RP LOG with seeuincourt | Out of the public eye

[richandlovingit]

Ethan was sitting in Tom's office, slumped down in one of his client's chairs and wiping at his dripping nose with a handful of soggy tissues. To look at him, no one would pick him for Ethan Williamson at that point. In fact, even Tom's PA, who had known Ethan for years, tried to intercept him at the office door before she reigned herself back in to realise it was Ethan. He was dressed in black Addidas track pants, a FCUK t-shirt and a zip-up grey hoodie jacket with trainers on his feet. It wasn't all that unusual an outfit for Ethan, but he hardly ever went out in public like this. Today, though, still battling a cold and the jet lag, he had just needed to get a bit of fresh air while Sophie was at work, and not living too far from Tom's company, Tom lucked out and had his snotty best friend land on his doorstep right in the middle of what seemed like an important and intense conference call.

Ethan had no issues waiting. There was no client confidentiality when it came to him. Tom always discussed cases with him for personal opinions, and if Tom had any high profile cases on the go, Ethan likely already knew the gossip anyway. Tom was standing by the window with his telephone headset on, looking out the window at the London skyline as he restlessly played with his expensive pen that Ethan knew was a gift from Stuart. Ethan was only half listening, and had been building a fort out of Tom's office supplies across the front of his desk, the Pièce de résistance being the sticky tape holder in all it's glory on top of the paperclip box. But he had to pause in his construction skills due to a sneezing fit and managed to knock the whole thing on the ground in a noisy clash, earning a pointed glare from Tom in the process. With a slightly sheepish look in return, Ethan reached over silently and slowly to place the stapler back in the middle of the desk, leaving the rest of the mess on the floor for someone else to worry about. Yes, he was a rich snob when he wanted to be.


Tom knew that his best friend had a short attention span, but even Ethan was pushing his luck right then. Tom was having a heated argument with the lawyer representing Angus Evans' ex. The court date was still yet to be set for the custody hearing, but at least the divorce was well on its way to being put through. The wayward mother of Gus' baby was prolonging her trip in the hopes that it would mean that she would retain custody by default, but as far as Tom was concerned - the fact that she didn't want to appear in court, or even come and collect her daughter said so much. "Look, I've had about enough of this as I can handle, Jake. I'm sure you're trying really hard to find her," Tom said, even if his tone was last with pure sarcasm. "But if your client doesn't show up by the date I just gave you, I'm finding a judge and I'm getting him to award full custody to Mr Evans. Feel free to call my bluff. Pass my regards on to the ex Mrs Evans and her toy boy." Tom ended the call without waiting for a reply and pulled his headset off with a huff. "I didn't even leave you alone and this is the bloody mess you made," he said to Ethan before he dropped down into his seat. "I fucking hate custody cases. Just saying. Nothing is ever neat and tidy, too many what ifs and emotions at play. You have a booger hanging out your left nostril."

Ethan flipped him off and wiped his nose again, even if he figured Tom was just being an arsehole as punishment for the awesome stationary fort. He went back to sit slumped in the seat and started annoyingly zipping and unzipping his hoodie, and upon realising how fun it was, started to make tunes with it before he stopped and raised his eyebrows a little. "Then why take two at once? I'm surprised Stuart hasn't stormed in here to bound and gag you for working too much. In saying that, he's connected to both of them, so maybe it's a conflict of interest. I met the kid, by the way. Not the nappy-clad one, the other one. With the eyes."

"Ciaran?" Tom asked as he hazarded a guess and hoped that there wasn't some other secret kid he had no idea about. "Those eyes really are something, huh? We had a brief meet when I went over to Fitzpatrick's. Still hard to believe he even exists. That someone could go fourteen years and have no idea that they have a kid. I took two because it is a conflict of interest. I care about Stuart, these people are connected to him. I can't say no. Plus I have to admit I enjoy the challenge. I thought they'd be easy while I was on leave. I was wrong. How was the trip? I hope the cold isn't the present you got me, mate. How are you really? How are you coping with... Soph's condition?"

Ethan nodded and folded his hands across his chest. "He was around last night when I got home. Fitzpatrick asked Sophie to talk to him. I guess she's a good choice. The kid's well messed up. He's been made to feel like the whole world is against him, and that that is exactly what he deserves. I asked him what his favourite food was. Soup. Tomato soup. Of all the food in the whole world, that is his favourite. I don't know, I've never really had much to do with kids, and it was a surprise to find him there. It just... got to me. It made me think of what my own kids might be like some day. That maybe I won't suck as much at being a father as I thought I would. Not that I'm saying Fitzpatrick sucks, because from the sounds of it, he won't. It wasn't like he knew the lad existed to do any differently, but no kid should feel like that. Is the mother seriously in the lock up?" He sighed heavily and nodded. "She's good. I'm okay. Jetlagged, you know how it goes. So, four weeks to the day, huh? Four weeks and you're gonna be a married man."

Tom pressed the button on his intercom to get his assistant to get him and Ethan some tea. He cleared his throat as he reached up to scratch his fingers through his hair and nodded. "Yeah, she is. She wouldn't be out until the kid was a lot older, so she was never going be around. It wouldn't have mattered if she was a good mother to him, or not. He was always going to miss her, and he was maybe always going to wind up looking for his dad. Eventually. The fact that he seems to have spent most of his life dreaming about his dad coming to rescue him from his horrible life says enough. I just really hope Euan pulls through, but I think he will. I really do think you'll find you make a good dad. At least you have the playing thing down," Tom teased. "Four weeks. I'm about ready to piss myself. I don't even know if I'm supposed to be doing anything. There's a wedding planner now and I mostly just get pulled aside for measurements or to have ties held up against my neck occasionally."

"It's fucking mental. I mean, I know not everyone grows up with their parents, and that kids often get the short straw, but his maternal grandparents had him. How could they screw him over so bad? They were still his grandparents. Aren't grandparents supposed to think being a granny and granddad is the best thing in the world? My Mum and Dad are- fuck! Fuuuck. I haven't told them. I haven't told them!" Ethan realised in a panic, his voice raising a few octaves. "I got so caught up in my own shit that I completely forgot. They're going to kill me, then resurrect me and kill me again. They have been waiting forever for this, I swear. When did everything change? Seriously. When did it all change under us? You're getting married, I somehow managed to knock Soph up. There's this... whole extened family that make my head spin. Maybe I'm getting premature dementia."

Tom got up to come around and sit next to Ethan. He leaned forward to rest his hand on his best friend's arm and gave it a squeeze. "Hey, hey. Take a breath, okay? You still have time to tell them. They'll understand. Your folks are a couple of the nicest people that have ever walked the Earth. They're also not going to be like Ciaran's grandparents. Accident or not, they'll embrace the kid you have with Soph. I think we just... grew up. Fucked if I know when it changed, but it has and now I can't even remember where the last ten years went. How ridiculous is that?"

"I can't take a breath. Snot is filling my nose," Ethan complained and rubbed a hand over his head. "Don't get me wrong. It's fine. There's just so freaking many of them. I was still trying to wrap my head around all of Soph's brothers and sisters, then all of a sudden one of them is having a kid too, and I'm officially an uncle. Which is just bloody strange to think about. And I'm at the hospital and Liam it putting the kid in my arms and I'm having the freak out of the century, only to have to bugger off to Sydney a couple of days later. I come back to Soph sitting on the sofa with a kid that looks like like it could be her genes than his actual father's, and I swear, I thought I was having some weird fever-induced hallucination. All of a sudden, it's kids on the menu left and right when part of me still feels like a kid myself."

Tom pulled his hand back to rub it over the slight bit of stubble he'd grown in his time off. His glasses were off for the moment, but they were lying on the desk. Or had been. He wasn't sure if they'd been a casualty of the Great Stationary Disaster of 2010. "You know that you don't have to lose that part of you, right? You don't suddenly have to be responsible for a teenager that's going to need sex talks and driving lessons. The kid that'll come out of Sophie will be just like the one put in your arms. You should keep the kid part of you so that you can identify with them, play with them. It's a good thing to have, mate. Think of Gus. I love Stuart's brothers, but even Gus can be kid-like. Maturity isn't always what's needed in a parent. As long as you're capable of loving the kid, the rest will fall into place."

"You keep calling me a kid, and I'm like... a hugely expensive and important person," Ethan threw back even if he was smirking. He pulled a face and blinked. "Eesh, you're right. Ciaran is probably just hitting puberty. What a time to get a kid. There's like, shaving and hair growing in weird places and wet dreams. Fuck, the wet dreams. Hiding those when you're a teen is like a covert military operation. And the wanking. I still remember when I discovered wanking. I never wanted to leave the house. Then the random boners in PE class. The voice breaking. Embarrassing as all shit. And girls think it's hard being a girl. They get to grow boobs, we get to stand there with acne and boners and having our voice do weird things. In saying that, I think having a girl would be easier, because then I can pass all the embarrassing period stuff over to Soph, and I can just be the cool understanding dad who doesn't meantion it ever and goes out and gets her fitted for a chastity belt." He fell quiet and stared at Tom's desk. "Fuck, I'm scared."

Tom flipped off Euan and started to laugh. "Yeah, and? I've seen you in diapers, buddy. Been there when you've had your head stuck down the toilet, and your dick spotty from that time with... what was her name again? Fifi? The one with the lisp. You're not just a hugely expensive and important person to me. I know all your dirty secrets. Personally, I'm not jealous at all. I'd rather have the lead up time to prepare myself for the puberty thing. Then again, is a parent ever going to be prepared for it? How do you even begin to know how to tell a kid what sex is? I really don't think I have it in me to be the one to give The Talk. And what if me and Stu did end up with a girl? I'd be fucking clueless." Tom rubbed his lip as he looked at Ethan. "Being a young boy is bollocks. Even I can admit to that." He leaned forward again. "It's okay to be scared. You do know that, right?"

Ethan looked up at Tom uncertainly, indicating that he really didn't know it. He gave his head a slight shake. "Not really. This is going to sound totally fucked up and it's been something I haven't had a clue how to really tell Sophie without it sounding like I'm all pissed off she fell pregnant, but... I don't want my life to change. I like my life. I love my work, I love my company and everything I have worked to build. I'm not ready to be a father," he told Tom, looking down at his lap ashamed, like he had just kicked a puppy and spat on it. "I'm just not. But she's been ready to be a mother forever, even though she'll try and say she's scared to and all that. She wants it. She got jealous when Renee had the first Morgan grandkid."

Tom pressed his lips together as he tried to work out how best to console his friend, but the truth was he had no idea. Kids were still something he was trying to wrap his head around just like Ethan. They were okay when they were someone else's and he could give them back at the end of the day. Having his own really was a scary concept. Even if he'd do anything with Stuart. Including kids. "Mate, you can't not tell her. Not keep talking to her. She'll only get pissed if you stop communicating. How are you supposed to work out a compromise or a way to tackle it when you're not being honest? Your life doesn't have to change. It just has to stretch a little to include someone new. Just like when you married Soph to begin with. She's a new part of your world, but has your life changed for the worse?"

"Stretch a little? Do you know how many continents I have to visit in the next two weeks? You know what the compromise will be? Time with Sophie. The spare time I have right now is ours, and that's not gonna happen when a baby is around. I'll be lucky to get laid once a month. How far am I supposed to bloody stretch, mate? Look at me. Do I look like I can possibly stretch anymore?" Ethan asked helplessly, and as if there was some need for emphasis, he sneezed and only narrowly missed spraying snot all over the place by covering his nose with a tissue.

Tom shrugged as he sat back in his seat again and rest his head in his hand. "I don't want your time with Soph to be the thing that has to give, but something has to. I don't know what else to tell you. I know you won't let her get rid of the baby, I know you wouldn't put her through that. You also need to take care of yourself. Surely I'm proof of that."

Ethan held his hands up. "This is why I don't talk to anyone about it. No one has answers, so what's the point? I just come out sounding like the prick who won't give up his work for his family. Just like I sounded like the prick who threw a tantrum and withheld sex from his wife, no matter she was already withholding from me." He rested his head back against the chair and looked up at the ceiling. "I wasn't made for the white picket fence two point five kids deal. I wanted kids. I did. Just, now that it's all happening, like... eight months after we got married, it feels too damn quick. Hardly any time to just enjoy being married. Marriage is awesome. I love it. Best thing I ever did. Now it feels like I'm gonna kiss all that goodbye. You don't have to give me any answers or advice. I'm just saying, and now I'll shut up so you don't start avoiding me and my emo for weeks again."

Tom nudged Ethan's foot with his own. "I'm not going to avoid you. You're still my number one best man. And I just need to learn that I can't always give answers. It's just hard when I'm used to being the lawyer, being the one with the answers. Or at least the defence. You don't sound like a prick, by the way."

"Yes, I do. I know I do. It's just... my work isn't just what I do. It's part of me. It's my world. I like being Ethan Williamson. You know me, I'm a fucking rich bastard snob. If I wasn't, it wouldn't have taken me literally months on end to try and convince Sophie to even be in my presence. I'm just so different to her and her family. All this comes so easy to them, I balk at all this family stuff. First I feel like my brain will implode by just how many of them there are. Then when they all start cropping up, my head spins because Soph is telling me we can't fuck. Hell, that first family dinner of theirs I was invited to, I got a nosebleed and threw up three times before it I was so nervous. But put me in a room of a hundred investors and I can have them all wrapped around my little finger just by schmoozing them." Ethan snorted cynically. "But I also don't want to just roll with this. Say Soph can have the kid, and I'll just keep going on like nothing is changed only to have my kids hate me because they can barely even remember what my voice sounds like."

"Yeah, but you're also a rich bastard snob with a wife who's pregnant. Ethan, you won't stop being you. You're just going to be you with a kid. She's your world too, isn't she? You said it yourself that you love being married. The fact that you're different isn't going to make you a bad father. In fact, I'm pretty sure the fact that you're so stressed about it is what will make you a good father." Tom rubbed his fingers over his hair. "You've been so nervous because you care about Soph, about what her family think of the man she loves. Just like you care about whether or not your kids will love you. That shows... a lot. You'll figure it out somehow. I know you will. You just need that Ethan Williamson ball grab moment."

Ethan looked down at his groin. "Ball grab moment? I think that's probably what got me into this mess to start with," he joked. "It makes me wonder, you know. Maybe I would have done better if the kid rocked up on my doorstep a teenager. The kid thought I was like Batman or something. How cool is that? Imagine having a kid that felt you were the best father ever that you were cooler than Batman. Plus, he's a pretty cool kid. Talented as all hell, and messed up, sure, but I think when push comes to shove, I think Euan will get a lot out of the boy. It won't be just the boy needing his dad, you know? Soph was smitten with him, no doubt. But she's pregnant and clucky. And gets along with every kid she comes across. She seriously should have been a child psychologist. She just has the mojo." He sighed heavily. "And I sit there and watch her, and realise that no matter how I feel, I want to see her as a mummy," he finally admitted softly.

Tom had just stayed quiet throughout, watching Ethan and his expression as he took in the words. He knew that somewhere deep down Ethan did have the fatherly mojo. It was just a huge change in his life. Nothing was going to be easy about making room for a kid. Not for a workaholic like him. Just like nothing had been easy for Tom and all he'd been doing was trying to cut back on work to try and recover from an accident. Eventually he would have to reassess his life again when they were ready for a family. He didn't envy Ethan's position in the slightest, but he was in awe of how in love with Sophie Ethan was. A part of him had still been doubting whether Ethan would last in the marriage, but now it really was quashed. "You are Batman. You just don't fight crime," Tom replied with a laugh. "You're Bruce Wayne if his parents had never been killed. Maybe you should suggest to Sophie she should be a child psychologist. She could always enrol in a course. It's never too late. It might also help when it comes to the kid being born."

"I told him I had a plane, and that was just it. At least he wasn't intimidated. I probably would have just been shitting myself more if he was and wondering how I can be so crap with babies and teenagers. I thought the cut off might be, like, twenty one. How old Liam was when I married Soph. I was more scared of him than he ever was of me. I remember when I met him, he was all sweet, blond haired, blue-eyed baby brother aspiring to be a doctor. I thought he was a shoe in. Until he cornered me in the bathroom at their place and told me if I ever hurt Sophie, he would have it spread all over the tabloids that I paid for a penis enlargement and ball implants." Ethan blinked at the memory, shaking his head a little. "No, really, how do I not have grey hair?"

"Because you have a beautiful wife at home just waiting to take care of you," Tom replied with a grin. "However, Liam really is scary as shit when he wants to be and he's not afraid to be dirty. He's also just as fragile as the next person. It's why it was so hard when he and I got caught by Jess in a seemingly compromising position. And now, after his attack... It makes me really want to go after the prick that did it because anyone that can intimidate Liam that much needs to be punished. You're better with kids than you give yourself credit for. Not to mention that despite their overwhelming numbers you have already stepped up to the family plate with Soph's family."

Ethan nodded slowly with a small frown. "He hasn't... he won't let Bond touch him. Not sexually. He doesn't like being touched in general anymore, and you know, he used to be really touchy-feely and affectionate. Keeps covering up, too. It's fucked up. If someone else hadn't poisoned that fucker, I gladly would have. I think Renee's baby helped heal some of the wounds. It's gotta be intense delivering a baby without any help. He's mellowed a bit, but still not a whole heap. Kids, maybe. Grudgingly, I'll admit to that, but babies? The thing screams it's head off every time I'm near it."

Tom laughed softly as he held up his hands to ward off any insults Ethan was about to hurl at him for laughing. "It's probably sensing your fear and just reacting to it. Or you might just get the baby when they're hungry. Liam's mental scars are going to last a while. He'll need time to heal before he starts being touchy-feely again. The fact that Bond is standing by him is something huge in itself. Most guys might have bailed by now. This could be good for Liam in the long run. Fucked up, but it'll strengthen their relationship."

"It's a ball of crying flesh. How is it sensing fear when it doesn't even know what fear is?" Ethan complained, scrunching his face up. "He. There's a mini penis there, apparently. Not like I'm volunteering going anywhere near the nappies, though. I wonder if there is a mini penis growing in Soph. Fuck, that's fucked up to think about." He scrubbed his hands over his face and went on to rub his eyes. "I haven't seen much of them being tied up with work, but I think Liam's due back at work soon. That's going to be a test for him. When it all happened, I heard him talk about throwing the towel in with the doctor thing, but I think he got over it. How in the hell are we supposed to protect our kids from stuff like that? I think I would want to die if that happened to a son or daughter of mine. I felt close enough when I heard it was Liam."

Tom nodded his agreement. "At the end of the day, you're only going to be able to protect them so much. Fitzpatrick will be the first to tell you that. He's probably seen some horrible things to do with kids. Not to mention Soph. She's worked with kids as well. But she still wants to be a mum. She still wants to be a big sister. The possibility of them being hurt isn't a reason not to want it. A mini penis, huh? Well, that's definitely a highly disturbing visual that I really don't want anything to do with. Liam will hopefully fall on his feet. He's worked hard for it."

"... yeah," Ethan agreed quietly. "The mother kept the lad in a drug house. Had a sting of druggie boyfriends, but he lived there where she was dealing. He was something like nine years old when he watched her get hauled away in handcuffs by the coppers. She was so good at what she did, she just escaped suspicion by the authorities. But how the hell did the grandparents not know? I just had no words when Sophie filled me in after the kid went home. Fitzpatrick's an ex addict himself, so he's probably feeling some sort of guilt about the whole thing. Blames himself, maybe. You would have to, wouldn't you? Even if he didn't know the kid existed, it would still be human nature to blame yourself for not being there. You know, if I have a kid with a penis who turns out gay, you gotta give him the best guidance alright? Be the best godfather ever."

Tom arched an eyebrow slightly. "Hey, regardless of whether or not the kid's gay I'll be the best bloody godfather around. If they do have a penis and turn out gay though, I'll be even better," he added with a smirk. "Of course he'll be blaming himself. I've never had much to do with the guy socially unfortunately but I know enough about him to realise he'd only be doing this if he really did care. The kid might have wound up with a father that didn't give a shit, but he didn't. He got Euan. The grandparents were just blind because of their hatred for the way their daughter turned out."

"But Stu has, right? I mean, recently. Partners and all that. Before, they just wanted to smack each other, probably. I hear Fitzpatrick can be a real pain in the arse when he wants to be, but not all of us can be angels, right?" Ethan said with a smirk. "So, you think you'll be able to get the outcome you need? There was all with the court orders for medical tests and everything, and now the kid's sick. Are you sure you should be taking on huge cases like this? Don't smack me, but Stuart asked me to make sure you were okay."

Tom couldn't help but smile fondly at the fact that Stuart was asking Ethan to make sure he was alright. "I'll go mental with no work. It's challenging, but it's not unreasonable. Jess still helps me out, takes some of the load off. And yes, Stuart has made an effort with Fitzpatrick. Although I'm interested to see what happens once Gee is officially Ciaran's mum. Stuart thinks her uterus might be a no go now. I think I can win this now that it was proven the kid was sick, and had been for some time. There's some hard proof of neglect. He also wants to be with Fitzpatrick, and the judge will take that into account."

Ethan whistled softly. "You're right. Does he even know? I mean, I know because Soph said last night that it was on the cards, but does Stuart even know? Maybe it will be. It was okay when it was just her uterus, but once she gets the taste of motherhood, she might want one of her own. Are the grandparents even putting up any fight for him? The kid thinks he gets in the way, so they're probably up there in Ireland throwing parties without him around."

"No, they're still trying to contest if only to spite Fitzpatrick. Yes, Stuart knows. That's how I know. She's already talked to him about the kid. Stuart was even the one to tell her that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to keep her uterus open to us. Apparently she thinks otherwise, but I don't know now. Fitzpatrick's doing the right thing and marrying Gee. They'll be a true family." Tom leaned back as he stretched his arms over his head. His torso didn't hurt as much anymore when he stretched, but it was still tender.

"Your kid would be Ciaran's brother or sister. Actually, that's kind of cool when you think about it, though. Not saying it will happen, but if it did, that's how it would be. If Soph's uterus wasn't already occupied, she would probably offer it to you, too. She's all pro-family. Like Stuart. I guess that comes naturally when you come from a big family. I wonder sometimes if that's why my mojo sucks. I'm not use to being from a huge family. Just my folks, and you. The rest of the time, I was too busy plotting to take over the world," Ethan said with a laugh. "So, how have you been feeling, anyway?"

Tom smiled a little. "Yeah, it is. It might be nice to grow the family even more. Shit, when did we get so surrounded? Between the Morgans and the Evans I don't think we actually get much of a choice. Both our mojos are a little questionable if that's your theory. I don't think I'd ever ask Soph... I couldn't. You guys want a family, even if you weren't ready for it yet. We'll figure it out when the time's right. Just between you and me, I think the plotting went well. Better, not as sore. Not as tired. Funny how taking a break actually worked. I know I'm still keeping my workload light right now. Well, lightish, but it's cool. I can handle it."

"Shit, tell me about it. It's mental. I feel mental most days. Then you factor into the account all their significant others and siblings of the significant others and BFFs. We're, like, a whole mini country in London. There's so many of them, and you think if we all procreate, we really could take over the world." Ethan blinked, feeling overwhelmened yet again and trying to contemplate the situation as he wiped at his nose again. "Do you and Stu have enough time together? Because that's the key right there. Trust me, when that starts slipping off the radar, it stucks."

"Of course we do. We have plenty of time. We still keep in touch even when we're busy. Not to mention he's asking you to check up on me." Tom leaned forward again to catch Ethan's gaze. "Are you two really that short of time?"

Ethan gave a slight nod. "He's asked me a few times. He doesn't want you to think he's being a nagging wife. Obviously, having people spy on you covertly is the alternate option for a detective," he said in amusement. "I bet he even has Jess and Virginia on your tail. We haven't had the time, no. With everything going on with Liam and Renee and Neil coming home, it's been stretched. Plus, it feels like I have been travelling more than I usually do, but not really. It just seems that way because everything back home is so stressful. I mean, before that, you were hurt and then the mess with Liam and the blow-that-wasn't. We had about three months of our marriage where things were just amazing. Like, we couldn't keep our hands off each other. Now we're just being pulled in a lot of other directions."

Tom cleared his throat softly. "Maybe you need to take some time just for the two of you. She's got enough family to watch out for Liam and Renee. There's enough people to keep an eye on me. There's even enough people to just take care of your company for a few days. Take a breather. Just be with each other. Talk... heal... have sex. Just be with each other."

Ethan was quiet as he listened and then he glanced sheepishly at Tom. "I'm scared to bruise the kid if I have sex with her," he said, even if it sounded more stupid out loud than it did in his head. "And look at me. I'm hardly playboy material right now. I take the crown for Unsexy."

Tom sniggered before he covered his mouth and gave a shake of his. "She doesn't care about the Unsexy. She just cares about you. Snot and all."

Ethan gave his made a firm nudge in the arm. "Shut up. I'm seriously nervous about that! It's not like Soph has any extra pounds on her to protect the baby, is it? Are there certain positions that are out of the question? Plus, apparently pregnant makes boobs hurt, and I don't think I know how to have sex without touching her boobs. It's, like, reflexive. Like an accidental sneeze. It just happens!"

Tom started to laugh even harder, not even bothering to fight it anymore. "Mate, you're asking the wrong bloke here! I wouldn't be trying to touch a woman's boobs, or have sex with her - pregnant or not."

Ethan looked at him, probably for the first time ever realising the cons of having a gay guy as a BFF. "Well, what good are you!" he cried, throwing his hands up. "Who can I ask for advice? I can't ask any of her brothers because they will deck me for talking about her boobs, I can't ask my dad because it's my dad. What if I dislodge the umbilical cord and baby falls out?"

"What about Braden? He's shagging a pregnant woman, and the baby's not even his. He'd have had some doubts about it," Tom suggested as he flipped off Ethan. He wasn't about to apologise for being gay. "Or Ryan. He's got a kid. He was with the mother at the time of the pregnancy... I think. Plus he's a doctor."

"But he's a paramedic. If anything goes wrong, he can sew it back on..." Ethan knew he was being irrational and stupid. He sighed, and pulled his lips to the side. "I guess we can go away to Surrey for a few days. But I don't know if she is working with Ciaran for real now. Has the case started yet? Would she be officially working with him, or was that just like an appetiser to see if the kid liked her?"

Tom shook his head. "Pretty sure it was just an appetiser. While the grandparents twiddle their knitting needles and work out just how serious they are about the custody battle there's no court case just yet. Personally I think they'll back down and it'll get settled out of court, but we'll see. You've got time for Surrey, for Soph, for your marriage."

"I just didn't want it to be to Ciaran's detriment, that's all. He needs her probably more than I do right now. If she has the mojo and all." Surrey suddenly sounded really good. He always seemed to go there and hide when he wasn't well. It was easier for his parents to visit him there, and his housekeeper liked to fuss over him. Oh hell, how they would fuss over Sophie once they knew she was pregnant. She would probably be dragged to the nearest baby store to start buying things for a nursery in the country home. Ethan nodded. "Okay, I'll go. You don't want to carry me, do you?"

Tom patted Ethan's leg as he stood up and chuckled. "No, I really don't. You've just reminded me that I think it's a good day to knock off and go home early. Stu's had the day off, so... I think we've got some, ah, wedding plans to go over."

Ethan reluctantly stood and snorted. "Yeah, sure. Wedding plans. Like, practice for the wedding night, more like. If you two even make it there to consummate. He'll be in a kilt, I'm taking bets on the fact you have him before you even get to the reception. At least give me a lift home. I walked here, and now I couldn't be fucked walking home."

Tom arched an eyebrow with interest as he grabbed his coat. "What would you like to bet? Alright, a lift home. Just don't cough on me. I don't want your germs. I love you, Williamson, but not that much."

Word Count | 6,510