Another New Kid in Town

As always, the news of an impending new arrival on the street in the West Village soon spread; all of them were pleased to hear that a child in trouble would be finding a place of safety in their idyllic home. Evie was excited to hear that she would have another older brother to play with upstairs, whilst assuring Dante that he would remain her favourite, which made him laugh. Ethan and Drew were both delighted for Beats and Elliott too, but they decided that it was still not the right moment to announce their own news. They had lodged the papers that would allow for Evie to be officially recognised as Ethan's adopted child; all three of them had given statements to the courts as to how it would make them feel, vital of course in the case of Evie. Her father and his best friend had also had to state their motivation behind the move in the first place. The lawyer did not anticipate any issues in getting the official sanction for the adoption, particularly given the fact that it had the approval of the Mackenzies, and, of course, the Symons…

Drew had decided to head to Ohio alone to speak to his parents, and had been a little concerned about how the fact they were the last to be informed might go down. However, he need not have worried; they understood why their son wished to ensure that his daughter had the best of everything in her life, and that if the worst ever did happen to him, how crucial it was for her to be able to continue her life in place, with people she knew and a settled routine. That would guarantee her physical and mental well being in a way that they could not.

Ethan had also told Drew that he could tell his parents exactly who he was for the first time. The news that their son's best friend was the sole heir to one of the country's largest firms was a shock, particularly as it dawned on them the amount of wealth that would eventually come the way of their only grandchild as a consequence. The fact that Ethan was not spoiled in any way by the enormous wealth that he came from reassured them that she would remain the girl that she was should the worst happen, and not be changed by her adopted father. There was of course something else that made the Symons happy about the entire situation; it was the fact that the two young men concerned were agreeing to something that would see them bound together for the rest of their lives. They had always been happiest in each other's company, and for the Symons, happiness was the key to everything. When he left, it was with the agreement of his parents to join the three of them at the Mackenzies for Thanksgiving. After all, there was just a slim chance that the entire process would be formalised by then…

By the time that Halloween came round, Ty had been living with Beats, Elliott and Dante for a week. Nick and Jeff had organised a party, mainly in Nick's opinion for the benefit of the latter than their son, to which everyone was welcomed. The newest residents of the street were all in attendance, the six young men in the house next door more than happy to join in the fun and games. It was of course a costume party, and they were varied; the usual vampires, zombies and werewolves were joined by a Donald Trump…

As for the hosts, they decided to come as each other. Jeff looked smart and business like in a suit, whilst Nick was more casually attired, and at the behest of their son, who was dressed as a mummy, he carried a cookie jar around with him for the entire evening….

The biggest surprise of the night though was when Seth arrived, seated in his chair. It had been Artie's suggestion, that he could use it as part of a costume; thus he had come as the narrator from The Rocky Horror Show. As his friends and neighbours crowded round, congratulating him on his excellent costume, they all knew exactly why he had chosen it, and his reason for doing so. He was preparing them all gently for what would soon be his new normal…

At first, Ty was shy around everyone, staying close to Dante and Lachlan, who was now as much a fixture at these gatherings as everyone else. As the evening went on, Dante made a point of introducing the younger boy to everyone properly, and soon he was much more outgoing. By the time the party finished, he was far happier than he could recall being for a long time. True, he missed his aunt, and the handful of friends he had had back in the Bronx, but he had already made some new ones at his new school in the West Village, and more importantly, he could be himself there without fear. As with Dante before him, he was aware that this could be the start of a better life than he might otherwise have had…

There were however two of the street's residents that did not attend the gathering. Tina was by now very near her due date, and had quite honestly felt much too tired to attend. Then there had been the fact that she could not think of what would be an appropriate costume for a heavily pregnant lady; worse, the nightmare of going into labour dressed as a troll, vampire or any kind of monster, and being taken into the hospital in that attire… She had told Mike that he could go, but he had not wanted to risk leaving her side for too long. He had a notion that something was going to happen at any moment, and even though he would have been just three doors away, it was much too far…

So he had left a pail filled with candy on the stoop, with a polite note asking trick or treaters to help themselves, but not to ring the bell, as his wife was pregnant and not feeling well. As most of the young people going around in the neighbourhood were in the company of their parents, they were not bothered at all; those parents knew exactly what the couple in the house were going through from their own experience. Mike knew that if anything important happened, people would call first. In the end, nothing did occur that night, and Tina was only too happy to retire to her bed early, and fell asleep almost at once. Mike could only smile as he observed her; he had wanted to be a father for a while, and now that the moment was nearly upon him, he felt a strange sense of calm and inner peace wash over him. He liked the idea of another little being sharing his DNA…

On the second day of November, Mike woke up to find the bed empty beside him. At first he thought nothing of it, but then he realised that whilst the space beside him was empty, it was also wet. That fact made him jump up and go in search of his wife, as he surmised that her waters had finally broken. To his surprise, he found her in the kitchen, making her usual morning bowl of oatmeal. See him staring at her, she smiled, and then said quite calmly, "Yes, my waters have broken, and yes, I am having contractions, but they are neither strong or regular, so I haven't called anyone to let them know. The coffee is on if you'd like a cup, and there is plenty of bread for you to make toast for breakfast for a change."

"You are… but you haven't… how can you be so calm?" replied Mike, his voice rising as he spoke.

"Because, dear husband, I have read enough to know that many woman have a long and protracted first labour, and I would rather remain here, at home, for as long as possible, rather than sitting for hours on end in a hospital room," Tina replied, putting her oatmeal into a bowl. "Do you know, in some ways I envy those women in the British TV show, who gave birth at home with a nurse on hand to help…"

Mike nodded, having seen quite a few episodes of Call the Midwife himself whilst Tina had been binge watching it from episode 1, and he was not ashamed to admit that he had found it enthralling, and yes, he had cried more than once.

"So, as I see it, we have plenty of time yet. We will have our breakfast as normal, and then I will need you to change the sheets on the bed obviously, as I am not going to leave the house with it in that state, and only then will we head for the hospital. Our little one is coming along bang on schedule, and everything is fine."

"Well, if you are sure," said Mike, mustering up as much serenity as he could. "I think that I will have granola rather than toast this morning, and that I will go and take the sheets off the bed right now, so that I can get them straight in the washer. That way we can get a start on cleaning them before they become too heavily stained…"

With that he hastened back up the stairs, taking deep breaths and ignoring his instinct to panic just a little at the situation. He stripped off the bed sheets, glad that Tina had taken advice from the other mothers in the group, and had placed a rubber sheet under the fabric one, which had saved the mattress. He took them to the washer, and put them on to clean, before hurriedly dressing in smart but comfortable attire. He then headed back down, to find a cup of coffee and a bowl of granola awaiting him at his usual spot on the table.

"Now take your time, and do not bolt your food. I am after all in no position to assist with the Heimlich Manoeuvre if you choke on your cereal, and that coffee is fresh and hot," said Tina sweetly. Mike shook his head at how much she sounded like his mother, but nevertheless he ate and drank as slowly as his mind let him. Across the table, Tina finished her own breakfast, whilst making comment on the day's news as she checked it out on her phone….

Then she insisted on doing the washing up by hand, with Mike sent back upstairs to remove the rubber sheet and place fresh linen on the bed. He did the job in record time, although he still took great care to ensure that the sheets were flat and perfect; he half expected Tina to appear and inspect his handiwork. That she did not appear began to worry him a little, and eventually he abandoned the smoothing down of the comforter to head back down the stairs at double time. He arrived in the hall to witness his wife putting on her coat whilst wincing a little.

"I think that we might need to go just a little faster than I was planning for," she said as she saw the anxiety on his face. "There is no cause for panic or alarm, but maybe a cab rather than the gentle stroll to the hospital I envisioned might be in order." Mike threw his own coat on, grabbed the bag she had packed for the hospital and left sitting in the hall, then with his arm wrapped around her, they headed out into the street…

A quarter of an hour later they were at the hospital, checking in with the staff. From the moment they had first talked of children, Mike had known that he wanted to be there for the birth of his child, and now, as he watched the doctor making her initial checks, he held his breath. He heard talk of dilation, and questions about how often the contractions were coming, and how intense they were, but to be honest, it meant very little to him. All that he was certain of was that he would very soon be a father, and that concept both thrilled and terrified him at the same time. He fiddled with the gown that he had been given to wear over his street clothes, then suddenly realised that the doctor was heading out again, and that Tina was shaking her head at him…

"You missed most of that, didn't you?" she said with a chuckle. "I thought that you might, so here is a brief synopsis; it would appear that our child is in quite a hurry, and so the doctor will be back in 30 minutes; if I need her before then, I am to press that red button. So, maybe now would be a good time to call our parents and let them know what is going on. We both know that they will never forgive us if we leave calling them until after our baby is here."

Mike nodded, then pulled out his phone, calling his in-laws first, and then his own parents. He ended the calls with the distinct impression that at that very moment, two pairs of very excited grandparents-to-be would be heading towards the city in minutes, and that Tina might not have been the only one to have a bag packed ready for the event. Tina then told him that he should call Nick, and let him know what was going on too. She knew that Mike might need a little support of his own, and that Nick and Jeff, his former roommates, and best friends in the city, would be the obvious choice…

Nick was at work of course, and at first he was a little surprised to see Mike's name on his phone during working hours - and then worried. He had an inking as to why Mike would be calling, but part of him was concerned that something could have happened to Jeff or Wes. He answered, and was relieved to hear his friend immediately start to talk about Tina going into labour. As he spoke, Nick's mind drifted back to the day when he had received a similar phone call to tell him that he was about to become a father. He recalled just how it had felt at that moment, to be told he was about to receive the most precious of nature's gifts, and suddenly realising all the responsibility that came with it. He was about to have another human being to take care of; one that he had to nurture and cherish for at least two decades. That mix of emotions, one moment elation, the next crushing fear…

He realised that Mike had stopped talking, and then heard him ask if he was there. He composed himself, and said, "Yes, it just took me back for a moment… Look, you need to get back to Tina; you will be great at this. Let her know that I will be thinking of both of you until you call me back to let me know that you have a baby in your arms. I will call Jeff just now and let him know what is going on; he was going to his studio this morning, and when he is engrossed in his work, he often doesn't hear his own phone, let alone the house one. He won't be in the least upset that you didn't call him directly. Right, go and be there for your wife; not that she will be without a friend in the room right now. I would expect that there is at least one other presence in the room with her right now…."

Mike chuckled quietly, and said, "I'm guessing that much too. I suspect it will be Kurt, not that he has said anything, and in any case, I doubt Tina would notice, as she was a little distracted when I left…"

"I can imagine. Go and be there for her. It will all be well. Plus, I don't need to remind you that today you enter into a new phase in your lives; nothing will ever be as it was after this moment…"

As Mike headed back into the room, he realised that what Nick had just said was wholly accurate. He would always be a dad from this moment on, and the whole notion of family would take on a new meaning. Back in the room, he could see at once that things had moved on, and that he had also been right about who was with her. At that moment he was standing behind her, whispering soothing words in her ear. On seeing him enter, Kurt smiled and beckoned him over to come and take Tina's hand. "It will not be long now," he said in a voice that he knew no-one but his two friends would be able to hear. "You need to take her hand, and remind her through all of this that you are here. That is your job, all the rest is up to her. It will not be a challenge for her; she is a very strong and capable woman after all…"

The nursing staff would later say that what happened in the next two hours was as close to textbook as it was possible to get, as perfect a process as one could hope for. It was, of course, not without a certain amount of pain for both mother and father; Mike had been told by David about 'the grip', and his words had been backed up by Artie and Sam, so he was prepared for it when it happened. What he was not prepared for was the sheer pain as his wife pushed down. If anyone saw him sneaking a little of the gas and air mixture his wife was using, then it went unremarked, quite possibly because he was not the first father to be to have done so as his hand throbbed…

When he heard one of the staff say the immortal words "I can see the head", all of the butterflies returned to Mike's stomach. The moment had finally arrived, and soon he would know if he had a son or daughter. Some of their friends had wondered at their decision not to have that information in advance, including the two sets of prospective grandparents. However, Mike's maternal grandmother had hushed them into silence by remarking that when she had been pregnant with Mike's mother, she had not known, nor had she needed to. As long as the child was born healthy, then what else really mattered? She had already sent a whole selection of hand-knitted baby clothes in yellow, a very safe choice. For the new parents to, it did not matter; the child would be loved, a constant symbol of the live that they had built together. Mike had smiled, wiped at Tina's brow, and then gripped her hand all the more tightly as she began the final pushes…

Half an hour later, and anyone looking into the delivery room would have witnessed a scene of domestic harmony; a tired but smiling mother with her newborn baby in her arms, a doting father next to her, his face alight with joy at having been given the most wonderful of life's gifts. For Mike, that was very true. He was a father. He had a son, and he was perfection in his eyes, and he was frankly prepared to punch anyone who dared to say otherwise. There had been one tiny surprise though, spotted by an eagle eyed nurse as she had gently cleaned their son. "He has a birthmark on his hip. It is tiny now, but it will probably grow as he does… The strangest thing is that it doesn't appear to be a random blob; I would swear that it is a bird perched on a tree branch with a little note to indicate it is singing…"

Mike and Tina had looked at each other, slightly shocked, but fully aware of what the mark was; after all, Mike had a pin at home with that very symbol on it. They had both heard the gasp that followed her words though, then the draught; at once they knew that Kurt had gone without a word, hastening off to tell a certain angelic Head Warbler and his own husband what had just happened. What the significance of the mark would be for the future was a subject for another day; all that they cared about at the moment was their boy. They had already chosen a name for him, just as they had prepared one for a daughter, and would keep ready for one that might come along some day. For now, Henry Wesley Zian Chang lay quietly in his mother's arms, regarding the world he had just been born into, and the two people that he had been blessed with for parents, displaying the inner peace that his second middle name hoped for…

Eventually Mike had to leave his wife and child to make those all important phone calls to two new pairs of grandparents. As he spoke to his father to tell him he had a grandson, he was not in the least surprised to suddenly hear an airport tannoy announcement in the background, advising passengers that the flight to New York was now boarding. Then he called his grandmother, who told him how overjoyed she was for him, and then announced that she too would be coming to visit soon, complete with a set of blue baby clothes - reading between the lines, Mike had the notion that there was a complete pink set too, being tucked away for later.

Then he called Jeff. He had decided that he deserved to be the first of his married best friends to know, and in any case, the squeals of delight that would come from the blond would be more than a little infectious. He was naturally delighted, desperate to meet little Harry, then begged to be the one that told Nick the news. At first, Mike was confused as to why Jeff was calling his son Harry, and wondered if he had misheard him; then his friend had pointed out that a certain red headed member of the Windsor family had been officially christened Henry many years ago… With that, Mike knew that his son would probably only ever be known as Henry on official occasions, and also on those moments when a stern talking to was required for misbehaviour. The other thing that Mike noticed was that behind all the joyful words there was a hint of sadness in Jeff's voice, always there when a new arrival came. His vow never to have a child of his own still remained, but every birth made him wish for one of his own too, if only for a moment…

His calls made, Mike was heading back to warn Tina that the parents were descending when he heard his name called, and he looked up to see Ollie Harwood approaching. "I am guessing by the location that you have now joined the club and are officially a father?"

Mike smiled, and replied, "Yes, and like you, I have a son; the most perfect little boy, just like yours. We have called him Henry, but can you let Michelle know that he has two middle names? It was suggested to us that we give him Chinese names meaning peace and noble, but Tina and I agreed that Wesley was a far better fit for the latter."

"I will let her know," said Ollie, then continued, "I wish that I had actually met Wes all the time; had I known him, then I could understand better what you all saw in him. I have just had to make do with descriptions, photos, and a very strange dream…" He paused again, seeing Mike staring at him. "Anyway, I will meet him one day, in the next life, if the world is to be trusted. I just hope that he approves of me!"

"I am pretty certain that he would; after all, you gave up everything to be Thad's family, and he would love you for that alone. There is also the fact that you make his cousin very happy. They were the most important people in the world to him, so anyone that keeps them happy would be approved of…."

"I guess… Anyway, I will let you get back to that lovely wife of yours. Give her my best," said Ollie, then headed away down the corridor once more.

"If you are listening Wes," whispered Mike once he was out of earshot, "this might be a time to start dropping hints, as you did with Beats and all the draughts. Just a thought, old friend…" For a second, Mike was certain that as he stopped talking, he heard an approving laugh at the idea in the ether…

By the time that Mike managed to post his good news on Facebook, Nick had been told by Jeff, his husband making a mental note to bake a batch of Jeff's favourite cookies that night; it would bring back his smile, which always faded a little when their friends had children. He often considered asking his husband if he had changed his stance on a child of his own, that he would be open to having a sibling for Wes, but he knew deep down that however sad it made his partner in life, the answer would remain the same. The fear of the child carrying the Clarington genes strongly was just too great. He would also say that he had Caleb, but Nick was deeply aware that whilst a cat might have nine lives, each of those was shorter than a human life….

Congratulations poured in quickly on Mike and Tina's page, from all of their friends and colleagues, and also from some people that had only ever seen Mike perform. The day continued, and soon Mike was dealing with the fact that two sets of grandparents were converging on the hospital, albeit from different airports. He crossed his fingers that neither pair was held up in traffic, and that he could hold back the first arrivals for long enough that they could enter the room and see their grandson for the first time together. If one pair saw him first, it could lead to problems later…

Luck was on his side; traffic in the tunnel held up the Cohen-Changs on their way in from Newark, and he almost burst out laughing as their cab drew up right behind the one that his parents were just stepping out of. When the new grandparents realised what had just occurred, they had all start to laugh though, and that broke down any tension that might have existed. By common agreement, the two grandmothers went in to see mother and child first, leaving two grandfathers to congratulate Mike on his son. The latter shook all the praise off, pointing out that he had not done anything other than offer his calm wife moral support; that in the business of child birth, men were relegated to the status of cheerleader at best. Then the grandparents swapped, and Mike found himself being hugged and kissed, and quietly praised for having been at Tina's side throughout…

"When you were born, your father was not even at the hospital; being present at the birth was not the done thing for his generation," said his mother first.

"It was exactly the same for me with Tina; my sister was there, and my husband was never even asked if he wanted to be beside me. He did confide in me later that he would have been by my side at a shot if he had been allowed by his own parents…" said Mrs Cohen-Chang in response.

"Tina told us that you were her rock; that you sat there as she crushed your hand, mopping her brow and whispering words of encouragement. She said that it showed her exactly why she had married you," his mother said proudly.

"Then she said that a sibling is certainly not out of the question, but that we weren't even to think about that for at least a year. She said that by then she might be able to go through the whole adventure again…maybe," replied her mother with a laugh.

"I think that it will be at least that long before I am ready to do this again too," Mike replied. "I honestly don't know how women do it. At this moment, I am in awe of every one of you…"

The two sets of grandparents accompanied Mike back home eventually, although he was reluctant to leave. He eventually agreed on the grounds that Tina was tired and needed to sleep, and his son too was sleeping. "I know that you want to do all that you can to support her right now, son, but she has all the help that she could need here from the nurses. This might also be your last opportunity for a while for a night of undisturbed sleep, so take it before your days become dominated by a routine of nappy changes and night feeds." Those words, spoken to him by his dad, had surprised Mike momentarily, until he recalled that according to his mother, his father had been very hands on in his early days.

On reaching home, there was a brief issue, and that was over the sleeping arrangements; the nursery was newly decorated, but the bed settee that was meant to be in there had not arrived yet. As Mike entered the house, he realised that he would be spending the night on the sofa in the lounge. He had not reckoned on his friends though. Artie had spotted the group arriving, and after giving them a few moments to settle in, he had knocked on the front door, wanting to congratulate Mike face to face. It was Mrs Cohen-Chang that came to answer, explaining that Mike himself was busy sorting out the sleeping arrangements. At once, Artie realised what the problem would be, and with a quick text to Kitty, he immediately resolved it. He invited the Cohen-Changs to make use of the spare room in his own flat downstairs. This was not an issue for any of them, as the couple knew Artie well from the time that he had spent dating Tina in their youth.

Before they headed down, the two grandmothers cooked a meal for them all, which lead to Mike realising that he had not eaten for 13 hours, and that had only be a small portion of granola. Having eaten, he was suddenly hit by a wave of exhaustion, and it did not take much persuasion for him to head to his bed. His last thoughts were about how his wife and child were at the hospital…