RP LOG with sexyinscrubs & mrpublicity | One of those weeks
[Follows THIS and THIS]
It had been one of those weeks. Where everything seems to start off great, and then by the time it ends, it feels like the world exploded around you. In general, Aiden felt okay, but he was a bit bewildered as to how he had come to find himself sitting beside Pat in a hospital bed once again. He watched the continuous drips fall into the IV line that was feeding into Pat's upper arm. They hadn't been able to find a viable entry point in his hand, wrist or even elbow because they had been used too frequently in the previous months. Thankfully this time all it was in there were IV fluids and Pat wasn't actually in here for MS, but rather just precaution in case of it. Instead, Aiden's husband, with his immune system in the toilet, had come crashing down with the horrible flu filtering it's way through Princeton Plainsboro. Pat had been at work the previous morning, simultaneous to his carbon copy going arse over in the shower, when he started to feel off-colour. Of course, he had been worrying about Cameron, the twin sense kicking in just before lunch time, but he hadn't had a chance to call him up before he had to go into a meeting with his 2IC, George. They had some staff issues and needed to recruit some new nurses, so they were going over some applications they had received over Christmas to see if anyone would be viable.
They were barely half an hour into the meeting when Pat really started to feel like crap. He had been wavering most of the morning, the unsettled feeling in his stomach making itself known after he had eaten breakfast, which he had only gotten halfway through as it was. Aiden had already left for work, facing a day of back-to-back meetings with new clients, including a marketing conference in regards to the band's massive upcoming gig. He was none the wiser to what was going on in Princeton. Pat got through two and a half applications before he was scrambling for his thankfully empty trash can under his desk to revisit everything he had managed to hold down until that point. He wouldn't have had time to make it to the bathroom, he barely had time to grab the bin, and it took a good few minutes for him to have a window to retain his dignity, using it with a string of apologies to George. She was fantastic, though, helping him out like any typical five-star nurse would, and called Lachlan to come pick Pat up from work, the Scot being the closest person on hand who could actually get Pat home. Aiden was in New York, and Cameron couldn't drive with his leg. Everyone else was at work. It was only when Pat did make it home that he discovered why his twin sense had been tingling. Cameron's knee had swollen to about twice it's size, despite the ice pack, and had come up with some nasty bruising and redness from the fall. Lachlan immediately wanted to examine it as soon as Cameron admitted what happened, but Cameron responded by actually threatening to belt his fucking face in if he went anywhere near it, he was in that much pain. Lachlan, in a burst of his own forcefulness which only came out when necessary, pounced on the eldest Preston twin, straddling over Cameron and pinning his shoulder back against the sofa with his elbow, called him a stupid fucking tosser for not calling for medical help and told him he may as well kiss his career goodbye that instant if he didn't let him touch it. Only with a lot more expletives and Scottish slang thrown in for emphasis. Isabel had to witness the whole exchange and she did momentarily look like she wanted to protectively launch a tub of Ben & Jerry's at Lachlan's head for roughing Cameron up, but miraculously it did the trick, and Cameron relented to letting Lachlan examine his knee. Obviously it wasn't the first time Yodalan had to come on heavy with a Preston twin to make a point.
The knee was damaged, no doubt about it. Cameron actually passed out from the sheer pain of having it touched and despite becoming Yodalan on heat a few moments ago, Lachlan's examination was expertly gentle, only focusing on what he needed to. He could feel from where the swelling and reddness was isolated there was damage and received resistance when he tried to straighten the leg out. He got right on the phone to Cameron's Orthopedic Surgeon, ending in a three-way teleconference with his physiotherapist. It was agreed that Lachlan would prescribe some Vicodin for the pain, but that Cameron should rest with his leg up as much as possible without the brace on for a few days until some of the initial swelling reduced. First thing Monday morning, he would be admitted to hospital for an MRI and they would decide then whether it was time to attempt the second surgery to fix the knee where the physio had been unsuccessful. To top it all off, he needed to use a wheelchair for those few days so he could really stay off the leg. Something had passed between the twins, then, when they did that conversation without words thing again, evidently it touching home for Pat that it was Cameron isolated to a wheelchair, even if just for a few days.
Lachlan helped Cameron to bed then, where he went out light a like from the shock of the fall, and it still left Pat feeling like he had been shat on my a giant seagull. Trying to cope with Cameron's fall and feeling ill with the flu had him crawling into his own bed, but not after putting a call through to Aiden's PA asking her to give Aiden a message when she could to check his voicemail, where he left a message explaining everything that had happened. By the time Aiden got the message, it was after four in the afternoon, and he dropped everything to drive back to Princeton, making it home around sixish. Isabel relayed that Cameron was still asleep, had been all day, but Pat was a bit worse for wear, though she couldn't know specifically herself because he wouldn't let her near him for fear she would catch what he had. Aiden did actually find his husband a bit worse for wear, camped out on the bathroom floor wrapped in a blanket with a bucket, a large bottle of water, and face cloth. It didn't get much better during the night, and by around 3am, Pat couldn't even keep water down and admitted he was getting pins and needles in his arm, which were warning bells too loud for Aiden. He left a note for Izzy and Cameron, then took Pat into the ER, where he was inevitably admitted for dehydration, to be monitored until he stopped vomiting and the fever came down.
Which is what led Aiden to be sitting at Pat's bedside again around lunchtime later that day. With some fluids into him and some medication to ease the vomiting, Pat had finally managed to get some sleep, oblivious to the string of visitors he had already had. PPTH really did had a fiery grapevine, and Aiden had to play the husband card a few times because he just wanted Pat to have some privacy, only letting close friends or family drop by. He was tired himself from staying up all night taking care of Pat, but not enough to head home yet. He rubbed at his eyes and relaxed back in the chair with his legs sprawled out in front of him, and his hands folded over his chest. He was just indulging in letting his eyes close when a soft knock sounded at the door and he turned to see who it was. But he blinked in surprise at the visitor. "Emma?"
"You were trying to get some sleep. I'll come back!" Emma said in a hushed voice, waving her hand apologetically. But she stepped a little into the room, leaning forward towards Aiden. "Is there anything you need? Anything I can get you? Coffee? Something to eat?" she offered, still whispering so she didn't wake Pat up. Evie had relayed to her about Pat on secondhand info from Riley, who had been on a nightshift in the ER when Pat came in. She was on her lunch break and rather than heading back to the station after a call out, decided to drop in to see how he was. She didn't exactly expect Pat to be in any fit shape for her intended conversation, but she also didn't want them to think she was just dumping it on them out of the blue when she did pluck up the courage to raise it. She was worried about Pat, and Aiden by default. It couldn't be easy having your other half ill, even if Emma hadn't ever really experienced that before. Her other boyfriends it never happened, and Josh hadn't been ill beyond the odd hangover, which he seemed to take in his stride anyway, probably from years and years of experience.
Aiden pulled himself back up in the seat and cleared his throat. "No, hey, you don't need to run away." He was stifling a yawn as he patted the seat beside him for her to come sit down. "You look like you're on a break, come take a load off. He's okay... we're okay... promise," he added with a tired smile. He knew he probably looked like he felt, but he really was okay. Probably not much of a fashion statement in a pair of black Adidas track pants and a long-sleeved grey t-shirt, the first thing he had grabbed out of his drawer when he realised Pat needed to go to hospital.
Emma pressed her lips together, contemplating whether he was just being polite or not, but she sat down beside him with a smile, taking his hand and giving it a supportive squeeze. "He's in a hospital bed, and he's okay?" she asked with a small smirk of amusement, raising her eyebrows at him. "Evie told me what happened. I think she may have actually been jealous Pat is in hospital, and not her, even though he definitely isn't here giving birth," she said with a laugh.
Aiden laughed and nodded. "Can't say I envy her. I'm not sure I could tolerate pregnancy even if I was a female. It looks like hard work, and that's not even getting to the birth which frankly looks horrific, even if Harri's was relatively quick. I think I was scarred for life after being present for that and if she ever has another kid, James is welcome to the entire experience all on his lonesome." He sat forward an brushed Pat's hair away from his face, still feeling the warmth off his skin, but he wasn't near as burning up as he had been in the early hours of the morning. "He will be okay. Bugs just hit him a little harder than most. A few days, and he'll be back on his feet."
Emma had to fight not to blurt everything out when the subject too the turn to pregnancy. It was a perfect opening, but she needed to talk about this to both of and them and Pat was fast asleep for the moment. He didn't even stir at Aiden's affectionate touches, and for a moment, Emma realised she had a tiny hint of jealously about their marriage. She always did just assume one day she would get married, but it was clear Josh wasn't into it. Seeing Pat and Aiden, though, and all the other couples who had become her family since she moved to Princeton, she just couldn't understand what was so bad about it. "Oh, I don't know... I hear the end result makes it worth it..." she murmured. "What about you? It's a pretty virulent bug. Are you going to end up with it from taking care of him?"
Aiden hummed softly in agreement. "Yeah, I've heard the same..." He shrugged. "Who knows? It doesn't matter if I do, anyway. You do what you have to do, and I needed to take care of him. Swapping germs is part of the whole marriage deal. You've usually swapped all sorts of bodily fluids before you even realise there's a bug there, and by then it's too late. I feel fine right now, though. I don't get ill a lot, and we were definitely swapping bodily fluids yesterday morning, so maybe I just dodged the bullet." Pat started to stir just a little then and Aiden made sure a sick bag was in easy reach just in case, but kept stroking his fingers softly through Pat's hair in case he was going to wake up.
"Dodged what bullet?" Pat asked hoarsely as he opened his eyes slowly. He had to take a few moments of initial waking grogginess to analyse whether he was about to start throwing up like a fountain again, but although he did still feel sick, that nauseated urge was gone so the IV was doing it's job. He managed a faint, tired smile at Aiden and took his hand. "You should be home getting some sleep, darling," he scolded softly. "I'm glad you're here, though."
Aiden kissed Pat's fingers and smirked at him. "The vomit bug bullet, and that's why I'm here. I wanted to make sure you were on the mend before I went anywhere. This time, you get two visitors for the price of one. Em's here to make sure you're still in the land of the living. That's why you did this, isn't it? You want more flowers and visitors," he teased.
Pat looked around Aiden and saw Emma sitting there, smiling at her. "Of course I want more flowers and visitors. That is the only reason I keep racking up the mileage on the health insurance, for sure. I should be paying the wages of the florists in this place," he joked right back and reached out for Emma's hand. "This is a nice surprise, darling. How are you doing at keeping our Josh tamed? You know, he thought all his Christmases had come at once when you two finally had sex. That was genius you making him wait. He should know the special ones are worth being patient for."
Emma laughed and took his hand. "He's fantastic. He's really a softie at heart, he just doesn't want the secret getting out. Just doesn't believe in the whole 'happily ever after' thing," she said, pressing her lips together briefly. She rubbed Pat's leg through the hospital blankets. "How are you feeling, sweetheart? Flowers or not, we all prefer seeing you out of this place as a patient, but I do know how much this bug is around the place. We've brought so many people into the ER with it."
"And you do believe in it, darling?" Pat asked her gently, watching her face for her reaction. "I'm feeling like I've been hit by a bus and have no internal organs, but it's not like I'm not used to feeling crap. This whole past week our ward has had a lot of patients get it post-operatively, and we're short-staffed because of it. I had five nurses in one day call in sick at the beginning of the week. I was probably naive to think I would escape it. You can be exceptionally careful in hygiene, but sometimes it's just inevitable. And it sucks. It really sucks."
Emma nodded a little and then smiled at them both. "Yeah, I do. I can't help it, I'm a romantic at heart. I always thought one day I would meet a wonderful guy, and we'd get married, have kids, all that. Not that I'm ready for any of that right now!" she added hastily before they tucked it away as evidence later on when she laid her offer on the table. "I just see you guys, and all the others, and you make it look good. Like, you see a really awesome dress in a shop window, only you convince yourself your butt would look big in it without even trying it on... only it's just who has convinced himself his butt would look big it in, and not me. I figure it would just be fun to wear, and please don't tell him I used a drag queen metaphor or he'll kill me," she added quickly with a laugh.
Aiden was smirking at her but then he gave her a small hug. "It's okay to feel like that, you know. It's easy to sit and watch what your family and friends have and wonder what it would be like..." He paused and wet his lips, glancing at Pat before looking back to Emma. "Josh worships the ground you walk on. He's head over for you, and you never know, he might come around to the idea of marriage one day. Don't think it was all easy with Mr My-Arse-Looks-Fucking-Hot-in-Scrubs here. I had to practically grab him by the ankles and drag myself around with him to get him to even agree to go on a date with me. But I wasn't just willing to let him walk away. Sometimes you just know when something is right. I knew he was right from the start. Being a borderline stalker to try and win him over was probably the best decision I've ever made in my life."
Pat was watching his husband fondly as he spoke, and when he finished, reached up and stroked his face. "I can't help being a stubborn bitch, darling," he murmured. "And you get this really cute desperate look when you start to think you're going to fail at something. You had me hooked, but a girl's gotta play hard to get."
"I want to have your baby!" Emma blurted out before she could stop herself, and then squeaked softly, clapping both her hands over her mouth in horror. That really wasn't how she had planned it out in her head. In fact, she was going to be so cool and awesome, and it would come off like a successful business transaction, maybe with some handshaking. She wasn't going to be an impatient idiot and wasn't going to let her heart take over when they just looked and sounded so perfect together. Damn her fucking head for being such a romantic! She wanted to get up and bolt, but by now they had both fallen silent and were gaping at her and she more than felt like a deer caught in headlights. She felt like she was caught in a million sets of headlights, and although she hadn't had any hint of the bug that landed Pat in hospital, she really feared she was going to throw up.
Although Pat was very rarely one to be lost for words, right then, he didn't seem to be about to forthcome with anything in response. His hand had dropped from Aiden's face back onto the bed, and by the time he absorbed what she had said, he had to think it was a joke right off the bat, yet he floundered to get any words from his brain to his lips. In fact, it wasn't going to be words making it to his lips at all just then, and he sucked in a small breath in an attempt to stop the nausea winning out again as he grabbed for the sick bag beside him just in time. He would kick himself later for his timing, it really wasn't any way to reassure Emma of anything.
Aiden was out of his seat in a shot to help Pat, but as he did, he glanced at Emma in disbelief. "Are you kidding?" he coughed out with a small, stunned laugh. He tucked Pat's damp back out of his face and rubbed his back soothingly. He leaned down just a little so he could make sure Pat was okay with a grip on the bag and made sure the IV line wasn't going to get tangled. "No, really... are you kidding?" he asked again, trying to figure out what just happened here.
Emma was pretty sure she had never felt like a bigger knob in her life. She seemed to have a knack for screwing up when she was trying to do the right thing. She watched Aiden for a moment, reflexively taking care of Pat just like he had done with RJ that rainy day a few months back, and she shook her head slowly. "I'm not kidding," she said in a small voice. Pat was still vomiting, and his timing wasn't anywhere near her consideration. She was too busy kicking herself for her shit timing. Why did she lay this on them when Pat was ill and they were both exhausted? It wasn't going to come out near as rational now as it should have. She wrung her hands in her lap, becoming increasingly aware her break was coming close to being over. "I-I've been thinking about it for awhile. Since that day with RJ and Tara, actually. It's not been something I can get out of my head, and I just want you to know it's not an irrational, abrupt offer. I've thought about it a lot, and I've talked about it with Josh, and I wanted to ask you at the right time and clearly I really fucked that up, but I'm not kidding. And I know that you've been saying lately that kids are off the menu and you don't want them... or don't think it's right for you, but I just wanted to give you both the option. That I... I... if you wanted to have a baby at some point... some time... I'm offering to be your surrogate, even if we haven't known each other for that long, but you've all become like family to me, and I have a uterus that is well working like clockwork, and I have no plan for kids any time soon, or even marriage, it seems, so I... I... it's just, if you want the option, it's here." She stood up and started backing away to the door. "And my break is nearly over, so I'm just going to piss off right now before I die from being an idiot and not doing this more effectively. But just... please don't write it off straight away. Please just promise me you'll think about it and talk about it? This was just stupid, because I know Pat being ill is a... a factor, so it's going to be stark at the forefront, and I'm sorry for being a prized dork with this, but I'm genuine here, and I've talked to Josh, and he's fine with the idea, and it's like, only nine months out of my life, which is nothing to give you guys something that you really deserve and shouldn't not have just because you're not female or straight or one hundred percent healthy. That doesn't make you any less able to be amazing fathers, and I've seen you with your godsons, and you would be. You so fucking would be. I would be honoured to have a baby I knew was going to be raised by parents like you. So, please, just think about it? Pat, I hope you feel better, sweetheart, and Aiden, you should get some rest." She looked between then both apologetically and them bolted, escaping while she still had a tiny shred of dignity.
Aiden's mouth was hanging open and somewhere early in her speech, Pat had stopped vomiting, even if he was still trying to catch his breath, leaning over the bag in case he wasn't done. He felt like he had been suddenly sucked into some surreal vortex, just when he was sure the week couldn't get anymore unsettling. All the issues with children and surrogacy and having a family with Aiden were forced up to the forefront in one passionate admission from Evie's long-lost sister. And all he seemed to have the energy to do was try and stifle a shocked, coughed gasp and start to throw up all over again while Aiden just stared, stunned, at the place by the door Emma had just vacated.
Word Count | 4,092
It had been one of those weeks. Where everything seems to start off great, and then by the time it ends, it feels like the world exploded around you. In general, Aiden felt okay, but he was a bit bewildered as to how he had come to find himself sitting beside Pat in a hospital bed once again. He watched the continuous drips fall into the IV line that was feeding into Pat's upper arm. They hadn't been able to find a viable entry point in his hand, wrist or even elbow because they had been used too frequently in the previous months. Thankfully this time all it was in there were IV fluids and Pat wasn't actually in here for MS, but rather just precaution in case of it. Instead, Aiden's husband, with his immune system in the toilet, had come crashing down with the horrible flu filtering it's way through Princeton Plainsboro. Pat had been at work the previous morning, simultaneous to his carbon copy going arse over in the shower, when he started to feel off-colour. Of course, he had been worrying about Cameron, the twin sense kicking in just before lunch time, but he hadn't had a chance to call him up before he had to go into a meeting with his 2IC, George. They had some staff issues and needed to recruit some new nurses, so they were going over some applications they had received over Christmas to see if anyone would be viable.
They were barely half an hour into the meeting when Pat really started to feel like crap. He had been wavering most of the morning, the unsettled feeling in his stomach making itself known after he had eaten breakfast, which he had only gotten halfway through as it was. Aiden had already left for work, facing a day of back-to-back meetings with new clients, including a marketing conference in regards to the band's massive upcoming gig. He was none the wiser to what was going on in Princeton. Pat got through two and a half applications before he was scrambling for his thankfully empty trash can under his desk to revisit everything he had managed to hold down until that point. He wouldn't have had time to make it to the bathroom, he barely had time to grab the bin, and it took a good few minutes for him to have a window to retain his dignity, using it with a string of apologies to George. She was fantastic, though, helping him out like any typical five-star nurse would, and called Lachlan to come pick Pat up from work, the Scot being the closest person on hand who could actually get Pat home. Aiden was in New York, and Cameron couldn't drive with his leg. Everyone else was at work. It was only when Pat did make it home that he discovered why his twin sense had been tingling. Cameron's knee had swollen to about twice it's size, despite the ice pack, and had come up with some nasty bruising and redness from the fall. Lachlan immediately wanted to examine it as soon as Cameron admitted what happened, but Cameron responded by actually threatening to belt his fucking face in if he went anywhere near it, he was in that much pain. Lachlan, in a burst of his own forcefulness which only came out when necessary, pounced on the eldest Preston twin, straddling over Cameron and pinning his shoulder back against the sofa with his elbow, called him a stupid fucking tosser for not calling for medical help and told him he may as well kiss his career goodbye that instant if he didn't let him touch it. Only with a lot more expletives and Scottish slang thrown in for emphasis. Isabel had to witness the whole exchange and she did momentarily look like she wanted to protectively launch a tub of Ben & Jerry's at Lachlan's head for roughing Cameron up, but miraculously it did the trick, and Cameron relented to letting Lachlan examine his knee. Obviously it wasn't the first time Yodalan had to come on heavy with a Preston twin to make a point.
The knee was damaged, no doubt about it. Cameron actually passed out from the sheer pain of having it touched and despite becoming Yodalan on heat a few moments ago, Lachlan's examination was expertly gentle, only focusing on what he needed to. He could feel from where the swelling and reddness was isolated there was damage and received resistance when he tried to straighten the leg out. He got right on the phone to Cameron's Orthopedic Surgeon, ending in a three-way teleconference with his physiotherapist. It was agreed that Lachlan would prescribe some Vicodin for the pain, but that Cameron should rest with his leg up as much as possible without the brace on for a few days until some of the initial swelling reduced. First thing Monday morning, he would be admitted to hospital for an MRI and they would decide then whether it was time to attempt the second surgery to fix the knee where the physio had been unsuccessful. To top it all off, he needed to use a wheelchair for those few days so he could really stay off the leg. Something had passed between the twins, then, when they did that conversation without words thing again, evidently it touching home for Pat that it was Cameron isolated to a wheelchair, even if just for a few days.
Lachlan helped Cameron to bed then, where he went out light a like from the shock of the fall, and it still left Pat feeling like he had been shat on my a giant seagull. Trying to cope with Cameron's fall and feeling ill with the flu had him crawling into his own bed, but not after putting a call through to Aiden's PA asking her to give Aiden a message when she could to check his voicemail, where he left a message explaining everything that had happened. By the time Aiden got the message, it was after four in the afternoon, and he dropped everything to drive back to Princeton, making it home around sixish. Isabel relayed that Cameron was still asleep, had been all day, but Pat was a bit worse for wear, though she couldn't know specifically herself because he wouldn't let her near him for fear she would catch what he had. Aiden did actually find his husband a bit worse for wear, camped out on the bathroom floor wrapped in a blanket with a bucket, a large bottle of water, and face cloth. It didn't get much better during the night, and by around 3am, Pat couldn't even keep water down and admitted he was getting pins and needles in his arm, which were warning bells too loud for Aiden. He left a note for Izzy and Cameron, then took Pat into the ER, where he was inevitably admitted for dehydration, to be monitored until he stopped vomiting and the fever came down.
Which is what led Aiden to be sitting at Pat's bedside again around lunchtime later that day. With some fluids into him and some medication to ease the vomiting, Pat had finally managed to get some sleep, oblivious to the string of visitors he had already had. PPTH really did had a fiery grapevine, and Aiden had to play the husband card a few times because he just wanted Pat to have some privacy, only letting close friends or family drop by. He was tired himself from staying up all night taking care of Pat, but not enough to head home yet. He rubbed at his eyes and relaxed back in the chair with his legs sprawled out in front of him, and his hands folded over his chest. He was just indulging in letting his eyes close when a soft knock sounded at the door and he turned to see who it was. But he blinked in surprise at the visitor. "Emma?"
"You were trying to get some sleep. I'll come back!" Emma said in a hushed voice, waving her hand apologetically. But she stepped a little into the room, leaning forward towards Aiden. "Is there anything you need? Anything I can get you? Coffee? Something to eat?" she offered, still whispering so she didn't wake Pat up. Evie had relayed to her about Pat on secondhand info from Riley, who had been on a nightshift in the ER when Pat came in. She was on her lunch break and rather than heading back to the station after a call out, decided to drop in to see how he was. She didn't exactly expect Pat to be in any fit shape for her intended conversation, but she also didn't want them to think she was just dumping it on them out of the blue when she did pluck up the courage to raise it. She was worried about Pat, and Aiden by default. It couldn't be easy having your other half ill, even if Emma hadn't ever really experienced that before. Her other boyfriends it never happened, and Josh hadn't been ill beyond the odd hangover, which he seemed to take in his stride anyway, probably from years and years of experience.
Aiden pulled himself back up in the seat and cleared his throat. "No, hey, you don't need to run away." He was stifling a yawn as he patted the seat beside him for her to come sit down. "You look like you're on a break, come take a load off. He's okay... we're okay... promise," he added with a tired smile. He knew he probably looked like he felt, but he really was okay. Probably not much of a fashion statement in a pair of black Adidas track pants and a long-sleeved grey t-shirt, the first thing he had grabbed out of his drawer when he realised Pat needed to go to hospital.
Emma pressed her lips together, contemplating whether he was just being polite or not, but she sat down beside him with a smile, taking his hand and giving it a supportive squeeze. "He's in a hospital bed, and he's okay?" she asked with a small smirk of amusement, raising her eyebrows at him. "Evie told me what happened. I think she may have actually been jealous Pat is in hospital, and not her, even though he definitely isn't here giving birth," she said with a laugh.
Aiden laughed and nodded. "Can't say I envy her. I'm not sure I could tolerate pregnancy even if I was a female. It looks like hard work, and that's not even getting to the birth which frankly looks horrific, even if Harri's was relatively quick. I think I was scarred for life after being present for that and if she ever has another kid, James is welcome to the entire experience all on his lonesome." He sat forward an brushed Pat's hair away from his face, still feeling the warmth off his skin, but he wasn't near as burning up as he had been in the early hours of the morning. "He will be okay. Bugs just hit him a little harder than most. A few days, and he'll be back on his feet."
Emma had to fight not to blurt everything out when the subject too the turn to pregnancy. It was a perfect opening, but she needed to talk about this to both of and them and Pat was fast asleep for the moment. He didn't even stir at Aiden's affectionate touches, and for a moment, Emma realised she had a tiny hint of jealously about their marriage. She always did just assume one day she would get married, but it was clear Josh wasn't into it. Seeing Pat and Aiden, though, and all the other couples who had become her family since she moved to Princeton, she just couldn't understand what was so bad about it. "Oh, I don't know... I hear the end result makes it worth it..." she murmured. "What about you? It's a pretty virulent bug. Are you going to end up with it from taking care of him?"
Aiden hummed softly in agreement. "Yeah, I've heard the same..." He shrugged. "Who knows? It doesn't matter if I do, anyway. You do what you have to do, and I needed to take care of him. Swapping germs is part of the whole marriage deal. You've usually swapped all sorts of bodily fluids before you even realise there's a bug there, and by then it's too late. I feel fine right now, though. I don't get ill a lot, and we were definitely swapping bodily fluids yesterday morning, so maybe I just dodged the bullet." Pat started to stir just a little then and Aiden made sure a sick bag was in easy reach just in case, but kept stroking his fingers softly through Pat's hair in case he was going to wake up.
"Dodged what bullet?" Pat asked hoarsely as he opened his eyes slowly. He had to take a few moments of initial waking grogginess to analyse whether he was about to start throwing up like a fountain again, but although he did still feel sick, that nauseated urge was gone so the IV was doing it's job. He managed a faint, tired smile at Aiden and took his hand. "You should be home getting some sleep, darling," he scolded softly. "I'm glad you're here, though."
Aiden kissed Pat's fingers and smirked at him. "The vomit bug bullet, and that's why I'm here. I wanted to make sure you were on the mend before I went anywhere. This time, you get two visitors for the price of one. Em's here to make sure you're still in the land of the living. That's why you did this, isn't it? You want more flowers and visitors," he teased.
Pat looked around Aiden and saw Emma sitting there, smiling at her. "Of course I want more flowers and visitors. That is the only reason I keep racking up the mileage on the health insurance, for sure. I should be paying the wages of the florists in this place," he joked right back and reached out for Emma's hand. "This is a nice surprise, darling. How are you doing at keeping our Josh tamed? You know, he thought all his Christmases had come at once when you two finally had sex. That was genius you making him wait. He should know the special ones are worth being patient for."
Emma laughed and took his hand. "He's fantastic. He's really a softie at heart, he just doesn't want the secret getting out. Just doesn't believe in the whole 'happily ever after' thing," she said, pressing her lips together briefly. She rubbed Pat's leg through the hospital blankets. "How are you feeling, sweetheart? Flowers or not, we all prefer seeing you out of this place as a patient, but I do know how much this bug is around the place. We've brought so many people into the ER with it."
"And you do believe in it, darling?" Pat asked her gently, watching her face for her reaction. "I'm feeling like I've been hit by a bus and have no internal organs, but it's not like I'm not used to feeling crap. This whole past week our ward has had a lot of patients get it post-operatively, and we're short-staffed because of it. I had five nurses in one day call in sick at the beginning of the week. I was probably naive to think I would escape it. You can be exceptionally careful in hygiene, but sometimes it's just inevitable. And it sucks. It really sucks."
Emma nodded a little and then smiled at them both. "Yeah, I do. I can't help it, I'm a romantic at heart. I always thought one day I would meet a wonderful guy, and we'd get married, have kids, all that. Not that I'm ready for any of that right now!" she added hastily before they tucked it away as evidence later on when she laid her offer on the table. "I just see you guys, and all the others, and you make it look good. Like, you see a really awesome dress in a shop window, only you convince yourself your butt would look big in it without even trying it on... only it's just who has convinced himself his butt would look big it in, and not me. I figure it would just be fun to wear, and please don't tell him I used a drag queen metaphor or he'll kill me," she added quickly with a laugh.
Aiden was smirking at her but then he gave her a small hug. "It's okay to feel like that, you know. It's easy to sit and watch what your family and friends have and wonder what it would be like..." He paused and wet his lips, glancing at Pat before looking back to Emma. "Josh worships the ground you walk on. He's head over for you, and you never know, he might come around to the idea of marriage one day. Don't think it was all easy with Mr My-Arse-Looks-Fucking-Hot-in-Scrubs here. I had to practically grab him by the ankles and drag myself around with him to get him to even agree to go on a date with me. But I wasn't just willing to let him walk away. Sometimes you just know when something is right. I knew he was right from the start. Being a borderline stalker to try and win him over was probably the best decision I've ever made in my life."
Pat was watching his husband fondly as he spoke, and when he finished, reached up and stroked his face. "I can't help being a stubborn bitch, darling," he murmured. "And you get this really cute desperate look when you start to think you're going to fail at something. You had me hooked, but a girl's gotta play hard to get."
"I want to have your baby!" Emma blurted out before she could stop herself, and then squeaked softly, clapping both her hands over her mouth in horror. That really wasn't how she had planned it out in her head. In fact, she was going to be so cool and awesome, and it would come off like a successful business transaction, maybe with some handshaking. She wasn't going to be an impatient idiot and wasn't going to let her heart take over when they just looked and sounded so perfect together. Damn her fucking head for being such a romantic! She wanted to get up and bolt, but by now they had both fallen silent and were gaping at her and she more than felt like a deer caught in headlights. She felt like she was caught in a million sets of headlights, and although she hadn't had any hint of the bug that landed Pat in hospital, she really feared she was going to throw up.
Although Pat was very rarely one to be lost for words, right then, he didn't seem to be about to forthcome with anything in response. His hand had dropped from Aiden's face back onto the bed, and by the time he absorbed what she had said, he had to think it was a joke right off the bat, yet he floundered to get any words from his brain to his lips. In fact, it wasn't going to be words making it to his lips at all just then, and he sucked in a small breath in an attempt to stop the nausea winning out again as he grabbed for the sick bag beside him just in time. He would kick himself later for his timing, it really wasn't any way to reassure Emma of anything.
Aiden was out of his seat in a shot to help Pat, but as he did, he glanced at Emma in disbelief. "Are you kidding?" he coughed out with a small, stunned laugh. He tucked Pat's damp back out of his face and rubbed his back soothingly. He leaned down just a little so he could make sure Pat was okay with a grip on the bag and made sure the IV line wasn't going to get tangled. "No, really... are you kidding?" he asked again, trying to figure out what just happened here.
Emma was pretty sure she had never felt like a bigger knob in her life. She seemed to have a knack for screwing up when she was trying to do the right thing. She watched Aiden for a moment, reflexively taking care of Pat just like he had done with RJ that rainy day a few months back, and she shook her head slowly. "I'm not kidding," she said in a small voice. Pat was still vomiting, and his timing wasn't anywhere near her consideration. She was too busy kicking herself for her shit timing. Why did she lay this on them when Pat was ill and they were both exhausted? It wasn't going to come out near as rational now as it should have. She wrung her hands in her lap, becoming increasingly aware her break was coming close to being over. "I-I've been thinking about it for awhile. Since that day with RJ and Tara, actually. It's not been something I can get out of my head, and I just want you to know it's not an irrational, abrupt offer. I've thought about it a lot, and I've talked about it with Josh, and I wanted to ask you at the right time and clearly I really fucked that up, but I'm not kidding. And I know that you've been saying lately that kids are off the menu and you don't want them... or don't think it's right for you, but I just wanted to give you both the option. That I... I... if you wanted to have a baby at some point... some time... I'm offering to be your surrogate, even if we haven't known each other for that long, but you've all become like family to me, and I have a uterus that is well working like clockwork, and I have no plan for kids any time soon, or even marriage, it seems, so I... I... it's just, if you want the option, it's here." She stood up and started backing away to the door. "And my break is nearly over, so I'm just going to piss off right now before I die from being an idiot and not doing this more effectively. But just... please don't write it off straight away. Please just promise me you'll think about it and talk about it? This was just stupid, because I know Pat being ill is a... a factor, so it's going to be stark at the forefront, and I'm sorry for being a prized dork with this, but I'm genuine here, and I've talked to Josh, and he's fine with the idea, and it's like, only nine months out of my life, which is nothing to give you guys something that you really deserve and shouldn't not have just because you're not female or straight or one hundred percent healthy. That doesn't make you any less able to be amazing fathers, and I've seen you with your godsons, and you would be. You so fucking would be. I would be honoured to have a baby I knew was going to be raised by parents like you. So, please, just think about it? Pat, I hope you feel better, sweetheart, and Aiden, you should get some rest." She looked between then both apologetically and them bolted, escaping while she still had a tiny shred of dignity.
Aiden's mouth was hanging open and somewhere early in her speech, Pat had stopped vomiting, even if he was still trying to catch his breath, leaning over the bag in case he wasn't done. He felt like he had been suddenly sucked into some surreal vortex, just when he was sure the week couldn't get anymore unsettling. All the issues with children and surrogacy and having a family with Aiden were forced up to the forefront in one passionate admission from Evie's long-lost sister. And all he seemed to have the energy to do was try and stifle a shocked, coughed gasp and start to throw up all over again while Aiden just stared, stunned, at the place by the door Emma had just vacated.
Word Count | 4,092