As promised here's the epilogue. Took about two days to do but least it's now done and outta the way.
Big thank you to you all who've come around stuck this out with us till the end. Will have a little bonus chapter of sorts coming up next just as a treat for everyone.
I can't say for sure when the sequel will get started as I have other projects currently in the works and will be cross-posting this over to AO3 on my account there for when the sequel will be posted as I'm moving away from FF for good due to the technical issues this site always seems to have.
For those interested you can find Kat and myself over on AO3 under our pen names Katya92 and Luxahheart respectively.
Hope everyone's doing well. Take care and till next time!
Four Months later:
Hours. It had been hours since his phone had gone off in the middle of the night, waking him and Ray from a dead sleep only to have Nicole's frantic voice demanding he get up and meet her at the hospital as it was time.
Like he was the expecting father, Kai had jumped out of bed and dashed around like a mad man getting ready, waking Thomas in the process only to have Ray invite him into the bed to get some more sleep with him and let Kai go on his own to the hospital with the promise of meeting him there later.
Kai hadn't really bothered to argue or ask Ray to come with him at the time, not even stopping to give a goodbye kiss to either of them in his haste out the door, and after rushing to the hospital where he was escorted to Nicole's room he began to regret his decision in not having someone else there holding his hand while Nicole squeezed the life out of his other while she laid on her back screaming in pain and agony with no real way to help her but be there like she had asked.
In a perfect world he wouldn't have needed to be the one standing there being her birth partner, that spot was and should have been kept by Johnny but with the other currently locked up in prison Kai was her only remaining family member despite the divorce papers being finalized two months ago.
She was family, always had been and always would be despite the divorce and they both knew that and she was internally grateful for the care Kai had for her when she needed it most.
In all honesty though he hadn't wanted to be there, but how could he downright refuse when she had come to him personally to ask him? Ray had even said it would have been good for him to be there if she didn't have anyone but left the decision up to Kai in the end and he accepted the request some weeks later after she had asked.
Where in the world the time had gone, as it all seemed to fly right by them, he didn't know. It felt like she had told him she was pregnant only yesterday and now there he was standing at her bedside holding her hand, wiping the sweat from her brow and giving as many encouraging words as he could while she struggled for hours on her back, knees close to her chest and body trembling with the pain and exertion taking its toll on her.
Time had seemed to slow in those last few moments as she pushed, the room falling to a dead silence as the baby was out and then the sounds of it's cries cut through the air like a sharp knife and Kai couldn't help but finally glance down to where he had been trying so desperately not to, the doctors and nurses assisting the baby the rest of the way out and held the newborn up to show off to Nicole who was still panting away breathlessly up at the head of the bed.
Per her request, the baby was laid on her chest while they cleaned her up and offered Kai to cut the cord.
As if asking her permission with his eyes, being hesitant himself in doing it, she nodded back to him and went back to fussing over her still crying daughter.
It was such a simple thing to do yet again an uncomfortable feeling had slipped down his throat, nestling there in the pit of his stomach while he took the scissors from the doctor and was instructed where to make the cut.
This wasn't supposed to be his job, he knew that, but once more there was nothing any of them could do about it and snipped away at the cord by the doctors orders.
After everything, feeling like he was no longer needed, he moved himself out of the way to sit on the chair in the corner of the room while the nurses and doctor checked over the baby after taking her away from Nicole.
He felt drained, like he had been the one just on his back birthing a brand new human into the world, and while never in all his years had he ever expected to be in a delivery room to start with he was glad he had come when Nicole turned her head towards him, thanking him with a smile he hadn't seen her wear in a long time.
When he thought the job was done, trying to relax in the chair while the nurses finished cleaning the babe up, he was suddenly presented with said babe swaddled in a blanket and less fussy.
He wanted to decline, it had been years since he'd held an infant and even then it wasn't a newborn and as fragile as she was, but with a quit look over at Nicole watching him-waiting- he felt he had no choice but to hold his arms out and accept the specially wrapped gift they had presented him with.
He couldn't help but keep his eyes down on the squished and angry looking face; something that reminded him of Johnny and the thin almost translucent wisps of red hair on her tiny head didn't help the imagery of him holding his brother in infant form.
All his life he had never been one to believe about love at first sight, or could understand the bond a parent had with their child they'd only just met, yet the more he held her to his chest, whispering sweet words to her that she didn't understand, it began to sink in. Even more, he hadn't expected to feel the way he was now towards a child not of his making but she was family-his family- and he was going to be her greatest protector.
"I decided on naming her Ava." Nicole informed, tears in her eyes as she watched Kai hold her daughter so fondly and wishing that things had been different where Johnny was the one there with her instead.
"After mom?" Kai asked without looking up at her, too smitten with the little one he held in his arms.
"Yeah, I think she'd have liked that and I know Johnny would like it too."
Kai felt his own eyes welling up some, giving a stiff nod back just to let her know he had heard her.
Nicole was right, Johnny would have liked the name she picked out for their daughter. Ava as well if she were still around. It was fitting and suited the baby.
When the little one began to fuss, Kai didn't hesitate to pass her off back to Nicole and stepped out of the room while she went to feed Ava. Taking the time out in the empty hall alone to catch his breath, it still not fully sinking in that he had just been there and witnessed the miracle of birth.
A small shiver ran down his spine once it trickled in fully. Thank God he was a man…
Checking his phone for the time his eyes almost fell out of his head. He wasn't exactly sure at just what time he had gotten up when Nicole had called him but he knew it was somewhere around three or four in the morning when he had left the house and raced to the hospital, and now the time that he read off his phone was saying it was almost ten!
Quickly going to Ray's number he pressed the phone to his ear to give him an update and to check on Thomas, as well as apologize for not keeping in touch with him the past several hours even though he really didn't need to and it wasn't like Ray was really going to care either and brush the apology off anyways.
Around the third ring Ray finally answered and for the first twelve minutes of their conversation all he'd managed to say was 'hi' as Kai didn't shut up about all he'd witnessed and the aftermath of holding Ava and what her measurements were in an excited and giddy tone like he'd been shot up to cloud nine.
While glad to hear that everything had gone well, that mother and baby were fine, Ray could only softly laugh through the receiver as he listened to Kai go on and on and down to every last detail of what he'd just been through.
Finally, after Kai's ramblings, Ray and Thomas were given permission to come to the hospital to meet the newest member of their extended family just before Kai hung up the phone and dialed another number into his phone.
On the first ring it was picked up and after asking the operator to patch him over he shifted against the wall a little while he waited, foot tapping almost impatiently on the polished floor until the receiver on the other end was finally picked up and a groggy 'hello' was sent his way and Kai lit up like a Christmas tree all over again.
Like he'd done with Ray, Kai didn't shut up as he explained the birth of Ava to Johnny who had lit up just as brightly, if not more than Kai the second he heard his brother's voice on the other end. The two went back and forth about Ava for a good thirty minutes, and when he felt he could Johnny inquired about Nicole for a minute before they were swept away by baby talk again.
While Johnny had been informed some days ago that Nicole was fixing to pop he hadn't really expected for Kai to call him up and tell him all about it. He was grateful for it though none-the-less, it making his day and then some and Kai could hear it in his voice.
By the time the two were done, Kai could hear Johnny's voice choke up on him as he thanked Kai for calling him, the two going on about other things shortly after till Johnny's time was up and they had to end the call with the promise of talking more later. Kai more than sure that Johnny was going to run to his prison buddies to inform them all of the news the second he got the chance to.
Thankfully he was off the phone before Ray and Thomas walked up towards him from down the hall. It wasn't that he was hiding keeping a relationship of some kind with Johnny from Ray, but more of the fact that he was trying to be respectful when it came to Johnny given how Ray viewed him and not that Kai blamed him either.
In a way they had agreed, albeit silently and with a mutual understanding, that Kai could and was going to keep Johnny in his life even with the other behind bars as long as Ray wasn't around to listen to the conversations or hear about it later on, and so far the arrangement had been working in their favor.
Ray had no intentions, never had, of stepping between the bond he knew Kai and Johnny had despite their rocky relationship and past, and in a way this worked out for the three of them and even more so since Johnny wasn't able to set Kai off like he had been able to do previously since he wasn't physically around anymore.
While Ray didn't know if Kai forgave Johnny for whatever involvement-or lack thereof- he had in Ming-Ming's death, the two seemed to have patched things up enough since Kai was almost always on call with the other just about every other day. Even though he always knew when Kai would take a call from Johnny or call him up on his own, Ray just went on to do his own thing till Kai was off the phone and they'd resume their day.
Regardless Kai was happier, Ray was happier, and in turn so was Thomas which was the most important thing to the two of them in the end.
Exchanging smiles as Ray and Thomas got up closer to him, he greeted the two before cracking the door to make sure Nicole was decent and ready to receive visitors. Getting the go-ahead he allowed Thomas to go in first with Ray in the middle as he shut the door behind them. The smile that had found a home on his face not leaving when they stepped in.
Like Kai, the other two were besotted with the newborn at first sight. Thomas was excited and over the moon in having a new cousin he got to play with once she got older, and Ray nearly in tears because he just loved babies that much.
With hands washed up to the elbows, the baby was passed around one-by-one once more. Kai assisting Thomas as he held her to make sure Thomas supported Ava's head as he sat on the end of the bed like he'd turned to stone, Kai not even sure if the boy was breathing the entire time Thomas had Ava in his arms.
He understood and sympathized with the kid, he really did, but Thomas was starting to turn blue in the face so he gently took Ava from him to pass her off to Ray next who of course was a natural when it came to holding the newborn.
Nicole all the while laid there, watching and basking in the love and glow the others were emitting off of them as Ava was passed about and fussed over with. Her heart swelled, feeling the love everyone had for each other and couldn't have been more blessed in that moment to have them there with her.
While she'd been able to keep herself up on her own two feet since she left Kai's spare house some months ago, she wouldn't deny that it was hard having to work throughout her pregnancy in order to prepare for a newborn. The apartment she lived in was small but it worked for now, nor was it like she could afford anything bigger at the moment given Johnny wouldn't be able to pay child support in prison and without his name on the birth certificate either.
She had to do it, for her child, persevere to give Ava the best life she could offer and knowing that she had the support and love around her she knew they would be okay.
Two Months later:
It was around six at night when the doorbell rang, alerting the three in the middle of dinner and distracting them from their meal and conversations as their heads went up and turned to the door on the other side of the house.
"Got it." Kai said, pushing himself away from the table.
Upon opening the door he was taken aback to see Nicole stood there, Ava at her side in her carrier fast asleep and bundled up to keep the night air from chilling her tiny body.
Behind her lay the playpen that Nicole often brought over for Ava if she were staying over for the day, as well as the diaper bag hanging off Nicole's other shoulder.
"Nicole?" Kai questioned, stepping aside to let her in and took the carrier from her as she entered only to set Ava down by their feet once they were inside the house.
"I'm sorry, I know this is sudden but they just called me into work. I tried to call and even messaged you but you never answered." Nicole explained, dropping the diaper bag she'd had on her shoulders to the floor by her feet with a loud thump.
Kai noted how over stuffed the bag looked, like the seams were about to rip apart, yet didn't say anything as he just nodded back to her.
"Do you mind keeping her overnight? It's just for tonight." Nicole asked, almost pleading with him.
Kai noted how the way she was starting to tremble, the cracks in her voice and the way her eyes were starting to brim with tears yet he chalked it up to her being sleep deprived and knew how she probably felt bad for dropping in on them unannounced.
"No, that's fine. Left my phone upstairs, I'm sorry."
"It's okay. She has everything for tonight though." Nicole said, waving away his apology.
Again Kai nodded, not able to help but feel something was off but then again she could have been close to running late into work and knew it would be a good drive all the way back.
"Thank you. Thank you so much." Nicole said, rummaging in her purse and pulling out a wad of money that she practically shoved in Kai's chest.
"Nicole, you don't-" "Just take the money, Kai." She bit almost aggressively at him, giving him no window to decline the money and took it from her without protest.
Pocketing the money he went to speak, though Nicole cut him over.
"Thank you, again. I'm so sorry." Were the last words she gave before getting out the door as fast as she could, Kai throwing a questioning look at the back of her head as she acted like she couldn't get out of their fast enough.
He wasn't able to sit on any of his unspoken questions long as Thomas and Ray came away from the dining table, Thomas bounding over to his favorite cousin to see her and proceeded to tell her all about his day while Ray helped Kai bring in the rest of Ava's things.
It had been a while since they had to babysit for Nicole, knowing that she had put Ava in daycare just a month ago so she could go back to work, but the way she'd come in and dropped her off didn't seem right. She hadn't even said goodbye to Ava before she left.
They shrugged it off, figuring Nicole was just running late to work and resumed their night like normal plus one, putting up the playpen in the living room while they finished dinner and watched a movie together after.
It wasn't until an hour later when Ava needed a change and they opened the diaper bag did they finally realize what had happened when all of Ava's papers fell out the top of the bag, along with as many clothes and diapers and bottles with two canisters of formula stuffed inside it.
Kai had tried to call Nicole back in a panic, having seen the missed calls and messages she had left before she randomly showed up, but every call he made went to voicemail until it seemed Nicole had turned her phone off and he was met with an automated message stating the number he was trying to call could not be reached.
Pretending that things were fine for the sake of Thomas they carried on with their night like normal, giving Thomas a bath and reading him a story before bed and making sure he was good and out before they began to panic over their new situation back down in the living room where they'd kept Ava secure in her playpen.
Kai paced while Ray sat on the couch, mulling over the reasons as to why Nicole had just done what she did.
Maybe she lost her job and couldn't afford to care for Ava anymore. Maybe she had some kind of postpartum depression she didn't tell anyone about and felt it better to give Ava up. The kicker too was Ray wasn't sure if he hated her right now or pitied her. Regardless, they didn't have the answers, never would either and were now stuck on figuring out what to do.
Neither of them were really equipped to take care of a two-month old. The diapers Nicole brought would run out in a days' time as well as the clothes and formula she'd brought. There was no space, let alone a crib, to give Ava her own room and even though Kai was retired and stayed home now while Ray continued working at the club they weren't sure how well they'd be able to make the schedule they had work around a baby like it had been.
The sensible thing would have been to take Ava in somewhere, declare her abandoned and let the state handle it but in the end neither of them could bring themselves to do it. She was family and regardless of Nicole's reasoning's for why she dumped her and ran off they weren't about to do the same to her, whatever paperwork that needed to be filed would be and they'd figure out the rest as it came. It wasn't as if they were strapped for cash anyways so that was one weight off their chests.
Come morning, the two not being able to really fall asleep due to anxiety and worry on top of Ava waking up in the middle of the night, they pushed themselves out of bed feeling like death to make sure Thomas made it to the bus on time, waving him off and getting ready to go to the grocery store for the things they'd need for Ava.
It felt like they had spent the entire day at the store, a good portion of it stuck in the clothes section as Ray fussed about every tiny piece of clothing they came across while Kai stocked up on boxes upon boxes of diapers and wipes and formula. They ended up walking out with two carts filled to the brim with baby items with really no place to put them once they got home; on top of a screaming baby that needed to be fed and changed.
Kai had his reservations about putting Ava in with Thomas since he was so used to having a room and space of his own and Ray agreed, and without a crib for the moment it made more sense to put all her clothes and other items in their room since that's where she slept.
Leaving Ray to sort it all out once they hauled bags and more bags and boxes upstairs along with Ava in her carrier, Kai went down to the office to call Johnny up to inform him of what had happened before it got too late to do so.
By the time the call ended, Johnny nearly erratic and about to blow a fuse or more on the other end the entire time, Thomas was coming home from school and it felt like their entire day had swept right by them without them even realizing.
Ray, between rearranging his and Kai's room and closet to make room for Ava and her things, called Tala up on the phone to inform him of what had happened the night before and to call off work for the night. Like the other two, Tala was just as floored as they had been, giving Ray his sympathies and three nights off instead to accumulate to parenthood.
It had only been the first day, they knew that, but they were both mentally and physically drained that by the time Thomas and Ava were put down for bed they too crashed right after without even properly getting undressed for sleep.
They weren't sure how they had managed to get up for the next day but like clockwork they did, sending Thomas off for another day at school while they continued to figure out how to be parents to a two-month old.
It definitely was a lot different than taking care of a five-year old, that much was sure, and while Kai often refused to change the foul smelling diapers he always offered to feed Ava whenever she got hungry and to give Ray a break since he would be needing to go back to work at night.
How and why he managed to accumulate two children that weren't his own was beyond him, he hadn't asked for it nor did he wish it, on top of living with a man he still wasn't legally married to yet.
While they hadn't much discussed the wedding, just enjoying the days and time as they came, it slowly trickled into Kai's head that it would almost be near impossible to even try to think of arranging the marriage now as the days continued to pass them by and they were both running on little sleep to keep up with two children.
With Ray working at the club he was even more exhausted but persisted to get up when Kai did in order to help get Thomas out the door on the weekdays, do his part in taking care of Ava and whatever else that needed to be done around the house.
The intimacy between the two was slowly dissolving away, especially due to Ava sleeping right there in the bedroom with them. They were lucky if they managed to see the other naked in passing due to having no time with each other even for a quickie in the shower now, and while it wouldn't solve the issue entirely that didn't stop Kai from looking around for a bigger house for the four of them.
Of course, like with most things he did, he didn't let Ray know about his newly purchased four bedroom house in the suburbs and when he unveiled it to him Ray was in tears. Torn between wanting to kiss and punch him at the same time Ray went with the better option between the two, thanking Kai over and over again as Kai gave him the tour of their brand new home.
It was more spacious than Ray could have ever hoped to have, their bedroom bigger than the last and with a kitchen to die for. It was another two story but this one had a front and back porch as well as a two car garage and plenty of room to expand their family if they wished to.
Thomas was just as excited for the new place, getting his pick of one of the spare rooms and choosing the biggest one of the three for himself. Even more so he was excited about the big backyard they now had that he could run around and play in, already begging for a swing-set and demanding that Kai build him a treehouse.
While Kai was being given a list of things that Thomas was wanting, Ray chimed in with his request for a white picket fence that was put up within the week of them moving in.
After putting the old house on the market they were moved into the new one a month later, boxes were stacked in any open space they could find to put them, Ava finally getting her own room and a crib to sleep in while Thomas decorated his new room how he wanted it. It took some time to unpack and reset, making the house feel more like a home like it had for the four of them with more elbow room to move about and not feel as constricted as before.
As much as he could between the move and just life in general, Kai tried to keep Johnny up to date on how Ava was doing, on top of filing out the official paperwork to become her guardian as well as Thomas'. Then came the transfer papers for Thomas' school, insurance and whatever else that needed to be filled out and signed for the two of them. Thank God Nicole had given them Ava's birth certificate and other important paper work when she had or he would have been more screwed over by her.
There was so much paperwork to be done he felt like he was drowning in it, unable to really give much time to any of them in the house which left Ray caring for the two kids on his own most of the time between working at the club. Somehow though they made it work, the intimacy returning now that they had their room back to themselves, but one last thing was still being placed on the back burner and would be for some time.
It wasn't like they felt like they needed to be married, it was just something they both wanted but again were too swamped to even sit down and talk about it much less think about.
When Ava was nearing seven months old they were granted temporary guardianship of her, Kai feeling it best to do it that way since Johnny was still around and at some point would be getting out of prison despite him having a long way to go before he set foot out of there as a free man once again.
He was putting in the effort best he could while locked away to be part of his daughters life, Kai taking her to see him a few times and was even surprised himself when Johnny had managed to get something for Ava that Christmas.
Before they knew it they had blinked and an entire year had gone by that they'd been together, had two children and a home to call their own. Tala and Julia had their own bundle of joy back in September with another one on the way by New Years, Kai offering his condolences to the already frazzled father of one while Ray congratulated the two as Tala began his own house hunting spree to accommodate his growing family.
They blinked again and Ava was walking, Thomas now six, and then they blinked again and Ava was four and Thomas was ten while Tala and Julia had a small army of four kids of their own.
Everything, from where Kai could see, had fallen into the right place except one thing…
After some bartering and slipping a few hundred into Tala's hand just before their fifth anniversary, he took Ray out for the day where it was just the two of them. Neither of them could remember a time where it had just been them together for the day, Kai doing everything in his power to make it the best day of their lives and at the end of it pulled the two up to the courthouse where they officially tied the knot in front of a judge in a room full of strangers.
It wasn't the big lavish wedding of Ray's dreams but it was still special and to the man that meant the most to him. The two taking the night for themselves too while Tala and Julia watched the kids, surprising them with the news when they came to collect Thomas and Ava the next day.
Finally the last puzzle piece had been put into place and things were good, really-really good.
So they had thought at least…
After officially getting married, Kai set in motion for both him and Ray to become Thomas' adoptive fathers yet due to the move and not really having time to sort through it all, it took some time for Kai to even file out the appropriate paperwork for the three of them. Thomas' birth certificate had seemed to disappear in the move somewhere, as well as Kai's own papers that it took longer in putting the adoption process in motion until he was able to get new versions of the paperwork made up.
What he thought would have taken less than a year to do turned into a three year long battle of drowning in more and more paperwork that by the time he had it all sorted out Thomas was nearing fifteen. By all accounts there wasn't a full reason to even finish with the adoption process given Thomas would be a legal adult in three years but with Ray encouraging Kai to finish it he pushed through.
They both knew how it was important to Kai and Thomas despite the boy having been calling Kai 'dad' for years now and in their hearts they knew Thomas was their son despite what a piece of paper said or didn't say.
It had been a good month now that Kai sent off the last bits of paperwork to the courthouse, sitting on pins and needles waiting for the final stamp of approval that would make Thomas his and Ray's by law.
He couldn't remember a time when he'd been this anxious in his life, doing his best to stay preoccupied while the days continued to pass them by without hearing a word back.
It was nearing the end of summer vacation, the kids having been out of school for two months and preparing to start a new school year come August when they'd all been inside the house, going over school lists and making sure they had everything sorted for their first day of school when the doorbell rang.
Leaving Ray and the kids in the kitchen where they'd been around the island counter, the kids sitting on the barstools with their school items laid out over the top of it, Kai went to the front door to answer whoever it was that had randomly rocked up to their house.
He was sure none of them were expecting any visitors, then again Tala did like to drop by unannounced at times with his army of children at his heels, though what greeted Kai behind the front door wasn't a set of icy-blue eyes and flaming red hair.
For what seemed the first time in his life he had to crane his head back to look the man who had shown up at his door in the face, the other standing a good two or more heads taller than he was.
Off-white hair pulled into a high ponytail covered his head and dark-blue eyes bared down at Kai. The man's arms were covered in tattoos over his tanned complexion, the size of them close to a bodybuilders like the man had nothing better to do but work out all the time. If the man wanted to he could have broken Kai over his knee like a twig.
Kai had never seen the man in his life before, that much was sure nor did he like him already.
"Can I help you?"
"Yeah, you can actually." The man answered, shifting his weight where he stood just outside the threshold on the front porch like he was trying to intimidate Kai.
"You Kai Hiwatari by any chance?"
"I am. Whose asking?" Kai questioned back, eyes narrowing and the grip he had around the edge of the door tightened.
"Names Rick. Rick Anderson."
From around the corner of the kitchen Ray and the kids poked their heads around to see what was going on and what was taking Kai so long, taking note of the bear of a man standing just outside their front door where the top of his forehead and up was cut off by the door frame.
Something didn't feel right in the pit of Ray's stomach, ushering the kids back around the corner as he stepped out but didn't move closer to make sure the kids wouldn't come running out of the kitchen.
Thomas and Ava poked their heads back around regardless to see what was going on. Thomas putting a protective hand on Ava's shoulder as he met eyes with the man for a brief moment.
Seeing the three past Kai's head through the house a sadistic smirk curled up Rick's face, eyes darting back down to Kai's and locking on like he was his prey.
"Ya see, I'm looking for my son and I was told I'd be able to find him here." Rick said, reaching into his back pocket and pulled out a piece of paper that he held out for Kai to take.
Kai glanced at it before taking the folded up paper hesitantly from him, pulling it open to read. As his eyes scanned the first few lines they widened and his hands trembled, his stomach rolling on him to the point he almost wanted to puke.
While Kai became motionless with no words to say as he read over every line of the fine print, Rick glanced back into the house past Kai's head towards the corner of the kitchen where he could see the kids still peeking around.
He raised a hand, waving at them as his smirk turned into a smile and locked eyes with Thomas.
"Hey Thomas, I'm your dad."