{Author's notes: Not claiming to own the show or the characters that are not unique to this story...just a fan writing about them. Also, just a reminder that this is a sequel to "A Father's Love" and "Long Road Home" so you might want to check those out (primarily Long Road Home) if you haven't already. This story is going to follow many of the same storylines that appeared on AMC, but seeing as how Leo is alive and well, some of those might be tweaked just slightly. Enjoy!}
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Baby Steps
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Chapter One: Good News and Bad News
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October 2003
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"Would you quit pacing?" Greenlee du Pres asked from where she was sitting on the examination table. The petite woman with shoulder-length brown hair focused her equally brown eyes on the tall, brown-haired man pacing around the small hospital room. "You're making me nervous!"
"I can't help it, Greenlee." the man replied, stopping in his tracks. He opened his arms innocently. "I'm just wondering where Joe is. I mean, we've been in here for about an hour already!"
"We've only been in here for about five minutes, Leo." Greenlee chuckled, holding her stomach. "Just relax. It's not like I'm dying or something."
"No." Leo argued, stuffing his one of his hands into his pants pockets. "But you have been sick every morning for about a week now." He ran his free hand through his short, brown hair. "We both know what that's a symptom of."
Just as Greenlee was about to point out that it could be a virus of some sort, the door to the room opened. Dr. Joe Martin, an elderly man with a kind aura about him, entered the room and smiled at Leo and Greenlee.
"I have your test results back from the lab." he announced, holding up the paperwork in his hands. His usual smile widened. "Congratulations!"
Neither having the ability to speak, Leo and Greenlee only exchanged shocked glances before turning back to the older man in front of them. Leo rubbed his throat as if to clear something blocking his vocal chords.
"You mean…" he started but found himself unable to finish.
"Yes, Leo." Joe said, putting a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "In about seven or eight months, you're going to be a father."
Greenlee and Joe started discussing what the next step would be from that point, but Leo heard none of it. Stunned, he sat down in a wooden chair away from the two and put his head in his hands. A million feelings filled the insides of him; worry being the chief one. Was he really ready to be a father? What did he know about being one anyway when he had never had one growing up? What if du Pres made a mistake, and messed his child up for life?
"Hello?" a worried Greenlee said, waving her hand in front of his face. Leo looked up to see that not only had Joe left the room, but also Greenlee had moved from the examination table to standing right in front of him. He dropped his hands. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." Leo lied as Greenlee sat down on his lap.
"Liar." Greenlee lightly chuckled as she rubbed his back. "We're going to do all right, Leo. Both of us." A smile lingered on her face. "Besides, since when have we ever backed away from a challenge?"
"Never." Leo shook his head. He still wasn't feeling too sure about the whole baby thing, but he made a conscious decision to not dwell on it too much. Instead, he grinned as he scooped Greenlee into his arms and stood up. "So, shall we go and spread the good news?"
"You're going to carry me to the car?" a surprised Greenlee realized.
"Don't want you to trip and fall, do I?" Leo smiled as the pair reached the door. The tall, brown-haired man stopped in his tracks. "You can get the door, right?"
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"You shouldn't have carried me out of the hospital, and all the way up here." a concerned Greenlee said as Leo sat down on the couch in the middle of the pair's living room. She had remained in Leo's arms from the parking lot, and as they took the elevator all the way up to their penthouse loft. "You could have really hurt yourself."
"I'm fine, Greens." a chuckling Leo waved off, even though he was a bit out of breath. "It's just that I haven't done anything like that since being shot."
His father's old bodyguard and his mother's ex-fiancé, Marius Wolfe, had shot Leo in the chest six months prior. Due to it being at close range, it had been a miracle that Leo had even survived, much less regained his health.
"Still, maybe we should call David." a now standing Greenlee suggested as she picked up Leo's feet and put them on the couch, so that he was now lying down. She was referring to his older, half-brother who was a world famous cardiologist.
"Why? I just had an exam with him the other day, and he said that I was doing better than expected." a smiling Leo asked, knowing full well that David, being the older brother that he was, would only overreact if Greenlee told him what Leo had done.
Suddenly, the phone rang and halted any further conversation. Seeing it on the coffee table next to him, Leo grabbed it.
"Du Pres residence." he answered cordially.
"Leo, it's Anna." came the reply. Leo knew that it was Anna Devane, David's ex-wife, who had moved to Paris a month ago. "I'm afraid that I have some bad news."
"Bad news?" a worried Leo repeated, sitting up again. Those words had also gotten Greenlee's attention and she sat down next to her husband. "Anna, what's wrong?"
"It's your father."
To be continued....
------------------------------------------------------------------
Baby Steps
----------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter One: Good News and Bad News
----------------------------------------------------------------
October 2003
----------------------------------------------------------------
"Would you quit pacing?" Greenlee du Pres asked from where she was sitting on the examination table. The petite woman with shoulder-length brown hair focused her equally brown eyes on the tall, brown-haired man pacing around the small hospital room. "You're making me nervous!"
"I can't help it, Greenlee." the man replied, stopping in his tracks. He opened his arms innocently. "I'm just wondering where Joe is. I mean, we've been in here for about an hour already!"
"We've only been in here for about five minutes, Leo." Greenlee chuckled, holding her stomach. "Just relax. It's not like I'm dying or something."
"No." Leo argued, stuffing his one of his hands into his pants pockets. "But you have been sick every morning for about a week now." He ran his free hand through his short, brown hair. "We both know what that's a symptom of."
Just as Greenlee was about to point out that it could be a virus of some sort, the door to the room opened. Dr. Joe Martin, an elderly man with a kind aura about him, entered the room and smiled at Leo and Greenlee.
"I have your test results back from the lab." he announced, holding up the paperwork in his hands. His usual smile widened. "Congratulations!"
Neither having the ability to speak, Leo and Greenlee only exchanged shocked glances before turning back to the older man in front of them. Leo rubbed his throat as if to clear something blocking his vocal chords.
"You mean…" he started but found himself unable to finish.
"Yes, Leo." Joe said, putting a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "In about seven or eight months, you're going to be a father."
Greenlee and Joe started discussing what the next step would be from that point, but Leo heard none of it. Stunned, he sat down in a wooden chair away from the two and put his head in his hands. A million feelings filled the insides of him; worry being the chief one. Was he really ready to be a father? What did he know about being one anyway when he had never had one growing up? What if du Pres made a mistake, and messed his child up for life?
"Hello?" a worried Greenlee said, waving her hand in front of his face. Leo looked up to see that not only had Joe left the room, but also Greenlee had moved from the examination table to standing right in front of him. He dropped his hands. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." Leo lied as Greenlee sat down on his lap.
"Liar." Greenlee lightly chuckled as she rubbed his back. "We're going to do all right, Leo. Both of us." A smile lingered on her face. "Besides, since when have we ever backed away from a challenge?"
"Never." Leo shook his head. He still wasn't feeling too sure about the whole baby thing, but he made a conscious decision to not dwell on it too much. Instead, he grinned as he scooped Greenlee into his arms and stood up. "So, shall we go and spread the good news?"
"You're going to carry me to the car?" a surprised Greenlee realized.
"Don't want you to trip and fall, do I?" Leo smiled as the pair reached the door. The tall, brown-haired man stopped in his tracks. "You can get the door, right?"
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"You shouldn't have carried me out of the hospital, and all the way up here." a concerned Greenlee said as Leo sat down on the couch in the middle of the pair's living room. She had remained in Leo's arms from the parking lot, and as they took the elevator all the way up to their penthouse loft. "You could have really hurt yourself."
"I'm fine, Greens." a chuckling Leo waved off, even though he was a bit out of breath. "It's just that I haven't done anything like that since being shot."
His father's old bodyguard and his mother's ex-fiancé, Marius Wolfe, had shot Leo in the chest six months prior. Due to it being at close range, it had been a miracle that Leo had even survived, much less regained his health.
"Still, maybe we should call David." a now standing Greenlee suggested as she picked up Leo's feet and put them on the couch, so that he was now lying down. She was referring to his older, half-brother who was a world famous cardiologist.
"Why? I just had an exam with him the other day, and he said that I was doing better than expected." a smiling Leo asked, knowing full well that David, being the older brother that he was, would only overreact if Greenlee told him what Leo had done.
Suddenly, the phone rang and halted any further conversation. Seeing it on the coffee table next to him, Leo grabbed it.
"Du Pres residence." he answered cordially.
"Leo, it's Anna." came the reply. Leo knew that it was Anna Devane, David's ex-wife, who had moved to Paris a month ago. "I'm afraid that I have some bad news."
"Bad news?" a worried Leo repeated, sitting up again. Those words had also gotten Greenlee's attention and she sat down next to her husband. "Anna, what's wrong?"
"It's your father."
To be continued....