I finally got my laptop back yay! Thanks to uhnonniemiss, vogonsoup and witbeyondmeasurexox for reviewing, you're all so nice.
Chapter Nine
Dans POV
"So we're doing this?" I hear Phil ask, a warm mug of tea clutched in his hands as he looks at me, his eyes dark and serious.
"Yes, I mean, she doesn't want the baby and she seems set against abortion. Plus, then we'd be becoming more and more like a traditional little family." I say, hearing my own voice light up. "Like a traditional little family with two dads, Dan." Phil reminds me, the familiar little chuckle returning to his voice.
"Potato, Potarto." I drawl, smiling wide as I grab Phil's spare hand, stroking my thumb along his finger.
"So, now we just have to tell James." Phil said, his eyes meeting mine.
I hear the familiar sound of knocking on the door, the three sharp bangs that symbolise James' return. I look over to the wooden clock, the hands ticking round, 3:30; right on time. I smile to myself, the idea of a structure, of a routine, of a little family life warms my heart. "Hey Buddy." I say as James walks through the door, bright eyed and bushy tailed, his backpack peeking out over his shoulder. Ah, the days before algebra and simultaneous equations where school could actually bring a smile to ones face. "How was school?" I say, closing the lid of my laptop and smiling. James launches into the story of his day and I listen as he shrugs the bag off of his shoulder and onto the floor. I watch it hit the tiles and think about how much Phil hates it when James doesn't hang his bag up properly, but I don't have the heart to tell him.
"Do you want a snack?" I ask as James climbs onto one of the wooden chairs perched around the table and he nods, his big eyes glistening. Sometimes I worry that he is growing up too fast, letting him walk home from school was a big step for me; it took Phil weeks to convince me that he wouldn't get mugged, even if the school is just round the corner. Sometimes I get so lost in my own little worrying world that I forget that James is a person too, and that he needs chances to be free, to screw up along the way.
I return from the kitchen, a carton of orange juice in one hand and a cookie in the other. I see him smile when he sees the cookie, another thing Phil doesn't exactly advise. I put a finger to my lips as I set it down on the table and he nods silently.
"Where's Daddy?" James says, his mouth full of crumbs.
"He's at the shop, sweetie, he'll be back any minute." James takes this as a hint, eating his cookie just that little bit faster. "And, buddy, when daddy returns, we have something very important to tell you."
"What is it?" he says, staring up at me as he washes the last of his cookie down with some orange juice.
"I can't say just yet." I say and James looks slightly worried.
It is at that moment, that I hear the familiar jangling of keys in the door as Phil finally turns the lock, pushing the door open with his shoulder seen as his hands are laden with bags. James jumps up and runs to hug him, hitting him in the stomach with his head. "Hey, buddy, how are you?"
"Great!" he says "What did you buy?" he says, peering into the bags, inquistively. I capture him from behind, whisking him up.
"Now, who's being a little nosy man?" I say as he laughs and clings onto my shoulder. I lean down and kiss Phil, sweetly once on the lips as James squirms to be free in my arms.
I let him go and he grabs one of the bags out of Phil's fingertips, laying it out onto the table, all thought about our conversation forgotten. I join my hand up with Phil's. "Is it time?" I say and he gives me a look that answers yes. "James, sweetie." he says, ruffling his blonde curly hair with his spare hand, "me and daddy have something to talk to you about in the living room." James looks up, his eyes wide. "Am I in trouble?" he asks, the smile falling from his face like a ball off the edge of the cliff. "No, no sweetie" I answer. "This is a good thing, you'll see." James follows me and Phil into the living room.
Phils POV
Dan's hand is warm in mine as we sit on the sofa, James perched in between us. He squeezes my hand, passing me confidence through this bond that we share. "You're going to have a new little brother." I blurt out, unable to hold it in any more, a half nervous-half excited smile breaking its way onto my lips. James gasps, his eyes moving down to my stomach as they widen. "Are you, are you, pregnant?" he asks, his voice rising an octave at the end of the sentence. Me and Dan burst out laughing, Dan breaking our hands to cover up his face, but James still looks confused. I quell the laughter crawling up my throat and turn to James, my voice still with the edge of a giggle. "Aww, no sweetie, men don't get pregnant. We're going to adopt him like we did with you, remember?" James expression cleared as understanding struck. We had always been honest with James, we didn't want any awkward conversations when he reached his angsty teenage years. "So, I get a little brother?" James asks and Dan nods, hoisting him up onto his knee as he moves closer, wrapping his arms around my shoulder. "What's his name?"
"Well we don't know yet, we were hoping you would help us decide."
"For real?"
"For real." Dan laughed in response.
"So when does he get here?" James asked
"It isn't for a fair few months yet." I say "He's still in his mummy's tummy."
"Do we know his mummy?"
"A friend of a friend." Dan said
"A friend of a friend." James repeated.
"That's right." I said, unable to wipe the smile off of my face.
A few months later
Phils POV
James' hand clutches mine as we round the corner on the well scrubbed corridor. I can tell he is nervous, he didn't speak once on the car journey over, but also a little excited to see the baby he's been waiting for. As I turn the next corner, my eyes fall upon Dan, a tiny little bundle pressed in his arms, against his chest. James draws in closer to my chest, shying away behind my knees. Dan doesn't see us at first but soon enough, his head tilts upwards and he smiles. "Hey Buddy." he says, as James climbs onto the chair, wrapping his arm around him and letting him peer into the bundle of blankets. I sit down on the other side. "This is your little brother." I say, my voice barely above a whisper.
"He's so tiny!" he says, his voice filled with wonderment. I laugh
"Yes he is. But we were all that tiny once." I say.
"Not me" says James "I was never that small."
"Oh yeah?" says Dan, dragging his eyes away from the baby, a challenge glowing in his eyes. "I have pictures to prove it." he boasted and we all laugh, just one normal family in the corner of the hospital ward.
So what do you think? Good twist? bad twist? Oh and if you have any ideas for baby names just leave them in the reviews and I shall pick the best one! Thank you for reading!
