Author's notes: As always, you guys are amazing. :)
This is another update soon after the last one because I think you guys deserve it, seeing as I've been taking days to put a new chapter up. Also because I'm getting back into the 'wow, I love writing' mode and, yeah. I think I'm also just antsy to get this story over with so I can see how the end comes together. :)
I think I'm going to get to the forty chapter mark (if not pass it) and that makes me happy. This is, by far, the longest fic I've ever written and I'm glad I'm getting good feedback from it. :)
RIGHT, SO. This chapter is going to split into four different point of views and I hope you guys can keep up! As always, they're going to start off with the character's name in brackets, so you guys won't be wondering who's who and everything. The second and third ones are going to follow the timeline of and after the first one, but the last one is going to go back a little and then end with the time period that the first one is in. (Does that make sense to anyone else but me? :s I'll explain it differently:) So basically they're going to go in chronological order until you get to the fourth one... then it's going to go back in time (just a little) and lead up to the events that happen in the first little part.
Also, this chapter will have feels and I apologize for any and all of them.
I also apologize for any spelling mistakes you may find.
Oh and... I should make it known that I am ignorant (mostly) when it comes to some of the things you will find in this chapter. So, I'm sorry if I get things wrong or they don't seem real, just go with it because I'm basically stupid when it comes to this particular thing. I also apologize if I go too in depth with the detailing... I tried to keep things as PG 13 and non-descriptive as I possibly could.
This chapter is looooooong, by the way.
Characters: Carlos, Camille, Logan, Jennifer Knight; Kendall, Dustin, Josh, Kyle.
Honorable mentions: Camille's family, Logan's, Carlos' parents, Gustavo.
Warnings: talk of hospitals and icky things; happiness for everyone!, but then also some sad.
[Camille] [April]
"I'm so big," Camille grumbles, laying on the middle of the bed with her hands on her stomach. She can barely see Carlos over the bump and she groans, sitting up on her elbows with a huff. "When's he supposed to come out? Don't get me wrong, I love being pregnant but I am so ready for this little boy to come out already."
Grinning, Carlos leans over to put a hand on her belly. "He's due any day now," he mutters and Camille sighs, looking down at the fabric stretched over her stomach, watching as her friend's fingers stroke over it slowly, lovingly.
"You're being so sweet through all of this. Are you still going to be this nice when he's screaming and crying?"
"Of course," Carlos answers, looking up at her through his lashes. "I don't have anywhere else to go, now do I?"
Camille nods slowly and hums, focusing on the way Carlos is rubbing her stomach. She remembers the fight he and Dallas had a few months back and how they had broken up on the spot, both of them yelling at one another. She also remembers how upset and heartbroken Carlos had been, but she had done her best to keep him occupied with baby things and that seemed to help. Now Carlos seems to be better and he's been helping with more baby things, like getting the nursery ready and helping Logan put together the crib. That had been fun to watch.
Suddenly, Carlos gasps and starts to giggle. "He kicked," he breathes, amazed.
"He does that, honey." Camille laughs and puts her hand on his, feeling the baby kick again. "I think he's ready to be out of mommy's tummy. Aren't you little guy? Yeah, mommy wants you out of her tummy, too, so she can hold you and not be so big," she mutters, smiling when she looks up at Carlos.
"You still look beautiful." With a smile, Carlos leans forward and kisses Camille's cheek. "I'm going over to my mom's for a bit, but I'll have my phone on if you need me, okay? Just call and I'll drive right back here, no problem."
Humming quietly, Camille turns and grabs pillows, stacking them behind her."Bring me the knitting basket," she says once she's situated.
"Finally going to knit me that purple hat?" Carlos gets off the bed and goes to grab the basket, bringing it back to Camille.
"I already made you a hot pink one," she answers, sticking her tongue out at him before going to open the top. "But if you really want a purple hat, I can probably have one made for you by tonight."
Carlos grins and leans down to kiss the top of her head. "Thanks," he whispers before pulling back. Camille waves him off and watches him go, shaking her head as she turns to the basket to grab her needles and yarn. Once she's gotten everything together, she leans over to grab her phone and iPod off the nightstand, sticking her earphones in and selecting a song before going to work on Carlos' hat.
xx
Two hours later, Camille finishes the hat for Carlos and she puts it aside before standing up. The moment she's vertical, a pain shoots through her stomach and back, causing her to cry out and fall back down onto the bed. She clenches her eyes shut and breathes heavily, a hand laying against the side of her belly until the pain subsides enough for her to call someone. The first person she calls is Carlos and she puts the phone to her ear, screaming loudly when another pain comes.
"Camille?" Carlos answers and the only response she can give is heavy panting. "Holy shit, are you alright?"
"Think I'm having," she starts and pauses to whimper loudly, "contractions. Come.. come get me, Litos."
Silence creeps over the other line before Carlos yells out, "Holy fucking shit! Camille's having the baby."
Once Carlos calms down and says that he's on his way, Camille hangs up and tries to send a text to Logan, her hands shaking the entire time. After misspelling something five times, she decides to let Carlos handle texting everyone and gets out of bed carefully, making her way downstairs without any pain.
When she gets downstairs, Camille goes to lay on the couch and screams in pain again, hands flying to her stomach protectively. She breathes through the pain like her doctor taught her and keeps her eyes clenched shut until Carlos comes in. The door opens and closes half a second later, the sound of Carlos' footsteps following it and Camille smiles softly, pushing herself up until she's standing.
"Where's your bag? Holy shit, holy shit - shouldn't Logan be doing this? I need to text him, oh god." Carlos looks panicked and Camille shakes her head, laughing through the pain as she makes her way to the door. "Do you need help?"
"My bag is beside the door and I may need to lean on you." She gives Carlos a small smile and then holds onto him when another contraction hits, her hand gripping his shoulder tightly. He cries out softly but lets Camille hold onto him until the pain passes before going to grab her bag, slinging it over his shoulder. "Text Logan in the car," she huffs, moving toward the door with Carlos.
Nodding, Carlos slips an arm around her waist and leads her outside. "I'll text him when we get you in the car," he says, parroting her words.
The two of them make it to the car and Carlos opens the door for Camille, watching her slip inside before going back to shut the door. She watches him and smiles fondly, both hands on her belly, smoothing over the fabric of her t-shirt. When Carlos gets back into the car, he puts the bag in the backseat before grabbing his phone to send Logan a quick text. All the while, Camille breathes in through her nose and out through her mouth, watching him text.
After the message is sent, Carlos starts the car and Camille puts her seat belt on, whimpering in pain. She bites down on her lip and lets her head fall back against the seat, eyes screwed shut and fingers tightening around the fabric of her shirt. Carlos is saying something to her but she can't hear or understand it, too focused on the pain in her stomach in back to pay attention to anything else. When the pain fades a little, she opens her eyes and looks over at Carlos, chewing nervously on her lower lip.
"I'm scared, Litos."
Carlos laughs and that makes her smile a bit. "Should have thought about that nine months ago, babe."
"Mmm..." She closes her eyes and moves her hands to the dashboard, gripping it tightly. "I'm not scared of the labor," she grits out, breathing heavily between words, "I'm afraid of being a bad mother."
"You and Logan are going to be great parents." As he drives, Carlos glances over at Camille and puts a hand on hers, stroking it lovingly before turning back to the road. "And you've got me, your parents, Logan's parents, my mom and dad... so you won't be without help, I promise. I know I'm ignorant when it comes to babies and stuff but I did help raise Alex somewhat," he says, chuckling when Camille lets out a pained laugh.
The contraction fades and Camille holds Carlos' hand gently. "I love you, Carlos. You know that, don't you?"
"Sure, why wouldn't I?"
"You're going to be... going to be the best uncle to this baby," she whispers, playing with his fingers.
Smiling, Carlos nods and pulls into the hospital parking lot, swinging the car to the ER entrance. "Come on, let's go have a baby."
Camille laughs at that and nods slowly, watching Carlos get out of the car and go around to open the door for her. She gets out and leans mostly on him, one of her hands fisted in the fabric of his shirt, tugging it as another pain comes along. This one isn't as bad as the others and it doesn't keep her from walking, so Camille goes inside and falls into the first wheelchair available as Carlos goes to talk to the nurses.
Soon, someone is wheeling her down the hall and Camille glances over her should at Carlos, who is running out of the hospital. There's a knot in her stomach and Camille doesn't know if that's because she's in labor or because she actually is afraid to do this. A part of her believes that she's mainly afraid of being alone in the delivery room but she knows that's not going to happen; Logan is going to be in there and so is her mother.
With her mind at ease, Camille lets the nurses take her upstairs to the labor and delivery unit. She doesn't complain when they get her out of her comfortable clothing and into one of those thin, stupid hospital gowns. No complaints are given when they start sticking her with IVs and needles and there are definitely no complaints when they hook her up to the rest of the machines. The nurses explain what each monitor is for and she nods her head slowly as they talk, feeling a contraction come along.
"FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!" Camille screams at the top of her lungs and leans her head back against the pillows, whimpering quietly in between groans and moans of pain. A few tears slip out and she wipes them away quickly, drying her fingers on the bed sheet. The pain goes away just when Carlos comes into the room and he announces his presence to everyone, which makes Camille open her eyes and look toward the door. A smile curves along her lips when she sees a familiar face standing beside Carlos.
Carlos grins when he sees Camille smile and comes in, the overnight bag slung over his shoulder. "Look who I found," he sing-songs.
"Mrs. Knight," she says, voice slightly broken from the pain and screaming. "Hi."
"How are you feeling, honey?" Jennifer asks as she moves into the room, pressing her hand against Camille's forehead.
Chuckling dryly, Camille closes her eyes and swallows. "Like I'm pregnant and about to have a baby," she answers.
"But other than that you're fine?" Camille nods her head slightly and smiles. "I guess I'm going to be your nurse tonight."
"Really?" Carlos and Camille say at the same time, both of them laughing together.
Jennifer smiles and nods, pulling her hand away from Camille's forehead. "Yes, really. Where's Logan?"
"He's on his way. He was with his parents when I texted him; should be here in a few minutes." Smiling, Carlos goes to put Camille's bag on one of the chairs and takes a seat at the window, clasping his hands between his legs. "So, I guess we wait?"
"We wait until Camille is fully dilated and then we'll have a baby." Jennifer smiles and goes to check all of the monitors, nodding at Camille's vitals, along with the baby's. She comes back to the bedside a few moments later and pats Camille's hand gently. "Do you want anything?"
Camille shakes her head and then arches slightly. "I want - oh fucking Christ - Logan.."
"He'll be here in a few minutes, sweetie." With another smile, Jennifer looks at Carlos and nods her head. "I'll be back in a little bit to check you, okay?"
"Okay," Camille rasps, nodding slowly.
After nodding again, Jennifer walks to the door and turns around. "Has your water broken yet?"
"No, it hasn't."
"Okay." After that, Jennifer leaves again and Camille closes her eyes, curling up on her side a bit. It helps with the pain and she takes a deep breath, listening to the monitors beep all around her and it helps keep her mind off the pain. She somehow falls asleep for a few minutes and wakes up when Logan comes in, smiling sleepily at him. He smiles back at her and pulls a chair up beside her bed, taking her hand in his as they begin the waiting process.
xx
A couple hours later, Jennifer and another nurse stand Camille up to take her for a walk when her water breaks. The boys make a disgusted face at it and Camille lets out a huge sigh of relief. Once they've cleaned the floor up, she's allowed to walk down the hall with Logan in an attempt to speed up the labor. They walk hand in hand down the hall and stop every few minutes when Camille has a contraction; she holds onto Logan and buries her face against his chest, hands gripping his shirt tightly.
They circle around for a while and eventually go back to the room. Camille climbs into bed just moments before the doctor comes in to check her and he announces that she's starting to get there, but she's got a while to go. Everyone is disappointed to hear that and Camille decides to go back to sleep until the pain wakes her up again. She wakes up from the pain and begs Logan to get in bed with her and, after a few minutes of hesitation, he finally obliges and climbs in behind her. They lay together carefully and Camille squeezes his hand tightly whenever the pain comes, not easing up until a few minutes after it's faded.
Several hours pass and Carlos goes home to catch a nap, giving Camille a kiss on the forehead before leaving. She promises to have Logan call him when she's about to have the baby and he leaves with a smile on his face. It's dark outside and Camille gets a few minutes of sleep before the pain becomes too much for her to handle. When this happens, she makes Logan go get the nurse and they come in with the doctor to check her again before giving her any pain medication.
"You're halfway there," the doctor says, smiling at Logan and Camille before leaving the room.
Camille starts to lose track of time and the hours blur together. She doesn't know exactly how long she's been in the hospital but she does know that she wants to get the labor over with already so she can see her son. After another couple of hours, the doctor comes back in and check her again, grinning broadly when he announces that she only has a little ways to go. When he says that, Logan calls their family and tells them that Camille is going to have the baby soon. All of them come to the hospital and the only ones allowed in the room are Logan and Camille's mother.
Three hours and lots of pushing later, Camille gives birth to a healthy baby boy.
xx
Isaac Levi Mitchell is born on April 19th at 5:07 PM to Camille Roberts and Logan Mitchell.
He weighs seven pounds and is twenty-one inches long.
[Logan]
When he hears his son scream for the first time, Logan breaks down in tears. He holds Camille's hand, kisses her forehead, whispers 'I love you' over and over while tears stream down his face. He knows that he should probably feel embarrassed by how he's reacting his his son's birth but Logan honestly doesn't care; other than meeting Camille, this is the best thing that's ever happened to him.
"Are you alright, baby?"
Camille nods and smiles sleepily up at him. "Go look at him," she rasps. "Tell me that he's perfect."
That makes Logan grin and he leans down to kiss her lips softly, nodding as he straightens up. Across the room, their son is screaming and crying at the top of his lungs while nurses work to clean him up. He's bright pink and wriggling when Logan steps over to the small table and he puts a hand over his mouth, feeling more tears stream down his cheeks as he looks down at his baby; the life that he and Camille created together.
"Congratulations," Jennifer says, coming up behind Logan. He turns to look at her and makes a sobbing noise before hugging her. "He's beautiful and you two are going to be amazing parents, I can just tell."
"Thank you," Logan chokes out, holding onto Jennifer until another nurse says his name. Sniffling, he lets go and turns to face the nurse that had gotten his attention, giving her a smile. "Yes?"
The nurse smiles and hands him a blue bundle. "Here's your son," she says and Logan takes the baby carefully, smiling.
Everyone who doesn't need to stay in the room leaves and Logan moves to the bed with the baby, cradling him gently in his arm. He sits down on the edge of the mattress next to Camille and smiles down at her, tears rimming his eyes again. Neither of them say anything for a moment and Logan pats the baby on the bottom as he looks at him, marveling at the perfection of something so tiny.
"Is he perfect?" Camille asks and Logan looks up, biting his lip softly.
"Yeah, baby," he answers, smiling through the tears, "he's perfect."
Smiling sleepily, Camille nods and holds her hands out, laying the baby on her chest when Logan hands him to her. "What should we name him?"
Taking a deep breath, Logan runs a hand through his hair and watches Camille with their baby, smiling fondly. He takes a moment to just watch her interact with him and he moves a hand to the little guy's head, touching his hair softly. A chuckle escapes when he realizes that their son has a full head of hair and he shakes his head, sniffling quietly.
"Isaac," he says, barely ghosting his fingertips over the baby's cheek. "Isaac Levi."
Camille looks up and smiles brightly, nodding. "I love it," she whispers, turning her attention back to the baby. "Hi, Isaac."
"Happy Birthday little man," Logan whispers as he leans over to kiss the top of Isaac's head. He pulls away a little and leans in to kiss Camille's lips softly, smiling against them before straightening up. "Does it feel surreal to you or is it just me?"
"It feels that way to me."
Logan smiles and sits down in the chair beside the bed, looking at Camille's mom. "Do you wanna hold him, Melissa?"
"I can wait," she answers, giving a tired smile.
"You can hold him, mom." Camille looks up and smiles, her finger stilling on Isaac's cheek.
Melissa smiles more and moves over to the bed, gently taking Isaac from Camille. She cradles him in her arms and sways back and forth a little, talking to him softly. Logan watches quietly and smiles, taking Camille's hand for a moment, lacing their fingers together as he rubs his thumb over the back of hers. After a few minutes, he gets up and kisses her softly, explaining that he's going to collect the other grandparents so they can see him and so he can go smoke a cigar with Carlos.
"Take your time," Camille says, smiling softly at Logan before watching her mom.
After kissing Isaac on the head and telling him that daddy will be right back, Logan goes out into the hall and nearly sprints down to the waiting room, bursting through the door with a big smile on his face. His parents get up and hug him tightly, saying congratulations over and over; he blushes deeply and tells them that they can go ahead to Camille's room to see the baby. He also sends her dad down to her room and watches them walk away before going over to Carlos.
"Ready for that cigar?"
Carlos grins and nods eagerly. "Sure am," he answers and stands up, wrapping Logan in his arms. "I'm so happy for you, dude."
"Me too," Logan agrees, laughing as he claps Carlos on the back a couple of times. "You're going to love him, Litos. He's the tiniest, cutest, most precious little baby in the entire world and he's perfect, dude."
"Let's go smoke real quick so we can come back and I can see him."
The two of them go down to the elevator and Logan watches Carlos text his parents while they wait, body thrumming with excitement. He nearly jumps into the elevator when the doors open and he bounces the entire way down, laughing when Carlos tells him to chill out. Once they get to the bottom floor, Logan takes his phone out and starts sending texts to all of his friends to announce the birth of his baby and the first person he sends a message to is Kendall. He takes the time to personalize that one and says: "You're an uncle! His name is Isaac Levi. Will send pictures soon, hope the tour is going great! Can't wait to see you in June. Love, Logan."
Once all of the messages are sent, Logan slips his phone into his pocket and follows Carlos out of the hospital, walking with him across the street since they're not allowed to smoke near the hospital. When they've gone far enough and they're still in sight of the hospital but not actually on the grounds, Carlos takes two cigars from his pocket and hands one to Logan. He grabs a lighter from his pocket and lights the end, puffing on it as the flame engulfs the tip.
"My parents will be here soon," Carlos says as he blows smoke into the air.
Logan nods and smiles brightly, turning the cigar around between his fingers. "I can wait to see your mom hold him," he says quietly.
"Dude, she can't wait to hold him. She's bringing by some food, too, because hospital food blows."
"I love your mom so fucking much." Logan laughs and brings the cigar back to his mouth, taking a few more puffs before bending down to grind the tip out against the pavement. Thank god they were cheap cigars, or else he'd feel bad for not smoking the whole thing. When he straightens up, Logan hands the cigar back to Carlos and slips his hands into the pockets of his jacket, smiling like an idiot. "It's weird, you know, but I already miss his tiny little face and his nose," he mutters and Carlos laughs at him.
After putting his own cigar out, Carlos puts them into a case and slips it into his jacket. "Ready to go back inside then?"
"Dude, yes." Laughing, Logan puts an arm around Carlos and pulls him close, leading him to the hospital. They walk inside together and Logan nearly runs to the elevators, pushing the button rapidly until it dings and one opens up. The ride back upstairs is quiet and Logan is still bouncing slightly, his hands curled into fists inside his pockets.
When they get back to the floor where Camille and Isaac are, Logan takes Carlos back to the waiting room. "I'll come get you when everyone else leaves, okay? We want to talk to you alone, without the family," he explains, giving his friend a smile before going back to Camille's room... where everyone is standing around.
Isaac is being held by Logan's dad and he smiles at him, peeling his jacket off before hanging it on the back of a chair a few feet away from the bed where Camille is sitting. He moves over quietly and leans down, kissing her lips softly before taking a seat on the bed next to her, letting Camille take his hand and squeeze it lightly. They watch as their son is passed from person to person, each of them talking to him in that traditional baby talk and Logan's not the least bit bothered by it. He smiles when he hears it and wonders if that's how he sounds when he talks to Isaac.
Eventually the room gets cleared out and everyone kisses the baby, Camille, and Logan goodbye. The three of them watch as their family files out of the room and Logan holds Isaac so that his body is laying along the length of his forearms. He holds him carefully, laying his arms in his lap to ensure that he doesn't drop him, and he talks to him in that annoying baby talk, calling him a plethora of different names.
"Do you think we should get Carlos in here now?"
Logan looks up and nods, smiling. "Yeah, probably should," he says, handing Isaac to Camille. "I'll be right back."
[Carlos]
Waiting sucks and there's only so much Carlos can do in a hospital. He chews on his tongue ring for lack of a better thing to do and it still kind of hurts, even two months after getting it done, so he stops doing that quickly. So, instead, Carlos stares at the clock on the wall and tilts his head from side to side, moving it in time with the ticking of the clock. He's about to get up and go see what Mrs. Knight is up to when Logan steps into the room and motions for him to come out into the hall.
"Come on, Isaac's waiting." Logan smiles and Carlos gets up immediately, following his friend out into the hall. His heart beats rapidly with every step they take and his palms are sweating when they step into the room. There's a nurse in there to check on Camille and the baby and she smiles at Logan and Carlos when they come in. After she's done, she gathers her things and slips out into the hall, leaving the four of them alone.
Camille smiles at him and Carlos smiles back. "You look gorgeous," he says and he means it; for someone who just had a baby, Camille looks great.
"Thank you, Litos," she answers, smiling as she shifts the blue bundle in her arms and there's a quiet whimpering noise. "Do you want to hold him?"
"I've been waiting to hold this little guy for months," he says, smiling brightly as he comes over to the bed, arms extended. When Camille places Isaac in his arms, Carlos cradles him close to his bod and his smile widens instantly. "You look just like your daddy."
Logan laughs and takes a seat next to Camille. "Didn't your family say that was going to happen?"
"Think so." As Carlos speaks, he moves around the end of the bed and takes a seat in one of the chairs. "God, he's so perfect," he whispers, moving a hand over the top of Isaac's head, feeling how soft his hair is. A quiet chuckle leaves his throat and he shakes his hand, returning his hand to the baby's bottom.
"We wanted to talk to you about something," Logan starts, and Carlos nods slowly, humming to show that he's paying attention. "We were talking about it a lot over the past few months and... we'd really like it if you'd be Isaac's godfather."
The second Logan says 'godfather,' Carlos looks up at him and opens his mouth, staring at them in disbelief. He shakes his head and gives them a huge smile before turning back to Isaac, running a fingertip along his cheek. Even though he knows what his answer is, Carlos still takes a moment to think about it and he goes over the responsibilities that would be put on his shoulders, should Logan and Camille pass away before Isaac turns eighteen.
"So...?" Camille hedges, folding her hands on her lap.
"Yeah," Carlos answers, nodding as he looks back up at them, grinning. "Yes, I'll be his godfather."
Both of his friends smile at him and Logan wraps an arm around Camille. "That's great, thank you."
"Thank you." Softening his smile a little, Carlos turns back to Isaac and shifts him so that he's laying on his thighs. He talks to him in the typical baby talk and doesn't pay attention to Logan when he laughs at him. Carlos is in his own little world and he's happy to be an uncle - and godfather - to such a perfect baby.
xx
Camille runs Carlos out of the room when it's time to feed Isaac and he goes willingly, roaming the halls as he waits to be let back into the room. He's got a grin on his face and can't help but tell people that he's an uncle; he expects people to think he's weird but they just smile and congratulate him before going on their way. On his third trip down the hall, Carlos sees his mom and dad step off the elevator and he goes over to them, immediately hugging them both.
"He's being fed right now," explains, motioning toward the waiting room. "Logan will come get us when he's done."
Sylvia smiles and sits down, covering her mouth with both hands. "I can't believe Logan's a father," she breathes, eyes wide.
"I can't either," Miguel agrees.
"Yeah, well, I can't either and I've been the guy's best friend forever." Biting his lip, Carlos leans against the wall and taps his foot against the tile, taking his phone out to text Gustavo and tell him about the baby. "He is so fucking cute, like, you guys have no idea," he says, shoving his phone back into his pocket.
His parents look at each other and smile. "They named him Isaac?"
"Isaac Levi, yep."
"That's a nice name," Sylvia hums and Miguel nods his head slowly, taking his wife's hand. "I feel like I'm a grandmother."
Carlos laughs quietly and nods, running a hand down his face. "You should 'cause you're like a second mother to Logan," he says, smiling.
A silence falls over the waiting room and Carlos keeps tapping his foot against the floor, waiting for Logan to come get them. He's about to go talk to one of the nurses and ask if everything's okay when his friend steps into the room, looking tired but happy. Carlos goes over to him and hugs him again, holding him tightly until his mom comes over, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Congratulations, Logan," she murmurs, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek. "I love you and Camille so much."
"We love you guys too," Logan answers, smiling sleepily. "You guys can come see them for a few minutes, if you'd like."
The four of them go down the hall and into Camille's room, Carlos' mom carrying a bag of food. She sets it on a chair and goes over to see the baby, cooing softly at him. Carlos watches from the corner and smiles, crossing both arms over his chest as he watches his families merge together and he feels like he could cry. When his mom holds Isaac and talks about him being her first grandchild, Carlos does cry a little and he excuses himself from the room before disappearing down the hall.
Carlos ends up in another waiting room and he sits down, pulling his phone out with one hand while he wipes at his eyes with the other. He goes through his contacts, hits Kendall's name, and brings the phone to his ear, listening to it ring a few times before cutting to voicemail. Kendall's voice startles Carlos and he laughs at himself, listening to the other boy telling him to leave a message at the tone.
When the other line beeps, Carlos says: "Hey. It's, uh, Carlos and I'm just calling... actually, I don't know why I'm calling. This was a dumb idea but I guess I can't exactly stop myself from doing it now, huh? I'm sure Logan told you about the baby and, well, I just wanted to tell you congratulations on being an uncle... and on the album success. Not to mention the tour, which is -" he huffs "- great, Kendall. It's really great; the tour, the album, the fact that our fucking best friends just had a baby.."
After pausing for a moment to collect himself, Carlos mutters, "And I miss you. It's been... forever, almost, and I still fucking miss you. I know that you've moved on and I've tried, believe me, but nothing works. Everyone gets compared to you and I'm hoping that this makes me wake up and see that you don't fucking care anymore. I'm sorry for what happened between us. I still love you..."
He hangs up and stares at his phone for a moment, wishing he hadn't done that. There's a voice in the back of his mind screaming at him and he wants to shut it up, to tell it that he had a valid reason for calling Kendall, but he can't. With a heavy sigh, Carlos runs a hand over his head and scratches the top of his neck before standing up, slipping his phone into his pocket, and moving back down the hallway to reunite with his family.
Camille is half asleep when Carlos comes into the room and he creeps over to where Logan is sitting in the rocking chair. He smiles at his friend and takes his phone out again to snap a few pictures before putting the phone away again. When Logan asks if he wants to hold Isaac one last time before leaving for the night, Carlos accepts and he sways with his godson slowly, kissing his head gently before handing him back to his father, smiling at the two of them.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Carlos whispers, waving at his friend on his way to the door. He looks back one last time, smiles at the sight of Logan holding his son, and then steps out into the hall, rejoining his parents in the waiting room. They all walk outside together and Carlos hugs his parents before getting into his car and going home to do some last-minute things on the baby's room.
xx
Two days after Isaac's birth, Camille and Logan bring him home and the house feels complete.
[Kendall]
The holidays pass in a blur of interviews, parties, photo shoots, and fan meet and greets.
In mid January, Jonathan calls a meeting and tells the guys that they're going out on tour in early April. He shows them a list of cities they're playing in and Kendall notices, when they're going over the dates and the cities, that Jonathan booked concerts in each of their hometowns. Not only do he notice that, but he also realizes that they've got a few days between concerts to spend with their family and Kendall is so happy that he could kiss Jonathan - again - but, of course he doesn't.
Kendall and the guys prepare for their tour in the following months. The Minnesota concert is scheduled for June second and Kendall gets front row seats for his friends and family, sending them out shortly after obtaining them.
It's like a dream when their tour finally begins and Kendall's just waiting to wake up.
xx
[April]
For the first two weeks of their tour, the band sticks to the coast, going up and down it before heading into Nevada. They have a few shows planned there and it still feels surreal to Kendall, even when he's staring out at a sea of hundreds - thousands! - of people who are chanting their names. Some of them are holding signs that say clever things like 'Kendall is my Knight' and others just say 'I love (blank)' on it, with a band member's name written in big letters, sometimes hearts. As crazy as it all may seem, it's also amazingly flattering and Kendall can't help but get a bit of an inflated ego from all of the attention.
After the two shows in Nevada, the boys barely have any time to explore Vegas before they're loaded into the tour bus and taken to their next destination. It doesn't take long for them to get to Utah and they play a show the same day they arrive, all four of them exhausted from the trip but the adrenaline from preforming wakes them up and they manage to stay alive during the entire concert. It also helps that the fans scream their names and sing along to the lyrics, which makes Kendall happy.
They wind up in Colorado on the nineteenth.
Before playing the show, Kendall and the boys end up at a local radio station in Denver for a pre-concert interview. The staff and DJ instruct the boys to turn their phones off during the entire interview and they stay off the entire night, even as they're being whisked away to the venue for their sound check and the few meet and greets they have beforehand.
Kendall decides to leave his phone on the bus during the concert and he doesn't think about it while they're playing. After an extended set list and one encore song that almost turns into two, the boys go back to their tour bus and head to a hotel for the night. When they get to the hotel, Kendall turns his phone one and shoves it into his pocket, figuring on checking it later after he's situated himself in his room for the night.
The guys check in, get their room keys, and head up to their suites with Josh and Kyle sharing a room and Dustin and Kendall spending the night in one together. They say goodnight to one another and Kendall unlocks their room before going inside, immediately letting his bag fall to the ground with a heavy thump. He sighs and walks over to the bed, tossing his phone onto the mattress before taking his clothes off, tossing them onto the floor aimlessly.
"I'm so fucking tired," he groans, stretching slightly before sliding underneath the sheets, sighing contentedly.
Dustin chuckles and nods as he strips down to his underwear. "Yeah," he agrees, yawning loudly.
"Should check my messages before I go to sleep. My best friend's due to have her baby soon." Kendall sits up and leans back against the headboard after grabbing his phone, yawning quietly as he unlocks it. His eyes go wide when he sees the numerous missed calls, text messages, and voice messages from his friends and family.
Deciding to check his messages first, Kendall clicks on the icon and brings them up, whistling when he sees that most of them are from Logan. He shakes his head and taps the screen, bringing the list of messages up as he scratches at the top of his head, yawning again. When the messages finally come up, Kendall screams and grips his phone tightly, staring at the screen.
"What the fuck was that for?" Dustin asks, annoyed.
Kendall turns to look at him, grinning stupidly. "Camille had her baby! Dude, she had him and he's so fucking cute," he answers, laughing as he turns back to his phone, scrolling through the messages. "His name is Isaac Levi and he was born earlier this evening, it looks like."
"Congratulations." The words come out in a muffled yawn but Kendall somehow manages to catch them.
"I'm an uncle! God, I can't wait to see them in June and get to hold this little guy, for real."
Chuckling, Dustin goes to turn the lamp off beside his bed. "I'm going to sleep," he murmurs, and Kendall just waves a hand toward him, before jumping out of bed and heading to the bathroom to check his voice messages. The door shuts behind him and Kendall makes a gleeful noise, scrolling through the couple of pictures Logan sent him, saving every one of them.
After checking his other texts from his mom and a few friends back in Boston, Kendall dials his voicemail. He leans against the sink, listening to the other line ring before asking him for his password, which he punches in quickly, humming when he voice comes back to announce that he has three unread voice messages.
The first one is from his dad and Kendall rolls his eyes when he hears his dad's voice, deleting the message without listening to the whole thing. He chews on his lip and shifts his weight from one foot to the other, waiting to hear the second message, which is from some bullshit scam agency that wants his money and his "cooperation." After deleting the third one, Kendall presses the phone against his ear tightly and pinches the bring of his nose, sighing deeply.
When the message starts playing, Kendall's stops breathing when he hears Carlos' voice on the other line.
"Hey. It's, uh, Carlos and I'm just calling... actually, I don't know why I'm calling. This was a dumb idea but I guess I can't exactly stop myself from doing it now, huh? I'm sure Logan told you about the baby and, well, I just wanted to tell you congratulations on being an uncle... and on the album success. Not to mention the tour, which is -" Carlos' voice stops for a second and tears rim Kendall's eyes when he listens to him huff before continuing, "- great, Kendall. It's really great; the tour, the album, the fact that our fucking best friends just had a baby.."
There's another pause before Carlos continues, muttering quietly, and Kendall's heart fucking shatters as he speaks.
"And I miss you. It's been... forever, almost, and I still fucking miss you. I know that you've moved on and I've tried, believe me, but nothing works. Everyone gets compared to you and I'm hoping that this makes me wake up and see that you don't fucking care anymore. I'm sorry for what happened between us. I still love you..."
When Kendall hears those last four words, he makes a choked off sobbing noise and drops onto the bathroom floor with a loud thud, fingers wrapped tightly around his phone as the tears pour down his face. He bends his knees and draws them to his chest, setting the phone on the floor beside his foot, wrapping both arms around his shins as he presses his face in the space between his knees. Tears stain his skin and Kendall sobs, shoulders shaking violently as he lets go, replaying Carlos' words over in his head.
Carlos knows about the tour and the album and he's happy... that's what Kendall doesn't understand about all of this. He knows that Carlos should be mad at him and he was counting on it, wanting Carlos to hate him for everything he did to him, but he doesn't. It doesn't make any sense and Kendall sure as hell doesn't understand why he's happy to know that Carlos still loves him. He's happy that the other boy still loves him and that he misses him because, even after all this time, Kendall still misses him and he definitely still loves Carlos.
An hour passes and Kendall passes out on the floor, curled up in a fetal position with tears drying on his cheeks. He sniffles and sits up, pushing himself to his feet before going to wash his face, sighing when he looks at himself in the mirror. Laughing quietly, Kendall shakes his head and splashes some water on his face before drying it and grabbing his phone, flicking the light off on his way out of the bathroom. Dustin is curled up on the middle of the bed and he's snoring lightly from underneath the blankets, the sound covering up any noise Kendall makes as he walks over to his bed, slipping underneath the sheets.
It doesn't take Kendall long to fall asleep after that and he clutches his phone the entire night, waking up a few times when it buzzes in his hand.
xx
They end up in Arkansas two days later.
After their show, Kendall goes to an all-night diner with the boys and the sit toward the back even though the place is almost empty. While they wait on their food, he looks at his phone and smiles at the video playing on the screen: Logan's talking and navigating his phone, capturing video of Camille and Isaac together. When Camille looks up and smiles, Kendall bites his lip and tries to keep the tears at bay, setting his phone down on the seat next to him when their waitress comes back.
"What were you smiling at?" Josh asks before digging into his burger and Kendall blushes slightly, scrunching his nose.
"A video of my best friend and her son," he answers, smiling brightly at his friends. "My nephew, I guess you could call him."
Kyle smiles and nods his head, taking a long sip of his drink. "How old?"
"Isaac? Two days."
"Wow," Josh says in between bites, humming happily as he eats. "He's a newborn."
Laughing, Kendall nods and eats a fry. "Yeah, I just wish I could have been there for his birth," he admits, shrugging a shoulder.
"You'll see him in June, won't you?" Kyle asks, looking up from his plate to arch a brow.
"Yeah, but he'll be bigger then. The whole 'new baby' thing will have worn off."
Dustin snorts and shakes his head. "He won't even be two months old."
"I know," Kendall sighs, shaking his head as he picks at his burger. "I just wish I had been there to hold him, you know, after he was born. I'm going to be, like, the hundredth person that holds him and I dunno, that bugs me."
"You'll have plenty of time to hold him and spoil him," Josh mumbles around a bite of food, swallowing before taking a sip of his coffee. "We have four full days in Minnesota, right? One day for the concert, three more for Isaac. There, it's that simple."
Kendall nods slowly and starts eating, listening to the conversation his friends are having. He hums every so often but mostly just thinks about seeing his friends in June, smiling when he thinks about holding Isaac for the first time but the smile fades when the thought of Carlos crosses his mind. Of course he knows that he'll see his ex when he gets home but he doesn't know how he's going to react to that without things being awkward for everyone around them.
An hour and a half later, the four of them pay for their food and leave the diner, heading back to the tour bus. They turn in for the night and the bus starts moving sometime after one in the morning, heading toward Missouri for the next leg of their journey. Kendall doesn't fall asleep until nearly three in the morning and he spends all that time looking at pictures of Isaac on his phone, smiling softly whenever he sees the little boy's face on his screen.
* A/N: One final note on this and I swear that I'm done making them (for this chapter, anyway)!
I think I may have gotten the whole labor process mixed up and switched around so let's pretend that I got it right, okay? I'm a guy and while I've been around plenty of pregnant women, I don't remember the process and I certainly don't know how it feels or anything like that. So, please keep in mind that I am an ignorant man when it comes to pregnancies, labor and delivery, and any pain that comes with the two. I think birth is an amazing thing but I have literally only a basic knowledge when it comes to the ins and outs of it. I apologize if I got anything wrong or screwed anything up! :s *