Two Blessings before Disaster
All three members of the New York based part of the Chang family slept well that night, and after breakfast, Mike returned to the hospital, to begin making the arrangements to get his wife and son home. He had been allowed to make the journey alone, but he was certain that was because his mother had plans to clean the already spotless house all over again. His father and Mr Cohen-Chang would no doubt be dispatched on numerous errands, so he actually had an easy job. His arrival was greeted with warmth by the staff, who informed him that both his wife and son had had a quiet night, and that with all the checks done, he could take them both home whenever he was ready. Entering her room, he discovered that Tina was already out of bed, and dressed in the clean clothes she had packed. He kissed her warmly, holding her in his arms for a moment, before he headed over to greet his son. He was dressed too, in a navy romper suit, with a bear of bootees that he recognised as ones he had knitted himself…
"All of the nurses think that you are a marvel of a man," said Tina quietly. "They assumed that one of the grandmothers had knitted those, and when I told them that it was you… From their experience, hand-knitting is now the preserve of the older generation, and even then there are hardly any articles that people have made themselves. The fact that a father can knit so beautifully is akin to a miracle…"
"I would never have known that I could do it had you not been trying to knit yourself, my love," replied Mike blushing. "Without you, my abilities would never have been discovered. Anyway, knitting is nothing compared to the test that we are about to undergo now. Parenthood is a much harder challenge than knitting a bootee for a baby's foot…"
"Very true," replied Tina, "but we will learn the ways of motherhood and fatherhood together. I am looking forward to facing the challenge with you by my side as always…"
As they prepared to go, Mike suddenly cursed, realising that he should have brought the pram with him for simplicity. However, Tina was quick to point out that it would have been woefully impractical. After all, they would be taking a cab home, as Tina was still feeling a little tired and sore, and it would not have fitted easily in the usual style of vehicle. Tina thus gently cradled her son in the back seat of the cab as they moved gently through the busy thoroughfares. Mike talked to the driver, an older man that had witnessed this scene so many times before, but who still talked about the day his own first born child had come into the world as if it was yesterday…
As they turned into the street, Mike saw that his father was standing at the door looking out for them, something that made the cab driver chuckle. "Times may move on," he said, "but one thing that never alters is the joy and excitement that the birth of a child brings to every family."
"I think it is even worse because he is the first, and we are both only children," said Mike, and as if to prove his point, the reception committee on the doorstep promptly quadrupled in size.
"Want me to keep going?" asked the driver in jest.
Tina laughed then, and said, "Very tempting, but no, we have to face the onslaught sometime, and they all mean well."
With the cab at a stop at the kerbside, Mike turned to his wife, then addressed the boy in her arms. "Welcome home, son. I warn you now that things can be a little madcap around here, but there is one thing that I can say for certain. You will grow up surrounded by love, and in the company of some of the finest friends anyone could wish for. You have been very fortunate indeed in being chosen to be our son…"
The rest of that first day at home was spent quietly, with their neighbours all giving them family time, much as they all wanted to go and welcome the new arrival to their little community. The following day saw the new grandparents head home, and Mike decided therefore that it was about time that his son met the first of his many 'uncles', one that would be amongst the closest to him in all likelihood. The two new parents carefully wrapped their child up in the appropriate clothing for a November day in New York, then having laid him carefully in his pram, they headed out.
Their first stop was downstairs, where both Artie and Kitty were only too pleased to invite them in for a few minutes. The two women left their husbands with the baby, Kitty escorting Tina into the kitchen for a chat. The former knew that career was as important to Tina as it was to her, and she wished to let her know quietly that she would do all she could in supporting her as they juggled work and the raising of their children. They might not always have been the closest, or seen eye to eye before, but they were both now fully signed up members of the same sisterhood. Tina was only too happy to accept Kitty's offer of support if she needed it during the first few months of her son's life.
"I was lucky in that Artie was also working at home a lot, but that is something that you will not have to the same extent. Mike's job will take him away daily, and possibly to a variety of places. He will be away for long periods of time too. What I will say to you now is this; bringing up a baby is not quite as stressful as some people make out, and the rewards for the hard moments are certainly there. Don't tell Artie, but I would even now go as far as to say that should a second child come along… I would never have imagined saying that a couple of years ago, but yes, as much as I love having a daughter, I think that having a son would be nice too…" said Kitty.
"I would love to give our son a sibling too. There are both advantages and drawbacks to being an only child, but I think that the former outweigh the latter. However, I am not ready for that yet; a year at least before we consider that, so that I have time to recover myself, and get used to having a child in the first place. On top of that, I do need to go back to work eventually. In some ways I am very lucky in that the City Ballet has a crèche facility, and Mike could take Henry to work with him and make use of it…"
In the lounge there was a lot less conversation; Artie was more than happy just to sit there and watch as Mike bonded with the boy in his arms. When he tentatively pulled out his camera, Mike nodded, and allowed his younger friend to film, unaware of what was going on in the world around him in any case, so focused was he on his son. Artie smiled happily as he saw that, realising that this was the moment that his friend had been waiting a long time for; if anyone was meant to be a father, it was Mike Chang. As Artie watched, he saw that his attention was only for his boy, observing him constantly, and holding on to his hand, smiling as he felt the gentle pressure as his finger was squeezed by his son.
When Tina and Kitty returned they took a seat near Artie, and Mike was unaware that they had even come back into the room. They sat for a minute or two, then Kitty spoke. "Of course, Artie was just the same in those first days. Mike will still love you Tina, but you will from now on play second fiddle to your son."
"No she won't. They will both be equal in my eyes, because had it not been for her, I would not have been blessed with this handsome boy," said Mike, which made Artie laugh and Tina smile.
She moved to sit beside her husband as Artie turned to Kitty and said, "You will never be second fiddle to me either; I was just entranced at the time, unable to believe that I had helped to create something that was every bit as beautiful as her mother…"
"Hmm, you are forgiven," said Kitty, as she had to admit that the beauty of their daughter was often quiet a surprise to her too.
Their next port of call was of course the house that Mike had once called his home. They had barely knocked on the door when it was flung open by Jeff, who would later admit that Artie had sent him a text to say that Mike and Tina were heading his way. They headed down to the comfort of the kitchen, where Nick was finishing off his Saturday morning baking, and little Wes was sat quietly on the sofa, awaiting his introduction to his Uncle Mike's son. Caleb was in his bed, and woke up as the three visitors came down the stairs. He sniffed the air, and recognised the scent of Mike at once. He did not however jump straight out of his bed to greet him, as he usually did, as he noticed a new and unfamiliar scent too. He sniffed again, and he realised that it was one that had been common when his smallest human had first arrived. He looked out of his bed, and saw that there was another little human in the arms of his Uncle Mike; that meant that for now he needed to stay where he was. Part of him wondered if this new arrival meant that he would receive less toys from his generous uncle, filled with glorious catnip, as his humans had been occupied with their small one all the time when he had arrived….
The fact that Caleb did not run up to greet him at once as usual was of course noticed by Mike, and he knew that the cat was keeping its distance due to the bundle in his arms, knowing instinctively that his attention might be less wanted right now. Tina had been concerned that Caleb might approach and twist himself around Mike's legs, as he did normally, and cause him to trip. He had known he would not, and his faith in his little friend had been repaid. That meant that he had earned the little toy that was stuffed in Mike's pocket; he would hand it over later when his son was not in his arms…
Mike would spend most of his week's leave from the City Ballet bonding with his son. He became a familiar sight to them all, walking down the street with the pram, his smile wide, proudly showing off his boy to everyone. Tina was not seen as much, as she recuperated from the birth, and then busied herself around the house, all of her maternal instincts in overdrive. She was also aware that very soon she would be alone with her son for most of the day, as Mike had to return to his work. She did not resent him that, as she knew her turn to get back to the job she loved would come in due course. Jeff had come along to see her one morning, and told her that he would be at the other end of the phone at any time during the day; he also knew how it was to be home alone with a baby after all. She thanked him, but she had no intention of taking him up on his offer, at least not yet. She did not know of course how she would feel in a few weeks time, or when the inevitable business of teething began; then she might be glad of every bit of help that she could get from her neighbours.
As the first week of Henry's life ended, the Changs found themselves hosting Mike's grandmother; she was a formidable woman for her age, and someone that they both had great respect for. They had both held their breath as the octogenarian had studied their son in detail, before pronouncing that their boy was a very worthy addition to the family. As they had also expected, she had arrived with a bag full of blue knitted garments; Tina decided that he should wear some of them at once, and it was then as they changed him that Mike's grandmother spotted his birthmark. She immediately came in for a closer look, then laughed. "Your son will be a singer, and will soar above those around him. I have seen this before, in connection with a school I think. It is a fortunate symbol." Mike and Tina nodded, not wanting to tell her that they knew it was replicated on a Warbler pin; they did not think she would quite understand that…
Whilst Mike adapted himself to life as a parent, across town Sam was also adapting to his new life. His sitcom had finally gone on air the day after Henry Chang came into the world, and in some ways he was glad that his arrival had taken away the attention that his friends might have focused upon him. He had not had to wait long for the reviews and feedback to come through, and much to his relief, it was all popular. The audience liked the storyline and the characterisations, and as for Sam himself, the praise could not have been stronger. There was much reference to his impressions, to his acting skills, and from certain quarters, his buff body. That had made him laugh, as he had begun to think that as he approached 30, his days of being objectified for his looks were long gone. The positive vibe had allowed the network to green light the remaining episodes of the season, to be shown after Christmas, and filming had stepped up once more, with plans being drawn up for the second season as well, subject of course to numbers…
Once the third episode had been shown, it began to be obvious to all of them that Sam had something bigger on his hands than they had thought. In the era of multi channel, multi media television, getting huge audiences was a thing of the past. The last sitcom that had garnered big figures had been The Big Bang Theory, and since then, nothing had rated amongst the top 5 shows. When the audience figures came back at nearly 20 million viewers for the first two shows, the media began to show even more interest. Isabelle was, of course, in a position to run a bio piece on Sam almost immediately, using the interview she had done with him almost as soon as she had been told that he had been cast in a TV pilot. He had laughed about that at the time, but now she had given Vogue an edge. It was joined swiftly by other articles, some of which were serious and literary, others less so. Sam had laughed at the one about how hot he was on one gossip website, and then at another that lamented the fact that he was not gay in real life.
However, what he did not like was the attention that he now received whenever he went out. There was no issue in the street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, but once he got further away from home, he began to have people asking for autographs, and for the obligatory selfie pic. Then there were the paparazzi of course, with their long angle zoom lenses; he found pictures of himself buying groceries, or just walking along the street with Barbra. He did not mind the former, but the latter got him angry. Worse, it made Rachel angry, and he wondered just how long it would be before she wanted them to sue someone. Apart from the invasion into their daughter's privacy, Rachel had no issue, given that the tickets for her current show were selling faster again, as the world wanted to see Sam's wife perform too.
As Thanksgiving approached, people began to confirm their plans. Ethan and Drew had their big family gathering to attend, when two sets of parents would meet for the first time. Nick had volunteered to host a similar get together, and was expecting a houseful of guests. Amongst them would be Luke and Duncan, who had decided that the best way to avoid the dilemma of whose parents to spend the day with was to travel to New York with Elspeth instead. It would also permit them access to useful cooking tips from Nick for next year; to deal with the obvious disappointment of their folks, they had rashly suggested that they host the celebration for both families the following year; only afterwards did they realise just how much work that would entail…
For the new parents on the street, a quiet day at home was all they wished for, but in the end they had accepted an invitation to lunch with Artie and Kitty. They had agreed on that just minutes before Nick invited them to join the party at his place, but the latter had quite understood, and had not been offended when they declined. Beats, Elliott and their two sons would be spending the day with the Rosenfelds; Michelle would be taking on the duty of overseeing the now annual Thanksgiving lunches at the Spotlight, and would have her husband and son at her side. She quickly realised that for many, little Thad would be the main attraction on the day. His namesake would be remaining in Ohio, but would not this year be joining Mrs Thompson, as she would be in Boston with David and Mercedes; the Carmichaels would also be absent, as they were spending the day with the former principal's sister in Princeton. He would instead be spending the day with Skylar and Julia, and they would also be joined by Seth…
However, as they were all aware, the best laid plans often had to change due to circumstance. When Seth woke up on the 15th of November, it appeared to him that it was going to be one of the good days, the first that week when he had had no significant pain. He got up, made himself breakfast, then had a shower before heading off to work. He was able to assist in the first seminar of the day without trouble; indeed, so well did he feel that he was able to do a practical demonstration, building a model with lithe fingers, much to everyone's surprise, and indeed, his own. He was full of life, enjoying the day, and in retrospect, he should have taken that as a warning sign…
The class came to an end, and as the students headed for the door, the inevitable happened. Seth would later admit that the wave of pain that struck him at that moment was the worst ever; he collapsed in seconds, blacking out just as he saw the professor and a couple of the class racing over to grab him as he fell…
When he came round, it was to find himself in a hospital bed, with a worried looking Ollie Harwood looking down at him. He took in his surrounding, puzzled at what had occurred, but before he could ask, his doctor spoke. "You've been out cold for three hours this time; the EMTs report that when they entered the room it was still full of students, and many of them were in tears. They described what they saw happen as a fit; your body was convulsing violently as you fell. I have already run a few basic diagnostic tests, and well, most of your body is reacting to the normal stimuli… Your left leg isn't, and your right is only doing so slowly. I'm sorry to say that whatever hit you this time seems to have done permanent and irreparable damage. You need to face the prospect that your mobility is going to be significantly impaired by this long term…"
Seth closed his eyes again, a defensive move against what he had just heard; an attempt, however futile, to blot out the pain that had just spiked straight through his heart. Part of him perhaps hoped that if he closed his eyes again he would pass out once more, and this time he would come round back in the classroom at the college, and all of this would be nothing more than a hideous nightmare. The moments passed, but he did not hear the steady noises of the hospital fade to be replaced by the more comforting sounds of academia. He had known that would be the case, but it had still been worth a try…
He opened his eyes again, and was immediately confronted by the face of Dr Ollie Harwood, looking at him with a great sadness in his eyes, there because the fact that he could do nothing to cure the young man before him cut him to the quick. Seth took a breath, then said, "Maybe things will be different now that I have regained consciousness. Could you maybe rerun some of the tests now, just to see?"
Ollie nodded, although in his heart he knew that the process was pointless, that nothing would be any different; however, Seth needed to see that for himself if he was to accept it. He pulled the sheet of the recumbent young man, then said, "Okay, we will start with the simplest one; close your eyes, and then tell me if you feel anything. We can't get an accurate result if you can see me." Those last works of conclusion were said only because he was afraid that Seth might protest. His patient closed his eyes, and Ollie pulled out a probe, and gently pressed on his patient's left leg, then gradually increased the pressure…
"Tell me when you are ready to start," said Seth, and Ollie stopped, blinking away a tear as he did so.
"I am about to start now," he said quietly, and placed his probe on Seth's right leg, and once again gently increased the pressure, until he got a verbal response from his patient. "Right, so now I am going to probe the other leg," he said evenly, knowing that he was unlikely to gain a response that reflected reality. He jabbed the probe sharply into Seth's left leg this time, and when no word was spoken, he said sadly, "You can open your eyes now…" Seth shook his head, tears starting to form in his closed eyes, knowing what he would see when he did. He knew that it was true, that his left leg was, to all intents and purposes, useless…
Ollie left Seth alone shortly thereafter, to let him recover and begin dealing in private with the latest and greatest of blows this year. Seth was grateful, and the moment he heard the door close behind the doctor, he allowed the treacherous tears that had welled up the chance to flow. Then he felt a draught, a hand being pressed gently on his shoulder; he knew from the faint scent of raspberries that it was Blaine, and for that he was glad. He would not try and talk to him, he would just sit patiently whilst he dealt with the pain in his mind….
Eventually though, he heard his friend speak softly. "Best that you get those tears out of the way before you get any visitors, because you will have them soon enough. Ollie is calling Thad right now, given that you made him your next of kin, so to speak, and he will no doubt immediately elect someone to come and sit with you. I would suspect that they will be blond…"
"Jeff will be the only one that isn't sitting in an office right now, that much is true," said Seth between sobs.
"Thad will no doubt call Skylar as well, and he will be on the phone to the hospital, asking to speak to you, as soon as he is told…"
Seth nodded, then whispered, "Is it wrong that I wish the attack had been even stronger; maybe even fatal?"
"I don't think so, no," replied Blaine after a pause. "However, we will not mention that to anyone else, because wishing that you were dead is never really approved of in either realm. If Ollie found out, he would probably be obliged to get a psychiatrist involved, and that is the last thing you want. He will be back in a minute, so just know this; this is not the beginning of the end, this is not a portent. All it means is that you will finally have to start using your chair in public for your own comfort. Your legs need the rest, and being in the chair all day will be a great help…"
No sooner had Blaine finished speaking than the door began to open, and he vanished as quickly as he had arrived, allowing Ollie to step back in. "How is the Head Warbler? I do hope that you conveyed my warmest regards to your brother, and that you persuaded him not to head to the airport and jump on a plane right now…" said Seth, and Ollie had to laugh at the sass…
"My little brother is fine, thank you. Naturally he is concerned for you, and for Skylar as well."
"Well, he doesn't need to worry about me," said Seth determinedly. He then asked, "Do you think we could see if I am able to stand? Maybe the issue with my leg is down to the fact that I am in a prone position, and the blood flow is wrong."
"That is highly unlikely, but yes, we can give it a try," said Ollie. He headed over to stand beside his patient's bed, and braced himself to bear his weight. Meanwhile, Seth slid across to the right side of the bed next to his doctor, then slowly lowered his right leg to the floor. He turned then, and lowered his left to join it, so that he was effectively sitting on the edge of the bed. Then, with Ollie to hold on to, he lowered both feet onto the floor, and stood up. It immediately felt wrong, but he said nothing, his determination winning out over common sense.
"I am going to move my arm away now, and we will see what happens," said Ollie.
He slowly moved his arm away, and although Seth wobbled, he still stayed upright. Emboldened by that success, Seth took a tentative step forward, and were it not for the lightening fast reactions of his doctor, he would have crashed to the floor. Ollie gently pushed him back onto the bed, and told him to wait for a moment whilst he fetched something. Seth nodded, his mind awhirl, fighting the urge to cry. In less than a minute, Ollie returned with an elbow crutch. Carefully he helped Seth back onto his feet again, then slipped the crutch onto his left arm. Then he removed his support, ready to grab his patient again. This time though, Seth did not fall as he tried to move, the crutch giving him the extra support he needed on the left. He could move, but it was a painful experience, and moving just a few feet caused his right leg to throb…
Back on the bed once more, Ollie looked at him with a calm expression. "So, your right leg hurts a lot right now, but I am hopeful that in time, it will improve. However, even with that, I think my conclusion has to be this. You can walk, with the crutch, over short distances on the odd occasion. Most of the time, you will need to adapt to using your chair…"
Seth knew that Ollie was right; much as he wanted to hold off the moment when he had to spend the bulk of his day sitting in a chair, he was a realist. His left leg was potentially as good as dead; his right painful to the point where he could feasibly pass out if he wasn't careful….
"For now I think that we need to get you back in bed. I would also like to take a scan of your left leg, to see if there is anything visible that would indicate why you have lost all feeling; see if there is anything that we could possibly do to get you back some sensation in it, if not full use. It can be quite dangerous for other aspects of your health to be completely devoid of feeling in a limb; it can lead to all sorts of issues in the long term," warned Ollie, before he assisted Seth back onto the bed.
He left to go and get the tests set up, and alone again, Seth felt his composure and stoicism crumble. He started to sob, and soon he was crying his heart out, much to his own shame. He had always said that no matter what happened, he would not let this happen, he would stay strong, and now he had fallen at the first big hurdle. He needed to let it all out though, and so he abandoned that plan. He was sobbing so hard that he did not notice the draught as Wes arrived, and came over to sit on the bed beside him. It was only when he wrapped one of his wings round the sobbing man's shoulders that Seth realised he was no longer alone; part of him was mortified that he had been caught like this, but the feathers felt soft, and comforting… He leaned in closer, and laid his head of Wes' chest, not caring if Ollie walked in. Softly, Wes began to hum that little rhyme, that familiar tune, and Seth knew then that he wasn't facing this alone. He had no need to fear the future; his destiny was set, but when it was all over, when the condition claimed him, he would have somewhere to go where he would be loved and secure…
When Seth heard the door open, he immediately came back to reality, but Wes carried on humming, and did not let him go. He opened his eyes, blinking away the tears, and saw the familiar shock of blond hair, above a face lined with concern for him. As he walked over, Wes said quietly, "Take good care of him, Starling; be his strength for today."
"Always; once a Warbler, always a Warbler, there for each other in times of joy and woe," responded Jeff.
"This is certainly the latter, I'm afraid, but the reason for it is not my tale to tell," Wes answered back. Then he turned to Seth, and said, "Right, I am going to leave you in Jeff's capable hands for now. I will be back soon though, I promise. Just call if you need me, anytime."
With that, Wes vanished, and just in time, as Ollie suddenly reappeared. "They told me that you were here, Jeff. Do you know, I have always been so jealous of just how close you guys all are. Okay, so we are set up to get your leg scan done, Seth. Jeff can come with us as far as the scanner room, but then he will have to wait outside until we are done." Jeff nodded, and as Ollie prepared the bed so that he could push it down to the scanner room, Jeff took Seth's hand and held it tight. There was really nothing else that he could do in the circumstances…
He was still holding it later that day when Ollie came back with the results of the tests. Seth had told Jeff everything once they had arrived back from the scan. The fact that his leg was not responding told Jeff everything that he needed to know; there was no need to spell out exactly what that meant for his friend's future. The grim expression on Ollie's face also told them both that the news was not good. "The last attack has caused severe damage to the nerves in your left leg. Your right leg is also showing signs of nerve damage, but it is minor, and they will already be healing. Those in your left leg will not. We can try a course of drugs and a few physiotherapy sessions to help, but bluntly, you will struggle to walk on it, and even standing unaided will be a task…"
"So basically, what you are saying is that from now on, I am confined, more or less, to the chair?" Ollie nodded in response to Seth's question, and he nodded too. "Well, it is all going much faster than I would have liked, but I knew that this day was going to come, and I just have to deal with it. I have a new challenge to face, and as with all challenges, the only way to face it is head on…"
