WIP Amnesty: Sad Mike with a baby (Hockey, Tanner Pearson/Mike Richards, 13,000 words, Teen) 1/2
I started writing this quite a while ago, so it takes place in a world where Joner never got traded and the Kings exercised a normal buyout of Mike's contract. This is less a linear narrative and more a collection of scenes from a life as it goes on. I was really having fun writing it, but unfortunately I didn't finish it before I needed to move on from hockey. I did write out what else would have happened so there is some closure to the story.
Content Note: Various real world partners, children, siblings, and other family members appear in this story. Skip it if that's not your thing.
Mike loves the lake more than anywhere else in the world, but as winter stretches on, he starts to miss the sun, and it gets lonely being home alone with Theo most of the time.
He might not have a contract anymore, but he knows how to read a game schedule, and he can guess at what that means for the guys, so he times his arrival in LA when he thinks people will be at home.
He's surprised when Joner answers the door. He forgot in all of this that Pears lives with Joner.
Joner looks at him weirdly, either because he arrived unannounced or because he's carrying Theo. Mike's texted with some of the guys, but not about Theo.
"Hey, Richie."
"Uh, hey," Mike says. "Is Pears here?"
Joner says, "Yeah, come in," and then calls, "Tanner, you have a visitor!"
"If you're making me get up because Toff's here again," Pears calls back. Then he comes into view, and stops and stares at Mike.
"Hey," Mike says. He waves like a dork, and then pulls his hand down. "This is my son Theo."
Pears and Joner exchange a look, then Pears says, "Okay," slowly. "Come on in."
Theo chooses that moment to start fussing.
Mike rocks him a little. "Okay, bud, let's get you fed." He looks up at Pears and Joner. "Can I use your kitchen?"
"Yeah," Pears says. "For sure."
Pears and Joner get things out as Mike asks for them, and he makes up a bottle for Theo that he tests on his wrist before shifting Theo to lie against his arm and chest and letting him suck down some formula.
"So," Joner asks, "are you staying with Carts?"
Mike ducks his head. "Uh. I was hoping I could stay here."
He can see Pears and Joner exchange a look and a couple of shrugs.
"We do have an extra bedroom," Pears says. "Toff can nap on the couch."
"No crib," Joner says.
"He can sleep in his car seat tonight," Mike says. "I can take care of getting a crib and stuff tomorrow."
Joner and Pears exchange another look that Mike looks away from.
"Yeah," Pears says, "of course you can stay."
Mike says, "Thanks," and they're all quiet for a minute watching Theo eat.
"Carts knows about Theo, right?" Joner asks.
Mike looks up, surprised by the question. "Yeah, of course," he says. "He and Megs are Theo's godparents."
Joner crosses his arms over his chest. "It's just that none of the rest of us knew about it."
"Shut up, Joner," Pears says.
"He-"
"Shut up," Pears says again. To Mike he says, "You can stay as long as you want. You and Theo."
Mike ducks his head and rounds his shoulders a little. "Thanks."
Pears comes over and squeezes his shoulder. "Welcome home."
*
After Joner and Pears leave for practice in the morning, Mike takes Theo over to Jeff and Megan's.
Megan looks surprised to see them when she opens the door, but she ushers Mike in and takes Theo from him so Mike can crouch down to greet Mack and Miley.
"When'd you get here?" Megan asks.
"Yesterday." Mike stands up so Megan isn't looking down on him.
Megan says, "Hmm," and steps forward to fold him into a careful hug around Theo.
"I'm staying with Pears and Joner," Mike says, to get that part of it out of the way.
Megan blinks at him. "Well, if you decide you don't want to do that anymore, you're always welcome to stay with us."
That's part of what made it easy to ask Pears last night; he knew he had another option. "Thanks, Meg, but I think we'll be fine." Mike ducks his head. "Do you think you could watch Theo for a couple of hours while I get some stuff for him?"
Megan smiles at him. "Of course." She looks down at Theo. "You get to spend the day with Aunt Megan."
"Thanks, Meg." Mike gives her the rundown of Theo's likely schedule of naps and feeding times, until she all but pushes him out the door.
"You have a phone," Megan says. "I'll text you if there's anything I need help with." Then, softer, "I babysit Grace a lot. Theo will be fine."
Mike says, "Be good for Aunt Megan," to Theo and goes shopping.
He buys a crib, a changing table, sheets, towels, a couple of blankets, diapers, formula, and a tiny, soft pair of socks with green and yellow stripes. It takes long enough that he stops for lunch in the middle of it.
Mike lets himself in when he gets back to Jeff and Megan's. Jeff's back from practice, lying on his back on the couch with Theo on his chest. When Mike comes in, Jeff scoops Theo up, hands him to Megan, and comes over to hug Mike.
Mike ducks his head into it, letting Jeff take all of his weight for a minute.
"Didn't think we'd see you for a while."
Mike just shrugs, and Jeff keeps one arm wrapped around his shoulders when he eases out of the hug.
"Megan said you're staying with Joner and Pears."
"Yeah," Mike says. Megan lets him take Theo from her when he reaches out. It's the longest he's been away from Theo for a while, and it's comforting to have Theo resting against his chest again.
"That means Toff too," Jeff says with a little grin. "You gonna be good with that?"
"I can handle a couple of rookies," Mike says.
"Not really rookies anymore," Jeff says. "You can always come stay with us if you don't want to deal with them."
Mike shrugs one shoulder, the one Theo isn't drooling on. "We'll be okay."
Jeff says, "Hmm," just like Megan did earlier, then asks, "Want to stick around for dinner?"
Mike shakes his head. "Maybe another day."
"Okay," Jeff says, and the easy way he rolls with whatever Mike says he wants is one of the things that makes him a really restful friend.
Mike takes the repacked baby bag from Megan and thanks her for watching Theo.
"Anytime," Megan says. She squeezes his arm. "Maybe call next time, but I'm happy to give you a break."
Mike says he will call, and then he gets Theo settled in the car. He looks in the rearview mirror, even though he can't see much of Theo in his infant-safe rear-facing car seat. "Okay, Theo, let's go home."
*
Mike gathers up Theo in his car seat and a couple of shopping bags from the back and takes those into the house first.
Pears and Joner are on the couch playing video games while Toff cuddles up with his dog in one of the chairs. Toff doesn't look surprised to see Mike, which means Pears and Joner filled him in.
"Hey," Mike says.
Pears pauses the game and looks up at him. "Hey. You get everything you need?"
Mike shrugs one shoulder. "They're delivering the crib and changing table tomorrow." He pauses, considering, then asks, "Can you keep an eye on Theo while I get the rest of the stuff out of the car?"
"You're going to trust us with your kid?" Joner asks.
Mike looks down at Theo. "He can stay in his car seat. Just make sure nothing happens to him."
"We'll watch him," Pears says. He scoots toward the edge of the couch. "Can I hold him?"
Mike looks up, surprised. "If you want to." He puts down his handful of bags and Theo's car seat.
Joner takes the controller out of Pears' hand and tosses it to Toff.
"That's my game," Pears says mildly.
"He's not coming back to it," Joner says to Toff.
They unpause the game while Mike lifts Theo out of his car seat and takes him to Pears.
"You have to be careful with him," Mike says.
"Support the head, I know." Pears smiles at him. "I've got a niece." He does look like he knows what he's doing, and he smiles at Mike once he has Theo settled in his arms, and then at Theo, so Mike leaves Theo with him and hauls the first set of bags all the way up the stairs.
When he comes back down after the second trip, Toff asks, "Do you need some help?"
"No," Mike says. "I've got it." He does mean he can get it himself, but by the time he's hauling a third set of bags out of the back of his rental, Toff and Joner are there grabbing the last of the bags and following him up the stairs.
"Anything else you need?" Joner asks.
Mike looks around at the stacks of bags. "Is anyone doing laundry right now?"
"No," Joner says. "Have at it." He directs Mike to the washing machine, and then he and Toff leave Mike alone again.
Mike throws some of the new stuff he bought into the washing machine and turns it on before he goes to the living room to check on Theo.
Theo is perfectly happy, smiling up at Pears, who's smiling down at him.
"I've got him," Pears says, looking up at Mike. "If you want to get settled in or whatever." He looks at Mike for a second. "Or you can take him back."
Theo's still smiling, babbling a little at Mike now.
"If you don't mind," Mike says. It'll be easier to get what he can set up and unpacked if someone else can watch Theo for just a little bit.
Joner snorts. "Have you seen his Instagram? He lives for holding babies."
Pears flips Joner off, which Joner responds to with a scandalized, "Not in front of the baby."
Mike leaves them to it and goes up to his and Theo's room to unpack his suitcase and some of the stuff he bought. Some of it can wait until the changing table arrives. They brought everything up, so he puts the formula to one side to take back down to the kitchen.
He hears Theo's fussing before Pears comes in.
"I think he needs a diaper change," Pears says. "I can do it, if you show me where everything is.
"Uh, yeah," Mike says. He points Pears at the diaper bag and says, "He might pee on you."
Pears laughs. "I'll be careful. No peeing on me," he says to Theo.
Mike keeps an eye on them, but Pears really does know what he's doing, and Theo stops fussing once Pears has him redressed and picks him up.
"There you go, bud," Pears says. "Much better."
Theo makes some unintelligible babbling noises, and Pears says, "Oh, yeah?" He flashes a smile at Mike, then takes Theo back downstairs.
Jeff and Megan are a good backup plan, but this is probably going to work out.
*
Having the crib and changing table set up make Mike feel more settled. He puts the new sheets down in the crib and Theo takes his afternoon nap there.
When he gets around to checking his email, the only thing that stands out as important is something Megan forwarded him. It's an email from Nicole Brown, and Mike scrolls down farther to see that Megan emailed Nicole first. The message from Nicole has the name, address, and phone number of the Browns' pediatrician, and an instruction that says, "Tell Mike that if they try to tell him they're not taking new patients, he needs to tell them that I referred him and he's part of the Kings family. They'll get him in."
Mike sends back a thank-you to Megan and Nicole. Theo's going to need a checkup soon enough, so he saves the email to deal with when he's ready to make that appointment.
Joner and Pears go on a short overnight road trip. When they get back, Pears gives Mike a set of keys and says, "I'm carpooling with Joner most of the time if you want to use my car."
Mike installs Theo's car seat in the back of Pears' car and returns the rental. Jeff and Megan exchange a look when Mike takes Theo over to their place for dinner and explains the situation.
"Well, that was nice of him," Megan says.
Jeff is holding Theo, and he looks down at him and says, "Pears must like you."
"Who wouldn't like him?" Mike asks.
It makes Jeff laugh, and that makes Theo laugh.
*
Kopi and Ines are the first ones to drop in. They bring Neža but not Gustl, and Joner looks surprised but Toff and Pears don't. Mike's lying on the floor with Theo when they come in, and he gets up and carefully steps around Theo's blanket to greet them.
"Hi, Richie." Kopi greets him with a hug and a smile.
"Hey." Mike leans into Kopi's hug, grateful for the smile, and then exchanges a briefer hug with Ines.
Ines is carrying Neža, but when Neža says something that could be either the unintelligible babbling of a toddler or Slovenian, Ines puts her down on the floor next to Theo. Ines says something to her that has to be Slovenian.
"How do you like being a dad?" Kopi asks.
Mike rubs at the back of his head. "It's good," he says. "Tiring, but it's good." He's keeping an eye on the kids - Neža is bigger than Theo, and Theo can't get away on his own - but then Pears sits down on the blanket with them and offers one of the big, soft blocks to her.
"Wait until he is crawling," Ines says. "You will be running after him all the time."
Mike chuckles. "As long as I get to sleep."
"They're fun when they can crawl," Kopi says.
"They get into everything," Ines says with a smile.
Pears keeps an eye on the kids while Kopi and Ines tell him a couple of stories about Neža and then switch to more general topics that Joner and Toff can join in on. Even Pears chimes in occasionally.
All in all, Kopi and his family stay for about an hour, and he tells Mike, "Text me," when he hugs him goodbye.
"Yeah," Mike promises, "I will." He's still smiling after they leave, and he sits down next to Pears on the floor.
"Good visit," Pears says.
Mike knocks his shoulder into Pears as a thanks for whatever part he had in Kopi coming to visit. "Yeah." He picks Theo up. "Have you had enough of lying on the floor?"
Theo laughs with the motion of being lifted into the air. Mike laughs with him and swings him up a little more before he pulls him in to his chest.
*
Kinger is the next one to visit, with Lauren and Grace.
"Hi," Lauren says. "We wanted to meet your son."
"Hi," Grace says. "Hi, hi."
Mike smiles down at her and waves. "Hi." He crouches down so Grace can see Theo. "This is Theo. Theo, this is Grace."
Grace peers at Theo, then waves at him. She says, "Hi," and then again when Theo just blows spit bubbles.
Kinger crouches down with them. "He's too little to say hi back to you."
"Too little," Grace repeats.
"That's right, too little."
Grace loses interest then, and Mike stands up.
"Can I?" Lauren asks, holding out her arms. Once she has Theo, she asks, "How old is he?"
"Thirteen weeks."
Lauren looks up from Theo and raises her eyebrows. "And you took him on a plane by yourself? Brave man."
Mike shrugs. "He's pretty calm."
Lauren says, "Hmm," like she doesn't quite believe it.
Theo gets fussy after a little bit, and Mike takes him upstairs to change his diaper. "There you go, buddy. That's better." He holds Theo close and sways with him for a minute before he takes him downstairs again. He doesn't hand Theo off to anyone, just sits down with him on the couch.
Pears and Kinger are both on the floor with Grace and Bruno while Toff and Joner carry on a conversation with Lauren about the best place to get sushi in Manhattan Beach. Even with all of that going on, Theo falls asleep in Mike's arms.
"Good to see you," Kinger says when they leave. "Don't be a stranger."
Mike nods at him, says goodbye to Lauren, and waves a goodbye to Grace.
"The little guy just passed right out," Joner says.
Mike looks down at Theo. "I guess it's his nap time. I'm going to put him down in his crib."
Mike lies down once Theo's settled into his crib. By the time they both wake up and go downstairs, Joner and Pears are arguing about dinner, and Mike lets them hash it out while he makes up a bottle for Theo.
*
Cliffy drops in with Paige and Brody. Brody undertakes a project to stack all of the soft, brightly colored blocks, the kind that make soft noises when they're hit, into a tower, which he then knocks over, much to his enjoyment.
Theo laughs as the destruction sends a couple of the blocks crashing past his field of vision. Mike smiles at both kids and sends a block across Theo's vision on the way back to Brody. Theo laughs again and bats his hand out, reflex not quite right to hit the block, but he doesn't seem frustrated by it.
Cliffy hands one of the other blocks to Brody. "We have wooden ones at home. More damage when they hit you."
Mike shrugs. "I don't think Theo's going to be ready for those for a while."
"It'll be sooner than you think," Paige says. She leans over and runs her hand over Brody's hair. "They grow up pretty fast."
Brody ducks away from her hand. "Mama, no."
Mike takes one of the blocks Brody isn't stacking into another tower he's probably also going to knock down and puts it in front of Theo. It chimes every time Theo smacks his arm into it.
"I think we're good with the softer blocks for now," Pears says. "The first time Joner steps on a Lego in the middle of the night after a roadie there's going to be hell to pay."
Even Joner laughs at that. Mike chuckles, and keeps his eyes on Theo. There's no guarantee they'll be here when Theo's ready for Legos, but it's good to know Pears meant it when he said they could stay as long as they want.
*
Quickie and Jackie bring Madison and Carter and a plate of cookies when they drop in.
"You don't get to eat all of them," Joner says to Toff.
"I just want one!"
"They're really for Mike," Jackie says.
Madison looks up at all of them. "I want one!"
"Me too!" Carter says.
Mike looks to Jackie and Quickie for permission to give their kids cookies before he offers one to each of the kids first, then to everyone else and takes one for himself.
"These are great," Mike says. They are; flavorful and just a little on the chewy side.
"Thank you," Jackie says. "They're pretty good for you too, as far as cookies go. I can send you the recipe if you want."
"Yes," Toff answers for him, mouth half full of cookie.
Mike chuckles. "I guess so."
"I'll send it to you," Jackie promises. Then she holds out her arms. "Can I hold him?"
Jackie is competent enough to juggle eating a cookie and getting Theo settled in her arms all at once. She says, "Hi there," to Theo, and eats a bite of her cookie while he looks at her and then decides to smile. Jackie smiles back at him. "Oh, look at that smile. He's beautiful, Mike."
Mike's always liked Jackie.
"I want to see," Madison demands.
Carter crowds closer to Jackie and says, "Me too!"
Jackie crouches down so they can see Theo.
"He's so small," Madison says. "Smaller than Carter."
Carter's mouth works, like he's trying to decide if he's going to protest that.
"Can I hold him?" Madison asks.
She's bigger than Theo and Carter, but she's still a tiny person.
"Uh," Mike says.
Quickie grins at him. "If she sits on the couch and is very careful," that second part seems to be directed more at Madison than at Mike, "it'll be fine."
"Finish your cookie first," Jackie says. "Slowly."
Madison, who looked for a moment like she was going to shove the whole rest of her cookie into her mouth at once, takes just one bite of her cookie. She's small, but apparently determined, and once she finishes the cookie, she climbs up on the couch and all but demands that she get to hold the baby.
Mike hovers a little while Jackie puts Theo on Madison's lap and makes sure she's supporting his head.
Carter finishes his cookie and tries to climb up on the couch - it takes a boost from Jackie for him to get there - and reaches for Theo. "Me too!"
Jackie intervenes before Carter can get any closer to Theo. "He's a little big for you to hold, sweetie. Look, he'll hold onto your fingers." She shows Carter how to put his fingers against Theo's palm so Theo will reflexively grip them.
Carter's face lights up. "Mommy, look!"
It's very cute, and in a couple of years, Theo is going to be looking at Mike like that when something delights him.
Madison puts her fingers in Theo's other hand. Theo grips them tightly, then laughs as he waves both hands, and Madison and Carter's hands, around. Carter laughs too, and Madison starts to giggle, and Jackie takes out her phone.
Mike steps between her and the kids. "You can't put pictures of Theo on the internet."
Jackie looks up at him, surprised.
"He means it," Pears says. "He won't even let us post them to Facebook if they're friends only."
Jackie raises her eyebrows."Okay," she says to Mike, "if that's what you want."
Mike nods firmly and steps out of her way so she can take a couple of pictures of the kids laughing.
"You want me to send these to you?" she asks.
"Yeah," Mike says. It's pretty cute. "Thanks."
"Of course." Jackie sends the pictures on and puts her phone away.
Carter loses interest in Theo first, but Madison isn't far behind, and pretty soon the kids are playing some kind of game on the floor with Pears and Toff while Jackie holds Theo for a while and Joner and Quickie do something that's either silent goalie communion or a shared sense of disinterest in the chaos around them.
Mike eats another cookie and calls his mom after Jackie and Quickie leave.
"Hi, honey," she says. "How are you?"
"Fine," Mike says. "Jackie brought us cookies."
They talk about cookies for a few minutes, Mom telling a story about a school bake sale and snickerdoodles that went wrong, before she asks, "And how's my grandson?"
Mike smiles, looking at Theo laughing at the bright purple fabric Pears found somewhere and is waving past him. "He's great, Mom."
"I want to see some more pictures. We miss him."
Mike winces - he didn't really talk to his parents about his decision to leave the lake and come down to LA - but promises to send her pictures. After they hang up, he snaps a picture of Pears and Theo - he manages to get both of them smiling and the purple fabric in blurred motion - and sends her that and one of Theo with Madison and Carter.
Pears asks, "Everything okay?" without looking away from Theo.
Mike shrugs one shoulder and slides down onto the floor. "Hey, bud. Is Pears keeping you entertained?"
Theo turns toward the sound of his voice, and Pears lets it drop.
*
Brownie and Nicole drop in without their kids but with a gift for Theo.
"You might already have one of these," Nicole says, "but Megan said you didn't bring much with you, and our kids all loved them."
It's a mat with what look like tent poles arching up over it with things that hang from them. Mike doesn't have one. He thanks Nicole for it and puts it out of the way while they're visiting.
"We left the kids with the nanny," Brownie explains. "Figured it'd be more noise than you want if we brought them."
Nicole shakes her head. "Way more noise than you want with an infant."
"Well, we already have Toff and Bruno," Joner says, "so it's already pretty loud around here."
Toff laughs even as he protests, and Brownie smiles as he shakes his head at all of them.
"Let's see that kid of yours," Brownie says to Mike.
Brownie's experience with kids shows. He holds Theo easily, and even Theo drooling on him a little doesn't faze him in the slightest. "Hi, there, bud." Brownie smiles at Theo, and hefts him a little. "Good weight to you there."
Joner looks at Brownie and Theo skeptically. "He's tiny."
"Nah," Brownie says. "He's a good size for his age."
"He's gaining weight," Pears adds. "At a pretty good rate, I think."
"You must be feeding him all the time," Nicole says.
Mike shrugs. "About every three hours."
Nicole shakes her head. "I do not miss midnight feedings."
Mike half smiles. "I'm looking forward to getting past those."
"Kids aren't so bad like this," Brownie says.
"You didn't have to wake up in the middle of the night with them," Nicole says.
"Well I had you for that," Brownie says with a smirking little smile.
"You're such an asshole," Nicole laughs. "Let me hold the baby."
Brownie presses a kiss to Nicole's cheek as he hands Theo over.
That was what Mike was supposed to have when he had kids. There was supposed to be someone else with him, someone he could share it with, someone he could love.
Everyone else is looking at Brownie and Nicole talking to Theo, so Mike has a moment to take a deep breath and make sure none of that is showing on his face. He's a little relieved, though, when they give Theo back to him before they leave. There's no one to share it with him, but he still has Theo.
"We have a lot of experience with this. If you ever need anything, just ask," Nicole says before they leave.
"That goes for both of us." Brownie squeezes his shoulder. "You're still team."
Mike hugs them both, all three of them careful with Mike still holding Theo.
"We're going to take a nap," Mike tells Pears, Toff, and Joner. Theo isn't really tired yet, but Mike needs the time alone. Toff and Joner don't react to it, but Pears squeezes his shoulder just like Brownie did, and Mike feels the echoes of those two touches all the way up the stairs.
*
Mike's not really all the way awake, but he doesn't have to be. He can make up a bottle and feed Theo half-asleep, and he may not be playing hockey but he's still a good enough athlete to make it up and down stairs without falling even when he's not all the way awake. Even Theo's crying doesn't snap him all the way out of it.
"Hey," Pears says, and Mike turns around and squints at him. It's the middle of the night, and they had a game. Pears should probably be sleeping. He's only wearing boxers, so he probably was sleeping.
"Shit, sorry," Mike says. "Did he wake you up?" He rocks Theo a little, trying to get him to quiet down while they wait for his bottle to heat up.
"No," Pears says. "Too keyed up to sleep."
Probably from whatever happened in the game. Mike doesn't know for sure; he hasn't watched a game since Chicago won the Cup in June.
"Here," Pears says, "I'll take him while you finish that."
Theo stops crying for a few seconds as he gets transferred from being held against Mike's bare chest - Mike's only in pajama pants - to Pears', but then he starts again.
"Hey," Pears says soothingly. "Hey, bud, it's okay. Your dad's making up a bottle for you right now, and we're going to get you fed."
Mike listens to Pears talking to Theo while he waits for Theo's bottle to finish heating. Pears is good with kids, and he holds out his hand for the bottle after Mike tests it on his wrist.
Pears settles down in one of the chairs at the counter to give Theo his bottle. Mike cleans up, and then settles into the chair next to Pears. He's still tired, and Theo's fine, so he folds his arms on the counter and puts his head down.
It's quiet for a bit, just the sound of Theo sucking down formula, and then Pears asks, "Can I ask you something?"
Mike turns his head to look at Pears. "Sure."
"Is this why you and Lindsey broke up? Because you were going to have Theo?"
Mike's half-asleep, which is why it takes him a few seconds to realize that Pears thinks he cheated on Lindsey, and to remember that he didn't explain about Theo.
"No," he says. "Lindsey's his mom. Or she gave birth to him, anyway. She gave up her parental rights." Mike reaches out to brush his fingers over Theo's tiny foot. "She didn't find out she was pregnant until after she gave the ring back." He looks up in time to see Pears wince.
"Sorry," Pears says.
Mike shrugs a little. "It is what it is." He turns his head back into his arms and listens to Theo working at his bottle.
"Mike," Pears says a few minutes later.
Mike lifts his head. Pears is looking at him, and Theo's done with his bottle.
"Here." Pears hands over Theo. "Go back to bed. I'll take care of this." He holds up the bottle.
When Mike tries to offer to do it himself, Pears shakes his head and says, "I've got it," so Mike just nods at him and takes Theo up the stairs.
Mike stands over Theo's crib, hand resting on Theo's back, for a few minutes, waiting until Theo falls asleep before he gets into bed. He tries not to think about it too much, about Lindsey and everything he lost over the summer. Pears' question stirred it all up again, and he takes a few deep breaths in the dark. He's tired enough that he falls asleep before he has to think about it for too long.
Part 2
Content Note: Various real world partners, children, siblings, and other family members appear in this story. Skip it if that's not your thing.
Mike loves the lake more than anywhere else in the world, but as winter stretches on, he starts to miss the sun, and it gets lonely being home alone with Theo most of the time.
He might not have a contract anymore, but he knows how to read a game schedule, and he can guess at what that means for the guys, so he times his arrival in LA when he thinks people will be at home.
He's surprised when Joner answers the door. He forgot in all of this that Pears lives with Joner.
Joner looks at him weirdly, either because he arrived unannounced or because he's carrying Theo. Mike's texted with some of the guys, but not about Theo.
"Hey, Richie."
"Uh, hey," Mike says. "Is Pears here?"
Joner says, "Yeah, come in," and then calls, "Tanner, you have a visitor!"
"If you're making me get up because Toff's here again," Pears calls back. Then he comes into view, and stops and stares at Mike.
"Hey," Mike says. He waves like a dork, and then pulls his hand down. "This is my son Theo."
Pears and Joner exchange a look, then Pears says, "Okay," slowly. "Come on in."
Theo chooses that moment to start fussing.
Mike rocks him a little. "Okay, bud, let's get you fed." He looks up at Pears and Joner. "Can I use your kitchen?"
"Yeah," Pears says. "For sure."
Pears and Joner get things out as Mike asks for them, and he makes up a bottle for Theo that he tests on his wrist before shifting Theo to lie against his arm and chest and letting him suck down some formula.
"So," Joner asks, "are you staying with Carts?"
Mike ducks his head. "Uh. I was hoping I could stay here."
He can see Pears and Joner exchange a look and a couple of shrugs.
"We do have an extra bedroom," Pears says. "Toff can nap on the couch."
"No crib," Joner says.
"He can sleep in his car seat tonight," Mike says. "I can take care of getting a crib and stuff tomorrow."
Joner and Pears exchange another look that Mike looks away from.
"Yeah," Pears says, "of course you can stay."
Mike says, "Thanks," and they're all quiet for a minute watching Theo eat.
"Carts knows about Theo, right?" Joner asks.
Mike looks up, surprised by the question. "Yeah, of course," he says. "He and Megs are Theo's godparents."
Joner crosses his arms over his chest. "It's just that none of the rest of us knew about it."
"Shut up, Joner," Pears says.
"He-"
"Shut up," Pears says again. To Mike he says, "You can stay as long as you want. You and Theo."
Mike ducks his head and rounds his shoulders a little. "Thanks."
Pears comes over and squeezes his shoulder. "Welcome home."
*
After Joner and Pears leave for practice in the morning, Mike takes Theo over to Jeff and Megan's.
Megan looks surprised to see them when she opens the door, but she ushers Mike in and takes Theo from him so Mike can crouch down to greet Mack and Miley.
"When'd you get here?" Megan asks.
"Yesterday." Mike stands up so Megan isn't looking down on him.
Megan says, "Hmm," and steps forward to fold him into a careful hug around Theo.
"I'm staying with Pears and Joner," Mike says, to get that part of it out of the way.
Megan blinks at him. "Well, if you decide you don't want to do that anymore, you're always welcome to stay with us."
That's part of what made it easy to ask Pears last night; he knew he had another option. "Thanks, Meg, but I think we'll be fine." Mike ducks his head. "Do you think you could watch Theo for a couple of hours while I get some stuff for him?"
Megan smiles at him. "Of course." She looks down at Theo. "You get to spend the day with Aunt Megan."
"Thanks, Meg." Mike gives her the rundown of Theo's likely schedule of naps and feeding times, until she all but pushes him out the door.
"You have a phone," Megan says. "I'll text you if there's anything I need help with." Then, softer, "I babysit Grace a lot. Theo will be fine."
Mike says, "Be good for Aunt Megan," to Theo and goes shopping.
He buys a crib, a changing table, sheets, towels, a couple of blankets, diapers, formula, and a tiny, soft pair of socks with green and yellow stripes. It takes long enough that he stops for lunch in the middle of it.
Mike lets himself in when he gets back to Jeff and Megan's. Jeff's back from practice, lying on his back on the couch with Theo on his chest. When Mike comes in, Jeff scoops Theo up, hands him to Megan, and comes over to hug Mike.
Mike ducks his head into it, letting Jeff take all of his weight for a minute.
"Didn't think we'd see you for a while."
Mike just shrugs, and Jeff keeps one arm wrapped around his shoulders when he eases out of the hug.
"Megan said you're staying with Joner and Pears."
"Yeah," Mike says. Megan lets him take Theo from her when he reaches out. It's the longest he's been away from Theo for a while, and it's comforting to have Theo resting against his chest again.
"That means Toff too," Jeff says with a little grin. "You gonna be good with that?"
"I can handle a couple of rookies," Mike says.
"Not really rookies anymore," Jeff says. "You can always come stay with us if you don't want to deal with them."
Mike shrugs one shoulder, the one Theo isn't drooling on. "We'll be okay."
Jeff says, "Hmm," just like Megan did earlier, then asks, "Want to stick around for dinner?"
Mike shakes his head. "Maybe another day."
"Okay," Jeff says, and the easy way he rolls with whatever Mike says he wants is one of the things that makes him a really restful friend.
Mike takes the repacked baby bag from Megan and thanks her for watching Theo.
"Anytime," Megan says. She squeezes his arm. "Maybe call next time, but I'm happy to give you a break."
Mike says he will call, and then he gets Theo settled in the car. He looks in the rearview mirror, even though he can't see much of Theo in his infant-safe rear-facing car seat. "Okay, Theo, let's go home."
*
Mike gathers up Theo in his car seat and a couple of shopping bags from the back and takes those into the house first.
Pears and Joner are on the couch playing video games while Toff cuddles up with his dog in one of the chairs. Toff doesn't look surprised to see Mike, which means Pears and Joner filled him in.
"Hey," Mike says.
Pears pauses the game and looks up at him. "Hey. You get everything you need?"
Mike shrugs one shoulder. "They're delivering the crib and changing table tomorrow." He pauses, considering, then asks, "Can you keep an eye on Theo while I get the rest of the stuff out of the car?"
"You're going to trust us with your kid?" Joner asks.
Mike looks down at Theo. "He can stay in his car seat. Just make sure nothing happens to him."
"We'll watch him," Pears says. He scoots toward the edge of the couch. "Can I hold him?"
Mike looks up, surprised. "If you want to." He puts down his handful of bags and Theo's car seat.
Joner takes the controller out of Pears' hand and tosses it to Toff.
"That's my game," Pears says mildly.
"He's not coming back to it," Joner says to Toff.
They unpause the game while Mike lifts Theo out of his car seat and takes him to Pears.
"You have to be careful with him," Mike says.
"Support the head, I know." Pears smiles at him. "I've got a niece." He does look like he knows what he's doing, and he smiles at Mike once he has Theo settled in his arms, and then at Theo, so Mike leaves Theo with him and hauls the first set of bags all the way up the stairs.
When he comes back down after the second trip, Toff asks, "Do you need some help?"
"No," Mike says. "I've got it." He does mean he can get it himself, but by the time he's hauling a third set of bags out of the back of his rental, Toff and Joner are there grabbing the last of the bags and following him up the stairs.
"Anything else you need?" Joner asks.
Mike looks around at the stacks of bags. "Is anyone doing laundry right now?"
"No," Joner says. "Have at it." He directs Mike to the washing machine, and then he and Toff leave Mike alone again.
Mike throws some of the new stuff he bought into the washing machine and turns it on before he goes to the living room to check on Theo.
Theo is perfectly happy, smiling up at Pears, who's smiling down at him.
"I've got him," Pears says, looking up at Mike. "If you want to get settled in or whatever." He looks at Mike for a second. "Or you can take him back."
Theo's still smiling, babbling a little at Mike now.
"If you don't mind," Mike says. It'll be easier to get what he can set up and unpacked if someone else can watch Theo for just a little bit.
Joner snorts. "Have you seen his Instagram? He lives for holding babies."
Pears flips Joner off, which Joner responds to with a scandalized, "Not in front of the baby."
Mike leaves them to it and goes up to his and Theo's room to unpack his suitcase and some of the stuff he bought. Some of it can wait until the changing table arrives. They brought everything up, so he puts the formula to one side to take back down to the kitchen.
He hears Theo's fussing before Pears comes in.
"I think he needs a diaper change," Pears says. "I can do it, if you show me where everything is.
"Uh, yeah," Mike says. He points Pears at the diaper bag and says, "He might pee on you."
Pears laughs. "I'll be careful. No peeing on me," he says to Theo.
Mike keeps an eye on them, but Pears really does know what he's doing, and Theo stops fussing once Pears has him redressed and picks him up.
"There you go, bud," Pears says. "Much better."
Theo makes some unintelligible babbling noises, and Pears says, "Oh, yeah?" He flashes a smile at Mike, then takes Theo back downstairs.
Jeff and Megan are a good backup plan, but this is probably going to work out.
*
Having the crib and changing table set up make Mike feel more settled. He puts the new sheets down in the crib and Theo takes his afternoon nap there.
When he gets around to checking his email, the only thing that stands out as important is something Megan forwarded him. It's an email from Nicole Brown, and Mike scrolls down farther to see that Megan emailed Nicole first. The message from Nicole has the name, address, and phone number of the Browns' pediatrician, and an instruction that says, "Tell Mike that if they try to tell him they're not taking new patients, he needs to tell them that I referred him and he's part of the Kings family. They'll get him in."
Mike sends back a thank-you to Megan and Nicole. Theo's going to need a checkup soon enough, so he saves the email to deal with when he's ready to make that appointment.
Joner and Pears go on a short overnight road trip. When they get back, Pears gives Mike a set of keys and says, "I'm carpooling with Joner most of the time if you want to use my car."
Mike installs Theo's car seat in the back of Pears' car and returns the rental. Jeff and Megan exchange a look when Mike takes Theo over to their place for dinner and explains the situation.
"Well, that was nice of him," Megan says.
Jeff is holding Theo, and he looks down at him and says, "Pears must like you."
"Who wouldn't like him?" Mike asks.
It makes Jeff laugh, and that makes Theo laugh.
*
Kopi and Ines are the first ones to drop in. They bring Neža but not Gustl, and Joner looks surprised but Toff and Pears don't. Mike's lying on the floor with Theo when they come in, and he gets up and carefully steps around Theo's blanket to greet them.
"Hi, Richie." Kopi greets him with a hug and a smile.
"Hey." Mike leans into Kopi's hug, grateful for the smile, and then exchanges a briefer hug with Ines.
Ines is carrying Neža, but when Neža says something that could be either the unintelligible babbling of a toddler or Slovenian, Ines puts her down on the floor next to Theo. Ines says something to her that has to be Slovenian.
"How do you like being a dad?" Kopi asks.
Mike rubs at the back of his head. "It's good," he says. "Tiring, but it's good." He's keeping an eye on the kids - Neža is bigger than Theo, and Theo can't get away on his own - but then Pears sits down on the blanket with them and offers one of the big, soft blocks to her.
"Wait until he is crawling," Ines says. "You will be running after him all the time."
Mike chuckles. "As long as I get to sleep."
"They're fun when they can crawl," Kopi says.
"They get into everything," Ines says with a smile.
Pears keeps an eye on the kids while Kopi and Ines tell him a couple of stories about Neža and then switch to more general topics that Joner and Toff can join in on. Even Pears chimes in occasionally.
All in all, Kopi and his family stay for about an hour, and he tells Mike, "Text me," when he hugs him goodbye.
"Yeah," Mike promises, "I will." He's still smiling after they leave, and he sits down next to Pears on the floor.
"Good visit," Pears says.
Mike knocks his shoulder into Pears as a thanks for whatever part he had in Kopi coming to visit. "Yeah." He picks Theo up. "Have you had enough of lying on the floor?"
Theo laughs with the motion of being lifted into the air. Mike laughs with him and swings him up a little more before he pulls him in to his chest.
*
Kinger is the next one to visit, with Lauren and Grace.
"Hi," Lauren says. "We wanted to meet your son."
"Hi," Grace says. "Hi, hi."
Mike smiles down at her and waves. "Hi." He crouches down so Grace can see Theo. "This is Theo. Theo, this is Grace."
Grace peers at Theo, then waves at him. She says, "Hi," and then again when Theo just blows spit bubbles.
Kinger crouches down with them. "He's too little to say hi back to you."
"Too little," Grace repeats.
"That's right, too little."
Grace loses interest then, and Mike stands up.
"Can I?" Lauren asks, holding out her arms. Once she has Theo, she asks, "How old is he?"
"Thirteen weeks."
Lauren looks up from Theo and raises her eyebrows. "And you took him on a plane by yourself? Brave man."
Mike shrugs. "He's pretty calm."
Lauren says, "Hmm," like she doesn't quite believe it.
Theo gets fussy after a little bit, and Mike takes him upstairs to change his diaper. "There you go, buddy. That's better." He holds Theo close and sways with him for a minute before he takes him downstairs again. He doesn't hand Theo off to anyone, just sits down with him on the couch.
Pears and Kinger are both on the floor with Grace and Bruno while Toff and Joner carry on a conversation with Lauren about the best place to get sushi in Manhattan Beach. Even with all of that going on, Theo falls asleep in Mike's arms.
"Good to see you," Kinger says when they leave. "Don't be a stranger."
Mike nods at him, says goodbye to Lauren, and waves a goodbye to Grace.
"The little guy just passed right out," Joner says.
Mike looks down at Theo. "I guess it's his nap time. I'm going to put him down in his crib."
Mike lies down once Theo's settled into his crib. By the time they both wake up and go downstairs, Joner and Pears are arguing about dinner, and Mike lets them hash it out while he makes up a bottle for Theo.
*
Cliffy drops in with Paige and Brody. Brody undertakes a project to stack all of the soft, brightly colored blocks, the kind that make soft noises when they're hit, into a tower, which he then knocks over, much to his enjoyment.
Theo laughs as the destruction sends a couple of the blocks crashing past his field of vision. Mike smiles at both kids and sends a block across Theo's vision on the way back to Brody. Theo laughs again and bats his hand out, reflex not quite right to hit the block, but he doesn't seem frustrated by it.
Cliffy hands one of the other blocks to Brody. "We have wooden ones at home. More damage when they hit you."
Mike shrugs. "I don't think Theo's going to be ready for those for a while."
"It'll be sooner than you think," Paige says. She leans over and runs her hand over Brody's hair. "They grow up pretty fast."
Brody ducks away from her hand. "Mama, no."
Mike takes one of the blocks Brody isn't stacking into another tower he's probably also going to knock down and puts it in front of Theo. It chimes every time Theo smacks his arm into it.
"I think we're good with the softer blocks for now," Pears says. "The first time Joner steps on a Lego in the middle of the night after a roadie there's going to be hell to pay."
Even Joner laughs at that. Mike chuckles, and keeps his eyes on Theo. There's no guarantee they'll be here when Theo's ready for Legos, but it's good to know Pears meant it when he said they could stay as long as they want.
*
Quickie and Jackie bring Madison and Carter and a plate of cookies when they drop in.
"You don't get to eat all of them," Joner says to Toff.
"I just want one!"
"They're really for Mike," Jackie says.
Madison looks up at all of them. "I want one!"
"Me too!" Carter says.
Mike looks to Jackie and Quickie for permission to give their kids cookies before he offers one to each of the kids first, then to everyone else and takes one for himself.
"These are great," Mike says. They are; flavorful and just a little on the chewy side.
"Thank you," Jackie says. "They're pretty good for you too, as far as cookies go. I can send you the recipe if you want."
"Yes," Toff answers for him, mouth half full of cookie.
Mike chuckles. "I guess so."
"I'll send it to you," Jackie promises. Then she holds out her arms. "Can I hold him?"
Jackie is competent enough to juggle eating a cookie and getting Theo settled in her arms all at once. She says, "Hi there," to Theo, and eats a bite of her cookie while he looks at her and then decides to smile. Jackie smiles back at him. "Oh, look at that smile. He's beautiful, Mike."
Mike's always liked Jackie.
"I want to see," Madison demands.
Carter crowds closer to Jackie and says, "Me too!"
Jackie crouches down so they can see Theo.
"He's so small," Madison says. "Smaller than Carter."
Carter's mouth works, like he's trying to decide if he's going to protest that.
"Can I hold him?" Madison asks.
She's bigger than Theo and Carter, but she's still a tiny person.
"Uh," Mike says.
Quickie grins at him. "If she sits on the couch and is very careful," that second part seems to be directed more at Madison than at Mike, "it'll be fine."
"Finish your cookie first," Jackie says. "Slowly."
Madison, who looked for a moment like she was going to shove the whole rest of her cookie into her mouth at once, takes just one bite of her cookie. She's small, but apparently determined, and once she finishes the cookie, she climbs up on the couch and all but demands that she get to hold the baby.
Mike hovers a little while Jackie puts Theo on Madison's lap and makes sure she's supporting his head.
Carter finishes his cookie and tries to climb up on the couch - it takes a boost from Jackie for him to get there - and reaches for Theo. "Me too!"
Jackie intervenes before Carter can get any closer to Theo. "He's a little big for you to hold, sweetie. Look, he'll hold onto your fingers." She shows Carter how to put his fingers against Theo's palm so Theo will reflexively grip them.
Carter's face lights up. "Mommy, look!"
It's very cute, and in a couple of years, Theo is going to be looking at Mike like that when something delights him.
Madison puts her fingers in Theo's other hand. Theo grips them tightly, then laughs as he waves both hands, and Madison and Carter's hands, around. Carter laughs too, and Madison starts to giggle, and Jackie takes out her phone.
Mike steps between her and the kids. "You can't put pictures of Theo on the internet."
Jackie looks up at him, surprised.
"He means it," Pears says. "He won't even let us post them to Facebook if they're friends only."
Jackie raises her eyebrows."Okay," she says to Mike, "if that's what you want."
Mike nods firmly and steps out of her way so she can take a couple of pictures of the kids laughing.
"You want me to send these to you?" she asks.
"Yeah," Mike says. It's pretty cute. "Thanks."
"Of course." Jackie sends the pictures on and puts her phone away.
Carter loses interest in Theo first, but Madison isn't far behind, and pretty soon the kids are playing some kind of game on the floor with Pears and Toff while Jackie holds Theo for a while and Joner and Quickie do something that's either silent goalie communion or a shared sense of disinterest in the chaos around them.
Mike eats another cookie and calls his mom after Jackie and Quickie leave.
"Hi, honey," she says. "How are you?"
"Fine," Mike says. "Jackie brought us cookies."
They talk about cookies for a few minutes, Mom telling a story about a school bake sale and snickerdoodles that went wrong, before she asks, "And how's my grandson?"
Mike smiles, looking at Theo laughing at the bright purple fabric Pears found somewhere and is waving past him. "He's great, Mom."
"I want to see some more pictures. We miss him."
Mike winces - he didn't really talk to his parents about his decision to leave the lake and come down to LA - but promises to send her pictures. After they hang up, he snaps a picture of Pears and Theo - he manages to get both of them smiling and the purple fabric in blurred motion - and sends her that and one of Theo with Madison and Carter.
Pears asks, "Everything okay?" without looking away from Theo.
Mike shrugs one shoulder and slides down onto the floor. "Hey, bud. Is Pears keeping you entertained?"
Theo turns toward the sound of his voice, and Pears lets it drop.
*
Brownie and Nicole drop in without their kids but with a gift for Theo.
"You might already have one of these," Nicole says, "but Megan said you didn't bring much with you, and our kids all loved them."
It's a mat with what look like tent poles arching up over it with things that hang from them. Mike doesn't have one. He thanks Nicole for it and puts it out of the way while they're visiting.
"We left the kids with the nanny," Brownie explains. "Figured it'd be more noise than you want if we brought them."
Nicole shakes her head. "Way more noise than you want with an infant."
"Well, we already have Toff and Bruno," Joner says, "so it's already pretty loud around here."
Toff laughs even as he protests, and Brownie smiles as he shakes his head at all of them.
"Let's see that kid of yours," Brownie says to Mike.
Brownie's experience with kids shows. He holds Theo easily, and even Theo drooling on him a little doesn't faze him in the slightest. "Hi, there, bud." Brownie smiles at Theo, and hefts him a little. "Good weight to you there."
Joner looks at Brownie and Theo skeptically. "He's tiny."
"Nah," Brownie says. "He's a good size for his age."
"He's gaining weight," Pears adds. "At a pretty good rate, I think."
"You must be feeding him all the time," Nicole says.
Mike shrugs. "About every three hours."
Nicole shakes her head. "I do not miss midnight feedings."
Mike half smiles. "I'm looking forward to getting past those."
"Kids aren't so bad like this," Brownie says.
"You didn't have to wake up in the middle of the night with them," Nicole says.
"Well I had you for that," Brownie says with a smirking little smile.
"You're such an asshole," Nicole laughs. "Let me hold the baby."
Brownie presses a kiss to Nicole's cheek as he hands Theo over.
That was what Mike was supposed to have when he had kids. There was supposed to be someone else with him, someone he could share it with, someone he could love.
Everyone else is looking at Brownie and Nicole talking to Theo, so Mike has a moment to take a deep breath and make sure none of that is showing on his face. He's a little relieved, though, when they give Theo back to him before they leave. There's no one to share it with him, but he still has Theo.
"We have a lot of experience with this. If you ever need anything, just ask," Nicole says before they leave.
"That goes for both of us." Brownie squeezes his shoulder. "You're still team."
Mike hugs them both, all three of them careful with Mike still holding Theo.
"We're going to take a nap," Mike tells Pears, Toff, and Joner. Theo isn't really tired yet, but Mike needs the time alone. Toff and Joner don't react to it, but Pears squeezes his shoulder just like Brownie did, and Mike feels the echoes of those two touches all the way up the stairs.
*
Mike's not really all the way awake, but he doesn't have to be. He can make up a bottle and feed Theo half-asleep, and he may not be playing hockey but he's still a good enough athlete to make it up and down stairs without falling even when he's not all the way awake. Even Theo's crying doesn't snap him all the way out of it.
"Hey," Pears says, and Mike turns around and squints at him. It's the middle of the night, and they had a game. Pears should probably be sleeping. He's only wearing boxers, so he probably was sleeping.
"Shit, sorry," Mike says. "Did he wake you up?" He rocks Theo a little, trying to get him to quiet down while they wait for his bottle to heat up.
"No," Pears says. "Too keyed up to sleep."
Probably from whatever happened in the game. Mike doesn't know for sure; he hasn't watched a game since Chicago won the Cup in June.
"Here," Pears says, "I'll take him while you finish that."
Theo stops crying for a few seconds as he gets transferred from being held against Mike's bare chest - Mike's only in pajama pants - to Pears', but then he starts again.
"Hey," Pears says soothingly. "Hey, bud, it's okay. Your dad's making up a bottle for you right now, and we're going to get you fed."
Mike listens to Pears talking to Theo while he waits for Theo's bottle to finish heating. Pears is good with kids, and he holds out his hand for the bottle after Mike tests it on his wrist.
Pears settles down in one of the chairs at the counter to give Theo his bottle. Mike cleans up, and then settles into the chair next to Pears. He's still tired, and Theo's fine, so he folds his arms on the counter and puts his head down.
It's quiet for a bit, just the sound of Theo sucking down formula, and then Pears asks, "Can I ask you something?"
Mike turns his head to look at Pears. "Sure."
"Is this why you and Lindsey broke up? Because you were going to have Theo?"
Mike's half-asleep, which is why it takes him a few seconds to realize that Pears thinks he cheated on Lindsey, and to remember that he didn't explain about Theo.
"No," he says. "Lindsey's his mom. Or she gave birth to him, anyway. She gave up her parental rights." Mike reaches out to brush his fingers over Theo's tiny foot. "She didn't find out she was pregnant until after she gave the ring back." He looks up in time to see Pears wince.
"Sorry," Pears says.
Mike shrugs a little. "It is what it is." He turns his head back into his arms and listens to Theo working at his bottle.
"Mike," Pears says a few minutes later.
Mike lifts his head. Pears is looking at him, and Theo's done with his bottle.
"Here." Pears hands over Theo. "Go back to bed. I'll take care of this." He holds up the bottle.
When Mike tries to offer to do it himself, Pears shakes his head and says, "I've got it," so Mike just nods at him and takes Theo up the stairs.
Mike stands over Theo's crib, hand resting on Theo's back, for a few minutes, waiting until Theo falls asleep before he gets into bed. He tries not to think about it too much, about Lindsey and everything he lost over the summer. Pears' question stirred it all up again, and he takes a few deep breaths in the dark. He's tired enough that he falls asleep before he has to think about it for too long.
Part 2