Saturday, 10th December 2022

Higgins walked into the changeroom and straight over to Jamie, who was sitting next to Cockburn engrossed in a clapping game. They were losing the match; it was so fucking close but Arsenal were matching them at every fucking turn. The team weren't disheartened and were obviously waiting for Roy, Nate, and Beard to decide what to say. Higgins saw a few of the players notice him but he continued towards…

"Jamie."

"Higgins?" Jamie asked, looking up at the man with surprise. "Everything okay?"

"Simon called me."

Jamie jumped up. "What's wrong with Mummy?"

The room grew silent around them. Jamie felt the press of Roy at his back suddenly. Jamie wanted to throw up or pass out, but he held on hard to Cockburn's shoulder and waited.

"She's gone into labour," Higgins told Jamie. "I was instructed not to let you know until after the game, but Rebecca and I thought it best to…Jamie?"

Jamie had collapsed back into Roy. "Fuck, I need to go…I can't go, we're in the middle of a game."

"Of course you need to go," Roy growled in his ear. "Your family is more important."

"Rebecca has contacted her private jet company and the plane is ready for you."

"Really?" Jamie asked, eyes wide.

"Of course," Rebecca said, walking in. "You need to be there to meet your new sibling. They are expecting you here," she handed over a slip of paper, "and will take you to Manchester where a car will be waiting for you."

"Thank you," Jamie said, taking the piece of paper.

"And my driver will take you to the airport."

Jamie turned to the team, his elbow catching Roy's rib accidentally. "Are you all sure?"

Dani waked over to him, cupping his face. "We expect to see pictures of the newest member of our team."

"Of course you should go," Isaac said. "We can win without Jamie Tartt."

"Yeah right," Jamie huffed, then grew serious. "I need to go."

"You should change first," Roy told him, resting a hand on Jamie's elbow. "Get back into your street clothes."

"Yeah, of course," Jamie yanked his top over his head and pulled the undershirt as well.

"I'll be going," Rebecca said. "Wish your mother the best, Jamie."

Jamie bounced over and wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you, Rebecca."

Rebecca patted his back awkwardly. "You're welcome."

Jamie pulled back and went to his cubby.

"Go shower and then change in the boot room," Roy told him. "We need a moment to focus."

Jamie nodded and grabbed his things to go into the shower, washing himself as fast as he ever had before slipping past the team in a towel. He was just lacing his sneakers when the boot room door opened and closed. He looked up to find Roy standing in front of him.

"Are you okay?" Roy asked.

Jamie stood and tucked himself into Roy's body. Roy wrapped his arms around Jamie and held him close.

"You're going to fly up and see her and I've checked with Rebecca, you don't need to be back until the next game."

"What?"

"It's your baby brother or sister, just go and see them and we'll make it work."

"I'm about to be a big brother."

Roy pulled back and kissed Jamie once quickly. "The team is heading out, make you sure you have everything. "

"Thank you, Roy," Jamie said, biting his lip against his pressing need to tell Roy he loved him. He swallowed it down with a shallow, nervous smile.

"Call me when you know anything."

"Kill 'em for me," Jamie told him, stepping back and letting Roy go.

"We fucking will," Roy told him, pressing another kiss on his eyebrow before leaving.

Jamie called Simon as soon as he was in the car.

"Jamie, the game's not over," Simon said.

"Mum's having the baby."

"I told Leslie your mother didn't want you to miss the match."

"I'll be there in about two hours, Rebecca is letting me use her private jet."

Simon whistled. "Hold on."

"Jamie, baby, what are you doing?"

"I'll be there in two hours, how are you?"

"In labour, it's not going very quickly," Georgie told him. "You're supposed to be playing."

"I'm supposed to be there with you."

"Good, baby, I want you here."

"I'll be there soon; I can't wait to see you."

"I love you, my sexy little baby."

"Love you too."

Jamie hung up the phone and watched the traffic pass them by.

-)(-)(-

Hours later, the labour progressing slowly but surely, Jamie was curled on the bed around his mother when there was a knock on the door. Simon stood up and opened the door.

"Roy!" Simon said, joy in his voice.

"Roy?" Jamie asked, sitting up.

Roy stepped into the room. "Hi, how's everything going?"

"Slowly," Georgie complained. "But they are monitoring me and Jamie made sure I have the best fucking team in Manchester."

"Of course I did," Jamie said. "You came up?"

"Of course," Georgie said. "Come in, we're just…fucking fuck."

Jamie rubbed at Georgie's back until she stopped swearing and relaxed back into the bed and his arms.

"I stopped at home and collected all of the shit Jamie bought to bring with him."

"Thank you," Jamie smiled at him. "How was the game?"

"We lost," Roy said with a shrug. "What can I do, does anyone need food or something to drink?"

"Yes," Jamie said. "Food please."

"Anyone else?"

"No," Georgie said. "But I will give you a kiss if you bring me back ginger beer."

Roy nodded. "Simon?"

"I'll come with you," Simon said, standing. "I need to walk, I'll be right back, love."

Simon kissed Georgie's head.

"Love you," Georgie said, closing her eyes.

"Thanks, Roy," Jamie said, running his fingers through Georgie's hair and smiling over at him.

Jamie held Georgie through three more sets of contractions while Roy and Simon got food and ginger beer.

"Roy came," Georgie said after the third one, when Jamie climbed out of bed to let the nurse do what she needed to and so he could get her some water.

"Yeah," Jamie said. "He did."

"That's pretty lovely of him," Georgie said.

"It-" Jamie stopped when the door opened and Roy came in. The smell of food hit them.

"Roy Kent?" the nurse said.

"No," Roy responded, putting the bags of food on the table in the middle of the huge suite that Jamie had booked for his mum.

"He is," Jamie said, bending down to touch his toes and then running on the spot for a moment.

"And you're Jamie Tartt," she said.

"He is," Georgie said proudly. "He's my son."

"I'll put the celebrity note on your record."

"Celebrity?" Georgie asked.

"We don't give out information, but people will call and ask what room their family members are in or other information we're allowed to disclose. If we have the note, we don't even let people know you're here."

"Thanks," Jamie said. "Let me know if any of the staff want anything and I'll sort it all out all at once before I leave."

"Thank you, I'm Lanie and I'll be the main midwife for your mum for this shift. You know you can order from the catering team?"

"He can't eat just anything," Roy told her. "Thank you though."

"Okay, but we ran you through all of the options at the antenatal tour?" Lanie checked, looking at Georgie.

"Yes, thanks," Georgie said.

"I'll be back to check in on you soon."

"For you," Roy said, handing her the ginger beer. "Or would you like a glass with ice?"

"Yes, please, babe, did you bring my straw?"

Simon nodded and grabbed the thin calico bag with a set of stainless-steel straws out of one of the three bags Georgie had brought with her. He handed one to Roy who checked the cupboards until he found the one with cups, mugs, and plates.

"How did you know the room would have all this stuff?" Jamie asked, grabbing the plates.

"Got the same sort of room for Ruth when she had Phoebe," Roy said with a shrug. "Her ex was a twat about it but she's my fucking sister and was going to have the fucking best."

"Her ex was a twat about a lot of shit," Georgie said before grabbing out for the rail at the side of the bed and gritting her teeth. Simon climbed onto the bed and took her other hand, pressing a kiss to her hair as she stopped panting.

Roy waited until she relaxed into the bed and then handed her the glass, making sure there was a place for her to put it.

"Don't wait on me," she said with a laugh. "Eat your food."

Simon, Jamie, and Roy sat down and ate.

"Roy, this is me pasta," Jamie said, after the first bite.

"I filled an esky with meals for you," Roy said. "I thought I'd make it easy, brought enough for Simon and Georgie too if they want."

"Thank you, Roy," Georgie told him. "Simon's been cooking too."

"Of course," Simon said with a bright smile. "It's going to be hard to manage it all so I wanted to be ready but we can use Roy's food while Jamie's here and then move onto mine."

"Thank, Roy," Jamie said, hooking his ankle around Roy's. Roy reached out and rested his hand on Jamie's knee; squeezing it as he focussed on eating.

When they were done, Roy cleaned up. Then he handed Jamie a small bag.

"What's this?" Jamie asked.

"Change of clothes and some toiletries. I'm going to go and check into a hotel nearby. I'll make-"

"No," Georgie told him. "You don't need to get a hotel; you can stay in Jamie's room."

"I don't want to impose," Roy said. "I wanted to make sure Jamie had all the stuff he'd planned to bring up."

"Please do," Simon said. "It would be good if you could look after the place for us. And Jamie was going to be staying with us. That means I won't feel bad just staying here the whole time and leaving you and Jamie at the house."

"I…this is a time for family and I really don't want to-"

Jamie grabbed Roy's elbow and yanked him into the bathroom. "Go back to Mum's, I'd prefer to be there…yeah?"

"Okay," Roy said, stealing a kiss. "Call me if anyone needs anything and I'll bring it in."

"See you soon," Jamie told him and walked him out of the room, he handed Roy his set of Manchester keys and told him to park around the corner in the parking structure.

-)(-)(-

Roy woke with a start when he felt the blankets move. "Jamie?"

Jamie hmmed at him. "Stay asleep."

Roy nodded, turning over and pulling Jamie into him. "She had the baby?"

Jamie nodded.

"And?" Roy yawned, pressing into Jamie's damp neck – the smell of soap strong and fruity.

"Little girl, she's fucking perfect," Jamie told him. "You can come and meet her tomorrow."

"I don't want to impose," Roy told him.

"Wouldn't be," Jamie yawned. "Need a picture of you and Katie for Fifi."

"Katie?"

"Catherine, Mummy likes a traditional name, and it was what she was going to call me if I'd been a girl."

"Jamie and his little sister Katie."

"I saw the Richmond onsie you put in the bag of my stuff."

"Had them make it up special," Roy said.

"You had them put Jamie on the back."

"She's not a Tartt."

Jamie held him closer. "You could have put her surname on there."

Roy nodded. "There's another with that on it in your stuff."

"Thank you."

Roy hmmed and then patted Jamie's hip. "Go to sleep."

Jamie burrowed deeper and they both fell asleep.

-)(-)(-