Author's Notes: This story was written for my friend ApexOnHigh for the Rare Male Slash 2017 fic exchange. Since the show has yet to actually let us know ANYTHING about Ken & Alejandro's baby, I wanted to write about it myself—with of course, some Munch/Fin shippiness added in. Because that's what I do...
Fin sat fidgeting with his phone, which at least kept him from pacing the waiting room with all the nervous energy he had to burn. The day they'd been anticipating for months had finally arrived—a little late, in fact, but now that it was here, things were moving along at a rapid pace.
...Or so the parents-to-be had told him. Ken and Alejandro were in the delivery room, with their surrogate Lexi and Lexi's wife Sydney. That had seemed like more than enough spectators for what Fin believed should be an private moment for immediate family only—grandparents-to-be not included.
Still, he hoped John would get to the hospital soon. This was something Fin wanted to share with the most important person in his life; something positive and joyful they could both use in contrast to the darker elements of the world they dealt with most every day.
Figures when the baby decides he's ready, John gets tied up on a case. Usually the DA's office was a lot less demanding than working for SVU had been. But this morning John had driven upstate to try to track down a witness Barba needed in court next week. Now he was stuck in traffic trying to get back into Manhattan in time to see the newest member of the Tutuola family enter the world.
Fin's phone buzzed with a new text from John. 10 min, it said, and Fin breathed easier. Another message followed from Amanda, asking if there was any update on the baby yet. No, he replied. Let u know when.
If Rollins didn't stop texting him every five minutes he would have to mute her number, at least until this night was over. He might love her like a younger sister, but damn, she could be a pain in the ass sometimes—and he was jumpy enough already.
Fin found himself thinking back on these past months as he waited for both his husband and his new grandchild to arrive, remembering when Ken had told him that he and Alejandro were to be parents. He'd been surprised—not so much by their plans to have a child, but the path they'd chosen to grow their family.
"Using a surrogate? Isn't that expensive?" he'd asked.
"Normally it would be—and totally out of our budget," Ken had admitted. "We had been considering fostering and then, if things worked out, adopting. And we probably still will, if and when we're ready for a second child. But...things just worked out this way, thanks to a long-time friend of mine." Ken had explained how a girl he'd known since college, Lexi, had always wanted to have a child—so much so that she and Ken had even joked about having a kid together if neither met the right person later in life. But then Ken had met Alejandro, and Lexi had met the woman who would become her wife, Sydney.
"Syd never wanted to be a parent and she made that clear to Lexi once they started getting serious. She doesn't have that drive to be a mother, and she knew she couldn't take on that physical and emotional responsibility because of her own health issues. But she didn't want to deny Lexi the chance to experience being pregnant and being a mother if it was something that meant a lot to her, so... We talked it all out, the four of us, for months. And Lexi agreed to be our surrogate. That way she can stay in the child's life, if not daily, while Alejandro and I will be his parents."
"And you're sure she's gonna be able to give up the kid to you once he's born?"
"Yes, dad, we're sure. Even as friends, we've had it all documented and signed-off on legally. I know you've no doubt dealt with plenty of messed-up surrogate cases on the job, but this isn't going to be one of them."
Fin hoped his son was right about that. He had seen a lot of surrogate agreements gone bad. But then again, those were pretty much only kind of surrogate situations that came across his desk at SVU. And he had to acknowledge that the way his son's generation seemed to view parenting and relationships was quite a bit different than his own. So maybe he had to give them the benefit of the doubt that they knew what they were doing.
It's not like he had done such a stellar job of being a parent himself. But now he was damned sure he was going to try a lot harder to be the best grandparent he could.
A door swooshed open and Fin saw John's familiar, lanky figure stride in toward him. Fin immediately relaxed to have his husband here at last, his presence always a comfort. "Damn traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel, I should have taken the G.W. Any news?" John asked. He looked and sounded like he'd run across Manhattan to get to the hospital, short of breath and flushed in the face.
"Nothin' yet, 'cept everything seems normal beyond being a few days late. Ken checked in with me about twenty minutes ago. He said the contractions were real close together now, so they expect it'll all be over within the next hour or so."
"Good." John sat close after unbuttoning his coat and removing his gloves, taking one of Fin's hands in his own. His fingers were cold from the outdoors, but the touch and the bright glimmer in his eyes were like the heat of a hundred suns to Fin's heart. Fin leaned in for a kiss, his own excitement overcoming his usual public reserve. John showed no objection.
"Grandpa's feeling frisky tonight, eh?" the older man teased after the kiss.
"Shut up, you old dog. Just glad you're here."
"Where else would I be?" John said with a smirk, then glanced around. There were a number of other individuals and families, most all looking preoccupied with their own concerns and anticipations. "Is Teresa around? She knows the baby's on the way, doesn't she?"
Fin nodded. "I called her right after Ken called me. She's stuck workin' a late shift with no one to cover for her."
"You're kidding."
"No. But she's gonna head over soon as she can...if not tonight then first thing in the morning if the baby's ready to come home with Ken and Alejandro. She took the week off to help them get settled in."
"That's good, at least."
"Yeah. Even if Alejandro's folks still ain't getting on board with the whole situation, this kid's gonna have a lot of people caring for him, lookin' out for him."
A bell chimed, over the hospital intercom. Fin looked up and around, puzzled at the sound. Others sitting in the waiting area made excited chatter at each other and several even clapped with enthusiasm. "Wonder what that's about," Fin said.
"It means a baby's just been born," a grandmotherly-looking woman sitting across from them interrupted. She smiled at them and asked, "Are you two waiting for news?"
"Yes, my son and his, uh...well, yes," Fin stumbled, the matter too complicated to even begin to explain.
She didn't press, and seemed unfazed by John and Fin's closeness as well. "Your first grandchild?" she continued.
"Yes, ma'am," John answered, taking Fin's hand again to squeeze it reassuringly. "For both of us."
"Well, enjoy every minute of it. They're all wonderful, but that first one is something extra special."
"What number you waitin' on tonight?" Fin asked her.
"Number four, but I think it will be several hours yet."
"And here I never thought I'd have one," John said in a soft voice to Fin, "considering having children was never on my radar."
"Lots of things weren't exactly ever on mine, either," Fin replied, squeezing John's hand back. "But here we are."
A short while later Ken came into the waiting room, all smiles and giddy happiness as John and Fin got to their feet. He gave his father a big hug and announced, "Congratulations, dad, you're a grandfather now."
"Mazel tov, Ken." Fin heard John's words but he was a bit too overwhelmed in the moment to pay attention to them—or to anything else, really.
"Everything's good? The baby's all right?" he needed to know.
Ken nodded. "The doctors say Caleb is a healthy baby boy. No problems, no complications in the delivery. Alejandro is calling some of our friends and we're giving Lexi some time alone with the baby... But if you don't mind waiting around for a while, you can both see him soon."
"Ain't got nowhere else to be right now, son," Fin said, smiling too. He'd been waiting for a long time for this moment; he could hold on for a few more minutes.
Less than an hour later, John was beaming with pride—and love—as he watched Fin hold his grandchild for the first time. Some might immediately be breaking out the phones and cameras to record every second (Amanda had been texting him nonstop to do exactly that until he had muted her), but John preferred to savor the moment with his own eyes. His memory would hold onto the images just fine for the rest of his lifetime.
"I can definitely see some of that Tutuola-Randall bloodline in this little bruiser," John said. At eight-pounds-nine-ounces, Caleb was a solid and healthy infant with a scowl that already could rival his grandfather's.
"You want to hold him?" Fin asked.
"In a little while, no rush." John reached over to touch one small baby hand, marveling at the tiny fingers trying to grasp in response. "Caleb's a fine name. In the Old Testament, Caleb and Joshua were the two followers of Moses to escape Egypt for the promised land. It's a name that represents fearlessness in the face of overwhelming odds."
"Think he's faced enough hurdles, struggles against the odds just gettin' here," Fin said softly, and John knew what he meant. Ken, Alejandro, their entire family had been through a great deal in the past to get to where they were today. And the future was no certainty for gay couples and parents, not in their current unsettled, political landscape.
But John didn't want to dwell on such matters today. He wanted to revel in the moment of welcoming this new life into the world, and seeing the people who had become his family so happy, so full of joy. "Looks like John Munch's Babysitting Services has a new client," he said, imagining upcoming evenings looking after Noah, Jesse, and now Caleb.
"Yeah, but watch out," Fin warned Ken and Alejandro. "If you start hearing the kid comin' home learning words like 'conspiracy' and talking about the Grassy Knoll, then it's time to find another sitter."
John shot Fin a dirty look but the others simply laughed. "Okay, you two, let me get one good photo of the grandparents with the baby," Alejandro insisted, holding up his phone to take the shot.
John put his arm around Fin's broad shoulders and smiled. Seconds later and Alejandro said, "One more, I want to make sure it's the perfect picture for the birth announcement collection."
"We're all here, that makes it perfect already," John said, winking at Fin. And Fin kissed him again and, indeed, nothing could be more perfect in this world.