AN: I know this is super short, but I have had this story bouncing around in my head for a while. You know this conversation would have totally happened.
Hal chuckled and shook his head.
"Be smart."
"Think about your age, you don't need a kid right now."
"Children are a huge responsibility."
Tom and Hal were sitting in the infirmary talking, and Hal was saying out loud the things his dad had said to him, when Tom had figured out he and Maggie were in an intimate relationship. Here they were just a year later and Tom was having to admit he had not been "careful" in his relationship with Dr. Glass.
"I guess I need to add 'Do as I say, not as I do' to my list of sage wisdom." Tom said.
Hal wiggled his eyebrows at his dad. He was halfway sitting up in a hospital bed, testing his muscles. His body was still not responding right, even though Lourdes said she could find nothing wrong with him.
"You seem to find it funny. You're not mad?" Tom asked, looking quizzically at his oldest son.
"No, why would I be mad?" Hal asked shrugging. He laid back down on the gurney.
"Well I've had a kid with someone else. I'm not married to her..."
"Dad," Hal took a breath "You've found someone that makes you happy. She can handle your nerdiness and she's a good person. Did you need another kid? No. But here we are. Maybe this will help Anne deal with losing her son."
Tom nodded. He was hoping that having a child again would heal some of Anne's wounds.
"Have you told Matt yet?"
"Yeah, I figured I had to tell him before he heard it from someone else."
"How'd he take it?"
"He's hoping he gets a little brother to pick on so that he doesn't have to be the littlest anymore."
Hal laughed hard at that.
"Well I hope it's a boy because frankly, I don't know what I'd do with a sister."
"I'd like a daughter." Tom said with a small smile.
