The next day started off with a bang. Okay, not really a bang, more like a cry; a very loud baby's cry coming from the foot of the bed.
Both Sonny and Will jumped up at the same time landing on opposite sides of the bed. Sonny's landing was a lot softer than Will's. Will landed on his bad leg and with a cry of pain, went off-balance and landed on his back, on the bed.
Sonny looked at Will, smiled and said: "You know, if you keep doing that, you'll do some permanent damage to that gorgeous leg of yours." Will glared back at Sonny, partly because he was in pain, and partly because he was annoyed that Sonny was right, again.
Sonny went to the crib, and looked at a screaming Arianna: "Hey there Little Ari? What's up with you, huh? Are you hungry? Are you wet? Or are you just lonely?"
Sonny picked Arianna Grace and brought her diaper to his nose and smelled: "Ohhhhh, Little Ari needs a change, yes she does…." He walked over to the changing table to start the process, looked towards Will, and noticed that Will had maneuvered himself to his feet again, this time without hurting himself and was heading in the direction of the fridge in order to get a bottle.
Sonny and Will were so deeply concentrating on their respective tasks that they did not notice Adrienne and Justin walk into the room, just in time to witness the two young men at work. Sonny was in the in the process on putting a fresh baby jumpsuit on her, and Will was testing the bottle on the inside of his lower arm to make sure the formula wasn't too warm. All the while poor Arianna Grace was fussing.
Sonny wrapped Little Ari in a blanket, cradled her in his arms and extended one arm to take hold of the bottle that Will should have been presenting. Will had other ideas; he positioned himself to Sonny's side, opposite Arianna Grace's head, put an arm around Sonny and extended his other arm in order to place the nipple of the bottle in Arianna Grace's mouth.
Arianna Grace stopped fussing and an incredible sucking sound escaped her lips. Sonny turned his head towards Will who promptly sought Sonny's lips with his own.
Their attention was diverted by an "Ahhhhhhhhh" sound from Adrienne and from Justin saying: "You three are way too cute together. How are you this fine morning?"
Sonny and Will finished their kiss, and while Will concentrated on Arianna Grace, Sonny responded to his father saying: "We are great actually. Please say thank you to everyone who helped out last night. Both Will and I actually got some sleep."
Adrienne smiled and came forward to coo at her grand-daughter while saying: "It was a pleasure sweetheart. I'll relay the message. Now…" And Adrienne once again adopted a motherly pose, "…It will be up to you both…but please remember that there is another crib set up in the room next door. When you are comfortable with leaving the little sweetheart alone…with a baby monitor of course, we'll still keep up the schedule and you'll really be able to sleep, without all the interruptions…"
Justin and Adrienne both witnessed Sonny and Will simply look at each other. They seemed to stare at one other, transmitting each other's sentiments and feelings about the issue at hand with simple facial gestures, such as a slightly lifting of the eyebrows. It was Will who turned to Adrienne and said: "Adrienne, thank you very much for the offer, but if it's okay, we'd like Little Ari to stay with us at night…for the time being."
Adrienne smiled. She could also feel her husband smiling. They both had witnessed and understood the close bond that Will and Sonny had developed, even more than usual, since Arianna Grace had come into their lives. It was like Sonny and Will read the other's mind. It was rather amazing to watch.
"Okay, you boys; once Arianna is fed, I will take over. You both have a full schedule today. You need to go downstairs and eat something, and then it's off to your appointments. I am assuming you'll want Arianna Grace with you?"
Again, Adrienne and Justin witnessed the silent communication. This time both Sonny and Will simultaneously said: "Of course".
After the hand-over of Little Ari to Adrienne, Sonny and Will made quick work of breakfast. They went back to the room, got changed, picked up Arianna who was placed in her bassinet, and started their day with their first appointment.
That appointment was at Salem General, and more specifically, in the administration office. The results of the DNA test were available. The hospital's administrators also prepared the birth certificate paperwork.
The DNA test was handed to Sonny, since he was the one that officially requested the test. He smiled and handed the test to Will who also smiled. It wasn't a surprise. When the administrator handed the birth certificate to Sonny, he waved it off: "I'd like Will to be the first one to see that, if you don't mind."
The administrator, a Mr. Franklin, handed Will the certificate. Wills eyes started to water. Under 'Mother's Name' was Gaby's and under Father's Name' was Will's. But that wasn't what caused the tears to begin to form in his beautiful, yet now-cloudy blue eyes.
At the top was little Ari's name: Arianna Grace Gabriella Horton. Will was shocked to see Gabi's name not only listed as the mother of the child, but also as an intricate part of Little Ari's name. Gabi will always be an intricate part of Little Ari, and the name change was a simple symbolic representation of that fact.
Will turned his watery eyes towards Sonny and leaned in and kissed Sonny gently on the lips. His face then sparkled with a wide and genuine smile. But then he frowned. Sonny was taken aback: "What's wrong, Will?" he said.
Will looked Sonny deeply in the eyes and said: "The last name is wrong. It should read Kiriakis. You are her legal guardian Sonny. The birth certificate should reflect that."
Sonny smiled at Will, his own brown eyes starting to water, just a little bit: "Thank you for that Will, but as Mr. Franklin can tell you, my status as legal guardian isn't like an adoption. The birth certificate should reflect Arianna Grace's parentage, at least for now."
Will nodded to Sonny, registering what Sonny had said: "Sonny, we have a lot to talk about when we get home."
They both signed the birth certificate and lead Arianna Grace out of the hospital's administrative offices. She was beginning to fuss again, so they stopped at a restroom and changed her diaper; and then stopped at the Brady Pub to feed her and themselves.
The staff, including Grandma Caroline, was all over them when they walked in; cooing at the baby and congratulating them. Grandma Caroline, teary-eyed, expressed to Will and to Sonny how proud she was of both of them; she also expressed her condolences in regards to Gabi: "I always had a soft spot for that girl." She said.
In the midst of eating, a rather well-dressed stranger walked into the Pub, spotted the two boys and walked directly to them: "Excuse me, are you Mr. Jackson Kiriakis and Mr. William Horton?"
Then both nodded and then were handed an envelope each: "You've been served" said the man and then he walked off.
They opened their respective letters. They were both notices of summons to appear at Family Court. Nick Fallon was suing for full custody of Arianna Grace. The date of the summons was tomorrow.
Now you would think that the shock of the summons and the timing would have sent one or both these young men into a maddened fit of rage. But it didn't. Getting mad wouldn't really serve a purpose; not here and not now. Sonny and Will both looked at each other, and they both sighed. Will spoke for the both of them: "Just one more thing to discuss when we get home."
Their final appointment was with the Dean of Students. Dr. Longforth was a rather stern-looking woman in her mid-fifties. She had had a rather distinctive career, up until then. As Dean of Students she was highly regarded; most students considered her kind, thoughtful and very attune and accommodating to student issues. She had been Dean of Students for five years now, and she thought she had seen everything.
She looked at the two young men in front of her, one of whom, the rather strikingly handsome blond one, was holding a little baby in his arms, trying to calm the fussy baby down; and succeeding quite remarkably, she noticed. She realized that this was a first. Mind you, this wasn't the first baby that was brought to her office; nor was this the first tragic circumstance with which she had to deal. These two were, however, the first same-sex couple with child, a new-born even, that were requesting an exam exemption; not only because of bereavement but also because of early unforeseen delivery of the child.
What made this situation exceptional was that these two were not legally a couple. The Dean usually dealt with one bereft new parent, not two. The rules, put simply, were rather fuzzy in dealing with this particular situation.
She noticed that Jackson Kiriakis, the rather strikingly handsome dark-haired one, seemed calm, explained the situation with precision, and a remarkable detachment; yet every once in a while he would look at Will Horton and the little one, and his eyes would mist.
The Dean noticed that Will Horton was allowing Sonny to communicate their shared situation to her, without interrupting. Will Horton trusted Sonny Kiriakis; that was plain to see.
The Dean could tell that these two young men loved one another very much. Her eyes became misty as she realized how difficult their lives were going to be for the next while. Sonny had explained everything: the circumstances of Arianna Grace's arrival, the pending custody battle, the fact that they had the support of both sides of their little family; which was very important.
She wanted to do all she could to help them along. Their grades had not been exceptional, but more than adequate; the e-mails she received from both students' professors made it clear that the professors were willing to help these two out in any way they could, even Will Horton's Calculus professor.
And so, the Dean gave them both exam exceptions for all their courses. She requested that they limit their course load for the time being; she even suggested they should think of taking a semester off, with no penalty. She wanted to offer them student housing, but was unable to do so since their union wasn't legal. She hinted that perhaps they might think about that.
After hearing all this, Sonny and Will looked at one another; Will leaned in, still holding Arianna and presented his lips to Sonny, who quickly covered them with his own. They both thanked the Dean and as they stood up to leave Will simply said: "Dean Longforth, thank you again; you have given us both so much to think about."
