Chapter 5: Parenthood
"Da Da." Lucas cheerfully squeaked while sitting in his father's lap.
"My little man is already shaping up to be the best." Mal chuckled while holding his son with one arm as he reviewed his contracts for the week at a computer console. The duo was seated at a large desk inside of the expansive office of their family's enormous home where Mal often perused the Wolves' contracts and business offers. "Hmm, Willard's having trouble with those CAT6 bastards again. I guess I'll send Mason-No, he and Rika just had the baby. Maybe Zaeed and a few Blood Fangs, Randall can help out too." he mused after reading one of his messages. As he continued looking over his contracts and reviewing his messages he was suddenly alerted to an incoming transmission from an old friend. "Ethan?"
"Hey Mal, uh, how's it going?" Ethan nervously greeted from the other end of Mal's console screen. He appeared to be exhausted and slightly anxious.
"Everything okay? You look like hell." Mal quipped.
"Y-Yeah. I mean no, I mean, I'm completely losing it Mal." Ethan replied in a panic.
"Alright, calm down and breathe." Mal ordered. Ethan took a moment to follow his advice and after taking three deep breaths and exhaling he turned his attention back to his friend. "Now tell me what's going on."
"Zoe, she, we, Zoe's pregnant." Ethan finally blurted out.
"Congratulations, welcome to the parenting club." Mal joked.
"This is serious Mal. I don't how to be a father! I'm barely a decent boyfriend. Oh God, we're gonna have to get a bigger place, I'm gonna have to learn how to change diapers and marriage…it's bound to come up, we're gonna have to talk about it." Ethan continued in a frenzy.
"Didn't the two of you discuss any of this after she told you?" Mal asked curiously.
"N-Not really." Ethan replied sheepishly.
"Oh no, Ethan please tell me you handled this like an adult or at least better than I did when Tess told me." Mal inquired.
"I pretty much blacked out, so I'm guessing I didn't." Ethan admitted. "I woke up on the couch. Zoe left a letter on the coffee table saying she'd be back once I was done having my nervous breakdown. I'm pretty sure she went to visit Allie and Darryl. I'm the worst." he lamented.
"Maybe not the worst but you are pretty lousy." Mal humorously replied.
"Sure, make all the jokes you want, kick me while I'm down, it's easy for you. You've got this whole parenting thing mastered." Ethan countered in annoyance.
"I really don't." Mal insisted. "Ethan, none of us has a clue what we're doing but we pick it up as we go. The important part is caring enough to try and putting everything you have into it. That's a hellluva lot easier when all of your children actually live with you. Meanwhile, the kid who lives on the other side of the galaxy gets the short end of the stick." he added regretfully while thinking of his oldest daughter.
"Mal, Angelica sees you at least a dozen times a year. I know it's not as often as you'd like but it's still more than most guys in your position would be able to manage. Like I said, you're the best at this." Ethan replied earnestly.
"I appreciate the vote of confidence but I'm pretty sure David and Allie would be insulted and a little hurt if they heard you say that. Did you consider asking either of them for advice?" Mal asked while wiping Lucas' face with a handkerchief.
"Are you serious?! I love David but there's no way I'm asking my little brother for advice on how to be a father. And Allie and Darryl have their hands full right now, but I guess they'll both be lending their two credits after hearing about everything from Zoe. The truth is…I really wanted to talk everything over with you, if you're not busy."
"Well, you're in luck Ethan. It turns out I'm not too busy right now. Lou and I were just going over a few contracts. We happen to be home alone at the moment. Virgo took Olivia and Leon out with Vince to see a movie and Tess is with Taya getting treated for a bug that's been going around. So, let's get you prepped and ready to be a daddy." Mal cheerfully replied causing his friend to laugh. Talking with Mal eased Ethan's worries considerably and two hours later, he found himself a lot less anxious and a lot calmer. "Feeling better?" Mal asked bracingly.
"Yeah, I am. Thanks Mal, for listening to me freak out and you know…helping." Ethan replied appreciatively.
"Don't worry about it, just remember to take it easy and don't let yourself get overwhelmed. Don't forget, Zoe is there too and you should talk to her if you start to feel tense, she'll appreciate it." Mal assured him.
"Right, thanks again. I guess I'll see you guys at Will's housewarming in a few weeks." Ethan replied brightly.
"Maybe, a few things have come up recently. I may have to cancel but I'll let everyone know ahead of time if I do." Mal informed him.
"Is it pirates, marauders, raiders or all of the above?" Ethan instantly asked.
"It's almost always all of the above." Mal joked grimly. "See you later, Ethan."
"See you, Mal." Ethan replied before disappearing from the screen.
"Da Da, hungwy." Lucas announced.
"Well, let's do something about that, okay?" Mal pleasantly announced before lifting his son into his arms and departing the office.
After making his way to the kitchen, he grabbed a container of strained carrots from the refrigerator and sat Lucas in his high chair. Once he was seated, Mal gently tied a small bib around his neck that was sporting the image of a small wolf pup playfully gnawing on a bone. After opening the carrots and placing a spoon into the meal, he was briefly interrupted by a trio of energetic varren who had suddenly bolted into the kitchen for their own meals.
"Right, right, I didn't forget about you three. Just settle down. You know Tess doesn't like it when you stampede into the kitchen." he warned them causing the three beasts to quickly calm themselves. The notion of upsetting the lady of the house was an unpleasant one for everyone who resided there. Mal quickly grabbed a large side of beef from the fridge and tossed it at the eager varren who leapt into the air and instantly caught it before proceeding to devour the feast.
With the family pets satisfied, Mal turned his attention back to Lucas and began feeding him while pretending the spoon was a small shuttle awaiting the opportunity to land in Lucas' mouth. Both father and son laughed until the meal was finally finished and the small bowl of strained carrots was emptied. Afterwards, Mal wiped his son's face and grabbed his sippy cup from the refrigerator and watched as the toddler drank the contents. "I wonder if Mom gave me apple juice when I was your age." he pondered. Once Lucas was finished, he gently lifted him and headed for the living room where he took seat on a couch and sat Lucas next to him. "You know, you could've gone to see that movie too. It's not good to be too attached to your Daddy." Mal informed the toddler who simply stared up at him and frowned.
"DA DA!" he defiantly shouted.
"Okay, okay." Mal replied while smiling. "Daddy's little man can stick around for as long he wants." he added causing Lucas to smile. As they both got comfortable on the couch and laughed, they suddenly heard someone enter the front door. A few moments later Tess arrived in the living room and quickly collapsed on the couch next to Lucas. "I'm guessing it wasn't a bug, otherwise you wouldn't risk infecting our little man here." Mal joked while playing with Lucas.
"No, no bug." Tess sighed while observing the pair and grinning. "Did you two have fun today?"
"Ma Ma, Da Da!" Lucas happily exclaimed.
"I think so." Mal cheerfully added. "So, what's the verdict? Was it food poisoning, fatigue-"
"I'm pregnant." Tess stated plainly causing Mal to abruptly stop.
"You know, for two women who don't get along, you and Zoe have some really weird timing." he finally remarked in amusement.
"We're here!" Mal shouted in between breaths after rushing into the emergency room of Vera Memorial Hospital with Vince slung across his shoulder. The pair were still wearing their mock combat gear from the survival game arena where they'd been playing less than an hour earlier. "Where's Tess?! I didn't miss it, did I?! Damn it, not again!" Mal shouted in a panic.
"Calm down, there's no way we missed it. You got us here in record time. Are you sure you can't use biotic charges?" Vince pondered from the back of Mal's shoulder.
"Your son is right, Mr. Hunter. Your wife has already been moved to her delivery room but there's still plenty of time-"
"Delivery room, got it!" Mal interrupted in a rush before speeding into the hospital's elevators.
After thirty minutes of frantically running across various floors of the hospital in a desperate search for his wife, Mal eventually returned to the reception area, out of breath with an exasperated Vince still slung across his shoulder. "I told you we should've asked for directions." the boy sighed.
"Hello again, Mr. Hunter." the nurse behind the counter giggled.
"Hey, listen, I may have jumped the gun earlier, would you mind telling me exactly what floor and room my wife happens to be in?" Mal eagerly inquired.
"Mal, if you can hear this, Tess is on the top floor in the reserved wing. Taya is already tending to her and I'm looking after the triplets." TED suddenly announced over the intercom.
"Unbelievable! Why didn't I think of that! I mean, you did build this place and dedicate it to grandma. Of course Tess would get the best accommodations." Vince replied in annoyance after smacking himself in the forehead.
"No time to beat ourselves up about it, let's move!" Mal announced before once again bolting to the nearest elevator. A few minutes later, the pair finally arrived outside of Tess' room in a quiet section on the highest level of the hospital where TED was waiting to greet them.
"Mal, your timing is perfect. Tess is-"
"I know buddy and I'm on my way! I'm not missing another one of my kids' births, no matter what!" Mal exclaimed resolutely. "Vince, you wait here with TED and the triplets." he quickly added after grabbing Vince and setting him down next to his other children who were all seated in several cushy chairs that were lining the hall. "The fifth pup is about to join the pack!" he eagerly announced before rushing off into the delivery room.
"Do all adults get like this when a new baby is on the way?" Vince mused.
"I believe Mal's reaction and behavior are typical for an expecting parent, especially an anxious father. I observed the others exhibit similar displays of nervousness and panic during their own deliveries and during Tess' previous pregnancy." TED thoughtfully explained.
"You mean when the triplets were born and Mal wasn't there?" Vince curiously asked. "It still bothers him that he missed it. I don't really understand why. He's here for them now, isn't that what matters?"
"Perhaps but some events hold a significant meaning for parents. I think I can sympathize with Mal's feelings." TED replied earnestly.
"I guess he'll be even busier now with another baby." Vince sighed. "But I suppose I don't really have any right to complain. At least I get to see him every day but poor Angelica…"
"Angelica lives on Earth. The solution is simple. I'll have to schedule most of my concerts on Earth." TED announced serenely.
"Won't that upset your non-human fans? You've been getting really popular lately." Vince inquired.
"Perhaps but I can make it up to them with my next tour. For now, I think family should come first." TED explained.
"Yeah, I guess it should." Vince replied while smiling.