One Niff and a Baby Part II
The first person that would arrive at the hospital to see the new arrival after his parents was the most obvious - Aunt Grace. She was Nick's only relative in the city at the moment, although she knew that everyone else was on the way. She also knew that Luke had been specifically told to wait until everyone had arrived before he came and greeted the newborn, as had she. Unlike Luke, she had decided to ignore Jeff's request as firstly she was desperate to see her brother's child, and secondly she was curious as to why her brother and his husband seemed so anxious to keep the sex of their child a secret. She had already purchased a teddy bear to give to the child, with a white ribbon tied round its neck; it was thus unisex and therefore ideal in the circumstances. Jeff had asked the reception desk not to let any visitors in, but she managed to get past the receptionist by telling a little white lie. She had pulled out her card, with the words 'Family Law' written below her name, and said that she had urgent paperwork that needed to be signed in connection with the surrogacy. If the receptionist spotted the name Duval she did not make the connection, and she quickly directed Grace to the relevant room.
Grace could barely stifle her giggles as she headed to Room 3/6, walking quietly up the corridor; on arriving, she knocked on the door and walked in without waiting for an answer. The first thing she did was stare at the person lying in the bed, but then she realised why they had chosen Michelle, and it made her smile. She was asleep, and so Grace turned her attention elsewhere. There was no sign of Jeff, just her brother holding an infant tenderly in his arms, and looking down on it with the kind of paternal pride you saw in Hallmark movies. She walked over and took a seat in the empty chair at his side, before pulling out the teddy bear.
"I told him there was no point in even attempting to stop you coming," said Nick quietly, his eyes never leaving the child in his arms. "He was going to speak to the staff anyway, but they're busy, and all you did to get past them was flash them your business card…"
"You know me too well, little brother…"
"Right, so I'm taking it that Uncle Coop isn't with you? Because I want all of this to stay a secret right now, even from mom. Her grandson is related to Wes Montgomery, and that makes us all so happy."
Grace, whose eyes had been focussed on the babe in her brother's arms replied, "A son…he is beautiful, Nick. I can see you in him, and Wes too for that matter. All I will say is this. If dad finds out, he will go mad; he wasn't happy about you being gay, and the fact you are now gay with a mixed race child will cause him to explode…"
"That actually makes me happy to think that; it would be an unintentional bonus to give him a heart attack or a stroke…"
"As for a name, well I'm guessing it might be…" Grace whispered in her brother's ear, and he nodded with a grin. She smiled too, and then glancing up, she saw that Michelle was now awake, and looking just as pleased. She was pretty sure that she wasn't going to be the only person that instantly fell in love with this new little boy too…
When Jeff returned with coffee and sandwiches for himself and Nick, he also had company with him. He had met Ollie Harwood in the corridor by the canteen, and he had needed no persuasion to come and pay a visit to his wife. On the threshold, Jeff paused and shook his head as he saw that Nick had relinquished his hold on their son, and that his Aunt Grace was now talking nonsense to him as he lay in her arms. As Ollie went over to Michelle, Nick got up from his seat and headed over to take his coffee from Jeff. "I told you that she'd get in," Nick said with a grin. "Look at it this way, it lets us eat together."
"I know, but I was quite looking forward to feeding you your sandwich," said a crestfallen Jeff.
"You still can if you want," said Nick with a wink, which made Jeff smile.
They ate their food, and then for the first time since he had made his appearance in the world, their son began to cry. Jeff was on his feet in a millisecond, and raced over to take his son from Grace. "Okay, come to papa… What's wrong, little man…" he began, and then he knew what was wrong…
"Okay, so time for the first diaper change," said Grace with a wicked grin, "which mean that it is time for doting aunts to say goodbye…" Michelle began to laugh at that, and at the fact that Nick was now desperately looking around for diapers, and finding none. She shook her head, and pressed the call button. Grace took her leave, but as she headed out, all she could think was that this was going to be the making of her little brother. Fatherhood appeared so natural to both him and Jeff, and a lot of that was down to the education they had received, and the love of their friends. Of course, it was just as natural to her to keep secrets like the one she would have to keep from Cooper that night…
It was late that night before Nick and Jeff arrived back home, to discover that they had just missed Mike; as their cab turned into the street, he was just heading through his own front door at the other end. As they walked into the house they both realised that this would be the last time it was just their own. As they stepped into the kitchen, they were immediately attacked by Caleb, who greeted them like long lost friends. As ever, he made an attempt to get fed again, but he quickly gave up. These two humans were smart cookies. What intrigued him more was the strange smell on their hands as they stroked him; a not unpleasant smell, and one that indicated a new human…
The last few hours at the hospital had been interesting. They had negotiated their first diaper change under the watchful eye of an impressed nurse, although they had both wondered how so much could come out of someone so small. The job done, they had been asked to step outside whilst the nurses and doctors carried out a series of routine checks on their boy, which was stressful. Nick had pulled his laptop back out, but he could not concentrate on his work, and instead had just stared into the screen. In the end, Jeff took it from him and put it away again. He had no sooner done so than the doctor emerged and gave them the good news; their son was perfect, and as there were no issues, they could take him home the following afternoon.
That information had prompted Jeff to send another text to all of their friends, and a series of rapid replies confirmed that they would all be in town by then, and in the case of Thad, he was actually en route, just waiting at the gate at the airport, with the promise of Flint's spare room to stay in. Jeff had called Mike, and asked if he would be free the following afternoon, and he had been only too pleased to say he was, making a note to cancel something the minute Jeff hung up. As a result, the Warblers amongst them were all told to assemble at Niff's home in the West Village for 3pm so they could greet the new arrival, and Mike had agreed to be there to let them all in. Now that they were home, they both agreed that they just wanted to head to bed and sleep; after all, quiet nights would soon be a thing of the past; not that they minded, as it meant so much to have a new life depending on them.
The next day saw people descend on the house in the West Village. The first to arrive were a veritable army of parents and grandparents; only half a dozen in total, but more than enough to send fear through the heart of any man. After an hour of praise and congratulations over coffee and cake, during which literally dozens of gifts were unwrapped, ranging from toys and baby clothes (hand knitted in the case of Elspeth and Nick's grandmother), through to a few small items for the two new fathers, they headed to the hospital, leaving Mike in charge of the house. He had a strict set of instructions as to what he was to do when the other Warblers began to arrive, down in fact to a seating plan of sorts. Having witnessed these gatherings before, Mike felt that he had little hope of achieving what Nick wanted unless he could enlist the help of Thad from the start; but then, even he might object to the fact that he was to be seated in a particular seat on the two seater sofa… Shaking his head, he went in search of Caleb, for a little loving; and for the cookie tins, as those were always a useful device for keeping wayward Warblers in check.
Meanwhile, as the party of eight arrived at the hospital it swelled to a party of eleven. Luke and Duncan had made their way to the hospital on their own, and were waiting for the others with Cooper; Grace might have been at work, but he wasn't, and he could not wait to meet his new, soon to be official, nephew. The nurse at the desk looked up as they all walked in, and did not look even a little pleased at the size of the party. She might have said something had Nick not walked straight up to the desk and presented her with a big box of homemade cookies, along with a cake, to express his thanks and gratitude to all the staff. With such sweet temptations in the way, she decided that she could for once turn a blind eye to the numbers present, and waved them through to Room 3/6.
Nick and Jeff went in first, to check that everything was ready, and then they were invited in. If anyone was shocked to see Michelle in the bed, then nobody said anything. Nick's grandmother was the first to head over and thank her personally for what she had done for the two boys, and that ice broken, they all began to chat quietly as they waited for the main event. It happened suddenly, Nick amongst them with his son in his arms, introducing them all. Faces lit up with delight as they all saw how lovely the baby was, and smiles broke out as they saw Jeff take his place at Nick's side, and immediately begin fussing just a bit over the little one's clothes. For the next half hour, a small bundle containing a precious cargo was passed from one new grandparent to another; between great-grandparents; to two second cousins and an overjoyed new uncle. Then a diaper needed changed, and despite the offers to help, they insisted that they carry out the task themselves. That drew them adoring looks from the women, and smiles from the older men; meanwhile, Cooper, Luke and Duncan watched the process, trying to commit each stage to memory for when they had to do it themselves…
After a round of checks, Nick and Jeff were given permission to take their boy home. The rest of the party allowed them to do so alone; Cooper had to head to the theatre and Luke and Duncan had to go to work. Michelle was being discharged at the same time, and as Ollie was working, she found that she would be doing so in the company of the new grandparents. That made her realise that strictly her own parents had just become grandparents too, but they would never be told; she would only ever be Aunt Michelle to the little boy, and she was content with that. She and Ollie had plenty of time to start a family of their own after all. He had a week's holiday due, and they were planning to head to Boston to see her parents; after all, she had not seen them face to face since she had begun to show… Now as she was heading home, being cosseted by those with her, she felt content and proud of everything. She was also pretty sure that her angelic cousin would be visiting the West Village just as soon as he could…
Back in that house, Mike had his hands full of Warblers. All of them were happy to be there, and enjoying each other's company, but they had begun to ask Mike questions that he simply did not have the answers to; he was just as much in the dark as they were. Those that had come in from out of town had been there the longest, but the text that was sent to say that they would be leaving the hospital within the hour had brought Beats, Ethan and Flint from their work, along with the younger boys from the house next door. Mike had shown Thad Nick's carefully written instructions, and although he had bridled a little, his curiosity was also peaked, so had agreed to enforce them with his boys. As the noise grew in the room, and the cookie tin began to empty, Thad told Mike he would take charge down in the kitchen, and sent him upstairs to await the big moment that had brought them all there…
Mike did not have to wait long for a yellow cab to pull up outside the house. He watched as his former roommates emerged, Nick with a baby carrier in his hands, whilst Jeff struggled with a plethora of bags. Mike's instincts kicked in and he headed out to assist with the latter. Instead when he arrived on the pavement, Nick handed him the baby carrier with a smile, and he found himself looking at the most perfect baby he had ever seen. He felt tears beginning to form in his eyes as he wondered about certain things; and then Nick was at his side, whispering in his ear "I think he likes his Uncle Mikey." Then he answered the question his friend had not asked, but needed to know succinctly. "Michelle's mom was never ill; she has been living in Brooklyn…"
Mike's eyes went wide, and he whispered "So he is related to Wes! That is going to blow quite a few minds in there, in a very good way…"
Nick smiled at that notion, then carefully took the carrier back, before carrying his son inside the house that would now be his home. Jeff had proceeded him, and was already on his way down to the kitchen. Nick took a breath, and with a little help from Mike, he began to prepare himself and the newest addition to the extended Warbler family to face the others…
As Jeff stepped into the kitchen, all the conversation that had been going on in the room came to an abrupt halt. All of them knew that his arrival signalled that the moment that had brought them all there that afternoon had finally arrived. Thad turned his eyes from one person to another, and on seeing this, the few people that had not already been in the spot that Nick had designated for them quickly moved to it. Perched on the arm of the sofa by Thad was Sebastian, who did not repeat the comment that he had made earlier about Nick having developed OCD as a consequence of early fatherhood. To Thad's right sat David, in absolute silence, his anticipation equalling that of Trent, who was perched on the other arm of the sofa. As he sat there, David could hear nothing but the steady breathing of the three men standing behind the sofa; the three that had graduated with him and Thad, the fourth being absent and unaware that the happy event had even taken place. Flint and Beats made no mention of this fact in front of Ethan, who was standing right behind Thad to Flint's left. The rest of the group were gathered around them, waiting.
Jeff looked at them carefully, scrutinising where they were all stood. "It's like being inspected by an officer before being part of a presidential guard," Seth whispered to Skylar; both of them blushed fiercely as Jeff looked at them, shaking his head, and Thad spun round to scowl at them.
"Okay, so on behalf of myself and Nick, I would like first of all to thank you for agreeing to our wishes, and all sitting or standing as directed. I know that it is a bit of a hassle, but there are reasons, and no, Nick hasn't gone all OCD on me - Sebastian…" There was an outburst of giggling from them all as they all knew Mike had to have said something, apart from Sebastian, who turned a very deep shade of red. "Mike only told me," Jeff continued, "and don't fret, I won't tell Nick. So I am going to tell you… nothing else. Nick is just sorting a few things, and then he will be down…"
At that moment Mike reappeared at the kitchen door, a smile on his face, and Jeff hastened over as he knew that his husband was about to appear. When he did he stepped carefully over to stand in front of his assembled friends, all of them now with their attention focussed on the little bundle in his arms. He stopped right in front of them, and then spoke. "If anyone had ever said to me that I would be the first of our little group to be a father, I would have laughed and called them a fool; of course, as it happens, I am. It's a strange feeling to be a dad; I have never felt prouder of anything that I have ever done and that includes marrying Jeff. Everything pales into insignificance compared to this. There is a new life that is totally dependant on me, and that is good, but so very scary. I would definitely say to all of you that fatherhood is wonderful…" He smiled contentedly as he looked down and his eyes met those of his child, and no-one watching missed that moment. "Right, so now it is time to put you all out of your misery…"
He stepped forward in the direction of Thad, who paled immediately at what his movement was suggesting was about to happen. Jeff was quickly at his side, telling him how to arrange his arms, but that didn't stop him being fearful.
"Gentlemen, allow me to formally introduce the newest member of the Warbler family, my son…"
Nick paused, as he saw appreciative nods at that little snippet of news; not that they would have objected if it had been a girl, it was just that this was a future Dalton boy…
"My son, whose mother was someone known to all of us; Michelle Lau…"
There were gasps of surprise and then delight as the all realised exactly what that meant, and then Nick took the final steps over to the Head Warbler, who was already tearing up before he said the final words….
"Please greet my boy, Wesley Sterling-Duval…"
As Nick said those words, he gently placed his son into Thad's arms, and that was all it took. One glance at the little face staring back up at him had Thad's tears streaming down his face; this was a new Wesley, the second cousin of his much loved boyfriend. He glanced over at David for a moment to see that he was crying too, and staring right at the little one that Thad was holding in his arms. He could hear other people around him sniffing too as their eyes grew moist; Trent for his part was nearly sobbing, and Sebastian was full of joyful tears. Thad knew that he should say something to mark the moment, but he could not find the words to describe how he felt as he tenderly held a relative of the man he loved….
It fell instead to David to break the silence. Looking down at the baby, he placed an arm around Thad's shoulders, and said "Hello, Little Wes! I'm your Uncle David, and the guy that's holding you and crying like your supposed to is your Uncle Thad. So let me say this here and now; if your dads ever get too much to bear, and we have lived around Niff, so we know what they can be like, just call either of us, day or night. Also know this; the two of us will always love and protect you, because of who you are. You see, I've seen his baby pictures, and you look so much like him, your late Uncle Wes…" David paused to swipe at his tears, and then continued, "Anyway, that guy on the other side of Uncle Thad is your Uncle…"
"Bazzy. He deserves an Uncle Bazzy," said Sebastian quietly.
"He will tell you about all the naughty stuff when you're old enough…"
Before Sebastian could react to David's last words, the latter heard a voice over his shoulder. "And I'm your Uncle Trent. I'm probably the sanest one here, but that isn't saying very much…"
Trent's words made them all dissolve into laughter, and that was before he began to pull funny faces as he looked right at the newest arrival. With a nod of approval from Nick, Trent got up from his spot, and reaching down, carefully took little Wes into his arms, with a little help from Thad. To them all, it looked as if he had been doing it for years, and he had some practice with his nephew by marriage, Séamus and Becca's son. It was thus a lot less daunting to him than it had been to Thad. He settled back into his spot on the arm of the sofa, and began to gently rock his arms back and forth, making little cooing noises as he did so.
"Okay, so not only is Trent sane, he is the baby whisperer," said Beats as he leaned over Trent's shoulder to get a good luck at the boy in his friend's arms. "You will be wanting one yourself next…"
"In good time, yes I do. Rory and I both want to have a family, but we aren't yet at the stage of going out to seek a surrogate just yet. However, one day I do want to have a little pair of eyes looking up at me, just as his are doing now, and see just a hint of a smile as I burble nonsense at them." Trent returned then to what he had been doing as the others gathered around him, and the two new parents just smiled from across the room, and wished that Trent wasn't so far away in Washington most of the time; he would be the perfect babysitter.
After a moment or so, Thad got up from his seat, and walking over to Nick and Jeff, he pulled them both into a tight hug. "Your little boy…he is perfect. He is deserving of that illustrious first name, although I think that he is unlikely to be called anything other than Little Wes by all of us for many years to come. I can't believe that you managed to keep it all so quiet; and yes, I do realise that my brother had to have known about it, as Michelle's husband, and said nothing about it to me, but I can forgive him for that. The child she gave birth to is just…"
Thad's voice trailed off as he began to cry fresh tears. Nick signalled to Jeff discretely, and he broke free from the hug, leaving Nick to deal with the Head Warbler. Instead he headed over in the direction of the sofa, where Trent now sat on the seat, with Sebastian at his side, David having moved to stand behind them. In his spot behind the couch, he pulled out his phone, then paused before he took the picture. "I'm taking this one for Mercedes and for Mrs Carmichael too I guess," he said in explanation, and Jeff nodded in approval, knowing full well what the reaction of the latter would be. She and her husband for that matter would share the unmitigated joy of knowing that there was a new Wes, a joy which filled Jeff's heart to bursting point…
Nick meanwhile had managed to discretely steer Thad out of the room, and they now sat side by side on the stairs. Caleb, disturbed by all the noise that had erupted in the kitchen had also retreated to the hallway, and now returned to jump onto Thad's lap unbidden. Nick was about to lift him off when Thad shook his head, and started to gently stroke the cat. Nick just sat silently at his side, waiting for Thad to speak and say the words he needed to…
"We didn't get a chance to talk about children whilst he was alive, Wes and I; well, we did, but not as a couple. I knew that he wanted them someday, and so did I - and it is did, because I do not relish the idea of being a single gay dad in Ohio… He told me after he was gone that he always knew he would need a surrogate, and Michelle had always been his first choice; in fact, they had it all agreed…"
"I know. Wes mentioned it to me once Jeff decided that it was the right time and I still wasn't sure. He had already spoken to Jeff about it, so just maybe he was pushing us towards her. He wanted a child with strong Warbler connections brought into this world."
"Has he seen him yet?"
"No, which has come as a bit of a surprise. I half expected that he would pop in to see Michelle last night, but as far as she is aware, he didn't, unless…"
"He came in whilst she was asleep," Thad finished. "He would have, because this birth will have been as special to him as it is to me. To know that there is a little of his DNA in your son is just so wonderful. You have made me, and David for that matter, very happy. I just hope that all of the gifts that we have brought are suitable for him…"
By the time that Thad and Nick returned to the kitchen, Jeff had taken back custody of his son, and like Trent had been, he was enthralled by the little boy in his arms. Nick hastened to the kitchen proper, anxious to ensure that there was adequate refreshment for his friends, but discovered that Mike had that under control, with assistance from Flint, and so all that there was for Nick to do was take a seat by his husband, and just enjoy looking at his son once again. As he had expected, the moment he did so the air was filled with the sound of phone camera's clicking, and that was more than okay, as he wanted to see that image of him and Jeff as doting parents himself, and he could only wonder which of them would be the first to forward the picture to him.
Suddenly in his field of vision he beheld a parcel, wrapped in sky blue paper, and he looked up to see that it was being held by Thad. "It is from Mrs Carmichael. She has had her knitting needles out every day since she was told you were having a child; this one is specifically for a boy. By the way, she loves the photo that David sent her…"
Curious as to what she had made, Nick took the parcel, and unwrapped it carefully, slowly revealing the garment inside, wrapped in tissue paper. Removing that, he turned it over, and started to giggle at what he saw. He held it up, and first Thad, and then the others began to giggle too. It was a navy blue cardigan, fastened with two little gold buttons; it had little lapels, around which was red piping. Even better, it had a patch pocket on it, with an all too familiar 'D' logo embroidered carefully on it…
"I honestly had no idea whatsoever that she was knitting that," said Thad, once he had stopped giggling. "It must have taken her hours on end, because it is absolutely perfect in every detail."
"All of that work, and he will grow out of it so very quickly," sighed Nick. "I suggest therefore that when he does, I wrap it up carefully and store it safely, to be passed on to whichever of you has a son next. That way it can realise its full potential, and be admired for longer." There were nods of agreement for that statement, although none of them were quite sure of when that would happen; not that the arrival of the newest member of the Warbler family hadn't made several of them feel just a little bit broody…
Then the atmosphere in the room changed. Nick blushed, and Jeff went scarlet, before getting up and apologising profusely before he headed off to change a diaper. "Does it always smell that bad?" asked Edward as soon as Jeff was out of the room.
After a few moments of silence, when some of them looked a little disapprovingly at the young man for having asked that question, Nick replied, "Oh, yes. In fact, that one was quite mild. However, don't let that put any of you off having kids. He is, as I said, the best thing that has ever happened to me and Jeff; and for all the joy that he will bring to the two of us over the years, a few dirty diapers are a small price to pay. It is not going to be an easy thing to do, raising a son, but we will manage it, because I know that we will have the full backing and support of our friends and family. I'm sure that you will all be there to help us if we need it."
"Oh, I agree, but I draw the line at diaper changes," said Ethan, deadpan, which made them all laugh again. No-one said anything, but Flint was secretly relieved that he lived in the Upper East side now, and Sebastian was quite happy that he lived in Maplewood, New Jersey, and was even less likely to be called upon to do any changing…
Eventually Nick and Jeff's house slowly emptied again, although not before Tina arrived, closely followed by Artie and Kitty. They all watched with just a little bit of astonishment as one look at Little Wes had Kitty melting, and demanding that she be given the chance to hold him. Given the chance, she then proceeded to coo over him for a good 15 minutes, leaving Artie to wonder just how long it would actually be before she was suggesting they might have one of their own…
Once the house was empty, and all the visitors were gone, Nick and Jeff had to face the biggest and most important introduction of the day. As Little Wes slept soundly, with Nick ready to grab him out of harm's way, Jeff approached clutching Caleb firmly in his arms. The cat had been put out by how busy the house was, and had been wondering what the reason for it was. Now he was being shown…
"So, Caleb, this is our son. He is very special to us, just as special as you are, but you will need to be very careful around him. I warn you now he is going to make a lot of noise, often in the middle of the night, or your naptime; he is going to make bad smells; and eventually, he will be crawling around on the floor and invading your territory down there. It is going to be a very big upheaval for all of us." Jeff paused and then looked the cat right in the eyes. "We promise you that we will do our utmost to keep the two of you apart, when we think that is for the best; and we also promise that we will still love you just as much as we always have." Nick nodded in agreement, all the time observing how Caleb was looking at the child in his crib.
As for Caleb himself, he looked down and saw a small human, a new addition to his family. Something in his DNA was telling him that when humans were that size, it was best to avoid them, as the bigger humans would get angry if you touched them and might forget to feed you. Later on, his senses warned him, there would be sticky hands that would play havoc with his fur. It would have been nice he thought if his humans had consulted him before they decided to go out and get the little one, but as long as they did not forget to feed him, and he still got his quiet sunspots in summer and the radiators in winter, he was pretty sure that they could all co-exist…
They went to bed early that night, having seen that Little Wes had been changed and fed, and settled for the night… They had chosen to keep his cot in their room for now, given how nervous they were about parenthood. It was just before they turned in that Nick checked his phone, and found a message from his boss, demanding that he return to work tomorrow for an urgent meeting; his exact words were 'I don't care if you think that you are on paternity leave; I expect to see you in my office at 10AM SHARP!' He considered what to say to Jeff, and in the end he decided to conceal the worst of it, and just told him that he had to go in to hand over some case notes. Jeff accepted that without any complaint.
It was 2am when Nick woke with a start, Jeff sound asleep at his side. Little Wes was being remarkably quiet for a newborn, and he was worried that he had not woken up during the night so far… He glanced over at the cot, and saw a familiar angel standing at it, his attention focussed entirely on what was inside. Nick got up quietly, careful not to disturb Jeff, and went to stand at his side.
"So you named your son after me… I am touched and honoured. He is a handsome boy, but that is down to his good genetics…" Wes stopped then, and sniffed, and Nick instinctively placed a hand on his arm. "He can see me, I think. He woke up, and he looked right at me…" continued Wes. Nick realised then with a start that his son was indeed awake, and had his own eyes completely on his namesake. "We did all think that he would be able to, given that both of his parents can. You will need to have a little chat with him when he is old enough about angels. By the way, in case you wondered, I have been appointed as his guardian angel. I will always be around if he needs me; although, like the others, I don't do diapers…"
Nick chortled at that, and replied, "Well you have a better excuse than the others; you are an angel, so I doubt you could physically handle him in the first place."
"Well, actually," began Wes, and then he lowered his hand down towards the child in the cot, and then carefully took his tiny hand in his own, bringing a gasp of surprise from Nick. "We weren't sure if it would happen, but there was an outside chance that he would inherit certain characteristics from his father. So in theory, I could actually change him in the very direst of emergencies, but it is not something that I would wish to make a habit of, trust me on that one! But if he is crying, the least I can do is come and pick him up, and rock him back to sleep until one of his fathers is around."
"That is good to know; four additional pairs of eyes."
"Though obviously only when you guys are around; to most people it would look like your child was levitating, and that would freak everyone out."
"True, so not in the middle of the Spotlight," Nick joked.
Wes smiled at that, but then his expression became more serious. "To be honest, I am actually more concerned about my namesake's father than him at the moment. Things aren't easy at work, are they?"
"No," Nick replied in a whisper, conscious that Jeff was in the room. "Mr Vallent is not a nice guy at all; he reminds me of my father. I knew that he was a misogynist, but now his homophobia is coming out as well. My concern is that things are just going to get progressively worse as time goes on. He reacted really badly to the idea of me having any kind of paternity leave, especially when he realised that I wasn't married to a woman. He wants me back at work tomorrow, and I doubt whether I have heard the last of the subject either. He had probably made a note of when Wesley was born in his diary, and will refuse to let me have that day off ever. I need to get out of there Wes, and I have been looking; but it is just so hard to find the kind of job that I want to do long term out there these days. Business law, or property stuff, dozens of vacancies. Jobs for prosecutors too, but when it comes to defending people's rights…"
"Something will turn up, Nick, trust me; until it does, you just have to stick to your principles, and be the Nick that we all know and love, for everyone's sake. In my opinion, by the way, you are doing the right thing in not telling Jeff right now; but if it does start to escalate, then you will have to let him know…"
Nick nodded, his brow furrowed at the idea of how he would start that conversation. He then found two arms were wrapped around him, as Wes instinctively knew, as ever, exactly what he needed at that moment. Safe in those arms, Nick was able to forget all of his woes for a few wonderful seconds…