Performance, Proposals & Two Big Bangs.
On the Monday after the wedding, Sebastian found himself in Columbus, and walking in through the stage door of a theater for the first time in over a year as a performer. It felt strange to be walking in there, as he had only ever been in that building as a patron before. The layout of the backstage areas was of course very different to that of the theaters he had worked in back on Broadway; things were a little more compact, and a little less well appointed, not that all of the places he had performed in before were palaces by any means. That did not matter to him in any case; he was not as much of a diva as some actors he knew.
He was early, and he took the opportunity to walk out on to the stage, something he had done throughout his career, taking a moment to observe the dimly lit auditorium. Something inside him clicked then, and he felt at home. His mind knew that this was one of the places he could be free in, his natural habitat. He cleared his throat, and launched into one of the songs that he had sung nightly for a long time, the opening number of Oklahoma! True, there was no Aunt Eller to sing to, as of yet, but that was okay. He just wanted to test the acoustics of the place, to see what would best suit this new venue. If he had to, he could close his eyes and imagine Laurie or Bette behind him in any case…
He concluded that his voice was a little rusty and out of shape; he did not get many opportunities to sing like that these days. From singing his heart out nightly, he was limited now to a lullaby for his children, or a few bars to illustrate a point to the Warblers in his care. He sang again, and this time his voice sounded better, clear without the music behind him, no sound but the one he was making… This time, when he came to the end, he jumped when he heard applause, and spun round to see that a few members of both cast and crew had arrived, and had been drawn to the stage by his voice. He blushed, until he heard the voice of the director say, "Well folks, there you have it; this is the calibre of performer we are working with. It is no wonder that the entire run is sold out…"
He would be formally introduced to the rest of the cast shortly thereafter, and he got the immediate impression that they were a little in awe of him, as he was the only person there that had ever performed professionally. His Aunt Eller this time was a retired schoolteacher, and perfectly cast in that role. She looked spiky and tough on the outside, but talking to her he realised that she had a kind heart, and the most wonderful singing voice that would blend with those of the rest of the cast.
His love interest in the show, playing Laurey, was exactly the kind of woman that would have been thought of as a great beauty back in the first years of the twentieth century, the time in which the show was set. She was a housewife, leaving her young children in the care of her mother to take on what had been a dream part for her even before it had been announced that Sebastian would be the male lead. Now it was a little overwhelming for her, playing alongside a Broadway star. He sensed that, and as they prepared to run through a scene together for the first time, he took a moment to speak to her.
"I have to admit that it is an honour for me to be here and have the opportunity to play alongside a lady of your vocal talents. I did my research, and have seen the videos of you singing online, and your voice is so perfect and natural. In my humble opinion, that actually makes it superior in so many ways to the tones of the ladies that performed the same role alongside me in New York. So, what I am going to suggest here is that I take my cues from you; we will do things as you wish, because that will make it more comfortable for you, and that is my priority."
"I should be the one letting you dictate," she replied, blushing. "You are the one with the experience after all."
"Experience is not always necessarily a good thing. In some people, that can lead to the performer being cocky, and nobody likes working with someone like that. We perform as a team, and as a team player, I have to listen and take notes from every one of you. There has never been a place in my respects for a diva."
The young lady nodded, but still looked a trifle stunned. They were called then to go through People Will Say We're In Love, and she sang it with concentration on her own voice, and at the end, she realised why Sebastian had wanted them to do it that way. It had sounded better than it had done before, and in her opinion, better than all of the recordings she had listened to of the song over the years.
Getting those vocals right was only the start, of course. There was the choreography to perfect as well, and in some ways, that was even more difficult. He was fortunate that the young lady cast as Laurey, as well as having the voice of an angel, was a born dancer, and had the steps down in no time. Their duo dances were soon smooth and polished, as graceful as any that had been seen on any season of Dancing With The Stars. The group dances were harder, of course, as there were far more people involved, and some of them were less nimble on their feet…
Sebastian went to have a quiet word with the choreographer once they were taking a break, and he made a couple of suggestions as to minor changes which they had done on Broadway; alterations that still left the number looking perfect, but which helped greatly those that were struggling with the routine. The lady in question was not best pleased at first, but agreed to try it, shaking her had at his audacity to even say such things. After they did it again with the changes, she approached Sebastian and admitted that he had been right, and that it did now look less awkward and strained, and there was a smile on the faces of several cast members as well…
Sebastian would head home from the theater on that first night feeling tired, but not in a bad way. The rehearsals had to be intense, as they only had ten days until opening; it wasn't the same as weeks they had on Broadway, but he saw that the short run was no bad thing. In fact, he would even say it was better that way, the tight schedule focusing the minds of both cast and crew. They all were aware too of the buzz in town about the show, and the run they would be performing was one of the longest that they had ever done. There was only one thing now troubling the former Warbler, and that was the round of interviews with the local television stations that had been scheduled for the following week…
It would be on the same night as Sebastian returned to the stage in Columbus, to glowing reviews in the local media, that his nephew had made his way across to Long Island, there to reconnect with his old school friends in the beach house in Port Jefferson. In the end, the size of the party would be ten, and it promised to be a wonderful break for them all. Jeff had arranged for their to be a good supply of food ready and waiting for them; he had asked the caretaker that kept an eye on the place whilst it was empty to fill the fridge and cupboards with the kind of easily prepared food and snacks that teenage boys liked, and he had also provided their phone number to Peter in case there was an emergency. Of course, there was no alcohol in those supplies, just soda and juice, but all the adults that knew they were going had the same suspicion that some would make its way there by one route or another. There had been a few rules set by Jeff and Julian for that matter, including the one about noise, and one about bringing girls onto the premises. That was no problem to Peter and his closest friends, as they were quiet boys, not indulging in frat like behaviour.
After that weekend was over, Peter had decided that he would take up an offer from his stepmother to accompany her to the office a few days a week, and assist with a few simple admin tasks; minor jobs that were not a productive way of employing the time of those full time staff that had a keener interest in the world of style and fashion. For a start, there were still a whole stack of paper records that needed to be input into the company database…
Of course, Isabelle had two purposes in asking her stepson to assist her. It would give him something to occupy his time as he waited to start at college, and it also set up the chance of an encounter between Peter and his ex-girlfriend Constance, who had told Isabelle that she would definitely come and visit her at some point during the summer months to see the famous closet. They had been talking more over the last few weeks, and Peter's name had started to come up in the conversation, brought into it by the young lady herself. Isabelle had hopes that if they saw each other, then the joy of that would overcome the bad memories that losing their child had left in its wake…
As the Vogue editor pondered her matchmaking scheme, and her stepson was enjoying his freedom on a private beach in Long Island, Roderick's thoughts had also turned to romance. His relationship with Hillary, Seth's sister, had been going from strength to strength recently. They had found in each other their soulmate, an equal in all things. Over a series of dates, their love had intensified, both opening up to the other, sharing the things that they considered their flaws, and discovering that they did not matter. They had attended the theater and concerts together, went to galleries and tried new restaurants.
They laughed at the same things, and from a distance, admired all the other had done. Hillary saw in Roderick an open-hearted, deeply caring medical professional, learning to do things that she never could do; even the simple techniques of resuscitation were something that left her foxed. For his part, he envied her her math skills, the problem solving ability and the intuition that he often found lacking in himself. Together, they made a great team.
For that reason, Roderick now found himself contemplating doing something that he had once decided was strictly for other people; for more worthy, and dare he say it, more attractive men. He had made a rare trip back to Ohio to talk to his parents face to face about it, and had come back to the city with not only their support in his idea, but a small, black velvet box in his jacket pocket, which contained his great-grandmother's now very stylish engagement ring. He knew that it was of a style that Hillary was very desirous of, and he was certain that it would look perfect on her ring finger. The only thing that he was not certain of was how the lady in question would react to his proposal…
On the Saturday night of that weekend, he had a date with her, a meal for two at a new bistro that had just opened in Carnegie Hill, one that had received rave reviews on social media. That there was not yet a waiting list to get a table was a minor miracle, as the food was every bit as good as it promised to be. They had made their usual chatter as they had eaten the starter, sharing them, but when the main courses arrived, Roderick noticed that Hillary seemed distracted, as if there was something on her mind. She said nothing as their food was delivered, and after he had thanked the server profusely, he spoke to her quietly.
"Okay, what is going on? I can tell that you have something on your mind…"
"It's nothing, trust me; just my natural reaction to a slightly awkward situation. I don't want it to spoil our evening."
"Nothing that you could do or say would do that, but the fact that you are bottling it up and seem preoccupied might. You know what they say - a problem shared and all of that…"
Hillary sighed, then whispered, "It's Barnaby. He called me this evening, just before I left the house, to tell me that he is moving in with Clyde and Audra, to live as a ménage a trois. He then went on to say that the three of them intend to have a marriage ceremony with a humanist celebrant at some point in the near future. Now, I have no problem with his relationship, because they love him as much as he loves them, and my brother deserves to be happy, but nonetheless, getting married to two people at once seems a little, well, off. I want him to be happy, I truly do, but even here, in one of the most liberal city's on earth, people will still not know where to look when I tell them my brother is marrying his boyfriend and girlfriend to live in a threesome…"
Roderick sat for a moment in silence, then replied, "It is true, the natural response of most people will indeed by incredulity. That is not their fault, it is the way that they have been made by the society that raised them. There were rules made decades ago, based on a Christian tradition, the same standards applied to all whether they adhere strictly to their tenets or not. One man, one woman, married to produce children. Love is important, but to many, that doesn't have to enter into the equation; look at all of those arranged marriages. I'm not talking about other cultures either, but back in our recent past amongst certain groups and classes."
Roderick paused for breath, then continued, "It always struck me as odd though; a faith that preaches that God is Love, that love is greatest gift, but when love is clearly there, we do not recognise it and celebrate it should it not conform to our viewpoint! However, times are changing. It was not so long ago that people thought that two people of the same sex being together was wrong; some still do, but the majority of society had moved on. In time, I am sure that people will accept what Barnaby has with Clyde and Audra. In some ways, it is like the open marriages that are not so uncommon, except that they want to recognise their relationship in a contained way."
Hilary smiled as he stopped, and took his hand across the table. "I'm glad that you at least understand, because I suspect that whilst my cousin Matthew will, his sister will not, and as for my aunt…"
"As long as you are happy, and Barnaby is, do the opinions of anyone else really matter? We all spend so much time worrying about the views of other people, and what I say is this; unless it is illegal, or someone is getting hurt, then we should do what we wish. Our happiness and well-being should always be placed above the opinions of those around us."
"I agree with the spirit of that, and it certainly is the right attitude to take," said Hillary, "it's just…"
"So difficult when you imagine the eyes of the world upon you, judging your every move? I have been there, and done that. Now I place my own happiness and that of the people that I love and care for to the fore. That is why I hate to see you looking unhappy and worried."
"We are quite a pair really, because I feel the same about you, " laughed Hillary. "I'm only so worried because Barnaby can be sensitive about this sort of thing. That is not a discussion for tonight though. What say we try and forget all of this by sharing a nice dessert?"
They ordered a chocolate fondant to share, a dessert that they both loved, but which seemed a little out of place in the heat of a New York summer. With it finished, and the bill settled, they headed back out into the warm, light evening. "Let's take a stroll over in Central Park," said Roderick. "It is still early, and I have heard that a walk after a meal aids digestion." Hillary agreed, and they headed out of the apartment lined streets and over Fifth Avenue to the green heart of the city, a lung in the centre of the metropolis, still busy in the height of summer.
They strolled for a while, then stopped at a shaded bench, sitting down to look out over the expanse of water that bore the name of a former First Lady. They observed in comfort the other people that were out enjoying themselves, hearing the sounds of those that were playing basketball in the nearby courts above all else. It was Roderick that spotted them first, on the grass in the near distance; the two teenage boys with the girl between them, chatting quietly and smiling at each other. He smiled, and turned to Hillary, nodding in the direction of the trio. "Now there is another three person love story…"
"Or a brother and sister with the boyfriend of one of them; or two brothers with the girlfriend of one of them…" replied Hillary.
"Exactly. To most people, that is what your brother and his two lovers will look like; two relatives with one of their boyfriends. I still think the trio over there are a threesome, but that is, I admit, the most unlikely scenario. Whatever they are is none of my business in any case. They are happy, so who cares?"
Hillary chuckled then, before saying, "If I didn't know you better, Roderick, I would say that you had arranged for them to be hear in our eyeline, but it certainly makes your point succinctly. Love is about gestures, and if they happen in private, nobody need ever know. I mean, Barnaby's wedding is unlikely to be a huge one, the social event of the year featured in Vogue…"
"I agree that gestures are vital when we are expressing love," Roderick said then, seeing that he had an opening he could exploit. "I think that my first gesture of love to you was showing you all that care and attention on the night of the ice storm. The next was when I waited for you to tell me that you liked me when you were not under the influence of pain relief, instead of taking your words as true there and then. What I feel for you has built up a lot since then, until now I sometimes wonder how I managed to live any sort of life without you in it…"
"I know what you mean; you filled a void in my life that I never even realised was there," she replied.
"We have been discussing the loves of other people all night, but now I want to say something about the two of us. I love you, Hillary, and even though I never really believed in the concept, I really do think that you might be my soulmate… So, for that reason…"
Roderick stood up, then knelt on the path before her, down on one knee, which made Hillary gasp. Around them, passing people noticed, and slowed down or stopped, all of them aware what they were witnessing.
"Hillary, will you do me the great honour of agreeing to be my wife?"
It was not the most romantic of proposals, but it was practical, and to the point.
As it happened, so was her reply. "Oh, Roderick, I can't think of anything that I would like more…"
As the newly engaged couple kissed to the cheers of those that had been impromptu witnesses to the whole event, things in the West Village were about to take a turn. Things had been a little tense since the week of the wedding at one end of the street in particular. Tina had been due to give birth on the day after the ceremony, but now, almost a week later, she had not yet felt a single contraction. Had she had her way, she would have been at the office of her ob-gyn each day to check that nothing was wrong, but she had been forced to settle for less frequent checks. Mike had come home one night to find her looking at the prices of the relevant equipment online, and the next morning had listened to her in shock as she called her workplace and asked one of her colleagues if their sonogram equipment would work on humans…
Coupled with the mild paranoia was an irritability brought on by a combination of pregnancy hormones and the humidity of summer in the city. Things had been so bad that morning that Mike had called her doctor himself, and informed them in no uncertain terms that he wanted her induced on her next scheduled visit to the hospital if there was still no movement, for his own sanity, and the reluctant doctor had agreed on hearing Tina screaming in the background, on the basis that it would be best for mother, baby and father-to-be as well.
In the basement apartment below them, things were only a little less stressful, as the high humidity was getting to Kitty as well. Mike and Artie had managed to exchange notes over the phone, and the former had laughed for the first time in weeks when his friend informed him that Kitty definitely had her claws out…
Unbeknown to them, the heat was also taking its toll on a piece of the city's ageing infrastructure a few blocks away, and the buzzing of the electrical box, along with the steady plume of smoke rising from the adjacent manhole cover had been reported to the supplier. Of course, no-one attended it, other things being given priority. Thus it was that just after 10pm that Saturday night, the electrical box exploded with a huge bang, fortunately with nobody nearby. The fact that a few seconds later the manhole cover shot into the air, to crash down half a block away, followed by a fireball which was followed by constant flames from the now open duct made the absence of people all the more of a blessing…
As the power went out across the western half of the West Village, the reverberations of the two explosions echoed loudly to the east, causing everyone in the vicinity to jump; children were woken and ran from their beds in search of parents, and a certain cat leapt in the air before hurtling underneath the kitchen sofa…
Just a moment after the bangs, two husbands heard their names being called almost simultaneously, as two sets of waters broke within a second of each other. At that shout, the well rehearsed process for both households began; a cab was summoned, the hospital called to inform them that they were en route, the already packed bag collected and placed by the door, before they returned to calm their respective wives as they awaited the arrival of the taxi.
Upstairs, however, Tina soon realised that having been happy to wait a little longer before, her child was now in a tearing hurry to enter the world. That news was greeted by Mike with a calm nod externally, but on the inside the fact that his second child could be there any moment terrified him. He was competent at so many things, but delivering a baby was well outside of his skill set. He began to quickly run through all of his immediate options in his head. If Roderick was home, he was still much too far away, living on the opposite side of the island and a good thirty or so blocks north as well. He knew that Niff were big fans of a certain show, but he was pretty sure that even the close friendship he had with them would be strained beyond a point by asking them to assist him with a home birth…
And then he realised that there was a potential helper two doors down, although he had no idea at all if Lawrence was actually at home, or on a shift at the very hospital they were trying to get to. Telling a stressing Tina that he was just going to get an ETA for the cab, he headed into the next room, found the relevant number in his diary, and called it…
Lawrence had been enjoying a peaceful moment when Mike's call came. He had been on the day shift, and for once, he had no patient to attend to when the time for his shift to end came. He had clocked out fast, and he was out of the department before anyone could stop him, heading out of the hospital by a convoluted route of back corridors which allowed him to avoid any spot where someone might see him and call him over to assist. He would normally have walked home, but he had headed on a whim for the subway, as his phone would be less likely to receive any call or message to return. He was rewarded with a train pulling up just as he walked out onto the platform. He had found the house empty on his return. He did wonder where Dex was, and he couldn't help but muse that his brother might actually have a date. He relaxed for a moment, and then decided he would call for a pizza…
And that was when his phone rang. He groaned, and checked it, and smiled when he saw that the caller was not the hospital. He didn't even hesitate to pick up the dancer's call…
A minute later, pizza forgotten and with just his jacket thrown on over his scrubs, he was racing along the street, trying to recall all that he had been taught so far about childbirth. His heart was racing as he ran up the steps to Mike and Tina's home, and as he did so, he was sure that he heard Kitty informing Artie that she was having another one, and then moaning. He wondered for a moment if his mind was playing tricks on him, and then he recalled the relevant due date of the lady in question…
He was still trying to work out the odds of the two women being in labour at exactly the same moment when the door flew open, and a paler than normal looking Mike appeared, and said in an anxious tone, "I think that the top of the baby's head is visible…"
Lawrence gasped, then charged up the steps to the house proper, the expectant father right on his heels. He headed for the kitchen, where the noise of moaning was coming from, and found his patient on the floor. A quick check of Tina, who looked as if she wanted to kiss him in delight at his presence, confirmed that Mike had been right. He was literally minutes away from his first birth, at the hospital or anywhere else for that matter. The prospect of doing that in a kitchen, with no real equipment or trained assistance frightened the life out of the trainee doctor…
However, he also knew that he had no option other than to proceed with the task in hand, and so he flung off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He suddenly found that a basin of warm water was being placed by him, along with a towel and a bottle of liquid soap. He smiled, realising that one side effect of a certain British television show on the public at large was the knowledge of the basics needed for a safe birth. He had to admit that he had himself watched a lot of the episodes, and had been glued to the screen, particularly by the events at the end of season 11...
He had met the real life Nurse Crane that was based in the same hospital as he was, and he had immediately seen how people could think she was the same woman that was portrayed in the show, with the same efficient, matter of fact attitude. If he had to be a character from the show, then he was Timothy Turner, the earnest young man that was trying to emulate his father and be a good doctor; studying hard, but still a little frightened by it all. And yes, he was more than a little scared now.
His swift first examination was now followed by a more detailed check, Tina panting as she waited for him to say something, anxious not to push further in case it was the wrong thing to do. He placed the towel to one side, before washing and rinsing his hands, leaving them wet for now. "Okay, so I think that we will be seeing a new arrival in a very few minutes. Given that, when you feel the urge to push, just go with it; I am ready to garb hold of the baby and support them now."
Turning away from his patient, Lawrence said, "What I need from you now, Mike, if for you to get me a pair of shoelaces, and a stout pair of household scissors. I need you to place them in a pan of boiling water, and I need you to keep them there until I indicate otherwise." Mike nodded, and hastened off to do what he was told, even if the purpose of the shoelaces confused the heck out of him.
"They will need sterilised for what you have in mind," Tina said to him in little more than a whisper.
"Yes, they do; a temporary measure until we can get you both to the hospital. Now, just go amuse you and distract you from the situation, as I came up I heard something that convinces me that something very similar, if not quite so urgent, is happening downstairs right now…"
"Kitty is in labour too?" said Tina. "I guess it was the shock of the explosions that jolted her into it too. She won't be nearly as far gone as me though, because she is not due until next week…"
"I do hope not. I can do this once, but if I had to run downstairs and do it again…" replied Lawrence. Tina laughed at that, then gasped, as the urge to push had just come on strongly again…