A/N: It's late where I am so I haven't read through this. All mistakes are my own and I'll go back and correct em after I've gotten some sleep.
Chapter 4
The guys made their way towards Clay's apartment. They had a case of beer and a couple of pizzas with them to celebrate Clay's first mission with the team. They hadn't called before coming over, they figured they would surprise him and give him the full experience of being on the team. It was not uncommon for the guys to just show up at the other's place. Not too much on Ray's side of things with him having two young children, but they have on the occasion done so.
"This is going to suck if he's not home." Ray commented as Jason knocked on the door.
"He's here. Saw his shitty car outside." Sonny said.
After a moment when Clay didn't answer, Jason knocked louder this time.
"He's probably got headphones on working." Trent said.
After another moment Jason started to bang on the door and didn't stop until he heard the locks being flipped. Clay opened the door and they could all tell he was annoyed, but also exhausted. He looked like he had been up all night and day.
"What?" Clay snapped.
"Hello to you too Sunshine." Jason said, as he pushed past Clay and headed inside. The guys all following behind him.
"You can't be here." Clay said, doing his best to keep his voice down without it seeming weird.
"We brought pizza and beer, that says we can." Sonny said, as he went and placed it down on the island counter in the kitchen.
"We're celebrating your first operation on Bravo." Ray said warmly.
"That's really nice, but not necessary. You need to go." Clay said.
"Why the hell would we leave? We got beer and pizza." Sonny said with a loud voice that had Clay cringing.
"Keep your voice down." Clay automatically said.
"Why, you got a headache?" Trent asked, concerned.
"No."
"Great let's party!" Sonny yelled with a big smile on his face.
"Where's all your stuff?" Ray asked, as he looked around and saw that the place was very bare.
"Stop yelling, Sonny please." Clay said, starting to panic slightly.
"Why, do you got a girl here or something? Come on out girl!" Sonny yelled with a goofy smile.
What came next, none of the guys expected. Lexi began to cry. Clay closed his eyes and hung his head slightly.
"I just got her to sleep. You guys need to go." Clay said, sounding just exhausted.
"You got a baby? Dude have you never heard of condoms?" Sonny said, not impressed at all.
"Sonny." Jason started.
"What? It's true." Sonny argued back.
"Just leave, please." Clay said, as he turned to head down to the bedroom.
"Holy shit, he's got a kid?" Ray asked, shocked.
"It would explain his added expenses. He's probably paying the medical bills from the mother's pregnancy and delivery." Trent said.
"But come on, you get condoms for free at any clinic. They have em on base, everywhere." Sonny said, not getting past that part.
"That's not helping." Jason said, with a pointed look at him.
Jason didn't know what to think about any of this. He was slightly annoyed that Clay had a baby and was still in DEVGRU. It wasn't that you couldn't have kids, but to have an infant and working two jobs, it was insane. Plus, where was the mother? He didn't see anything that would resemble a woman's touch in the apartment. Something was going on and Jason was going to get to the bottom of it.
Clay walked back out into the living room and was not impressed that the guys were all there. Lexi continued to scream her head off.
"Seriously please go. I just got her to sleep, I need to get her back to sleep so I can finally sleep."
"She's small, how old is she?" Trent asked, as he took her in.
"Three months." Clay answered.
"How is someone who is supposed to be so smart, do something stupid like get a woman knocked up?" Sonny asked.
"Really?" Ray said, not impressed. Ray knew anything could happen. Clay didn't need a safe sex lecture.
"She's my half-sister. Ash got some eighteen year old knocked up, who did heroin throughout her pregnancy and oded at thirty-three weeks." Clay said, as he walked around slowly trying to get Lexi to stop crying.
"Damn, sorry kid." Sonny said, feeling like shit for what he said.
"That's why she's so small." Ray said.
Clay stumbled slightly, but was able to catch himself with the wall.
"Ok, give me her." Jason said. This was insane. Clay was beyond exhausted, he was working two full-time jobs and taking care of a sick baby all on his own. It was no wonder he was so exhausted.
"No." Clay simply said.
"I have two kids, Sunshine. I'm not going to hurt her, but I am worried you are going to fall over with her. Let me take her so you can sit down." Jason said, gently.
Clay looked down at Lexi, who was screaming her head off, and gave a slight nod. Jason gently took her and placed her against his chest as he started to lightly bounce up and down to try and calm her. This always worked with his kids. Clay sat down on the arm of the couch, but kept his eyes on Jason.
"When was the last time you slept Clay?" Trent asked.
"I slept four hours on the plane."
"How many hours of sleep have you gotten all week including those four hours?" Trent asked, next.
"Eight."
"You need more sleep than that in the week kid." Ray said.
"I'm used to it. I didn't really sleep when I was a kid." Clay said with a small shrug.
"What's her name?" Jason asked.
"Alexis Rose, we call her Lexi." Clay answered, as he fought to keep his eyes open.
"We?" Sonny asked.
"Adam, Vic, Derek and Trish help me with her."
Jason made a mental note to speak with them about what Clay has been like.
"Clay, can you tell me more about Lexi when she was born?" Trent asked.
He was worried about Lexi being born prematurely and her mother being addicted to heroin. There were many complications that could come from that.
"She was sick, born addicted to heroin with high levels, she's still going through withdrawals from it. And she was in heart failure, she got a new heart two days later and spent six weeks in the NICU before I could take her home."
"Damn." Sonny said, that was a lot for a little baby to deal with.
"Ok, turn the lights off, Jase stop bouncing, do a slow sway instead and everyone whisper." Trent said, as he pulled out his cell phone and started to play some soft soothing music.
Brock turned the lights off while Jason slowly swayed instead.
"Why?" Ray whispered.
Trent answered as the music started to play softly. "When adults go through withdrawals from any opioids they are really sick for the first week. Uncontrolled shaking, sweating, muscle cramps, vomiting, etc. After that first week they start to feel physically better as their body has removed the toxins from it. Then it becomes a fight against the cravings and getting their brain used to finding a new healthy release. It's easier for adults to get over the addiction in a medical sense because their minds have already functioned for years without the drugs, so it only takes two weeks before they are medically cleared." Trent started to explain.
"And babies?" Brock asked.
"They have a harder time because their mind has never functioned without the drugs. The heroin would have been in Lexi's system while she was in utero. Her mind was born addicted and now it has to rewire itself to function without the heroin. It's why it can take up to six months for infants to be done going through withdrawals. Their mind has to try and function normally now for the first time since it was developed. She's crying because she is over stimulated. Everything is sending signals to her mind and it makes it overwhelming. The only way she can communicate that is by crying. Having rooms darker, whispering, no sudden movements like bouncing all helps to cut down the stimulation being thrown at her mind. Soft soothing music helps to soothe her and can provide comfort. There is also herbal drops like ginger that can help with withdrawals as well." Trent finished, as Lexi finally stopped crying.
"It worked. So that's what you look like when you're not crying." Clay said, warmly.
"She's beautiful. Are her eyes different?" Jason asked, as he looked at her.
"Ya, one blue and the other one is half blue, half brown. Doc said she must have picked it up from her mother." Clay answered.
"It's a rare gene, it would have to come from her mother. If it was from Ash you would have it. You need more sleep. You're at risk of sleep deprivation that will land you in the hospital." Trent said, now focusing his attention on Clay's health.
"I'll sleep once I get her back down to bed." Clay said, as Brock started to look around.
"No, you're gonna sleep now. We got her." Jason said.
"What, no. I don't think that's a good idea." Clay started and Jason could tell he was uneasy with leaving her alone with people she didn't know. He could understand that very well.
"Sunshine, I've raised two kids, Ray has two kids. One of which is a baby. We got the best field medic in the Navy too. Brock has been taking care of small sick puppies for two decades and Sonny will be well supervised." Jason started.
"Hey." Sonny objected, causing the guys to all smirk.
"She is perfectly safe with us. You need serious sleep, not just a light sleep for two hours. You need a deep sleep to recharge and reset your brain before you end up in a coma. She's family, we got her." Jason said, gently.
"Jase is right man, we'll take good care of her." Ray promised.
"Can you go get my kit?" Trent whispered to Brock, who gave a nod.
They could all tell that Clay was thinking about it. He knew he needed sleep, but the idea of leaving Lexi with people she didn't know, didn't sit too well with him. At the same time though, he knew Ray and Jason both had children, they were good with kids. And Lexi was no longer screaming bloody murder and seemed content to be in Jason's arms for the moment.
"She needs her medicine at seven. It's the yellow one in the fridge, five milligrams. She has to eat first though or she'll get sick." Clay said to Trent.
"Got it." Trent said with a nod.
Clay got up and went and kissed Lexi on her head before he headed off into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. The guys all looked at each other for a moment, not saying anything. Sonny was the one to finally break the silence.
"Holy shit." He whispered.
"He's raising a sick baby while working two full-time jobs, no wonder he's exhausted." Ray commented.
"He's gonna end up in the hospital if he keeps going like this." Trent said, as he moved over to the kitchen.
"We know now, we'll keep a better eye on him. Now that we know what is going on we can help him." Jason said.
He had already made up his mind on what he was going to do the second he saw Clay coming out with Lexi. This was the reason for the medical bills, for him having to work two jobs. At twenty-four years old he should be building a career and going out and having fun on his downtime. Instead, he was taking on this huge responsibility of not only an infant, but a sick one at that. It was noble and not something most men would do. Brock walked back in with Trent's bag and placed it down on the coffee table.
"He doesn't have much." Brock said.
"He can't afford it." Trent said, as he held up two medicine bottles from the fridge. "This one is for her withdrawals, she'll need it twice a day for six months. It's fifteen hundred a month." Trent said, holding up the pink liquid bottle.
"Holy shit." Sonny commented.
"That's nothing. This one is her anti-rejection medication. She needs it twice a day for the rest of her life. It's twenty-five hundred a month." Trent said, holding up the yellow liquid one.
"Twenty-five hundred?" Ray asked, shocked.
"Wouldn't they be covered?" Jason asked.
"Normally, yes, but there's no insurance code on these bottles. Which means the kid is paying out of pocket, which means she's not on his insurance." Trent pointed out.
"The only reason for that would have to be that Clay doesn't have legal custody of Lexi." Jason said.
"Well, he didn't kidnap her. That would have been all over the news, Ash would have made sure of it." Ray said.
"Which means the bastard hasn't signed custody over for one reason or another." Sonny commented.
"I doubt it's for any noble reason. Probably looking to make things harder on him." Ray said.
"He's got no food in this kitchen. Cupboards only have dishes, coffee and one can of powdered formula. The fridge, milk, one container with leftovers in it with Adam's writing, and medicine, that's it. He's got no food." Trent said, as he put the medicine back into the fridge.
"He's paying four grand a month in medication, kid can't afford food." Sonny commented.
"He has no bed either." Brock said.
"What?" Jason asked.
"I saw his room. There's nothing in it but a military bedroll." Brock answered.
"What's Lexi got?" Ray said, as he headed down the hallway to see Lexi's room was next to Clay's. After he looked in it he headed back to the guys. "She's got clothes sitting in a basket folded, only five outfits. She doesn't even have a crib, just a traveling playpen to sleep in with a crib mattress. That's all she has, she doesn't even have stuffed animals or extra blankets, no toys." Ray said sadly.
"He can't afford it. He's killing himself just to pay for her medications, plus the minimum on her medical bills. He can't miss a payment or he could be denied at the hospital if she gets sick outside of an emergency. With a heart transplant she would have to see her cardiologist and get tests done once a month to make sure it is working properly. It's very expensive." Trent said.
"Have to assume the kid is feeling kinda like a failure not being able to provide properly for her." Sonny said.
"It's not his fault. The very last thing he is is a failure." Jason said, with strength to his voice.
"I'm not saying he is. Takes a real man to step up and do what he's doing. I'm just saying he probably feels like one." Sonny said in his defense.
"Call the troops?" Brock asked.
"Call everyone. I don't care if he wants help or not, I am not going to sit around and let a brother live like this. Brock, go see if Derek is home. Everyone else, start making calls." Jason said.
Brock headed over to Derek's place, as Ray pulled out his phone to call Naima. Trent went over to Jason as he spoke. "I want to just look her over real quick."
Jason went and sat down on the couch and held Lexi while Trent got his things out to look her over. He was sure she was fine, but he just wanted to double check for himself. It would also help to know a baseline so he could properly monitor her. Just as Trent was listening to her heart Brock came back in with Derek.
"Finally found out eh? I'm surprised he left her with you." Derek said.
"I sent him to bed. He was a little apprehensive, but he did finally go." Jason said, softly.
"Why are we whispering?" Derek asked softly as well.
"Loud noises and bright lights will make her withdrawal symptoms worse." Trent supplied.
"Fair enough. He tell you about her?" Derek asked.
"He told us that she was Ash's and about her mother, the heart transplant. Do you know why she isn't on his insurance?" Jason asked.
"Ash won't sign over custody. Clay won't tell us why, but Adam and me thinks he wants money for her. We think he's paying him a monthly amount and once he reaches whatever the magic number is, then he'll get custody." Derek said, disgusted by it.
"What makes you think that?" Ray asked, not impressed as he listened to Niama on the other end of the phone.
"Adam talked to me a bit about what happened at the hospital when Ash showed up. Clay didn't say much, but he did let something slip. Ash was going to sell her for half a million to some missionary in Africa. Apparently, it was the same one he sold Clay to."
"He sold him?" Sonny asked, disgusted.
"Hang on baby." Ray said to his wife. "What do you mean he sold him?"
"Clay didn't say anything more about it. He was exhausted, Adam didn't think he even realised the slip. Adam wanted to ask more, but he said there was this raw pain in his eyes, he didn't want to push. Whatever happened, he agreed to whatever Ash wanted just to protect Lexi."
Ray went back to talking to Niama and informed her of what they knew so far. Needless to say she was pissed off by the end of it.
"Davis is coming with Mandy and Blackburn to see what we need." Sonny said.
"What do you need?" Derek asked.
"He's got nothing in this place. No furniture, no food, we're not letting that go on for any longer. He's getting a proper bed and this little one needs her own bed." Jason said.
"He's not going to like it. We've tried to get him to let us help out. Full Metal found out about her a month ago and offered to bring by some baby stuff, but he doesn't want charity. He's not good at accepting help or asking for it." Derek warned.
"He's about to find out what the brotherhood is all about. I'm not going to have him living this way, not after everything he's been through. They both deserve better." Jason said.
"You know what happened to him." Derek easily stated.
"I do, but it's his story to tell." Jason said he wasn't going to betray Clay's trust like that.
"Fair enough. I'll call Full Metal. His niece just grew out of her crib and his sister has been holding onto it for Clay. She's also got some baby clothes and other baby items for her too." Derek said, as he pulled his phone out.
"Niama and the girls at work can get her diapers and her formula from there." Ray said, as he ended the call.
"Perfect, Full Metal has a crib, Clay's already got a crib mattress. So we just need everything else for her. He also needs a bed, a real bed. I also have to grab some stuff from storage for myself." Jason said.
"Yourself?" Ray asked, confused.
"He's got a spare bedroom, I'm gonna move in and help him with Lexi. I can also pay half the rent and make sure he has food."
"I don't know how well that will go over with Clay. He's really bad at accepting help." Derek pointed out.
"I'll square it away with him. He'll be fine with it." Jason wasn't worried about convincing Clay about it. He knew he would agree eventually.
"Ya, but are you sure you want to live with a sick baby? That's a lot on you too Jase." Ray said.
He knew Jason had done the whole baby thing, but that was a long time ago and Lexi was sick. It was different now.
"He needs help and I'm the perfect person to move in here with him. He can't do this alone. What he is doing is very noble and not something most men twice his age would do. I'm couch surfing, it makes sense for me to move in here to help him." Jason argued.
"Alright, if you're sure brother." Ray agreed.
It wasn't his place to tell Jason where to live or who to live with. If he wanted to be here helping Clay with Lexi, he wasn't going to stop him.
"Full Metal is going to pick up the items from his sister. I got my truck so I can help with moving stuff. We should call Adam too, he'll want to help." Derek said.
"Oh we're calling everyone. He's getting the full brotherhood experience. It's time he learnt that he has a whole army standing behind him." Jason said.
"I'll make some calls." Derek said with a smile.
They all started to get on their phones and reaching out to everyone, letting them know of the situation, with small details about Lexi. Within the hour everyone was off and moving to do what they needed to do. Trent and Jason stayed behind with Lexi while the guys went to pick up different items that they could get donated and food for the place. Jason went and placed Lexi down in her temporary bed once she had fallen asleep on his chest. He covered her with the thin blanket and then took a moment to truly look at her. She was about the size of a plump newborn, if Jason had to guess she was about ten pounds or so. No where near the weight she should be for a three month old. That didn't mean Clay was doing anything wrong, it was due to her medications and her withdrawals. Jason was hoping soon she would be done with the withdrawals and able to just be a normal little girl. Jason had to give it to her though, she was really cute. Jason never thought he would be doing the baby thing again. Sure he helped out with RJ, but that was different. Ray and Naima were there with RJ as well. Jason was just offering to hold him while Naima got dressed or showered. It wasn't the same thing as he would be doing now with her. Him and Clay would need to rotate on and off with nights with her so they could both sleep, especially Clay. He needed proper sleep. He knew Clay had been used to not sleeping much from growing up, but that did not make it ok or healthy. He needed more than just eight hours of sleep a week, especially with their job.
"You're going to be just fine little one. You and your daddy." Jason whispered.
That was going to be something that would be interesting later on. Clay was technically her half-brother, but he was raising her. She would only know him as dad and not a brother. Jason was curious to see how Clay would handle that. If he would correct her or embrace the title that he had earned. Jason made his way back out to join Trent, who was putting his things back in his medical bag. Trent had recorded all of Lexi's vitals into a new notebook so he could properly keep track of anything that came up. Jason knew Trent was going to be very anal about all of this. Before Jason could say anything the door was opening and Adam walked in with multiple bags in his hands.
"Hey." Jason said.
"Hello brother. Trent, your cleaning supplies." Adam said, as he handed a bag over to Trent.
"Thank-you." Trent said, as he took it and brought it into the kitchen.
"What's with the other bags?" Jason asked.
"Vic has been purchasing studded animals and clothing for Lexi since she found out about her. We've been waiting until Clay was more comfortable accepting things from people before we gave them to him. But then the Great Jason Hayes makes an appearance and demands change." Adam said, with a teasing smirk.
"Not demanding, just not ignoring."
"And you think that is what I've been doing?" Adam asked, feeling defensive.
"No, but you won't push him either. I have no problem pushing him when he needs it. He'll adjust and adapt to the new normal, he's very good at adapting."
Jason didn't want Adam thinking he wasn't grateful for what he had been doing for Clay or Lexi. He also knew though that Adam didn't like to push people outside of training. He would let Clay go at a snail's pace if that is what he was comfortable with. Jason didn't have that patience with someone. He wasn't built to be able to sit back and allow someone to struggle when he could help them.
"I know Eric told you guys that Clay's my nephew. Clay, he doesn't talk about his childhood. I know it's extremely painful for him. But he did say briefly, that you saved him. Thank-you for what you did for him back then." Adam said sincerely.
"I wish I could have done more. I didn't know he was American, if I did, I would have brought him back with me. I would have made sure he found his family and if he didn't have any, I would have raised him. I still get nightmares about finding that boy in that room. It was really bad Adam." Jason said, with a bit of pain to his voice.
"You got him out, and he overcame it. He's a Tier One operator and has made something out of his life. You gave him that chance. I know he's not over what happened to him, and maybe he never will be, but he is healing and I think being around you and the guys will really help him."
"I think so too, and he's got you in his life now." Jason said warmly.
Adam gave Jason a warm smile. He wished he knew more about what Clay had been through, but he wasn't going to ask Jason to betray Clay's trust by telling him. He would have to wait until Clay was ready to release that information to him. Jason turned around to see Trent had all of the cleaning supplies out on the counter.
"What are we doing?" Jason asked.
"Lexi's anti-rejection medication makes her immune system compromised. Adam, do you know the last time this place had a deep clean?" Trent asked.
"Before she came home Clay spent hours cleaning the whole apartment."
"We need to do another one and not just the apartment, but the door, hallway and elevator. Anything Clay touches or anyone else that is around Lexi touches that could be transferred over to her. It'll need to be kept up too until her body has had the chance to start building an immune system." Trent explained.
"Let's get started then." Jason said, as he went over to join Trent.
The three of them got to work on scrubbing the whole place clean.
XXX
It was just after nine the next morning when Clay started to wake up. The first thing he noticed was how stiff and sore he was. It was why he didn't tend to sleep on his bedroll very often. He normally just crashed on his couch, it wasn't too comfortable but it was more comfortable then the floor. Clay rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes before opening them. The first thing he noticed was the sunlight shining through the room. Clay couldn't believe it was morning, that he had slept all night. Clay's mind instantly went to Lexi, he hadn't heard her all night and there was no telling what was going on with her. Clay got up and headed out of his room and saw Jason sitting in his living room with Lexi drinking a bottle.
"Morning Sleeping Beauty." Jason said, with a smirk.
Jason was actually very happy that Clay had slept so long, he clearly needed it. He was already looking better and he was no longer shaky.
"Why didn't you wake me?" Clay said, as he took in Lexi, she seemed perfectly content in Jason's arms.
"Because you needed the sleep, desperately. She's good. Trent gave her some ginger in her formula. It helped to soothe her withdrawals last night, she slept for six hours before waking up. Trent said it wasn't good for her to be skipping a meal often, but she needed the solid sleep to help give her mind a chance to recharge."
"Ok, and the extra furniture and tv in my place?" Clay asked, as he took the room in.
There was a love seat in his living room, along with a newer looking coffee table and a tv now. There was also a mattress, bedframe and a dresser stored into one corner of the room.
"Oh the TV is one of mine that I got out of storage. Your DVD collection sucks by the way. It's all documentaries and movies in another language. I really gotta get you watching some normal movies." Jason said, as he started to burp Lexi.
"Why is it here, or this other stuff?" Clay asked, ignoring Jason's comments about his movie collection.
"The brotherhood," Jason simply answered.
"That doesn't answer my question."
Jason gave Clay a warm smile. "The brotherhood is made up of all of the Tier One teams and their family. We're all there for each other through good and bad times. When one needs help, we all jump in to help. You needed help. You needed a bed and not sleeping on the floor. You needed actual food and not whatever you can pick up at the food bank. Lexi needed a proper bed. Now that you are up we can set up your room properly once Lexi goes down."
"I don't need any charity. Lexi and me and doing just fine. I make it work." Clay said, defensive about all of this. Jason stood up with Lexi and went over to Clay.
"You are doing really well. What you are doing for her is amazing Clay. It's not charity, it's not us telling you that you suck at providing for her. It's your family reaching out and being there to help you. I know after what you went through growing up makes it hard for you to accept help from people. I get that. But this isn't a handout. This is your family finding items to donate that are no longer being used so you can use them."
Clay reached out for Lexi, who Jason easily handed over to him. Clay held Lexi against his chest and ran his hand up and down her back as he spoke.
"They used to make us do horrible things whenever we asked for something. If we wanted to be able to eat, to get water or if we needed medical attention, we always had to pay a price for it. Being given things makes me really uncomfortable." Clay softly, admitted.
Jason went and placed his hand on the side of Clay's neck as he spoke. "I know, but that uncomfortable feeling can only go away as you get used to people being there to help you. You're not an army of one anymore. You got a whole army standing behind you, the both of you, and we're always going to be there for you."
Clay gave Jason a small warm smile. He didn't know what it was about Jason, but he made him feel safe, he always had. Clay can't explain it, but from the moment he saw him, he felt safe when Jason was around. Like no one could hurt him as long as Jason was there. For the first time in his life Clay had been able to sleep deeply when he was fourteen in the hospital, all because Jason had refused to leave his side. He had talked about his daughter and his newborn son. He told Clay about some funny stories from his military days and even moments from growing up. Clay had been able to fall asleep listening to Jason's soothing voice and when he woke up, Jason was still there sitting beside his bed.
Clay had dreamt of Jason taking him back to the States with him. Letting him be a part of his family. He often wondered what it would be like to play catch in their backyard. To share Christmas with them. He never had a Christmas in his life, even now he's never done it. He would dream about putting up a Christmas tree and decorating the house. He would dream about making Christmas cookies and leaving them out for Santa. To wake up Christmas morning to see presents and cooking Christmas dinner. It was an experience that Clay never had growing up and still to this day has never done. Clay had made up this whole life where he got to be safe and a part of a family.
Clay cleared his voice to bury the emotions building up in it. "Thank-you for spending the night taking care of her. I'm sure you have a lot of things you need to take care of at home."
"Ya that is something we're gonna need to talk about." Jason said, as he moved his hand back.
"What?" Clay asked, confused.
"Me and Alana split up roughly eight months ago. Since then I've been sleeping on Ray's couch. You have a spare room, so now we're roommates." Jason simply said.
"Wait what?" Clay asked, confused.
"I moved in. Got my stuff in it and everything. Before you get anxious or upset by it, this works out good for the both of us. I had to find a place to live already, but I don't do alone very well. This lets me live with someone and it gives you the help you need. I can be there to help you with Lexi at night, we can rotate nights so you get some proper sleep. I will also be paying half of the rent."
Clay opened his mouth to argue, but Jason spoke again to stop him. "That is not up for debate. Half of the rent here is the same I would be paying for a one bedroom somewhere. It's different, but you will get used to it and you'll even like it eventually. Just think of it this way, it gives you an extra fifteen hundred a month that you can use for her medical bills or things she needs. Christmas is next month too, she's young but it'll be her first Christmas. You can get her some presents without trying to figure out how to afford it and pay for her medication. It helps you and it helps me."
Clay really didn't like the idea of Jason paying half of the rent. At the same time though he could tell that Jason wasn't going to take no for an answer. It would also be a huge help to Clay on the financial side. That extra fifteen hundred could really come in handy and he could get a couple of things for Christmas for Lexi. It wouldn't be much but she could have a simple Christmas. Clay also wanted to pay Jason back for everything he had done for him. If Jason wasn't good at living alone, then the least Clay could do was offer him a place to live.
"Are you sure? She's sick, she cries a lot right now, that can get really annoying and it makes it hard to sleep." Clay started, but Jason cut him off.
"All babies cry and I don't find it annoying. She's crying because she has been dealt a shitty hand in parent poker. I don't care if she cries, I have no problem picking her up. She is family Sunshine, it is just that simple."
Clay let out a slow breath before he spoke. "Ok. But know that it's going to take some time for me to get used to it. Kinda used to living alone."
"I know and I have no problem with giving you all the adjustment time that you need. I think you'll like having someone around though. It can be good after a hard mission or just someone to hang out with to relax. Though, we are really going to need to work on your movie collection. I gotta introduce you to some of my movies, like Die Hard." Jason said with a warm smile.
"What's Die Hard?" Clay asked, confused.
"It's an action movie, one of the best Christmas movies of all time. Has Bruce Willis in it."
"Who's Bruce Willis?"
"Oh you poor child." Jason said, sadly, causing Clay to give a slight chuckle to that. "He's one of the best action stars, he's an actor, very famous." Jason explained.
"Ya, I don't really follow pop culture. I tend to read old english literature or technical books. Or fictional books that are in another language, but they tend to be older too. I don't watch anything on TV except for the news, discovery and history channel."
"And football." Jason stated.
"You mean soccer?" Clay asked.
"Whoa, ok let me stop you right there. Soccer is soccer, football is football. I'm gonna excuse that on account you grew up in Africa. Football in America will always be football." Jason said, seriously.
"Good to know. And no I don't watch football or any sport for that matter."
"Oh you have so much to learn. Me and the guys will get you there." Jason said warmly.
"Ok, well I'm going to put her down and then I have a shit load of work to do." Clay said, as he turned to head down the hallway.
"I'll get some breakfast going." Jason said.
Clay went into Lexi's room and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was not only a white long dresser, but there was also a beautiful white crib. There was pink bedding and a mobile. There were also stuffed animals on the dresser, boxes of diapers and wipes sitting in a corner. The walls had little canvas photos on them to bring some color to the room. There was also a white baby swing, a pink area rug that matched the bedding. It was a proper nursery and it brought a warmth to his heart. Clay went and gently placed Lexi down into her bed and covered her with the blanket. He then turned the music on the mobile on to provide her with some soothing music as she slept.
Clay headed back out into the living room to see that Jason had coffee going already and was starting to cook bacon and breakfast sausages.
"Where did the food come from?" Clay asked.
"Charlie team covered food. We also have a bunch of cleaning supplies that Trent got Adam to pick up. Trent said with Lexi's anti-rejection meds that we should be doing a deep clean once a week and a light clean every day. Especially on things that a bunch of people touch, like the front door, the fridge handles, things like that. The deep clean involves doing the front door downstairs, the elevator and the hallway, plus everything in this place."
"Wow, that's a lot more than I've been doing. I've tried to keep things clean, but I haven't really done a full overall clean. I figured as long as I wasn't sick and I washed my hands often she would be ok."
"It's an added precaution that Trent suggests we take. I've learned over the years with Trent he knows what he's talking about and it's best to follow his advice. He also got us both vitamin c vitamins to help with our own immune system. As well as vitamin c drops for her formula to help boost Lexi's. He said just put two drops a day into her formula, she won't notice the taste and it'll help her immune system."
"Ok, that would have been nice to know from one of her docs. Plus how to help soothe her withdrawals. How did she sleep last night? I didn't even hear her."
"She slept six hours straight."
"What? She never sleeps that long, she sleeps two hours at most normally. This is why I think she hates me." Clay said, shocked.
Jason looked right at Clay and spoke. "She does not hate you. She loves you. She hates that she feels like crap and that will end soon, then you can truly get to embrace her being an infant. You'll get to see her smile and hear her laugh. Trust me the sound of your child's laughter is the best sound you will ever hear, especially as a baby. And she slept that long because Trent gave her a couple drops of ginger to help with her withdrawals. He said we can give it to her a few times a day, but if we are going to let her sleep longer at night, which she needs to give her mind a break, we have to make sure she is getting enough food during the day."
"It seems like no matter how much I feed her, she doesn't gain much weight right now. She's only gained eight pounds since she was born."
"Ray called Naima and the hospital has a bunch of formula on hand, most of the time they have too much and it goes bad. Ray was able to pick up three months worth of stock for you. It's the same brand she has been on, but Naima gave you a different version that the same brand has. It's designed to help premature babies gain weight. She said with her being on it, she'll gain roughly five pounds a month. It's not something she can be on long-term but she can be on it for a few months until she gets up to an average weight."
"I didn't even know they made that version. That's good, she needs to gain weight. I really appreciate everything you and everyone did for her and me. Her room looks great. I never thought she would get to have a real bed, a real room. I tried, I know what I could do for her wasn't what she deserved, but I tried." Clay said with remorse to his voice.
"You did not fail her Sunshine. You are spending all of your money on rent and medications that she needs to stay alive every month. You gave her the best that you could with what you had. You gave her the best thing you could ever give to a child, unconditional love. You are a great dad Sunshine."
Jason went back to making breakfast and after a good fifteen minutes Clay spoke again in an uncertain voice.
"Is that what I am?"
Jason poured them each a cup of coffee and added the proper sugar and milk to them. He handed Clay his as he spoke.
"Ya, that's what you are to her. It's up to you how you want to handle the technical labels, but you are the only dad she knows. You're the only dad she is ever going to know. And I can tell by how you look at her that the long you have for her is a lot stronger than that of a brother. It's ok to claim the title of dad Sunshine, you've more than earned it." Jason said warmly before he went back to finishing breakfast.
Clay wasn't sure how he felt about the whole dad label right now. He figured he didn't really need to put a label on his relationship with Lexi. For now he could just enjoy being with her and raising her. One thing he did know, his life was going to be different with Jason living with him and for once in his life, he wasn't worried about the change. He was actually looking forward to it.
If you are looking to read a story with a romance between Jason and Clay, feel free to check out Becoming Zulu on my AO3 account!