictal when I left for the lounge. I thought it best to leave Sam alone with him for the night. I guess Sam didn't feel too well. When I woke up this morning he was asleep in one of the beds in the lounge," Viki answered, not knowing about all Sam, Susannah and the staff had been through with Adam into the early hours of the morning.
"Viki I'm so worried about Sam. He seems so troubled and unhappy. I'm not surprised he went out and got drunk. I know I have chosen that method to try to forget my problems a time or two. Let me tell you, it doesn't work," Téa confessed.
"I wish Sam would talk to someone. He seems to need a scapegoat and I'm afraid he's choosing Susannah. He is not at all happy with the ABA program she wants to run with Adam. I think he will be even less happy with me when he finds out I am going to agree to it," Viki admitted.
Téa was happy Viki decided that. She was worried about Sam. However, she knew doing whatever was right for Adam, and therefore for Todd, had to come first. "I know he'll be upset at first, but don't you think once he starts seeing some improvement in Adam he'll come around?" Téa asked hopefully.
"Oh God Téa, I don't know. Sam has been so irrational lately. I don't know what he'll do anymore. I just hope I am doing the right thing for that baby. To be honest, I hate some aspects of the program. I don't want to see that little boy being forced to do things he hates and being denied things he likes."
"Viki, I don't think it is really like that. I think once he gets used to it he will have fun and the most important thing is he will be able to communicate with us. He will be able to do therapy with Doctor Hanen, to some degree, and that will help Todd. It will also help Adam not to be so unhappy because he can't tell anyone what is bothering him or what he wants. Maybe he will be able to play with toys like the other children and get more enjoyment out of whatever time he has out."
Viki knew Téa was right, yet she was still unsure about her decision. It seemed to her that she was never sure was doing the right thing when it came to Todd. Viki sometime wondered if Todd would end up hating her for what she was allowing them to do to him. Viki remembered how she and some of her alters had hated Clint and her children for the therapy they allowed Susannah to put them through. Now she knew she would be grateful to them for the rest of her life, for being strong enough to let her hate them. She hoped Todd would feel that way some day.
Viki filled Téa in on what happened between Nora and Susannah. "I can't believe Nora came around as far as Todd is concerned," Téa was shocked.
"Oh honey I'm not saying she came around. I'm sure Nora still does not want to be anywhere near Todd and still harbors a lot of anger towards him. I do think that she now believes he is ill and not just trying to make fools of us all. I think that she believes that Todd's behaviors were driven by something other than evilness. I also think she understands that he needs help and not punishment and that Susannah is the best one to help him."
"Viki if that's true I am so happy for Doctor Hanen. I'm sure her relationship with Nora just broke her heart, especially now that she and Commissioner Jackson are getting closer. I'm sure she wanted to share that with her sister," Téa stated.
Viki then asked Téa what she thought about Sam becoming Todd's legal guardian along with her. "Honey, I know things were very different for you when allowed me to become Todd's guardian. If you would rather be named I know Sam would understand and so would I," Viki assured her.
"Viki, I know this is very selfish of me," Téa looked ashamed, "I don't think I could handle making the decisions for Todd that you have to make. I want to be in on the decisions, yes, but if you don't mind, I think it best to allow you to be in charge of whatever decisions are made for Todd. I have to be honest with you. I am a little afraid of Sam having a say in what is best for Todd in his current state of mind. I believe with all my heart that he should have as much of a say as either of us. I consider him Todd's father and I know Todd does too, but is he really capable of making the right decisions for Todd right now? He is so overwhelmed with guilt that I get the feeling he would like all treatment to stop. I don't think Sam can handle seeing Todd or the alters suffer anymore. Not even if that's what is needed to help them. I know how he feels. I'm sure you do too. We would all like to take Todd to someplace where nothing could ever hurt him again. The thing is, I think Sam really wants to do it."
Viki realized that everything Téa said made sense. Yet, she had faith in Sam's ability to do what was really right for Todd when it came down to it. He was just in a really bad place right now. She knew that guilt could do terrible things to a person. Still, Viki wanted to honor Téa's wishes, not only as Todd's wife, but because Viki respected her opinion. "Honey, if you don't want Sam to have any legal rights with Todd I will not try to pursue it." Viki was sorry she had already mentioned this to Sam.
Téa took a deep breath and thought for a minute. "Sam loves Todd with all his heart. As far as Sam is concerned Todd is his child. Maybe not being able to have any legal say in what happens to him is part of Sam's problem. I know you always ask him but it is not the same thing. I know that even though I am leaving the legalities of the decision making to you, I feel better knowing that I am involved in Todd's treatment. Viki, I will leave it up to you. If you feel Sam is capable of doing what is right for Todd, without letting his emotions get in the way, then it is all right with me. The one thing I do know is that Sam loves Todd. He will want to do what is best for him. I just hope that Sam is in a mind frame to know what that is."
"Téa, if he's not I will not go through with it. I love Sam very much, but you know I would not allow even that love to come before doing what is best for Todd."
Téa hugged Viki. "Of course I know that. Now why don't we go in and see if Adam is awake."
Eileen had gone back to the nurses station to allow Viki and Téa some privacy. She was now on the phone, checking to see when the lab tech was coming up for Todd's blood test. She never got to tell Viki and Téa that Adam and Susannah were both asleep.
Frank was sitting at the door when Téa and Viki approached Todd's room. He smiled and put his finger to his lips. "They're asleep," he whispered. Viki and Téa tiptoed into the room. A big smile came to both their faces when they saw Adam. He was fast asleep on the floor, still on his stomach and still sucking his thumb. Susannah was sleeping just as soundly in the reclining chair, her legs curled underneath her. She had a small smile on her face as she slept. They wondered if Susannah was happy because she had hopefully gotten back on good terms with her sister.
Téa bent down and stroked Adam's hair out of his face. His skin felt cool. They noticed him shiver slightly as he slept. Viki took one of the blankets out of the bag and handed it to Téa. "Here, why don't give him his present," she whispered. Téa tenderly place the blanket over Adam. In his sleep, he snuggled down under it and grasped a piece of it in his left hand. Téa kissed his head and stood up. "He seems to like it," Viki commented.
"Yes, he does," Téa whispered happily.
Téa and Viki stepped out of the room. "Looks like you found a way to keep him warm," Frank remarked to Téa.
"I'm so happy. He was shivering," Téa responded.
"I know. We tried sheets and blankets, but he would cry out in his sleep and push them off of him," Frank informed them.
"Later today a dozen new sweat suits will be delivered. I made sure they were all the same brand as the ones he likes," Viki let Frank know.
"Thank you, we are putting them through a wash as soon as we take them off of him. He did a number on the last one with some oatmeal, or so I heard when I came on shift," Frank chuckled. He then filled them in on everything that went on after Viki had gone to the lounge.
"No, wonder Susannah and Sam are still sleeping," Viki mentioned. Viki and Téa both smiled. Viki's face then took on a serious look. "So, does that mean he is not a good sleeper after all?" she asked Frank.
"He seems to fall asleep easily enough, but he has trouble staying asleep. That is fairly common for children with autism. It is really rough on the parents," Frank explained.
"Will Doctor Hanen be giving Adam medication to help him stay asleep from now on?" Téa asked.
"I don't know. I do know that she didn't medicate him last night because she wanted to assess his sleep patterns," Frank informed them.
Viki turned to Téa. "Would you like to go to the cafeteria for some breakfast or at least some coffee?"
"I would love that. I didn't take the time to stop for anything before I came here," Téa replied.
"I think we'd better bring lots of coffee back for everyone," Viki smiled and turned to Frank. "Can we bring you something to eat or drink?"
"Oh no thanks. I'm an early bird and I always eat a good breakfast before I come to work."
Sam woke up with a start. He sat up too quickly. "Oohh!" Sam moaned and held his head between his two hands. He just as quickly rested his head back on the pillow. "Oh man! I'm not gonna do that again," Sam swore to himself, referring to his night of drinking. He waited a few seconds and then sat up slowly. His head was throbbing. Sam stood up and headed for the bathroom. On his way to start the shower he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. "Oh God!" He thought to himself. He brushed his hand through his disheveled hair and stared into his blood shot eyes. "Nice going Rappaport!" He said to himself. Sam pulled off his wrinkled clothes and kicked them aside. He stood under the shower and turned the water as cool as he could stand it. As the pellets of water hit his face he had a vivid memory of the look of horror on Todd's face as he remembered some of the sexual abuse Peter did to him. The sound of the shower drowned out the loud sobs that shook Sam's body. Sam pounded his fists into the tile wall. "Oh Boomer, forgive me! How could I have let that all that happen to you!" Sam cried out. Sam fell to his knees and wept his heart out as the cold water continued to pelt his body.
Adam opened his eyes. He felt the blanket in his hand. He turned over and pulled it to him. The soft material felt good in his hands. He rubbed it between his fingers. He sniffed it and began to chew on a corner of it. He stood up, and ran to the door, dragging the blanket behind him as he ran. Frank immediately came into the room. "Good morning Adam," he said brightly. Frank heard about Adam's love of baths and knew that in a little while he would be able to give Adam that treat. He put his hands on Adam's shoulders and gently turned him around and tried to lead him back into the room.
"AAHHH!" Adam protested loudly.
"AAHHH!" Wow! Adam's talking!" Frank reinforced Adam the way Susannah had instructed Frank and the rest of her staff in their own training session.
Susannah's eyes fluttered open. She stretched and then realized where she was. She looked at her watch. "Wow, I guess I was tired," she commented to Frank.
"He just woke up. He wants to go exploring, already," Frank smiled.
"Where did he get that?" Susannah pointed to the blanket.
"Téa brought him three of them. He was shivering so she put one of them on him. I think it's a hit," Frank observed as he followed Adam around the room. Frank's hand hovered just above Adam's shoulders in case he had to move quickly. Adam started toe-walking. He stopped to sniff the edge of the table. He licked it and then continued on back toward the door, dragging his blanket behind him.
"We have to be careful he doesn't trip over it," Susannah cautioned.
Susannah stood up. She would wait until Adam was having his bath and then she would go to shower and change. "We are going to have to get him into a routine," Susannah stated. She knew how important a routine was to children like Adam.
"Terry was able to do vitals on him but she wasn't able to do his AM feeding or meds because of the position he was sleeping in. She figured he'd be up soon. Do you think we can get him to sit quietly long enough for that to happen?" Frank asked, already knowing the answer.
"Nooo!" Susannah laughed softly. "I think that his bath time will be a good time for his feeding and meds. He will sit in the tub for hours if we let him. Just make sure to keep the water comfortably warm. Oh, and see if you can get him to play appropriately with any of the bath toys." Susannah thought for a moment. "Let's let him play for a while before his bath. I want to see if we can get him to eat some breakfast. He'll only need another bath after he eats so you may as well wait."
Janet came into the room with some fresh linens and placed them on the chair. Frank asked her to send Don in so he could get Adam's breakfast. They had what they needed on the floor so they didn't have to wait for the kitchen to send it up. Janet offered to get it. Susannah thought of something else. "Can you also get some kind of crunchy cereal and some milk in addition to oatmeal and juice. I want to see if the texture of certain foods is a problem for him. Make sure the oatmeal isn't too hot because he will probably stick his hands into it." Adam headed for the light switch and began one of his favorite pastimes."
Kevin showed up. As soon as Susannah saw Kevin she knew something was troubling him. He looked more despondent than usual. "Damn it! They're all in trouble," Susannah thought to herself. "Hey Adam!" Kevin tried to sound cheerful when he saw Adam standing near the door, playing with the switch. Kevin stroked Adam's head. Adam paid no attention to him and kept turning the lights on and off.
"Your mom and Téa are in the cafeteria," Frank informed him.
"Thanks, I think I'll wait for them here," Kevin responded. He wanted to get Viki alone to tell her about Cassie. He also wanted to tell Téa.
Susannah walked up to Kevin. "Everything okay?" She asked casually.
Kevin felt a sudden need to talk to Susannah, but he also remembered how much it hurt the last time he did. "Yeah, well, not exactly, but I'll survive. How's Adam been?" Susannah could see Kevin was not ready to talk. She told him what had transpired last night. Kevin was upset that Adam had been allowed out in the hall that way.
"Jesus Susannah! You know Todd would die of shame if he knew everyone saw him that way. How could the staff just let him get by them?"
"He ran out as Connie came in. She had laundry in her arms. He's very fast. They got to him right away. We knew if he were forced back to his room he would tantrum. He had a seizure out in the hallway before we could do anything." Susannah explained.
"He had another seizure! Damn! When is that medication going to kick in?"
"We may have to try polytherapies with him. I need to speak with your mom and Sam about this too. There was too much going on last night. I didn't want to discuss it then. I spoke with Doctor Anderson. He thinks that if the seizures continue we may have to add some Phenobarbital," Susannah admitted.
Kevin shook his head. He hated the thought of even more drugs being given to Todd. "Can this drug be harmful to his blood like the Dilantin?"
"No, the side effects that concern us most about this drug are it's potential for sedation or excitability. Phenobarb can cause paradoxic excitement and exacerbate hyperkinetic behavior in children."
"Oh man! Mom and Sam are not going to be happy to hear this. Neither will Tea," Kevin exclaimed.
"We will increase the Dilantin and give it a little more time before we introduce the phenobarb. He has to be monitored very carefully before any increase in dosage is made. Dilantin can become toxic very quickly and because of the alters we are dealing with several different tolerances to it. We need to use extreme caution in this case." Susannah warned.
Kevin sighed. Then the other part of what Susannah said dawned on him. "Nora actually had some compassion for Todd and some understanding of why you're treating him?"
"I think she believes that Todd is very ill. She realizes why I want to help him. It's a start."
"I hope so. It's good to have a sister, huh," Kevin stated.
"Yes it is?" Susannah concurred.
Kevin moved closer to Susannah. "Todd doesn't realize you're Nora's sister, does he?"
"He has never brought it up and neither have I. I'm sure because of Viki he made that connection in the past, but he has either forgotten or buried it. I know Todd will have a big issue with trust when he does fully realize it."
"Oh yeah, I think you can say that," Kevin agreed.
Janet came in with Adam's breakfast. She placed the various food items on the table in his room. Adam did not react in any way to her presence or the food. He kept flicking the lights. Susannah motioned to Frank and approached Adam. She stood about ten inches away from him. "Come here!" She said firmly. Adam ignored her. She nodded to Frank, letting him know she wanted Adam, physically prompted. Frank took Adam's hand away from the light switch and placed his hands on Adam's shoulders and gently guided him towards Susannah. Adam toe-walked the whole way, the blanket Adam clutched tightly in his left hand dragged behind. Adam started to cry loudly.
Once he was right in front of her Susannah reinforced him with praise, "Great job walking, Adam!" Susannah held out a yellow M&M. As he had before, Adam sniffed it, grabbed it. This time he held it in his hand for about a minute before he shoved it in his mouth. He continued to cry.
"Go play!" Susannah said, exuberantly. Frank released Adam's shoulders. Adam's crying lowered and he headed back to the light switch.
"That's it? I thought you wanted to get him to the table?" Kevin asked quietly as he walked up behind Susannah.
"We can't expect him to do such a major step without the small steps first. He has to learn that complying is not so bad and he has to make the connection that he gets a reward if he does," Susannah explained.
They allowed Adam to play with the light switch for another couple of minutes. This time Susannah stood about two feet away from him and a little closer to the table. "Come here!" she once again instructed. They waited a couple of seconds for Adam to comply on his own. When he didn't, Frank tried a less invasive prompt. He tapped Adam's shoulder and nudged him gently in Susannah's direction. Adam continued to play with the light switch. Once again Frank used a full physical prompt to get him to where Susannah stood. This time Adam tried harder to get away and he started to scream as well as cry. "Good job, Adam! I love where you're standing!" Susannah held out another M&M. Adam sniffed it but he didn't take it. "Go play!" Susannah told him as Frank let go of him.
This time Adam ran back and forth the room a few times. He tripped on the blanket and fell to his knees and seemed to scrape his arm but he jumped right up and continued running. He didn't even seem to notice he fell or might have hurt himself. Susannah was about to call in Don and Steve to assist in holding him so she could see if he hurt himself when Adam plopped down on the floor and began to wiggle the fingers of his right hand near his eyes as he clutched his blanket with the left. He began to make squeaking sounds. He was lost in his own world. Susannah had no trouble checking his arms and legs. He had a small scrape near his right elbow. No other injuries were found. He didn't react at all when Terry came in to clean and bandage the scrape. She held up one of the Flintstone's bandages, that Andy liked do much, so he could see it. Adam did not appear to even notice her presence.
Susannah allowed him to stim for a few minutes. She had some things she wanted to inform Kevin of. She walked over to where Kevin stood. "I'm thinking of taking him to the playroom later. I would like to see if he has any reaction the trains and blocks and some of the other toys. I've also ordered some special toys for him. They are made for children with developmental disorders. You know it's not common for children with autism to carry a blanket around. They often choose more unusual things as a 'security blanket.' Things like little Disney figures or larger plastic figures."
"I've arranged for the whole day off so I can try to play with him, if you think that would be a good idea," Kevin volenteered.
"Yes I do. Perhaps after he's had his lunch and a nap. That is if we can get him to take a nap. Your mom has agreed to the ABA program so once she and Téa are back from breakfast and Sam gets here I would like to start you all on some training. Although I don't think Sam will want any part of it, I still want to ask him to join us."
Kevin felt bad for Sam he knew Sam was in a very dark and troubled place right now. Nevertheless, he didn't want him to make things hard on his mom and he certainly didn't want him to cause any problems with Adam's program. This little boy broke Kevin's heart. If there was any chance at all that ABA would help Adam, Kevin wanted him to have that chance. "I know Sam is freaking out over some of the aspects of this program. I hope he won't try to stop you and the rest of us from working with Adam. Adam can't go on like this," Kevin stated plainly.
Susannah shook her head. "I don't want Sam to feel like he has no say at all in this. We need to hear him. He has some very valid concerns and they have to be addressed. I really don't think Sam will interfere with Adam's program. I just don't think he is ready to participate," Susannah responded. Kevin was just about to say something when Adam seemed to suddenly notice he was in the room. Adam stood up and ran up to Kevin. Kevin couldn't tell if he was looking at him or not because of Adam's sideways stare. Adam started to jump up and down in front of him, his blanket swung in the air as he jumped. Susannah knew they were going to have a hard time separating Adam from that blanket. For now she would let him keep it as long as it didn't interfere with his ability to perform skills.
"Eehhh! Eehhhh!" Adam called out.
"Eehhhh! Terrific talking, Adam!" Kevin praised. Adam continued to jump up and down in front of Kevin. Kevin stood still. He didn't know what to do. He had no idea that Adam wanted him to sing to him. Adam wanted to hear the Yogi Bear song and he made the connection to Kevin. At this point Adam still didn't think of Kevin as a person, for Adam had no concept of what a person was. Kevin was just the means to his song. To Adam it was as if Kevin was some kind of music box.
"Aaaahhhh!" Adam cried out loudly. He was still jumping up and down, only now he began to cry.
"Aaaahhhh, what a great voice, Adam." Kevin remembered to contiue to reinforce Adam even though he was upset that he didn't know what Adam wanted.
Kevin tried to stroke Adam's head. Adam pushed his hand away. "Adam, shhh. I don't know what you want." Kevin realized that Adam probably didn't understand him. He felt helpless. He knew Adam wanted something from him and he wanted to give it to him, if he could figure out what it was.
Kevin quickly tried to think of what he had done around Adam yesterday. "The ball!" He thought out loud. "Is it all right if I get the yellow ball and give it to him?" Kevin asked Susannah.
"No, he would interpret that as a reward for crying." Susannah spoke loudly to be heard over Adam's cries. "You can put out a few toys, including the ball, on the table. You stand near the toys. Say, 'come here!' If he doesn't comply in a couple of seconds we will physically prompt him to you. Then you praise him, verbally, and give him the ball. If that is what he wants. What was a great reinforcer yesterday may mean nothing to him today. He doesn't seem too thrilled with the M&M's this morning. We have to do daily reinforcer assessments with him because what works may keep changing. We are saving his bath for later. That will most likely make him very happy and hopefully calm him down and make him sleepy."
Kevin winced. He could understand why Sam was finding this so painful to see. All Kevin wanted to do was to give Adam what he wanted. It killed him to see him crying that way and to know this child wanted something from him and he was not giving it to him.
Kevin did as Susannah instructed. He put out the ball, a small, wooden Thomas the Tank Engine toy, some little Hot Wheels cars and Timmy's teddy bear. "Come here!" Kevin called out. Adam continued to jump around and cry. Frank once again stood behind him and with his hands on Adam's shoulders prompted him the short distance to where the toys were lined up on the table. Adam toe-walked. He was screaming and crying and dragging his blanket the whole way over. When they stopped Adam started to chew on the blanket and rub it against his face in an effort to give himself sensory input and self-soothing.
"Yaaaay! Great job walking, Adam!" Kevin applauded and handed Adam the ball. Adam knocked it out of Kevin's hands. His crying and screaming became even louder. Kevin panicked. He forgot about doing the program with Adam. He just wanted to figure out what to do for this little boy. He tried Mr. Bear, the same toy he had danced around when he sang the Yogi Bear song. Adam expected the song for sure now. When it didn't come his crying and screaming increased drastically. Adam let his body go limp so Frank had no choice but to lower him to the floor. Once there, Adam began to kick and scream at the top of his lungs.
