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This - This isn't something Paulie was prepared for. Hell, he's pretty sure NOTHING can prepare you to walk in and see a toddler in place of your teammate. How the hell does this even happen?  He thinks. He doesn't get the opportunity to freak out though, because Beau shakily walks over and motions to be lifted into Paulie's arms.
Placing Beau on his hip, Paulie decides it doesn't matter how it happened. What matters is that he does everything he possibly can to take care of Beau, at least until he's big enough to take care of himself.

"What do you say we go and find the boys?" Paulie asks. Beau looks at him, confused but nods anyway.

"Alright." Paulie says as they walk out of the room. Just a few minutes later, they run into Steve. "Hey Paulie. Who's the kid? He looks just like...." Downs trails off. "Yeah." Paulie states, "That’s because it is." Downs stares at him in disbelief "You can't be serious, this is a joke right?" Paulie shakes his head "I'm dead serious, it's Beau. I'm not sure how it happened but it did."

Downs just shakes his head, "You need to get that kid some clothes that fit."
Paulie nods "I'm going to go get some now, anything else I need? I've never had a kid to take care of before."
"You'll need a car seat for sure, sippy cups, toys, maybe a pacifier" he stops for a second, trying to think of other things Paulie will need. "He looks like he's probably about two or so, you'll definitely need diapers and wipes too."
Paulie makes a face at this and, like the asshole he is, Downs just laughs. "It's not that bad Paulie."

It is when it's your teammate Paulie thinks, while saying out loud "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Beau chooses that moment to make his presence known, curling his chubby little hand around a few strands of Paulie's hair and pulling down, laughing when Paulie hisses in pain.
Paulie grabs both of Beau's hands and pins them to his body, keeping them there while Beau tries to wriggle out of his grasp, bright blue eyes filling with tears when Paulie refuses to let him go. Paulie looks to Downs for help. Downs just shakes his head, laughing when Beau lets out a high-pitched wail in Paulie's ear.

"He wants to get down, if you don't let him go he'll just scream and cry until he gets his way." Downs says.

Paulie blinks in disbelief "So I'm supposed to just give in to him? How does that teach him anything?"

" He needs to be allowed to move around, at this age kids don't want to be held constantly. They want to explore." Downs explains.

"I understand that I guess, but that's allowing him to get away with bad behavior."

Downs shakes his head "Put him down."

Paulie's not quite sure what this will accomplish, but he gently sets Beau on the ground anyway.

"Good. Now watch." Downs sits down on the floor, motioning for Beau to come to him. Beau hesitates before deciding to go to Downs. Downs pulls Beau into his lap before gently turning Beau so they're face to face.

Paulie watches their interaction, which ranges from Downs introducing himself, to telling Beau that pulling hair is mean and he needs to apologize to Paulie.
After a few more questions and a hug, Beau stands up and toddles over to Paulie, pulling on his pant leg.

Paulie looks down at Beau, standing there with his thumb firmly stuck in his mouth. "Yes buddy?"

"I sowwy." Beau mumbles around his thumb.

"Thumb out of your mouth when you're talking." Downs says before walking away.

Beau takes his thumb out of his mouth "I sowwy." he says as tears begin to race down his chubby cheeks.

Paulie's heart breaks a little, "It's okay buddy I'm not mad, just make sure you don't do it again okay?" Beau nods, tears still falling. Paulie reaches his arms out for a hug, surprised when Beau actually walks over and attempts to wrap his tiny arms around Paulie.

Downs walks back in, carrying a car seat. Paulie looks at the car seat, then at Downs. "Why'd you bring a car seat?"

"Because, you can't take a 2 year old in the car without a car seat." Downs says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.
Paulie rolls his eyes "I know that, I meant why did you get it? He's my responsibility."

"Relax, it's our extra. You can borrow it while he's small and give it back when he's grown again." Downs says, giving him a gap-toothed grin.

Paulie stands, holding Beau to his hip. "Can you put it in my car for me? I have no clue how to do it."

Downs laughs "For an old man, there's a lot you don't know." "I'm not that old!" Paulie says, laughing. Downs just shakes his head, "Let's go, you need to go pick up a lot of stuff and this little guy is going to need a nap."

When they get out to Paulie's car, Downs straps in the car seat. "All set" he says as he runs a hand through Beau's hair and gives Paulie a pat on the shoulder. "Good luck". "Thanks" Paulie says while strapping Beau into the car seat.

He gets about 5 minutes from the rink before he looks to the backseat , where Beau is fast asleep.

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Paulie pulls into the parking lot of Babies R' Us and gets a sleeping Beau out of his car seat. He cradles him against his chest and walks inside.

He heads over to find diapers and a diaper bag first. He takes a guess as to what size he needs, silently praying he's right, grabs a pack of wipes and picks out a Penguins diaper bag. Because, why the hell not?

90 minutes and $1,155.00 later Paulie walks out carrying, a now awake, Beau.After Paulie packs the trunk of his car full with everything he bought, he straps Beau into his car seat, handing him his blanket.

30 minutes later, Paulie pulls into his driveway and is about to go in the house when he realizes he can't just leave Beau alone while he takes stuff in the house. He thinks about what to do before deciding to call Suttsy (since he lives the closest) to come help.

Brandon gets there within 15 minutes and walks up to Paulie "So what did you need my help with?"

"Can you take him in the house and watch him for me while I carry in all the stuff in my trunk?" Paulie says as he hands Beau over to Suttsy.

Suttsy takes Beau and places him on his hip "Sure, but when did you get a kid?"

Paulie laughs in spite of himself "When Beau turned into a toddler".

Sutty's eyes go wide "You mean this is Beau?! I have Beau on my hip? What the f----" Paulie cuts him off "Yes, yes and watch your mouth! He's 2 and he'll start repeating you."

"Oh right, sorry." Suttsy says as he walks into the house with Beau.

Not long after. Paulie comes in the house after bringing everything in. He goes straight upstairs to turn the guest room into Beau's room, when he's finished he goes back downstairs to see Suttsy laying on the floor, holding Beau up in the air. He smiles and pulls out his phone, snapping a picture and sending it to Brandon before walking over and grabbing Beau out of the air.

"Hey! We were playing!" Suttsy says.

"Too bad, I'm taking him to the playground to get some exercise"

"Can I come?"
"I guess so" Paulie says " Hold him while I pack his diaper bag"

Suttsy takes Beau into his arms and follows Paulie to the kitchen.

Paulie fills up one sippy cup with juice and one with water, grabs a couple snacks, a few diapers, a pack of wipes, a pacifier and a spare outfit, putting them all in the diaper bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Good look Paulie" Suttsy says, laughing. Paulie just gives him the finger and grabs Beau, walking out to the car.

At the park he let's Beau go off and play, he and Suttsy are talking about an upcoming game, when he hears a high-pitched wail. Instinctively, he turns his head and sees Beau on the ground crying.
He runs over and lifts him into his arms, rubbing circles on his back and whispering softly in his ear to try and get him to stop crying. "What happened buddy?"

Beau sniffles, tears rolling down his cheeks "I fwell, my arm hurt." Paulie looks at his arm and notices it's got a few scratches, but it's not swollen or discolored and it doesn't look broken. "It's okay, just a few scratches. Do you want to go home so we can clean it up and maybe watch a movie?"

Beau nods, leaning his head against Paulie's shoulder, screeching when Suttsy tries to take him from Paulie.

Suttsy, admittedly, looks hurt by the reaction "Beau, I thought we were pals!"

"NO! I WIKE PAWIE BETTWER!" Beau screams. Paulie just rests a hand on his back "Calm down buddy, I won't let mean old Suttsy take you." Beau gives him a toothy grin and nuzzles his face into Paulie's neck "Gwood, I wike you bwest Pawie. I no want Sussy"

At this point Brandon looks like he wants to cry.

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Back at the house Paulie gets Beau from the backseat and walks inside and Brandon heads home.

Paulie walks up to the bathroom and sets Beau on the counter, taking Beau's arm into his hand and gently cleaning the scratches, his heart breaking a little when Beau cries. He puts some antibiotic ointment on the scratches, pulls Beau off the counter and takes him downstairs for dinner.

After dinner and a movie, he puts Beau to bed, more than ready to fall asleep himself. He's sleeping soundly when he suddenly wakes up. Looking at the clock, he knows its 2 AM and he's confused as to why the hell he's awake at 2 in the morning.

His confusion doesn’t last long though, when his door opens and reveals a terrified-looking Beau, cheeks stained by tears.

"What's wrong?"

"Pawie, I seep wif you?"

Paulie goes over and picks up Beau, carrying him to the bed and laying him down. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Beau nods, tears still falling. Paulie lays down on the other side of the bed, pulling Beau into him "It was just a bad dream, you're okay. Let's go back to sleep okay?"

Paulie waits for some affirmation but when he looks down, he sees that Beau is already fast asleep. Smiling to himself, Paulie allows himself to fall back to sleep.

He awakes the next morning to Beau looking at him, pacifier in his mouth and blankie in hand. "Pawie? I hungwy" Paulie stands up and stretches "All right" he says as he lifts Beau off the bed "Let's go get some breakfast"

Paulie puts Beau in his booster seat and hands him a sippy cup of milk, turning his attention to the refrigerator to find something to make for breakfast. He's just made his decision when he hears something hit the floor, followed by Beau's cry. He turns and sees the sippy cup on the floor, leaking milk. He walks over and picks it up, taking it to the sink to rinse off the top before handing it to Beau.

"No crying. it's just a little milk, no big deal." He says as he wipes away Beau's tears with his thumb. Beau just looks at him, before shoving the sippy cup in his mouth. Paulie smiles, turning back to the breakfast he's making.

After breakfast, Paulie takes Beau upstairs to change him and get him dressed, laying him on the bed with a toy while Paulie dresses himself. He picks up Beau, grabs the diaper bag, walks out to the car and heads to Consol.

When he pulls in to Consol he sees that Downs is just getting there as well. He gets Beau out of his car seat and walks over to Steve's car.

"Hey Downs"

"Hey Paulie" Steve says as he reaches out a hand to ruffle Beau's hair. "How are you handling having a kid?"

"Could be better, we went to the park yesterday, he fell and scratched his arm pretty good."

Downs nods "That happens, still not totally steady on his feet...... Have you told management and the coaches yet?"

Paulie shakes his head "No, only you and Suttsy know as of right now. I'm going to tell the Coaches before practice." He walks into Consol and straight down to the Coaches room, walking in and sitting down. Mike, Gary and Rick look up when the door opens, shocked to see Paulie carrying a toddler.

Mike is the first to speak up "What can I do for you Paulie?"

Paulie gulps "There's something you need to know."

Gary quirks an eyebrow at this "What might that be Paulie?"

"Beau... won't be practicing today." Paulie says quietly.

"What do you mean he won't be practicing today? It's mandatory unless he's sick or injured." Mike says.

Paulie looks at the coaches, "What if he's a toddler?" he says, gesturing to the child on his hip.

The coaches stay silent for what feels like forever before Mike speaks up "So that's Beau then? Alright well have you told management yet? They need to be aware of this."

"I haven't yet, no."

Mike nods, "I'll let them know, you go get ready for practice."

"What am I supposed to do with him?"

"Take him to the locker room with you for now, I'll see if I can find someone to watch him during practice."

"Alright" Paulie says as he leaves the room and heads down to the locker room. As soon as he walks in, the boys swarm him asking why he has a toddler.

He's about to respond when he feels somebody take Beau out of his arms. He looks to see who it was and isn't the least bit surprised to find out Sid is the one to take him.

The man has a serious baby obsession, and Paulie wouldn't put it past him to kidnap a child.

Beau hasn't been out of Paulie's arms for more than 15 seconds before he's crying, "PAWIE!" he screams, reaching his arms out for Paulie. Sid gets the hint and hands him back to Paulie "He really likes you Paulie."

Paulie nods "Yeah he does" He gets the attention of all the guys "There's something you guys need to know"

The rest of the guys look at him, curious. Paulie takes a deep breath "This is Beau, he somehow turned into a toddler yesterday. I'm not sure how or why it happened or how long it will last."

Everyone looks shocked, Sid is the first to speak up "He's cute as a kid." Geno nods in agreement "Very cute. Like Beau as little baby, maybe he be little forever."

"I hope not, I like taking care of him but playoffs are around the corner. He's no help to us if he's 2." Paulie says.

"That true" Geno comments " Maybe he stay little until end of season at least, I hold?"

Paulie looks at Geno, then at Beau. "Is it okay if Geno holds you?" Paulie asks.

Beau looks at Geno, seemingly terrified at the thought of being held by someone who could easily squish him, before latching on to Paulie "No! he big, he hwurt me." Paulie shakes his head "Geno won't hurt you, I promise"

"NO! I wanna stay wif you Pawie" Beau says as tears pool in his bright blue eyes "I no wan Geo" Paulie looks at Geno, almost apologetically "Sorry G, he doesn't want to and I'm not going to force him."

Geno shrugs "Is ok Paulie. Sorry , I no mean to make cry."

"Yeah I know you didn't, it's okay G." Paulie says, setting Beau down on the ground so he can get ready for practice.

Chapter Text

Mike ends up recruiting Duper, who's at the rink for whatever reason, to watch Beau during practice. Beau cries at first when Duper takes him but after a couple of minutes he stops and lays his head on Duper's shoulder. Paulie gives him his pacifier and blanket as he heads out onto the ice surface.

Duper takes him to the first row of seats behind the bench to watch and Beau follows Paulie's every move, pouting if he can't see Paulie. About halfway through he starts rubbing at his eyes. Years of being a parent tell Duper that it's probably time for a nap. He grabs Beau's pacifier and covers him with a blanket, rocking him back and forth until he falls asleep.

Beau stays asleep until Paulie is ready to leave, waking up when Duper hands him to Paulie. "How was he?" Paulie asks.

" A perfect angel, quiet the whole time. Fell asleep halfway through." Duper replies.

Paulie nods as he starts to walk towards the exit "Thanks for watching him."

"No Problem!" Duper calls after him.

Back at home, Paulie heads to the kitchen to make lunch and leaves Beau in the living room to play. As he's walking over to the table with food in each hand, he hears a crash. Racing to the living room he sees his lamp, the one that his grandma gave him, on the floor in pieces and Beau hiding behind the couch.

Paulie wants to be upset, he really does. But when Beau toddles over, falling at his feet mumbling an "I sowwy." around his pacifier, Paulie can't find it in him to be upset.

The rest of the day passes without incident,soon it's bedtime and Paulie crawls into bed, holding Beau close as they drift off.

The next morning brings a new challenge however.

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*A few months later, after Paulie signed with San Jose* 

They're standing in the airport, Beau sobbing, chubby little arms wrapped around Paulie's neck. Paulie sighs, looking at Sid, silently asking him to pry the crying child off from him so he can catch his flight.  

Sid seems to get the message, gently prying Beau off from Paulie, cradling the poor baby against his chest.  
 
Paulie sighs again, his own tears threatening to fall. "I'm sorry Beau" He says, kissing the toddlers forehead "But Sid will take good care of you, okay? Be a good boy for Sid" he says, and Beau cries harder.  

Paulie's heart can't take it anymore, and he turns away to get through security, Beau's high-pitched wails the only thing he hears. 

He boards the plane with wet cheeks and a broken heart. He can only hope Beau isn't feeling this awful. 

~ 

Sid sighs, carrying Beau out of the airport and to his range rover, buckling him into the backseat. No one had expected Paulie to leave, and no one had expected Beau to stay little this long. 
 
Unfortunately, the reality is that Paulie is gone and Beau is still little, still needs to be taken care of. When Paulie announced he was leaving, and it was decided that Beau wasn't going with him, nearly everyone on the team offered to take Beau in. Paulie decided pretty quickly that Sid was the best choice, despite not having kids of his own, the man has phenomenal parenting skills and is one of the most nurturing human being on the planet. 

Everyone seemed fine with Paulie's decision, knowing that Sid would never let anything happen to their, now tiny, teammate. 

~ 

Beau stops crying when they're about halfway home, falling asleep with his paci in his mouth. Sid smiles, looking back at him, pulling into his driveway a little later and gently lifting Beau from his carseat.  

The little boy whines around his paci, burying his face in the crook of Sid's neck and settling down again. Sid walks inside with him, kicking off his sneakers and pulling Beau's off as well, carrying the little boy up to his room and laying in the bed with him.  

He thought about going back to Cole Harbour, but with everything going on it wasn't a realistic idea. Instead, his family was going to fly in to see him and were going to be staying for about 3 weeks. Luckily, his house has 3 extra bedrooms, one for his sister, one for his parents, and now one for Beau. He sends his mom a quick text, letting her know he'd be there to pick them up later that afternoon, before falling asleep. Beau cuddled into his chest.

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Sid is startled awake a couple hours later, phone blasting his ringtone in his ear. He groggily rolls over, pulling his phone from the bedside table and answering the call, holding it to his ear. 

"Hello?" He says, stifling a yawn. 

"Where are you? We've been waiting for 45 minutes." His mother says, sounding mildly irritated. 

He curses, running a hand down his face. "Sorry, I'll be there in about 20 minutes." 

He hears her sigh. "Alright, just drive safe." she says. 

They exchange 'I love you's' and she hangs up. He shoves his phone in his pocket, gently rubbing Beau's back to wake the little boy up. 

Beau whines around his paci, burying his face in the mattress. Sid sighs, rolling Beau over and pulling his shorts off to change him. Beau tries to roll away, but Sid rests a hand on his tummy to keep him still and changes him quickly, tossing the wet diaper in the trash and carrying Beau downstairs. He slips his sneakers on, bending over and grabbing Beau's to take with them, the little boy still sleeping against his shoulder. He grabs the diaper bag off the hook and makes his way out to the car, heading to the airport. 

~ 

When he pulls up to the airport; he's 10 minutes later than he said he'd be, Beau having woken up crying and it was too difficult to focus on driving without calming him down first; his parents and sister are waiting outside.  

His sister, Taylor, beams when she sees him pull up. He's tempted to get out and give her a hug, but he doesn't want to leave Beau in the car alone. Instead, he opts for a smile and unlocks the back so they can put their bags in the back. 

Taylor yanks open the back door a few minutes later, sliding in next to Beau. His mother joins her a moment later, and his father joins him up front. Taylor immediately starts playing with Beau, keeping him entertained. 

His mother looks at him, mildly confused as to why he has an infant in his back seat.  

"Mom, that's Beau....... Paulie got signed by San Jose, and he had to leave Beau here so I took him in" He explains, and Taylor actually squeals. 

"You mean we get to spend the next 3 weeks with this cutie?!" She asks, and Sid rolls his eyes at her, nodding. 

"So long as he stays little, I guess so." He says, pulling into his driveway. His family files out and Taylor begs him to let her carry Beau in, but he's not so sure that's a good idea. He loves his sister, but he doesn't trust many people with Beau, and he's not sure she'd be as careful as necessary. 

She pouts a little when he tells her no and gathers Beau in his own arms, but she seems to get over it quickly, grabbing her bag and running upstairs to claim her bedroom, stopping short when she sees it's been turned into a baby bedroom. 

"SIDNEY! WHY IS MY ROOM DIFFERENT?!" 

Sid sighs, setting Beau in his playpen in the living room, before walking upstairs. "Sorry Tay, but this is the closest room to mine, and he needs to be close by. You can have the room at the end of the hall." 

"I've had that room since you bought the house, and now you've given it up to a baby that isn't even yours?" Taylor says, obviously annoyed.  

"Enough. As long as he's small, he *IS* mine. Now you can either take the other room, or sleep down on the couch." 
 
She glares, turning and taking her bags down the hall, slamming the door behind her. 

He winces a little at the sound, walking back downstairs and hearing Beau cry. He sighs, lifting him from the playpen, swaying gently back and forth.  

Between Taylor acting like a brat, his mother unhappy about having to wait for over an hour at the airport, and Beau crying damn near constantly because Paulie left; he's ready to rip his hair out.  

He can't wait until it's time for his family to leave. 

He only feels mildly guilty about it. 

~ 

The 3 weeks fly by, and soon he's sitting alone in his house, Beau playing on the floor in the living room. He had a good time with his family after that first day, Taylor wasn't upset with him after having had time to herself to really think about what he was saying, and his mother understood how he had overslept after Beau and Paulie's very emotional goodbye. 

Beau had gotten back to acting like himself about a week after Paulie's departure, though most nights he'd wake up crying and saying "Pawie" over and over again. On those nights Sid would just hold him, rub his back and give him his paci until he fell back to sleep.  

He's lost in thought when Beau comes over, scrambling up into his lap and poking Sid's nose, giggling around his pacifier. Sid laughs, tickling Beau's sides causing the little boy to giggle harder, pacifier falling out of his mouth.  

His lower lip trembles then as he goes from being happy and giggly, to near tears. Sid sighs, grabbing the paci and rinsing it off before giving it back. Beau is way too attached to the pacifier, and Sid decides that he's old enough now, that he doesn't need it.  

He just needs to figure out how to get rid of it without Beau throwing a fit.

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A few days later, he decides to take Beau's paci after he's fallen asleep for his nap, putting it in his Beau wakes up a little later, seemingly not realizing the pacifier is gone............ at least not for a few minutes. When he *does* realize, he starts to cry and Sid almost feels bad enough to give it back, but he knows he can't do that if he expects to ever wean Beau off of it. 

Instead, he lets Beau cry. When Beau seems to have calmed down a little, Sid gently rubs his back.  

"Beau, you're a big boy now. You don't need your paci all the time." He says and Beau whimpers, tears threatening to fall.  

"Mine." He says, tears falling down his cheeks "mine paci" he cries, crawling into Sid's lap. 

Sid sighs, "I didn't say it was gone forever." He says, and Beau looks up at him with a runny nose and wet cheeks. "You can have it for bedtime and naptime, but that's it. You don't need it all day. Okay?" 

Beau sniffles, hesitant, before nodding. "otay" he says, snuggling into Sid's chest. Sid breathes out a sigh of relief, that having gone infinitely better than he was expecting.  

~ 

A couple weeks later and Beau is going down for naps without the pacifier, but still refusing to settle at bedtime without it. Everytime Sid tries to take it before bed, Beau screams and cries. Sid always gives in, Beau's cries enough to damn near break his heart. 

He decides maybe a few more weeks of the pacifier is okay.

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 ~a couple weeks later~ 

Sid is sleeping soundly, when he hears a high-pitched wail over the baby monitor. He rolls over sleepily, looking at the clock. 

3:25 am 

He groans, cursing under his breath and getting out of bed. He walks down to Beau's room, lifting him out of the crib. He cradles Beau against his chest, brushing his hair back, noticing his skin is warm and dry. 

Beau continues to cry, and Sid feels around on the mattress of the crib for his paci, finding it and gently sticking it in Beau's mouth. He carries him back to bed, pulling off his pajamas and leaving him in just his diaper. 

He walks downstairs to fill a sippy cup with water, and by the time he makes it back up to bed, Beau has stopped crying but he's still whimpering, face flushed and breathing raspy. Beau downs the sippy cup in about 2 minutes flat and cries until Sid gets up to get him more. 

After handing Beau another sippy cup, he grabs his phone from the nightstand, calling the doctors office, thankful that they have a 24-hour line.  

~ 
 
He's still on the phone with the doctor when Beau throws up all over the bed, crying again and crawling into Sid's lap. The doctor doesn't explain what's going on, just tells him to get Beau to the hospital immediately.  
 
 He hangs up, cursing under his breath, and gently lifts Beau. He puts a light tshirt on him, grabbing his sippy cup and diaper bag. He slips his own sneakers on and carries Beau out to the car, getting him buckled in and heading straight for the hospital. 

~ 
When he walks in with Beau, who is still crying inconsolably and with a completely soaked diaper, they're taken back to pediatrics and seen immediately.  

After the doctor runs a few tests, he calls for a nurse to come set up an IV. He allows Sid to take Beau and change him quickly. 

When he lays Beau down on the bed, the doctor looks over at him. 

"He's experiencing diabetic ketoacidosis. And judging by the look on your face, and his medical history, he hasn't been diagnosed yet." The doctor says, and Sid nods dumbly. 

"I also know he's regressed in age, yes? I wish I could tell you this will go away when or if he returns to normal, but it won't. Even if he goes back to his adult self, he'll still be diabetic." 

Sid sighs, running a hand through the sleeping toddlers hair. He's hooked up to an insulin drip and a saline drip.  

He desperately wants to ask if Beau will still be able to play hockey if he goes back to normal, but he doesn't. Instead, the doctor leaves and he yawns,sitting in a chair next to Beau's bed. 

It's nearing 8 am when he finally gives in to sleep, exhaustion taking over. 

~ 
His phone blares a few hours later, and he's startled awake. Running a hand over his face and answering his phone. 

"Hello?" He says tiredly, desperately trying to stifle a yawn. 

"Where are you?" Kuni says, "We were supposed to be here by 10:30, remember?" 

Shit,he thinks. "I forgot about it. Been a long night." 

He can hear a muffled yell, Kuni must have covered the phone, before Kuni responds. "What's goin' on? Not like you to not show up." 

"I....uh..... Beau is still a baby and we're at the hospital...." Sid starts, not wanting to finish.  

He hears Kuni curse, something that doesn't happen off the ice ever. "Why the hell are you at the hospital? What happened?" 

Sid sighs, "He woke up crying at about 3:30 this morning, went through 2 full sippy cups of water. His face was flushed and his breathing wasn't right. I called the pediatrician and he told me to get him to emergency." He takes a deep breath before continuing. "Kuni, he's diabetic" 

He hears a clatter, Kuni having dropped the phone in shock. "Sorry. Just, wow. Is he alright? It'll go away when he's big again right?" 

"No Kuni. He's stuck with it regardless." 

Kuni sighs "I'll let coach know you won't be here. Alright?"  

Sid is about to answer, when the doctor comes in and gives him the crash course in how to care for Beau, and after a quick blood sugar test, Beau is discharged. 

Sid changes his diaper quickly, getting him dressed in his spare outfit and heading to the rink. "I'll be there in 20 minutes Kuni" 

"alright.. I'll let coach know." He says, hanging up.  

Sid sets his phone in the cupholder, stopping at the store to get Beau new sneakers (because going home would be way out of his way and he needs new ones anyway), before heading to the rink. 

He just hopes Beau will be alright during camp.  

Chapter Text

He pulls into Consol a few minutes later, getting Beau from his carseat and rushing inside. He changes quickly and tests Beau's sugar, smiling when it reads out 130.

He grabs a water bottle from the fridge in the locker room and pours it into Beau's sippy cup, before lifting Beau into his arms and carrying him out towards the ice. Duper meets him there and takes Beau from his arms, giving him a gentle kiss on the forehead and taking his sippy cup from Sid.

"Kuni told me." Duper says simply and Sid nods, giving Beau a gentle forehead kiss and getting out on the ice surface.

~

Camp drags on and Sid can't go more than a few minutes without looking over to where Beau is. About halfway through, he notices Beau seems to have fallen asleep in Duper's arms. He wakes up crying a little later though, Sid can hear his high-pitched wails even over the sound of the ice being torn up by their skates, and the whistles.

Duper tries to calm him down, but the little boy is damn near inconsolable.

Sid doesn't bother asking coach if he can leave, he just does it, skating over and getting off the ice. He takes Beau into his arms, rubbing his back gently and carrying him into the locker room. He washes off his own hands, and wipes down Beau's before pricking his finger, causing the little boy to cry out. Sid's heart breaks a little, he hates hearing Beau cry but what is he supposed to do, Beau needs his sugar monitored and he isn't big enough to do it himself. The meter beeps then, reading out a 63.

He curses grabbing a juice box and pouring it into Beau's sippy cup. He manages to get Beau to stop crying long enough to take a few sips of juice and he sighs, rocking back and forth with Beau in his arms.

I should have given him breakfast before we came He thinks, feeling extremely guilty that he wasn't thinking about breakfast and was more concerned with getting to camp. Now he's miserable and it's all my fault.

The rest of the team walks in then, confusion etched on their faces.

Beau has stopped crying by this point and Sid gently sets him down, checking his sugar again. 88. He lets out a sigh of relief, giving Beau his blanket and pacifier, and gets changed out of his equipment.

Some of the guys try to convince him to stick around for a while, but he turns them down, instead opting to get Beau some breakfast before he drops again.

He's not watching where he's going and bumps right into Conor, knocking the smaller boy to the ground.

Conor, to his credit, doesn't make a big deal of it. Just brushes himself off and stands up with a laugh, tickling Beau's tummy and eliciting a giggle. "He's cute as a baby. How long has he been like this?" He asks and Sid shrugs.

"Since probably March", which, it's September now. "So 6 months" he says, shifting Beau to his other hip.

Conor nods, backing away slightly. "I'd like to watch him for a little while sometime...."

Sid sighs "We'll see. Right now he needs to stay with me."

"Of course. I just...... I was asking for future reference." Conor says, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck and pushing his glasses up his nose.

Sid nods quickly, walking out the door without another word.

~

He stops at the grocery store, pulling out the list of foods that are good for Beau to have that the doctor had given him, and quickly gets through his shopping.

Beau throws a tantrum while they're waiting in line, probably getting tired of sitting in the cart, and Sid gives him his pacifier, ignoring the judgmental looks for the woman in front of him. However, he can't ignore her when she turns towards him.

"You should be ashamed of yourself. Learn how to quiet him down properly, instead of shoving a pacifier in his mouth." She says, obviously irritated. "He's much too old for one. You need to be a parent and teach him how to get on without having a pacifier in his mouth."

Sid snaps, which doesn't happen often and especially not off the ice. "I'm sorry but I'm fairly certain I can raise him however I'd like. He was diagnosed with diabetes last night at 2 ½ years old, so yeah, I'm going to let him have the pacifier." He says, venom lacing his voice. "And for your information Miss., I tried other methods of calming him down and they didn't work. The pacifier is used as a last resort, though that's not really any of your business." He pays, pushing the cart towards the door, ignoring the woman's shocked look.

He gets out to the car, loading the groceries in the back and getting Beau buckled into his car seat.

As he pulls out of the parking lot, he realizes there will probably be some headline about his little outburst in the store.

However, he can't find it in him to care.

Chapter Text

He heads home, setting Beau in his highchair and setting to work on breakfast. He's just about finished when his phone rings, so he sets Beau's breakfast down in front of him and grabs his phone.

"Hello?"

"Sid, we have a problem....." Kuni says, sounding slightly concerned.

Sid groans "Please don't tell me this is about the grocery store."

"Grocery store? What grocery store?"

"Nevermind.... what's the problem?"

Kuni sighs "Y'know how Beau's a baby......"

"I'm aware thanks. What does that have to do with anything?" Sid says, slightly irritated.

"...............Conor is too."

Sid blanches at that " What? What the hell do you mean 'Conor is too'?! He was perfectly fine this morning!"

"I mean he's a baby now. He's probably about 2, hasn't stopped crying since he changed." Kuni says and Sid blows out a frustrated breath.

"Just try and keep him happy. I need to give Beau a chance to finish his breakfast so he doesn't drop again, and I'll stop at the store to pick up another car seat. I'll come get him soon."

"Alright, just please hurry. He doesn't want any of us." Kuni says and Sid nods, muttering a quick goodbye and hanging up.
~
Beau finishes his breakfast a little later, managing to get it all over the front of himself and in his hair. Sid sighs, pulling him out of his high chair and carrying him upstairs for a quick bath.
He gets Beau dressed in dark jeans and a paw patrol shirt, grabbing his new converse and slipping them on. He gets his own sneakers back on, grabbing Beau's diaper bag and sippy cup, and carries him out to the car.

He heads towards the rink, stopping at target for a car seat for Conor, before pulling into Consol's parking lot. He gets Beau, who is now sound asleep, out of the car and carries him inside to the locker room.

Kuni greets him at the door with Conor in his arms, sound asleep. "Finally managed to get him calmed down." Kuni says, looking at Sid. "How's Beau? I know you had a bit of a scare this morning."

"He's alright. We stopped at the store this morning for some diabetic-friendly foods and he had some breakfast when we got home. He fell asleep on the way here." Sid says, shifting Beau on his hip, causing the little boy to whine and nuzzle his face against Sid's neck.

Sid gently shushes him, reaching out to take Conor with his other arm.

"You sure?" Kuni says hesitantly "Two toddlers aren't gonna be very light...."

Sid nods, "I got it. I just want to get home ."

Kuni nods, passing Conor over to Sid and saying a quick goodbye, heading out the door to his own car.

Sid struggles a bit, trying to position both boys on his hips to carry them, but he manages after a few tries. He carries them both out to the range rover, getting them buckled into their car seats and heading home. He figures he can take the boys out later on to get some things for Conor, but right now he needs a nap.
~
Conor is the first to wake up that afternoon, he cries loudly and Sid is out of bed immediately, heading down to Beau's- well now Beau and Conor's- room.

He lifts Conor into his arms and Conor's cries stop almost immediately. Sid kisses his forehead and sets him on the ground, doing the same with a now-awake Beau. He walks out of the room, putting the baby gate up so they can't get out of the room, but he'll still be able to hear them from the kitchen.

He makes lunch quickly, going upstairs to get the boys. He changes Beau's diaper quickly, and lifts Conor, immediately realizing he had made a terrible mistake.

He had never put a diaper on Conor, so now the little boy was soaked. He sighs, giving Conor a quick bath and putting a -slightly too big- diaper on him and grabs one of Beau's outfits, which is also a little too big but it'll have to do.

He carries both boys downstairs, setting Beau in his high chair and leaving Conor on his lap.

Which, Beau doesn't like at all.

"Me lap!" Beau says and Sid shakes his head.

"No buddy, you know the rules. You sit in your high chair."

Beau pouts obviously not happy. He quiets down though , and Sid thinks that's the end of it. Unfortunately it's not, and Beau starts to cry not long after. Sid sighs, grabbing Beau's kit to test him before lunch.

He figures Beau's already unhappy, may as well get the testing done too.

Beau actually screams and tries to pull away from Sid. Sid just holds his arm steady, talking in a low voice to try and distract him.

He finally manages to get a drop of blood, the meter reading out a 56.

So that's why he's so cranky. He thinks, kissing Beau's forehead. "All done." He says, putting Beau's lunch in front of him.

Beau sniffles, munching on his lunch.

Sid grabs his own lunch and Conor's, eating with one hand and helping Conor with the other.

They finish lunch a little later and he wipes both boys faces and hands, getting Beau's converse on him and grabbing his reeboks for Conor, which again, are just a tad too big.

He grabs 2 sippy cups and Beau's kit, putting them into the diaper bag and grabs both boys, heading out to the car.
~
He ends up buying 2 packs of diapers, 2 pairs of sneakers for Conor, a few outfits, a few pairs of pants, a few tshirts, a few sweatshirts and a few long sleeved shirts. He also gets both boys new winter coats and hats, a few new sippy cups, a pacifier for Conor, a high chair and a couple blankets for him as well.

Overall he only spends about $300 which isn't horrible, to be completely honest.

Afterwards, he takes the boys home to drop off the stuff, before taking them down to the playground, where they run into Kris and Alex.

"Hey Sid." Kris yells across the park, Alex running circles around the playground.

Sid laughs, setting Conor and Beau down. He walks over to where Kris is sitting, and sits next to him, watching the three little boys run rampant through the play structure.

"So Conor is little too then eh?" Kris says, and Sid nods. "How's that goin' for you?"

Sid shrugs "Could be better. He's very clingy but it's going well so far."

Kris nods "And how's Beau handling it?"

"He wasn't very happy that Conor got to sit on my lap and he had to sit in his high chair for lunch. But his sugar was low and Conor won't be sitting on my lap for meals anymore anyway." Sid says, hearing a high-pitched wail. He looks over and sees Conor on the ground next to the play structure, tears streaming down his cheeks.

He stands up, going over and lifting Conor into his arms, gently bouncing him until he stops crying. "What happened buddy?"

"Fwell" Conor sniffles, and Sid sees his wrist is slightly swollen, and his chin is bleeding a little bit.

"Does anything hurt?" He asks, though he's fairly certain the answer will be 'yes'.

Conor whimpers, tears falling again and he nods, pointing to his chin and then to his wrist.
Sid sighs, going over and grabbing Beau's hand so they can leave, which Beau doesn't like in the slightest.

"Pway!" Beau says, trying to pull away from Sid.

Sid shakes his head "Conor is hurt, we need to go see the doctor to make sure he's okay."

"Pway" Beau says, sniffling, tears falling down his cheeks.

Sid sighs, completely at a loss until Kris looks at him.

"Beau can stay here with me for a little while, I'll bring him to yours later if you want. Just leave the car seat and his diabetes stuff, yeah?" Kris says, and Sid sighs.

"You sure? I don't want you to have to deal with him if he's gonna throw a temper tantrum."

Kris laughs "Alex is just as bad, i can handle it for a little while. Just call and let me know when you're headed home."

"Alright I guess....." Sid says, going and getting Beau's car seat and putting it into Kris' car. He sets Beau on the bench and looks at him. "You need to be a good boy for Kris, okay? I'll see you later."

Beau nods, pushing past Sid to go play with Alex.

Sid shakes his head, smiling a little, and carries Conor to the car.

He's praying Conor isn't hurt too badly, but the purplish-blue on his wrist and the fact that it's a bit swollen has him slightly concerned that that's not the case.

Chapter Text

An hour and a half later, Conor is sound asleep, in a blue cast up to the elbow with a broken wrist. Sid's phone rings when he's about halfway home. 

Putting it on bluetooth, he answers.  

"Hello?" 

"You're not done at the doctor yet?" Kris asks, and Sid curses, having forgotten to call Kris so he could drop Beau off.  

"No, I'm about halfway home. I completely forgot to call you." Sid says, and he hears Beau crying in the background. 

He can hear Kris trying to calm Beau down, before he answers. "Alright, I'll meet you there then?" 

"Yeah. Is he okay? I can hear him in the background." Sid says 

"He's fine. He just done with being with me I think." Kris says, and Sid can hear Beau wailing in the background.  

He can't subject Kris to that any longer. "I'll meet you at 'Double Wide' alright? Pick up Cath on your way there and we'll have dinner together, I'll buy." 
 
"Cath is right here actually, I'll see you in 15 minute?" Kris asks and Sid quickly agrees, saying a quick goodbye and hanging up.  

~ 
It's actually closer to 20 minutes when he pulls into the parking lot, Kris' car already parked. A quick peek into the car tells him Kris is already inside the restaurant, and he grabs Conor and heads inside.  

The second Beau sees him, he reaches for him, starting to cry when he realizes Sid is too far out of his reach.  

Sid smiles a little, setting Conor in the empty highchair, and ruffles Beau's hair. The little boy quiets down immediately and goes back to scribbling on his paper. 

They order soon after, and once the waiter goes away, Beau grabs his arm. 

"dwawing daddy" he says, pointing at the scribbles.  

Sid is shocked, he wasn't expecting that today. Or really, any day for that matter.  

Beau is looking at him expectantly, a pout on his lips and tears shining in his bright blue eyes. "No wike?"  

"No buddy, I love it. It's very pretty." Sid says quickly, leaning over and kissing Beau's forehead, pulling back at how warm it is "thank you" 

Beau sniffles, reaching for Sid. "hold you me?" 

Sid sighs, knowing he's probably not feeling well, if the slight warmth of his forehead is any indication. "Just until dinner comes, then you need to get back in your seat." He says, gently lifting Beau from the high chair.  

The little boy curls up on his lap, resting his head against his shoulder. He falls asleep within minutes and Sid sighs. 

Kris looks over at him, "He okay?" 
 
"He feels a little warm, probably getting sick." Sid says. "keep an eye on Alex" 

Kris nods, reaching over and feeling Alex's forehead, breathing out a sigh of relief when he doesn't feel warm.  

Their food comes then, and they eat in mostly silence, occasionally making small talk. 

Sid pays and they head their separate ways, going home to get their little boys off to bed.  

~ 

He carries the boys upstairs, giving both of them a little motrin; Conor for his wrist and Beau for the fever. 

He gets both of them to sleep fairly quickly and heads to bed himself, but he sincerely doubts they'll sleep through the night. 

He's absolutely right. 

Chapter Text

Due to Beau being traded, i am contemplating ending this story. I know some of you really like it but i'm just not sure if i want to continue it at this point.

If i do stop writing it, i may start i new one where he Deages following the trade and have it be Devils.

I am also going to be starting a NHL 'BIG BROTHER' AU based on the reality game show, "BIG BROTHER" (Wednesdays and Sundays at 8/7c, Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS)

please comment on this, as i want to get some feedback on what i should do. thank you <3

Chapter Text

Beau's cries pierce through Sid's deep sleep at 2 am, and he's up immediately. He gets to the boys bedroom and is greeted by a crying toddler with a runny nose and covered in puke.

He sighs, gently lifting Beau out of his crib and carrying him to the bathroom. He cleans him up with a wet washcloth and gets him changed into clean jammies. A quick sugar test shows he's running exceptionally high, so Sid dials up a little insulin according to the hospitals cheat sheet. He carries Beau down to his bedroom and lays him against the pillows with his blanket and pacifier, before going back to the boys bedroom and stripping Beau's bed.

He manages to get down to the laundry room and start the washer, before Conor wakes up crying.

He sighs, going upstairs and getting Conor, carrying him to his bedroom and laying him down on the other side of the bed. He gets a bucket incase they need it, and gets in bed between the boys, both of them cuddling into his sides.

Conor manages to fall asleep soon after, but Beau can't seem to fall asleep. Sid sighs, turning on Sprout, figuring if Beau is going to be miserable, the least he can do is let him watch a few programs.

Beau gets sick a few more times over the next couple hours, but finally manages to fall asleep around 5 am.
Sid yawns, turning off the tv and getting up to empty and clean out the bucket, before getting back into bed between the boys, drifting off himself.
~
He wakes up a couple hours later, calling Sully and letting him know he will not be at camp because he has two little boys who need him way more. Sully doesn't say much, just a simple good luck, and hangs up.
Sid stretches, yawning and getting up to make some breakfast for the boys, knowing at the very least Conor will be up within the hour.

Sure enough, Conor comes toddling down the stairs, trying to rub at his eyes with his cast. Sid gently pulls his arm down, careful not to jostle his wrist, and lifts him into his highchair. He sets breakfast on the tray and fills a sippy cup with juice.

Once he's convinced Conor is okay, he runs upstairs to check on Beau. He knows Beau needs sleep, but he also knows his sugar levels are probably completely out of whack.

He gently wakes Beau, just long enough to test his sugar. It's just a bit too low, but much better than Sid was expecting. He carries Beau downstairs, filling his sippy cup with juice, and sits down with Beau in his lap. Beau drinks maybe half of his juice, snuggling into Sid and falling back asleep.

Conor, on the other hand, somehow manages to fall asleep in his breakfast, causing Sid to laugh.

He carries Beau back up to bed, and lays him in his crib before going back downstairs to get Conor. He cleans the little boy up quickly, placing him in his own crib and shutting the door behind him.

He yawns, going down to his room and falling to sleep almost immediately.
~
A few hours later, he's not feeling too hot himself. He's awake for less than five minutes before he hears Conor cry, followed by Beau just a short time later.

He sighs, standing up and groaning, his stomach doing flips.

He gets down to the boys' room and nearly loses his own breakfast when he sees both boys covered in puke. He manages to hold back though and grabs both boys, carrying them to the bathroom for a quick bath and getting them in clean diapers, opting to not dirty another set of jammies.

The three of them go back to his room and the boys cuddle together in the center of the bed, falling back to sleep. Sid goes and strips both cribs, tossing their dirty sheets and clothes into the washer. He grabs a couple buckets and goes back upstairs, gently moving the boys and laying down on his side of the bed.
~
He wakes up a little later, feeling much better. He can hear the boys giggling and takes it to mean they're probably feeling better as well. He gets out of bed, going down to the boys room and standing in the doorway.
They're rolling around on the ground, trying to pin each other down, laughing. They happen to notice him then, standing up and toddling over to him.

"all better!" Conor says and Sid laughs "I see that." He says, kissing Conor's forehead, then moving to kiss Beau's as well.

He lifts both boys up, carrying them downstairs for dinner.

After dinner, they head upstairs and watch a movie in his bed, the boys end up falling asleep together about halfway through the movie.

Sid turns off the tv, carrying the boys to their cribs before going back to his bed.

The next day brings the home opener.

Chapter Text

Sid’s up early the next morning, heading down stairs to start breakfast. He hears the sound of rushed footsteps on the stairs, turning and seeing Beau back to normal, red-faced and frantic, with a towel around his waist.

“Oh good, you’re back to normal.” Sid says, completely non-chalant, and Beau shoots him a confused look.

“What in the hell do you mean, ‘back to normal’?” Beau asks, and Sid laughs.

“You’ve been a toddler for 6 and a half months Sunshine” Sid explains, and Beau squeaks in surprise.

“H….how does that even happen?”

Sid shrugs, looking at him “Don’t know, but you de-aged one day in the locker room, latched right on to Paulie. I took you in when he left for San Jose.”

Beau nods meekly, awkwardly standing just inside the kitchen and Sid laughs again. “Can you watch breakfast for me, and I’ll go see if I can find you some clothes?”

“Sure..” Beau says quietly, and Sid nods, heading up the stairs and returning with a tshirt and shorts.

“This is all I could find,” Sid says, tossing the clothes at Beau before turning back to finish breakfast “and they might not fit very well, you’re taller and skinnier than I am, but at least it’s something.”

Beau nods, catching the clothes “It’s fine, thank you. “ he says, walking back upstairs to change, coming back a few minutes later and sitting at the counter, resting his head on his arms.

“You alright?” Sid asks, sliding a plate in front of him, and Beau shakes his head.

“ ‘m a little lightheaded and my vision is off.” Beau says, and Sid curses, grabbing the blood sugar monitor from the opposite end of the counter, wiping down one of Beau’s fingers and pricking it, Beau yelping in surprise. “What the fuck Sid?”

Sid ignores him for a moment, focusing on the monitor and cursing again as it reads out a 57. He pours out a glass of orange juice and sets it in front of Beau. “Drink. Now.”

“Not until you tell me what the hell is going on.” Beau says and Sid shoots him a look, Beau quickly grabbing the glass and drinking it down. “NOW will you tell me why you’re being weird?”

Sid nods, “but you need to start eating while I talk. Got it?” he says, watching Beau nod and take a bite, watching him intently. “I don’t know how to put this delicately, so I’m just gonna say it. You’re diabetic Sunshine….”

Beau’s eyes widen and he nearly spits his breakfast across the kitchen. “Are you kidding?”

“No Beau, I’m not. I wish I was. You were diagnosed a couple weeks ago. Type 1.” Sid says quietly, and Beau looks like he’s about to cry, so the big brother instincts kick in and he gathers Beau in his arms. “You’re gonna be fine, I promise. I’ll help you learn how to manage it okay?  Sid says quietly, and Beau looks like he’s about to cry, so the big brother instincts kick in and he gathers Beau in his arms. “You’re gonna be fine, I promise. I’ll help you learn how to manage it okay? You don’t have to do it alone.”

Beau doesn’t say anything, and when Sid feels his shoulder start to get wet, he knows exactly why. “C’mon Sunshine, don’t cry. You’re alright, I know it’s scary but you’re gonna be okay.” Sid says softly, and Beau nods against his shoulder, wiping at his eyes.

“Sorry…” Beau says quietly, and Sid shakes his head.

“Don’t be sorry, it’s a lot to take in” he says, and Beau nods as they hear another set of footsteps on the stairs, a full grown Conor appearing.

Sid starts into the whole ‘turned into a toddler’ spiel, and gets Conor some clothes, all three of them heading to the rink not long after.

Chapter Text

Alright so first, I am SO SORRY I haven't been around. College kicked my ass and I just didn't have the time or patience to write.

I think I will be ending this story right now. It will remain up for all to enjoy, but it will not be continuing.

I will however, be writing Devils fic! Now that I've become more familiar with the team, I feel like I can churn out decent stories. They will probably be one or two parts each at first, while I get a larger fic planned out.

Thank you to anyone who stuck with this story, I can't thank you enough.

Its certainly been a wild ride, and hope you all enjoyed it. Please don't be too sad that it has come to close

Go ahead and comment ideas for Devils fics you would like to see and I'll see what I can do. Beau will probably be a main focus in most of them but I am open to any /CURRENT/ devils
xx