They're in Munich when Martin calls – and since he's sharing a room with Arthur, he's momentarily overwhelmed by the outbursts of enthusiasm at both ends of the line. Then the steward bounces off to pass the happy announcement on to his mother and Herc, and he finally manages to congratulate his friend before ringing off; he knows that under the circumstances Carolyn won't object to a little diversion on their way home, and the sooner he goes and changes the flight plan the better.
"This is brilliant," Arthur declares somewhat unnecessarily as he dashes back into the room. "Twice as brilliant, actually, since they're twins."
"It is," he agrees easily, his thoughts wandering back to a similar occasion that occurred nearly twenty-three years ago; and then another one, just a little over ten years later. He lets out a wistful sigh as he unzips his flight bag and starts packing his stuff.
"Martin will be great as a dad," a cheerful voice cuts into his musings. "Nothing like – well, you know who."
Douglas pauses, a folded shirt still in his hand. "Arthur," he starts carefully, not quite sure what he's going to say next; of all the despicable things Gordon Shappey has done in his life, letting down his own son so badly is surely the most inexcusable and unjustified one.
"No, no, it's fine," the young man smiles reassuringly. "I don't really mind, you know. I still have Mum, and Herc – and you, of course."
"Me?" he frowns, not quite sure he understands the non sequitur. "What it's got to do with me?"
"Are you joking? You look out for me when Mum and Herc aren't there. You're the one who always does something clever and makes everything alright, always."
Such unguarded admiration leaves him speechless for a moment, and he has to clear his throat before uttering a heartfelt thank you; he honestly had no idea that Arthur regarded him as a father figure, but he's just discovered that he doesn't mind at all.
xxx
He's not entirely prepared for the bear hug his friend bestows upon him as they enter the maternity ward; but then again he's never seen Martin that happy before, not even on his wedding day.
Theresa looks more than a little tired, but otherwise pleased to see them all. She doesn't object when Arthur asks if he can hold either of the twins, though Carolyn commands he sits down for good measure; Martin is a bit more nervous about the idea, and gives Arthur a few clear instruction before trusting him with one of the infants.
"This is the girl," their friend explains proudly. "We named her Gertrude."
"Really?" Douglas smirks. "I wonder why."
"We could always say we named her after my grandmother, though that's not why Martin insisted we choose it," Theresa points out with a fond smile and the faintest trace of teasing in her tone.
Douglas regards the other infant with undisguised interest, a grin breaking on his face as he's encouraged to pick him up. "Hello, little one. Whatever your father named you after, I hope it's not a Boeing 737."
"His name's Richard, actually," Martin fills in, the faintest of blushes spreading across his cheeks.
"Is it now," Douglas ponders as if between himself, his vision blurring for a fraction of second; it's a good thing that his arms are currently occupied, or he would be the one hugging his friend right now.
He's made lots of mistakes in his life, but befriending Martin is definitely not one of them – quite the opposite, as a matter of fact. That's exactly what he tells Sarah as he phones her half an hour later, right before promising he will pass her congratulations and good wishes on to the new parents.
"You do realise I love you, do you?" he adds almost as an afterthought, and it still surprises him how right it feels to be able to say that out loud.
"I know," she replies before she hangs up, and he can hear the smile in her voice even over the phone. "Why do you think I married you?"
Then he proceeds to coax Martin out of the room for a quick cup of tea at the cafeteria just around the corner; that's what friends do, Sarah's voice points out in his head, and he lets a contented smile spread over his face.
He also makes a mental note to call his daughters as soon as he lands in Fitton, because maybe, just maybe, he's not as much of a failure as a parent as he always thought he was. Not if his unconventional family is anything to go by.