It Was The Smartest Thing I Ever Did, Because Now You're Here (11/?)
Title: It Was The Smartest Thing I Ever Did, Because Now You're Here
Author: x_avecia_x
Rating: PG-13
Warning: A few sweary words, nothing too shocking.
Word Count: 3,335
Disclaimer: I do not own Community - although I would totally marry Dan Harmon then claim half in our (inevitable) divorce settlement - that is unless he concedes to my end game Jeff/Annie demands. If you recognize any of it, it isn't mine.
Summary: Annie and Jeff deal with the consequences of their attraction.
Author's Note: I cannot process the number of such wonderful comments left on the last update - THANK YOU! Here's the next instalment :)
Once again a massive thank you to JHeaton for his beta-ing services. He's been a wonderful help for me and I'm sure the improvement is there for all to see.
Enjoy.
______
It had been two days since Jeff's world had collapsed around him.
And in those forty-eight hours he had barely slept or left the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where his son lay fighting for his life. The tiny child lay swaddled in blankets to maintain body heat and had a feeding tube through his nose. Jeff knew that when Annie came 'round she would be upset that the doctors had to use special formula to feed him.
Annie had pulled through the surgery, but apart from that he didn’t know very much else other than she hadn’t woken up yet. Her parents flat-out refused to have him anywhere near her, despite his (and the study group’s) protests, and at their instruction the doctors wouldn’t tell him anything.
So when Annie’s parents came by the NICU to meet their grandson, Jeff, in his juvenile wisdom, refused to let them anywhere near his son - but maybe not for completely childish reasons as it might have seemed.
‘If you’re going to get in to see him, that’s Annie’s call to make. But since she can’t do that right now, as his father, it’s my decision.’
Annie’s mother was nearly apoplectic with rage, rushing off to get a nurse to find out if Jeff could keep them out of the NICU, whilst Mr Edison ran his hand through his hair and tiredly watched his ex-wife speed-walking down the corridor in determination.
‘Is it really too much for us to have five minutes with him?’
Jeff stared at the man, who had bags under his eyes that probably rivalled Jeff's own, and for a moment he understood everything Mr. Edison was feeling.
‘You believe you’re protecting your daughter by not letting me or any of her friends see her. I’m just doing the same for my son. Try to understand that.’
Mr Edison stared at him for a moment and having clearly decided that further confrontation with the man he had tried to punch the moment he arrived at the hospital two days ago was not in anyone’s best interests, decided with a loud sigh to simply to take a seat instead.
‘Can you, I don’t know, at least tell me how he’s doing? It might help.’
Jeff stood for a moment, fingering a small Polaroid photograph in his pocket before taking it out and tentatively handing it down to the man.
‘You might want to take this...for Annie.’
As Mr Edison took the photograph, he whimpered slightly at the sight of the tiny boy in the incubator with tubes and machines around him, but when he looked up at Jeff, he was smiling.
‘He’s...just, so small.’ Mr Edison took a moment to look at the picture again, not quite sure what else to say. ‘Thank you, I’ll put it by her bed. They, uh, they had to give her transfusion after transfusion during the surgery, but her blood pressure is dangerously low because of that - that’s not something I ever thought I’d say about my daughter. They’re medicating her to try to help with her condition, but it’s just a waiting game to see if...I mean, when she wakes up.’
Jeff didn’t know what to say, so he just sighed and took a seat beside Annie’s father.
‘He’s got what they call Hyperbilirubinemia, which basically causes jaundice. And sometimes they have to give him medication to help his brain remember to keep breathing. I freaked out when the machines started to beep when he stopped breathing for the first time. Apparently it's not unusual for premature infants, and under the circumstances the doctors are pleased with how he’s handling it.’
Mr Edison turned to Jeff and clasped a hand on his shoulder.
‘I appreciate this. Go back to your boy before my ex-wife comes back and raises merry hell. I’ll make sure to let you know if anything happens.’
‘Thank you, I’ll do the same...’
Jeff got up and turned to walk away, but thought better of it whilst he had the opportunity to actually converse with the man.
‘...Ah, Mr Edison, I know this is a lot to ask, but if you don’t want me there, could you maybe allow the study group to visit Annie? They’ve always been there for her, and that’s not me being critical of you or her mother. I just...I know she’d appreciate having them with her. I know what you think about me, but don't take that out on them. They’re a great group of friends. To both of us.’
Annie’s father sighed. He looked at Jeff as he stood up.
‘I can’t promise anything, but...Rosemary is going to go home for a couple of hours to shower and change - tell them to come by around 6 and I’ll see how I feel without the Wicked Witch of the West clouding my judgment with her broomstick.’
Jeff smiled - a genuine smile very much unlike the small smirk he usually wore after talking someone into doing something..
‘Thank you, I’ll do that.’
He noticed Mrs Edison tearing down the hall looking more pissed than before, so with a nod to Mr. Edison, Jeff disappeared back inside the neonatal unit, hoping a house would fall on top of the woman on her way home that evening.
It was around 8pm when one of the nurses came by to let him know that two of his friends were outside waiting to speak with him. He thanked the nurse and went outside to find Britta and Shirley.
‘Boy, you really need to get some sleep - or at the very least, a shower,’ pointed out Shirley accompanied by a grimace, ‘those pretty nurses in there should not be subjected to that smell any longer.’
Jeff sighed loudly, wanting to tell Shirley that he wasn’t interested in impressing any nurses, but he still hadn’t confessed to the group about the recent developments in his relationship with Annie, so instead he opted instead for blanket refusal.
‘Shirley, I’m not leaving until Annie...’
‘Annie’s blood pressure has finally stabilized and the doctors are hopeful that she’ll wake up soon.’
His head swung around and his eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of Britta’s smile.
‘You’ve seen her? How does she look?’
Britta and Shirley both nodded as the younger woman explained.
‘Mr Edison let us in to see her earlier and asked us to update you on her condition - she’s...well, she’s hooked up to machine after machine and she’s really pale…’
At this point Britta felt herself tearing up, overcome with the emotion of the situation, so Shirley finished explaining.
‘…but she looks a damn sight better than she did in that operating theatre. She still hasn’t come around yet though.’
Jeff sank into one of the seats outside the NICU and ran his hands through his hair, noticing how limp and greasy it felt.
‘Thank you for letting me know. I’ve been going out of my mind up here.’
‘You’re welcome,’ Shirley replied, sitting down next to him. ‘Now really Jeff, I must insist on that shower.’
He didn’t like the tone Shirley was taking with him. Not even his mother ever used to demand anything from him.
‘I already told you, I’m not going home...’
‘We know, Jeff, we know, but that’s why when Shirley and I were in seeing Annie, Troy and Abed went to your apartment to get you some things. You can shower here in the hospital, in the family lounge just along the hall.’
‘And while you wait, Britta and I will be more than happy to sit in there with the little one until you’ve cleaned up and maybe had a sleep - if that’s ok with you of course, wouldn’t want you to think that I’m bossing you around.’
He frowned at Shirley, realizing it was probably futile to argue. He was happy that she was there - she had children and must have had some idea of how he was feeling, particularly with a young baby of her own who was barely a year old.
‘I uh...ok, but I’m just going to shower. I can hold out a little longer before I collapse from lack of sleep.’
Britta stood forward and placed her hand on Jeff’s shoulder to reassure him.
‘We’re here for the night, Jeff. For you, and for Annie - we want one of us to be here in case she wakes up. Troy and Abed are down there now, waiting just down the hall from her room for news. Go get cleaned up and see how you feel then.’
Jeff looked at the two women. In ordinary circumstances he would have argued with them both until he came out victorious, but given his lack of sleep, disagreeing further was only going to use energy that he frankly didn’t have to spare. So he reluctantly nodded, taking the bag Britta held out to him and leaned over to punch in the code to get back into the unit.
‘Fine, you win. I’ll just go tell one of the nursing staff that I want you both in here, they’re pretty tight on who they let in here so if anyone asks, Britta? You’re my sister.’
Britta rolled her eyes while Shirley made a face at him that looked like she was offended Jeff hadn’t picked her instead to be fake-related to him. Jeff ignored both of them to continue with how he’d finished nearly every conversation he’d had over the past two days.
‘And if anything happens when I’m gone...’
‘We’ll come get you, we know. Now will you please just go? I can’t stand the smell any longer.’
Britta smirked and shooed him back inside the NICU, before waiting with Shirley to be allowed in to watch over baby Edison-Winger.
It was close to 4:00 in the morning when Jeff felt a sharp pain in his side and woke with a start to find Troy staring down at him.
‘What happened? Is it the baby?’ he yelled after realizing the pain he’d experienced was a result of a sharp poke in the ribs. He scrambled to get up off the bed in the parents’ lounge and fell on the floor with a thud. ‘Shit, how long have I been asleep?’
‘Relax, the kid’s fine, Shirley and Britta are still sitting with him. It’s Annie...’ Jeff was about to throttle Troy if he didn’t just spit it out. ‘...she’s awake and she’s asking for you.’
‘Oh God.’ He rushed to pull on a clean pair of jeans over his briefs before fighting to get his shoes on the right feet. ‘Is she ok?’
‘Um, I actually think she’s a lot better than her parents expected considering she had the doctors throw them out the room. They hung around for a bit before her mom stormed off and her dad told Abed to tell the doctors they would be back when it wasn’t the middle of the night. I don’t like them very much, Jeff, her mom yelled at me and I nearly cried.’
Jeff ignored Troy and darted out of the room. He practically flew down the flight of stairs that led to the ICU where Annie was. He saw that Abed wasn’t in the waiting area, meaning he must be in Annie's room. He had no idea what he was going to say to Annie or if anyone had told her about the baby.
Troy had finally caught up with him and looked between Jeff and the door.
‘Look, I know you’re scared, man, but it’s Annie.’
Again, he decided not to answer Troy and instead pushed the door open to see Annie propped up slightly in bed, hooked up to the machines like Britta had said. Annie turned her head to see her newest visitor as Abed got up and exited the room, pulling the door shut behind him.
‘Jeff, I’m so, so sorry, I don’t know what happened and...’
But she didn’t get a chance to tell him anything else as he strode across the room and leaned over the bed to kiss her fully, releasing her slightly after a few seconds before planting another kiss on her forehead. Despite everything he had told himself about taking things one step at a time, and the concerns Annie had about it all being too much to handle publicly whilst she was preparing to have the baby, honestly…he didn’t care anymore. He’d spent two days watching over their son, desperately hoping that Annie would pull through, that she would smile and blush in his direction again, that she would be there to bring up their son, together under the same roof. Jeff knew he had a lot of growing up still to do when it came to being part of a functional family, but he wanted to at least try. The baby had finally arrived and if anything his feelings had only intensified for Annie, not diminished.
He appreciated that Abed had left them alone, though in all honesty, Jeff had passed the point of worrying what the group would think of them being together. And even if he had been concerned, he figured that Abed and Troy were the two whose opinions he would be least concerned about.
‘How is he? Abed told me you’ve been sitting with him. I only have is this picture Jeff; he’s so small and vulnerable - all I want to do is hold him.’
She was crying and he did everything he could to hold her as close to him as possible without hurting her.
‘Shh. He’s doing well under the circumstances…’ Jeff paused, knowing that he had to be honest and tell Annie that their son was still incredibly unwell, but he didn’t want to panic her too much after just waking up from major surgery herself, ‘…I mean, there are a few concerns with his health, but they expect him to have mostly recovered in a few weeks once his weight goes up. I’ll have his doctor come down to speak to you tomorrow when you’re feeling more awake - it is the middle of the night after all...’
She was still sobbing in his arms but as Jeff spoke, he could hear her start to breath more easily.
‘...the only problem is he doesn’t have a name yet - never quite got the time to agree on that before this happened, did we?’
She nodded her head in agreement into his chest.
‘There’s so much that I haven’t done yet.’
Jeff thought about Annie’s previous determination to move into her own place after the fiasco with her last apartment. Up until two days ago they still hadn’t found a decent place on the ground floor that she liked enough to bring their baby home to. She hadn’t mentioned it since they started sleeping together, nor had he seen her browsing any rental listings recently but she was stubborn and it wouldn’t surprise him if she still wanted her own apartment. They had agreed to ‘take things one day at a time’ after all.
The reality was that he didn’t want that. He wanted her to stay with him. He wanted Annie and their son to stay with him. Before Annie was rushed into hospital they’d lived together for a couple of months and it had worked well, even though they often tip-toed around the subject of their feelings. But they had both finally opened up and admitted there was something there between them. They had been acting on it for the past two weeks. The problem was that there hadn’t dared to discuss what it would mean for them when Annie actually had the baby. Both he, and Annie he presumed, had thought they would have had more time to talk about their situation.
Now, Jeff had no idea what to do. He knew that Annie still wanted to have a little independence to prove to herself that, if absolutely necessary, she could do it on her own. Jeff knew he would have to talk to Annie about how he felt, about how he didn’t want her to think there would come a time when it would be absolutely necessary for her to cope on her own. He’d had far too much time to think these past two days and knowing it was neither the right time nor place to discuss the subject in such detail, Jeff ignored the feeling of unrest in the pit of his stomach and focused on trying to compromise.
‘Well, the doctor thinks he’ll be here for at least four weeks, if not longer, so we have time to find you a place...if that’s still what you want. And even if we haven’t got you organized when you’re released you can come back to living with me. It’s not a problem.’
Annie sighed and moved away from Jeff.
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea - I just want to be settled the sooner the better and be ready for him coming home. But I don’t know how long I’ll be in here - maybe a week or two depending on if my blood pressure stays normal. There's so much I haven't done ...’
Jeff would have felt dejected by Annie’s response had he not heard the monitor beside her beep a little faster, and he’d watched enough ER and Grey’s Anatomy to know that wasn’t good, so he sat down beside Annie’s bed and took her hand tightly in his own.
‘You need to calm down.’
‘How am I supposed to stay calm? My son is one floor above me, all by himself, hooked up to all manner of machines to keep him alive! I haven’t even held him yet.’
‘You will be calm because I’ll be there with him when you can't be. I promise you, Annie, I’m not going anywhere.’
She looked at him for a moment and seemed to relax a little in the bed, pushing her shoulders into the pillow as she turned on her side as much as she could with her stitches and staples.
‘You’re really not, are you? This is real and happening, but you’re still here - you’re not going to leave.’
It was more of a statement than a question but he chose to answer anyway.
‘Nope.’
She closed her eyes, seemingly content knowing that if she couldn’t be with her little boy, at least his father would be.
‘Joshua,’ she sighed and he stared back at her with a perplexed look on his face, ‘I’ve always liked that...but maybe as a middle name. How about Aaron for his first name - it’s Hebrew for ‘mountain of strength.’’
Jeff sat and repeated the name ‘Aaron Joshua Edison-Winger’ in his head before repeating it out loud.
‘Aaron Joshua Edison-Winger - I like it. I guess we have ourselves an Aaron then.’
Annie grinned tiredly at Jeff, pleased that he liked her suggestion and didn’t laugh at the comically long name.
‘I know it’s quite a mouthful but I like it and can’t wait to meet him. Everything feels kind of, I don’t know...empty in me now.’
‘You will meet him soon, I'll make sure of that - just as soon as you’re well enough.’
He didn’t tell her she wouldn’t be able to hold or even touch him just yet; Aaron was still too ill for any kind of stimulation. But he wouldn't have had the chance to; before he knew it, she was asleep again. He picked himself up out of the seat and leaned down to pull the covers further over her. He brushed the hair from around her face behind her ear and kissed her cheek lightly.
‘I’ll be back tomorrow,’ he whispered, and he swore he could see her lips curl up slightly at the edge.
It was only when he left Annie’s room that he thought about his son and his name, and more specifically his initials: A.J.E.W. - well, at least it would be interesting watching Pierce try not to upset Annie by bringing that one up.
Author: x_avecia_x
Rating: PG-13
Warning: A few sweary words, nothing too shocking.
Word Count: 3,335
Disclaimer: I do not own Community - although I would totally marry Dan Harmon then claim half in our (inevitable) divorce settlement - that is unless he concedes to my end game Jeff/Annie demands. If you recognize any of it, it isn't mine.
Summary: Annie and Jeff deal with the consequences of their attraction.
Author's Note: I cannot process the number of such wonderful comments left on the last update - THANK YOU! Here's the next instalment :)
Once again a massive thank you to JHeaton for his beta-ing services. He's been a wonderful help for me and I'm sure the improvement is there for all to see.
Enjoy.
______
It had been two days since Jeff's world had collapsed around him.
And in those forty-eight hours he had barely slept or left the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where his son lay fighting for his life. The tiny child lay swaddled in blankets to maintain body heat and had a feeding tube through his nose. Jeff knew that when Annie came 'round she would be upset that the doctors had to use special formula to feed him.
Annie had pulled through the surgery, but apart from that he didn’t know very much else other than she hadn’t woken up yet. Her parents flat-out refused to have him anywhere near her, despite his (and the study group’s) protests, and at their instruction the doctors wouldn’t tell him anything.
So when Annie’s parents came by the NICU to meet their grandson, Jeff, in his juvenile wisdom, refused to let them anywhere near his son - but maybe not for completely childish reasons as it might have seemed.
‘If you’re going to get in to see him, that’s Annie’s call to make. But since she can’t do that right now, as his father, it’s my decision.’
Annie’s mother was nearly apoplectic with rage, rushing off to get a nurse to find out if Jeff could keep them out of the NICU, whilst Mr Edison ran his hand through his hair and tiredly watched his ex-wife speed-walking down the corridor in determination.
‘Is it really too much for us to have five minutes with him?’
Jeff stared at the man, who had bags under his eyes that probably rivalled Jeff's own, and for a moment he understood everything Mr. Edison was feeling.
‘You believe you’re protecting your daughter by not letting me or any of her friends see her. I’m just doing the same for my son. Try to understand that.’
Mr Edison stared at him for a moment and having clearly decided that further confrontation with the man he had tried to punch the moment he arrived at the hospital two days ago was not in anyone’s best interests, decided with a loud sigh to simply to take a seat instead.
‘Can you, I don’t know, at least tell me how he’s doing? It might help.’
Jeff stood for a moment, fingering a small Polaroid photograph in his pocket before taking it out and tentatively handing it down to the man.
‘You might want to take this...for Annie.’
As Mr Edison took the photograph, he whimpered slightly at the sight of the tiny boy in the incubator with tubes and machines around him, but when he looked up at Jeff, he was smiling.
‘He’s...just, so small.’ Mr Edison took a moment to look at the picture again, not quite sure what else to say. ‘Thank you, I’ll put it by her bed. They, uh, they had to give her transfusion after transfusion during the surgery, but her blood pressure is dangerously low because of that - that’s not something I ever thought I’d say about my daughter. They’re medicating her to try to help with her condition, but it’s just a waiting game to see if...I mean, when she wakes up.’
Jeff didn’t know what to say, so he just sighed and took a seat beside Annie’s father.
‘He’s got what they call Hyperbilirubinemia, which basically causes jaundice. And sometimes they have to give him medication to help his brain remember to keep breathing. I freaked out when the machines started to beep when he stopped breathing for the first time. Apparently it's not unusual for premature infants, and under the circumstances the doctors are pleased with how he’s handling it.’
Mr Edison turned to Jeff and clasped a hand on his shoulder.
‘I appreciate this. Go back to your boy before my ex-wife comes back and raises merry hell. I’ll make sure to let you know if anything happens.’
‘Thank you, I’ll do the same...’
Jeff got up and turned to walk away, but thought better of it whilst he had the opportunity to actually converse with the man.
‘...Ah, Mr Edison, I know this is a lot to ask, but if you don’t want me there, could you maybe allow the study group to visit Annie? They’ve always been there for her, and that’s not me being critical of you or her mother. I just...I know she’d appreciate having them with her. I know what you think about me, but don't take that out on them. They’re a great group of friends. To both of us.’
Annie’s father sighed. He looked at Jeff as he stood up.
‘I can’t promise anything, but...Rosemary is going to go home for a couple of hours to shower and change - tell them to come by around 6 and I’ll see how I feel without the Wicked Witch of the West clouding my judgment with her broomstick.’
Jeff smiled - a genuine smile very much unlike the small smirk he usually wore after talking someone into doing something..
‘Thank you, I’ll do that.’
He noticed Mrs Edison tearing down the hall looking more pissed than before, so with a nod to Mr. Edison, Jeff disappeared back inside the neonatal unit, hoping a house would fall on top of the woman on her way home that evening.
It was around 8pm when one of the nurses came by to let him know that two of his friends were outside waiting to speak with him. He thanked the nurse and went outside to find Britta and Shirley.
‘Boy, you really need to get some sleep - or at the very least, a shower,’ pointed out Shirley accompanied by a grimace, ‘those pretty nurses in there should not be subjected to that smell any longer.’
Jeff sighed loudly, wanting to tell Shirley that he wasn’t interested in impressing any nurses, but he still hadn’t confessed to the group about the recent developments in his relationship with Annie, so instead he opted instead for blanket refusal.
‘Shirley, I’m not leaving until Annie...’
‘Annie’s blood pressure has finally stabilized and the doctors are hopeful that she’ll wake up soon.’
His head swung around and his eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of Britta’s smile.
‘You’ve seen her? How does she look?’
Britta and Shirley both nodded as the younger woman explained.
‘Mr Edison let us in to see her earlier and asked us to update you on her condition - she’s...well, she’s hooked up to machine after machine and she’s really pale…’
At this point Britta felt herself tearing up, overcome with the emotion of the situation, so Shirley finished explaining.
‘…but she looks a damn sight better than she did in that operating theatre. She still hasn’t come around yet though.’
Jeff sank into one of the seats outside the NICU and ran his hands through his hair, noticing how limp and greasy it felt.
‘Thank you for letting me know. I’ve been going out of my mind up here.’
‘You’re welcome,’ Shirley replied, sitting down next to him. ‘Now really Jeff, I must insist on that shower.’
He didn’t like the tone Shirley was taking with him. Not even his mother ever used to demand anything from him.
‘I already told you, I’m not going home...’
‘We know, Jeff, we know, but that’s why when Shirley and I were in seeing Annie, Troy and Abed went to your apartment to get you some things. You can shower here in the hospital, in the family lounge just along the hall.’
‘And while you wait, Britta and I will be more than happy to sit in there with the little one until you’ve cleaned up and maybe had a sleep - if that’s ok with you of course, wouldn’t want you to think that I’m bossing you around.’
He frowned at Shirley, realizing it was probably futile to argue. He was happy that she was there - she had children and must have had some idea of how he was feeling, particularly with a young baby of her own who was barely a year old.
‘I uh...ok, but I’m just going to shower. I can hold out a little longer before I collapse from lack of sleep.’
Britta stood forward and placed her hand on Jeff’s shoulder to reassure him.
‘We’re here for the night, Jeff. For you, and for Annie - we want one of us to be here in case she wakes up. Troy and Abed are down there now, waiting just down the hall from her room for news. Go get cleaned up and see how you feel then.’
Jeff looked at the two women. In ordinary circumstances he would have argued with them both until he came out victorious, but given his lack of sleep, disagreeing further was only going to use energy that he frankly didn’t have to spare. So he reluctantly nodded, taking the bag Britta held out to him and leaned over to punch in the code to get back into the unit.
‘Fine, you win. I’ll just go tell one of the nursing staff that I want you both in here, they’re pretty tight on who they let in here so if anyone asks, Britta? You’re my sister.’
Britta rolled her eyes while Shirley made a face at him that looked like she was offended Jeff hadn’t picked her instead to be fake-related to him. Jeff ignored both of them to continue with how he’d finished nearly every conversation he’d had over the past two days.
‘And if anything happens when I’m gone...’
‘We’ll come get you, we know. Now will you please just go? I can’t stand the smell any longer.’
Britta smirked and shooed him back inside the NICU, before waiting with Shirley to be allowed in to watch over baby Edison-Winger.
It was close to 4:00 in the morning when Jeff felt a sharp pain in his side and woke with a start to find Troy staring down at him.
‘What happened? Is it the baby?’ he yelled after realizing the pain he’d experienced was a result of a sharp poke in the ribs. He scrambled to get up off the bed in the parents’ lounge and fell on the floor with a thud. ‘Shit, how long have I been asleep?’
‘Relax, the kid’s fine, Shirley and Britta are still sitting with him. It’s Annie...’ Jeff was about to throttle Troy if he didn’t just spit it out. ‘...she’s awake and she’s asking for you.’
‘Oh God.’ He rushed to pull on a clean pair of jeans over his briefs before fighting to get his shoes on the right feet. ‘Is she ok?’
‘Um, I actually think she’s a lot better than her parents expected considering she had the doctors throw them out the room. They hung around for a bit before her mom stormed off and her dad told Abed to tell the doctors they would be back when it wasn’t the middle of the night. I don’t like them very much, Jeff, her mom yelled at me and I nearly cried.’
Jeff ignored Troy and darted out of the room. He practically flew down the flight of stairs that led to the ICU where Annie was. He saw that Abed wasn’t in the waiting area, meaning he must be in Annie's room. He had no idea what he was going to say to Annie or if anyone had told her about the baby.
Troy had finally caught up with him and looked between Jeff and the door.
‘Look, I know you’re scared, man, but it’s Annie.’
Again, he decided not to answer Troy and instead pushed the door open to see Annie propped up slightly in bed, hooked up to the machines like Britta had said. Annie turned her head to see her newest visitor as Abed got up and exited the room, pulling the door shut behind him.
‘Jeff, I’m so, so sorry, I don’t know what happened and...’
But she didn’t get a chance to tell him anything else as he strode across the room and leaned over the bed to kiss her fully, releasing her slightly after a few seconds before planting another kiss on her forehead. Despite everything he had told himself about taking things one step at a time, and the concerns Annie had about it all being too much to handle publicly whilst she was preparing to have the baby, honestly…he didn’t care anymore. He’d spent two days watching over their son, desperately hoping that Annie would pull through, that she would smile and blush in his direction again, that she would be there to bring up their son, together under the same roof. Jeff knew he had a lot of growing up still to do when it came to being part of a functional family, but he wanted to at least try. The baby had finally arrived and if anything his feelings had only intensified for Annie, not diminished.
He appreciated that Abed had left them alone, though in all honesty, Jeff had passed the point of worrying what the group would think of them being together. And even if he had been concerned, he figured that Abed and Troy were the two whose opinions he would be least concerned about.
‘How is he? Abed told me you’ve been sitting with him. I only have is this picture Jeff; he’s so small and vulnerable - all I want to do is hold him.’
She was crying and he did everything he could to hold her as close to him as possible without hurting her.
‘Shh. He’s doing well under the circumstances…’ Jeff paused, knowing that he had to be honest and tell Annie that their son was still incredibly unwell, but he didn’t want to panic her too much after just waking up from major surgery herself, ‘…I mean, there are a few concerns with his health, but they expect him to have mostly recovered in a few weeks once his weight goes up. I’ll have his doctor come down to speak to you tomorrow when you’re feeling more awake - it is the middle of the night after all...’
She was still sobbing in his arms but as Jeff spoke, he could hear her start to breath more easily.
‘...the only problem is he doesn’t have a name yet - never quite got the time to agree on that before this happened, did we?’
She nodded her head in agreement into his chest.
‘There’s so much that I haven’t done yet.’
Jeff thought about Annie’s previous determination to move into her own place after the fiasco with her last apartment. Up until two days ago they still hadn’t found a decent place on the ground floor that she liked enough to bring their baby home to. She hadn’t mentioned it since they started sleeping together, nor had he seen her browsing any rental listings recently but she was stubborn and it wouldn’t surprise him if she still wanted her own apartment. They had agreed to ‘take things one day at a time’ after all.
The reality was that he didn’t want that. He wanted her to stay with him. He wanted Annie and their son to stay with him. Before Annie was rushed into hospital they’d lived together for a couple of months and it had worked well, even though they often tip-toed around the subject of their feelings. But they had both finally opened up and admitted there was something there between them. They had been acting on it for the past two weeks. The problem was that there hadn’t dared to discuss what it would mean for them when Annie actually had the baby. Both he, and Annie he presumed, had thought they would have had more time to talk about their situation.
Now, Jeff had no idea what to do. He knew that Annie still wanted to have a little independence to prove to herself that, if absolutely necessary, she could do it on her own. Jeff knew he would have to talk to Annie about how he felt, about how he didn’t want her to think there would come a time when it would be absolutely necessary for her to cope on her own. He’d had far too much time to think these past two days and knowing it was neither the right time nor place to discuss the subject in such detail, Jeff ignored the feeling of unrest in the pit of his stomach and focused on trying to compromise.
‘Well, the doctor thinks he’ll be here for at least four weeks, if not longer, so we have time to find you a place...if that’s still what you want. And even if we haven’t got you organized when you’re released you can come back to living with me. It’s not a problem.’
Annie sighed and moved away from Jeff.
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea - I just want to be settled the sooner the better and be ready for him coming home. But I don’t know how long I’ll be in here - maybe a week or two depending on if my blood pressure stays normal. There's so much I haven't done ...’
Jeff would have felt dejected by Annie’s response had he not heard the monitor beside her beep a little faster, and he’d watched enough ER and Grey’s Anatomy to know that wasn’t good, so he sat down beside Annie’s bed and took her hand tightly in his own.
‘You need to calm down.’
‘How am I supposed to stay calm? My son is one floor above me, all by himself, hooked up to all manner of machines to keep him alive! I haven’t even held him yet.’
‘You will be calm because I’ll be there with him when you can't be. I promise you, Annie, I’m not going anywhere.’
She looked at him for a moment and seemed to relax a little in the bed, pushing her shoulders into the pillow as she turned on her side as much as she could with her stitches and staples.
‘You’re really not, are you? This is real and happening, but you’re still here - you’re not going to leave.’
It was more of a statement than a question but he chose to answer anyway.
‘Nope.’
She closed her eyes, seemingly content knowing that if she couldn’t be with her little boy, at least his father would be.
‘Joshua,’ she sighed and he stared back at her with a perplexed look on his face, ‘I’ve always liked that...but maybe as a middle name. How about Aaron for his first name - it’s Hebrew for ‘mountain of strength.’’
Jeff sat and repeated the name ‘Aaron Joshua Edison-Winger’ in his head before repeating it out loud.
‘Aaron Joshua Edison-Winger - I like it. I guess we have ourselves an Aaron then.’
Annie grinned tiredly at Jeff, pleased that he liked her suggestion and didn’t laugh at the comically long name.
‘I know it’s quite a mouthful but I like it and can’t wait to meet him. Everything feels kind of, I don’t know...empty in me now.’
‘You will meet him soon, I'll make sure of that - just as soon as you’re well enough.’
He didn’t tell her she wouldn’t be able to hold or even touch him just yet; Aaron was still too ill for any kind of stimulation. But he wouldn't have had the chance to; before he knew it, she was asleep again. He picked himself up out of the seat and leaned down to pull the covers further over her. He brushed the hair from around her face behind her ear and kissed her cheek lightly.
‘I’ll be back tomorrow,’ he whispered, and he swore he could see her lips curl up slightly at the edge.
It was only when he left Annie’s room that he thought about his son and his name, and more specifically his initials: A.J.E.W. - well, at least it would be interesting watching Pierce try not to upset Annie by bringing that one up.