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The first time the phone rang, Michael just stared at it in silence, and Sam just stared at him. The second time it rang, Michael picked up and put it on speaker. “This better be good, Lucy.”
“I’m in jail. They’ve got me dead to rights and unless my lawyers can find some way they violated my rights, I’m going away for twenty to life,” Lucy said without preamble, and Sam shivered. As much as he hated Lucy, he had never wished that for her. The only question was, why was she calling Michael? He’d made it clear that he was done with her unless there was a sincere apology to Sam for all the hell she’d put him through and proof of change; twenty to life didn’t sound like something along those lines.
Michael had the same question. “And you’re calling me because…? I’m not helping you out, Lucy.”
“I’m not asking you to help me legally or with bail or anything like that. I’m calling you because I’m thirty-seven weeks pregnant, and jail is no place for a baby. You and your wife…”
“Watch it, Lucy,” Michael snapped, but Sam put a hand on Michael’s shoulder. The kid was innocent, and if this is what he thought it was, he and Michael would likely have full custody until the kid was an adult. It was unlikely that Lucy would be able to pass on her beliefs from the occasional supervised jail visit.
“Fine. Of our brothers, Raphael’s gone bananas, Castiel married a fucking demon, and Gabriel’s wife isn’t much better. I may not like Sam, but at least my kid will grow up with two parents who give a shit about them. They’re delaying putting me in actual jail until after the kid is born, because I could go into labor any day now, but what they want me to do is give birth, and as soon afterward as possible, sign the paperwork to hand the kid off to its new parents. They want the two of you there, although if you don’t want to bring Sam, they can live with only one coming.”
“I’ll talk to Sam, see what he thinks,” Michael said. “If I call this number back, will you be able to answer?”
“Yes, unless I can’t answer because I’m in labor or whatever. I’ll text you the address and number of the hospital they’re holding me at, along with a room number and the password to get in. If your… if Sam says no, better Gabriel than Castiel, but either of them are better than Raphael at this point. Heck, your brother-in-law would be better than Raphael.”
“Maybe not in the court’s opinion,” Michael said dryly. “I’ll call you back and let you know what we decide.” He hung up and dropped the phone. “So? What do you think?”
“I think that we have an appointment on Monday to get the adoption matching process started because we both agreed that we want kids. The only thing I’m questioning is whether to cancel or just reschedule, because we both agreed on kids, plural, and it sounds like Lucy’s only having the one. It usually takes some time for the matching process to work, so we’ll probably have time to adapt to having Lucy’s kid here before we’re asked to take on another one.”
“And you don’t mind it being Lucy’s kid? She’s always been horrible to you…”
Sam shook his head, long hair flying from the vigor. “Hate like hers is taught. We’ll do better. I’m not abandoning a kid because of the sins of its mother, especially when it’s your nephew. We’ll have time to figure out what we’re going to tell the kid about Lucy, but that’ll depend a lot on what, exactly, she did to get locked up for twenty to life.”
Michael searched and made a face when he pulled up the case. “Wow. This is one… we’re gonna have to tell the kid something, but I have no idea how to make this explainable to someone who’s three. Lucy stalked this dude Kelly Kline, and after getting herself pregnant, killed him. I think Lucy’s being somewhat optimistic about 20 years being the low end.”
“Well, we have some time to figure it out.” Sam stood up and headed for the bedroom. “I’ll pack if you’ll call Dean and our jobs and let them know we’re having a family emergency? Tell Dean I’ll call him and explain more on the road.”
At the hospital, Sam and Michael were escorted first to a meeting with a cop and a social worker. “You both understand that this is permanent, that there is no way you’ll be able to hand the child off to Lucy?”
“We were looking to adopt some kids anyway,” Michael said with a smile. “If my nibling needs me, they’re obviously going straight to the top of the list to be my first child.”
“Good, because Lucy has tentatively accepted a plea bargain. With the birth being so close, the judge wants to make sure she goes through with signing away her rights to her child before formally entering the deal. Otherwise, she’d be looking at a lot more than twenty years.”
The social worker handed Michael two manila envelopes, one a lot thicker than the other. The thick one was addressed “To My Child”, while the thinner one was addressed “To my child’s parent”. “Part of why Lucy got the deal was that when Kelly realized what was about to happen, he asked to be allowed to write some things down for the child, and Lucy didn’t destroy them. When she was arrested, she even made sure that we got these. The one to her child includes some family medical history, stories about himself and his parents and grandparents, and letters that he hoped would be given to the child at various ages with words of encouragement and advice for the future. The one to the parent you can read for yourselves.”
“Kelly’s parents have confirmed that it’s their son’s handwriting,” the cop added. “They have also refused to take the child themselves, and don’t want anything to do with it. No worries about custody – they’ve already signed away any rights they have. If they change their minds later, it will be up to you to determine whether they can see their grandchild.”
“I can’t imagine we’d deny that, as long as they’re willing to follow some common sense rules,” Michael said, taking Sam’s hand. “Mostly, Sam and I plan to be as neutral as possible about Lucy. She did something horrible, but she is the kid’s biological mother, and we don’t want the kid raised to blame itself for any of that.”
“Like we said, it’ll be up to you two,” the social worker said. “I would suggest reading the letter from Kelly before the birth. Lucy’s been having some pre-labor signs, but labor itself hasn’t started yet. The doctors are estimating that the baby will be here by the end of the week.”
“If you want to see your sister, we can take you to her now,” the cop added. “If you don’t want to see her, then I would suggest getting a hotel room nearby, doing some reading, and we’ll call you when labor is beginning.”
Michael chose to go see Lucy, but encouraged Sam to go find them a hotel. Sam took the letter with him, although he decided to wait to read it until Michael was there. In the meantime, he called Dean to update him and ask for his help making sure they had at least minimum stuff to bring their new child home to. Dean promised to rally both of their families to make sure everything was ready by the time Sam and Michael got home.
“Lucy said to tell you hello,” Michael said when he came in and kissed Sam’s cheek. “Have you read it yet?”
“Nope. Waiting for you.” Sam took the letter out of the envelope. The first part of it was a plea to look after the other envelope and to make sure the child got it at the times it was meant to. This was followed by a few requests and suggestions along the lines of giving the child access to books and music and sports, and making sure that the kid’s gender identity would be accepted no matter what. “My parents refused to accept me as a trans woman, and Lucy’s even worse, but if I could have gotten free, that’s who I would have been. Since I never got the chance, tell my child about the man I was, but let the kid be whoever they are.”
Michael chuckled. “Well, Sam, I think we can promise her that, can’t we?”
“Yes. Yes we can.”
The last part was simply thanking them for taking care of her child. It ended with a few suggestions for names. “I know you’ll probably have your own ideas for names, too, but this is about the only thing I’ll be able to give my own child. Please at least consider these, even just as middle names.”
Sam looked at Michael. “What do you think?”
“I’d prefer not to use Michael or Mikayla, but if you like Samantha, I’m fine with that. I was thinking of naming the kid Kelly… but if Kelly didn’t put that on the list, it seems a little odd.”
“I like Jack. My relationship with my dad wasn’t the best, but when I came out as trans, he was the biggest ally I had. Jack is a nickname for John, somehow, so it feels right.”
“So Jack Kline Winchester, if it’s assigned male? Keep mine and Lucy’s name away from him,” Michael suggested. “Even if that means that all of our kids end up not having my name, so that Jack doesn’t feel like I rejected him.”
“Any preferences on a girl name, since I chose Jack?”
“I already tossed out Mikayla and I’m going to suggest not Helen, because Ellen just might kill us,” Michael said with a soft smile. “So that leaves Samantha and Charlotte.”
“…We could do Jackie?” Sam suggested. “Between those two, Charlotte, but Charlie might have an opinion on that.”
Lucy went into labor two days after Michael and Sam’s arrival. Neither of them had been back to see her, and Sam was escorted immediately into a room adjacent to the birthing room. “Lucy has asked that you not be allowed in the room while she gives birth,” the social worker explained. “Michael, you’re welcome to be there for the birth of your child.”
“If Sam can’t be there, I won’t go either,” Michael said. “Not like I want to see my sister like that. No matter how furious I am with her, she’s still my sister.”
“All right. The plan is that once the child is born and has been through its initial checks, we’ll bring it in here to you two. A nurse will be in to make sure you know how to prepare a bottle and change a diaper, all the first-day skills you’ll need, and discuss the plan for transporting the child to your home. Road trips with babies are complicated, you understand.”
Sam understood. He understood well enough that he’d even wished he could call his father for advice. They could take turns driving, with the person not driving sleeping, but there would still be frequent stops to feed the baby and change diapers. At least newborns didn’t require much in the way of entertainment.
The nurse was very helpful, giving them hands-on practice with the things that Ellen and Dean had walked them through on the phone. By the time the delivery nurse brought the baby, Sam was even starting to feel like they might just be able to do this. “The doctor wanted to be here, too, but Lucy had some complications and is in surgery. As the baby is all right, I went ahead and brought him to the two of you. Congratulations, papas, it’s a boy.”
“Hello, Jack,” Michael said, taking the baby from the nurse. “It’s good to meet you.” He handed the baby over to Sam. “What are the chances of Lucy not making it?”
“I… I’m very sorry, Michael, but I don’t know. I was focused on your son’s checks and immediate care.” The nurse cleared her throat. “Shall we go ahead and do your part of the paperwork, such as the birth certificate? I won’t be able to file it until we know for sure about Lucy and, if she does make it, she makes the final signatures to terminate her parental rights, but we can at least get it filled out.”
Sam and Michael traded off on holding Jack while they went through the paperwork, both very much enjoying the sensation. As Sam was the one holding him when the nurse said he was showing signs of hunger, he got to be the one to give him his first bottle. They had just finished when the doctor came in.
“I’m very sorry, Michael. Your sister had a pulmonary embolism just after giving birth, and although we did everything we could, she didn’t make it. With no known history of blood clots or warning signs, we had no reason to expect this, and I promise you, her status as a prisoner made no difference in our efforts to save her.”
“You’re sure?” Sam demanded. “No one overlooked signs, or failed to do a thorough family history, or chose to go with cheaper but less effective treatments?”
“I know that sort of thing happens, Mr. Winchester, but I do not tolerate it. I can’t guarantee that it didn’t happen, but I can guarantee that if I find out any of my people did that in a way that can’t be attributed to general human error, they will no longer be my people. I don’t believe in the death penalty. That includes through medical neglect. It’s why the prison contracts with me to handle all of their pregnant inmates.”
Michael put a hand on Sam’s shoulder, and then took Jack from him to hold. “Sam, it happened. It sucks, but it doesn’t change anything other than we no longer have to worry about explaining to Jack why we’re taking him to visit his aunt in jail or about his birth parent until he’s old enough to understand.”
“I know, I know, just… I am a family lawyer, and I see how pregnant women and new mothers are treated. Not all doctors are as ethical as Dr. Roberts here.” He smiled grimly. “Even with everything she put me through, she didn’t deserve that.”
“Fair enough.” He turned back to the nurse. “Anything else we need to do, or are we good to get on with bonding with our new son?”
“Get bonding,” the nurse said. “If you have questions, someone should be by to check on you every hour or two. I’d imagine there will also likely be someone by soon to talk to you about arrangements for your sister, unless you have other family in the area?”
Michael groaned, and Sam couldn’t blame him. “No, and I have to add the bad news to the good when I call my brothers, don’t I.”
Castiel volunteered immediately to drive out to handle Lucy’s arrangements, as well as bring anything that they might want from their house for Jack if they needed to stay longer because there would be an investigation to complete before the funeral. Gabriel agreed, and even Dean said he would come out to help look after Jack while Michael grieved for his sister. As appreciated as it was, Michael told him that wouldn’t be necessary. “I grieved the loss of my sister after the wedding. While I never imagined anything like this happening, I also figured she’d never apologize. I don’t regret seeing her one last time, but I also don’t feel the need to grieve her again.”
“That can change, and if it does, I know Sammy’ll be there for you. And you know I’ll always be there for Sam.”
The funeral was short and not well attended. Castiel and Gabriel had both come, but without Meg or Kali, and Michael chose to stay with Sam and Jack in their hotel room. To Sam’s surprise, Dean had also come along. He found out why when they started on their way back.
“You two are both parents to a brand new baby. That messes up your sleep. Gabe, Cas, and I will be trading off where one of us drives your car, one of us drives Gabe’s car, and one of us sleeps in the back of Gabe’s car. You two trade off who’s sleeping in the passenger seat and who’s in the back looking after Jack. Something comes up where we need one of you to drive, we’ll handle it.”
“Thank you, Dean. That will make this a lot easier,” Michael said. “You’re a good brother.”
“Damn straight I am. Which is why I’m driving your car first.” Dean got behind the wheel. “Not my baby, but we’ll work it out.”
The drive was very different from road trips Sam could remember, but Dean had a few vague memories of being on the road with a less-than-year-old Sam to share, and a whole bunch of stories he made up but sounded vaguely plausible. There were some that were not at all plausible, but they made Michael or Sam laugh. When Castiel took a turn driving so Dean could get some sleep, he had some news to share with them. “Meg and I have agreed to stop birth control. Hopefully, Jack will have a cousin in the next few years.”
“That’s awesome!” Michael reached over and patted Castiel’s shoulder. “Sam and I will help as much as we can… once there’s a pregnancy, I mean, I just realized how that might have sounded.”
Castiel nodded. “Meg would certainly be making some sort of inappropriate comment here, as would Gabriel or Dean. I know what you meant. The other big news… I got a call from Anna.”
“Wait, our sister Anna?!” Michael sat bolt upright, looking carefully over to make sure he hadn’t disturbed Sam’s sleep or Jack. “She’s okay?”
“She is. The lawyers finally found her after our father’s death, and she reached out to me. I told her about our home in Nebraska and that I felt certain that our extended family would welcome her.” Castiel glanced over. “She’s hoping to be there soon. Ellen and Jo will be taking her in until she can figure out something better.”
Michael smirked. “As I recall Anna, that might end up being longer than they might think. You or Gabriel did warn Ellen, right?”
“Gabriel did. Ellen said it was ‘about damn time her daughter found someone anyway’, so if they hit it off, more power to them.”
Sam had never been more relieved to see his house in his life. Everything inside was set up and ready, thanks to Bobby and Meg, and there was a note from Kali that they were both officially approved for paternity leave and should not plan on returning to work for six months. “Welcome home, Jack.”