More troubles for Seth.

As Thad had driven from the exit of the Lincoln tunnel into the streets of the West Village, he had noticed that Seth had drawn into himself, but he made no comment on the fact. The drive had been a long one, and part of him wondered if they should have spilt it; had someone else drive them to a station with a good Amtrak service and taken the train back to New York instead. As Thad pulled up outside the dark house in the West Village, he noticed that Seth seemed to be back from his reverie, and he left him to get out in his own time. He had headed round to the trunk to retrieve their bags, and as he had been about to open it, he had heard a voice shouting his name. He looked up and saw Beats walking down the street towards him, carrying a bag from a drug store in his hand. He decided not to open the trunk and instead made his way onto the sidewalk to greet his friend. He was about to shout a greeting to him when he saw Beats break into a run, gasping one word - "Seth!"

Thad spun round to see Seth falling towards the ground, and he darted towards him, catching his head just before it hit the sidewalk, saving him from the worst possible injury. He barely had a chance to think about what had just happened before Beats was crouched down alongside him, his face white. "Oh God! Is he breathing? Please let him be breathing because this would destroy everything…"

Thad had been so shocked by what had happened that he had never even considered the worst case scenario, and so with a shaking hand he placed his fingers on the young man's neck; his relief on feeling a pulse was short lived though, as it was going way, way, way too fast… "We need to get him inside," he began, then noticed that Beats had his phone in his hand and was dialling… "No, don't! The last thing we need is a 911 call and an ambulance. It isn't as bad as you think. It has happened before…"

Beats stopped his call, and said in disbelief, "It has!? When?"

"This is actually the fourth time, based on what Seth has admitted to…" said Thad quietly. Beats mouth dropped open in shock. "So all we need to do is get him inside before anyone else arrives; we will need to carry him between us…" Thad stopped, as he saw Beats had started to cry and looked as if his mind was falling apart. He grabbed his arms, and stared into his eyes. "Beats! We need to get him inside, and then I will call my brother; Ollie will come and see him, which is much better than 911..."

Beats nodded, and between the two of them they lifted Seth up, being as gentle as they could, anxious not to cause him any more injury. Both realised that he was far lighter than they might have expected, but they said nothing. It took them a few moments but they managed to retrieve Seth's door key, get the door open, and carry him inside with the door shut behind them. With the light on in the hall, it was a question of what next.

"We should carry him up to his room," said Beats, and Thad nodded, bracing himself for the challenge of carrying their ill friend up to his room on the second floor. It was not easy, but eventually they were laying him on his bed. That done, Thad loosened Seth's collar as Beats watched, running his hand distractedly through his hair, a sign that told all that knew him that he was stressed. "Four times Thad! This has happened four times, and none of us knew except you…"

"I actually only found out that this was happening two days ago, when Colin found him lying sprawled out, unconscious, on the floor of the painted corridor at Dalton…"

Beats' eyes widened, and he sat down on a chair. "At Dalton! If Skylar had found out…!"

"Exactly. That is why he kept the two attacks prior to that one and this quiet. He needed to appear well until he could set Skylar on his own course in life, and let him be free of obligation to him. Okay, keep a close eye on him for me while I go and call Ollie…"

Beats nodded, and got up to sit beside Seth on the bed, taking his hand in his own. Thad headed out onto the landing and pressed the speed dial code for his brother into his phone. He would give Beats no more details about the other times yet; after all, it was not his place to be the one to tell him that the second of Seth's attacks was well known to his husband…

Thad was grateful when his brother answered the phone after only a few rings. "Hey, little brother, how are you?"

"Me, I am okay, but… Look, I am in the West Village right now with Seth, and he has just collapsed again on the street. I have managed to get him into the house with a little help, but he is still out cold…"

"Right, I am on my way right now. I will have to tell Michelle that there is an emergency, but that is all that I will say, okay."

"Thanks Ollie," said Thad, and then the line went dead. After taking a moment to gather his own thoughts and calm himself, he returned to find a pale and concerned Beats clutching Seth's hand as if to anchor him.

"He's still out cold, Thad. Is this a normal thing for people with MND, or is it something else, something worse?" said Beats in an anxious voice.

"I am not sure, but Ollie is on his way as we speak, so I can ask. He didn't sound all that concerned when we called him on Friday though, so maybe it is just another side effect of his condition. Whatever it is, rest assured that he will get the best treatment available. So, what has happened tonight has to stay just between the three of us; the last thing that Seth needs right now is any more speculation or gossip, so no-one can know, not even Elliott, until Seth tells us that it is okay to share the story."

"That goes without saying Thad, you know that… I will tell him that I bumped into the two of you, we started chatting, and I lost all track of time…."

"Look, if you need to get back, I can handle things here."

"You can't risk leaving him to go and answer the door to your brother; I could go downstairs now and wait for him though, and head out when he arrives and I've let him in. To be honest, seeing Seth like this is breaking my heart, and if I sit here much longer… Tear stains are hard to explain…"

Thad nodded, and replied, "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Thank you for all of your help tonight, and I will let you know what Ollie says in due course."

"I would really appreciate that… Seth is such a good man, and all of this is just so, so tragic…."

With Beats downstairs, Thad took his spot on the bed, holding Seth's hand, and gently brushing the hair back off his forehead. He was barely 3 years younger than him, not quite 27, and from what he had read, it was unlikely that he would see his fortieth birthday. What was worse that if the events of the last few days were an indicator, then his deterioration had become so fast that for Seth, even attaining the milestone that he himself was approaching, the age of 30, might be a bit of an ask. A large part of him wished that he was the one lying on the bed right now, and that it was his life that was being cut short by a debilitating condition; how could he object to that, something that would bring him to Wes all the sooner?

He wasn't, however, and all of his thoughts were now focused on the young man that was in this position. His blood family were non-existent, uninterested in him; his family was his Warbler brothers. They would all have to commit to being there for him, to supporting him when the days like today, and the episode that had occurred, became the norm rather than the exception. They would need to step up when he ended up unable to walk and was confined to a chair, when he might need someone to feed him and… Thad stopped his train of thought there, as he could feel his eyes becoming dangerously moist, and he could not cry, not yet. The tears that he would be shedding would come later, once he was alone…

Then he heard a groan, and felt the pressure on his hand increasing. He looked down to see that Seth's eyes were now open, and that they were filled with tears. "Hey, so you gave me a bit of a fright there, not to mention Beats…"

"Twice in two days, Thad. I never, ever thought… What if this is it? Attack after attack, until the day comes that I don't come round, or I am in the wrong place when it comes - on a crosswalk or on the edge of a subway platform? I thought that I could handle all of this, but now… I'm so scared Thad; I am so scared of my future," Seth sobbed.

"We are all scared of our future Seth. What it holds for anyone of us is unknown. I worry most about what it will be like to grow old alone, but then I remember that I will still have all the others around me, and so do you right now and forever. We are a family; we will all be there. Whenever you need us, you can count on at least one of us to come running at once. What you need to remember is that there is no shame in asking for help."

"I know that I am going to need it, but admitting that hurts my pride a little. I've always been self reliant, have had to be. I have always done everything myself because of what happened the moment that I arrived at Dalton and was effectively cast aside…"

"That was also the day that you were adopted by the family that you deserved to have," replied Thad.

"That is so true actually; I gained my brothers that day…"

"And we all love you. So, I had to call Ollie by the way. It was the only that I could stop Beats from calling 911..."

"Thanks… A hospital visit, and all of that attention - ugh!"

"And I have also sworn him to silence, but you are going to have to come clean to everyone sooner rather than later. That includes Skylar; he needs to know, because if he finds out we all knew, and he didn't…" Seth nodded, knowing that the conversation with his best friend had to come; indeed he had known that for a while. It was however a conversation for after his return from honeymoon…

Then they both heard the doorbell ringing downstairs, and they knew who it would be. They heard the sound of Beats opening the door, a short conversation with Ollie in low tones, informing him where he would find his patient and his brother. Then came the sound of one set of feet coming up the stairs as the front door closed firmly again, and Beats stepped back out onto the sidewalk for the short walk home, a little later and a lot sadder than he would have wished to be.

Thad got up from the bed to open the door, and saw his brother reach the landing with a look of stress and worry on his face; as he stepped into the room he managed to almost make it disappear, and appear unconcerned to his patient. "Hello Seth; I was not expecting to see you quite so soon, but given the circumstances, my brother did the right thing in calling me in now. So, first things first; do you want Thad to stay, or are we going to do this one on one as usual?"

"He can stay if he wants; someone else needs to know the worst, and if he is here and hears it from you first hand, it saves me having to repeat it all to him later on when he asks," replied Seth.

"In that case, I will stay. It will also make it easier for the two of us to have a conversation as brothers, Ollie, because neither of us will need to be concerned about a slipped word…" said Thad.

"In fact, Doctor Harwood," said Seth, "can we just make it the rule from now on that Thad is to be told everything about my condition; he can be like my advocate, or something. I'm not sure if that is the correct terminology. In any case, I want full disclosure to him from now on."

"How often do I have to tell you to call me Ollie?" came his response. "Okay, we can do exactly what you ask, but I will need you to sign a waiver form stating that you are authorising that for official records. So, let's start with you telling me exactly what you can recall about what happened tonight, and on Friday for that matter. Just let me know as much as you can recall, and then we can move on to the actual physical examination…"

It would be almost an hour later when Thad made his way back down the stairs with his brother. His examination had revealed no breaks or sprains, just a few minor scrapes incurred as he fell, although there was an unspoken acknowledgement that had Thad not been there to grab him as he fell, it would have been a lot worse… "I am glad that you managed to convince him that he needed to stay in bed; a light snack, a warm drink and rest is never a bad prescription for any case," said Ollie as they walked down. At the bottom of the stairs he turned to his brother and said, "Okay, so how are you baring up? After all, that is twice in three days that you have seen this happen now."

"Honestly, Ollie? I feel numb. I have been reading up on MND, I think all of the Warblers have, but we all imagined that it would be a slow process, a gradual deterioration of all of the usual functions… Instead, it has happened in an instant, and that is just heartbreaking. It is a bit like watching the film version of a book that you have read and loved for years; you know what the ending will be, but the speed with which it comes surprises you, and leaves you gasping for breath…"

"That speed is partly my fault," replied Ollie in a sad voice. "He was so determined to stay well for Skylar's wedding that I gave him a much stronger regime of drugs than I might otherwise have done at this stage. In the end though, the body can only be held back for so long before it develops an immunity to the drugs' effects. I think that if I probed him deeper, then he would admit that in the last few weeks he has had a more frequent set of smaller attacks than for the last few months…"

"Like the little tremors that you have before a major earthquake," replied Thad. "Does it therefore follow that we can expect a series of aftershocks, tonight being one of those?"

"That is not a bad analogy, and yes, it does. The one he had today, by the sound of it, was just a little milder than the one that he experienced on Friday; the next one might not even cause him to black out. I will need him to come in for some more in depth tests and a scan, because there is a risk, just a tiny one, that this is a sign of something more serious; a tumour." He stopped as Thad's eyes had widened in horror, then said in a reassuring tone. "That is highly unlikely, on top of everything else, but we need to make certain. I personally doubt it, but we just need to rule it out as a possible cause.

Thad saw his brother out, headed down to the kitchen, and a few minutes later headed back up the stairs to Seth with a plate of hot buttered toast and a mug of hot chocolate. Seth ate the toast with a smile, then drank the sweet milky drink. He was exhausted after the journey and his attack, and in no time he had drifted off to sleep. Thad tucked him in, and as he looked at him lying there, he could not help but think that he had not changed all that much since his freshman year at Dalton when he was curled up in bed the way he was.

He made up the bed in the room next door, that which had once been Skylar's, from which he could easily access Seth's room via the shared bathroom. That done, he headed back to the kitchen to prepare himself something to eat, his own hunger coming to the fore now. He was just sitting down with a plate of toast himself when he heard Colin and Edward arrive home. He kept his silence about the events of that night as they greeted him, and decided that toast would be nice too; he stayed quiet when Luke and Duncan arrived home too, and more toast was made….

However, once the toast was eaten, and with the four of them around the table, he knew that he had to tell them all about the events of that day. As he had expected, Colin was soon in tears, but by the time he was finished the other three had joined him. Thad looked at the tear stained faces and said, "I know that this is devastatingly sad, but what all of you have to remember now is this; he does not want to be given any sort of special treatment, nor does he want you all to cancel your future plans for his sake. The best thing that any of you can do for him right now is go out there and follow your own dreams, and be happy. That is all that he wants for any of us, and that is exactly what we must give him…"

The next few days would turn out to be quite busy ones for Seth and Thad, the latter acting more or less as his shadow. In other circumstances, Seth would have found such attention annoying, but at this point in his condition he had to admit that he needed someone to be there for him; to hold his hand as he sat in the hospital for hours, to keep him fed and watered, to stop him going insane. He had of course started to get messages from Skylar in Florida, like all the others; he sent such happy photos, and he responded as if there was nothing wrong, as if his life was going on as normal in the West Village. He had held on and fought his condition to ensure that the wedding went off without a hitch, and this was part of the same thing; he was not going to ruin his best friend's honeymoon…

Thad had agreed that he would be the one that would tell Skylar that Seth needed to talk to him, and would be at his friend's side as Seth made the Skype call from New York to Ohio; that was the only way that he could guarantee that Skylar would not drop everything and immediately drive back to the city. There would be nothing that he could do in any case, and he had a whole network of friends already in the city that would support him through the worst times…

Seth had a lot of time to think in those few days, and with Thad's encouragement, he began to make the decisions that he had tried to avoid. His first task had been to send an e-mail to the college, to inform them that his condition had deteriorated significantly, and that as such he felt he had no option but to resign. The reply came swiftly, but its contents was unexpected. They refused to accept his resignation, and instead asked him to come into a meeting and discuss it. They were willing to adapt to meet his needs, and stated that even if his hands were useless, even if he was confined to a wheelchair, he could still talk, and as long as he was able to do so, then he could share his skills with a new generation….

That reply had given him some cheer and hope, and the courage to face up to the brain scan, which he saw as a very sinister development. If there was a tumour on top of everything else… Thankfully, there wasn't, all of the recent developments being a result of his worsening condition. Now all that they had to decide was how best they could manage it and leave him with as normal a life as possible…

Thad had to admit that he was exhausted too by the end of the week. Sitting in the hospital for hours on end had left him feeling drained, and had brought back memories of his childhood. Then he had often faced long hours like this, after school or during vacations, sat in rooms like the ones he was in as his parents worked. He often wondered if those experiences had been part of his decision to be the black sheep of the family and follow his own path away from medicine. He was alone in those waiting areas as Seth was tested, except on a couple of occasions when Wes had managed to get away from work and join him.

His dedication to Seth's needs meant that he missed the chance to see David as he headed off back to Boston, supervising the packing of the final few boxes in the van. Mike had been there to collect the keys from him and then check the house to see all was in order, an easy task for him as he knew so well just how it should be. He had found it all a little unsettling if he was honest; he had watched how anxious David was as he waited for everything to be packed up, desperate to get home to his heavily pregnant wife. He had fought back the urge to tell him that Tina was pregnant, that he would soon know exactly what he was going through, as he was still keeping it all very quiet at her request…

Thad was not expecting his best friend's call when it came, especially so late at night. He was tired, and he considered just allowing it to ring out and go to voicemail for a moment, but he could not pretend he was asleep and break his promise to always answer. He answered, but did not get a chance to speak before David.

"I have a daughter, Thad, the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen. She is as gorgeous as her mother, and it is all so wonderful…"

"When did this happen?" said Thad, then realised he had just asked a really stupid question. "Sorry David, it's been another long day here with Seth. I am so happy for both of you…"

David chuckled, then said, "It's okay, you've got a lot on your plate there. How is he?"

"That discussion can wait. Make me smile David; tell me everything…"

"Well, Mercedes told me she was too tired to get up this morning, so I told her to stay in bed. I busied myself unpacking a lot of boxes, trying to put everything in the right places, but when I went up with some lunch for her, she didn't look right, so I called the doctor. She came, took a look, and said we needed to get her to the hospital. Mercedes protested, said she was fine, hadn't even had a contraction yet, and promptly did! Two hours later, and I have a daughter… Right, back to Seth. Hit me with the worst…"

"He has officially moved on to the next stage, and he has accepted it. He needs to slow down, and he has to begin to prepare himself for being confined to a chair. He is taking it all so well, so much better than I think I would be. However, he is down, and I am sure that your news will really cheer him up…"

The news that Mercedes had given birth to a daughter did indeed put a smile on everyone's faces after David went on Facebook and posted a picture of himself with his daughter. As Thad had surmised, it made Seth grin, his own worries forgotten in the joy of knowing that another child had been born to one of his brothers. Thad had barely broken that news to Seth than his phone buzzed again, this time with Trent's name on the screen. He assumed that he was calling to ask Thad to pass on his best wishes to David, so he was a little taken aback when he answered to immediately hear the words "We've just gone into labour." from his friend. Thad shook his head in disbelief that not one but two of the brotherhood would potentially be fathers on the same day, though there was every chance that Trent and Rory's second child would not arrive until the following day…

After he had finished talking to an overexcited Trent, he had confided the news to Seth, who smiled again, then shook his head. "I can't believe that this could happen; two births so close together in our little circle. I am pleased for all of them, and of course, I am Uncle Seth twice more. I don't know if I will still be around to have that role with Skylar's kids though, and to be honest, that makes me a little sad…"

"I'm sorry," said Thad, taking the younger man's hand. "I would love to be able to say that you will be, but I can't…"

"I know… If they do get here before I earn my wings, then it is good, but if that isn't to be, well I will still be able to watch them grow up, and try and protect them from above." Thad nodded, then let Seth get ready for his bed. It had been a long few days, but all of the tests were done now, and all they could do was wait and see what the outcome was…

In the early hours of the following morning, Trent and Rory also became fathers to a daughter. Niamh was perfect in their eyes, although they were a little worried; neither of them had any idea how they would deal with the awkward questions that she would have in later life as she hit puberty, other than directing her to her grandmother or aunts. It was no surprise to anyone to discover that Agnes was booked onto a flight the following day, anxious as ever to meet another great grandchild. There was also a further update from David and Mercedes, and a name for their daughter - Lauren. Congratulations poured in for both couples from far and wide, from their friends, family and those who were a little more famous too…

Nick and Jeff had sent both couples a video message; in the background was a calendar, with a date ringed in red pen and the word 'HOME!' written below it in block capitals. Their messages were cheerful, but Nick had kept quiet about the way that his husband had reacted to the news that Simon and Cormac now had a sibling. He had looked a little wistful, and when Nick asked him what was wrong, he had said quietly, "I have failed Wes in that respect; he will never have a brother or sister."

As his eyes had filled with tears, Nick reached over and pulled him into a tight hug. "No, you haven't Jeffie. Not all kids have or need a sibling. Look at our friends; Flint, Ethan and Drew are all only children. I suspect that Aaron Wilson will be an only child, and Evie Symons certainly will be. You don't want to have a child of your own, and I only want one, so that is that. Our son will not miss out or be less than perfect because he is an only child. He will not be spoilt for 'cousins', and when we get back home, well Evie is only a little older, so they will be perfect playmates for each other." Jeff nodded, knowing that Nick was right, but it did nothing to stop the turmoil that was ongoing in his head…

At the far end of the West Village street that morning, Mike was dealing with another morning of Tina being sick, although it was nowhere near as bad now as it had been. He had said nothing, but he was sure that there was now a clear bump in her stomach area. They would have to tell people soon enough, once they knew it was all well and a certain date had passed. In the meantime, he was quite happy to leave things the way they were. Admittedly, Caleb did not understand why the female human kept waking him up from his first post breakfast nap by running past his bed, then making those awful noises…

By 11am Tina was well enough to head into work, allowing Mike to relax on a rare day off from the City Ballet. He took a seat in the armchair in the living room, and in no time at all found himself with a lapful of cat. As he sat there, he reflected on the fact that things had worked out well time wise; Caleb would be back in his own house by the time their child came into the world. He would nevertheless miss his little friend, as he was very affectionate towards him… Mike was worried that Caleb might not wish to leave deep down though. He had taken very little notice of Jeff in the last two Skype calls, stalking off quite quickly. He could only hope that the length of Jeff's absence had not enraged the cat so much that when he came back he would be ignored…