A Nephew and a Son.
As Skylar and Seth were discussing the design of the hospice, Thad was making his way through the passages of La Guardia airport for the second week in a row; he had been a little startled to discover that the exact same cabin crew were on board his flight as well. This time he had come to the city for a family event, the first birthday of his 'nephew'. He had been in two minds about attending, and had toyed with the idea of bringing his gifts the previous week. By visiting his brother and sister-in-law then, whilst he was in the city for the Opening Night, he would have dealt with the issue and could have cited environmental concerns as his reason not to come this time. However, it turned out that it was Ollie's weekend to be on duty at the hospital, and as a result, Michelle had worked all weekend at the Spotlight, with her son tucked up in his crib in her office, quite content in that environment. It was exactly what had happened with her as a child, as her own parents had built up their business; even now that they were moving to a larger apartment, there was still no room for a live-in nanny or au pair, and in all honesty, it was not something that either parent wanted anyway…
There had been a number of other arguments for not coming at all, at least in Thad's view, but Wes had talked him out of making a feeble excuse and staying away. "His first birthday is a milestone in a way to him, and them; his age will no longer be talked of in terms of months. I know that being there and seeing him on this specific day will be hard, but after this year you can start to think about missing some of the events, using the perfect excuses of school timetable and distance; make video calls, to show that you are thinking of them instead. As for the Holidays, you will have to accept that as both a 'bachelor' and an 'uncle' you are bound to be invited by them…"
Thad chuckled then. "Oh, the irony to be thought of as that when I am neither a single man, or technically an uncle by blood to any child…" he said, a sadness behind his words.
Wes nodded, and wrapped an arm around his husband's shoulders. "I will be there with you, my little one, hovering in the background, for most of the day, if it will help you in any way. We can try and see if I can make that brother of yours feel a draught…"
"That would be a tall order, Wessie," sighed Thad. "Dad did the full number on him about faith and the concept of a life angelic; I don't see any easy way to remove those negative perceptions from his mind…"
It was almost midnight by the time that Thad's taxi pulled up out side the building which contained the new apartment of his only blood family; at least, those that spoke to him. He paid the driver, then headed over to the door, pressing the bell. The door was unlocked at once, which seemed more than a little careless, even in a good neighborhood, and he resolved to tell his brother off for that. His face must have betrayed his thoughts, as on reaching the door of his brother's new home, he found Ollie waiting, and he immediately laughed.
"Calm down, brother of mine; you might not have noticed, but we have a video entry phone system here. I could see at once that it was you, and as such, I saw no point in wasting time conversing over the microphone," he said, before pulling his little brother into a hug. Thad reciprocated at once, recalling a time not so long ago when they would only have shaken each other's hand, the idea of embracing not one that fit in with their father's emotional mindset. "Michelle is asleep, and apologises for that. Fact is that she was at work, plus young master Thaddeus was a little grizzly today; then to cap it all I was late home today for the first time in a while. We had a busy day patient wise, and if I was going to be able to be here for the next couple of days before my night shift week, I had to get all paperwork sorted to stop them calling me up all weekend…"
Thad nodded, then allowed his brother to give him a quick guided tour of his new home, which was all the more impressive in reality than it had been in the pictures that he had seen. The spare room in which he was to stay was spacious, en suite, and was an absolutely perfect temperature. Leaving his bag there, he returned to the kitchen, where he and Ollie sat and chatted over tea and snacks. He was grateful when his brother moved the subject on to Wes. Ollie had never met him, but he had come to realise that the two people in the world that he was closest to, his wife and his brother, both missed him dearly, and had been affected by the fact that this year was a decade since his death. It would be helpful to know more about the man…
Thad slept later than normal the next day after his late night, and woke up to the dull hum of the traffic outside, albeit muted by the triple glazed windows and the height at which the apartment was. He slipped on the robe that hung on the back of the bedroom door, then headed out in search of his morning caffeine fix. It was only as he opened the bedroom door that he was able to fully appreciate the level of sound proofing in the place, because his ears were instantly met with the sound of music on the radio, and voices chatting in the kitchen…
He walked in to see his brother feeding his namesake, and Michelle heading for the coffee maker to pour her brother-in-law a cup. "I was beginning to think that you weren't going to get up at all," she said in jest, looking over at the clock which showed it was almost 9am.
"I am as surprised as you, my body clock is usually so attuned to early rising," Thad replied, "but I am blaming the flight after a long and slightly trying day of teaching. The debate about the Vietnam War, and its rights and wrongs, quickly got a lot livelier that I anticipated, and the boys were so into it that it seemed churlish to end it just because the bell rang. However, I will not schedule it again for the last lesson on a Friday, because we would still have been in that room, debating the topic now, if I had allowed them! I am looking forward to their essays though, because I think that they should be quite thought provoking too. What I love about teaching is seeing how a new generation sees things, and how different they are to mine. The boys I am teaching are in favour of support for the less well off, and a decent health care system for everyone, a view that was not shared by the majority of my generation, and according to my older colleagues, is the polar opposite to the first boys they taught. Back then, such views would have a boy labelled as a communist…"
"Meanwhile, many of the older generation seem to think that the way forward is massive cuts in the taxes that they pay, accompanied by an increase in government spending on things that benefit them! It's the dichotomy that you also see with the question of city taxes; people think that the city should do this, do that, spend more on things, cut the price of a subway ticket… I hear that, day in, day out, all the time at the Spotlight. Then the moment that the city council proposes so much as a $1 a year tax rise, they instantly complain about the fact and demand tax cuts as well!" replied Michelle, as she set down a cup of coffee in front of Thad.
"Human nature," said Ollie wryly. "We all think that everyone else should do something so that we don't have to and can reap the benefits. We sometimes get people coming into the ER with tiny cuts that they could have put a Band Aid on themselves. So, if I am feeling evil, or if they are behaving in a particularly obnoxious manner, I will deliberately put stitches in it instead, and tell them they need to come back next week to have them removed, or if the cut goes septic. Nine times out of ten they never come back though…"
Thad was looking at his brother slightly aghast, then heard Michelle say, "They don't have to, as you use dissolvable stitches these days, so a week later, they are gone…"
"Very true, my love, although some people don't seem to realise that, and they come back horrified that they have been absorbed into their blood stream, or have fallen out…"
"I can't believe that you would do something like that, Oliver!" exclaimed Thad. "It's the sort of thing that I would have thought was beneath you!"
"I only do it if they are behaving in a really vile way, and if they are clearly wealthy enough to pay for the treatment… Anyway, now that this young man is fed, I think it is time that he said hello to his Uncle Thad properly…"
Ollie got up, and carefully carried his son over, sitting him on his brother's lap. Thad looked down, and saw that his namesake was looking up at him intently, and then the boy broke into a smile.
"Well, at least he didn't panic at being with you; he must recall you from your last visit," said Michelle. Thad nodded, then felt a hand on his shoulder. He knew who it was instinctively, and he could see a twinkle in Michelle's eyes, which meant that she could see her cousin standing there, looking down proudly in all likelihood at her son. In another life, she thought, she would be observing two fathers with their son, and her husband would be the uncle in the room…
A few hours later, Thad found himself left alone with his 'nephew'. Michelle had a long list of furnishing items that she wanted for the new apartment, and as her husband was not working, she was going to take full advantage and have him come with her - and use Thad as an unpaid sitter too. Of course, Wes joined his husband at once, looking down at the boy that seemed so content in every way, and in his opinion, knew that the angel was there too…
"When Michelle saw me standing behind you this morning, I get the impression that she was picturing the scene in a different world," he said quietly to his husband.
"I was dreading him saying dada," admitted Thad. "Irrational I know, because why on earth would he, but if he did then it would have been like a knife to my brother's heart. My son has a good life here, surrounded by love and affection. Ollie dotes on him, and they refuse to hand him over to others to look after if they can help it. Could you imagine if I had him, was a single father? I could hardly take him into the classroom with me, and although she would offer, Mrs Carmichael could not be expected to be there every day to babysit. No, I am certain now that my choice here was the right one. Yes, it is still so very hard, seeing him and knowing that he is my flesh and blood, but I just think practically now; head over heart. Also, thank goodness that there are so many similarities between me and Ollie in appearance, the two of us taking after mom, unlike Junior… As he grows up, he will never suspect that Ollie isn't his real dad, and that is how it should be…"
Wes knew that his husband really did mean what he said now; the thoughts that he had harboured back at Christmas had ebbed away. He too had struggled with the notion of Thad's son being raised by his brother, but he had come to the same conclusion. It was best not to dwell on what could have been, had he still been alive. They had both wanted to have children, but which one of them would have been willing to stay at home and raise them? Both his law career and Thad's teaching one were of equal importance, and neither of them would have been content to give up on them. So they would have needed to find a nanny, and that would also have been fraught with problems. It would not have mattered if they had been based in New York or in Ohio, a good nanny was hard to find…
He lost his train of thought as a smell assaulted his nose, and he looked pointedly at Thad. "Well, my love, this time there is no avoiding it; we have to change a diaper," he said, and Thad nodded, glad that the disposable nappy was not entirely dead, since they had been made recyclable. He gingerly picked up his namesake, and carried him over to the changing table that was set up in the family bathroom…
Ten minutes later, and the task was done, without too much retching on his part; Wes however had gagged constantly, and he had chuckled at that in the end. He would tease him about that later, when they were alone. He felt proud of himself for tackling one of the principle tasks of child-rearing, and passing with flying colours…
He enjoyed the remainder of his time with his namesake, helping him to play with his blocks and listening to his chatter. He ensured that he was fed, and then, when he started to yawn, put him down for a nap as Michelle had told him to. He had to admit that the idea of an afternoon nap was something that was starting to appeal to him as his teaching career continued… He was glad though when he heard the front door open, indicating that the little boy's parents had returned. He duly then admired all of the little household items that Michelle unpacked before him, although he was certain that few, if any of them, had been chosen by his brother. As she did that, Ollie fetched up the grocery shopping that they had also done, plus all the supplies for his nephew's needs; wipes, formula, nappies…
He wondered then how parents in the city coped when they did not have access to a car for those sort of trips, then recalled faintly that Jeff had once described such things as a cross between a mission and an expedition. He had been quite used to going out with his son in his stroller, the carrying tray below the seat ending up full, with other bags hanging on the handles, and yet more strapped to his papa…
When little Thad woke up, the first thing that his mother did was look at his diaper; she smiled, nodded, then picked her son up, as she suspected he needed another change…
"Well, it looks as if you passed the diaper test, little brother," remarked Ollie with a grin. "I must confess that despite being proficient in the art of bandaging, the first time I attempted to change him was a complete disaster. Not only did I put it on back to front, it was also inside out!" Thad couldn't help but laugh at that, particularly as the diapers in question were all clearly labelled with the instructions on how they should be put on… "To be serious for a moment Thad, he is the best gift that anyone has ever given me. I will never be able to thank you enough for what you did for us. He is everything to me and Michelle, and if he turns out to be as smart, kind and handsome as his namesake, then we will be the luckiest parents alive…"
Ollie paused then, and taking his brother's hand, he continued, "There is however one long term decision that we have made about his future that I want to tell you now. We have discussed it as a couple, and although we both agree that we would like our boy to go to a good prep school when he is old enough, it isn't going to be Dalton. It is nothing to do with the fact that you teach there, far from it. We just both want to keep him closer to home. To that end, we have started some research, and we hear good things about Browning. It sounds a lot like Dalton, but…"
"He can come home to you each night for his supper," said Thad with a smile. "To be honest, in your position I would want the same, although saying that, it is quite a hike uptown from here…"
"It is, but once we get to that stage we would be looking to find a place up in Murray Hill, or Turtle Bay…"
"Well, I know that the AcaPanthers are a good choir," mused Thad.
"Of course you do! And yes, Seth's cousin went to Browning, didn't he? Michelle did mention that… I'm glad you see our point of view, because, it will make things easier for you as well. I'm not completely naive and stupid, and this morning, when Michelle handed him over to you, you looked, well, worried. It can't be easy for you, no matter how much you keep saying it isn't an issue."
"I will admit that I have had moments, and with Wes on my mind at the moment, given the anniversary, I have been thinking more about what could have been if fate hadn't been so cruel…"
"I wish that I'd met him," replied Ollie, sitting beside his brother and placing an arm around him. Thad leant into him, and Ollie sighed. Watching from the doorway, his wife could see that on the opposite side of Thad, holding his hand, was the man in question…
The following day was not technically little Thad's birthday, but his uncle could not be absent from school on a Monday, and his dad was in the same position with his work. His maternal grandparents also couldn't drive down from Boston on a Monday either, and so they had agreed to hold a small party on the Sunday at lunchtime instead for the family. Michelle would take him to the parent and baby group she attended the next day and celebrate again. Thad was pleased to get the chance to see Mr and Mrs Lau once more, and they were pleased to see him too. Mr Lau asked him numerous questions about his work, and then the couple began to talk quietly with him about Wes…
"You should have come to see us when you were in Boston," Mrs Lau chided Thad. "It was quite a shock for us to see Albert again though; he has a beautiful wife now, and his children are so well mannered. He told us why he was in town, and then he mentioned that he had seen you…"
"I wasn't in town very long; Dalton keeps me fully occupied, and I had to get back that night," Thad explained.
"Well, I will second what mom says about Albert's wife and children," interjected Michelle. "Of course, Bertie has changed too. He looks so much happier, as if all the troubles in the world had just melted away. He gave me his address whilst he was here in New York, and we are going to keep in better touch."
At that moment, Ollie brought little Thad into the room, and all attention turned to him; there was a great deal of present giving, and everyone took turns in holding him. His 'uncle' however declined, sensing that his 'nephew' was a little fed up with being treated like a parcel and passed around, and would probably be far happier if he was allowed to sit on the floor and play with all the wrapping paper and boxes his gifts had come in…
Then Thad suddenly found that Mrs Lau was beside him, and she whispered to him, "I can sense that Wesley is here, watching all of us. He is happy, and he still is deeply in love with you."
"I know; I sense him too. He is with me everywhere that I go," Thad replied.
"He loved you so much that his spirit will never leave you until you can be together once more. If he had lived, then I believe that you would have been blessed with many children. Then again, in a way, you have many already…"
Thad smiled, realising that it was true. He had his pupils, past, present and future. And he had his boys, the friends he had made and would never lose…
That afternoon, as Thad was helping to celebrate the birthday of his 'nephew', a drama of another sort was playing out further up the Hudson. Although neither of them had said anything to any of the others, Edward and Colin had both been worried for the last ten days. The due date of their surrogate had come, and then gone, and their had been no sign of the arrival of their child. Unlike Skylar and Julia, they knew the sex of their offspring, and a room had been painted in green and blue hues for a nursery; it was decorated with friezes and appropriate artwork, and only awaited the presence of their boy.
As the time had gone on, the level of stress and worry had increased, to the extent that every time their phones rang, or the one in either the drugstore or the surgery did, they wondered if it was the call that would tell them they were about to become a family of three. When it was not, they were anxious to deal with the caller as swiftly as possible and get them off the line, in case the call they were really wanting was trying to get through at the same time. The previous day there had been a call from their surrogate, and hearing her voice had made their hearts leap, until she informed them that nothing had changed, but that her doctor was talking of inducing the birth on Monday if there was still no natural movement. That worried both fathers-to-be even more than the waiting; after all, what if the lack of progress was an indicator that something was wrong with their son? It would not matter of course if there boy was born with a disability; they would not love him any less. However, they, like all parents, wanted to have perfection…
The call that Sunday came at 12.03pm precisely, informing them that their surrogate was at the hospital in Cortlandt Manor, one of the best facilities in the district, and that her labour was now progressing swiftly. The lunch that Colin had set on the table only two minutes earlier was abandoned, plates of food left in situ as they both ran for the car. As they drove off, Colin made a quick call to the on duty manager at the pharmacy to let her know that he was going to be unavailable, and should any drug needed to be prescribed urgently, then she would need to call his predecessor and ask her to come in and sign off on it. It was only as he hung up that he realised that he should perhaps have called the lady in question first, in case she was not available to do so. Fortunately she was at home, and only too happy to oblige in the circumstances, having been ready for this moment for a fortnight already…
They made good time on the drive south, and they were entering the state of the art maternity suite at the New York Presbyterian run hospital by quarter to one. They were greeted at the reception, and then directed to the room they needed, with an injunction that they should hurry. The reason for those words became clear as they reached the door; as Edward placed a hand on the handle, almost on cue, the sound of a baby crying filled the air. After keeping them all waiting for over a week, their son had decided that enough was enough he was ready to come, and he wasn't going to hang around….
The two new fathers had frozen on the spot as they heard that sound, but now turned to each other with broad smiles. That was how the nurse that opened the door to the room found them, and she laughed. "Well, you timed that very well! You have a perfect baby boy, a big boy in terms of both weight and length. Such things can cause a long and torturous labour, but obviously not in this case. He is just being checked over, and then you can see him. I will sort out a couple of gowns, and you can get ready."
"How is his mother doing?" asked Colin, which earned him a smile from the nurse.
"Relived more than anything I think," she replied, "and pleased for the two of you."
"His name is Topher by the way," said Edward. "Topher Baxter Jamieson."
"I will make a note of that on his record. Now, let's get you those gowns so you can meet him."
Colin would later say that everything he had been told by every other Warbler that had become a father before him was true; the moment that you saw that tiny human, you fell in love. The urge to protect them overcame all over thoughts and emotions, and the entire universe shifted to centre on them and their needs. The first thing that they both noticed was his ginger hair, and that came from his mother in all likelihood, although their was some history of it in Colin's family way back. Their son had been born with a generous amount, and below it were a pair of emerald green eyes, just like Edward's; they seemed to be observing them with an intensity…
Colin allowed Edward to hold him first, whilst he went to talk to their surrogate, who he could not ever thank enough for giving them the most precious of gifts. He did so deliberately as he had decided long ago that his husband should be the one to bond with their boy first. Like Skylar, he was still feeling the loss of Seth keenly at times, and their son would help to fill that void. He smiled as he watched them from across the room, his husband pulling faces and whispering how handsome his son was to the boy in question. Then he looked up, and beckoned Colin over to join them. He sat by Edward, and got his first good look at the boy that made them a family. Soon he held him in his arms, as Edward looked on, thinking about how soon they should make the news public. He decided that it could wait; they needed some bonding time before they had to deal with all the messages of love that would come their way…
The news that Colin and Edward had finally joined the ranks of Warbler fathers would finally break whilst Thad was in the air on his return flight to Columbus. He had booked himself onto a flight just after 5pm, reminding his brother and sister-in-law that he had school in the morning; when Ollie had laughed at that turn of phrase and asked him if he had homework to do, Thad had responded in the affirmative, as he had a pile of papers to read over and grade, and in a strict sense, that was homework for a teacher… The exchange between the two brothers was witnessed by everyone, and Mrs Lau had been the first to start laughing at the idea…
He had taken a cab to the airport, something that he usually avoided, but on this occasion, the extra expense could be justified as it had allowed him more time with his family. He was blessed with a trouble free passage through the terminal, but nonetheless was the last passenger aboard the plane, on what was an exceptionally quiet flight for that time on a Sunday in his opinion. With all passengers accounted for, they were able to push back early, and with favourable winds assisting them, they arrived in Columbus a good 40 minutes ahead of schedule, something that suited Thad no end, giving him extra time with those essays.
He did not check his phone for messages until he was back in his apartment at Dalton, and for once he was one of the last people to know what was going on. He left his good wishes, apologising for his tardiness, but explaining that he had been airborne at the time, on his way back from his nephew's birthday party. Any little thoughts that had been made by others at his absence before that were forgotten at once… As he sat down to make a start on the essays, Thad received a private message from Trent, in which his fellow Warbler hoped he was well, and then stated that the Head Warbler had to be one of the kindest and most selfless people that any of them knew. He also said that if Thad needed to talk about anything at all, he was there and would be only to happy to listen. Thad did not reply, but he was glad to know that there was an outside party that was aware of what he had done, so that he would have someone to talk to if required…