Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, other than Dexter, Lily, and Madison.
Rated: M
Warning(s): Slash, Past Mpreg, Storyline Fanfic, etc.

Sometimes, having insomnia is a particularly bitter pill to swallow. Phil stared up at the ceiling in disdain, realizing after three failed attempts at falling asleep that he simply wasn't meant to recover from his travels that night. And any other time, that would probably have been okay. But right now, his son had decided to do somersaults inside his belly, and when he wasn't playing his spine like a xylophone, he was practicing his soccer skills on Phil's kidney.

He didn't like to be awake at all hours of the night because it left him with much too much time to think. In the near deafening silence, he was forced into a sort of solitary confinement with his own thoughts. He was forced to confront his worst fears about the future of his career, his future with Daniel, and his baby's future as well. And, if he were to be perfectly honest, more often than not, the thoughts were not exactly pleasant.

He'd reached a point in his life where he was no longer contented to be stuck in a dead-end career, where the only guarantee was that he would undoubtedly be belittled by his boss for one thing or another. He loved working for WWE and performing for the fans, but he'd reached a fork in the road. This baby was providing him an out. After consulting with Vince, the chairman was willing to give him an eight-month hiatus after his son was born to decide whether or not he wanted to stay with the company.

Normally, that was the kind of news that he would hurriedly share with his fiance, Daniel. After all, didn't all of the decisions made by the two men from here on out have some sort of effect on their future? All actions would inevitably have consequences. And Daniel was forcing both of them to live through the consequences of his actions right now. He'd chosen to battle the Authority. Phil had chosen to protect their son. And now, he knew where Daniel's priorities lie.

And finally, the life growing inside of him. Before finding out about the baby, the idea of having children had never really occurred to him. He and Daniel had been perfectly content to spend the rest of their days together in their cabin, tucked securely away from the world. But the baby changed everything. Phil would do everything in his power to protect their unborn son, even if it meant defending him from the man who had helped bring him into existence.

Sucking in a deep breath, he rolled onto his side and curled in on himself. It was then that his phone began to ring. Reaching for it, he pressed 'accept' and placed it on his ear, rubbing his tender belly soothingly. "Hello?"

"Phil..." Daniel trailed off, almost sounding uncertain of what it was he wanted to say. "I didn't think that you'd still be awake."

Phil's stomach clenched, realizing that it was Daniel on the other end of the line. He didn't hang up, however. "Yes, well, not all of us have the pleasure of being able to fall asleep whenever they so desire." Phil snapped back nastily.

"Oh... Oh, right, I'm so sorry about that baby." Daniel hurriedly placated his pregnant lover, wishing that he could feel Phil's familiar weight resting in his arms. "I wish that I could be there with you. I know that we fought, and I'm sorry about that. I never meant for things to get this bad."

Phil narrowed his eyes at the darkness. "And what did you mean to happen, Daniel? Did you think that your decision would make me happy?"

Daniel sighed. "I thought that you could be happy for me, happy that I'm finally able to live out my dream."

"Your dream used to be starting a family with me. I wonder what happened to that." Phil really didn't want to be so cruel, but he was tired and cranky and he really just wanted to be asleep right now. "Now, there's a chance that our baby could grow up without a father."

"Nothing is going to happen to me out there, Phil. I know what I'm walking in to." Daniel said firmly.

"But do you know what you're coming home too?" There was a pregnant pause. "An empty house."

Without another word, Phil hung up, feeling lower than ever. He knew that Daniel had been calling to try and make things right, not worse. But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel an eerie sense of satisfaction knowing that Daniel was hurting as much as he was. Misery loved company, after all. The phone screen lit up again, but this time he chose to ignore the call, not even bothering to check the Caller ID. Angrily, he tossed the phone down onto the floor.

Rolling onto his back, he grabbed the pillow from behind his head and placed it over his face. His due date was rapidly approaching and he knew that he needed Daniel now more than ever - he was in no position to raise a baby on his own. If he and Daniel weren't able to reconcile things before the baby was born... there was a very real possibility that he'd be giving his baby up for adoption. And that was the last thing he wanted to do.

There was a knock on the door, before Kofi's wife peered around the corner, a concerned smile on her face. "Is everything alright in here, Phil? We heard a noise and were concerned." Her voice was soft and warm, a welcome comfort after his ill-fated conversation with Daniel.

"Everything is fine." Phil quickly reassured her. "My phone just fell off the bed, that's all. I'm sorry to have worried you."

Her smile grew a little wider when she realized that he was telling the truth. "Oh, it's no problem at all. Kofi and I are just down the hall if you need us, alright?"

"Thank you." He smiled warmly at her, watching as she left. As soon as the door closed, that smile fell.

He had to remember that he wasn't at home, that he was living on borrowed time in someone else's house. Now, Kofi might say that he could stay as long as he needed to, but what would happen when it came time for Phil to have his baby? The small family certainly didn't have enough room in their little suburban home to fit another baby. At least, not so soon. Pretty soon, he'd have to continue on his way. He just hoped that that wouldn't be anytime soon.

"I need to see my daughters." Hunter told the nurse. "I haven't heard from their babysitter in hours, and I'm really starting to get worried."

The nurse nodded, "I understand, Mr. Helmsley-Calloway." She finished adjusting his medication, before scribbling something on his chart. "What is the name of the babysitter? I'll have the receptionist downstairs give them a call."

"His name is Randy Orton. He's supposed to be watching my daughters, Lily and Madison." Hunter informed her. "He's been watching them for me ever since this whole mess with my husband - sorry, soon-to-be ex-husband - started. But I've never not been able to get ahold of him."

She paused at the foot of the bed, a pained look coming over her face. "Did you say... Randy Orton?"

"Yes, I did." Hunter said, growing more confused and concerned by the minute. What did it matter what the name of the babysitter was?

Going into as much detail as she could (while constantly reminding herself of the strict rules of doctor-patient confidentiality), she informed him of what was currently transpiring with Randy's son, Dexter. Apparently, Dexter had been brought in at the same time as Hunter, but in significantly worse condition. The little boy was knocking on death's door, in unimaginable pain that was rapidly increasing by the moment. They couldn't seem to stop the little boy's bloody drool, and it was terrifying him.

Hunter felt sick to his stomach. How could he not have realized that this whole mess was going on in Randy's life? Damage like that (they couldn't tell him precisely what was wrong with Dexter, but he knew that it wasn't good) didn't just show up overnight. If he'd needed more time off to take care of his son, all he'd had to do was ask. He didn't need to try and hide it like he was afraid that Hunter would exploit it. He had hoped that the Viper knew him better than that.

"He probably still has the kids, too." Hunter said softly. "Could you still have the receptionist call him and have them sent up? I don't want him to have to focus on anything other than his little boy and making sure that he gets better."

"Would you like me to contact someone to pick them up once they get here, sir?" She asked. He knew immediately what she was alluding too - this little hospital room was no place to keep children for prolonged periods of time. It wasn't a daycare facility.

Hunter shook his head. "Randy was the only babysitter that I had. I'll have to make some calls and see what I can arrange."

"Okay." She nodded. "I'll see to it that they're sent up." And then she took her leave.

Moments after she left, there was a knock on the door. Hunter didn't even bother to turn and see who it was - it wasn't like he could prevent them from coming inside if he wanted, anyhow. But the minute that he saw who it was, he was reaching for the call button. He'd have the nurse back in there in a heartbeat to escort the man out. The man came over to him, producing a manila envelope from his briefcase and tossing it onto the moving tray in front of Hunter.

Mark had an eerie look of satisfaction on his face, "I'll be taking the kids, Hunter."

Randy was there to see the little boy off to surgery. He'd made several attempts at contacting John to let him know what was happening, but each attempt had gotten him no further than the other man's answering machine. It was frustrating, but this was rapidly becoming the reality of their relationship. The only thing that was keeping them together was Dexter, and now, they could lose him too. Randy didn't know if he could take much more.

As if to add insult to injury, he'd just found out that he'd miscarried at three and a half weeks - it had been exactly three and a half weeks since he and John had last made love, if it could even be called 'lovemaking'. It had been little more than mutual comfort, recovering from two nasty matches that had left both of them broken and battered. Randy knew that John had been cheating on him. But in that moment, none of that had mattered.

Now, he had lost a baby that he didn't even now he was carrying. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. He was distraught, yes, but at the same time, was he really in any position to be bringing a child into this messed up relationship? Would John even want a baby? Randy stared down at his still-flat stomach, unable to stop himself from wondering whether it was a little boy or a little girl. Undoubtedly, Dexter would love to have a little brother to rough-house with.

Randy placed his head down on Dexter's hospital bed, closing his eyes. "Come back soon, baby boy. Mommy misses you."