Alfred woke up with a small jolt which cause Bromsley to jolt awake too and then start hissing; arching his thin back so he seemed larger and more intimidating. Ace merely rolled over like a little rollie pollie and continued to sleep soundly. It took Alfred's brain a few moments before it managed to process that Arthur was down stairs frantically calling for him. Alfred rocket launched himself out of bed- nearly squishing the cats in the process- as he ran for the door, but in his haste he forgot to put on his glasses. With the mixture of his bad eye sight and the darkness of the room Alfred missed his mark by only a few inches and instead ran into the wall right next to the opening of the door. His eyes began to tear up and he groaned as he held his- hopefully not broken- nose. The panicked American ignored his pain and flew down the stairs five at a time shouting, "Arthur! What's going on? What's wrong?"
Alfred ran down the hall and into the kitchen, screeching to a halt when he found said Brit pacing back and forth in front of the counter by the telephone. Alfred rushed over to him; grabbing his arm which the Brit quickly jerked away and continued his pacing. "What's wrong? Are you sick? Are you dying? Did someone break in? Did you set anything on fire?" Alfred went down his mental list of things that could go wrong, but Arthur shook his head to each and every possibility. "Then what the hell happened? You freaked me out so much I forgot to put my glasses on and ran into a wall." Alfred wasn't usually one to get annoyed, but at this moment in time he was reasonably ticked off. He had every right to be, he probably just broke his nose for absolutely nothing. "If it's nothing and you just being you're weird panicky self I'm going back to sleep…"
"Belt up you daft moron! I'm not panicking for no reason!" The Briton shouted angrily; not breaking from his state of pacing even for a second.
"Then what's wrong? You seem okay, everything seems okay; so what in hell's name is so freaking bad?" Alfred stared at his husband expectantly as he waited for the Brit to answer.
Arthur whipped on his heel and stormed up to Alfred; emerald eyes gleaming with anger in the dim light of the kitchen. "You want to know what's wrong? I'll tell you what's bloody fucking wrong. I just a phone call when you were passed out upstairs and it was Mary Jo; she's in labor you sodding git."
Alfred stood there for a few seconds; his brain processing with the same speed as a desktop computer from the early 90's. Waiting… waiting… waiting… and then it hit him like a bus. "… Holy Shit!"
"Yes, see, there we are. Now you understand where I'm coming from." Arthur sounded triumphant as Alfred began reacting similarly to how Arthur did earlier.
"Holy shit! Oh my god! Are you fucking serious? I-I thought we had two more weeks left!"
"Alfred, babies don't come exactly on their due dates. They could be early or they could be late or... l-look point here is the baby is coming and we have to get dressed and down to the hospital soon because Mary Jo is down there all by herself and I for one as a gentleman will not do something as rude as making her fend for herself. Now get your arse in gear and get upstairs." Arthur began ushering the still stunned American upstairs to change into something other than superman pajama bottoms.
For the next hour the Kirkland-Jones house was frantic and buzzing with the soon to be parents running around trying to prepare themselves for their trip to the hospital. There was no predicting how long Mary Jo would be in labor for; could be a couple hours, could be several hours, it could even be for a few days (Arthur hoped it wouldn't be the last one. Arthur stocked up on a few good books while Alfred brought his I-pod and his Nintendo DS (something he insisted he wanted for his birthday a few years ago along with various games like Super Mario, Pokémon, and Kingdom Hearts). Alfred called Matthew to, one, tell him the news, and, two, ask the shy boy to watch the cats. Of course the younger man responded with a curious, "When did you guys get cats?" seeing as he never knew about their existence before.
With everything shut off, locked, fed, and packed up Alfred and Arthur left the house. Arthur in the passenger seat and Alfred driving- their hands interlocked together on the center console as they sat in silence. "… This is really happening…" Alfred breathed quietly.
"This is really happening…" Arthur echoed as he squeezed Alfred's hand tighter; searching for the endless reassurance the American always seemed to give Arthur through his touch. They were ready in nearly every sense of the word physically, but in the mental sense they were far from it. Arthur thought he had at least a few more weeks to mentally prepare himself for this giant change that was about to befall on his life and quite frankly it scared him. What if he failed as a parent? What if he couldn't give his child everything it wanted? What if he was insufficient? What if he couldn't grace the child with all the love and care it needed or deserved? What if he couldn't be a good father? All these questions suddenly popping up in the Brit's mind scared him and made his heart pound in his chest. He wasn't ready. He couldn't do this. He wasn't ready to take care of another life besides his own…. He couldn't raise himself to the standards he had set of a good parent. Arthur had already deemed himself incapable and unworthy.
Alfred sensed his better half's distress and moved to silently comfort his husband. The American gently stroked his calloused thumb against the Brit's smooth pale skin and small reassurance. "Don't worry Arthur. You're ready. We're ready. We're going to be the best parents ever, okay? Don't let all the doubt get to you." Alfred soothed his nervous husband; sending him positive reinforcement through their intertwined hands.
Arthur closed his eyes; blonde lashes caressing his cheeks as he took in a breath and exhaled deeply in attempts to calm his frayed nerves. "…I suppose you're right…" He breathed out quietly. "… Thank you Alfred; I know I can always count on you." Alfred smiled at his husbands words.
"We're in this together; I'll always be there." He reassured as he smiled down at the silver wedding band that sat on Arthur's ring finger and at the matching one he wore on his own. The moment of truth was coming soon.
Arthur hated hospitals; but same went for about 95% of the human race. They were overly clean and lacked color and vibrancy which only made it feel more like a mental institution than a place where people were meant to get better. They always smelled of sickness masked by floral soap and antibacterial cleaners that only made Arthur's nose burn uncomfortably. At least the Maternity ward wasn't half as bad as the other parts of the hospital. At least Arthur knew in this section of the building lives were being born and not lost. The only thing that made it bad were the women in labor who slowly shuffled around in attempts to ease their pains- all slightly doubled over their swollen stomachs with nervous husbands dutifully following after them even though most women looked as if they were ready to kill their male counter parts.
Alfred and Arthur approached the nurse's station where one the scrub clad workers was busy filling out papers and typing things into a computer. Arthur cleared his throat slightly which caused the little brunette to look up from her work; a pen clamped between her teeth. "Yes, Hello, sorry to bother you, but we're looking for someone…" Arthur sounded slightly nervous as he spoke to the nurse.
The small nurse removed the pen from her mouth and dropped it down on the counter. "Sure, name please?"
"Mary Josephine Wright." Arthur explained.
The small nurse wheeled around in her chair and over to another nearby desk where a clip board sat covered in papers. The brunette's eyes scanned the paper until she came across the right name. "Ah yes, here she is. Are you family?" She questioned as she gestured to the couple.
"Well no… but she's our surrogate." Arthur's heart squeezed a little with nervous tension.
The little brunette gave them a slightly funny look, but soon looked back down at the paper to confirm the room number. "Alright, she's in room 314. Straight down this hall and to the left." Arthur nodded in thanks; he then took Al's hand proudly and proceeded to walk down the hall in the direction the nurse had pointed them in. Arthur counted down the little numbers just outside the door until he came upon the one that said '314.' He hesitated for a moment before he reached over and gently raped his knuckles against the door frame. Alfred moved ahead of him; poking his head in the through the door before waiting for an answer.
"Hey Mary Jo," He greeted her while grinning brightly all the while.
"Hi Alfred." She shot back just as cheerfully even though when Arthur too poked his head he was they were currently sticking an IV in her thin arm (which didn't seem to affect her in anyway. It was like she didn't even feel it). Arthur slightly had to refuse the urge to gag at the sight since he was never very good with blood or needles or anything of the sort. "Hi Arthur." Mary Jo greeted him cheerfully as well.
Arthur avoided looking at her arm and decided to focus just on her face as he greeted her back, "Hello Mary Jo, how are you feeling?" he asked politely.
"I'm doing pretty good so far. My contractions are pretty far apart right now so it's not bad." Well that was good to hear. At least she wasn't suffering from the horrible crippling pain that Arthur had read about in one of his many books. Well at least not yet. The nurse finished with the IV and left with a small nod to both Mary Jo and the couple, leaving the trio alone to their own devices. "Well don't y'all just stand there; come on in, pull up a chair." Mary Jo motioned over to the two chairs in the corner that the hospital supplied for guests and visitors.
Alfred and Arthur each pulled up a chair next to her bed and the trio began to make pleasant conversation. As the next couple of hours slipped by in the heat of their conversations- occasionally cut short when Mary Jo would experience a contraction- the younger blonde girl progressed and became closer and closer to delivery. Eventually the contractions became so intense and so close together that the girl could hardly carry on with her previously cheerful conversation. The people in the white lab coats and the printed scrubs soon filed into the room; shooing Arthur and Alfred out for a few minutes whilst they administered medication to help ease Mary Jo's pain. The nurses and doctors advised that Mary Jo sleep as much as she could for as long as she could to save up all her energy for the birth itself. After a bit of coaxing from Alfred and Arthur the blonde girl finally gave in and lay down; closing her blue eyes for one very well deserved nap. Alfred and Arthur remained in their chairs and waited quietly as to not wake her up.
Arthur moved to reading one of the books he had brought along while Alfred tried to keep himself busy by listening to music and playing Solitare on his I-pod. But, unfortunately, the big American was never one to sit still and be quiet for extended periods of time. Within the first half an hour of silence he was already shifting in his chair every few minutes, shuffling the contents of his I-pod every other song, and resisting the urge to start filling the silence in the air outside his headphones with mindless chatter. He couldn't take it anymore. He needed to get up, he needed to move and talk with anyone whether it be Arthur or some random stranger in the hallway.
"I'm gonna go get coffee; you want anything?" Alfred asked his husband as he abruptly rose from his seat. Arthur would suspect nothing seeing as how it was well past midnight and caffeine was going to be needed if he intended to stay up all night.
"Tea would be lovely." Arthur replied.
"One sugar, no cream?" Alfred asked as he headed for the door; making sure he correctly remembered how Arthur liked his beverage of choice.
"You know me well, love." Alfred gave a curt nod before retreating into the hall way where he walked down a few meters from the room before he stopped and leaned against the wall.
Alfred closed his eyes and tilted his head back to rest against the wall as he let a long held sigh escape from his chest. This whole thing was going to be one very long and painful process; Alfred could feel it in his bones. But still he had a hard time convincing himself that this was all really happening. Within a matter of hours he was going to be a father. It wouldn't be just him and Arthur anymore; they'd have another life- another person- to clothe, and feed, and love, and take care of. Alfred sighed again, running his fingers through his ash blonde hair as he did so. He could hardly believe that it had taken him so long to really think about this and what was really happening. It was still all so surreal; like a dream that he was somehow waiting to wake up from. Maybe it would finally seem real soon. Maybe when he held his new son or daughter in his arms would this whole dream become reality….
The sound of footsteps brought Alfred out of his deep thought as he brought his head back up and opened his eyes. The young American was surprised who he saw who had approached him in the wide and white hospital hallway.
"Hey…" Nathan- Mary Jo's unfriendly fiancé- said shyly and quietly as he nervously shuffled in place and avoided eye contact with Alfred. Alfred gazed over at him and stood up from leaning on the wall and casually shoved his hands in his pockets. Surprisingly he was calm and felt no anger from their previous encounter raging within him.
"Hey…" He replied.
Nathan remained quiet again for a few moments; still nervously shifting as he rubbed the back of his neck and tried to think of what to say. "Look I…" He began, but soon paused and thought again. Alfred bit back a bitter comment and instead decided not to scare the man any further because it seemed like it was already taking all he got to even face Alfred at this point in time. "I, uh… I wanted to… a-apologize…" That was a shocker. Last time the two of them had crossed paths it had been a less than cordial encounter; well actually Alfred had punched Nathan in the face because the brunette had ruthlessly verbally abused Alfred and Arthur because they were a homosexual couple. Now suddenly here he was apologizing for something that had happened nearly five months ago.
"Sorry, if you really didn't expect to see me here- I mean I know it's like a really important day for you and all- but uh, Mary Jo called me to say she was in labor…." He explained when Alfred didn't respond.
"Well, Mary Jo's the one going through all the pain and doing the work. If she wanted you here that's her decision, not mine." Alfred replied with a small shrug of his shoulders.
The brunette gave a small nod of his head. "Yeah I guess…" he paused again. "H-How is she doing… by the way?" He asked nervously.
"She's doing okay right now. The doctor gave her pain medication and the epidural a little while ago so the pain is down. He said it'd be best if she rested for now while she had the chance; she in there taking a nap right now." He explained as he jabbed a thumb back the room where Arthur was still sitting with Mary Jo.
"That's good…" Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. "… I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I just feel like… it's something I should tell you…" Alfred remained silent and let Nathan slowly continue on with whatever it was he wanted to say. "… Over these past few months, I haven't been the same… I've felt sad and empty; I felt like something was really missing from my life. I kept telling myself I'd get over Mary Jo; if it wasn't meant to be it wasn't meant to be. But as the days went on I realized that I just couldn't…. She was the ray of sunshine in my dull and pretty much meaningless life…. These past months that we've been apart I realized that… I really do love her. I love her with every fiber of my being and I just can't keep going on without her…." After that he remained quiet and Alfred took it he was done with his little story.
Alfred breathed out a little sigh and turned his body so that he faced Nathan directly. "Y'know something- I don't mean to sound like I'm prying or anything- but that love that you just said you had for Mary Jo well… that the same kind of love I have for Arthur. That kind of love that you know if that other person were to disappear from your life you would just curl up and die on the spot. When they leave you have the empty feeling right here," he said tapping his own chest right over his heart. "I just think it's important that you should know that the same kind of love that happens between a man and a woman can happen between two men too."
Nathan studied Alfred for a good long time before finally looking him in the eye and replying, "Y'know… I think you're right. You seem to know everything I'm going through right now being away from Mary Jo, so you must have felt it before too."
Alfred chuckled lightly. "When you're married to someone as hot headed and stubborn as Arthur it happens a lot, but still I could never bear to live without him." He said smiling lightly. Nathan gave a small laugh as well, obviously seeing where Alfred was going. "Well then, you should go in there and be with her. From what I've been able to tell she really missed you too." He said giving Nathan a little pat on the back and leading him off to the room Mary Jo was staying in.
When the two men walked into the room Mary Jo was lying in bed; on her side curled around the swell of her stomach and her arms placed carefully so she didn't knock out and wires or tubes from their places. Arthur was sitting on the chair in the corner; gazing at his book from over the tops of his reading glasses. As soon as the Brit saw Nathan enter the room with Alfred behind him he immediately took off his glasses and stood up; his eyes sharp and his stance somewhat defensive.
Alfred waved him down mouthing a silent 'It's okay' to his surprised husband. Nathan gave a small curt nod over to Arthur before he approached the sleeping Mary Jo. Alfred motioned for Arthur to come to join him and the rather confused Brit did so; walking over to stand next to Alfred who hooked one arm around the Brit's slender waist and pulled him close. "Come on, I'll explain outside." He whispered as to not wake Mary Jo as he pulled Arthur outside. Arthur resisted at first, but soon gave up when he realized Alfred could easily haul the smaller man over his shoulder and drag him outside. Might as well save himself the embarrassment.
The couple rounded the corner of the threshold leaving the other couple in the room alone; but Alfred hung back just a bit to see Nathan's course of action. Nathan took the chair Arthur had previously been sitting in; quietly pulling it up to the bedside. He took a seat and leaned down next to Mary Jo. He brushed her gold bangs away from her face lightly as he placed his hand in her smaller open one. She was still asleep for a few more moments, but then she stirred, groaning a little bit as she cracked her blue eyes open to see Nathan sitting there, smiling down at her. "Hey babe…" he whispered soothingly.
She examined him for a few moments; blue orbs shifting around as she inspected his face and made sure it was really him. "Nate?" She questioned quietly.
"Yeah… look Mary Jo… I wanted to say I was sorry. I was a complete and total jerk to you, when you didn't deserve it…. But… I want to be here for you now, and support you like I should have done in the first place."
She looked at him again for a good long while before her eyes started to tear up and she gripped his hand tightly. She breathed out a shaky breath and gave a small smile. "I… I'm real happy you came, Nate." She whimpered quietly as he leaned down again and placed a small and gently kissed on her forehead.
"And that," he said with a triumphant grin. "Is how it's done ladies and gentlemen." He finished as he pulled the room's door quietly shut.
Arthur glared up at him; placing his hands on his hips. "What in the bloody name of the Queen was that?"
"That," Alfred explained motioning back to the room. "Was us fulfilling our little pact." Alfred of course was referring to the silent vow Alfred and Arthur made that they would fix Mary Jo's relationship problems in the hospital so many months ago.
Arthur looked a little skeptical, but really didn't press the matter any further- figuring he should just leave well enough alone. "Well he isn't going to make fun of us again is he? If he if he so much as utters one word I find offensive to us I'll be the one knocking his lights out this time."
"Relax, relax, I think Nathan has really made a change for the better in these last few months he hasn't been with Mary Jo…" Alfred trailed off a little and stared off into the distance. Nathan's words rang in his mind. How sincere and truthful they had sounded. It was almost unreal. How much he must have suffered in those few months without the person he loved most in the world. Alfred looked down at the shorter Brit who stood next to him. The older man arched one prominent brow and gazed up on his husband with curious green eyes.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Alfred merely smiled softly; snaking his arms around Arthur's slender waist and pulling him closer so that their foreheads touched and their noses brushed. "Nothin'…" The American breathed out. "Just… promise me you'll never leave me." Alfred couldn't even begin to imagine a life without his stubborn little Brit always by his side. Such a life well… in his mind it seemed unbearable. Not that he'd ever want to experience it reality.
Arthur seemed a bit confused as to what brought this up all of a sudden, but his sharp green gaze softened and he gave the slightest of smiles as he leaned forward and planted a gentle peck on his dear husband's lips. "Git… of course I'd never leave you," He spoke softly as he placed a hand on Alfred's cheek. "… you… you mean everything to me, Alfred."
Alfred smiled too, "I'm glad to hear it."
Hours slipped by painfully slowly. Alfred felt as if any moment he was going to start screaming and ripping his own locks of dark blonde hair from his head. Since a half an hour ago Alfred and Arthur had been shooed from the room since Mary Jo was now fully dilated and ready to push. Alfred and Arthur really didn't have to see the actually birth since Arthur would most likely faint and Alfred was just perfectly fine with just plain waiting in the waiting room. The lovely couple was anxious beyond belief. So anxious in fact that not either one of them even bothered to utter a single syllable. They just sat there in those small and cheap uncomfortable chairs gripping their hands together as if they were life lines to each other. Each second the hand on the clock moved seemed to take an eternity and then some. It was almost as if the small plastic hand was glued in place forcing time to stand still and the world to stop around them. The only thing that assured the couple that time hadn't indeed stopped was the lightly mumble of the TV in the back ground and the gently hum of nurses, doctors, and patients shuffling around the ward despite it being a quarter to 4 A.M.
It was 4:00 A.M on the dot when one of the scrub clad nurses ventured into the room. "Mr. and Mr. Kirkland- Jones?" she inquired even though Alfred and Arthur were clearly the only ones in the room. The couple both turned their blank sleepy stares up at the nurse. She merely smiled at them and spoke the words the couple had been waiting nine long months to head, "Would you two like to come meet your son?" Son. Boy. It was a boy.
Alfred and Arthur stood from their seats and face each other for a few brief seconds. "We have a son…" Arthur sighed breathlessly.
"We have a son…" Alfred echoed back as the uncontainable smile began to spread across his lips. The suddenly found themselves clasped tightly in each other's embrace as if the world had suddenly pulled them together for this moment of realization. After a few seconds the pulled away from each other and walked out of the room and followed the nurse arm in arm. The beaming couple was led back to Mary Jo's room where the blonde was lying in bed looking battered and exhausted, but still smiling none the less- Nathan right by her side, holding her hand tightly.
"He's right over there." Mary Jo said as she pointed to where a nurse was standing over a small new born bed wrapping a bright blue blanket over a tiny wriggling body. The woman finished her job and turned towards the couple with the bundle tucked in her arms. She smiled and walked over to Arthur standing close to him and placing him in the Brit's arm which he had unconsciously lifted. Arthur could feel the warmth of the baby's body radiating through the soft blanket. The infant wriggled and squirmed a bit in Arthur's arms, letting out small bubbly noises. Arthur held the small bundle in his arms ever so carefully as if it was the most precious treasure in the world; which to him it was. Alfred reached up and pulled the blanket away from the baby's face so the couple could finally get a look at the face they had been waiting nine long months to see. They both took in a shaky breath when both their gazes met with large shinning eyes the same color as the day time sky. He was absolutely perfect. Even through the rounded facial features of the infant's face Arthur could already see the similarities between his and Alfred's face. The eyes of course were the same endless blue as Alfred's and even the small tuft of dark blonde hair on the boy's otherwise round bald head had a single rebellious strand that refused to slick down no matter how many times someone tried. It was apparent that it was Alfred's genes that had made it through in the end, but that didn't matter because Arthur had rights to something else much more important.
"So what're you gonna name him?" Mary Jo inquired from her place on the bed.
Arthur gazed up coyly at Alfred who merely smiled. "I have no say." He said softly, referring to the bet the couple had made just the day before.
Arthur snuggled his new born son in his arms and gazed down at him fondly. "Your name is going to be Charlie, Charlie Preston Kirkland- Jones." It had a certain ring to it when Arthur finally said the full and complete name out loud. Yes he rather liked it. It suited the blonde blue eyed baby quite well.
Alfred smiled and leaned down next to Arthur, wrapping one arm around the Briton's shoulder and using his other arm to help cradle the newly named infant. "Alright then, welcome to the world, Charlie." Alfred smiled his signature grin. Then the couple shut out the world around them and there was only the three of them. Just Alfred, Arthur, and little Charlie. This was the first them they held their precious boy in their arms. Nine long months was surely worth it because this was one moment they would never forget. Not in a million years.
Okay so… I nearly cried when writing the scene where Alfred and Arthur first meet Charlie TT^TT don't laugh at me I'm emotional.
So kudos to anyone who knew the baby was going to be a boy. You win an imaginary cookie.
I just want to let everyone know that this story- by no means- is going to end right here because we still have to go through the whole process of little Charlie growing up. Alfred and Arthur going to make the most amazing and most dysfunctional parents ever! :D
In any case to those of you who have been my loyal fans, who sent me such wonderful feedback and put up with me through all by bull shit, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the love you've given me through the story so far. I'm eternally grateful. 3
Still I'm gonna be selfish again and say PLEASE review! I love reading reviews from fans, it makes me so happy inside and makes me want to write more :D You are my inspiration people!
I'm gonna say one more thing and then I'm gonna leave you all alone. I'll be posting up some of my drawings of baby Charlie very soon and when I'm done I'll put up a link so all of you can see his adorable baby face! :3 3 3
Alright, I'm done. Thanks my lovies!