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Chapter Text

Henry heard the loud sound of his alarm clock. He rolled over to grab his phone and turn the blasted thing off and as he did, he was hit with a wave of nausea. He felt David scratching his leg, the beagle was the second alarm clock.

“Morning David.” He told the dog petting his soft head.

“I know love. Give me a moment and I’ll take you outside and get you breakfast.”

He had of course fallen asleep while reading his annotated copy of Percy Jackson since that was the novel series, he’d be teaching in his newly developed novels elective.

He was used to falling asleep with a book in his bed instead of man. What was odd though was he was a world class insomniac and averaged four hours a night. However, the past few days he had been so exhausted that he was getting a full night of sleep. He also wanted to sleep in later and longer than usual.

His thoughts of his recent sleeping patterns were interrupted by his nausea.

He quickly tossed his hand over his mouth and ran to the bathroom to empty the contents of his stomach into the cold porcelain toilet below him.

The nausea and vomiting were also a recent occurrence. Come to think of it they showed up around the same time the exhaustion hit.

He groaned and rested his head against the cool porcelain. Today marked the start of a new school year and he absolutely could not call in. Was he getting sick with something. He felt his forehead and he didn’t feel warm, so he doubted it was a fever.

Maybe it was just his anxiety acting up since it was the start of a new school year? Doubtful since he had a been a middle school English teacher for ten years. It had to be a bug of some sort. He flushed the toilet and used the seat for leverage to stand back up.

He splashed some cold water on his face and rinsed out the taste of bile in his mouth. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. He looked perfectly fine and like he always did. Why was he exhausted and having bouts of nausea and vomiting for no apparent reason.

He heard David whimper, so he held open the door for David who scampered down the stairs into the fenced in backyard. While he waited for David to finish up his morning business, he filled up his food bowl and also poured a cold glass of water into the water bowl.

He thought about calling Shaan Srivastava, the school principal, but he decided against it since today was mainly classroom decorating and staff meeting after staff meeting. He was certain he could handle it. He didn’t have a fever which meant whatever it was wasn’t contagious, so he was fine to go to school.

He let David back into the house and went to go take a shower as the kettle heated up. He might have lived in Boston for twelve years but there were just some things you could not take from Henry and his morning cuppa of Earl Grey was one.

He quickly showered to remove that disgusting feeling of sweat and sickness from his skin. He grabbed the fluffy white towel and dried himself off and wrapped the towel around his waist. He applied his morning skincare and then heard the signature whistle of the kettle. He switched his towel out for his robe and went to make up his cuppa.

The smell of bergamot sent him running for the loo. He had just opened the tin of tea, maybe it was just a bad batch? He rinsed his mouth out again with water and went back to his kitchen and found mint tea deciding to put that in his tumbler instead. The mint tea smelt perfectly fine, and he hoped the mint would quell his nausea so that he could get through the day.

He uncapped his Zoloft and swallowed it down with the mint tea.

He went to his closet and dressed in a funny tee shirt that had a t-rex on the front with a grammar pun because English teacher. He shimmied into his favorite dark wash jeans since it was just staff meetings the first week, they could all wear jeans (they could also wear jeans on Fridays.) and a pair of black low profile dress sneakers.

He had already packed the trunk of his car with the storage bins of classroom decorating supplies, he made sure his messenger bag had his laptop and other important paperwork which it did.

“Bye David! I’ll be home later. Be a good boy.” Henry trusted the beagle to be left alone while he was at work.

He slung the messenger bag over his shoulder and grabbed his tea tumbler, water tumbler. He grabbed his car keys from the spot by the garage door. He shuffled the drink containers and unlocked his Hyundai. He sat both tumblers into the cup holders and tossed his messenger bag into the passenger’s seat and pulled out of the garage.

Henry had moved to Boston shortly after his father died of pancreatic cancer, before his death he was a theatre professor at Oxford. Arthur met his mum at Oxford during their undergraduate years. His mum had studied English Literature and went on to become an Oxford professor too. He had originally followed in his mum’s footsteps and studied English Literature at Oxford.

He was in his second year of Oxford when his father died, and the grief was all encompassing. So, he entered the study abroad program and found himself at Boston University where he made the switch from English Literature to Education.

On his student teacher year, he fell in love with teaching middle school English and here he was ten years later still teaching at the same school that made him fall in love with being a teacher. He parked in his usual spot and put his identification lanyard around his neck.

He had barely opened his car door before he was hit with another wave of nausea and retched onto the pavement. Maybe he should have called Shaan and told him he was sick. He quickly got out of his car and sidestepped the vomit on the pavement wanting to separate himself from it as quickly as possible. He walked around to the passenger side of his car to grab the two tumblers. He noticed Addison, one of the other English teachers approaching him.

“Morning Henry! Did you have a great summer?” Addison asked him. This was her second year as an English teacher, and she had missed the tail end of the school year since she was pregnant with her first baby.

Henry hoped she did not witness him throwing up in the staff parking lot. That would be a fantastic way to start the school year.

“How about we get our stuff inside and I’ll help you with your storage bins if you help me with mine. I might have gone a little overboard with the back-to-school decorating supplies this year.” She said almost putting her sandal covered foot in his vomit. Maybe he’d blame an animal or say it was there when he parked.

The two of them easily dragged in their storage containers into the school chatting excitedly with all of their coworkers and friends about their summer before it was time to head to the gym for the first staff meeting of the day.

Henry took a deep breath outside the gym. He had his tumbler of mint tea, but he purposefully sat near one of the doors in case he had to make a quick exit to one of the nearby bathrooms.

About twenty minutes into the staff meeting the wave of nausea hit him and he took off running for his life to the nearest bathroom. He was pretty sure the gym teacher, Hunter, would be impressed if he timed that run.

That was the third time in one day. What the hell was going on with him and that’s when he heard the bathroom door open. Just great! He knew this bathroom had great acoustics and they’d know instantly what he was doing.

“Mr. Fox, I know you are in here.” Zahra, the history teacher’s voice, rang out.

“I know my husband can be boring during staff meetings, but that is still no reason to run from the staff meeting like your ass in on fire. What is going on with you?” She demanded tapping her heeled foot impatiently against the bathroom floor. The sound echoing off the walls along with the sound of his gagging.

“If I didn’t know you any better, I’d almost suggest that you are pregnant, but we all know you don’t have a social life outside of work so it would be scientifically impossible for you to be pregnant. Still the fact that you are on your knees vomiting is reminiscent of a pregnant person. Do you have a wild social life nobody knows about?”

Henry groaned. He did not want to be having this conversation with Zahra of all people. He was not pregnant she was right, the whole idea of him being pregnant was incomprehensible even to him. The only time he had any sex recently was the night Pez and Bea dragged him out because they knew he tended to go into his teacher cocoon, so they usually had one wild night the month before school started.

He flushed the toilet and got back to his feet. He washed his hands and then rinsed the taste out of his mouth with the sink water. He could feel Zahra’s questioning eyes staring at his back.

“Mrs. Bankston, I’m promise that I’m fine. I think it is just a bout of food poisoning or a small bug. I don’t have a fever and I know better than to miss the first day back as a teacher. I’m perfectly fine, please just give me a few moments to compose myself. Thank you for checking on me, I really do appreciate it.” Henry said, trying to sound pleasant and not snotty or snarky towards her since she was married to the principal.

He fixed himself in the bathroom mirror and took a few easy breaths trying to compose himself once he heard the clicking of her heels leaving the bathroom. He followed her back into the gym and sat on the bench seat he was previously occupying and sent a silent prayer that the nausea would leave him alone until his lunch break.

After a staff meeting regarding an active shooter drill Shaan finally dismissed them from lunch.

Henry opened his salad and why did it smell unappetizing? Zahra’s suggestion of pregnancy swirled around his brain like a tornado. He grabbed his phone trying to figure out the date of when Pez and Bea dragged him to that bar where he met the man with sinful curls and eyes the color of chocolate.

It would have been five weeks ago. He could not remember if mystery man had used a condom or if he disclosed that he was a carrier. Fuck! This was not the way to start out the new school year.

He tossed the salad into the rubbish bin and got out of the desk chair. His anxiety was on 20 right now and he had to know the answer now. He walked down to Melissa’s office, she was the school nurse, and she preferred to be called Mel. He saw her dancing around as she stocked the cabinets. She was wearing a lavender midi dress with a pair of low wedges.

“Hello Mel, did you have a good summer?” He asked, shutting the door to her office. He did not want anyone else to be privy to this conversation, just the thought of telling her and peeing on a stick made him want to cry.

“Hiya Henry!” Mel exclaimed seeing the English teacher she noticed him shutting the door which meant he was here for nurse Mel. “What can I do for you dear?” She asked softly noticing his serious expression.

“Promise me you won’t laugh?” Henry questioned leaning against a table. His coworkers assumed he was a stick in the mud with zero personal life and they weren’t exactly wrong on the assumption.

“I promise. Sweetheart, I’m a nurse and my wife is also a nurse so I’ve heard it all before.” She said trying to be as kind as possible.

“I think I’m pregnant.” He said in a rush. “I didn’t know if you had a test or if I should just run to Target after school for one.”

God, he wanted to kill his sister and Pez for taking him out drinking. They used the guilt trip of how they never hung out and the guilt trip worked. He had gone out and one drink turned into five. He didn’t remember much of that night besides waking up feeling both a good kind of sore and very satisfied.

Now he was having pregnancy symptoms, and he didn’t even know the other man’s name. The world truly loved to make him the ass end of a joke. He had done everything in his life right and the one time he breaks his new rules he gets screwed by destiny and the universe laughing at his misfortune.

Mel walked over and patted Henry’s shoulder. “Of course, I have tests, the school board mandates we have them. Most of the time they go unused, and I donate the unused ones to a local shelter. Let me just find the new box and we can see if you are pregnant.” She said rummaging around from box to box looking for the pregnancy test.

“Found them!” She happily declared opening the box and taking out a plastic cup and a pregnancy test encased in a plastic wrapper.  

“You can use the private bathroom and if you are pregnant my wife works for Dr. Alexander Claremont-Diaz who is the leading expert on male pregnancy so if you want, I can give her a call and she can get you set up with an appointment.”

“Thanks.” Henry said as he reluctantly took the plastic cup and the pregnancy test wrapper and went into the private bathroom.

He unbuttoned his jeans and grabbed his penis and peed just enough into the cup. He sat the cup onto the sink and rebuttoned his jeans. He unwrapped the strip from its wrapper and saw the photos on the back giving instructions.

It was a simple strip without any plastic or anything, so he dipped the end into his pee and sat the offensive strip onto the brown paper towel. His eyes were trained on the test like it had offended his great ancestors.

‘Please be negative, please be negative.’ He silently begged. He did not want to have an appointment with Dr. Alexander Claremont-Diaz, whoever he was, examining his insides. That was the last thing he ever wanted to do.

He watched the test show one pink line and then another pink line. His blood ran cold as he snatched it from the edge of the sink.  

The offensive test had the audacity to say positive. He gripped the sink counter trying not to hyperventilate at the sight of the two pink lines.

He tossed the test angerly into the trash can and dumped the contents of the cup into the toilet and flushed it. He also covered the pregnancy test with extra paper towels.

He leaned against the door staring at the trash can knowing that it contained a positive pregnancy test. Not just any test but his positive pregnancy test from a drunken one-night stand.

“You okay in there?” Mel’s concerned voice asked as she knocked gently on the bathroom door since Henry had been in the bathroom for almost fifteen minutes and it should have only taken five minutes to show the results of the test.

Henry came out of the bathroom and his eyes were red like he had been crying.

“How accurate are those?” He questioned his voice betraying his true feelings on the matter.

“I’m going to hug you.” Mel warned wrapping her arms around the English teacher.

“Pregnancy tests are highly accurate, and the urine tends to be the most concentrated when you first use the bathroom in the morning. So, the fact that it is now afternoon, and your urine is showing positive, it means you are mostly likely pregnant.” Mel explained as she rubbed soothing circles on his shoulder as she led him over to one of the cots.

“Am I to assume based on your reaction that this isn’t a planned pregnancy?” She asked softly grabbing the box of tissues and her phone from her desk and sitting down next to Henry on the cot.

Henry felt the back of his knees touch the cot and he sat down on it he was dangerously close to hyperventilating. He had many sexual encounters at Oxford and none of them had left him bloody pregnant. He looked at the nurse and tried to compose himself he did not want to cry or have an anxiety attack in front of his coworkers, nurse or no nurse.

“I don’t want to talk about it. Can you call Amy so I can make that appointment with Dr. Claremont-Diaz.” Henry said trying to steady his voice. He was afraid that the tea he lovely drank every morning had caffeine in it and was harming the baby.

Mel smiled at him and pulled up her wife’s phone number she listened to it ring once and heard her wife’s deep voice in her ear.

Amy heard the sound of her wife’s ringtone. “Hey babe! Let me guess you want me to come help you organize your office once I leave work.” She teased her wife softly.

“Not quite. Although I would love your help if you felt up for it. The reason I called is because I have Henry with me, and he would like to make an appointment with Alex for a confirmation of pregnancy.” Mel told her wife putting it on speaker so Henry could talk to her to get that appointment set up.

“Hi Henry, I’m Amy, Mel’s wife.” She said pulling up the appointment screen for Alex. She sat down her fork since she was on her lunch break. She usually ate at her desk and caught up on paperwork.

“Hi Amy. I’m Henry.” Henry said hoping she didn’t detect the anxiety in his accent.

“I need an appointment and I also had a question about next steps, and I also had a question about tea.” He muttered looking at his shoes as he spoke. He was afraid that if he looked at Mel he’d cry or hyperventilate.

“Sure thing! Go ahead ask me any question you have, and as for the appointment how about tomorrow at 4pm.” Amy knew she’d be double-booking Alex’s schedule but the other 4pm was an easy second trimester appointment.

Henry tried not to look shocked at the quick appointment. He figured Amy was being kind because he was one of Mel’s coworkers. “4pm would be excellent. Thank you so much.”

“As you might have surmised, I’m British and I don’t drink coffee. I drink tea, specifically Earl Gray, however the cup I made this morning had me gagging. Is there something about bergamot that messes with pregnancy?” Henry asked softly, afraid of her answer.

Amy put her phone on speaker so Rafael, the other nurse and midwife student, could hear the question.

Rafael grabbed his gel pen and his blue sticky notes and scribbled the answer regarding caffeine limits onto the sticky note.

“You can safely consume 200mg of caffeine a day. If I were in your situation, I’d hold off on the Earl Gray at least until you can ask Alex that question tomorrow.” Amy said reading Rafael’s sticky note word for word. She knew everyone’s big question was caffeine related.

Henry sighed but he expected that answer to come from the nurse. “Thank you for trying to answer that question. I will certainly ask Dr. Claremont-Diaz that question tomorrow.”

“You’re very welcome! Can I get your full name and date of birth for our system so I can get you scheduled for tomorrow?”

Henry gave the nurse his full legal name, his date of birth, and his phone number. “Thank you so much for your help. I’ll hopefully get to meet you tomorrow.” He told the nurse and handed Mel her phone back.

Mel smiled at her phone and patted Henry’s shoulder. “Thanks Ames, I’ll talk to you tonight.” Mel said ending the phone call with her wife before she could put her phone away, she got a text message from Amy wondering what color Henry’s hair was.

Amy saw Mel’s text message and showed her phone to Raf. “He’s a blonde and wasn’t June’s engagement party about six weeks ago. I wonder if Henry is the one Alex dubbed the best sex of his life.”

“The party would have been five weeks ago.” Raf said to the other nurse as he looked at the computer calendar. He noticed Alex walking towards their desks.

“What are you talking about?” Alex questioned leaning against counter.

Amy smirked playfully at her boss. “Mel called me and had me set up one of her coworkers with an appointment. He came to her office on his lunch break and took a pregnancy test. He’s also blond and British.”

Alex tossed his head back and laughed. “I know I’m not Nora, but she’d say the odds of this man being the one from the bar is highly unlikely. I might have been a little drunk that night but I’m a doctor and I think I would have noticed if he had an extra hole down there.”

Amy laughed and tossed a pen in Alex’s direction. “Mel told me that he didn’t want to talk about how he was pregnant. You have to admit the timing of it is a little strange. Henry is your age, blond, and British. He also had a lot of questions about tea, specifically Earl Gray. So, you might want to do some research on tea before tomorrow, o wise doctor.”

Alex just shook his head at them both. “Why can’t he just drink coffee like a normal person. Do I look fucking British to y’all.”

“No, but you’ve had your dick in one.” Raf teased with a wink directed at his boss.

“That little comment reminds me; aren’t you due for a pap smear?” Alex teased winking at Raf whose eyes were wide with shock.

“No, but I do have a pimple on my ass that you can certainly take a look at, since you want to be a little shit today.” Raf teased giving Alex the finger.

He might have been a midwife student and understood the need for one. He had also had a few done by Alex who was incredibly gentle, but he still hated them.

This was their relationship, they teased each other relentlessly but they could read each other like a book. Alex was also a fantastic mentor to him.

“In all seriousness, the next appointment is for a wellness exam, and I was going to let you do the entire appointment. Assuming the patient is cool with it.”   

Henry stood up from the cot as it was getting close to the next staff meeting and he didn’t want to be the person who had a panic attack in front of his coworker. “I can’t think you enough for this.” He said quickly leaving the nurse’s office and heading off in the direction of the afternoon staff meetings.

He couldn’t focus for the rest of the day, all that his brain and anxiety could focus on was the offensive positive pregnancy test. Why him and why now.

Finally, it was the end of the day and all Henry wanted to do was go to Target to pick up a few more tests because his anxiety was telling him what if the strip in the nurse’s office had been a false positive and then he’d be wasting an appointment another man could have had.

“Hey Henry! A few of us were going to order some pizza, stay late, and decorate our classroom you want to join in on the fun.” Addison called out to him.

Henry groaned he knew he needed to decorate his classroom and usually he’d be all over that offer. But he was distracted, and he needed to see two more positive tests before his brain and anxiety would believe it was real and that he was pregnant.

He also couldn’t do it tomorrow because he had that appointment with doctor too many last names to confirm the pregnancy. He needed a believable excuse and fast.

“I’d love to, but I haven’t felt the greatest today, so I was going to go home and try and sleep this bug off.” He knew there was no way he’d be able to sleep pregnancy off.

Addison smiled and hugged Henry. “I hope you get to feeling better. There is always tomorrow.” She declared happily watching the English teacher take the hallway that would lead to the staff parking lot.

Henry hopped into his Hyundai and drove to the Target that was closest to his house. He shoved the anxiety down. He’d freak out later in the safety and comfort of his own home.

He parked at Target, usually he’d be in the mood to shop, but today he was here for one thing and one thing only which was something he never thought he’d buy from Target, a pregnancy test.

He hurried to the pharmacy section and grabbed the box of four, two of them were the digital kind that would tell him pregnant or not pregnant, and the other two were the positive or negative kind. He’d take one each when he arrived home, and he’d save the other two for tomorrow morning.

He tossed the box into his basket and went to the self-checkout. He did not want to have awkward small talk with a cashier about the weather or worse feel their judgmental eyes on the box of pregnancy tests. He knew male pregnancy was still taboo and only recently were doctors deciding to specialize in it.

He had seen the terrifying articles of another man was dead because of delivery complications a part of him always wondered if it was actually a complication, or it was just an unsympathetic doctor who hated the idea that men could get pregnant.

He paid for the box of pregnancy tests and tossed the box into the passenger seat with his messenger bag. He drove the short distance back to his house.

He parked in the garage and went into his home. He felt David scratch his leg when he entered. “Hello little darling, do you need to go outside?” He questioned seeing the beagle do his usual potty spiral.

He opened the backdoor and watched the beagle run outside into the September air after a couple moments later David came back into the house.

Henry closed the backdoor and grabbed the offensive box of pregnancy tests. He grabbed a disposable cup to pee into. He unbuttoned his jeans and did exactly what he did in Mel’s bathroom.

He pulled up his jeans and opened the blue wrapper, uncapped both tests and shoved them into the cup for the amount of time it said to. He capped both tests and set his phone alarm and sat on the lid of his toilet.

He knew deep down that these two tests would also say pregnant. He had had sex with mystery man almost six weeks ago, he was exhausted, had hellish nausea, and had vomited at least five times today.

There was also the fact that both the smell of his tea and his salad had smelt disgusting. He remembered one of Addison’s symptoms being sensitive to smells. He figured his was similar.

He heard the sound of his phone timer and grabbed the digital test. ‘Positive’ was displayed in the window.

He grabbed the other test and saw a bright blue plus sign displayed in the other window. He tossed both tests against his sink in anger.

‘Three for three! You are pregnant, dumbass.’ His brain taunted as he sunk down to his soft rug, the anxiety finally winning, and the tears started falling heavily from his eyes.

He angerly tossed the test onto his bathroom counter and sunk down to the floor of his bathroom letting the tears flow.

He heard David’s little feet tip tap over to him and he squeezed into the open space on his lap. The gesture just made tears flow harder.

He had no idea who the other father was or what his family history was like. Did mystery curls have a family history of cancer like his did. Did mystery man have a genetic abnormality in his family. He didn’t know anything about the other man so he couldn’t tell the bloody doctor anything about the other man.

Did he even want to be pregnant. Sure, he liked children! He was a middle school English teacher and he loved and cared for all of his student’s education.

“I have no idea what I’m going to do.” He whined, tucking his face into the beagle’s soft fur. The words sounded garbled and nonsensical.

He knew what he would be doing tomorrow. He’d wake up and take the final two pregnancy tests, which was stupid because here it was late afternoon, and the tests were still showing pregnant. There wasn’t a doubt in his brain. He was fucking pregnant.

He’d make up another excuse as to why he couldn’t stay late because he’d have an appointment with Dr. Alexander Claremont-Diaz for that first appointment.

He tried not to think about how he was probably jumping the line of men who actually needed that appointment. Great, the only reason he probably had the appointment was because the wife of one of his coworkers thought he was a giant crybaby.

He finally decided to shake himself out of his thoughts and got up from the tiled floor and into the shower. He had no idea what would be happening at tomorrow’s appointment, but he figured it would probably involve a very intimate check of his unmentionable parts.

His tears mixed with the running water as he thought about someone touching him and looking at places, he didn’t know he had. When did he of all people turn into a damn blushing virgin? He had fantastic sex with a random stranger at a bar and this was the consequence of that action.

He was in his bloody thirties and too old to go through this. His damn slutty phase at Oxford and Boston University hadn’t resulted in a pregnancy, but the drunk one-night stand had left him pregnant. Life just wasn’t fair.

He tidied up his downstairs with his razor, he knew it was stupid to do. Dr. Claremont-Diaz had seen plenty of holes in his career and it would be grossly unprofessional to comment on grooming habits, but for him It just felt like the right thing to do.

He washed his body and tried not to flinch when his silicone sponge touched his tummy. His abs were still toned and as flat as they had ever been. It just felt different knowing there was an actual baby growing inside of him.

‘A baby that you don’t really want. Just get an abortion it’s not like you care one bit about the man who put you into this position. He didn’t leave his name or number at that hotel. You woke up alone. He clearly wants you to be pregnant with his baby.’ His anxiety tried rationalizing his brain.

‘Will you please shut up!’ He barked at the anxiety. Great that was another thing he’d have to tell Dr. Claremont-Diaz about. His mental health history of anxiety and depression and tell him about the Zoloft he had been on since his father died.

He wiped at his eyes with his wet hands and grabbed the fluffy white towel hanging up outside his shower. He wrapped it around his body, ignoring his bloodshot eyes.

He swapped his towel for his robe and went down to the kitchen to grab an emergency cornetto from his freezer. If there was ever a time to need a cornetto it would be when you found out you were pregnant by a man you didn’t even know.

He opened the wrapper and sighed. There was just something magical about the taste of a cornetto. He had tried the American versions, but none of them quite compared to the taste he grew up on.

He tossed the packaging into the bin and made a note to text Pez that he needed an update to his cornetto stock. The smell of the cornetto didn’t make him feel nauseated or send him running to his toilet, so he’d consider that a win.

He grabbed the box of Jaffa Cakes to take to his bedroom. They were another one of his comfort foods and he needed to lesson plan.

‘By lesson plan you mean research male pregnancy and all the super fun things Dr. Alex Claremont-Diaz is going to do to you tomorrow. He’s going to shove his fingers inside you. I wonder what else he’s going to do to you, and by do, I mean shove up your special hole.’ His anxiety supplied.

Henry groaned at the idea. He was not about to do any research on male pregnancy, his very limited knowledge was enough. He did not want to disturb his lovely sleep by causing it to have nightmares of tomorrow’s appointment.

His sleep was so terrible that he did not want to scare it away with those nightmares; besides Amy seemed like a lovely nurse and he doubted she’d work for an asshole.

There was also the fact that Amy was married to Mel who was also a woman. That had to mean that Dr. Claremont-Diaz was a nice caring doctor, right. He doubted Amy would work for a doctor that wasn’t supportive of his staff.

He changed into his pajamas and slid into bed grabbing Percy Jackson. He could at the very least read and lesson plan the novel while eating Jaffa Cakes. He did not want to think about tomorrow at all. He wanted to get lost in his novel and lesson planning while shoving his mouth full of the comfort foods of home.

Chapter Text

Henry’s day started out very much the same as yesterday. He woke up and almost didn’t make it to the toilet in time to empty the contents of his poor stomach. He tried not to wince as he realized he had demolished an entire sleeve of Jaffa Cakes before falling asleep and they were now making a reappearance.

The school day was also full of boring meetings, and he was behind on decorating his classroom. He needed to manipulate Bea or Pez into coming up to Boston to decorate his classroom, after all they were the reason that he went out that night in the first place. The least they could do would be to decorate his bulletin boards with his vision for the year.

He was buried in staff meetings and when he did get time alone in his classroom all his thoughts were about the pregnancy, and about his appointment with Dr. Claremont-Diaz.

He was terrified to even search what the first pregnancy visit would entail. He’d be willing to bet anything that it was going to be awkward and uncomfortable for him.

He sighed when he noticed the time, the day had flown by. He got out of his desk chair and grabbed his messenger bag.

He tried not to sigh when he realized how empty his classroom looked. He really thought about texting Pez and Bea to come up for a visit and to help him decorate. He knew if he did that they would be all up in his business and would figure out he was pregnant before he wanted to tell them. Hell, he still had not wrapped his own head around the fact he was pregnant.

“Hi Henry! I was just about to come talk to you.” Addison said smiling at him. “I was just coming to see if you wanted to get in on tonight’s pizza order.”

Henry hated lying to his coworkers but at the same time he didn’t feel like telling anyone about what he was currently going through.

“I can’t tonight, I just got a call from my sister and David isn’t feeling too well so I was going to take him to the vet.” He lied, his sister was in New York and David was probably napping in their bed.

“Oh no! Well hopefully he just ate something he shouldn’t have and he’s feeling just fine tomorrow.” Addison said patting Henry’s shoulder. “Text me an update on how David is, I know how much you love him.”  

“Of course. Keep your fingers crossed that tomorrow is drama free, because I’m really craving some pizza.” Actually, the thought of pizza made him want to gag.

He saw Zahra eye him suspiciously from her doorway, but he really didn’t have time to think about her. He ignored the look she gave him and kept on down the hallway and out the doors to the staff parking lot.

He hit the unlock button on his key fob and slid into his Hyundai tossing his messenger bag onto the floor. He then typed Prism Reproductive and Pregnancy Care into his navigation screen GPS.

Not that he needed to, he had lived in Boston for over a decade and knew his way around driving in the West End, but he didn’t want to be late for his appointment and figured the GPS would have the better directions than if he tried to find it blindly.

He followed the directions until he was on Blossom Street and there was a Wyndham hotel to the left. He was beginning to think that night in the club and hotel was determined to haunt him. Usually he’d appreciate the irony, but he did not appreciate that irony today.

On the right side of the road was Prism. It was a modern three-story building with a ton of windows, a few of them catching light exactly like a prism would. He sighed and touched the button to enter the parking lot.

That was another weird thing the place had free parking which was a rarity in this part of Boston. Although it was gated off and you did have to speak to a staff member through a speaker to be allowed entrance or have a keycard.

He sighed as he parked his Hyundai into an empty parking spot as he stared at the building the pit in his stomach growing larger. He wanted to text Bea and Pez and get their arses on the next flight to Boston to face repercussions for putting him in this situation.

Only he was the one who had gotten drunk and had gone back to the hotel room with mystery man with the luscious curls.

‘Wouldn’t it be great if the baby had his curls?’ The happier part of his brain thought.

‘You don’t even know the man’s name!’ His anxiety argued and it firmly ending that tiny moment of happiness.

He really hated his anxiety and depression. The two decided to take up residence in his brain the moment his dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. That was also about the time he started acting like a slut.

His dad was probably the reason he avoided seeing the doctor regularly. He saw an online psychiatrist for his refills of Sertraline and that was that. Honestly, he wouldn’t even do it, but the depression and anxiety were just so bad without medicine.

Now here he was about to enter the automatic doors to Prism Reproductive and Pregnancy Care. He took a deep breath trying to ease his nerves and entered through the automatic door.

He stopped short in his tracts. Was this a spa or a doctor’s office? He really couldn’t tell with the lovely entryway lights that looked like an art piece.

Along the wall was a water feature with names etched into them. He figured they were donors and the reason the clinic existed. Wait a fucking second did that say Okonjo Foundation and Okonjo Industries?

Pez, his best friend, actually best friend wasn’t a good enough description for Pez who was more like a brother at this stage in their lives, was the CEO of the Okonjo Foundation. They had been roommates during their time at Eton and Pez had adopted him and helped to pull him out of his introverted shell.

Did this mean Pez and Dr. Claremont-Diaz know each other or was it just an innocent coincidence.

There was a part of him that wanted to text Pez out of curiosity, but he couldn’t because then Pez would know where he was, and he didn’t feel like coming up with an excuse or lie to another person he cared about. Sure, Pez had often told him he needed to take better care of himself and see a doctor for proper exams,

He filed that information for a later date. Maybe he could ask Dr. Claremont-Diaz or Amy about the water feature in the main entry. He’d probably get the same information without having to tell Pez anything just yet.

The main entry was very welcoming and bright and not at all what he was expecting. Then again, he was expecting a torture chamber and a doctor that would judge his terrible life choices along with avoiding proper medical care. He supposed the latter could still happen.

He didn’t know a damn thing about Dr. Claremont-Diaz. He knew that if he did any research on the name that he’d fall into a terrifying rabbit hole on male pregnancy; and the research would just cause him to downward spiral. He did not need to downward spiral the week before students started back to school.

Did he even tell Dr. Claremont-Diaz about his anxiety and fears or did he just keep shoving them deep down and pretended it didn’t exist. Was Sertraline even safe to take while pregnant?

For the first time in his life, he wished that his parents would have listened to terrible Grandma Mary who suggested they take him to have those organs removed and for the hole to be sewn shut. It was a conversation he had accidentally overheard.

‘You really should think about it. Henry’s young enough that he won’t remember having the surgery. He’ll wake up and just be normal for a change. Think of his future wife, is she going to want him to also have the ability to get pregnant? It’s unnatural and freaky.’

It wasn’t until he was a teenager that he even knew what she had suggested to his parents that night. It might have been another reason he avoided proper medical care out of fear of being treated like a freak. Now here he was walking into the lion’s den oozing fear.

He noticed directions posted on the wall and apparently the first floor was a birth center and surgery center. So that would explain why the clinic had several levels. The directions said he needed to go to floor two for the clinic.

He noticed colorful elevators and hit the up button. His heartbeat was pounding in his ears as he waited for the elevator. He also vaguely felt like a cartoon character and like his heart might actually explode out of his chest before he got to the second floor.

Fortunately, he didn’t live in a cartoon and the elevator opened out to an equally lovely second floor with more rainbow type glass.

He noticed the names Dr. Alexander Claremont-Diaz, MD and Matthew Luna-Sullivan, Licensed Professional Counselor etched into the rainbow glass.

So, this place had a therapist on the payroll. He knew it shouldn’t be that surprising given the patient base; but he was still surprised.

He took a hesitating step through the automatic doors and into the actual clinic. The waiting room was made up of dark grey and blue furniture, and the wall behind the marble reception desk was like a geode with various shades of blue and gold mixed in.

It all felt very upscale for a medical clinic, in fact it felt like an upscale spa. Everything about this clinic seemed perfect, but still there was that nagging feeling that something was going be terribly wrong, like this clinic did not accept his health insurance or Dr. Claremont-Diaz would be a judgmental prick.

He faked a smile and stepped up to the marble reception desk. “Hello, I’m here to see Dr. Claremont-Diaz.” He said, trying to keep his tone even and hoped his voice did not betray him by letting her know how scared he was.

The receptionist looked to be in her early twenties. She had brown hair and blue eyes with a kind smile.

“Hi, I’m Chloe! Let’s go ahead and get you checked in. Can I get your name?” Chloe asked sounding polite and kind.

“Henry Fox.”

“Hi Henry. I see it is your first appointment with us. That means I’m going to need some information from you. Do you have your driver’s license and insurance card on you?”

Henry grabbed his wallet from his jeans and grabbed his driver’s license and his health insurance card from the leather. He handed the two cards to the girl noticing her nails were painted in a bright pink sparkle.

He supposed her asking for his insurance card meant only one thing which was Dr. Claremont-Diaz was going to either be an asshole or extremely attractive and he didn’t know what would be worse.

“Is this the correct address on your license?” Chloe asked noticing the blond man nod that it was the correct address. She grabbed one of the registration tablets.

“Alright dear, if you want to go ahead and start filling out our paperwork while I get all your information added into our system. We also have a beverage and snack bar. Please feel free to help yourself, all of the snacks and drinks are also pregnancy approved.” Chloe said with a wink, handing him the tablet.

Henry glanced in the direction she was pointing and noticed a clear mini fridge stocked full of drinks and above it was a marble counter filled with snacks. He supposed it was a nice touch.

He walked over to one of the gray couches and tucked his foot underneath him to fill out the new patient paperwork. The first page was mostly his demographics and the standard hey we won’t give out your information unless you give us permission.

Then he got to the health questions and his blood ran cold when he read the question of how many sexual partners he had in his lifetime. Yeah, he’d rather not answer that question, he was kind of ashamed of all the notches he had in bedpost. Nevertheless, he answered the question honestly.

There was a question on if he had ever had a pap smear or a pap smear with abnormal results. He was suddenly reminded of why he didn’t visit the doctor regularly and it was because of this. The invasive questions that he knew were probably necessary but were still uncomfortable to answer.

Then he got to the pregnancy related questions, and he wanted to actually cry. He didn’t know the baby’s father so how he was supposed to know if his partner had any of the following genetic abnormalities.

He was pregnant because he had been drunk and horny. Great the other person could have a ton of genetic conditions that would be passed onto the baby growing inside him.

He could hear his grandmother’s voice in the back of his mind telling him that it wasn’t a baby but rather a parasite he should just abort and have Dr. Claremont-Diaz remove his organs and sew the unwanted hole closed. He seriously wondered if that would get him out of a pap smear.

He heard the door open and out walked a heavily pregnant man with another man’s arm linked in his. He looked at the tablet in his hands trying to stifle the rage burning in him. He didn’t have a partner to lovingly support him. He was all alone and pregnant because he was drunk and horny.

He waited for the other man to finish up with Chloe and he was hit with a wave of nausea. He sat the tablet down on Chloe’s desk and ran towards the direction of the bathroom sign.

He no sooner made it into the stall and collapsed to his knees in front of the porcelain toilet. Tears finally fell from his eyes as he emptied his stomach contents. The smell of grilled chicken nuggets permeated the air around him.

He no sooner made it into the stall when his tears started falling from his eyes as he emptied the contents of his stomach into the porcelain.

Henry felt something or someone touching his back as he retched loudly into the toilet. He was over morning sickness. Also, why the hell did they call it morning sickness when it is all day sickness. It was a misnomer, and he was tired of emptying his stomach contents several times in a day.

He groaned as he felt soft fur touching his bare arm. He turned his head and came face to face with a stunning Blue Merle Australian Shephard with the most beautiful blue eyes. She looked like she belonged on a magazine cover or on the bag of dog kibble.

“Hello dear, where did you come from?” He questioned softly noticing the absence of a vest on the dog. So, it clearly was not a service dog looking for help for its down owner. Did they wander into the clinic by accident and followed the smell of his vomit.

He noticed the tag hanging from the collar and saw that it was an identification tag with the Prism logo. The name on the tag read Sadie Claremont-Diaz.

Oh! He was pretty sure he had short circuited seeing that name. He didn’t know how to process the fact that Dr. Claremont-Diaz apparently had a dog that was wearing a clinic staff badge. He wondered if she was a therapy dog or if she was just patient support.

Judging from the fact she had wandered into the bathroom and was trying to provide comfort while he vomited and cried into the toilet, he was guessing she was patient support.

Nice people tended to own dogs. Dogs also tended to be excellent judges of character. One look at the dog and it was clear she was well loved and taken care of. She didn’t flinch or jump when he went to pet her.

He felt her cold snout nuzzle his tee shirt covered stomach. “What are you doing silly girl? Can you smell that I’m pregnant?”

Also, go figure that the first thing he actually said those two important words to would be a dog. Hell, he hadn’t even told David the news and now here he was confessing it to the doctor’s dog.

He hauled himself back to his feet and walked over to the sink to wash his hands. Sadie tucked herself close to him and sat down on the nice clinic floor and watched him wash his hands.

He put the paper towel into the trash can and allowed Sadie to herd him out of the bathroom and back into the lovely waiting room. He felt so bad that he headed for one of the dark grey couches to sit for a bit before talking to Chloe again.

Henry felt like a nervous wreck as he sat down on the comfortable couch. He felt Sadie jump onto the couch with him and promptly dig her snout into his tee shirt. He was really starting to question what was wrong with this dog.

Chloe noticed that Henry looked a little green around the edges and she figured it would be easier for her to run out to the waiting room and give him his cards back and grab him an electrolyte drink from the patient’s fridge.

She personally had never been pregnant, but she had been hungover and that was Alex’s recommendation to drink something loaded with electrolytes, or a hangover IV cocktail. She walked through the door, her heels clicking against the grey linoleum floor.

She grabbed the tropical punch flavored electrolyte drink from the fridge and brought everything over to the blond. She watched Sadie’s head perk up from Henry’s stomach.

It was the oddest thing; Sadie loved their patients, but this was the first time she watched the dog enter the bathroom with a patient or snuggle their stomach.

Chloe walked over to Henry. “I brought your cards out to you. I also brought you a drink. Alex always says that electrolytes are the best thing after getting sick.” She said offering him his cards and the yellow drink.

“It’s tropical punch.” She said looking at Sadie. “I see Sadie found you. I think if we had an employee of the month, she’d win it every month. She is such a smart girl. We just love having her running around the office.”

He was lost in his thoughts about the pregnancy that he didn’t even notice Chloe standing in front of him holding out his cards and a tropical punch drink. “Thanks.” He croaked out, his voice sounded raw.

Chloe nodded and headed back to her desk area. Henry looked like he wanted to be left alone with his thoughts.

He glanced at the drink label and saw that it was loaded with electrolytes, zinc, and vitamins B and C. He cracked the lid open and took a small sip wanting to get the dreaded taste of vomit out of his mouth. It actually tasted really good.

He really had no idea what he was going to do about this pregnancy. It’s not like mystery man left him his contact information. He had done what Pez would affectionately call and dick and dash.

He wasn’t a stranger to the dick and dash concept, but it still stung, especially now that he was older and actually wanted a relationship.

He might have been drunk off his ass, but he could remember those delectable curls along with some of the best sex of his life.

“Has anyone seen Sadie?” Alex asked coming out of his office. He couldn’t find her anywhere he hoped she just had to go potty or was bugging Chloe for an afternoon snack.

Raf laughed and looked up from his computer. “Yeah, Chloe has seen her. Apparently, Sadie went running into the bathroom to tend to Henry’s morning sickness and now Sadie has her nose tucked protectively into Henry’s stomach.”

“I swear Alex, Henry has to be the man you slept with. Sadie has never followed a patient into the bathroom before and now her nose is buried in his stomach, she has to smell something on him that makes her think of you. Maybe a baby? Chloe said he’s blond and British does that sound at all familiar to you?”

Alex raised an eyebrow at Rafael. “I love you to pieces but again I think I’d feel or notice anything other than his asshole that night. Right now, I’m quite content on being the best uncle I can to Gabriel.” He said with a wink at Raf. He wasn’t at all opposed to having children with the right person.

“Pendejo.” Raf muttered with an eye roll as he went back to charting his notes on their last patient. He loved Alex to death but sometimes the kid could be really oblivious.

“Hey Sadie! Did you need a change of scenery and find a good pillow in the process?” Henry heard someone say and he noticed a pregnant man in his sight.

The man standing in front of him made him feel angry because this adorable pregnant man had his boyfriend or husband holding his and offering him support. He had no one by his side. Well, that was a lie, he supposed he had Sadie by his side.

He didn’t have long to stare at the pregnant man because soon enough the door clicked open revealing a handsome Latino man with perfectly styled dark hair and a nice beard. He was wearing light blue scrubs with a navy jacket over them.

This man looked to be about mid-thirties and rather attractive. He wondered if this was Dr. Claremont-Diaz. Go figure his doctor would be handsome.

“Cameron come on back.” The Latino said smiling warmly at the pregnant man. He watched the pregnant man and what he assumed was the husband follow the Latino.

Henry smiled glad that he was alone in the waiting room again with Sadie by his side. He took a few more sips of his drink once again getting lost in his thoughts. He assumed he had plenty of time to get lost in his head since most doctors were behind schedule.

Amy opened the door to the waiting room and saw Sadie snuggled up protectively against Henry. It was one of the cutest things she had seen.

“Henry.” She called out softly noticing he didn’t even flinch at his name. Sadie looked at her with concern.

“Henry!” She called a little louder. She was used to patients being lost in their heads, but this was something else and it worried her.

Amy stepped away from the door and let it close. She walked over to the grey couch Henry and Sadie were occupying. She crouched down in front of Henry and held his hand. She could feel his pulse beating frantically.

She noticed his blue eyes looking at her. “Hi Henry, I’m Amy! It’s nice to meet you.” Her voice was deeper than Chloe’s but still just as gentle and kind.

Henry finally noticed the Indian woman crouching down in front of him. He could feel her hand his own. Great he had been emotionally checked out and had drawn suspicion to himself.

Amy had long dark hair that was tied up in a high ponytail. She was wearing a pair of lilac scrubs with an ombre design on them, and she had a hot pink glitter stethoscope slung around her neck.

Henry did not want to get off the couch and follow the nurse back to the exam rooms and have to strip completely naked and have a doctor poke and prod at his bits.

“Hello Amy.” Henry muttered getting off the comfortable couch to follow Amy through the torture door. He felt Sadie against his right leg.

Amy tapped her badge to let them in through the door. “Do you think you can provide me with a urine sample? We just need a little bit to do a confirmation pregnancy test and to do a quick dip of it to test for infection and a few other things.”

Henry nodded, the least he could do was try to pee. He didn’t want to know what to think about the lecture he’d get from the doctor if he could not provide a urine sample.

He figured the doctor had nice nurses to make up for the fact he was a giant dick, and not the good kind of giant dick.

He followed Amy’s directions and entered the bathroom. Sadie tried following him into the bathroom, but Amy held her back.

He was starting to become concerned with the clinginess of Sadie. He wondered if she was always like this or if she was detecting the anxiety that was coming off him in waves.

He took the cup from Amy and entered the single stall bathroom. The marble counters were around the sink area. He quickly peed a small amount into the cup, he really hoped it was enough of a sample.

He placed the cup into the metal door and washed up his hands. He was getting really good about peeing in a cup for pregnancy tests. He dried his hands and left the bathroom and Sadie came right back to his side.

Okay this was officially the weirdest dog he had met. He was used to David and his version of clingy and protective. Sadie was at an entirely different level; he was guessing she was younger than David.

Amy led him over to a private area with a digital scale. “How tall are you dear?” Amy asked and Henry noticed that she was taller than the average woman. He would guess she was about 5’7 or 5’8.

Henry stepped onto the scale. “I am 6’0.” He said watching the scale show the amount he usually weighs. He was happy to see that he was not losing weight with the morning sickness and frequent vomiting.

He stepped off the scale and followed Amy down the hallway and into exam room six.

Room six was nicely decorated like the rest of the spa-like office. There was another geode accent wall in the exam room, there was the same white and grey marble counter, and there was a little grey couch next to the exam table.

The exam table wasn’t the kind that required a step, this one was low to the ground like a chair would be. It was also covered by a grey sheet instead of the silly paper that tore the moment anyone sat on it. He hesitantly took a seat on the exam chair and Sadie rushed to lay on top of his feet.

“I’m going to get your blood pressure if that is okay with you.” Amy said wrapping the blood pressure cuff around Henry’s upper arm. She also placed the pulse oximeter on Henry’s finger.

Henry felt the cuff around his arm inflate to the point where it felt like he had a boa constrictor squeezing the life out of it.

She looked at the reading in disbelief; she knew that Henry was anxious but 150/100 was alarming. She glanced at the pulse oximeter on Henry’s finger and noticed he was tachycardic in the 130s.

Amy smiled at him and sat on the rolling stool. “A little fun fact about me is that I used to be Adam instead of Amy.” She winked at him and rolled the stool closer to him.

Henry was having trouble processing that information. Did his nurse just tell him that she had transitioned.

“I’m telling you this because I want you to trust us. Your blood pressure is rather high, as is your heart rate. Do you usually have high blood pressure or feel like your heart might beat out of your chest?” She questioned gently.

“Not really.” Henry said shaking his head, then again it had been a while since anyone had checked his blood pressure. He always felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest, he was used to ignoring that feeling.

He should probably tell his online psychiatrist but what was the point, he was already on the max dose of Sertraline and if he did that it would be mean a medication change that might have even worse side effects and there was a thought in the back of his mind of a grippy sock vacation.

“Since your pulse is so high, I know that Alex is going to want to do an EKG on you. An EKG shows us the electrical activity in your heart. It will not hurt you at all. I’ll just attach some stickers to your chest, and it will show us what’s going on with your heart.” Amy explained softly.

They were all used to dealing with patients that neglected their health in fear of being judged by asshole doctors. She had one when she chose to transition that had been a twatopotamus.

Henry internally sighed, he was here for confirmation of pregnancy, and instead he had worried the nurse because of his high blood pressure. That test sounded like there might be something wrong with his heart.

“I’ll be right back okay.” Amy said to Henry, seeing him nod. She left the exam room with a soft click she went to grab the EKG machine and brought it back to the room Henry was in.

Henry tried to breathe deep and focus on anything else but how he felt. He was pregnant, his anxiety was a swirling vortex of hell, and now something might be wrong with his heart. Hell, he hadn’t even met the doctor.

Amy came back into the room a few moments later. “Do you want to roll up the hem of your shirt for me?”

Henry rolled up his shirt so that it was like a crop top.

“I noticed on your personal medication history that you have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety in the past, are you currently on any medication for it?” Amy asked softly, quickly placing the leads over Henry’s chest, arms, and his ankles.

“I’ve been on Sertraline since my father died of pancreatic cancer. His death fractured my family and made it hard to cope. I’m on 200mg and I feel just fine.” Henry lied he did not feel fine, nor was he fine.

“I’m sorry about your dad.” Amy said patting his hand and documenting that fact into a message that she sent to Alex. “What about pregnancy, was it a planned pregnancy? Is your boyfriend over the moon?”

Henry sighed softly and looked at the nurse and felt the urge to confess everything to her. He oddly trusted her and felt safe with her.

“I do not have a boyfriend and I did not plan this pregnancy. To make a long story short my best friend from high school dragged me to a club. It’s a tradition of ours that every year before school starts, I have a night out with them.”

“I got very drunk and slept with a man whose name I do not remember. Now I am pregnant with his baby and to be honest I am so fucking terrified of it.” He felt a little better getting that off his chest and telling someone.

Amy’s heart broke slightly. She squeezed his hand tightly; she’d hug him once his shirt was back on. “Not to overstep, but have you thought about seeing a therapist? We have an awesome one on staff.”

“His name is Matthew. He’s married to Raf, he’s a nurse that works here, he’s also in the process of becoming a nurse midwife. I’m sure you’d really like Matthew, and sometimes it is just so nice to have someone to talk to. Does your sister and friend live close to you?

Henry looked at the ceiling and thought about it for a moment. Maybe he did need a therapist, it would be someone to talk to besides his poor dog.

“My sister and friend both live in New York City. They both visit regularly. I’ve been so in my head that I haven’t even started to decorate my classroom and I’m so behind. I lied to one of my favorite coworkers and told her that David, my dog, was sick and that I had to take him to the vet.”

“Ask Mel, I’m sure she would happily come decorate with you. Her office is mostly decorated anyway. What kind of dog is David? Mel and I have a Shih Tzu named Jonathan. You’ve already met Velcro, I mean Sadie.” Amy said when Sadie glared at her with her blue eyes.

“David is a beagle and now I’m going to need to see photos of Jonathan.” Henry said hearing Velcro jump onto the couch next to him and put her snout in his face. “Amy, what is with this dog?”

“Honey, I really don’t know. I’ve honestly never seen her act like this towards a patient before.”

Henry was feeling a little better talking to Amy about it all. Her presence was very comforting. “Sweetie, I need you to stay still for a minute and no talking.” She winked at him and gently patted his knee. “Once this is over, we can share dog photos.”

Henry stayed perfectly still so that they could get a good reading. He was really starting to like Amy and she seemed to really care a lot.

“All done.” Amy said, picking the stickers off his chest. She adjusted the exam table so that he was back in the sitting position.

“I know this probably won’t help your anxiety at all, but I promise you that Alex is a fantastic doctor and that he really cares about his patients. I’ve worked for him since this clinic opened. He’s also my doctor and let me just tell you how awkward it is to have your boss diagnosis your festering yeast infection that you’ve been dealing with for over a week.” She said with a laugh.

Henry cracked the smallest of smiles at her story. It sounded honestly terrible, and he was really glad he had never had the misfortune of experiencing a yeast infection.

“I believe I was promised dog photos.” He supplied; he knew she was trying to be comforting but at the same time it wasn’t really comforting.

Alex sat down at the computer next to Raf’s to quickly review Henry’s medical history and vitals. He let out a soft whistle seeing the man’s vital signs.

He noticed Amy had done an EKG and he pulled it up to review. It looked like a normal EKG showing tachycardia. He didn’t see any obvious cardiac abnormalities, and coupled with the fact his blood pressure was high made him think that Henry was anxious for his first appointment.

However, he refused to be the doctor who blamed everything on just anxiety, so he’d talk to Henry and see if he usually had a high heart rate or noticed any recent palpitations.  

He read through Henry’s personal medical history. Henry’s history was mostly unremarkable except for depression and anxiety that occurred after the passing of his father from pancreatic cancer.

He saw that Henry was on 200mg of Sertraline which was a rather high dose. He’d talk to Henry and see about decreasing the dose and see if he was at all interested in having an appointment with Matthew.

He then noticed Amy’s notes that it was an accidental pregnancy after a drunken one-night stand. God did that sound fucking familiar.

He glanced over at Raf and hoped he was wrong, but the office pregnancy test confirmed Henry was pregnant. That night had occurred five weeks ago, so now would be the time most did start exhibiting pregnancy symptoms.

There was also the small detail of Sadie being the literal definition of Velcro and wanting to be shoved up his ass like a shadow, and yet she had run into the bathroom with Henry.

“Want to come meet Henry with me?” Alex asked hopefully, getting up from the desk chair. He really hoped Raf was wrong, he’d know if the person he had slept with that night had the ability to become pregnant. He was sure they had used a condom, they had, right? It bugged him that he couldn’t remember that particular detail.

He could tell you about the cute little mole blond man had above his lip and the other cute little moles he had on other parts of his body, but he couldn’t remember using a fucking condom.

Raf looked up from typing on the keyboard. “Not with his vitals being that high. Having the two of us in there will just set his anxiety off even further. It would be better if it was just you, besides he is expecting Dr. Claremont-Diaz. You go see him and I’ll do all the charting on Cameron.”

“You’re the best!” Alex said, getting up from the desk chair and walking down the hallway. He put on his most charming and comforting smile and knocked on the door to the exam room that Henry was in.

The more the minutes ticked by with Amy and him exchanging cute dog photos the more he felt more relaxed about meeting Dr. Claremont-Diaz.

However, that feeling was soon interrupted by a knock at the exam room door.

Henry glanced over at the door and watched one of the most attractive men he had ever laid eyes on walk into the exam room. He was speechless because this man looked like a model that was late for the fashion show on scrubs.

The sight of this man wearing scrubs was downright sinful, they were a set of deep green scrubs that were perfectly tailored to his body. The pants were the jogger style, and he could see a tanned ankle poking out above the man’s grey running sneakers.

He had messy dark curls, tanned skin because of his obvious Latino heritage, a jaw that could easily cut a diamond, and a tantalizing smile with white teeth that were almost blinding.

A black stethoscope was slung around his neck making him look official, although there was a part of him that wondered if he even knew how to use it.

He never really understood everyone’s love of a man in uniform, but this man was making him understand it perfectly. In fact, his brain had short circuited the moment this man had walked into the exam room and his mouth was seriously dry.

His eyes finally bothered to look at something other than his face and that was when he noticed the embroidery over the left side of the man’s scrubs.

Wait a second did that say Dr. Alex Claremont-Diaz with obstetrician/gynecologist underneath the name.

Fuck! He really hoped this man wasn’t his doctor because the sheer thought of being spread eagle and exposed to someone that attractive made him feel deeply uncomfortable and maybe a little turned on at the idea.

Honestly what school had admitted the Latino God standing in that doorway because he absolutely needed to have a conversation with that person.

No doctor should be that attractive this man looked like he should be finding his way to the closest set for an overly dramatic televised medical drama.

There was something oddly familiar about the doctor, like maybe they had met once before. His brain was an anxious mess and wasn’t firing on all cylinders.

“Hi Henry! I’m Dr. Alex Claremont-Diaz but everyone just calls me Alex, but feel free to call me whatever makes you feel the most comfortable.” The man in the doorway said, and bloody hell even his voice was sexy.

“Hello Alex.” Henry said softly watching as Alex and Amy shared a look with one another. He noticed Amy get up from the rolling stool and head towards the door.

He almost wanted to tell her to stay and not to leave him along with the sexy fucking doctor. Why did his doctor have to be his age and sinfully attractive.

He watched the doctor walk over to the sink and that is when he noticed the doctor’s hands. Shit those fingers were everything out of his wettest of dreams they were long and could definitely reach all his sweet spots. He wanted to melt into a puddle of goo at the doctor’s feet.

Alex turned his head and smiled warmly at the attractive blond sitting on the exam chair. Henry was beautiful with perfectly styled blond hair, blue eyes, and a cute little mole above his top lip. Why did that little mole look so familiar.

He was a little distracted by Henry’s concerning vitals. No one should have a blood pressure of 150/100 and since he was pregnant it could increase Henry’s risk of miscarriage.

“It’s nice to meet you. Amy tells me you are a middle school teacher, what subject do you teach?” Alex questioned softly. He knew the answer already but getting a patient to talk about their personal life could ease a lot of the first visit/meeting jitters.

“I teach English.”

“That was always a fun subject. I loved getting lost in a good fantasy novel back in middle school. Now I stick mostly to reading and writing research publications.” Alex said softly to Henry.

“So, your urine pregnancy did come back positive. Amy’s notes also said you’ve taken five other pregnancy tests that were also positive. I think it is safe to say that you are in fact pregnant.” Alex paused, allowing Henry a moment to process.

Great this sexy doctor just confirmed he was pregnant by some unknown dick.

“I’m also concerned with your vitals.” He watched the doctor reach for the black stethoscope that was draped around his neck. “Do you care if I listen to your heart really quick?”

Henry nodded and watched Alex place the ear tips into his ears and stand right beside the bed. The smell of Santal 33 enveloped his nose and shit mystery man had also smelled of Santal 33.

The memories of that night crashed into him. He was pressed against mystery man the two of them embraced in a passion kiss. He remembered smelling that exact same cologne when mystery man whispered into his ear. ‘Why don’t we go somewhere more private?’

He remembered waking up in an empty bed in a hotel room feeling the good kind of soreness after a fantastic sexual encounter. Mystery man really knew how to satisfy.

The imagine of mystery man in his head was crystal clear and mystery man was none other than Alex Claremont-Diaz. Fucking hell, he had slept with an obstetrician/gynecologist and was now pregnant by his ob/gyn. Why did it feel like some sort of sick joke, or like one of his students was writing bad fanfiction on his life.

Alex placed the bell of his stethoscope against Henry’s chest trying to figure out why that cute lip mole looked so damn familiar and then it hit him.

Rafael was right and Henry was his blond mystery man. Why the hell hadn’t he noticed that Henry had the ability to get pregnant. He felt like a giant idiot and personally responsible for putting Henry into this situation.

“Fuck!” They both exclaimed after being hit with the same realization of who the other person was.

Chapter Text

Henry watched as Alex draped the stethoscope back around his neck. He noticed concern laced in Alex’s chocolate brown eyes, of course the doctor was concerned.

He could hear his own heartbeat in his ears, and it felt like his heart was trying to escape his chest.  He didn’t need a medical degree to know that wasn’t a great sign.

Fucking hell! What was one to do when one found oneself accidentally pregnant by an obstetrician. This had to be some kind of sick cosmic joke.

He had so many questions about what to do with this situation but there were three that stood out more than the others.

1. Did Alex even want to have children?
2. Did Alex want to have children with a person like him?
3. Would Alex force him to have an abortion?

There was a part of him that thought maybe an abortion would be the best decision to end this situation.

It wasn’t like he and Alex were in a committed relationship, they were two random strangers that had met each other in a club. If he had the abortion, he could go back to burying his head in the sand when it came to his health.

He would think having that would get him out of needing a pap smear. He hated how open his sister was. It was because of her that he had a fear of pap smear. He absolutely did not want cold metal salad tongs spreading him wide open.

Hell, his sister had been so traumatized by the ordeal that she had the necessary one when she turned 25 and had not had another one. If he was dreading a pap smear, he knew deep down that he probably could not handle labor and pushing out a baby.

"Henry, I need you to breath for me." He heard Alex instruct and felt Alex's strong hand hold his own hands. He looked down and tried not think about how huge Alex’s hands actually were. He felt like a child in comparison, it was an oddly comforting thought.

Alex was sitting on the rolling stool looking at him with those cow eyes surrounded by long luscious lashes.

Henry should be mad at Alex but here was Alex holding his hands and trying to help him regulate his breathing. It was that particular gesture that caused the flood gates to open, and he let the panic attack win. He was full-on hyperventilating and completely unaware of his surroundings.

The panic was horrible, and he was acutely aware of the feeling he needed to vomit. Although, at this point what did his stomach actually contain. He had not eaten breakfast and those grilled chicken nuggets he ate for lunch had already made a reappearance.

Henry felt a blue emesis bag being handed to him. He placed the bag against his face and emptied the remainder of his stomach contents into the bag; his body shook from the force of it.

He hated the taste of bile in his throat. It was such an awful feeling and taste. He was also getting tired of feeling sick all the time. He doubted this time and the time before were truly because of morning sickness.

Henry could not hold it back anymore and started to cry. He wondered how Alex still looked composed after having the realization that their one-night stand had resulted in an entirely unplanned pregnancy.

He wanted, no he needed, to know what Alex’s thoughts were about the pregnancy.

He felt strong arms wrapped around his body. He smelled Santal 33 and realized Alex was hugging him tightly to his chest. He also was vaguely aware of Alex was rubbing his back in a comforting gesture. He felt so protected like this.

Fuck! He did not need to be falling for his doctor.

'He is so much more than just your doctor. He is also the father of the baby growing inside you.'

'He also left the hotel room without saying anything or leaving a note. He will want you to abort the baby. Best not get your hopes up.'

His inner thoughts arguing with one another were quickly interrupted by Alex's voice. Sweetheart, I'm so sorry for putting you in this situation. It is all my fault for not realizing that you could get pregnant."

He let out an involuntary shiver when Alex gently called him sweetheart.

How was he supposed to not to fall hopelessly in love with someone when they were being so gentle and caring. He was going to blame the hormones for those feelings and shove them down to the point where they could not make a reappearance.

It was not Alex’s responsibility to notice his anatomy. This might have all been on Henry for not disclosing he was a carrier and could get pregnant. It was not like he could go back to that night in the hotel room and hear what they had talked about or if they had used protection.

He felt Alex tilting his chin with one of his sinful looking fingers so that their eyes could meet. “Look at me sweetheart.” He heard Alex’s voice gently coo.

He trained his eyes on Alex’s perfect chocolate brown eyes and his equally perfect, stupid face.

“Here is what I want you to do. Do you think you can breathe in for four seconds?” Alex questioned showing Henry exactly what he meant. He felt Alex’s hands link with his own for obvious comfort and support.

Henry followed Alex’s instructions and took a deep breath, and he heard Alex slowly count for four seconds.

“That was perfect. Now I want you to hold that breath for four seconds.” Alex said and Henry heard the same four count.

Henry held his breath and felt Alex’s fingers rubbing soothing circles over his knuckles. He wanted to scream at Alex to say something about this pregnancy. He needed to know what Alex’s thoughts were and not a stupid breathing exercise trying to quail his panic attack.

“You still with me?” He heard Alex question.

He was not with Alex at all, and he had stopped following Alex’s breathing instructions.

“Sweetheart.” There was that word that caused Henry’s brain to short circuit and catch probably unrequited feelings for his doctor and the father of the baby growing inside him.

“You are having a panic attack, and you already have high blood pressure. I don’t need you to go into a hypertension crisis. Not to mention the higher your blood pressure stays the greater risk of causing harm to our baby.”

Wait! Did Alex just say our baby. That just left him with more questions about Alex’s feelings. Did this mean Alex wanted to have this baby with him.

The words our baby felt like there was some emotional attachment to the baby and maybe even him.

He didn’t know what he wanted. He had expected Alex to force him to have an abortion and instead Alex was trying to help him through a panic attack and holding his hand.

“I am sorry.” Henry finally choked out. “Nobody has ever helped me through a panic attack before.”

“Do you get panic attacks often?” He heard Alex question, and he aggressively shook his head.

He thought about it for a second and he was pretty sure he had only ever had two panic attacks in his life. This panic attack and the panic attack the day he learned his dad had died.

Shit! Just thinking about his dad made him feel like his dad would be very disappointed at the situation he had put himself in.

Actually, the more he thought about how his dad’s reaction would be the more he realized that his dad would find it to be absolutely hilarious. His dad’s side of the family was wonderful and supportive.

The complete opposite of Grandma Mary. He was certain that she often had afternoon tea with Hades, and she was secretly a Fury. She was very opinionated when it came to the lives of her grandchildren. That thought was because he was rereading Percy Jackson to figure out how to structure his novels class and he had Hades and Furies on the mind.

Henry felt Alex handing him the tropical punch flavored hydration drink. He had actually forgotten about it. He twisted off the lid and took another big sip of the drink.

“Alright let’s start from the beginning. We are going to breath for four, hold for four, and exhale for four.” He heard Alex explain walking him through the same breathing exercise as earlier.

Henry followed Alex’s breathing instructions and after three additional rounds of breathing exercises he was feeling a little less panicky and more relaxed.

Henry looked at Alex and noticed the warm smile and the cow eyes. “Now that you are feeling a little more at ease, I was thinking we could go to my apartment to talk about all this. It will hopefully make you more comfortable and we are less likely to be overheard. How does that sound?”

He thought about it for a second, trying hard not to think about how the last time Alex had suggested they go somewhere more private had resulted in a positive pregnancy test. He did not think he could get more pregnant.

He heard the clanking of Sadie’s collar and noticed she was staring at them both with her icy blue eyes. He looked at the dog wondering how she had known even before they knew. He wondered if David could also sense he was pregnant and that was why David was acting clingier compared to his usual. His beagle had crawled into his lap while was crying his eyes on the bathroom floor in fear of being pregnant.

“Will you be alright for a few seconds while I go talk to Raf and Amy and let them know I’m calling it a day? I won’t tell them anything about this situation.” Alex said.

Henry nodded his head he was feeling better after Alex’s breathing exercises. Not to mention he kind of had to trust the doctor now that he was pregnant by him.

If they did decide to keep the baby, he would not be able to get away with anything because Alex was a doctor and pregnancy was his specialty. Alex would probably analyze everything he put into his body. He doubted that Cornetto’s and Jaffa Cakes were on Alex’s list of pregnancy approved food.

He knew that pregnancy would cause him to grow a round bump and he would probably gain some weight, all the while Alex would still look like he was carved out of perfectly tanned stone.

“I’ll be right back. I’ll leave you in Sadie’s capable paws. She’s the best girl.” He heard Alex tease and noticed him rubbing the dog’s head.

Before Alex could leave the room Sadie placed two paws into Henry’s lap and gently nudged his stomach with her cold snout. She obviously took her job as his guard dog very serious.

Henry watched Alex leave the room with a soft click.

Once he knew Alex would not overhear, he started to rub Sadie’s head and smiled at her. “You are such a smart girl. Do you smell a part of your human growing inside me. What do you think, do you want a human sibling?”

He doubted that Alex would let his dog vote on the matter, but it was still funny to watch her shake her head excitedly and watch her little stump of tail wiggle wildly.

He hated to admit it, but he was really looking forward to getting to know Alex outside of this exam room.

The thought of a comfortable apartment sounded better than a nicely designed exam room and sure the exam table was rather comfortable and supportive but either way it was still an exam room. An exam room would never be someone’s home.

Raf looked up hearing the sound of a door click and saw it was Alex. “Since when are you Speedy Gonzalez when it comes to talking to first time patients?”

I’m going to take Henry back to my apartment.” Alex said in answer to Raf question. Raf looked like he was getting ready to bombard him with a million questions, so he held up his index finger to silence him.

“I promise that I will tell you everything tomorrow.” Alex muttered. He did not feel like a lecture from Raf that he had called Henry being the mystery man from the bar that he had knocked up.

He still didn’t know Henry’s opinion about it. Although, the panic attack was a good indicator that Henry was very stressed over it. The only thing he had done was accidentally get Henry pregnant and calm him down for the panic attack once they both recognized each other. 

One thing that he knew for sure, they needed to have a serious discussion about what to do about the pregnancy. Henry might not want to have or keep the baby. He realized that he had slipped up in the exam room by calling it ‘our baby’ but it was their baby.

He would do whatever Henry wanted to do. It wasn’t his body that would be changing over nine months to accommodate a growing baby.

“It’s okay honey Raf and I have your back. We will let you know if something emergent comes in. Won’t we Raf?” Amy said, smiling warmly at Alex and gently elbowing Raf.

Once Alex had nodded his thanks, she grabbed her crossbody purse and pulled out her wallet. She grabbed the $20 bill from its place in wallet and sat the bill down next to Raf’s keyboard.

“I have got to stop betting against your instinct. Also, you are buying lunch tomorrow.” She teased watching him slip the bill into his own wallet.

Prism was Rafael and Alex’s brainchild. Hell, she would consider Raf to be like Alex’s brother given how close they were; both men also loyally supported each other. She also thought that Alex had probably seen Raf naked more than his own husband had.

Henry heard the exam room click open and he watched Alex stroll into the exam room. He still thought that Alex had no business being that attractive.

“Do you still feel stable enough to walk?” The doctor questioned gently.

Henry nodded and got up from the exam table/chair. His feet had touched the ground so he would call it a chair.

He swayed slightly and felt Alex link his arm with his to help support his balance. It was a lovely gesture that made him wonder why Alex had left the hotel room that night.

From Alex’s gentle and kind behavior he just did not seem like the type to just dick and dash without leaving his contact information. He had gone all through his phone looking for a name he did not recognize and no such luck. He had also looked at all the usual spots where one might place a note in a hotel room.

‘He would have to have a good excuse as to why he left that night. Besides, he will probably force you to have an abortion. He does not want a child with you. He is just being nice and kind to prepare you for when he springs it onto you. He will take you back to his apartment and suggest it when the two of you are alone.’

‘Alex might be lying to you and is taking you to the abortion room. He probably has a sedative in his pocket and will stab you with it the moment you least expect him to. Do not let your guard down around him. He is not your friend.’

Henry hated the depressive thoughts that swirled around in his brain.

They left the exam room, and he heard Sadie’s collar. He looked down and saw Sadie pressed against him like his personal shadow.

He waved politely at Amy; the gesture made him wonder what Alex had told his nurses. He might have told him that he was taking him to the first floor since his blood pressure and heart rate were so high. He just hoped that whatever he said was a believable lie.

The less people that knew about the pregnancy the better, because he did not know what he or Alex wanted to do about the pregnancy.

He followed Alex down a long hallway until they reached a door. Great, he thought, an ominous looking door that probably led to a torture chamber, and if not that then it was a special exam room that was used for abortions.

He felt stupid because he really did not know what an abortion was. He had gone to a private school, and they had only discussed straight sex education. Henry had his own sex education while at Eton but still he really did not know much about his reproductive system.

He felt his heartbeat speed up watching Alex push it open. It led to a small landing area that had a stairwell and an odd silver door next to it that terrified him.

He watched Alex tap something to the sensor mounted on the wall. It was not a comforting sight to see. It was clearly something terrifying since it had to have a special key to unlock it.

He was afraid of what lay behind it. Alex had led him down a long hallway and through a separate dor. He doubted the nurses would be able to hear his screams as far away as they were.

His inner thoughts were right, Alex was not to be trusted. He had willingly fallen into Alex’s trap. He quickly pulled away from Alex afraid of him slipping a needle into his body.

He watched the silver nightmare open, and he felt stupid because it was just an elevator. He had almost worked himself into another panic attack over an elevator.

He felt Alex link his arm back with his and give him the I’m-concerned-about-you-look with those damn cow eyes.

‘You still can’t be too careful with him. Just because this was just an elevator does not mean he is not lying about actually taking you to his apartment. You have no idea where he is actually taking you.’

He really wanted his depressive thoughts to shut up or were they anxious thoughts. He struggled to tell the difference between the two sometimes. Regardless, he still wanted the thoughts to shut up.

“Are you okay?” He heard Alex say softly. “My apartment is on the third floor along with some on-call rooms, and a gym for my staff.”

That would explain why the elevator in the main lobby did not have a third floor. It was a staff only area.

The two of them and Sadie entered the elevator, it was a short trip to the top floor. They exited the elevator and were greeted with big floor to ceiling windows that overlooked a grassy area with picnic tables and lounge chairs.

He noticed the giant windows were making a rainbow onto the grey linoleum floor.

Along the way Alex pointed out the gym and a few other things.

He watched Alex grab a key from his pocket and unlock the giant apartment door, watch this one be the one he should be afraid of.

He followed Alex into the apartment. The entryway wall had a scattering of various photos. He was just starting to look at them with the sound of Alex’s voice interrupted his perusal of wall photos.

“Feel free to make yourself comfortable. Would you like for me to bring you a change of clothes or are you comfortable enough?”

Henry watched Alex kick off his running shoes and place them on the shoe rack. He raised an eyebrow; he didn’t know how to respond to Alex’s question. He had worn the teacher tee shirt for the school year and another pair of dark wash jeans. It was nice that Alex had offered him a change of clothes and cared about his comfort.

‘He is going to make you comfortable and hold you against your will. He will hold you here until you agree to have an abortion. You know he will not want to have a baby with someone as neurotic as you. He has seen you have a panic attack. He probably thinks you are unhinged and unfit to be a parent.’

Alex’s apartment was spacious with a large living room with a comfortable-looking sectional in the middle along with a large kitchen.

He was more intent with looking at the photos in the entryway. Some looked like Alex’s graduation. He was so distracted by his own thoughts that he was not really paying much attention to the photos on the wall, in fact he didn’t even hear Alex come back from what he assumed was the main bedroom.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" He heard Alex question softly was he imagining it or did that sweetheart have just a twinge of southern twang.

He turned his head and noticed that Alex had changed into a Harvard Lacrosse tee shirt and a pair of black joggers. He had a lot of questions seeing the tee shirt, was Alex a Harvard graduate?

“Why did you leave the hotel room that night? I am also afraid that you are going to force me into having an abortion!” Henry said in a panicked rush before slamming his hand over his mouth having realized what he had just said.

Henry blinked and felt Alex hugging him tightly. “Why don’t we sit on the couch so that I can answer those questions.” His heart broke that Henry thought that he’d force anyone into having an abortion.

Henry nodded and felt himself being led over to the large sectional in the living room. He noticed a fireplace and a large TV hanging above it.

He took a seat on the couch and felt a soft blanket being wrapped around him. The blanket was a chucky handknitted blanket in a deep teal; it was incredibly soft against his exposed skin. The gesture was so touching that it made him want to cry. He took a deep breath and bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from crying.

 He felt the couch dip and noticed that Sadie was sitting on one side of him, her head resting against his thigh. Alex was sitting on the other side of him, he noticed that Alex’s thigh was pressed against his own.

The couch was super soft and the pressure from the dog and Alex’s thigh was lulling him into a sense of security. He instinctively relaxed into the couch and Alex’s touch.

“That night I got a call from Raf who was covering emergency calls and patients. A patient had come in showing the classic symptoms of ovarian torsion. It’s a terribly painful experience that can impact fertility if not taken care of in a timely manner.

“Raf had figured that I was drunk, and he had already called Mass General to see which ob/gyn was on call for emergencies it was a doctor that we both despise.” Alex explained, trying to be vague, he did not want to overwhelm Henry with his rant about how some gynecologists acted towards their patients.

“I had Raf do an ultrasound and have him share the screen with my phone and it was what we both expected which was an ovarian torsion and if it isn’t treated quickly, they could have lost that ovary.

“My mind was out of it from the alcohol and very focused on the emergency situation that I forgot to leave you a note that by the time I got out of the surgery I was kicking myself for not leaving a note. I am sorry for doing that.” Alex admitted honestly, he had really enjoyed their night in that hotel room.

"For what is worth I would have rather woken up next to you instead of being called away for an emergency surgery." Alex finished the story with a bright smile towards Henry and he gently squeezed his hand glad to have that out in the open. He was, however, more interested in the fact that Henry thought he’d force him into getting an abortion.

Henry waited for the depressive thoughts to jump into his head and make him question everything Alex had just said. Alex’s face looked honest and sincere. He gave his thoughts a moment to interject, and they thankfully did not.

“Oh.” Henry said he did not know exactly what to say to everything Alex had just said. He had an answer as to why he woke up alone that morning and it made perfect sense. “Did that patient end up losing their ovary?”

“No, they got to keep that ovary.” Alex said shifting on the couch to look at Henry who seemed relaxed and at ease. He took Henry’s hand in his own.

 “I’m more concerned about the last part of your statement, do you think I’m going to force you to get an abortion?” He heard Alex ask and the doctor looked concerned and strangely sad at the accusation.

Henry could only nod his head afraid to say it out loud again.

“Sweetheart, I am extremely pro-choice. I believe in the pregnant person’s right to choose. I grew up in fucking Texas and they have some ass backwards opinions about abortion.” Alex rolled his eyes that was a rant for another time.

“I want to be completely honest with you. I won’t force you to have an abortion. It is entirely your choice. If you want to have an abortion, I’ll support that decision.” He heard Alex and his tone was even and gentle. “Do you want to have an abortion?”

Henry’s eyebrows shot into his hairline. He was not expecting any of that to come of Alex’s beautiful mouth. He pondered what Alex had just said and it soothed so much of his anxiety. Whatever he chose he knew Alex would be supportive of it.

Somehow that knowledge made the decision much harder to make.

“I do not know! This is such a fucked-up situation. I am pregnant by a man I met in a club who happens to also be a doctor. Hell, I do not even know what an abortion actually entails to know if I want one or not!”

He had gone to Eton College, and they did not have great sex education when it came to male pregnancy. He felt like an idiot for not knowing what an abortion was. American had the same sex education.

Alex smiled gently and squeezed Henry’s hand. “Would you like for me to explain the types of abortion and what would happen during each of them.” He heard Alex ask.

Henry softly sighed. He didn’t really know what he wanted. He wanted to know Alex’s thoughts about it all.

At the same time, he wanted to know what an abortion was and if it was incredibly painful or if it was something he could handle. Just because he thought he could handle it pain wise, could he even go through with it emotionally. 

He knew Alex had left the final decision up to him, which he appreciated that he would not be forced into it. “I do not know what I want!” Henry said loudly, he hated everything about this situation and conversation.

Here he was in the apartment of an attractive man and instead of them making out or having mind-blowing sex again they were talking about an accidental pregnancy that had occurred from the mind-blowing sex.

“I’m going to explain to you what an abortion is to you, that way we’ve at least discussed it and after that explanation. I’ll tell you my thoughts about this and us.” Alex suggested.

Henry nodded and shifted his position on the couch, so he was closer to Alex, his fingers were still rubbing Sadie’s soft fur.

“So, there are two types of abortions. If I had to guess you are probably between five to six weeks pregnant. Since that is still really early, I would recommend a medical abortion for you. It’s two pills, mifepristone and misoprostol.”

“Mifepristone will stop and block your body from making progesterone which is a hormone vital during pregnancy. You’d take that medication in the office, and we will monitor for side effects. Then 48 hours later it would the misoprostol, that one causes cramps and you to expel all the uterine contents similar to a period. This option is perfectly safe and will not impact your ability to become pregnant in the future.” Alex said explaining it like Henry was any other patient and not the man who was pregnant with half of him.

“Amy had a note in your chart that said that your sister and friend live in New York City, so if this is the option you decide to choose. Then I’ll be your friend and support person through it, we can do it over a weekend, and we can just veg out in my bed and cuddle and watch movies.”

Henry would admit that the idea of cuddling with Alex and watching movies with him did sound lovely. However, the idea of cramping and bleeding did not. He was afraid of what the other option was.

“The second option is called a surgical abortion. I typically use this option after twelve weeks or in the case that the medical abortion does not take. There are different surgical abortions, but they all do the exact same thing.”

“I’m a huge advocate for pain control during any procedure. I use sedation which is a combination of pain and anxiety medicines. You’d still be awake and talking but you wouldn’t feel any pain or anxiety. It is still surgery so like any surgery there are risks involved with it.” Alex explained he also had a lot to say about the lack of proper pain management during procedures.

“During a surgical abortion we will get you all comfortable beforehand, and I’ll insert a speculum. The same kind that is used during a pap smear.”

Henry blanched and tuned out the rest of Alex’s explanation. He had no idea what exactly a speculum was, but if he had to guess it was probably the cold metal salad tongs his sister had described. That story was one of the reasons he avoided ever having a pap smear.

Alex’s explanation had been helpful, but at the same time neither of the options sounded like something he wanted to do. He wanted to know Alex’s thoughts but at the same time he was afraid of what Alex’s thoughts would be.

‘He might be pro-choice, but his thoughts might try and sway him towards the abortion.’ His brain cruelly supplied.

“You promised me your thoughts. I would really like to know what you are thinking about this.” Henry said, his voice quivering slightly.

“To be honest it feels like I’m waiting for a television crew to appear in my living room and learn that we were cast in one of those ridiculous telenovelas my aunts love so much.” Alex realized Henry might not have any clue what a telenovela even was.

“A telenovela is a Latin soap opera.” Alex supplied seeing Henry’s confused look when he mentioned telenovela without an explanation.

“I’m also feeling bad because I should have realized that you had a vagina, and I could get you pregnant. I’m a doctor and I missed that detail of your anatomy. However, if I did have to get someone pregnant that I’m glad it is you. I was really into you that night in the club and the hotel. I was kicking myself for days not putting my information down and leaving it on your pillow.”

Henry smiled when Alex admitted that he was into him that night. He waited for his depressive thoughts to ruin it.

He wanted to scream out in happiness. He struggled with relationships and Pez had tried to set him up on a blind date, but he always refused Pez’s help. He had relegated himself to being single and a dog dad.

Now here was this incredible looking man saying that he liked Henry. This man had witnessed him have a panic attack in an exam room and it had not changed his feelings towards Henry.

“I promise that I will not leave you this time. Besides you are kind of stuck with me regardless of what happens. I’d like to try and date you and see where this can go. If we fail at dating, then I will be a willing co-parent and I will never badmouth you to our child.”

Henry felt his heart flutter at the thought that Alex wanted to date him. As a teacher he was used to seeing toxic family units where the parents fought all the time and poisoned the child against the other. Even if he and Alex did not work it was nice to know Alex would not play mind games with their child.

“I grew up a child of divorce and my parents loved to call me by a certain surname when it came to them being mad at one another. I don’t want to pass that onto our child. It really messed me and my sister up over it.”

“I was always Claremont when I was being stubborn, or Diaz when I was being loud and reckless. I stopped being Alex after their divorce and all they could do is see the worst in the other in me. Not to mention I look the most like my father and my mom hates it. They are both politicians, and my career has almost cost them reelection several times.”

The realization finally hit Henry where he had heard the names Claremont and Diaz. He had heard Zahra mention Ellen Claremont before. She was the Speaker of the House, and Zahra idolized her. Just the thought of Zahra made him realize how behind he was when it came to decorating his classroom.

Henry quickly gave Alex a hug. He just could not imagine how that felt to have both parents hate some part of you.

“I am sorry about your parents doing that. That sounds immature and disrespectful.” He muttered to the doctor.

If for some reason the dating thing did not work for them, he also would not badmouth Alex to their child. Their child deserved to be loved and respected.

“I am pregnant.” Henry finally said the three words that scared him. “I want to have this baby with you, and I also want to try the dating thing. I like you too.”

This conversation had made him realize that Alex was a great guy, and he was lucky to have him to help him through the process. He still was not used to saying those words.

“You are pregnant.” Alex said, pulling Henry close to him on the sectional.

He was hesitant to say anything more than that without an ultrasound to confirm  that the fetus was in Henry’s uterus and that it wasn’t an ectopic pregnancy. He didn’t want to get his hopes up and have it all come crashing down around them.

“Can I ask you a question and I want you to be completely honest with me.”

Henry was afraid of what Alex was going to ask him, it could be anything from his mental health to why he hadn’t had a pap smear. He did not know what discussion made him feel more uncomfortable.

Alex smiled softly and squeezed Henry’s hand. “I’m quite concerned with your mental health. Would be you be willing to try an appointment with Matthew and let me lower the dose of sertraline you are on?”

“It is rare but sometimes too high of a dose can cause depression and anxiety to get worse. I’d like to lower your dose and get you set up with an appointment with Matthew.”

Henry loved how gently Alex addressed everything. “I skipped my dose this morning. I have just been so worried about the pregnancy, and I did not know if it was safe to even take while pregnant.” Henry shyly admitted. Judging from Alex’s words it seemed like sertraline was perfectly safe during pregnancy.

“Why do you think I need to see Matthew?”

“One missed dose of sertraline isn’t going to cause a panic attack. That tells me your dose is probably wrong. I want you to see Matthew because so many providers are quick to sign a script for depression meds which isn’t a cure. Medication in tandem with therapy offers some of the best outcomes.”

“Matthew is a great guy and can help you cope with depression and anxiety better. Not to mention if you need to complain about me, he has a great ear.” Alex said with a wink.

“I just ask you try see him once and see if you even think it is an option for you. You know yourself better than I do. I’m just worried about your emotional health. Not to mention you also have pregnancy hormones coursing through your body and then can make you have all sorts of weird feelings. Which can make the depression and anxiety feel worse.”

Henry looked at Alex’s face. He still could not believe that someone that looked like he did was a doctor, but it was clear after their conversations that Alex was a doctor, and not just any doctor but a kind and caring doctor.

He sighed at Alex’s suggestion he had gone this long without letting anyone touch or adjust his medication or without talking to anyone about his problems.

“How do you know so much about mental health medication? Henry questioned.

He was thinking the conversation over in his head. He supposed one appointment with Matthew couldn’t hurt. He would at least try Alex’s suggestion especially if he thought it would help him.

“One appointment and if I do not like Matthew, you’ll drop it. I guess you can lower my dosage if you think it will help.”

“I do think it is at least worth a try. I know so much about mental health medication and other medication in general because so many doctors don’t want to treat pregnant patients, so it falls to me. Not that I mind.” Alex explained.

“So, we’ve had that conversation now I think it is time we talk about your overall health. Your medical history mentioned that you hadn’t had a pap smear, and when I mentioned a speculum, you had this horrific look in your eyes. Was it a girlfriend or a sister who told you about their traumatic pap smear?”

Henry sighed he was dreading this conversation. Alex seemed so nice and kind but the moment he told Alex why he avoided the doctor a switch would probably flip, and he would be pissed off at why he had avoided caring for his reproductive system. He felt Alex rubbing his shoulder and he relaxed into the touch.

He tried not to think about the fact that this man could read him like an open book. He sighed and took a sip of the tropical punch.

“It was my sister. She said her first pap smear was excruciating. She mentioned cold metal salad tongs and that the provider was being cruel towards her because she said it was painful. Something about how she needed to toughen up even though she was crying from the pain of it.”

“I figured if someone wanted to be that callous to other women then I could only imagine how they would be to a man with a genetic deformity.” Henry took a deep breath noticing Alex’s expression.

“Sweetheart, I promise I’m not at all like the person your sister saw. So many people have trauma because of a terrible gynecology experience. My goal is to alleviate some of that trauma and stigma. I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do, but I do kind of need to examine you to make sure the pregnancy is viable and that you don’t have cervical cancer.”

“I actually worked with a Nigerian owned biomedical company, Okonjo Industries to make a more comfortable speculum. Your pap smear experience should be completely different than your sister’s experience.”

Henry’s eyes lit up at the mention of Okonjo Industries.

“Pez and I were roommates during our private school days. He’s also my best mate. I noticed the names on the waterfall downstairs, and I meant to ask Amy, but my anxiety got the better of me.”

“Pez is a really great guy, and he really cares about the LGBTQIA population. I have a funny story about Pez and I. He actually tried setting me up with his mate from Eton College that was a cute teacher from Boston. Only the teacher rejected the idea. That was you, wasn’t it. You are the teacher and his mate from Eton.” Alex teased playfully with a laugh. That laugh filled the room and made Henry want to turn into goo at this man’s feet.

“It was me. So that must make you the incredibly hot doctor that does clinic days at the shelter.” Henry supplied remembering Pez telling him about the sexy doctor that was incredibly passion about patient rights and comfort.

Pez also might have said that he and Henry would make cute babies together. He also suggested that Henry should finally go see the doctor and have a pap smear done and that he had to stop being stupid about his healthcare decisions.

Had he known this was the man Pez wanted to set him up with he would have definitely followed that advice. Pez would be getting his wish and he and Alex would have a cute baby together. It was an odd situation but that was mostly his fault for not letting Pez set them up originally.

“One last thing. I do want you to spend the night in my apartment, that way I can keep an eye on your vitals. I promise to buy you dinner and maybe you would let me finish the whole first prenatal appointment.”

“I can’t spend the night with you. I also have a dog.” Henry said looking at Sadie who still hadn’t left his side. She was the definition of Velcro.

“Well, when we go get takeout, we can go pick the dog up from your place. Sadie loves other dogs so no worries there. What kind of dog, and what is their name?” Alex said patting Sadie’s head.

“He’s a beagle and his named David.” Henry explained softly. He still wasn’t sure about spending the night with Alex, but it would be nice to have a redo of the hotel room where they woke up together.

“Did you name your dog after your favorite tax accountant?” Alex teased playfully. 

“He is named after David Bowie.”

“Why not Bowie then?” Alex retorted with a wink.

“I don’t know, David seemed to fit his personality better. He is a bit of an old soul.”

“I guess I’ll hold off on the judgement until I meet him then.” Alex teased.

“Are you sure okay with me bringing David over?” Henry asked, wanting to double check before agreeing to pack an overnight bag and spend the night with Alex so he could keep an eye on him. He personally would not be opposed to more cuddles from the attractive doctor.

He watched Alex nod and that was settled he and David would be spending the night with Alex. It would be nice to get to know the father of their baby.

Just from their few hours together Alex was incredibly passionate and already cared about Henry. It was something he had not had, was someone caring about his well-being that was not family.  

He was falling for Dr. Alexander Claremont-Diaz, and it appeared the feelings were mutual.

Chapter Text

Henry realized that sometime during the Pez conversation that Alex had pulled him close to his chest, to the point his head was nestled perfectly into Alex’s pecs. He felt so protected cuddled up like this.

He noticed the crimson-colored Harvard Lacrosse tee shirt covering Alex’s chest. He had no knowledge of lacrosse, but he figured that would be a safe topic of conversation and he could learn where Alex had graduated from.

“Did you graduate from Harvard or do you just like their lacrosse team?” He questioned while inhaling the intoxicating scent that was Alex Claremont-Diaz.

He felt Alex laugh at his question and his laugh filled the room and his heart.

“It’s actually both! I graduated from Harvard and played for their lacrosse team until the unhappy triad tore up my left knee. I had to have surgery because of it and decided to hang up my stick.” Alex adjusted the knit blanket so that it was covering them both.

“Honestly, it was fine because that meant I finished my undergrad degree in three years instead of four. I majored in biology and minored in psychology. The minor is one of the reasons I care so much about my patient’s wellbeing.” Alex admitted there were several other reasons he cared so much.

His sister often said he had a caring-too-much problem. He’d personally consider that a good thing to have as a doctor. He could easily make a list of colleagues that just did not care about their patients; they only cared about how much money they made.

“My medical degree is also from Harvard.” Alex admitted shyly.

Henry looked at Alex with bewilderment when Alex mentioned that both of his degrees were from Harvard. He was still having trouble processing the fact that Alex was not only a doctor, but a Harvard trained doctor.

‘Your child will not only be attractive but highly intelligent.’

'What is more likely is that you both will fuck the child up by trying to live up to impossibly set standards. You are a prime example of it since you had two Oxford professors as parents.'

Henry was impressed with Alex's educational background. He himself had a master’s in education from Boston College.

"Was the lacrosse injury the reason you became a doctor?" Henry questioned, wanting to get those thoughts out of his head. Maybe Alex was right, and a lower dose of sertraline and therapy would be helpful to him.

"No. I had plans for medical school long before the injury. I realized I wanted to become a doctor back in middle school. Being a lifeguard while in high school strengthened that desire. I've always wanted to help people."

Henry was starting to wonder if Alex was a real person or if this was a fever dream from the depths of his brain. Alex seemed perfect, almost too perfect. He couldn't find anything wrong with Alex and it was a little alarming.

Henry watched Sadie make herself more comfortable in his blanket covered lap. He liked how Alex's dog had officially adopted him. She wanted him to be in her line of sight with her snout pressed below his stomach. He hoped that David would adopt Alex, however his dog was finicky when it came to people.

"Can I just say that your dog is really strange. She is super clingy, and this is going to sound dumb, but I swear she knew I was pregnant. How did she know I was pregnant? " Henry muttered hearing Alex laugh.

“That doesn’t sound dumb at all!” Alex said softly.

“There have been studies regarding animal behavior It has been proven that they can smell the subtle hormone shifts in early pregnancy. Although Sadie has always been a clingy girl though. She was very close to being named Shadow, weren’t you girl? She is the best girl though. I love her to pieces.” He heard Alex say and noticed that his long fingers were rubbing her ears and she looked perfectly content.

"Have you not noticed a change in David's behavior? Has he not been acting differently towards you?" Alex questioned. He wasn’t an expert in pet behavior, but he had heard enough of his patients tell him that their animals started to act differently before the first positive test and afterward.

Henry thought about it for a second and David had been acting a little differently. The past few mornings that he had woken up David had been sleeping in the curve of his stomach instead of his usual spot near his legs. He had also crawled into his lap as he cried over the positive tests.

“David has been a bit more cuddly than usual and when I took the first two pregnancy tests, he crawled up in the spot between my legs and stomach. He has always been emotionally in tune to my emotions.” Henry muttered looking at Sadie.

He wondered if David would be accepting, and he would eventually have two animals watching over his pregnancy or if David would become territorial of him. There was a part of him that was excited to spend the night with Alex but was worried about their dogs meeting.

“I believe you’ve asked me plenty of questions so it’s my turn now.” He heard Alex tease playfully and saw that smile that filled him with butterflies.

Henry knew that he had asked Alex plenty of questions, so he was curious what kind of questions Alex had for him. He felt oddly comfortable with Alex even though this was their first time having a sober conversation with each other.

“What are your questions?” Henry asked looking at Alex’s beautiful chocolate eyes.

“For starters I wanted to ask if you feel comfortable with me being your doctor as well as your pregnancy support person, or if you would rather have Raf take over your care?” Alex gently questioned, he wanted to know what all Henry was comfortable with.

“Raf is my midwife student, but I trust him completely. The reality is it’s a weird situation for us both. I specialize in male pregnancy, but I’m also the other father. Honestly, there are some providers I wouldn’t trust with Sadie let alone you and our baby.”

Alex had seen too many traumatic situations when it came to male pregnancy. Raf was a perfect example of the bias and racism that occurred and that they were hellbent on changing.

Raf was the biggest reasons Prism existed in the first place. One of his coresidents had left Raf for dead after performing an unmedicated episiotomy which caused a fourth-degree laceration and ignored the signs of a postpartum hemorrhage. He seriously wanted to murder that resident after he saved Raf’s life.

Henry didn't really know which option was better. He felt comfortable with Alex, and he had already seen him naked, but at the same time he wanted Alex to hold his hand and whisper words of encouragement during labor. Would it be possible for Alex to do both, because if so, that is what he wanted.

He smiled softly when Alex said that he wouldn’t trust some with Sadie let alone Henry. The protectiveness made him feel safe. That kind of safety by a partner was a foreign concept to him.

He remembered seeing an attractive nurse in the door, he figured that was probably Raf. Why did both Alex and Raf look like they had gotten lost trying to find the set for an overly dramatic television show.

He sighed softly trying to think of what to tell Alex. "I don't know. Honestly, I'm terrified of both options. I haven't gotten a pap smear; how do you expect me to give birth." He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

He felt Alex’s arms wrap around him in a protective manner. “That’s okay. I’m just giving you the option of seeing Raf, you still have plenty of time to decide.”

He felt Alex laugh and it was a warm and comforting laugh without malice. “I think all my patients have that exact thought. I promise you that is very different when you are actually in labor.”

“How about I do your first exam and we discuss your medical and family history. Would that be alright with you? After that is over, we can order some takeout and you can grab David and pack an overnight bag.”

Henry thought about it for a second and he wanted to poke Alex to be sure he wasn’t a cruel figment of his imagination and that he actually had a choice. “What all does that include? Sorry, I was a little afraid to Google any of that last night.” Henry admitted shyly.

He saw Alex’s bright smile and felt him gently squeeze his shoulder. “That’s okay. So, I’d do a general physical exam.” Henry nodded he knew what that was, even if it had been years since his last physical.

“After that I’d like to do an internal ultrasound.” Alex paused, noticing Henry’s pale expression. “It sounds a lot worse than it is, I promise. The wand is smaller than my finger.”

Henry sighed he did not want an ultrasound wand inside him even if it was smaller than a finger. “Will we get to see the baby and hear the heartbeat?” He said hopefully and excitedly the thought of seeing the baby would hopefully take his mind off having a wand shoved inside him.

“Sweetheart, you are still in the early stages of pregnancy. This ultrasound will just verify that the pregnancy is in your uterus; and if it is then we will see a gestational sac and a yolk sac. Alex saw the disappointment on Henry’s face.

“We might be able to see a small flicker of cardiac activity, but you won’t be able to hear the heartbeat until about eight weeks.” Alex said softly. It was very unlikely he’d see cardiac activity on the ultrasound.

“Anyway, eight weeks is when it will start looking more like a baby and less like a blob. You’ll also be able to hear the heartbeat. Alex added encouragingly seeing Henry’s bitter expression soften slightly.

Henry hoped that the pregnancy was in his uterus and that he could see a flicker of a heartbeat. The more time he spent with Alex the more he realized that Alex was someone he very much wanted to have a baby with. “Is that all?” He asked hopefully knowing Alex hadn’t mentioned the dreaded pap smear.

“Not quite.” He felt Alex’s hand link with his own. He figured Alex was trying to gently ease him into some bad news.

“After the ultrasound I would like to do a pap smear. I know you are scared, but it will be completely different to your sister’s experience. If for any reason you are uncomfortable during it, I’ll stop if you tell me to. We just need to make sure you don’t have any abnormal cervical cells, which could turn into cervical cancer.”

Henry scrunched up his nose at the thought. He knew he was probably being dramatic, but Bea’s story of her pap had really made him fearful. He was glad that Alex wasn’t judgmental towards his fear but was supportive and understanding of it.

“After the pap smear, I’ll do a quick bimanual exam which is two fingers inside of you and I’ll feel your cervix, uterus and ovaries to make sure everything feels okay.” Alex noticed Henry’s discomfort during his explanation, so he leaned in to gently kiss the wrinkle in Henry’s forehead.  

Henry felt the butterflies in his stomach when he felt Alex’s lips touch his forehead. The gesture was touching and tender and made him feel so many feelings.

“I know it sounds like a lot, but it is very quick, and I’ll be super gentle and talk you through it.” Alex said softly. “Can I ask you some questions about your medical history?”

Henry was dreading this conversation about his medical history. He hoped that Alex wouldn’t think he was a slut for having that many partners that he had listed on the damn intake questionnaire about sexual history. He hoped Alex didn’t bring it up.

He had lost his anal virginity to his brother’s best friend when he was seventeen and that encounter had not been that great. Philip’s friend had also judged him for having the ability to get pregnant much like his grandmother did. Not to mention he did not believe in proper foreplay and forced Henry to do all the prep himself and then blamed Henry for not properly preparing himself.

Then his first year of Oxford his father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and he turned to sex for his outlet to cope with the stress of it all. Then there was the pressure of being Mary Mountchristen-Windsor’s grandchild. She had paid for him and Philip to attend Eton and she expected her grandson’s to be perfect little nepo babies and work for the company that she was the director of HR for.

Philip had followed her wishes and had gone to Oxford and majored in something that was perfectly acceptable for a man to study. Hell, the ink hadn’t even dried on his diploma before he was hired as a financial manager and one step away from his dream CFO position.

Sex had always been his escape from her pressure. Mary had always told him he was too sensitive, so he turned to sex out of spite. He liked the thrill of it and Pez had his back by buying him a giant box of condoms and getting him on PReP without his family’s knowledge.

He was always safe, and he never let his partner’s touch his vagina, it was a tender spot ever since he heard that conversation Mary had with his parents and Philip’s best friend calling him a freaky abnormality after he gave him his anal virginity. Those words stung and broke him and caused him to worry about forming a romantic connection with anyone.

He knew that Alex had already seen the number of sexual partners he had gone through. This baby was a prime example of his poor decision-making skills, especially when he was drunk.

He knew Alex was not in a place to judge him for his past, after all, Alex was the man from the club and the other father. Still, he didn’t want to have that conversation with someone he had sex with. He knew that was in the past and it was rude to judge someone based on their past alone.

Once he got to Boston and away from Mary’s grasp and the sadness that was Oxford, he stopped using sex as an outlet instead he threw himself at his education. That was also when he decided to see an online psychiatrist to get on meds for his depression. The first medication he tried made him completely uninterested in sex, it was like a switch had been flipped in his body.

That psychiatrist had also suggested that he adopt a dog. That a dog would give him companionship and it would be something that needed to be taken care of and loved. He had adopted a Klee Kai from the shelter, and she had been his best friend for eight years until she died.

He spent almost a year without a furry friend. So, he finally went back to the same shelter and met a tiny beagle puppy that quivered in fear in his cage. The volunteer said he was the last one from the litter, and that no one wanted him. He was the runt of his litter and had anxiety mixed with trust issues. He sounded like the perfect dog for someone like him.

“So, let’s discuss your medical and family history.” He heard Alex say, breaking him out of his inner thoughts. He noticed Alex had grabbed a tablet and had it pulled up to the forms Henry had filled out earlier. He was still resting on Alex’s chest like it was the best pillow to exist.

Henry sighed he did not want to have this conversation about his previous sexual encounters or tell Alex about his messed up family history and how none of them could cope with grief. He wished the couch would swallow him whole, so he didn’t have to have such an awkward conversation. It was stupid to think because Alex had probably heard everything at this point in his career.

“I know you mentioned having a dog; do you have a cat or are you frequently around someone who has a cat?” He heard Alex question, and that question threw him for a loop. Bea had an overgrown siamese, but he wasn’t around her or Mr. Wobbles all that often.

“What kind of question is that?” Henry asked incrediously, still shocked about that question. He heard and felt Alex laugh and Alex’s laugh was mesmerizing.  

“Sorry, let me clarify cat feces can sometimes carry toxoplasmosis which is a parasite that pregnant people are more susceptible to. So, if you did have a cat and changed their litterbox frequently, you’d want to stop changing and scooping the box.” Alex explained while Henry finished off the bottle of tropical punch.

“My sister has a cat, but I’ve never changed his litter box.” Henry noticed Alex nod in understanding.

“Do you need something else to drink?”

“I’m okay.” Henry said setting the empty bottle onto the table.

“We’ve briefly touched on your anxiety and depression. My plan assuming it is alright with you would be to lower your sertraline from 200mg to 150mg. I’ll probably end up decreasing it even further, but I’d rather it not be such a shock to your system on top of the pregnancy symptoms.” He heard Alex explain the medication adjustment.

It was odd to be asked and included in that discussion, most of the psychiatrists changed his dose. He nodded his head in agreement, he trusted Alex.

“Amy’s notes say you noticed the depression and anxiety start after your father’s passing from pancreatic cancer?”

Henry looked at Alex he still couldn’t believe his drunken one-night stand had turned out to be a doctor and not just any doctor but an ob/gyn. He hoped Alex was right and that the decrease in dose would help get his mental health back on track.

“It’s a long story.” Henry muttered.

“We have plenty of time, unless you’d rather not tell me.” He heard Alex say gently and saw another one of those damn smiles with bonus chin dimple. Bloody hell, Alex was going to be the death of him.

Henry sighed softly. “I had just started classes at Oxford and then during a family dinner dad told us about his cancer. I watched him go from healthy, vibrant and full of life and joy from being a theatre professor to being unable to teach and bedridden.” Henry’s voice cracked talking about his father.

“Mum became a shell of who she was, both of them were the best professors Oxford had to offer. Their classes always filled up quickly and had long waiting lists to the students avoiding her classes.” Henry felt Alex hold him tightly and the tears just poured out of him. He never told the online psychiatrist any of this. He wanted to know why he had such a magnetic and trusting pull towards Alex.

“My older brother, Philip, became the perfect grandchild and got a job working for the giant company my grandmother is the director of human resources of. She always yelled that we should be above grief and that we were all adults. My sister, Bea, got involved with the wrong friend group and soon found herself addicted to cocaine.”

“Mum was a shell, my brother and grandmother acting like twats, my sister was absent. I had literally no one besides Pez, however he could only do so much. I used sex as a coping skill and an outlet for my pain.” Henry admitted and felt Alex slowly rubbing his back. It oddly felt nice admitting it to another person. He wondered if this was how therapy would feel like.

“I started to hate Oxford. Everywhere I would look I’d see my parents and I couldn’t take it. I made a rash decision to do a semester abroad at Boston College. I quickly fell in love with Boston and quickly changed my major from English Literature to Education, I found myself enjoying teaching. I also slept around a lot less while in Boston.” Henry admitted.

“Eventually my sister sought treatment for her addiction and her and Pez decided to give me an intervention. That I couldn’t keep ignoring my depression and anxiety and hoped it would go away. So, I saw one of those online psychiatrists and she tried me on Prozac, and it just killed my libido. It was constant trial and error until Sertraline. I was functional but some of the side effects were just not worth it.” He was aware that Alex was still rubbing his back.

“I am so sorry! Please don’t think I’m a slut based on my history. Henry was afraid that Alex was going to judge him or worse thing he would be an unfit parent for their baby.

“Sweetheart, I could care less about your number. All that I care about is that it was safe and consensual sex. That is what matters to me, not the number of partners you’ve had.” He heard Alex gently say and once again he had the thought of how was this man a real person.

He remembered the last time he was in a relationship, they had dated for a few months before Brock wanted things between the two of them to be more physical, so they had the conversation about past relationships and the names he had called Henry were downright hateful. It was a shocking comparison to Alex.

“I see on your form that on your most recent STI testing that it was negative. Do you remember when that was? The reason I ask is because STI’s can affect the baby and pregnancy.” Alex said his tone even and kind without a hint of judgement.

“A little over a year ago. It’s kind of a long story but I was negative, and I haven’t slept with anyone besides you since that test. Pez made sure I was on PReP and gave me a giant box of condoms during that phase of my life.” Henry said openly and honestly to the doctor. What he would usually consider an awkward conversation was anything but.

“Pez sounds like a great friend. I’m also negative.” He saw Alex’s comforting smile. “I know that wasn’t an easy conversation to have with me.”

Henry felt those butterflies fluttering around his stomach. “Would you test me just so I know that it won’t affect our baby.” Henry asked, his voice cracking and he felt Alex holding him close to his body.

“Of course I will test you.” Alex said, rubbing gentle circles over Henry’s shoulder. It was a standard prenatal test anyway since STI’s could cross into the placenta or to the baby. It was still nice to know that Henry was okay with it. He always had that discussion with his patients and was always up front and honest with them before he did any test or exam.

“I suppose that I should tell you that I’ve never had vaginal sex. The sheer thought of you touching me in the medical sense is really unnerving to me. I still don’t understand how I’m pregnant when you and I didn’t- Henry shyly admitted burying his face into Alex’s soft shirt. He had deep shame over that bit of anatomy.

Alex could feel how rigid Henry’s muscles felt under his palm that was resting on Henry’s back. He was used to patients that had gender dysphoria when it came to the first gynecological exam. The challenge was that most of his patients that were pregnant had worked through those feelings. He also didn’t have romantic feelings toward them like he did with Henry.

He also knew that was a hard thing for Henry to admit to him. “Thank you for telling me your feelings. What you just described is dysphoria and I deal with those feelings pretty frequently when it comes to my patient base. If you start to feel overwhelmed, just tell me and I’ll stop the exam, no questions asked.” Alex told the blond softly, placing his lips to Henry’s hair for comfort.

He felt Henry’s body relax with the kiss and his touch. His main concern and goal were the ultrasound to confirm that the fetus was implanted in Henry’s uterus and that it measured correctly along with blood work. Only then would he relax and show Henry how happy he was over the pregnancy even if it was an unordinary situation.

He could always do a pap smear and bimanual exam another day in the event Henry felt overwhelmed or overstimulated by the exam.

“As for how conception happened is anyone’s guess. I’ll be honest, my memory of that night isn’t that great.” Alex laughed softly. What he could remember was Henry’s moans of pleasure each time he hit his prostate and how tight and heavenly Henry felt around him.

“What I think probably happened is either a drop of precum dripped into your vagina, or the cum from your anus dripped into your vagina when we changed positions. I’m guessing we didn’t use a condom or if we did use a condom it slipped, and condoms aren’t 100% effective in preventing pregnancy.”

“15 out of 100 people will get pregnant despite using a condom, besides you can get pregnant from a single drop of cum. It’s just less likely to occur that way. The best chance of getting pregnant is from direct vaginal penetration due to the amount of sperm that gets released during an orgasm. It’s rare but it can happen that way, the cards just happened to be perfectly aligned that night for you to become pregnant.” Alex explained gently while rubbing Henry’s back with soothing circles.

Henry listened to Alex’s theory, and he still was having trouble comprehending how someone that was as attractive as Alex had gone to medical school and wound up specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. It was clear that Alex was intelligent, and it was hard to not be attracted to it. He’d personally explain his pregnancy as fate being meddlesome.

“I think that is enough with that discussion. No allergies, correct?” Alex said softly, he was trying to make the discussion lighthearted and easy between them. It was hard because he was in doctor mode, and he needed to know Henry’s history even if this way was a little impersonal and unnatural.  

“I don’t have any allergies.” Henry confirmed looking at Alex who had been nothing but understanding and supportive of Henry since he stepped foot into the man’s apartment.

“Can I ask if you are allergic to anything? Since that is something that our baby might inherit. It feels like I’ve shared all this information with you, and it feels like I know very little about you. I know enough that I feel safe with you and want to have this baby with you, but my anxious thoughts keep interrupting the happy thoughts.” Henry rambled.

Alex smiled brightly at Henry. It was nice to know that the blond felt safe with him and that he wanted to have his baby. “Hey, it’s okay, I understand you wanting to know if I have a bad allergy that could affect our baby.” He said rubbing Henry’s back and shoulders.

“I’m allergic to Tide, dust, and if you’d ask my sister, she’d tell you that I also have an allergy to shutting the fuck up. There is an ingredient in Tide that does not agree with my skin, the dust is easily managed with over-the-counter allergy meds.”

Henry smiled and let out a small laugh at Alex’s description of his allergies. It was the first time since finding out he was pregnant that he laughed at something. He gathered that their baby might have sensitive skin due to Alex’s allergy to Tide. He could handle the dust and the whole not shutting the fuck up because he taught middle schooler’s all day long.

“I see where your maternal grandmother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer do you know what type it is?” Alex asked gently, unsure of Henry’s relationship with his family members.

Henry sighed he remembered that dreadful phone call with Philip about his grandmother’s cancer diagnosis. “She has stage four triple negative breast cancer. My brother is trying to get us all together for Christmas since the odds aren’t great and it might be her last Christmas with the family.”

Henry would rather chew off his leg than play nicely with Philip and Mary for Christmas. He did not want to endure the hell of listening to Philip drone on about his perfect job, perfect wife, and their perfect son that was the carbon copy of Philip. Really, he had seen stock photos with more personality.

Besides, he had someone else to think about besides himself. He was growing a baby inside him that would hopefully be the perfect mix of himself and Alex. He also knew that if he told Mary that he was pregnant it would not be the same joyous celebration that Philip and Martha received from the wretched old hag.

Honestly, if he had to guess he assumed his name wouldn’t be found in her will. He was frankly a lot closer to his father’s side of the family.

Alex eyes widened at the type of breast cancer his grandmother had. Henry was right and it would probably be his grandmother’s last Christmas with the family. “I’m sorry about your grandmother.” Alex said knowing exactly how terrible her odds of survival were. He knew that Henry had called her a twat earlier, so he assumed he wasn’t upset about the diagnosis.

“Thank you.” Henry appreciated Alex’s sympathy although it was hard to call Mary his grandmother at this stage of life, she was the definition of an unsupportive twat. He watched Alex look at the tablet and heard him asking questions about his other set of grandparents.

Alex nodded, looking at the rest of Henry’s family history. “I see your paternal grandmother has rheumatoid arthritis and that your paternal grandfather has type 2 diabetes.”

“They do.” Henry said thinking of the test he had that involved stickers on his chest, Alex hadn’t told him about it. He assumed the test was fine considering he was cuddled up on the doctor’s couch.

“I just remembered something, what did the test Amy did on me say?” Henry asked, having forgotten the name of it, besides he knew that was the last thing on Alex’s mind when you found out your new patient was a one-night stand that was pregnant. 

Alex smiled softly at Henry’s question. “That test was an EKG it measures the electrical activity in your heart. Yours’s showed normal tachycardia which is just an elevated heart rate.”

“Why? Is it because of the anxiety?” Henry questioned, wondering if his anxiety was to blame.

“I’d say more than likely it is anxiety related. However, I am going to recheck your blood pressure and your heart rate to make sure your vitals are decreasing. I also had plans to do a compete thyroid panel since an overactive thyroid will often cause a high heart rate.”

“What about genetic conditions? I assume you don’t have any, and my siblings are fine, but it is still something that could happen, right?”

“We can both do a carrier screening which will test us to see if we carry that specific trait. Then once you reach ten weeks, we could do non-invasive prenatal testing which is a blood test which will screen for your specific risk of chromosomal abnormalities. It will also test the sex chromosomes, so we’d know what you are having before the gender ultrasound.” He heard Alex explain and all his brain could think of what if that comes back with a risk.

“What if the screening comes back and there is a high risk of the baby having that condition?” Henry asked, feeling terrified of the unknown.

“Good question. One that we can talk about later once we know that pregnancy is viable, and we make it to the point of doing a NIPT. I understand because it is an anxiety provoking thought.” Alex said, giving Henry a gentle hug.

“I promise that if the NIPT comes back with a higher risk we’ll talk about it. I just don’t want to cause you anxiety about it if I don’t have to, but if you want me to talk to you about it, I will.” For once in his life, he wished he wasn’t a doctor and didn’t have the knowledge of everything that could go wrong with Henry during this pregnancy.

He also didn’t want to seem like a dick for not telling Henry something, but considering both of those testing options were rather invasive he’d rather not have Henry ruminating over something that might happen.

Henry sighed but he did understand Alex’s reasoning for not telling him given the fact he had anxiety. “I trust you.” He admitted and he did trust Alex.

In their hour of just talking about his medical and family history Alex had given him so much kindness and support and didn’t come off as judgmental. He wanted this pregnancy, and he wanted Alex.

Alex smiled brightly when Henry said that he trusted him. He wanted patients to trust him and feel comfortable with him. “Are you feeling hungry, or would you like to talk pregnancy symptoms and get the exam over with first?”

I’m not feeling all that hungry right now.” Henry admitted his stomach felt like it was in knots at the idea of being examined so intimately. The Alex induced butterflies were trying to soothe the knots, but it still left him not feeling all the hungry.

 He hoped after the exam he’d feel a little better. He saw Alex looking at him with the concerned cow eyes, seriously those things would cause him to confess his utmost secrets.

“I promise I’ll eat.” He said watching Alex’s face relax a little bit. “It’d be helpful to know what kind of symptoms I should be having.”

“Do you think you could eat a couple of crackers and drink another hydration drink. I just don’t want you to pass out when it comes to the blood draw. What’s the last thing you’ve eaten?” Alex asked politely, his voice and eyes laced with concern.

Henry thought about it and looked at Sadie who was present for his lunch making a reappearance. “I could probably eat a couple of crackers and sure I’ll drink another drink.” He did not want to pass out during the exam and worry Alex.

The least he could do was nibble on a couple of bland crackers and drink another tropical punch. He felt Alex shift on the couch and watched him get up from the couch, the joggers were low on his hips. He watched Alex disappear and heard rustling behind him in what he assumed was the kitchen.

“I couldn’t find the crackers, but I did find some pretzels.” Alex said while handing him a small bowl of pretzels and another hydration drink this flavor was cucumber lime. He unscrewed the top and took a small sip, he personally preferred the tropical flavor, but he didn’t hate this flavor.

“Do you feel fatigued more than usual, nausea or vomiting?” Alex questioned, knowing that Henry had had nausea and vomiting since Chloe had told them and that was how Sadie found Henry.

He was impressed with his dog’s intelligence. He knew June loved to joke with him that Sadie should have been the one with the Harvard degree instead of him.

“All of the above. I’ve also been more anxious and moodier compared to usual.” Henry shyly admitted.

He knew they were close to the end of their conversation which meant he was getting really close to being naked and spread eagle in front of Alex. He quickly ate a pretzel and took a sip of the drink to distract himself.

He was finally starting to feel calm and relaxed; he did not need nor want his blood pressure to surge when Alex checked it again.

Alex made a mental note that Henry had been more anxious compared to usual. He hoped the adjusted dose of Sertraline would help the depression and anxiety. He also needed to text Matthew and get Henry scheduled for an intake appointment. He quickly sent Matthew a text message from the iPad. 

“Sweetheart, what would be a good time for your therapy sessions?” Alex questioned looking at the times Matthew had listed in his text message.

“After school preferably, about 4 o’clock, not this week because I am behind on decorating my classroom and catching up with some of the other teachers. I’m this close to texting Bea to come for a visit and help me decorate.”

“I’d be more than happy to come help you decorate your classroom. I am the reason you are behind anyway.” Alex suggested rubbing Henry’s shoulder. “My last appointment is 4:30pm, if you’d like I could grab us some dinner on the way.”

Henry sighed and felt those butterflies in his stomach from Alex’s suggestion. “I couldn’t ask you to do that for me.”

“You didn’t ask, I’m offering, besides I’m pretty sure I can staple paper to a bulletin board.” Alex teased with a warm laugh.

“Thank you.” Henry said feeling elated none of the other men he had tried dating had offered to help him decorate his classroom. Even if he was sure that Alex was offering due to the guilt about accidentally getting him pregnant. It was still a nice gesture and he’d gladly accept his help with the decorating.

“Would next Wednesday at 4pm work for you for a therapy appointment?” Alex asked seeing Matthew’s text message of appointment ideas for Henry.

Henry thought about it for a second and he supposed that could work. Monday would be the day the first day of students which would give him a few days to acclimate.

“That works for me.” He was nervous about trying therapy, but he trusted Alex. He thought that anyone Alex employed would be trustworthy too. Amy was an absolutely lovely woman. He hoped Matthew would be similar.

Alex quickly sent Matthew a message back that time worked for Henry, and he noticed the empty bowl in Henry’s hand. “Are you ready?” He asked, taking the bowl from him.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Henry sighed getting up from the comfortable couch, warm blanket, and Alex’s soft touch.

He walked over to the entryway and tied his dress sneakers back to his feet. He watched Alex slip on his own sneakers, drape the stethoscope around his tanned neck, and attach something to the pocket of his pants. It looked like the one Sadie had around her collar.

They left Alex’s cozy apartment and followed the same path to the elevator. He still felt stupid that he thought an elevator would be a door to a torture chamber. He walked into the elevator and watched Alex tap the down arrow.

“If you can remember, remind me once we get back to my apartment to give you a key that way you can come and go from my apartment as you please. It will also give you access to the parking lot without having to buzz in, you’d just tap the key to the sensor.” Alex explained as the elevator door opened to the second floor.

He nodded and made a mental note to remind Alex later about a key. He followed Alex down the long hallway. “Why some many exam rooms if it just you and Raf?” He questioned noticing the hallway made an H and there were more rooms across the way.

“Raf and I both have a larger procedure room, and the other side will hopefully be for a pediatrician and an adult primary care physician. That is our goal for this year is to get that side staffed, it’s just kind of hard finding other doctor’s that align with my practice philosophy.” Alex explained to Henry as he opened an exam room that had an ultrasound machine in it.

Henry heard the clanking of Sadie’s collar and watched her get comfortable on the visitor’s bench. He took a seat on the exam chair and tried really hard not to think about what was about to happen, he really didn’t want his blood pressure or heart rate to still be alarmingly high.

He watched Alex grab the blood pressure cuff and felt the cuff being gently wrapped around his upper arm and felt the little sensor being placed on his pointer finger and saw little red numbers appear.

“102, it is still slightly elevated, but it is much better than what it was earlier.” Alex said with a bright smile as he unclipped the pulse oximeter from Henry’s finger.

Henry let out a sigh of relief when Alex said that number was better, he hoped his blood pressure was better too. He watched Alex put his stethoscope into his ears and felt the metal end against his arm right below the cuff. He felt the cuff inflate and unlike earlier it didn’t feel like a boa constrictor was strangling his arm.

“That is much better.” Alex remarked both of Henry’s vitals were still a little elevated, but he figured it was because of the fear and anxiety of what was to come.

“I’m going to go ahead and do a very general physical exam and then we can talk more about the gynecological portion before it happens.” Alex explained softly to Henry, he hated how nervous he was.

He planned on showing Henry the instruments and giving him a better explanation beforehand. It was something he usually did with his patients if it was their first exam, and they were nervous; he found it made a big difference to their comfort.

Chapter Text

Henry watched Alex place the blood pressure cuff and pulse oximeter on the marble countertop. He saw Alex’s tee shirt ride up and he saw a heavenly strip of Alex’s hip as he washed his hands in the sink.

The doctor looked like sin wearing just a tee shirt and jogger style lounge pants, although he did think that Alex looked even better wearing the green scrubs from earlier.

He was completely lost in his thoughts of how attractive Alex was, only for the sound of Alex’s deep voice to snap him out of his naughty thoughts and back to the present.

Bloody hell he should not be having vaguely arousing thoughts of the man whose fingers are about to be touching his vagina for the first time. Although to be fair Alex was the man responsible for getting him pregnant. He sighed at those thoughts and tried shoving them from his brain.

“I’m not as worried about your vitals as I was earlier, but I’m still going to check your vitals again before you go to sleep for the night. Your blood pressure and pulse are still slightly elevated.” He heard Alex explain about his blood pressure and pulse rate.

“I’m going to listen to your heart and lungs. If that’s alright with you.” Alex said as Henry nodded his head giving permission.

He watched Alex put the ear tips back into his ears and place one of his large hands on his shoulder. The gentle and warm touch from Alex sent a shiver through Henry’s entire body. He could smell Alex’s delicious cologne and it was an intoxicating smell as Alex got closer to his body. Santal 33 would be permanently haunting his dreams.

“Just breathe normally.” Alex instructed as he placed the rainbow chestpiece against the panther mascot on Henry’s tee shirt.

Seeing the panther and the school’s name made him remember Liam’s excitement about getting his dream job as the school counselor for that school. He’d tell Henry that fact once he was finished listening to his heart and lungs.

He listened to Henry’s heart beating in his ears while intently listening for any murmurs or any other cardiac abnormalities. Henry’s heart was still slightly tachycardic but that was normal.

He moved the chestpiece over Henry’s chest to listen to other parts of his heart before moving the chestpiece to Henry’s back to listen to his lungs.

“Sweetheart, take a nice deep breath for me.” Alex instructed listening to Henry’s lungs which sounded clear as well. “Your heart and lungs sound perfect.”

“So, you might not believe this but my best friend, Liam, is your new school counselor.” Henry heard Alex say while draping the stethoscope back around his tanned neck.

If he was being honest the name didn’t sound familiar, but to be fair he hadn’t exactly been paying attention to Shaan’s new staff member introductions due to the nausea hitting him. So, it was entirely possible that Liam might have already introduced himself and with the whole pregnancy distraction he missed it.

He’d certainly be paying better attention to the name since he was Alex’s best friend.

“I don’t think I’ve met Liam yet. How long have the two of you been friends for?” Henry asked curiously, seeing Alex’s bright toothy smile.

“Liam and I grew up together. He and I have been friends since elementary school. Growing up his house was only a few houses down from mine. We played on the same lacrosse teams; I was his best man at his wedding.” Alex said leaving off the part where Liam had been his bisexual awakening and the fact that he was also Liam’s ob/gyn. He also might have been the one to pop Liam’s cherry.

Alex knew now that he and Liam were better off as friends and besides he adored Spencer, Liam’s husband, they were truly meant to be together. Maybe he was finally getting his happiness with Henry who was attractive and accidentally pregnant with his baby, it was funny how life worked.

Henry smiled Alex and Liam sounded a lot like him and Pez. “I look forward to meeting Liam. What does Liam’s wife do?” He questioned softly, wondering if Liam’s friendship was the reason Alex had such a calming bedside manner.

“Liam’s husband is a pharmacist. More specifically the pharmacist that works downstairs.” Alex said around a heavenly laugh that felt like a warm hug.

He hadn’t noticed a pharmacy downstairs then again; he was rather panicked and worried when he had walked into the building, and it was entirely possible he overlooked it listed on the directory.

Henry was aware that his cheeks were redder than a tomato with his heteronormative thinking. Although to be fair most of his coworkers were straight and married.

Still, he wanted to smack his forehead for that thought since his best friend ran a LGBTQIA youth shelter in New York City and Pez identified as non-binary and he himself was a gay man. He was also pregnant with Alex’s baby which meant that Alex was somewhere on the rainbow spectrum.

“I’m so sorry for assuming. I really should have known better than to just assume.” Henry muttered feeling guilty for his improper assumption and he hoped that Alex wasn’t offended by it.

“No worries, it’s an easy enough assumption to make.” Henry noticed Alex’s perfect smile and felt his stomach knots ease at those words.

“Mind if I look at your ears?” Alex asked as he opened one of the dark cabinets and grabbing the otoscope from the charger.

He personally hated the wall mounted instrument panel, it felt very cold and clinical. He wanted his exam rooms to feel spa-like and a serene environment since a large chunk of his patients did have past medical trauma.

“Sure.” Henry muttered as he felt Alex’s gentle touch on his earlobe while looking at his ear with the instrument. He was used to doctor’s looking in his ears, he and his siblings all had their fair share of ear infections growing up. Still, he liked the fact that Alex was so explanatory before touching him. It made him feel safe and comfortable with Alex.

He never really paid much attention to his doctor’s appointments growing up, his parents did most of the talking and he just sat there and trusted the doctor.

He had always been slightly terrified of seeing a doctor in fear that his parents might take him to the special doctor Mary had mentioned, or that the doctor would bring up the fact he had a vagina or want to discuss him having a pap smear.

He saw his online based psychiatrist yearly and he happily left off that bit of his anatomy on his intake forms. He was a nervous wreck when it came to his last STD screening but again, he didn’t mark the box and the nurse practitioner he saw was none the wiser. She had done the oral swab and he had asked if he could do the butt swab himself, and she had left him alone to do it himself.

“Any recent headaches? Changes in vision? History of migraines?” He heard Alex ask, and his voice snapped him out of his inner thoughts. He noticed Alex was holding another medical instrument in his hand.

“Every now and again I’ll get a headache, but I haven’t had any recently.” Henry paused for a second.

“No recent changes in vision. My sister has migraines, but I only get the infrequent headache.” Henry said answering all of Alex’s questions. Sometimes he had a rough night of insomnia and that would cause a headache.

“Let’s say I do get a headache, is there something in particular I should take for it, or not take, now that I’m pregnant.” He asked the doctor curiously wondering what would be safe for him to take.

“I actually have a book of information that I go over with all new patients. I plan to go over it with you after dinner and it will have all the safe medications in it, but you can always text me if you have questions about a certain medication.” Alex explained to Henry, it was a pretty commonly asked question.

“Is it alright if I look at your eyes?” Henry nodded his permission, and he wondered if Alex was this way with all of his patients or if it was just him. He hoped that Alex was this way with all of his patients.

“Just focus on the wall behind my shoulder.” That was much easier said than done, especially when Alex was standing in front of him touching his forehead while looking at his left eye with whatever that instrument was called.

Instead of focusing on the nice-looking wall he decided to memorize Alex’s perfect face. There was a dark curl that had fallen onto his forehead. He just wanted to run his fingers through those soft looking curls. His bushy eyebrows were knitted in concentration as he performed the eye exam. The fucking eyelashes he desperately hoped their baby inherited were covering his rich chocolate brown eyes.

He didn’t understand how a man that looked like Alex had willingly gone to medical school when he looked like that. Honestly, Alex could have been a model or an actor, but instead he was a caring doctor.

‘He’s a doctor that spends his days looking at vaginas all day long. Hate to break it to you but your vagina isn’t really that special. Let’s be honest with ourselves now Henry, Alex looks like that and is a doctor, yet he is single. There is probably a very good reason as to why he’s single.’ The little voice in Henry’s head cruelly supplied. That voice just loved to make him second guess everything and ruin his moment of happiness. There were probably several normal reasons as to why Alex was single.

‘Just imagine how many of his patients flirt with him in a single day.’ He bit back a sigh, sometimes he wished he could tell his anxiety to fuck off.

He felt Alex’s hand pull away from his forehead bringing him back from those nagging thoughts.

“I’m going to look at your throat. Go ahead and open really big and say ahh.” He heard Alex joke and heard the sound of Alex unwrapping plastic.

Henry did as Alex instructed and realized that it was a tongue depressor when Alex placed it on his tongue. He noticed it was smooth plastic and not the wooden kind. He decided to focus on Alex’s eyes as he looked at his mouth and throat. He could absolutely get lost in Alex’s eyes for the rest of their lives.

“I see you still have your tonsils.” Alex mused aloud like he was taking notes.

“Are you ready for me to do the oral swab?”

Henry nodded and felt Alex gently twirl the cotton swab around his throat. He knew it was the oral STD swab. It wasn’t his first time having one done, but it was the first time where it didn’t involve an awkward conversation about the type of sex he had.

He took a quick sip of the cucumber lime drink to get the taste of cotton out of his mouth, while Alex discarded the tongue depressor into the trash can.

“Your throat looks perfectly normal. I’m now going to feel your lymph nodes and your thyroid. You’ll feel my fingers touching along your neck.”

He felt Alex’s fingers gently touching and pressing along his chin and neck. Alex’s fingers were softer than he was expecting them to be.

“Any pain or tenderness?”

“No.” Henry muttered swallowing when Alex asked him to swallow.

“Your lymph nodes and thyroid feel normal, but I’m still going to do a full thyroid lab panel just to make sure everything is normal” Alex explained gently to the blond.

Henry appreciated the fact that Alex was a little overzealous when it came to this first visit and the various lab testing he was going to do. He was probably long overdue for the standard blood tests and an actual physical.

“If it’s alright with you I’d like to feel your abdomen. I’ll adjust the height of the bed and I’ll have you lie back and lift your shirt up.”

Henry felt the comfortable exam table rise until it was level with Alex’s hips. He sighed softly as he lifted his school tee shirt and saw his slightly toned stomach. He wasn’t overweight by any means, but he had gotten a little softer than it had been his early twenties when he rode horses constantly.

Now he was going to be getting round and gaining pregnancy weight, while Alex would still have those delicious eight pack abs that he could wash clothing on.

Alex watched as Henry put a protective hand over his abdomen and watched his perfect face go through an array of emotions while looking at his abdominal muscles.

“Sweetheart, it’s perfectly okay to not have abs.” Alex muttered placing his hand softly over Henry’s. He knew that their baby was much lower in Henry’s pelvis, but he wouldn’t be mentioning that.

“You are eating for at least two right now. I could honestly care less about your weight.” Alex said softly. He never brought up a patient’s weight and he usually left their weight off their chart, and he never used the BMI scale since it was highly inaccurate for a patient’s overall health.

Henry smiled brightly when he looked down and saw Alex’s much larger hands resting over his smaller hand that was rested protectively over his tummy.

He felt Alex remove his hand and he bit his tongue so that he didn’t whimper in protest.

“Let’s get you comfortable.” He heard Alex say and felt a pillow being placed at the head of the exam table.

Henry adjusted his tee shirt so that his entire abdomen was on display, and he undid his belt and pulled his jeans down a little lower so that Alex had better access.

He leaned all the way back until his head was touching the soft pillow and his legs were stretched out all the way.

He was trying really hard not to think about how this was probably the last part before he placed his feet in the stirrups and was uncomfortably spread eagle in front of Alex who’d be getting an up-close view of the part of his body nobody had seen before.

He watched Alex grab the stethoscope from around his neck and hold the end in his hand for a few seconds.

“I’m going to listen for your bowel sounds.” He heard Alex explain and felt the warm end of the stethoscope on his bare stomach.

Henry just stared at the curls atop of Alex’s head in complete disbelief that this man was even real. He tried really hard not to think about what Alex had just explained to him about his bowel sounds. Although Alex did have the wonderful ability that made gross medical jargon sound ridiculously sexy.

“Everything sounds perfectly normal.”  Alex said looping his stethoscope back around his neck.

“You are going to feel me gently press all around your abdomen. Please let me know if my touch causes you any pain or tenderness.”

He noticed Alex’s warm, comforting smile as he gently pressed around his abdomen. Alex’s hands were slightly rough, but his touch was gentle and featherlight as he felt Henry’s abdominal organs for anything irregular.

“You are now going to feel me tap against my hand to listen for your internal organs. Let me know if anything is tender or uncomfortable.” Alex explained softly as he gently tapped his fingers along Henry’s abdomen assessing the sound of his spleen and liver.

“Your liver and spleen sound perfectly normal and I didn’t feel anything outside the ordinary with your internal organs.” Alex said, adjusting the back of the table and helping Henry back into a sitting position.

Henry bit back a sigh and shifted on the table due to his fear of what was probably going to come next. He watched Alex sit on the stool and roll it closer to him.

“If it is alright with you, I want to make sure you don’t have hypermobility, which can cause issues with pregnancy and when it comes to giving birth.” Alex muttered watching Henry nod.

He wanted to make sure he was thoroughly checking Henry for every possible thing, and he was always very cautious when his patients told him they had Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Henry would happily let Alex do whatever he wanted so long as he got to keep his clothes on for longer. He held out his hands when Alex instructed and felt Alex gently moving his pinkies to check their mobility.

Once Alex had checked both of his pinkies, he then felt Alex pulling his thumb to try and make it touch his forearm and it didn’t on either arm.

“Alright go ahead and stretch out your arms for me.” Alex instructed, looking at Henry’s outstretched arms.

“You are looking perfectly normal so far.” Alex remarked knowing that Henry was falling into the normal range on The Beighton Scale. He lowered the height of the exam table so that Henry could stand up for the next part.

“If you could go ahead and stand up normally.” Henry stood up from the table and stood like he normally would. He felt Alex touching his knees over his jeans.

“Okay now if you could bend over and try to touch your hands to the floor without bending your knees.” Alex instructed and Henry’s fingers weren’t anywhere close to touching the floor. He was fighting his usual thoughts and trying to keep things mostly professional.

“You can go ahead and stand back up. Could you lift your shirt up for me so that I can feel along your lower back. Let me know if anything feels tender.” Alex said seeing Henry lift up his shirt so that his lower back was exposed.

Henry felt Alex pressing along his hips and back.

“Alright sweetheart you can go ahead and sit back down.”

Henry sat back down on the exam table and watched Alex open up a drawer and pull something out of it. Just great! Alex was going to give him a paper gown to change into.

“I’m going to explain what is going to happen during your gynecological exam. I find it really makes a difference in my patient’s comfort level if they know what I’m doing and why I’m doing it.” Alex explained softly, seeing Henry’s eyes widen in surprise.

“This is the speculum that Raf and I designed with Okonjo Industries.” Alex showed Henry the speculum.

Henry eyed the thing in Alex’s hand cautiously; to be honest he was terrified of a speculum going anywhere near his vagina.

“The point of a speculum is just to hold open your vaginal walls so that I can see your cervix for any issues and so that I can swab it and not another part of your vagina when the whole point of a pap smear is to check cervical cells.” Alex teased gently.

“This speculum is a little different than all the others. It is the size of aa regular sized tampon, it’s super quiet, and it has these sidewall retractors.” Alex explained as he touched the thumb tab to open the bills of the speculum so that Henry could see what he was talking about.

“I know it looks a little scary, but the sidewall retractors just help me to visualize the cervix easier. It also increases your comfort since it doesn’t have to be opened as far.” Alex said, grabbing another plastic speculum from the drawer.

Henry flinched seeing Alex holding what he could only describe as the jaws of life. That speculum looked so much wider than the one Alex had designed and then he heard a horrific clicking sound and saw just how wide the other speculum was opened.

He crossed his legs together and made a pathetic squeak. He was afraid to form words at how much that particular speculum terrified him.

The one Alex had designed at least looked humane and designed for comfort, that one looked like something that belonged in a torture dungeon.

Alex saw Henry’s reaction and gently patted his knee. “Yeah! No one really loves the sound it makes, not to mention it is really uncomfortable. Which is why I designed one that is one size fits all and this one is. Not to mention is totally silent to decrease patient anxiety. It is an instinctual reaction to tense the muscles at the sound which is why most patients find a pap smear uncomfortable and sometimes painful.”

Henry relaxed a little at Alex’s explanation of the speculum that he would be using. He still wasn’t looking forward to that exam, but it was a little better seeing the device up close and person, before it was up close and personal with his vagina.

“My sister said it was metal and really cold.” Henry muttered glad that it wasn’t metal.

Alex shook his head when Henry mentioned the metal type, he absolutely despised doctors that still used the metal ones for a basic pap smear. “I don’t use the metal ones, and when I had to use metal ones, I always ran them under warm water.” He explained gently.

He always tried to put himself in the patient’s position when it came to any kind of vaginal exam and he would not want the metal speculum used on him, so why would he use it on a patient.

“Once the speculum is in place, I’ll gently swab this broom over your cervix which will collect cervical cells.” Henry saw Alex hold up a purple thing that did look like a weirdly shaped broom.

“I’m not going to lie some patients do feel a slight cramp when the broom is collecting the cervical cells, but it shouldn’t be excruciating at all. It is a super quick test and if you feel any pain or discomfort, I want you to tell me.”

“After the broom has collected those cervical cells, I’ll swirl the broom in the container that will get sent to a lab to analyze those cervical cells for any precancerous or cancerous cells. I usually have the report back in a few weeks. Any questions or comments about what’s going to happen?” Alex asked cheerfully.

Henry would like to ask if they could skip it, but he was feeling a little better after Alex explained it all. It was still going to feel very strange having a medical Adonis staring at and touching his vagina.

‘After this one when do I need a pap smear again?” He asked, wondering how long until the next one.

“Assuming the lab report comes back all clear you’ll have five years until you need another pap smear.” Alex muttered while taking Henry’s smaller hand in his own.

“I promise you that I’m super quick and I do take comfort seriously. So many doctors forget how intimate and nerve racking it is for their patients. Yes, I have done thousands but for many it is their first exam.”

Henry wanted to melt into a pile of goo at those words. He uncrossed his legs feeling a little more relaxed about what was about to happen.

“Let me walk you through the transvaginal ultrasound and then I’ll have you change into a gown so we can finish up your exam so we can go get some good food.”

Henry nodded, waiting for Alex to explain the rest of it to him. He had found the pap smear explanation to be helpful. It was nice knowing what was going to happen to him and he just liked hearing Alex talk.

He watched Alex get up from the rolling stool and grab something from the ultrasound machine that was wrapped in clean plastic. He tried not to flinch when Alex removed the plastic covering and showed him a long ultrasound wand. He didn’t need a medical degree to know that it was going to go inside him.

Alex smiled softly watching Henry flinch. “This is the ultrasound wand, not all of it is going to be inside of you. Only about this much is going to actually be inside of you and it’s not going to touch your cervix. You might feel a little pressure when it is first inserted and then you might feel a little pressure when I look at your ovaries. It shouldn’t be painful at all. You’ll also get to see our baby on the screen, and I’ll explain everything I see to you.”   

Henry shook his head. He really had no further questions. He wanted the ultrasound so that he could see that their baby was in the correct spot. That was the only thing he really wanted to see. He wanted it to be a viable pregnancy. It was so strange to think about but after spending the afternoon in Alex’s presence he wanted to have his baby.

He wanted the rest of it to all be over with so that he could go back to Alex’s apartment with whatever takeout they decided on and to snuggle their dogs. He hoped that Sadie and David would get along with each other.

“Alright sweetheart if you have no other questions for me, I’ll grab you a gown from the warmer and I’ll have you take off all of your clothes. You can leave your socks on if you prefer.” Alex explained to Henry as he opened the cabinet that contained a small blanket warmer. He grabbed one of the rolled-up gowns and handed it to Henry to change into.

Henry took the navy gown from Alex’s outstretched hand. The gown was soft to the touch and felt like a soft tee shirt material. It also had snaps down the back instead of ties that would show everything.

He let out a soft sigh and heard the sound of running water and noticed that Alex was washing his hands in the sink, giving him the privacy to change into the gown. It was a little silly given the fact that Alex had seen him naked once before and was about to be the first man to touch his vagina.

He reluctantly pulled his tee shirt over his head and put the gown over his head while kicking off his leather sneakers. He quickly took off his jeans and underwear not wanting to lose his courage. He did keep his socks on just to have the smallest feeling of normalcy.

He quickly folded his clothes and placed them on the bench next to Sadie, he was used to his clothes having dog hair on them. He rubbed the back of his neck and heard the sound of the water shut off.

“I think I’m ready.” His voice was barely above a whisper and full of fear although he didn’t have long to dwell because Alex turned around and was wearing bright pink gloves on his hands. The sight of it made him laugh.

Alex smiled brightly hearing Henry’s laugh. He quite liked that sound.

“Raf originally ordered them as a joke. However, our patients think they are funny and ease some of their fear and anxiety. So, we keep ordering the pink gloves.” Alex explained as he sat down on the rolling stool.

“Sweetheart, I’m just going to reach under the gown and quickly feel your testicles and check for a hernia. Are you okay with me touching you?”

Henry liked that Alex always explained what he was going to do before he touched him. He cracked a small smile at the explanation of the pink gloves, they did ease some of his tension. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes so that he didn’t see Alex fondling his balls.

“I’m okay.”  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes so that he didn’t have to see Alex fondling his balls in a non-sexual manner.

He had always hated this test growing up to play polo. He turned his head and couched when Alex told him to, he bit back a moan when he felt Alex roll his balls and prayed that he didn’t become aroused at Alex’s touching. He was not in that kind of mood not to mention he was rather uncomfortable.

“I don’t feel a hernia.” He heard Alex exclaim and watched him remove the pink gloves and spread something that looked a lot like a puppy pad over the sheet covering the exam table.

“You can go ahead and sit back down on the table. I’d like to do a quick breast exam mainly as a precaution with your family history. I just want to make sure everything is perfectly okay since you’ll be able to breastfeed, if that is something you want to do.”

Henry sat down on the exam table glad that there was at least some fabric instead of thin paper that easily tore the moment he sat on it. He felt a little conflicted about having the ability to breastfeed their baby. He wanted to, it was just those feelings and Mary’s voice in the back of his head calling him a freak.

“You are going to feel the table raise again.” Alex warned and Henry felt the table height raise so that he was even with Alex’s hips again. He laid back against the pillow and took a deep breath to try and shake his nerves.

Alex could tell Henry was uncomfortable and wished he wasn’t the reason that Henry was feeling that way. He quickly gave Henry’s hand a comforting squeeze.

“I’m just going to undo the snaps at your shoulder and place your arm behind your head.” Alex warned while expertly undoing the shoulder snaps.

Henry squeezed Alex’s hand as he placed his arm above his head. Instead of focusing on the ceiling as a distraction he focused on those fucking eyelashes. Those eyelashes were one of the reasons he was in this predicament in the first place.

“You’re going to feel me touch you.” Alex warned and he felt Alex gently touching his breasts feeling for any lumps or bumps. He tried not to think what he’d say to his grandmother if Alex found anything abnormal.

“Have you noticed any discharge?” Alex questioned softly trying to make it not sound awkward even though he knew everything about this was awkward for Henry.

“No.” Henry muttered biting his tongue when he felt Alex roll his nipple between his fingers and felt the snaps on his shoulder being redone.

“Your left breast feels perfectly normal.” Alex said with a smile while undoing the snaps on Henry’s right side and moving his right arm above the blond’s head. “You feeling okay?” Alex asked softly wanting to make sure he wasn’t feeling dysphoric. 

“I’m just fine.” He muttered smiling at his doctor. It was awkward having someone press on his flat chest, but he understood that there was a family history and that the doctor knew more than he did. He felt Alex move his right hand back to his side and redo the snaps.

“Your right side also feels perfectly normal.” Alex said while helping him to sit back up and adjusted the backrest of the table so that Henry was in a sitting position.

“I don’t see any point in lying to you. I want to be as open and honest with you as I possibly can, with you not having vaginal intercourse before this exam is going to feel different. It shouldn’t be painful but is going to feel unfamiliar to you and you might feel dysphoric because of it. If the feelings become too much, I want you to tell me that it’s too much and I’ll stop. I will never ever judge or invalidate anyone’s feelings. Alex explained gently, taking Henry’s hand in his own to offer some comfort.

Henry nodded and locked eyes with Alex. He hoped the terror wasn’t written all over his face. He was fucking terrified that the first time anyone touched that part of his anatomy was going to be a medical exam.

He was nervous but he did trust Alex. Even though it was hard for his brain to process that the incredibly attractive man in front of him was doctor, and not just a regular doctor but a very caring and supportive doctor. Alex was the type of person that all medical professionals should try and be.

If he was being honest the world needed more people like Alex in it.

“I trust you.” Henry said, his voice barely above a whisper. He hoped that he didn’t regret trusting Alex.

Alex beamed when Henry told him that he trusted him. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. Do you feel like you need to use the bathroom at all.” He saw Henry shake his head that he was fine.

“Alright, let’s go ahead and get you comfortable.”  Henry felt a warm blanket being draped horizontally over his lap. It was a dark blue color and super soft to the touch, much like the gown was. He felt Alex adjust the backrest of the table so that his back was well supported, and he could still see Alex instead of staring up at the ceiling.

“Are you ready for the next part of the exam? Do I have your consent?” Alex asked delicately wanting to hear Henry’s verbal consent before he continued.

“You have my consent, although, I really think you should buy me a drink first.” Henry teased softly knowing that he couldn’t drink, and that drinking was the reason they were in this predicament.

Alex laughed softly and winked at Henry. “Sadly, you can’t drink while pregnant but how about I take you out for a nice dinner Friday to make up for what I’m about to do.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Henry muttered watching Alex pull the stirrups out from the exam table. He noticed they had a textured blue cover over them.

“These are foot holders, and they are going to hold your foot while I do the exam. Do you want me to help you into them?” Alex questioned and saw Henry nod his permission. He gently looked at Henry’s ankle for any swelling or edema as he guided Henry’s foot into the foot holders.

“I thought they were called stirrups?” Henry questioned softly. He had spent years riding horses and playing polo and they were called stirrups.

“You are correct. I try not to use the word stirrups in front of my patients since some do find the word to be a bit more ominous than foot holders. Not to mention foot holders gives a clear explanation as to what they do, which is to hold feet.” Alex playfully explained, giving Henry his most charming smile and patted Henry’s blanket covered knee knowing that the blond was nervous.

“Alright sweetheart I want you to relax your bottom for me.” Henry heard Alex say as he focused on relaxing his bottom half for Alex, he didn’t want to be a disappointment even if he hated everything about this.

He trusted Alex and he believed everything that the doctor had told him, although it was hard since he felt exposed in the small room. He watched Alex pull on another pair of pink gloves and sit down on the stool.

“Henry, I want you to wiggle your toes for me. Can you do that.” Alex instructed he had all of his patients wiggle their toes. He found it made an excellent distraction for them during the exam and gave them something else to focus on.

Henry started wiggling his toes when Alex asked him to. He couldn’t believe that his first ever gynecological exam would be done by Adonis himself.

Don’t even think about it! His brain screamed. He was terrified of getting half hard or worse farting in Alex’s face during the exam.

“Can I get you to scooch a little bit closer to me.” Alex instructed watching Henry scooch until his bottom was even with the end of the bed. “That’s perfect.”

He felt Alex’s gloved hand touch his knee. “I want you to relax your knees and just let them fall to the side.” Henry did as Alex advised, and he felt really fucking exposed and open once he let his knees fall open.

“Are you ready to begin?”

“Yes.” Henry muttered shaking his head, he was nervous but at the same time he just wanted it to be over with.

“You are going to feel me move the blanket and then do the anal swab.” He heard Alex warn and then felt the cotton swab touching him.

He was used to having STD testing done and he was at least used to that sensation. He watched Alex cap the cotton swab and place it onto the counter next to the mouth swab from earlier.

“You’ll feel me touch your upper thigh.” Alex warned, giving Henry a few moments to adjust to his touch.

Alex could already see why he had missed Henry having a vagina that night in the hotel room. Henry’s vagina was smaller than average and well hidden by his labia, honestly most men would mistake it for skin. He certainly had and he was a doctor that specialized in that anatomy. He stifled a laugh making a mental note to have Raf smack him upside the head for missing it.

“Are you doing alright?” Henry heard Alex question and saw those brown eyes looking at him.

“I’m alright, you can continue.” He muttered softly, glad that Alex would be checking in and making sure that he was okay. He appreciated it more than he could actually put into words, which was hard to do because he had a minor in creative writing.

“Henry, your vaginal opening is a little on the smaller side and it looks like skin. It’s perfectly normal anatomy, I’m just giving you a heads up since it might cause you a little more discomfort during the exam. I promise I’ll be gentle and walk you through everything I’m doing.”

“You are going to feel me touch.” Alex warned and Henry closed his eyes feeling the gloves touching the part of himself he had happily ignored.

He took a deep breath and focused on relaxing his bottom and wiggling his toes finding that was a good distraction. Alex’s touch was gentle, but it was an odd sensation to experience.

“Are you still doing alright?” Alex asked glancing up at Henry while making mental notes of Henry’s vulvar anatomy. “Can I get you to cough?” Alex asked and pulled his fingers away from Henry and tossed his gloves into the trash can.

“I don’t feel any cysts and your external anatomy looks normal.”

Alex pulled the ultrasound machine closer to the table and started typing the necessary information into the machine. “Dumb question what is your date of birth?”

“My birthday is 03/17/1997.” Henry said laughing softly when Alex called it a dumb question. He watched Alex type his birthday into the ultrasound machine.

“Your birthday should be easy for me to remember because I was also born in March. Only my birthday is 03/27/1997.” Alex explained while typing the rest of the information into the machine.

Henry raised an eyebrow when Alex told him his birthday. It seemed perfect and a tad ironic that they were both March babies and born exactly a week apart. “Really! What are the odds of this happening?”

“I don’t know the exact odds, but Nora, my sister’s fiancé would be able to factor out the exact odds. I was actually celebrating their engagement the night we met.”

Alex grabbed a pair of gloves, probe cover, and lube from the warmer. He knew he wouldn’t want cold lube used on him, so why would he use it on a vulnerable patient that was already uncomfortable. He also dimmed the lights in the room so they could see the screen better.

“Congratulations to your sister.” Henry told Alex watching the doctor put on pink gloves and roll what looked like a condom onto the ultrasound wand.

Henry nervously sighed. “I’m sorry, but did you just put a condom onto the ultrasound wand?” Henry asked while relaxing his bottom muscles knowing that the wand would soon be inside him.

Alex laughed softly at Henry’s description of a probe cover; most patients did ask if it was a condom covering the probe. He placed a dollop of warm lube onto the top of the probe cover and placed the lube back into the warmer.

“It’s similar to a condom.” He teased playfully taking off his right glove and took Henry’s smaller hand into his own.

“Are you ready?” Alex asked softly and Henry noticed the concern in those lovely cow eyes. God, how he hoped their baby inherited Alex’s gorgeous eyelashes.

“I’m okay.” Henry muttered watching Alex grab the ultrasound probe. He wanted to see their pregnancy growing inside of him even if the idea did terrify him a little.

“Sweetheart you are going to feel me touch you.” Alex warned, giving Henry a warm smile as he patted his knee.

“Keep wiggling your toes for me.” Alex leaned his forearm against Henry’s knee to offer some comfort and offered Henry his right hand to hold.

Henry took a deep breath and latched onto Alex’s right hand like it was his anchor. He felt Alex gloved finger touch his opening and focused on wiggling his toes. He felt the wand slowly enter him and it was a weird feeling, but it was in no way uncomfortable or painful. He noticed that the lube was warm.

“You are doing great.” Alex said squeezing Henry’s hand before pulling it away so he could work the ultrasound machine.

He liked the fact that even though Alex pulled his hand away he still had his forearm resting against his knee for additional comfort and support. He tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach at Alex’s warm praise.

He was aware that Alex had all of his attention on the screen and after a few moments that felt like an eternity he saw Alex’s bright smile. That had to mean everything was okay and that the baby was where it was supposed to be in his uterus. He watched Alex turn the screen so they both could see it.

“Here is your uterus.” Henry watched Alex point at something grey on the screen that had a white line going through it.

He felt the wand move inside him and noticed a black spot come into view where Alex was just pointing at.

“This is the gestational sac, and it is in your uterus.” Henry let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding, hearing that their baby was safe inside his uterus and in a perfect spot. He placed his hand over his tummy and felt a tear roll down his cheek.

“This round circle inside your gestational sac is the yolk sac and it provides the baby nutrients until the placenta forms which is around the 10-to-12-week mark.” Alex explained while clicking a few buttons to get the measurements of both sacs to determine how far along Henry was.

“You are measuring at 5 weeks and 5 days, which would make the date of conception that night in the hotel room.” Alex teased with a wink while calculating the due date based on the measurements.

“Which would make the estimated due date May 4, we might have a Star Wars or Cinco de Mayo baby.”

“I take it you are a Star Wars fan?” Henry asked softly still in awe at seeing their baby for the first time, even if it was just a sac, it was their sac. “What’s your favorite movie?”

“Empire.” Alex said analyzing Henry’s perfect face and noticed his disappointed expression. “What?”

“You are very wrong; Jedi is the best movie.” Henry teased knowing they probably shouldn’t be getting into a movie disagreement while there was an ultrasound wand inside of him that Alex was in control of.

“Let’s agree to disagree.” Alex muttered looking at Henry. “In all seriousness everything looks good on this ultrasound.

“We are going to be parents. I can’t believe there is a baby growing inside of me.” Henry said his voice cracking with excitement even if it did mean he was going to gain weight and somehow ignore those feelings when it came to giving birth.

Alex placed his right hand over Henry’s on his belly. “You are definitely pregnant, and we will be pregnant in eight months. I’m excited to share this experience with you, no matter how unusual this is.”

Henry’s heart fluttered at Alex’s word choice, and he might have felt a few more teardrops roll down his face at the gentleness of Alex’s voice. He didn’t know what he did to deserve such a carrying person in his life. He sighed, feeling Alex’s warm hand being pulled away from his own hand and turned his attention back to the ultrasound machine.

Henry’s heart fluttered at Alex’s word choice, even though he was still very aware of the wand still inside of him. He felt Alex’s warm hand being pulled away from his own hand and turned his attention back to the ultrasound machine.

“Sweetheart, I’m just going to adjust the wand to take a quick peak at your ovaries. You are doing great just a few more minutes and the ultrasound will be done.” Alex warned before adjusting the wand.

Henry felt the wand being angled differently and yeah that was a little uncomfortable. He took a deep breath and aggressively wiggled his toes to keep him distracted from the pressure of the wand. He heard the click of buttons, probably taking a measurement of whatever ovary Alex was looking at on the screen.

He felt the wand being moved and angled to his left side and kept wiggling his toes since this was a little uncomfortable.

“All done.” He heard Alex say and felt the ultrasound wand being removed from his vagina.

“You did great!” Alex said with a smile as he undid the probe cover from the ultrasound wand. He disposed of the cover and his glove into the trashcan. He came back to the ultrasound machine and hit the print button to get the printouts he had saved to print.

Henry took a sip of the cucumber limeade and watched Alex grab a printout of the ultrasound and saw him kneel down in front of the bench Sadie was laying on to show her the photos.

“Hey girl! Would you like to see your little sibling? I’m sure the two of you are going to be the best of friends.” He watched Sadie nudge the small photo with her snout and the sight of it brough Henry to tears again, stupid hormones.

Alex heard the sound of Henry crying and stood back up and handed Henry the ultrasound photos and wrapped his arms around his shoulders and placed a gentle kiss into his hair. “Are you still doing alright?”

“I’m alright.” He felt Alex hand him a tissue and he dapped the tears away from his eyes as he relaxed into Alex’s strong arms trying to draw strength to get through the pap smear.

“Would you like a small break before I do the pap smear?”

“Let’s continue, I’d like for it all to be done with.” Henry remarked feeling Alex pull his arms away and walked over to the cabinet to ready the supplies needed for the pap smear. Instead of watching Alex he looked at the ultrasound photos in his hand and imagined a baby that looked like a perfect blend of them.

 He heard Alex sit back down on the rolling stool and look up at him. “Are you ready for the pap smear?”

Henry chewed on his lower lip, he didn’t know if he was ready for the pap smear or if he wanted to continue the rest of the exam. His head was feeling a little bit all over the place emotion wise from the ultrasound wand.

 He took a deep breath and pushed down the feeling, he could do this. It was Alex and Alex would be gentle and wouldn’t hurt him.

“I’m ready.” He gave his consent and kept wiggling his toes.

“Sweetheart you are going to feel me insert the speculum now.” Alex warned and Henry felt the speculum slip inside him.

He felt a slight stretch when it was opened inside him, but it wasn’t horrible or painful like his sister described. He also didn’t hear anything when it was opened inside him.

“You might feel a little crampy, that’s the broom collecting cervical cells.” Alex warned.

Henry waited for a cramp, but he didn’t feel anything as Alex rubbed the broom inside of him. In fact, he felt nothing at all.

“You did great! Guess who just had their first pap smear. I hope that wasn’t too awful for you.” Alex said gently withdrawing the speculum.

Henry looked at Alex in awe, he couldn’t believe that was a pap smear. He had spent the better part of his adulthood worried to death over a test that took a minute. Although, his sister’s story was terrifying, and Alex wasn’t like other doctors.

“Your cervix looks perfectly healthy. You also might notice some light spotting your cervix is pretty sensitive in early pregnancy and most people do have a little bit of light spotting after a pap.” Alex said as he swirled the broom into the liquid cytology container and placed it with the STD swabs on the counter.

“Are you still feeling alright? Are you ready for the bimanual exam. I’ll gently insert two fingers and gently press on your abdomen feeling your reproductive organs for any abnormalities that didn’t show up on ultrasound.” Alex explained knowing that if any exam was going to make a patient uncomfortable or dysphoric this would be the exam.

“I’m ready.” Henry reluctantly gave his consent. He really wanted to say no, and that he was starting to become really uncomfortable and slightly dysphoric and that he wanted to put his underwear back on.

He should probably sign up for a C-Section because there was no way he’d be able to fight through his feelings and the trauma that Mary’s words had left him with. Hell, he hadn’t let anyone ever touch his vagina besides this medical exam and it wasn’t the least bit enjoyable despite having someone as attractive as Alex doing the exam.

Alex smiled and put on another pair of pink gloves, making sure that his index and middle finger were well coated in the warm lube.

“There is this really good build-your-own mac and cheese bar that you might light for dinner?” He suggested putting his hand on Henry’s pelvis and gently inserting his gloved fingers into Henry’s opening.

Henry bit down hard on his stomach feeling Alex’s fingers inside him. He grabbed the side of the exam table trying hard to relax and fight his internal feelings. He was hearing his grandmother’s words about how much she loathed him and how this pregnancy was unnatural and an abomination.

“Sweetheart?” Alex questioned after a few seconds without a response about the mac and cheese.

Henry was completely lost in his own thoughts and head as he didn’t even notice or feel Alex fingers touching him or pressing down against his pelvis. He didn’t even hear Alex call him sweetheart. His head was filled with the worst vitriol his grandmother had ever spewed about him being gay or having a vagina and the ability to conceive a child.

He knew she would despise Alex’s heritage and call him a whore for having sex with any man to the point he was pregnant with a mixed-race baby. She’d completely dismiss Alex’s educational accomplishments because of the tone of his skin and Philip would parrot her drivel and that he was the perfect grandchild because his child was white.

“Henry?” Alex asked his tone firm yet gentle as to not startle or alarm the blond. He was starting to get worried about the lack of response. He heard a whimper, and the sound broke his heart. He gently withdrew his fingers filing away what he had felt for later, right now his priority was Henry’s comfort.

He noticed Henry’s white knuckles gripping the exam table tightly to the point his knuckles were ghost white and cold to his touch. He put the head of the exam table down and sat down and pulled Henry into his arms.

“I’m so sorry.” Henry cried as he buried his face in Alex’s lap while the doctor gently pried his fingers from the side of the table.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. I am so proud of you.” Alex muttered as he massaged Henry’s knuckles to get blood flow back into his fingers.

Henry reluctantly relaxed into Alex’s touch and took a deep breath and tried to match Alex’s breathing since he knew he was probably causing his blood pressure and heart rate to increase and the last thing he wanted to do was worry Alex further.

It was like Alex could read his mind because he felt Alex checking the pulse in his wrist. “Sweetheart, your pulse is elevated again. Would you like to talk about what you are feeling? I really am very proud of you.”

“I’m scared to give birth to our baby. You are the first man to ever touch me there and look at me I’m a blubbering, emotional mess afterwards. You didn’t even touch me in a sexual way!” Henry said, hiccupping over his words.

Alex gently tilted Henry’s chin to meet his eyes. “No, but I did touch you in an intimate way that can bring up dysphoric feelings. Can I ask who made you feel this much shame over having duo-genitals and the ability to become pregnant, because I would love to kick their ass for you.”

Henry softly smiled and cautioned a glance at Alex’s face which showed he was being honest. “I think the chemo might have beat you to it.” He teased, averting his gaze so that he could tell Alex the full story of why he was so afraid of having a vagina along with a penis.

He heard Alex laugh at the mention of the chemo already kicking her ass and felt his fingers gently rubbing his hair.

“I was five years old, and I got up for a drink of water because of a nightmare and I accidentally heard my grandmother, Mary, telling my parents that I was young enough and that they should take me to have my organs removed and have my hole sewed shut.” Henry paused for a second and he felt Alex gasp.

That I was young enough to not remember the surgery and that I should have been perfect like Philip. She also implied that if they didn’t force me to have the surgery that I’d probably turn out to be a rainbow freak. When I came out of the closet, she wrote me out of her will.” Henry said his body shaking from the force of his sobs as he retold the story.

“I think of our baby, and I’m reminded of her words and all I can do is here her voice telling me how much of a disappointment I am and that I should terminate the pregnancy because it’s an abomination in more ways than one. Not only is she homophobic but she’s racist and would hate to know that I’ve sullied the perfect Mountchristen-Windsor genes by spreading my legs for you.”

“Sweetheart, look at me.” Alex said, waiting until he saw he saw Henry’s stunning blue eyes looking up at him.

“Your grandmother is disgusting for even suggesting to your parents do that to you. Only horrible people suggest and do that surgery on a child. Then again there are some terrible ob/gyns. I’m glad your parents didn’t listen to the old hag.” Alex said kissing Henry’s forehead while rubbing his knuckles.

“I have some very choice words that I’d love to tell your grandmother if I ever get to meet her. I can handle the racism. I get so much of it every time my mom is up for reelection. The systemic racism in medicine is one of the reasons I went to medical school in the first place. I’m here for you and I might not understand what you are feeling, but I will always listen to anything you have to say. Matthew and Raf will too.”

Henry couldn’t believe his damn luck of finding someone that completely understood him the way Alex did.

 “How about I help you get dressed and we can get you and our Baby Yoda some food.” Alex teased, placing his hand over Henry’s pelvis. “I’m sure they are hungry too, after all you are now eating for two. How about some ice cream for dessert?”

Chapter Text

Alex walked over to the bench that Sadie was laying on. The soft bench also had Henry’s clothes folded nicely into a pile. He rubbed Sadie’s ears and grabbed the pile of clothes for Henry. He took Henry’s trunk style underwear and an underwear liner from the cabinet.

“I’m going to stick a liner in your underwear since you might have some light spotting for the rest of the night. I promise that it’s perfectly normal.” Alex explained placing the liner into Henry’s underwear it would also catch any drips of lube that was left over after the wipe.

“Would you like my help getting dressed or would you like me to step out for a moment?” Alex asked, still worried about Henry’s dysphoria and his feelings.

“I’d like your help if that’s alright?” Henry muttered his legs felt a little like gelatin after the exam.

“Of course, sweetheart!” Alex said while grabbing a pair of gloves and a water wipe from the wipe warmer. “I’m just going to quickly wipe and get you cleaned up from all the lube.” Alex explained, and watched Henry nod his head giving him permission while opening his legs allowing him easier access.

Henry felt the warm wipe against his skin. “All done.” He heard Alex say and watched the doctor pull off his gloves and discard them into the trash along with the wipe.

“Let’s get you back into your clothes so that I can get some of your blood and after you can visit the sample closet to find a prenatal vitamin that you can stomach along with something to help ease your morning sickness.” Alex explained, grabbing Henry’s trunks from the counter and helping him into the underwear.

Henry laughed softly at Alex wanting his blood. He knew it was for the blood tests he had mentioned but he couldn’t resist making a joke, after all Alex had set himself up for it. “Are you related to Dracula?” He teased playfully sticking out his tongue.

“I vant to draw your blood.” Alex teased dramatically in a ridiculously terrible accent. It was nice to see Henry making jokes and teasing him like any of his friends would. He was a little less worried about Henry’s emotions after making that joke.

“Okay, Dr. Dracula.” Henry remarked grabbing his tee shirt from the counter along with his jeans. He figured he could finish putting the rest of his clothes on now that he was feeling steadier on his feet.

He quickly undid the snaps on the gown and changed back into his school tee shirt and buttoned his jeans. He grabbed his leather sneakers and tied them up while he watched Alex label the test containers.

“Are you ready to get some lab work done?” Alex asked, looking at Henry as he sat down on the stool.

“Let’s go over the labs I want to do on you. The first one is a quantitative hCG, it’s going to tell me how much of the hCG hormone you have in your blood, hCG is a pregnancy hormone. Ideally the number doubles every 48 hours. I’ll recheck this lab on Friday just to make sure we have a healthy pregnancy, since we can’t hear or see the heartbeat just yet.” Alex explained that test to Henry.

“I’m going to do a full thyroid panel along with what blood type and Rh factor you are. You might need a Rhogam injection later on in the pregnancy in the event you and the baby have a different Rh factor.”

“I’m also going to do a complete blood count, check your hemoglobin and hematocrit, a complete metabolic panel, the carrier screening I mentioned earlier for any genetic abnormalities, an STI panel, and check your immunity levels to common infections like varicella and rubella. Most of these are standard for pregnancy and some are because you haven’t seen a doctor in a while. I just want to make sure you’re okay.” Alex explained gently watching Henry process what he had said.

“We also need to talk about you getting the flu shot. Pregnancy will weaken your immune system and make you more susceptible to getting the flu and having serious complications from it.”

“I get my flu shot every year, no need to convince me.” Henry teased. He worked with children, and they tended to be prone to illnesses and middle schoolers didn’t exactly have the best hygiene. He adored them, but they were germy little creatures.

Alex stifled his laugh because he did try and educate and help his patients make the best decision for them. “Good, I also get my flu shot every year.” Then again, he was a doctor that cared for pregnant patients, and he required his staff to get the vaccination as well due to the risk.

“Are you ready to get these labs done?” He questioned patting Henry’s knee.

Henry got up from the exam table and Alex grabbed the chuck under pad and disposed it into the trash can. He placed the blanket and gown into the dirty hamper knowing that Amy would collect all the used ones and restock the warmer in the morning.

Alex collected the lab bag with Henry’s pap smear container and the two swabs from the counter and opened the door for Henry and Sadie. He led Henry down a few doors until he reached the lab that was next to the nurse’s station.

“Go ahead and have a seat in the chair for me.” Alex instructed and grabbed the sheet Raf had about the order of blood draws and what labs went into what color tubes.

He had learned how to draw blood in medical school and Raf had taught him some tips and tricks in case he had to in an emergency, but honestly, he usually left the blood draws for Raf or Amy. He pulled the correct tubes from the rack, a butterfly needle, an alcohol wipe to clean Henry’s skin, and an emesis bag in case Henry started to feel nauseous. He sat the supplies down on the table next to the chair.

“Have you ever passed out while having your blood drawn before?” Alex questioned, wanting to know if Henry had a prior history.

“No, although it has been several years since I’ve last had lab work.” Henry admitted meeting Alex’s gentle brown eyes.

“Alright, I’m just making sure you’re not going to faint or pass out on me. Which arm would you like me to use to get your blood?”

“I’d prefer the left arm, Dracula.” Henry teased, putting his left arm against the cushioned arm rest and heard Alex’s warm laugh.

“You are going to feel me touch your arm.” He heard Alex warn before he felt Alex’s warm fingers touching the inside of his elbow for a vein. “Make a fist for me sweetheart.” Henry tightened his fingers into a fist.

“Perfect! You have really great veins.” Alex remarked, happy that Henry had great veins and would hopefully be an easy stick. He pulled on a pair of pink gloves and grabbed the blue tourniquet from the table and tied it to Henry’s upper arm right above his elbow.

“You’ll feel some cold wetness. That’s the alcohol wipe cleaning off your arm.” Henry heard Alex warn and felt the wipe being rubbed in a circular motion on his arm. He was also distracted by the hair on Alex’s arm and the way his veins flexed as he moved.

“Small pinch sweetheart.” Alex warned and Henry adverted his eyes feeling the sting of the needle enter his skin. He winced softly even though it was more annoying and uncomfortable than it was painful.

He had to give it to Alex, he was a very gentle vampire.

Henry heard Alex’s laughter, and he realized he had said the gentle vampire part aloud instead of in his head.

“I try sweetheart, Raf is the best at getting blood with Amy being a very close second.” He heard Alex tease along with the snap of the tourniquet being released after maybe a minute and he looked over at the table to see several tubes of various colors full of his blood. Alex wasn’t kidding, he did want his blood and a decent amount of it.

He relaxed his hand and wiggled his fingers feeling soft gauze being placed onto the injection area along with light blue wrap being wrapped around his elbow.

“All done. You’ll want to leave the wrap on for about 20 minutes and then you can take it off.” Alex explained as he applied the sticky labels with Henry’s information to the tubes. “How are you feeling, any lightheadedness or nausea?”

Henry shook his head no that he was not feeling lightheaded or nauseous although the only thing in his stomach was a handful of pretzels and he was feeling kind of hungry. “I’m hungry but that wasn’t one of your questions.”

Alex smiled and grabbed a laboratory storage bag and placed the tubes of blood into the bag. “Well let’s quickly visit the sample closet and figure out which prenatal and morning sickness samples you want to try so that we can get David and some food. I don’t need you getting hangry.” He teased helping Henry out of the lab chair and noticed Sadie sitting outside of the laboratory.

Alex had trained her on what rooms she could enter and which ones she couldn’t, and the lab was one of the rooms. “Who’s my good girl?” He questioned and bent down to pat her head.

Alex led Henry to a closet that had full sized bottles of prenatal vitamins along with samples of morning sickness relief.

“When it comes to prenatal vitamins in the first trimester most people tend to tolerate gummies or soft gels better than the traditional pill vitamin. Now there are a few downsides to gummy vitamins in the lack of iron. They also contain a small amount of sugar and depending on the doctor would warn about the chance of gestational diabetes. My thought is anyone with a placenta can develop gestational diabetes due to the hormones the placenta makes. In the event you develop gestational diabetes we’d put you on another vitamin that doesn’t contain sugar.” Alex paused, giving Henry time to process his words.

“The next downside to a gummy vitamin is they don’t contain the recommended dose of iron. Depending on if you are low in iron, we’d add an additional iron supplement alongside the gummy. The soft gels do contain the recommended dose of iron and are coated in peppermint making them easier to tolerate and stomach. It’s really up to you on what you think you can stomach or tolerate with your morning sickness.”

Henry felt overwhelmed looking at all the vitamin options in the cabinet and slightly overwhelmed by Alex’s explanation of the small downsides of the gummy vitamin. His morning sickness was awful, although a part of him did wonder if it was morning sickness or the stress of the appointment and finding out his one-night stand that had gotten him pregnant was also a damn ob/gyn.

He also hadn’t taken his sertraline since the positive tests in fear that it wasn’t safe to take during pregnancy, so he had no idea if he could even tolerate swallowing that pill down. “Alex, what about stomaching my sertraline.” He knew how he was without his depression and anxiety and being unable to take it scared him.

Alex placed a hand on Henry’s shoulder. “It’s more so vitamins that most people have trouble since some of them can taste unpleasant or chalky.” Alex muttered as he leaned in closer to Henry’s side.

“You shouldn’t have any problems taking the sertraline. I remember you not having much of a gag reflex in the hotel room.” He whispered into Henry’s ear seeing the blond turn a bright shade of red at his complement.

Henry playfully swatted at Alex’s arm knowing exactly what the other man was referencing. “I think I’ll try the gummies for now.” He said wanting to make sure he was giving their baby the proper nutrition needed to grow inside him.

“I do have another question what about morning sickness? It makes me feel rather nauseated and I’d rather not have to pause class to go vomit. I’ve already had to make up some crafty lies to the other teachers about why I’m leaving earlier than I usually do.” Henry said feeling rather anxious about how he was going to handle his morning sickness once the students came back.

Alex rubbed Henry’s back knowing that most of his patients worried that their morning sickness would disrupt their workday and life. “For now, we’ll try something that has vitamin B6 and ginger which does help with morning sickness.” Alex explained reaching for Henry’s wrist.

“There is also a pressure point in your wrist that when pressed can help some people with nausea. It doesn’t work for everyone though. You also have to worry about hiding the bands on your wrist even clear ones can stick out, unlike a candy that you’d suck on, or a powder that you could add to your water, or even a tea.” Henry heard Alex explain and felt Alex’s fingers pressing gently into a spot below his wrist.

“You’ll also want to keep an eye on your hydration and drink plenty of water and drinks with electrolytes or water packets with the added electrolytes. In the event you are still having terrible morning sickness that can’t be managed with the above we can talk about nausea medications and an IV drip with added Zofran” Alex said grabbing Henry some samples of the water packets in fun flavors that contained the electrolytes along with the nausea candies, and some morning sickness tea for Henry to try.

Henry felt reassured after Alex explained his options for his morning sickness and that if he was still feeling this bad by the weekend, they’d talk different options. He didn’t love the idea of having an IV, but he knew how rough the first week with the children back was without being pregnant and morning sickness on top of it. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me sweetheart. I’ve got you and I’ll support you however you need me to. How about we go downstairs, and I’ll drop off your labs so they can take it to the hospital laboratory, and you can go get your new dose of sertraline from Spencer. Then we can go pick up David and get you and our baby some food.” Alex said as he handed Henry the bag containing the vitamins and the samples of morning sickness remedies.

Henry bit his lip to keep himself from crying when Alex said he’d support him in whatever way he needed. He could feel the stomach butterflies again when Alex called him sweetheart. He took the bag of goodies from Alex and followed him down the familiar hallway that led to an elevator. He wanted to smack himself for his sinister thoughts from earlier.

The elevator opened into a stairwell on the first floor, and he followed Alex to just slightly off the main entrance where the pharmacy was located. “I’ll just go check in with my night staff and make sure they get your labs over to the lab. I should have most of the results later tonight.” Alex explained walking off in another direction.

Henry entered the small pharmacy and saw an Asian man that was slightly shorter than Alex behind the counter along with two other women who looked to be between their early to mid-twenties. He walked past a wall of vitamins to get to the counter. “Hello, I’m Henry Fox here to pick up my medication.” He reached into his back pocket to grab his wallet figuring they’d want his identification and insurance card.

The women with blonde hair smiled and grabbed a medication bottle and placed it into a bag. “Do you have your license and insurance card?” She questioned him and took the two cards from his outstretched hand. “Do you want Spencer to talk to you about your medication?”

“No but thank you for asking.” Henry said as he placed his cards back into their correct spot into his wallet. He had been on sertraline for years now and knew exactly how to take it.

He signed his name in his elegant flourish and took the bag from the young blonde. “Thank you.”

“Have a great night.” He heard a male voice call as he walked away from the counter and out of the small pharmacy and saw Alex leaning against a wall waiting for him.

“Are you ready to go get David and some takeout?” Alex questioned gently while taking Henry’s hand in his own and leading him through the building and out through a staff entrance where his dark blue Audi Q5 was parked towards the end of the parking lot.

The SUV had been a residency graduation present from his father; it was also an apology for the way he left their family. He and Oscar had gotten closer once he matured and realized just how toxic his parents were to one another. Oscar also respected Alex’s career choice and was proud that his son was a successful doctor.

He knew his relationship with his mother was rocky to say the least. She had not been all that pleased when he announced he was going to medical school, and he also knew that she planned to announce her run for presidency and she had made it known that his outspokenness had almost cost her an election. Not to mention Oscar stood by his bedside while he was laid up in the hospital before, during, and after his knee surgery. He was a sitting Senator and prioritized his injured child, while she sent Leo in her place while she presided over the House of Representatives. Honestly Alex hated her for it.

Alex could only imagine what she’d say about him getting Henry accidentally pregnant. Her chief of staff had tried to convince him to delete some of his YouTube and TikTok educational videos because it was better if his mother was seen as a moderate-side democrat to appeal to all sides. Especially with the likely republican candidate being so outspoken about Roe v Wade and abortion rights. He was a terrifying nut job that made him yearn for Bush or McCain type candidate.

He did not like his mom trying to interfere with his career because she had to play politics. He wanted zero part in politics and his dad respected his decision. His mom’s staffers thought he and June could be beneficial to her presidential campaign because they were young and attractive, however they couldn’t accept no for an answer. He and June were adults with their own lives and careers and in his case now a growing family.

His childhood had been ruined by his parents’ divorce and his mother’s political ambitions his child would never be used for political gain. He could hear his mother’s disappointing tone since he had accidently gotten a man pregnant. He didn’t need or want to subject Henry to a political colonoscopy of invasive questions to make sure it was just an innocent accident on their part.

Alex was trying to stay composed and not let Henry know that he was also freaking out on the inside. He couldn’t wait until lunch with Matthew tomorrow so he could finally put his feelings about Henry and the pregnancy into words, but for now he knew Henry needed his support and that’s exactly what he was going to give.

He hit the unlock button to his SUV and opened the passenger side door for Henry who slid into the passenger’s seat and clicked his seatbelt. He shut Henry’s door and walked around the vehicle and opened his own door and slid into the vehicle.

“You’ll have to tell me your address, I remember Brookline from your chart, but that’s about it.” Alex confessed and the only reason he could remember that Henry lived in Brookline was because it was a rather wealthy area and he found it a bit strange that Henry lived in that area on a teacher’s salary, even if Massachusetts did have the second highest teacher salary after New York. Hell, even the apartment he rented for medical school was outrageous and it was close to Brookline.

Henry gave Alex his address and watched the doctor type it into the navigation screen and settled into the comfortable seat.

Alex tried to think if there was an apartment complex on Davis Avenue but from what he remembered it was all homes. He snuck a curious glance over at Henry.

“I have heated seats if you are cold.” He offered and showed Henry where the button was if he wanted a heated seat. He looked at his screen and reversed out of his usual parking spot. He quickly tapped his badge against the RFID sensor next to the speaker to be let out of his parking lot.

“You know it’s a little strange that your clinic is located across from a Wyndham.” Henry remarked as he looked at the hotel across the street knowing that their baby was conceived in one.

“Not really that strange. Mass General Hospital is in this area, and it makes sense for visitors. Or are you referring to the fact our little bean was conceived in a hotel. Although, I do believe that it was an Envoy and not a Wyndham.” Alex teased playfully as he pulled out onto the busy street. He left off the part that some of his patients were from different states and stayed at the Wyndham or rented a vacation rental just to have himself or Raf as their medical provider.

Henry looked over at Alex and wondered if he also saw female patients. Now that his brain felt clear all he could think about was his older sister also being negligent towards her own reproductive health due to fear and trauma. He knew he should at least try and convince her assuming Alex would take her as a patient.

“Alex, do you see female patients?” Henry questioned, as he looked down at his phone and sent Addison a text that David was okay and that he’d see her tomorrow.

“Of course I do. Are you just curious or is there a particular reason? I see adult women, adolescents, men with duo-genitals, and transgender patients.” Alex answered while keeping his focus on the road and the traffic. He knew his colleagues would see the same patients, but they usually judged the latter two patient types. They were fine with straight white women, but he wanted to see everyone he could and treat them with the respect they deserved.

Henry listened to Alex explain the patient base he would see and tried hard not to think about why an adolescent would need a gynecologist. “I was wondering if would feel comfortable with taking my sister as a patient.” Henry questioned, wondering if Alex would be comfortable with that, and assuming he could convince Bea to see Alex.

“Assuming she doesn’t want to kill me for getting you pregnant then I’ll absolutely see her as a patient. That’s assuming you can convince and not force her. A lot of the times after a traumatic exam it tends to make them not trust another doctor.” Alex explained as he turned onto Davis Avenue and followed the navigation directions until he reached Henry’s driveway.

Alex pulled into Henry’s driveway in front of the garage. He was having a hard time keeping his composure at the teal colonial style house that was at least three stories with a front porch that stretched the length of the house. There was no way that Henry could afford this house on a teacher’s salary. He knew homes in this area of Brookline were easily in the two-to-three-million-dollar range and sometimes more.

He quickly glanced over at Henry and wondered what kind of investment portfolio he had. Henry had mentioned that his parents were Oxford professors and that one of his grandparents had written him out of her will. He doubted that they were bankrolling this house.

He was deeply confused seeing Henry’s house and the other fancy houses surrounding it and wanted to ask if Henry was lying about being a teacher, but he would hold his judgement for now. Maybe Henry’s dad had one hell of a life insurance policy.

Alex watched Henry grab a leather keychain from his pocket that looked to contain his vehicle key fob and a shiny house key. “Are you ready to meet David?” He heard Henry question softly as he turned off his vehicle.

“Yes, although I still think you named him after your favorite tax accountant.” Alex answered as he opened the SUV door.

“I do believe we’ve had that conversation before he’s named after Bowie, and you said you’d keep an open mind.” Henry sassed as he opened the door to Alex’s SUV. He was eager to get inside so he could let David outside to do his business since it had been a longer day than his dog was typically used to being alone for. Henry glanced behind him and noticed that Alex was trailing behind him.

Alex noticed that Henry’s house was catty-corner to Emerson Gardens the local park as he walked up the three steps to Henrys’ full length front porch. The porch had a full white half railing that ran the length of it, along with a white porch swing hanging on the right side of the porch. Next to the swing was a decorative table with a plant sitting on it.

The front door was a double wooden door with two glass panels along with decorative detailing along the bottom panels. If he had to guess he’d say they were original to when the house was built in the 1800s.

Alex watched as Henry unlocked the door and saw a beagle running towards them and he crouched down to the floor and extended his hands so that the dog could smell him and Sadie. “You must be David, I’m Alex.” He said to the dog completely oblivious to the fact that the interior of the house had been completely gutted and remodeled.

Henry grabbed his mail from the mailbox hanging on his house and watched his dog sniff Alex intently and then looked at him with approval in his dark eyes. Alex had passed the David test with flying colors. He had been worried that his dog wouldn’t get along with Alex or Sadie. He clearly had no reason to worry about David and Alex who was leaving sloppy dog kisses all over the man’s high cheekbones that could easily cut glass.

“Alex, would you mind letting David outside for me so I can pack an overnight bag.” Henry asked looking at the doctor who had just stood back up after rubbing David’s floppy ears.

“Of course, do you want to tell me where to let David out at?” Alex questioned politely, figuring the blond didn’t want David to be let out of the front door without a leash.

“Let me show you where the back porch is.” Henry said, as he led Alex through his house until they reached the kitchen and the back porch.

Alex stood in Henry’s magnificent kitchen completely awestruck, the kitchen looked like a chef’s paradise. The kitchen took up a good portion of the first floor. In the middle of the kitchen was a grey wood island with white marble countertops that matched the counter that stretched along the back wall of the kitchen. In front of white French doors that led out to a back deck sat four dark wood counter height stools mostly tucked under the lip of the island.

It was a beautiful kitchen with high-end appliances and Alex wanted to suggest they just stay here, and he could cook them dinner instead of grabbing takeout. Instead, he tapped his hip and looked down at the beagle.

“David, do you need to go potty?” Alex questioned the dog and walked over to the double doors that led to the back deck and backyard.

“I’m going to go upstairs and pack and overnight bag.” Henry told Alex and watched the doctor follow his beagle out onto the spacious back porch.

Alex sat down on one of the steps that lead down into the backyard and watched the beagle do his business and come up to the stair Alex was sitting on and flopped into his lap and gave him a loud sniff.

“I am the one responsible for getting Henry pregnant.” Alex confirmed to the beagle knowing that dogs were highly intelligent and knew exactly what was going on with their owners. He pulled out the ultrasound photo from his jogger pocket. “This is your future sibling.” He said showing David the photo.

 Henry walked down the hallway and up the stairs and into his bedroom. He grabbed his duffle bag from his walk-in closet and entered the bathroom to grab his hygiene supplies and found the two pregnancy tests he had taken that morning still on the countertop.

He couldn’t believe that it was this morning that he had taken the tests, it really felt like a week ago after everything that had happened today. This morning, he had been downright terrified of being pregnant and now he was a little excited about having a baby with Alex even if it was an odd setup being pregnant by a doctor, and not just any doctor but his ob/gyn.

He looked at the pregnancy test remembering that Addison had a pregnancy journal, and he thought that was a cute idea, only one problem he didn’t want to tell their baby that he and Alex were strangers that had been drinking and had sex and that they couldn’t remember the others name.

Yeah, that was not a good thing to tell a child, that they were conceived by drunken one-night stand. He and Alex needed to come up with a story of how they met before Alex came to help him decorate his classroom knowing that the other teachers would want to know everything about Alex and their relationship. It needed to be a believable lie and easy enough they both could remember the story.

He grabbed the pregnancy test from the counter he had an idea of getting a photo of Alex holding the pregnancy test like Henry had just told Alex the good news so that when it came time to announce it that it looked like it was planned and not that they were literal strangers getting to know one another.

Henry made it halfway down the stairs before realizing that his plan was a little stupid and that Alex would probably hate it and that’s when he noticed Alex was looking at his book collection. That was another thing he hadn’t told Alex about, that B.M. Fox was his grandmother and unlike Mary she actually loved her grandchildren.

Grandma Fox had written the Harry Potter series, and it was the bestselling book in history. His grandmother’s net worth after seven books, eight movies, and theme parks was well above a billion. She was also a huge supporter of fan works and loved reading fanfiction of Harry and Draco, Sirus and Remus and loved seeing other couples her fans came up with.

Alex looked up from the bookshelf, hearing footsteps on the stairs, he saw Henry frozen on one of the steps watching him. He wondered if he had offended Henry by looking at the expansive bookshelf. “Sweetheart?” Alex questioned.

Henry heard Alex’s voice and jumped slightly. “You are going to think it’s stupid.” He confessed as he walked down the rest of the stairs and joined Alex by the bookshelf trying to ignore the curious look on Alex’s face as he looked up from the first edition copy of Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire.

Alex smiled warmly at Henry. “I doubt I’m going to think it’s stupid.” He said honestly walking away from the bookshelf and over to the couch so he and Henry could talk. He made a note to question Henry about B.M. Fox. He doubted it was a coincidence they had the same surname and Henry had all the Harry Potter first editions on the bookshelf. Right now, Henry was more important than that question.

“What is it that you think I’m going to think is a stupid idea.” Henry heard Alex question, and he reluctantly held out the pregnancy test.

“I saw it on the bathroom counter when I went to pack my supplies. I know nothing about our situation is traditional and I thought our baby might like to see memories of us. One of my coworkers had a pregnancy journal and she wrote in it all the time and I’d like to that for ours, but I don’t want to tell our baby they were an unplanned accident from a drunken one-night stand.”

“I mean we will probably tell them when they are twenty and can understand. I thought that maybe you could hold the test and make it seem like I just told you the news. I understand if you think its stupid or silly.” Henry said in a rush avoiding Alex’s chocolate brown eyes in fear.

“Sweetheart, that’s not a stupid or silly idea at all. I actually agree with it, better to embellish how we met.” He said with a huge smile on his face as he took the digital test from Henry’s outstretched hand.

It felt strange to hold a digital pregnancy test with the word pregnant on it. He was a doctor and used to telling patients their results of the in-office pregnancy test, but this felt completely different.

Alex himself had been an accidental pregnancy and he often wondered if his parents regretted his existence. Sure, Henry’s pregnancy was unplanned and a huge surprise, but he was excited to be a parent and have a second chance with the hot blond from the club that he had affectionally told Raf was the best sex of his life.

“I have an idea for the photo. Would you be okay if I kissed your cheek?” Alex asked softly, not wanting to make Henry uncomfortable. “I was thinking that we both could hold up the test and I could kiss your cheek.”

David jumped between them on the couch not wanting to be left out, he also licked both their cheeks happily. His dad didn’t bring many guys home so curls must have been special. He could also smell curls all over Henry.

Henry bit the inner part of his lip to stop himself from crying because who asked a question like that. Alex made him feel so protected and cared for and David seemed to like him. “I like that photo idea too and yes you may kiss me.” He muttered wondering if his cheeks were slightly red.

Alex grabbed his phone and pulled up the photo app and sat a ten second timer and sat it on the table in front of them. He wrapped his arm around Henry’s shoulders pulling him close to him and leaned into kiss Henry’s cheek as he heard the shutter go off on his phone taking the photo. He saw the photo on the screen, and it was perfect.

“Want to give me your number so I can text you this photo.” Alex suggested as he grabbed his phone from the table and typed in Henry’s number into his phone and sent him the photo.

Henry placed the pregnancy test onto the table and entered Alex’s number into his contacts as well as saved the photo to his own photos. “I couldn’t help but notice the collection of B.M. Fox first editions on your bookshelf, you have the same surname is she an aunt or grandma?” He heard Alex ask politely.

“She is my paternal grandmother.” Henry admitted meeting Alex’s eyes.

“The one with rheumatoid arthritis?” Alex questioned wanting clarification and to see if she was the grandmother who had suggested that Henry have his reproductive system removed. He had some choice words for that one.

“Yes, she’s the good grandmother. She lives in Paris with her husband who restores old paintings for the Louvre and the Victoria and Albert Museum.” Henry explained his relationship to B.M. wasn’t a secret and all of his students knew he was her grandson.

In fact, more than one student asked him to send Beatrice a copy of their Harry Potter fanfiction and she’d read it and sent it back with notes. She had tried getting Henry to take over and write what happened after the Hogwarts years, but he preferred to teach and was afraid he couldn’t do the characters she created justice.

Henry was happy that Alex had gone along with his photo idea and at least their child would be able to see the happy memories of them. “I should probably finish packing.” He muttered as he grabbed the test from the table. He knew they’d eventually need to figure up a cover story of how they met and how long they’d been dating.

“How about I join you and you can give me the scoop on your coworkers.” Alex suggested seeing Henry nod and he followed Henry and David up the staircase and into Henry’s master bedroom. He sat down on the chair near the bay window out of Henry’s way of packing seeing as how the duffle bag was sitting on the bed.

Henry went over to his walk-in closet and figured out what tee shirt he was going to wear to work tomorrow. “Addison is one of my best teacher friends she also teaches English. She started her first year of teaching last year and had a baby girl last April.”

“Zahra is one of the history teachers and is up to date on all things’ politics. She’s professionally obsessed with Ellen Claremont so if she meets you, she might ask if your mom would be interested in speaking to her eighth graders. She’s married to our principal Shaan, she caught me throwing up our first day back. She was the one to suggest I might be pregnant.” He left off the part where she thought it was highly unlikely and was a little blunt about his lack of social life. No sense in bringing it up, he was a private person, and it wasn’t like she was outright hateful towards him.

Alex listened to Henry describe his colleagues and watched Henry pack up the overnight duffle. He made mental notes on Henry’s coworkers. He really hoped to avoid Zahra and her political idolization of his mother. She also seemed like the type of person who would be the one to catch on to Henry’s pregnancy easier than some of his other colleagues. He just hoped that if she figured it out that she would keep it to herself. He also hoped that Henry and Liam would become fast friends. He knew that he would need to tell Henry about his history with Liam back when they were in high school.

Alex took a deep breath knowing the only way they would survive as a couple was with compete honesty and trust with one another. Liam was the type who would accidentally slip up if Henry mentioned he knew Alex. It wouldn’t be intentional, but it was probably better if he just outright told Henry.

Not to mention telling Henry about the Liam thing was a lot easier than the whole my mother has plans to run for president and she’ll want my head for accidently getting you pregnant.

“So, I wasn’t totally honest about Liam earlier. He and I fooled around a bit in high school. I also delivered his son.” Alex admitted keeping his eyes focused on Henry for his reaction.

Henry laughed softly at Alex’s confession and sat on the edge of the bed. “You saw the number of sexual partners and didn’t judge me for it. I’m not going to judge you for sleeping with your best friend in high school. Thank you for telling me about your previous history with Liam. Way less awkward coming from you than him.”

They were adults and the only way this would work for them was being open and honest with each other. It was clear to him that whatever happened between Alex and Liam was long in the past. Alex had been Liam’s best man. Liam’s husband was a pharmacist that worked at Prism’s pharmacy and was probably close with Alex.

Alex smiled warmly at Henry’s reaction to him sleeping with Liam a few times while they were in high school. He tried to be as honest as he could, but at the same time he wanted to protect Henry from the circus that was his mother’s presidential run.

He watched Henry get up from the bed and walk over to the ensuite bathroom and come out a moments later with a dopp kit that the blond tossed into his duffle bag while making sure he had all the necessities for an overnight stay with Alex.

“Hey David, do you want to go for a car ride and then go play with Sadie, Alex’s dog?” Henry questioned while grabbing the strap of his duffle bag only for Alex to already be slinging the bag over his muscular shoulder.

He wanted to protest but he kind of liked the fact that Alex was willing to open his car door and carry the duffle bag that weighed less than David. He looked down at his dog and realized he hadn’t packed David his dinner and breakfast.

“Oh! I almost forgot to pack David’s food.” Henry remarked that wasn’t like him, he usually made sure David ate before he did.

Alex smiled and patted Henry’s shoulder knowing those little moments would become more frequent as the pregnancy progressed. It was known as baby brain and that was what Alex was going to say to Liam when he didn’t remember him mentioning Henry that it was because of baby brain.  

“Yeah, I fed Sadie raw, so if David is fed kibble it is best to stick with what he is familiar with. We don’t need the cutest tax accountant to have tummy trouble.” He teased as he bent down to pet the beagle before walking down the stairs and followed Henry into the kitchen.

He watched Henry dump the scoops of kibble into the plastic bag. He’d certainly be sneaking David one of Sadie’s fancy treats when Henry was in the shower. He had to make the beagle love him since he was clearly loyal to Henry, besides if he could get the beagle to love him, then he could get the blond to love him.

“Hey buddy do you want to point me to where your leash is? I assume you like car rides, Sadie loves car rides and going to the park. I just hope you and Sadie can get along and be best friends. She can be a bit much at times like I can, but she means well.” Alex explained to the beagle as he found the green plaid leash hanging on a hook near the front door and bent down to attach the leash to David’s matching collar.

Henry heard Alex tell David that both he and Sadie could be a bit much at times and he wanted to know who told Alex he was too much. From his perspective Alex was kind, gentle, and just the right amount of much. He sealed the plastic bag and went into the living room and saw that Alex had already put David’s leash onto his collar.

“Thank you for leashing David, I think he likes you.” Henry teased unzipping a small amount of the duffle bag on Alex’s shoulder and shoving the bag of food into it. David was very protective towards Henry and the only other man that David liked was Pez, so it was a little odd to see David take to Alex so easily.

“He’s cute. I still think you should have named him Bowie though.” Alex teased Henry playfully looking at the duffle bag slung over his shoulder. “Do you have everything you need?” He wanted to make sure Henry had everything they needed before they left for dinner.

“Bowie’s a bit on the nose don’t you think.” Henry teased knowing that with David’s kibble all packed he was good for the night. He almost wanted to thank his anxiety for putting him in the situation of needing to stay the night at Alex’s. It was also a little alarming at how quickly he felt comfortable with Alex after just an afternoon together.

Henry made sure his front door was locked and followed Alex and David to the parked Audi. He watched Alex pick David up and place him into the backseat of the SUV with the pet cover for the hair. David, of course, licked Alex’s cheek being that close to him. Alex let out a warm laugh and shut the backseat door after making sure David was safely in the vehicle.

“He does like car rides, right?” Alex questioned, making sure David wasn’t going to hurl in his backseat. 

Henry laughed and watched Alex place the duffle bag into the trunk. “He doesn’t like them, he loves them.” He said as Alex walked around to open his door which he slid into the seat eager for food.

“So, you like Alex?” He asked his beagle who gave a small yap in agreement as Alex opened up the driver’s side door and slid into the vehicle.

“What would you like for dinner? I know this really good mac and cheese place, or we could go to Quincy Market.” Alex suggested giving Henry plenty of options for dinner.

“Can I even eat seafood?” Henry questioned wondering if he could eat a lobster roll or clam chowder. That question also reminded him about whether his beloved Earl Gray was safe to drink.

“Of course, you can eat seafood in fact I highly recommend eating at least two servings of fish a week, assuming you aren’t allergic. The omega 3’s found in fish are highly beneficial for babies’ development.”

“Just no seafood with a high mercery content. That would be shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, and canned albacore tuna. The canned light tuna is perfectly okay to eat. You also can’t eat sushi or any uncooked seafood dishes.” Alex explained, he was glad that Henry liked seafood enough to ask if he could still eat it while pregnant.

“Does this mac and cheese place happen to have lobster mac and cheese?” Henry questioned suddenly thinking that sounded really good for dinner even if he’d probably regret it come morning. Then again everything he ate made a reappearance. He hoped whatever remedies Alex had provided did the trick with his morning sickness which he was already tired of dealing with.

“Of course it does. I take it you’d like lobster mac for dinner?” Alex asked with a warm smile before he pulled out of Henry’s driveway that led to his garage.

Henry nodded his head that sounded better than anything he could think of in Quincy Market. He watched Alex easily navigate the Boston traffic until they pulled up to a restaurant called Roni’s Mac Bar where the apostrophe looked like a macaroni noodle.

“Roni’s originated in Waco, Texas.” Alex muttered as he parked the car and turned his head to look at David in the backseat. “We will be right back and assuming you are a good boy while we are gone, I’ll give you a treat once we get back to my place.” He told the beagle with a pat on the head before he got out of the car and held the restaurant door open for Henry.

They came back to the car after about five minutes with two aluminum dishes containing two very different types of mac and cheese and Alex drove the short distance back to Prism and his condo, the two of them chatting aimlessly about Henry’s grandmother and her writing.

Alex tapped his badge to the sensor which allowed him access to the parking lot, and he parked in his usual spot by the employee entrance. He watched Henry grab the bag containing their aluminum mac and cheese containers as he opened his door to collect David from the backseat.

“Hey buddy! Are you ready to meet Sadie?” He asked the beagle who licked him as he sat David onto the concreate and opened the trunk of his Audi and grabbed Henry’s overnight bag from the carpeted floor.

Henry laughed at his dog easily bonding with Alex. He just hoped that the meeting with Sadie wasn’t a complete disaster. He wanted their dogs to get along so that he and Alex could spend as much time as they possibly could together before their baby arrived. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like if their dogs hated each other. He wasn’t prepared for a dog fight tonight; he was still fighting off the exhaustion from earlier. He honestly to eat his dinner and call it an early night snuggled in Alex’s strong arms.

He followed Alex and David into an employee entrance and into the elevator which opened up onto the third floor.

Alex walked to his condo door and unlocked it with David’s leash still in his hand. He opened the door and was greeted warmly by Sadie dropping her favorite stuffed toy, a fully loaded burrito, right in front of David.

Henry noticed Sadie’s gesture and the sight of it made him rub the back of his hand against his eye.

“Who’s my good girl?” Alex asked his blue-eyed girl as he bent down to unclip David’s leash.

“David this is Sadie, Sadie this is David, Henry’s dog and possible tax accountant.” He teased with a loud laugh as he stood back up and placed David’s leash on top of Sadie’s. He turned around and watched them bump their noses.

“Safe to say our dogs like each other for now.” Alex mused aloud and held up Henry’s duffle bag. “I’m going to go set this in the guest bedroom and give you the grand tour after we eat.” He said walking down a hallway and came back from it a few minutes later with David’s kibble in hand.

“You might want to take your prenatal gummy and your sertraline now on an empty stomach that way the medicine can be absorbed while you eat and it’s less likely to make a reappearance later.” Alex instructed as he grabbed a bottle of from the fridge for Henry and handed it to the blond.

Henry opened the bottle of sertraline and saw thirty yellow capsules. He shook one of the capsules out onto his palm and swallowed it down with the bottle of water and read the gummy vitamins which said to chew two gummies any time of day. He unscrewed the lid and pealed back the protective film and popped two of the gummies into his mouth and chewed them. They tasted really good and with a flavor of raspberry and citrus.

Alex watched Henry take his meds as he grabbed Sadie’s pink cactus slow feeder and grabbed her already prepared raw food from the fridge and spooned it over to the slow feeder and topped it with a quail egg and her beloved blood sprinkles. He also topped David’s kibble with some of the blood sprinkles to make him feel included.

Henry sat down on one of the kitchen barstools admiring Alex’s small kitchen that had dark countertops.

“Bon Appetite.” He heard Alex tease the dogs using a ridiculous French accent and he started giggling like a lovestruck teenager as Alex sat the feeders down in front of the dogs.

“Thank you for feeding David.” He remarked and watched Alex turn around to wash his hands in the kitchen sink before opening the bag of takeout food and divvying out the aluminum containers packed full of mac and cheese.

Alex smiled and sat down at the barstool next to Henry and opened his barbeque brisket mac and cheese.

Henry shoved a greedy bite of lobster mac and cheese into his mouth totally forgetting proper manners, he was rather hungry, and it looked delicious. “So, what made you become an ob/gyn?” He questioned politely, wondering why Alex had chosen the medical specialty he chose. “This is delicious by the way.”

Alex smiled at Henry’s question wondering how much he should divulge about the founder of modern obstetrics and gynecology about he practiced on enslaved women without their consent and anesthesia. Nora had given him a frame with the mothers of gynecology typed in a lovely script. Lucy, Anarcha, and Betsey to remind him of the sordid history of Sims and his medical experiments. He refused to call it ‘practicing medicine’ that was torture.

How some providers were still incredibly racist or sexist when it came to their patients. He knew a few residents he trained with that would rather schedule a c-section instead of missing their golf tee off. There was also the fact the chainsaw wasn’t designed to cut trees at all, but instead a pelvis if a baby was being a difficult delivery.

When he learned about the history in medical school it fueled the fire under his ass to do better for patients that needed reproductive care. His parents were both politicians he was used to having something to fight for. He was the first in his residency class to start using a local anesthetic for any procedure on the cervix because it absolutely felt pain.

He was also the first doctor to write any research about male pregnancies in the duo-genital male. He had the lowest cesarean section rate out of any ob/gyn in the state of Massachusetts. He really chose ob/gyn because no other specialty pissed him off quite like it did. He was determined to provide quality research along with caring for as many patients as he could.

He just about broke several times during residency, but he got through it and then he and Raf opened Prism, and he finally started speaking out and changing his specialty for the better.

However, he couldn’t tell Henry any of that because it would absolutely trigger the blond’s anxiety. He didn’t need to make that any worse. It would also probably make Henry hate him for being partly responsible for needing an ob/gyn in the first place. All that information might make Henry leave his condo and possibly never want to talk to him again.

Instead, he chose the safer option that was also some of the truth just not all of it. “Obstetrics and gynecology is the perfect blend of primary care with surgical cases. I like that I’m able to create bonds with my patients and for the most part a happier specialty.” If he did have to give someone a cancer diagnosis it was usually easily treatable and in the earlier stages.

Henry listened to Alex explain the reason he chose the specialty he chose and noticed a stray tear dotting his eye. Bloody pregnancy hormones. Honestly Alex’s choice sounded a lot like the reason he chose to be a middle school teacher when both of his parents had been professors. He felt like he was making the biggest difference teaching them.

He was teaching the next generation of doctors like Alex and writers like his grandmother who would go on to make the next biggest difference in the world. Henry loved his students and the knowledge that he was making a difference in their education by inspiring them and understanding them since middle school was hard enough.

“That sounds like the reason I decided to transfer from Oxford to Boston College and switched from classic literature to education. I wanted to make a difference in my student’s lives and I loved teaching the younger children instead of adults.” Henry teased and shoving another greedy bite into his mouth. “Shaan has tried getting me to be his vice-principal, but I like teaching, even if lesson planning can be a giant pain in my ass.”

Alex raised an eyebrow realizing that Henry had his master’s in education if he was offered a vice-principal position. “I feel you on that, charting is a pain in mine.” He said with a laugh and shoved a bite of his mac into his mouth enjoying the spicy pepperjack base.

“When did you get David?” He questioned wanting to change the topic of conversation before he told Henry something about his career that would outright terrify him.

“He’s about five. I got him a few months after my psychiatrist suggest I get another dog since I do better when I have an animal in my life.” Henry admitted. “When did you get Sadie?”

“More like when was she given to me. Sadie was a gift from my sister, June, and her fiancé, Nora. They surprised me with her the day Prism officially opened and we had a big open house. June pulled me into my office and laying on my desk was a pink box and inside was the cutest Aussie puppy. June was moving to New York City because she had an incredible journalism opportunity, so they got me Sadie in hopes that she’d keep me in line.” Alex said with incredible fondness for his dog who did an impressive trick after she ate.

“Did she just pick her bowl up with her teeth and put it away?” Henry asked incrediously.

“She can vacuum using the hose attachment.” Alex said proudly seeing Sadie lead David over to her toybox that was filled with various stuffed toys with squeakers. She was just a little spoiled by everyone that knew her.

Alex cleaned up his kitchen after they finished their dinner. “Alright so this is going to be a real short tour.” He teased the blond. “

You’ve seen the entryway, the living room, the kitchen and down this small hallway the first door on the left is the guest bedroom and guest bedroom. The door on the right is the laundry room and back here is my bedroom and bathroom.” Alex explained as he led Henry around his small condo. It was small but it was his home.

“I’m going to quickly change into my pajama bottoms.” Henry muttered as he shut the guest bedroom door and quickly changed into his plaid pajama bottoms.

While Henry changed Alex grabbed one of the pregnancy resource books that he and Raf cowrote together, really it was more of a large magazine than it was a book. He sat down on the couch feeling Sadie and David both jump onto the couch.

“It’s nice seeing the two of you get along.” Alex said petting them both as Henry walked into the living room and sat down next to him on the couch. He draped the teal-colored chunky knit blanket over them both.

“I meant to ask you earlier, but where did you get this soft blanket?” Henry questioned as he snuggled closer into Alex and felt Sadie and David weasel their way into sharing his lap. “Make yourself comfortable.” He teased the two dogs who made no attempt at moving.

“It was a Christmas present from Amy. She made a blanket for everyone last Christmas, she’s a big fabric crafter. Mel’s a baker, then again, you already knew that.” Alex said with a small laugh. Mel was Henry’s coworker, so he had probably eaten one of Mel’s tasty treats in the faculty lounge.

“She’s super talented!” Henry mused smiling at the mention of Mel. “I’m very aware of Mel’s baking talent.”

Alex laughed softly as he grabbed the pregnancy book from his coffee table. “Amy’s super sweet. I’m lucky to have her as one of my nurses. So, this is the book I mentioned when you asked about pregnancy safe medication.” He said opening the book to the first page.

“This first page has the important phone numbers along with the number you can text Raf our myself questions with. It also has our email and information on getting the clinic portal set up.” Alex explained, showing Henry the information.

“Raf’s a great midwife student, he’s also been pregnant before so don’t be afraid of asking him questions. He’s an excellent wealth of knowledge.” Alex teased flipping the pages to the page with the pregnancy safe over the counter medications.

Henry tried not to seem surprised when Alex told him that Raf had been pregnant before. He was still trying to comprehend the whole I’m pregnant with Alex’s child and he just felt very comfortable with Alex. He’d eventually try and have a conversation with Raf to see if he trusted Raf with his pregnancy care.

“Obviously, you can’t have any illicit substances or alcohol while pregnant.” Alex reminded. “This is a general list, if you ever have a question about if a med is safe to take, please don’t be afraid to text me.” Alex waited and gave Henry time to read the list of safe medications and ask questions if he had any.

Henry loved the fact that the medications were broken down by remedy and had notes on which trimesters it could be used in. He saw that Tylenol was the medication to be used for headaches during pregnancy. “This is actually a very comprehensive list.” He said while reading the rest of the list and the asterisk that mentioned prescription medications.

“Thank you.” Alex said with his brilliant smile. “I’m going to try not to be overbearing with you, please let me know if I am being overbearing or annoying.”

“You could never annoy me.” Henry said honestly listening to Alex explain that he couldn’t eat uncooked sushi or any deli meat during his pregnancy which sucked. He liked a good sub sandwich every now and again for his lunch, but he understood Alex’s medical reasoning. He listened to Alex explain more of the book.

It was becoming a little harder to pay attention because the couch was comfortable, and Alex’s voice was deep and soothing.

“Sweetheart, I think we should get you to bed.” Alex said noticing Henry’s heavy eyes.

“I’m not tired.” Henry said but that wasn’t how it came out of his mouth, it sounded very garbled and as a chronic insomniac it was strange feeling tired before ten.

“Yes, you are. It’s okay you are pregnant. The first trimester is hard on the body and all you want to do is sleep it’s perfectly normal for you to feel this way. Come on let’s get you tucked into bed.” Alex said gently, separating himself from Henry.

“Could I sleep with you? I’m not familiar with the layout and what if something happens while I sleep?” Henry said knowing it sounded a little manipulative, but he wanted to sleep next to Alex and felt deprived knowing what could have happened had Alex not been pulled away their first night together.

Alex laughed softly and helped Henry from the couch. “I suppose you can sleep next to me in my bed. Afterall our night of snuggles was cut short by an emergency. There is no better time to make that up than now.” He teased hearing the clanking of David’s and Sadie’s collar trailing right behind them. He ducked into the guest bedroom and grabbed Henry’s overnight bag, so he’d have his personal hygiene essentials.

Henry changed into his soft pajama tee shirt that matched his pants and went to Alex’s bathroom for his night routine. He brushed his teeth and applied his nightly skincare. He came out of the bathroom to see Alex holding the blood pressure cuff and the stethoscope. “Really?” He questioned with a dramatic sigh. He had forgotten the reason for this sleepover was his high blood pressure and heart rate. “What side of the bed do you sleep on?”

“Yes really. I need to make sure your numbers are decreasing. High blood pressure is dangerous in any trimester. I’m okay with either side of the bed. I have charts to catch up on and I’m a very light sleep thanks to residency.” Alex mused aloud as he watched Henry crawl into the right side of the bed and hold his left arm out which he wrapped the cuff around and placed the chestpiece of the stethoscope below the cuff.

“I’m usually a chronic insomniac so I understand.” Henry felt the cuff tighten against his upper arm and hoped that his blood pressure was in the normal range.

Alex smiled at Henry his blood pressure was almost perfect. “Your blood pressure is almost perfect. It is much better than earlier.” He said as he undid the blood pressure cuff and placed both devices onto the dresser for the morning.

Henry heard Alex’s feet shuffle back to the bed and felt the soft sheet and comfortable being pulled up against his body and felt Alex’s warm lips pressed against his forehead. “Goodnight sweetheart, goodnight little bean.” He felt Alex’s hand pat his tummy. He laid back onto the soft mattress and got a whiff of lavender and vanilla against the pillow.

You know he’s recently had a woman in this bed if it smells like this. Great, there was that anxious voice cruelly taunting him.

“What’s that smell?” Henry questioned before his brain could stop him, he realized how rude that sounded.

“Oh, I’m sorry. That’s the pillow mist my sister got to try and help me sleep better. I can grab another pillow from the guest room if it’s making you feel nauseous. I totally forgot about it.” Alex said showing Henry the bottle of mist.

“Lavender is supposed inspire tranquility and vanilla is supposed to calm the mind. I don’t really know. June likes things like this, I don’t think it does anything other than make my pillows smell nice.” He shrugged and sat the bottle back onto the nightstand.

“It’s fine it just caught me off guard is all.” Henry supplied the smell wasn’t making him nauseous it was more like his anxiety jumping to the worst possible scenario to make him doubt Alex. He felt David paw at the comforter and felt Sadie curl into a ball following the beagle’s lead.

“I’m not looking forward to nine months of being under their watchful eye. Sadie your human is a doctor.” He whined at the dogs who ignored him and felt the bed slump under Alex’s weight. He wanted to smack Alex for laughing at the dog’s behavior.

Sometime in the middle of the night Alex had finally stopped charting and decided to properly snuggle Henry. His arm was wrapped protectively over Henry’s tummy. Henry let out a content sigh at the realization he could get used to this feeling. He felt safe in Alex's strong arms with both of their dogs sleeping next to him.

Chapter Text

“Sweetheart, it’s time to wake up.” Alex said as he grabbed Henry’s phone and turned off the alarm as he gently rubbed Henry’s tee shirt covered shoulder in soothing circles trying to arouse him from slumber.

Henry let out a low groan hearing Alex’s deep but warm voice in the air above him. He just wanted to roll over and sleep for a week, he honestly couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this way.

There was also the fact that Alex’s bed was exceedingly comfortable. All he wanted to do was stay wrapped in the soft and warm sheets and not have to move for the rest of the day. Even the lavender and vanilla pillow mist was a nice touch. Even though his anxiety riddled brain thought the smell was from some random women’s haircare that Alex had slept with recently.

“I know you are exhausted and just want to sleep, but your alarm has been going off for a few minutes, and if you don’t wake up now, you’ll probably be late for work.” Alex said gently knowing that Henry just wanted to sleep because his body was growing a baby, their baby. He considered grabbing Henry’s phone and calling his principal so Henry could have a sick day. He also wasn’t above writing a doctor’s note for Henry if he needed to.

He watched Sadie jump into the bed and start licking Henry’s exposed cheek with David eagerly joining in. The dog kisses made the Henry shaped lump in his bed turn away from the dogs and open his beautiful blue eyes as an annoyed groan slipped from his luscious lips.

“Good morning, sweetheart!” Henry heard Alex say and he wondered if he was still in a dream. Because standing over him was an Adonis wearing a light green workout tee shirt that accentuated his shoulders and biceps. The tight black workout shorts had clung to his upper thighs, and it was hard to not have some very horny thoughts about Alex’s toned legs and arms.

Seriously! How was this man a doctor when he looked like that in workout clothes. Alex literally had the face of a model and a rock-hard body that he desperately wanted to feel pressed up against him, again.

His filthy thoughts were quickly short lived because the nausea hit him like a freight train. He covered his mouth with one hand and quickly untangled himself from the soft linens and bed with the other hand.

Once his feet were barely touching the floor, he bolted into the open bathroom door with Alex right behind him. He sank down in front of the toilet and rested his head against the cool porcelain. He felt Alex’s large hand against his back rubbing it as he aggressively emptied the contents of his stomach into the bowl below.

He let out a pained groan as a stray piece of hair clung to the sweat on his forehead. He was over the morning sickness and according to Alex he still had eight more weeks of it to enjoy.

“I know sweetheart, I know.” Alex cooed gently and felt Henry’s entire body heave from the morning sickness. He made a quick mental note to check in with Henry frequently throughout the day to see if any of the over-the-counter remedies helped or if he needed to write a prescription to help him.

He reached up and grabbed one of his soft grey washcloths from the drawer and ran it under the cold stream of water and placed the cold cloth against the nape of Henry’s neck trying to provide some comfort from the morning sickness sweat.

He also pulled out an alcohol wipe from the drawer, knowing that sometimes the smell of an alcohol wipe could help with the symptoms of nausea and vomiting.

He gently pulled Henry away from the toilet bowl and tucked his head against his chest. He saw that his hair was plastered to his forehead and his eyes were tearstained and the sight of it broke his heart. He knew he was the one primarily responsible for Henry being in this predicament and wished he could do more, such as having the power to take away his morning sickness.

“I’m sorry sweetheart. Go ahead and lean back against me and take a couple of deep breaths with this wipe under your nose.” Alex instructed as he helped Henry get comfortable against his chest and tore open the wipe and held the wipe under Henry’s nose as he felt the rise and fall of Henry’s chest as he took a deep inhale of the wipe.

“An alcohol wipe can help curb the nausea and vomiting.” He explained as he flushed the toilet with his foot as he moved the cloth from Henry’s neck to his forehead and carded his fingers through Henry’s sweaty hair. “Would you like me to call Shaan for you and let him know that you are sick and won’t be in. I can easily write you a doctor’s note if he asks for one.”

Henry thought that idea sounded enticing, he would happily go back to Alex’s bed and keep snuggling David and Sadie. He was exhausted to his very core all the way into his toes. He knew if he did decide to crawl back into bed, he’d be massively behind in classroom prep for the year. He also knew that if Alex wrote him a note it would have the type of doctor he was and he didn’t want to tell Shaan that he was pregnant, at least not just yet.

“You can’t just write me a doctor’s note!” Henry exclaimed; his voice shook slightly as he took another deep breath of the wipe.

“Sweetheart, I absolutely could the note doesn’t have to have my specialty listed. I could make it for something vague like fever, flu-like symptoms, or diarrhea.” Alex suggested as he gently dabbed the cold cloth against Henry’s forehead.

“All you would need to do is tell him that your boyfriend is a doctor and checked you over and wrote you the note. Most bosses aren’t going to question diarrhea since that can be contagious to others.” Alex explained gently.

Henry smiled softly at Alex’s words and felt his stomach lurch and he quickly took another whiff of the wipe. “It’s a tempting offer but I think I’m alright.” He muttered that morning sickness wasn’t that much different from the last couple days. At least this time he had someone to rub his back and wipe away his hot tears instead of them falling into the bowl below.

“Do you want to help me up?” Henry asked knowing that he’d like to brush his teeth to get the disgusting taste of bile from his mouth and take a shower since it felt like his clothes were stuck to him by his sweat.

Alex got to his feet first and then gently helped Henry up from the bathroom floor. “I’m going to go make up a cup of morning sickness relief tea while you rinse your mouth out with some water and a bit of baking soda to help protect your teeth from your stomach acid. You’ll want to wait a little bit before brushing your teeth.” He said leaving the bathroom for less than a minute and coming back with a container of baking soda and adding a teaspoon into the full cup of water.

“Alright go ahead and rinse with this. I know you don’t want to hear it from me, but we need to think about making you a dentist appointment.” He said and saw Henry’s horrified expression.

“Hey it’s okay. No worries. I’ll make you an appointment with the dentist I personally see. He’s fantastic, you’ll like him he’s super gentle. Pregnancy can cause gingivitis and the stomach acid that you are vomiting up can damage the enamel to your teeth”. Alex soothed, squeezing Henry’s hand gently to reassure and comfort him.

“I’ll even come with you to the appointment. I’m pretty sure I’m due for a cleaning around that time anyway.” Alex said watching Henry rinse his mouth with water, he also knew that good oral hygiene could help prevent a preterm birth and low birth weight.

Henry downed the rinse and swished it around in his mouth, honestly, he couldn’t remember the last time he had seen a dentist for anything. He brushed his teeth twice a day and used mouthwash and his teeth really didn’t cause him any trouble.

The fact that Alex had taken that extra minute to explain his reasoning and told him that he’d be getting Henry in with his own dentist made his stomach butterflies flutter. For so long it had just been him and now he had someone doing that for him and their baby, he felt the sudden urge to cry. His fucking hormones were all over the place and something as touching as someone willing to make him a dentist appointment was enough to threaten tears. 

He spat the rinse into sink and dried off the corners of his mouth with a paper towel and left the bathroom and followed the smell of ginger into the kitchen. He saw David and Sadie eating their breakfast.

“Good morning, loves.” He said greeting the two pups as he sat down at one of the counter stools seeing a Baby Yoda shaped mug waiting for him.

“Thank you for the tea” Henry muttered grabbing the teacup and taking a sip of the tea that tasted of peach and ginger, it wasn’t his favorite. He’d much prefer a cup of his beloved earl grey, but this would suffice.

 He watched Alex smile and take a sip of his BB-8 mug and let out a content sigh. “Coffee. I uh-might have a caffeine problem.” He heard Alex tease.

“How are you feeling? Do you think you could eat a little something for breakfast? I could make you some toast, I have some overnight oats in the fridge, or I could cook you up some eggs or an omelette. I could also make you a Greek yogurt parfait with fresh fruit. I know food is probably the last thing on your mind but eating a little something might help make you feel better and a little less queasy.

Henry smiled into the mug full of tea and bit his tongue to try and keep the tears from falling from his eyes. Alex was a perfect man. They barely even knew each other and here he was offering to make him something for breakfast and had made him a special tea to help soothe the morning sickness; not to mention had rubbed his back while he vomited into the toilet.

 Now here he was offering to make him whatever he wanted for breakfast. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had offered to make him breakfast. He bit down slightly harder on his tongue to keep himself from crying into his mug of tea at the tenderness of the gesture.

“I feel exhausted, and my stomach feels queasy.” Henry easily admitted to Alex and took a greedy sip of tea. “Toast is probably the best option, but I can make it.”

“Nonsense! I love to cook maybe once you start feeling a little better, I can make you something better than just toast.” Alex teased with a wink and washed his hands in the kitchen sink. He dried his hands and placed two pieces of sourdough into the toaster.

He turned his head to look at Henry. “Would you like me to top it with some peanut butter and banana? They won’t upset your stomach, and it will add more nutrition to your breakfast. Afterall you are growing our baby.” Alex explained with a warm smile and that’s when he noticed the tears falling down Henry’s face.

“What did I do to deserve you.” Henry said feeling Alex pull his head into his chest and felt him kiss his hair.  “I’m emotional this morning.”

“Sweetheart it’s alright to cry. You are emotional because you have a lot of additional hormones coursing through your body that you don’t usually have. I’m also wondering the exact same, what did I do to deserve getting a second chance with the attractive blond from the club. Let me do what I can to help you with this pregnancy outside of being your doctor.” Alex soothed hearing the toaster pop up.

“So, is that a yes or no on the peanut butter and banana to cover your toast?” Alex teased softly, going to the counter to grab the toast.

“Yes, please.” Henry said actually that sounded really good when he offered. It was just such a foreign concept of letting someone else care for him. His dad died, his mum became a shell, and he left Oxford to come to the United States and it had just been mostly him. He didn’t have many he could rely on and those he could have had struggles of their own and he hated to bother them. It was easy just him and David with the occasional Bea and Pez visit.

Alex placed the toast on a plate and grabbed the peanut butter from his cabinet and spread a liberal amount all over the perfectly toasted sourdough. He sliced a banana into thin slices and placed the slices on top of the peanut butter and lightly drizzled the toast with some honey as well. He grabbed the plate and turned around and sat it in front of Henry.

“Bon Appetite.” He teased in a horrific French accent like he did with the dogs and was greeted by Henry’s laugh. He watched Henry grab a slice of peanut butter and banana toast and take a small bite of it.

“Once you eat, I’d like to get your vitals one last time. I also have some of your lab results if you’d like for me to go over those with you.” Alex said seeing Henry smile as he bit into the toast.

“Good toast, thank you for making it.” Henry muttered before he took a sip of the peach and ginger tea. “You already have my labs back?” Henry questioned, sounding surprised.

“I don’t have your pap smear, STD swabs, or the carrier screening as those can take a while. I do have all of what I would consider general wellness labs such as your thyroid panel, complete blood count, complete metabolic count, and of course your quantitative hCG.” Alex explained as he walked over to his fridge.

He opened his fridge and placed two homemade energy balls into a plastic bag along with a couple of individual packaged colby jack cheese. After he grabbed the snacks from the fridge, he opened his snack cabinet. He placed a handful of everything crackers into another snack bag, a turkey flavored chomp stick, two wildberry fruit strips, a single serve bag of omega-3 trail mix, along with a bag of peanut butter stuffed pretzels.

“I also packed you some lunch in the form of nutritious snacks. I want you to try eating smaller meals more frequently. That can sometimes help with morning sickness since you aren’t overloading your stomach all at once.” Alex explained watching Henry nibbling at the second piece of toast. He grabbed his iPad from the charger and sat next to Henry on the stool.

Henry chewed at the inside of his cheek trying his best not to cry again. The last time anyone showed him that kind of care and fussed over him was back when his dad was still alive. Here was this man he barely even knew taking the time out of his morning to pack him healthy snacks to get through his day that probably had all the ingredients needed to help grow their baby. He might not have cried but he did place a hand over his butterfly filled stomach.

Bloody hell! He didn’t know if it was the unfamiliar hormones, but he was falling hard and fast for Alex. Faster than he had for anyone, and it terrified him a little because that meant he might say something highly inappropriate for their first morning together. Was it even possible for pregnancy hormones to cause someone to fall in love with the other parent? He truly felt screwed when he looked at Alex.

Alex angled the iPad so that Henry could read the numbers and see what he was seeing. “Your thyroid panel is right in the middle of normal, that means your thyroid is functioning as it should. Your CBC is normal, lipid panel is normal, your metabolic panel is normal, hematocrit and hematocrit are normal.” Alex paused for a moment, giving Henry a few moments to digest what he was explaining.

He watched Henry take another small bite of the toast. “Your blood type is A-, I’m O+ so it is highly likely that you’ll need an injection of RhoGAM since our blood combo gives our baby a 75% of having a positive Rh factor. RhoGAM has antibodies that will stop your immune system from attacking the baby’s red blood cells during delivery. RhoGAM is perfectly safe, and you’ll get that injection around 26-28 weeks. You’ll also get another RhoGAM injection a few days after delivery to make sure that any subsequent pregnancies are as safe as this one.” Alex explained and smiled at Henry and gently squeezed his free hand.

“Your quantitative hCG is 6,373 which is great considering you are closer to six weeks. I’ll retest your hCG again on Friday and make sure that number doubles. If the number doubles, then it is a great sign until we do another ultrasound at 8 weeks, and we can hear the heartbeat. Your labs look great so far.” Alex said with a beaming smile.

“That’s a relief.” Henry muttered as he swallowed the last bite of the toast. He did feel slightly more relieved that everything was great so far. He took another swig of tea. “I need to take a shower and start getting dressed for work. I think I’ll call Shaan and let him know I’ll be a tiny bit late for work.”

Alex smiled and closed his iPad. “I still need to check your blood pressure and pulse to make sure you aren’t having a hypertension crisis.” He teased and came back to the kitchen with the blood pressure cuff and his stethoscope.

He wrapped the cuff around Henry’s right upper arm and placed the bell of his stethoscope underneath the cuff. He had his nurses get a manual blood pressure because the machines were sometimes inaccurate, and he needed his blood pressure readings to be as accurate as possible.

“115 over 75, that is perfect!” Alex declared happily as he sat his stethoscope onto his island. He also needed to take a shower and get ready for work; unlike Henry he didn’t have any excuse for being late considering he lived a short elevator ride away from his job.

He watched Henry get up from the countertop stool and head towards the guest bedroom to shower.

“Remember the water shouldn’t be extremely hot.” He heard Alex remind him as he walked to the guest bedroom to take a shower, he watched Alex disappear into the master bedroom. “You can also brush your teeth after your shower.”

Henry laid out his clothes for the day on the guest bed and grabbed his dopp kit and shut the guest bathroom with a soft sigh. He sat the dopp kit onto the counter and quickly peeled off his sweat soaked pajamas. He noticed the smallest two drops of blood on the liner in his underwear, which Alex had said was normal, he peeled the liner from his underwear and wrapped it into some toilet tissue.

Twenty minutes later and Henry felt human again. His teeth felt clean, and he was no longer caked in a layer of sweat. He still felt exhausted and wanted nothing more but to crawl into the guest bed and take a nap.

Instead, he dressed in his funny tee shirt and buttoned his jeans, knowing he’d eventually need to find maternity jeans that he didn’t hate. He rolled his stick of deodorant under his arms and spritzed his pulse points with his favorite cologne that made him smell fresh. He put on his no-show socks knowing his shoes by the front door.

He left the guest bedroom to find a freshly showered Alex in the living room playing with the dogs. Alex was wearing a pair of scrubs that he couldn’t quite describe the color of, they were a green blue that really suited his skin tone and embroidered over the left chest was his name and specialty. Honestly, if Henry had bumped into Alex at the grocery store and someone gave him five guesses as to his career, he would not have guessed he was a doctor.

“I bet you feel better.” He heard Alex tease him.

“I feel clean. However, Shaan would like to see me once I get to school.” Henry said worriedly. He knew Shaan wouldn’t fire him and just wanted to check in since this wasn’t like his usual start of school behavior.

“I’m sure it’s nothing.” Alex said grabbing the RFID card he had Nora make so that Henry could have access to the parking lot and staff entrance to get up to his condo. He also had put it on a ring that contained the key to unlock his condo door.

“I had Nora make you up a key so you can come over whenever you need.” Alex said and handed Henry the RFID keycard with the Prism logo and his condo key.

“I’ll also watch David today! He can either stay up here or he can commandeer Sadie’s bed in my office. He’s already had his breakfast and had his morning potty. Haven’t you buddy?” He questioned the beagle who let out a happy yip.

Henry wanted to cry when he heard Alex tell him everything that he had done for David this morning and that his dog could stay. “Thank you.” He choked out, bending down to scratch David’s ears.

“Be a good boy for Alex and Sadie. I’ll see you later tonight.” He felt David’s wet nose against his own nose.

“I’ll make sure they both go outside before I come help you decorate your classroom. I’ll text you before I leave to see what you want for dinner, and I’ll pick it up on the way.” Alex explained and watched Henry toe on his dressy leather sneakers. He grabbed the to-go bag of lunch he made along with the freshly made travel mug of morning sickness tea and walked over to his entryway.

“I know you don’t feel the best, but I hope you have a good day.” Alex said and handed Henry the bag and mug of tea and leaned in to kiss the blond’s cheek. “There is your lunch along with another mug of tea.”   

Henry smiled feeling Alex’s cheek kiss and once again was captivated by the doctor’s long lashes. “Thank you and I’ll try to have a good day.” Henry said leaving Alex’s condo and walking over to the elevator.

He grabbed one of his SunnyD flavored energy drinks from the fridge. He liked this brand because it helped with his mental clarity without causing the jitters. He had developed a horrific caffeine habit from his seven years at Harvard. He grabbed his stethoscope from its spot on his kitchen island and slung it around his neck.

Alex bent down until he was eyelevel with the beagle. “Would you like to stay up here or would you like to hang out in my office all day?” He questioned as he rubbed the beagle’s floppy ears. “Sadie are you ready for work?” He asked his girl who nodded her head and went to sit by the door. He noticed David trailing behind Sadie.

“I think I should have gone to vet school.” He teased the two dogs as he toed on his work sneakers and opened the front door for them. Sadie ran over to the stairwell to wait with David trailing behind her. He opened the stairwell watching his Aussie eagerly run down the stairs excited for another day of work. David was trying to keep up with her, but she was lightening quick even beating Alex down the flight of stairs.

He tapped his badge and opened the door and watched a Sadie-colored streak run to great Raf and Amy giving both of them plenty of kisses. David, however, was watching Sadie curiously and looked up at Alex.

“Morning guys! Meet David, he’s Henry’s dog.” Alex greeted cheerfully and sat his energy drink onto the marble counter and watched Amy extend her hand out to the beagle for him to sniff.

Amy was wearing a pink scrub top with iridescent dots all over it with matching plain pink pants. Her hair was in a top knot with a matching pink headband in her hair.

Raf was wearing a pair of dewberry-colored scrubs with an embroidered grey jacket over them.

“Raf, do you feel like drawing my blood this morning?” He asked watching the beagle run his nose over Amy’s hand.

“I’d love to.” Raf teased and smiled like a Chesire cat as he stood up from his office chair.

“I’ll watch the pooches.” Amy teased as she scratched David’s ear with one hand and Sadie’s haunches with her other hand.

Raf looped his arm around Alex’s neck. “So, what labs did you have in mind?” He questioned turning his head to look at his boss and mentor to figure out what tubes he’d need to grab as they walked over to the lab.

“I was thinking a CBC, CMP, lipid, full thyroid panel, STD panel, and a carrier screening.” He saw Raf’s eyebrows raise at the carrier screening.

“Surprise! I’m going to be a dad in nine months. Henry decided to continue on with the pregnancy and well I did a carrier screening on him. Considering who my parents are it couldn’t hurt for me to have one as well.” His mom was very much the type who’d have a heart attack on the house floor and be back at work the next day.

“I don’t know if I should congratulate you or smack you upside the curls and call you a pendejo.” Raf teased with a laugh as he grabbed the required tubes needed for the labs Alex wanted.

“I suppose I could do both.” Raf mussed sitting down on the rolling stool and met Alex’s chocolate brown eyes.

“Congratulations on being a pendejo and getting your one-night stand pregnant. Does this mean I should start calling you Papi?” He said with a lighthearted smirk. “You know I’m here for whatever you need, I love you kid.”

Alex tossed a piece of gauze in Raf’s direction. “You are only five years older than me. I suppose I should tell you that you were right about Henry being the blond from the bar the moment Mel called Amy to help him get an appointment. I just thought it was statistically improbable and that I was smarter than accidentally getting someone pregnant, but here we are.”

He paused for a second and let out a deep sigh. “I’m so fucking scared, Henry’s so early along that all I can think about is what could happen. I went and reviewed his labs this morning in the gym just so I could let out a sigh of relief seeing that his hCG was in the normal range for someone at 5 and 5.”

Raf knew exactly how Alex felt. As a labor and delivery nurse he was hyperaware and worried when it came to his pregnancy with Gabriel, and he was just a nurse then. He couldn’t imagine what his next pregnancy would feel like as a midwife with all of the knowledge he had now.

“Hey, his labs looked really good. His hCG is in the perfect range. All new parents are scared, but I do know one thing and that is you are going to be an excellent father.” Raf soothed the doctor gently.

“I’m afraid of turning into my parents and having my mom’s staff members yell at me that they don’t need a scandal like this during her primary campaign.” Alex admitted sadly, he knew his mother would be less than pleased with the news of becoming a grandmother by accident.

“Alex, you aren’t your parents. The fact that you are even thinking about it means you’ll do everything you can to help Henry through his pregnancy and be an amazing father. I’m surprised you managed to get his labs; it appears I’ve taught you well my padawan.”

“Excuse you! I do believe you are my padawan considering you are my student midwife. I also learned how to draw blood in medical school.” Alex said in a teasing manner. “I managed to get him on the first stick too.”

“Great job!” Raf said knowing that men tended to be a slightly easier stick. He was positive he could easily get a 14 gauge IV into Alex’s forearm without causing him any pain.

“Are you ready for me to draw your labs now? Now with you having a baby on the way all the more reason for you to find the perfect pediatrician for our office.” He teased the doctor. He was becoming more and more irritated with Gabriel’s current pediatrician; he wanted to argue with her about everything and he was tired of the underlying judgement.

Alex sighed and stretched out his left arm for Raf. “I’m trying my hardest. It’s just hard trying to find a doctor that matches our practice style. We’ve done interviews but you or I veto them for one thing or another. We also need to create a listing to find you a nurse or medical assistant once you graduate.”

“I have hope and a gut feeling that we’ll find someone awesome soon. I keep telling you that I don’t need a nurse when I am a nurse. I can room my own patients and get their vitals.” Raf muttered he worked well with Alex and Amy but that was because they all had a similar work ethic and care towards patients.

“It’d be more than getting their vitals. It’d be stocking your own exam rooms, making result phone calls, answering voicemails of patients that need reassurance that that symptom is perfectly normal. That’d be on top of seeing clinic patients and delivering babies.”

“You’d be biting off more than you can possibly chew. I have you and Amy for that reason, are you and Matthew in a rough patch that I don’t know about that you’d suggest something so stupid?”

Raf shook his head and patted Alex’s hand. “Matthew and I are great. I don’t know why I suggested something so stupid. I guess fear of not getting along with them even though I know you’ll give me free reign of hiring my nurse.” He said as he got up from the stool and went over to the sink to wash his hands and pull on a pair of pink gloves and sat back down on the rolling stool.

“Of course I’ll give you free reign of hiring your nurse. It’s a shame that Mel loves being a school nurse so much, I’d happily hire her.” Alex teased, and felt Raf tie the tourniquet around his upper arm right above his elbow and he made a tight fist.

“You have such great veins.” Raf mused as he ran his gloved finger trying to figure out which vein he wanted to use in the antecubital fossa.

“Eh, I’m pretty sure I could blindfold you and you’d be able to stick me.” Alex teased as Raf palpated his veins. He felt the tourniquet being loosened.

“I think you are right.” Raf teased tearing open an alcohol wipe and rubbing the wipe in a circle onto Alex’s skin. He retied the tourniquet and anchored Alex’s vein so that it couldn’t roll and advanced the butterfly needle and removed the tourniquet once he saw blood in the tube.

Once he had collected the tubes in the correct order of draw, he stuck a piece of gauze and wrapped Alex’s antecubital with a dark green self-adhesive wrap. “Have you talked to Matthew about all this?” Raf said making a vague gesture.

“I will during lunch.” Alex muttered as he lifted up on the arm and got out of the phlebotomy chair. “Thank you.” He said leaving the lab and tapping his hip to get David’s attention so he could show the beagle his office.

Henry took a deep breath and knocked at the doorframe of Shaan’s office. “You wanted to see me?”

“Hello Henry, come on in and take a seat.” Shaan greeted and sat down his teacup as Henry took a seat in the chair across from his desk.

 “Is everything okay? You’ve seemed a little off this year and I wanted to check in. Zahra said she found you vomiting in the bathroom, your classroom looks untouched, and now you’ve called me to let me know you were going to be in a little late this morning. I’m not asking as your boss, but as a friend. How can I help?” The Indian man questioned the young blond.

Well, that was just great. He had drawn unnecessary attention to himself from Shaan. He should have known that Zahra would rat him out to her husband. He felt a silent tear trickle down his face and let out an exasperated sigh due to the hormones.

“I’m sorry, I woke up not feeling great on Monday. Yesterday my boyfriend sent me a text that David was acting rather strangely and that he was going to take him to the vet, so I went to meet him. I’m still feeling rather run down from Monday and the boyfriend offered to call you and tell you that I needed a sick day and that he could send you a doctor’s note. You are right, this isn’t like me.” Henry admitted faking a smile in the principal’s direction hoping that would be the end of the decision for now.

He knew he needed to tell Shaan about his pregnancy soon, but he and Alex agreed it was best to hold off on telling anyone he worked with about the pregnancy for now. He was still really early along in the pregnancy. His anxiety also felt that if he told anyone he worked with that he’d wind up jinxing it. He’d hide it until he reached the twelfth week of pregnancy and the risk of having a miscarriage went down.

“I’m sorry, but did you just tell me that you have a boyfriend?” Shaan questioned, he worked with mostly women and his wife was well a gossip hound. He loved her but there was nothing she didn’t know or couldn’t figure out. “When did that happen?”

Henry smiled softly at the principal and his friend. He’d be using the story they had planned, and the great thing was it wasn’t exactly a lie. “We met this summer; do you remember me mentioning that I was roommates with Percy Okonjo back when I attended Eton?” He saw Shaan nod his head that he remembered.

“Well, he has this doctor friend from Boston that volunteers his time at the New York shelter. He offered to set us up on a blind date and I went. Alex and I really hit it off and we’ve been dating for four months now.” Henry said proudly hoping to God that the story came across as authentic.

“Henry, I am happy for you, so when do we get to meet Alex?”  Shaan asked with a warm smile he felt protective of Henry because he knew the man sitting across from him lost his father so young.

“Tonight, assuming you don’t have a problem with Alex coming to help me decorate my barren classroom.”

“Not at all! You know I never care if someone’s significant other comes to help decorate their classroom. I’m looking forward to meeting him. I know you are busy, so I won’t keep you. Just wanted to check in and see if you were okay.” Shaan said taking a sip from his teacup.

Henry left Shaan’s office and sent Alex a text that he cleared him helping with the principal and that it was alright for him to come help him after work. He left off the part where Shaan and the rest of the staff would not doubt be excited to meet him.

He realized that he had forgotten the lie he told Addison yesterday about it being his sister who told him about a sick David. He just told Shaan it had been Alex, and he knew he didn’t have long before it caught up to Zahra and he was questioned about the lie. He was tired and having trouble keeping track of the lies he told.

He walked back to his classroom and watched Zahra pop out of her classroom. “Boyfriend hmm? I can’t wait to meet him.” She said giving him a scrutinizing look as he opened his own classroom.

He took stock of his barren classroom trying to decide what he needed to get done in terms of decorating. He felt very behind on decorating, and he wondered if he’d be able to get everything done in time for Monday.

Alex entered Matthew’s office holding a plate of catered Italian from Maggiano’s Little Italy by a pharmaceutical rep. He had a plate for himself and a plate for Matthew who was sitting at his desk typing up therapy notes.

“Hey Alex! Let me just finish this note and we can talk and eat.” Matthew muttered seeing Alex sat his plate of food next to his leather armchair. He watched Alex sit down on his green couch and shove a forkful of salad into his mouth.

He was used to seeing Alex about once a week for one reason or another. Most of the time he saw Alex either because he had a particularly emotional case, discussing a patient that Alex had referred to him, or after a conversation with his mother or one of her staff members. It was mostly Farah that Alex had a problem with. She loved to knit-pick Alex and his career choice, it was clear to him that she was parroting something Ellen told her about Alex in private.

He figured this visit had something to do with what Raf had told him last about Alex accidently knocking up the blond from the club, which had showed up as a patient for Alex yesterday. He’d be seeing the mystery man next Wednesday, but he would appreciate any insight Alex would give him a patient.

Matthew finished typing the note on his earlier patient and grabbed his tumbler of water from his desk and walked over to his leather armchair and sat down. He grabbed the large plate of food and balanced it on the arm. He never took notes on Alex their dynamic was more of a friend conversing with a friend and less of a therapist and patient.

“What’s going on?” He asked inquisitively, curious about what would drive their lunch conversation today.

“Has Raf told you how much of an idiot I am?” Alex asked and watched Matthew nod while shoving a bite of salad into his mouth.

“Getting someone accidently pregnant doesn’t make you an idiot.” Matthew said kindly but sternly.

Alex sighed softly and aggressively shoved a forkful of lasagna into his mouth. “I’m a doctor, I should have known better.”

Matthew laughed softly and took a sip from his straw. “When’s the last time you had sex with someone? I’m guessing it’s been a while. You weren’t in that hotel room as Dr. Alex seeing a patient for an exam, you were just drunk, horny Alex.”

Alex thought about Matthew’s question and let out a deep sigh. It had probably been since the clinic opened the last time he had sex with someone. Not to mention Henry’s labia folded over his vaginal opening making it look like normal anatomy.

Plus, his grandmother obviously caused him some disgust over having that anatomy. It was possible Henry had trouble getting wet or had conditioned his body to not get wet when having other kinds of sex. He was also on a high dose of antidepressants which could easily cause vaginal dryness.

Matthew was right, he was drunk and horny, and condoms broke all the time. He just felt somewhat guilty for Henry’s discomfort. Even if he was ecstatic that he had a second chance with the attractive blond.

“I’m scared of becoming like my parents or fucking things up between the two of us.” Alex reluctantly admitted looking at the tiramisu on his dessert plate like it could tell him the meaning of the universe or at the very least how Henry’s pregnancy and their relationship would go.

“I think everyone is afraid of becoming their parents. The biggest thing is that you realize their parenting and do the exact opposite. You are already doing so well.” Matthew said with a warm smile as he shoved a bite of pasta into his mouth.

“You came to talk to me about your fears and you are already being there for Henry. It might not feel like you have done much, but just being there for him and showing you care means a lot to him. Pregnancy is a scary time for everyone, especially when you are a doctor who specializes in pregnancy and know everything that could go wrong.”

Alex took a bite of pasta and thought about everything Matthew had just said. “My mom and Farah are going to kill me when they find out, they’ll both think I’m deliberately ruining her campaign. I still don’t understand Farah’s need to parade June and I in front of the cameras or try to control my work social media.”

Matthew took a sip of flavored water from his tumbler. “When is the last time your mom came to visit or called you?”

“I think the last time she came to Boston was for the grand opening. The last phone call I got from her might have been my birthday because Leo reminded her. If it wasn’t for Leo, she wouldn’t have remembered.” Alex admitted, he could have told the therapist the last time he talked to Oscar, Leo, and June. Most of the calls he got from his mother were from Farah.

“Would it be bad if I just told Oscar and Leo that they were going to be grandparents and exclude her?” Alex questioned the therapist hearing his soft laugh.

He wondered if he could actually keep the pregnancy from his mom. Hell, he wondered how long he could hide a baby from her too. He had idolized his mother growing up, he wanted to be exactly like her. He had chosen her side in the divorce. The one time he wanted his mother’s comfort she didn’t show, he needed to have knee surgery, and she had chosen the House of Representatives over him.

She had missed his white coat ceremony and during his match day scoffed when he said he had matched into obstetrics and gynecology. During Prism’s grand opening, she didn’t spend much time interacting with him. He overheard her joke with Farah about how long his clinic would be open. It was hard to hear and see that his own mother didn’t fully believe in him.

Matthew smiled softly knowing exactly what Alex was thinking of. “Alex, you aren’t your mother and you’ll be a great father. I see how you are with Gabriel, and he loves you to pieces. So, how about you tell me about Henry.” He questioned, eager to change the subject before Alex spent the rest of the day ruminating about his mother.

Alex smiled softly at the mention of Gabe, his godson and namesake. “Do you want my professional opinion and why I sent him to you?”

“It’d be nice to know your thoughts before I see him. You don’t think he’d hurt your child or any child?” Matthew asked curiously, knowing that with Henry being in Alex’s life his path would cross with Gabriel’s and a parent couldn’t be too careful, even though he trusted Alex.

“Heaven’s no! He’s a middle school teacher and I gave him all the options last night and he chose to keep the pregnancy despite it being the result of a one-night stand and us barely knowing each other. I don’t think he’d hurt a fly, his dog might though.” Alex teased softly, if David was anything like Sadie flies didn’t tend to last. He also understood Matthew’s question and wasn’t the least bit defensive.

“I just had to be sure.” Matthew said softly. “So, you messaged me he had depression and anxiety, anything else you think I should know?”

“I get it. Henry has depression, I didn’t do a PHQ on him, but I did go ahead and lower his sertraline since he was on the highest milligram, I’ll see if does better with that dose. You and I both know the dangers of telehealth psych. I suppose I should be grateful that I don’t have a damn polypharmacy to try and sort through.”

Matthew nodded he had been a therapist long enough that he had his fair share of clients with a polypharmacy. “It’s like they forget that therapy in tandem with medication leads to the best outcomes. It’s no problem I can do a PHQ-9 and a GAD-7 with him. How’s his anxiety?”

“He had a panic attack when he realized who I was. I can’t get the best read on his anxiety, you and I both know that early pregnancy comes with anxiety too. I think the panic attack was probably a one-off.” Alex admitted before taking a deep breath before he told Matthew the next part.

“You know about his depression and anxiety, but I noticed something else last night. What I’m about to tell you is in the strictest confidence.” Alex saw Matthew nod.

“He was dysphoric during the bimanual exam and when I noticed he told me his grandmother had suggested to his parents about surgery. I think he has some lingering trauma from his grandmother’s vitriol about being gay and having the ability to be pregnant as a man. He’s also a vaginal virgin.” Alex said politely.

Matthew nodded his glasses catching the nearby light of a lamp. That was a bit of trauma, and he hoped that Henry would eventually trust him enough to want to unpack that.

“Not only was the pregnancy unplanned, but it’s also has brought up previous trauma and feelings he has not experienced before.” Matthew said looking at Alex. “Be gentle with him, the fact that he told you about the evil grandmother is a good sign that he trusts you. Whatever you do don’t break that trust.”

They both heard the office door open and saw Raf stick his head through the door. “Am I interrupting something? I have something exciting to show Alex and well I couldn’t wait.”

Matthew laughed at his husband and looked over at Alex. “It’s okay, I’m just finishing up. So, what’s this exciting thing you need to show me.” He mouthed Thank you to Matthew and caught the quick nod.

Raf entered the office holding an iPad and sat on the couch next to Alex. “I was going through emails and thought you might like to know we had two new CV’s waiting for us. Dr. Cassius Washington is a pediatrician and Dr. Adrian DeLuca is internal medicine. I did a little snooping, and they are medical school sweethearts that just recently got married.” Raf said handing Alex the tablet so he could peruse the CVs.

Alex perused the CVs and found himself being equally impressed with their qualifications, especially Cassius’s neonatal resuscitation program certification. There was a part of him that worried that if they did hire Cassius and Adrian that the optics would look bad like he thought only males made the best medical providers; even though he had Paige as his staff anesthesiologist.  

“I’ll call Cassius and Adrian and arrange an interview for whenever they are available.” Alex eventually said after making a quick pro/con list in his head. At the very least he could give them an interview and hoped it turned out like all the other doctors they had interviewed for the open positions.

After a long afternoon Alex made his way out to the parking lot and typed in the address for Henry’s school so he could keep good on his promise of helping him decorate his classroom. He tossed his backpack into the passenger’s seat and followed the directions to the middle school where he parked in an open parking spot.

He grabbed his backpack from the passenger’s seat and scrolled until he found Henry’s directions to his classroom. He found Henry’s classroom towards the middle of a long hallway lined with blue and red lockers. He knocked on the metal doorframe before entering Henry’s classroom to not startle him.

“Hey sweetheart! How are you feeling?” Alex asked as he sat his backpack down on empty chair and pulled Henry in for a warm hug.

Henry smiled into the hug and inhaled the scent that was Alex. “I’ve felt nauseous most of the day, but the snacks helped.” He admitted and watched Alex pull a stack of emesis bags from his backpack.

“Just in case you can’t make it to the bathroom.” He heard Alex explain and tucked the stack into the top drawer of his desk.

“Thank you! How was David? I hope he was the perfect doggie for you.” Henry asked as he shut the drawer to his desk.

“I hardly knew he was there. He found Sadie’s bed in my office and only made noise when he needed to use the grass. I’ll happily babysit him anytime you need me too.” Alex teased as he looked around Henry’s classroom seeing that it was a little barren.

“What do you need me to do?” He heard Alex asked and saw him push up the sleeves of the hoodie he was wearing.

“I was hoping that we could get a least one bulletin board up.” Henry explained showing Alex the open storage box of bulletin board supplies.

“Alex! What are you doing here?” Liam questioned not expecting to see a signature of messy curls standing on a chair as he helped a blond man, he assumed was Henry decorate a bulletin board.

He had been trying to stop by and introduce himself to the teachers. Each time he had passed by Henry Fox’s classroom the lights were off and the door was locked. Addison, the teacher across the hall had told him he was having a rough first week back.

“Hey Liam! I’m here to help my boyfriend decorate his classroom. You remember Henry, I told you Pez set me up with his hot teacher friend from Boston.” Alex skillfully lied, feeling terrible about having to gaslight his friend about his relationship.

“I really don’t! Then again, I did have pregnancy brain so bad Spencer found my car keys in the fridge.” Liam admitted raising a brow in Alex’s direction before turning his attention to the other blond.

“Hi Henry! I’m Liam Carson, the new school counselor, it’s nice to meet you.” He said extending his hand out to the blond teacher to shake.

Henry smiled and shook the other blond’s hand. Liam was their age with dirty blond hair and was wearing an Inside Out tee shirt with all the emotions that said ‘it’s okay to feel all the feels’ along with a pair of dark wash jeans. He looked approachable and kind and figured the students would much rather see him than Ruth who retired last year and didn’t know who Taylor Swift was.

“Henry Fox. I teach six, seventh, and eighth grade English Language Arts along with a novels and creative writing electives.” He explained what he taught to the school counselor.

“I’ve been told your classes fill up the quickest and that you are the teacher everyone wants to find on their schedule.” Liam joked to Henry and Alex as he sat on the edge of a nearby desk.

“It’s probably just the accent. Trust me when I say I give them plenty of homework like Zahra and Ben and I even expect them to spell words such as candelabra.”

Zahra smirked and poked her head into Henry’s classroom. “Please! I make the eighth graders memorize the constitutional preamble.”

Alex smirked softly at the women who had entered Henry’s classroom. “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our prosperity, do ordain and establish this constitution for The United States of America.”

Zahra stood there stunned staring at the young Hispanic man standing next to Henry in disbelief. He had just said the constitutional preamble with flawless ease. “Hello, I’m Zahra Bankston and you are impressive for still knowing the constitutional preamble. I’m guessing you must be a history teacher from another school.” She said, offering her well-manicured hand to him.

Liam started laughing as Alex shook the history teacher’s hand, a slight smirk on his face, and heard Alex introduce himself to the history teacher. “Not quite. I’m Dr. Alexander Claremont-Diaz, but you can call me Alex.”

Zahra’s hand stilled and she looked like she had seen the ghost of a founding father. “As in Speaker of the House Ellen Claremont and Senator Oscar Diaz’s son? Is it true that your mother is the democratic frontrunner for the next presidential primary.”

“I am their son, but I have no idea if my mother plans to run during the primary.” Alex skillfully replied using the lie Farah had instructed him to use whenever someone asked about his mom’s chance of running. He knew his mother was close to her announcing her presidential run.

Liam noticed Alex chewing at his bottom lip trying hard not to roll his eyes at Zahra’s excitement towards his parents, Ellen was a sore spot for Alex. He was also silently reading henry’s facial expression to see what he knew about Alex.

 He might have had pregnancy brain, but he was sure he’d remember his best friend since elementary school telling him that he was dating someone. He would have to surprise Henry with lunch under the guise of friendship and getting to know Alex’s boyfriend for more information.

Alex sighed and perched on the top of Henry’s desk; it had been a long evening. They had made a decent headway with one of the bulletin boards.

He had also met most of the teacher’s Henry worked with and most of them seemed to buy the fake how they had met story. It was also great being able to catch up with Liam, even though he felt terrible for lying to his friend. He knew He knew Liam would figure out the truth quicker than some of the others.

Chapter Text

Liam entered Henry’s classroom holding a bag from Chipotle. “Hi Henry! I hope you don’t mind that I brought lunch. I figured since you are dating my friend we could get to know each other over some Chipotle.” He said holding up the bag.

Henry smiled at the blond counselor that had just entered his classroom with food. “I don’t mind at all. Thank you for thinking of me!” He tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice as his stomach rolled at the idea of eating a big lunch and being no doubt questioned by Alex’s friend.

He supposed he could try and eat a few bites and if Liam asked, he could tell him that his stomach felt a little dodgy. He just hoped his nausea didn’t interrupt their lunch, that was not something he felt like explaining to anyone.

“I thought about getting something other than Chipotle, but I figured it was safe territory for you. Since I am unsure about your spice tolerance seeing as how you are a white boy from England. Whereas I’m a white boy from Texas who has had plenty of Oscar’s cooking and I have Cholula and Tajin packets in my desk.” Liam teased playfully as he sat the bag down on the desk and handed Henry a bowl and the bag full of toppings packaged in little containers.

Henry laughed at Liam’s teasing about him being a white boy from England. “I can handle some spice, but you’re right I didn’t grow up in Texas. Thank you again for getting me lunch.” He said and opened the bowl and saw steak, white rice, and romaine lettuce.

“It was no trouble! I’m still new and it’s always nice having lunch with a friend. I got you steak and white rice with all the fixings on the side.” Liam said his Texas accent coming out on a few of the words. He figured steak or chicken would be the safer choice with Henry.

“Did you always want to be a middle school teacher and smell a medley of all the Axe scents on the market.” Liam asked as he shoved a bite of food into his mouth. He usually liked barbacoa, but after having Oscar and Alex’s barbacoa nothing could compare.

Henry dumped the fresh tomato salsa, fajita veggies, cheese, queso, a spoonful of guacamole, and sour cream into his bowl and gave it a good mix together with his fork.

“No!” Henry laughed at the mention of the medley of Axe and Bath and Body Works and felt his stomach roll at the mention of the smell. Bloody hell! He was for the first time in his teaching career not looking forward to the students coming back to stink up his classroom.

Henry half expected Liam to whip out an interrogation lamp and shine it in his face like he was a perp in a crime drama. It was obvious that Liam planned to interrogate him instead of a friendly lunch conversation with a coworker.

“I actually started as an English Literature major at Oxford. I spent a semester abroad here in Boston and I quickly switched my major to education and moved to Boston permanently. Henry explained, as he took a bite of his steak bowl, finding Liam oddly easy to talk to.

‘He’s also probably reporting back to Alex who probably arranged for him to check up on you during lunch. Remember he’s a counselor just because he usually deals with children doesn’t mean he isn’t analyzing your behavior for Alex and Matthew.’ The little anxious voice in the back of his head cruelty reminded him.

“What about you, did you always want to be a counselor to children?” Henry asked politely wanting to change to topic from him. He was curious if Liam would answer his question.

“I did! I grew up in Texas and while Austin is a more progressive city you also have the typical southern mindset. I grew up attending church with my grandparents and had the bible drilled into my head for a very young age. My grandparents and a few more devout family members happily disowned me the moment I left the closet.” Liam took a sip from his tumbler.

“I also got a front row ticket to watch Alex’s family implode and I did everything I could to help him through it. So, after everything we went through, I wanted children to know they’d have someone in their corner.”

“Alex and I became friends back in elementary school, my grandparents tried to suggest that Alex and I not be friends. We attended middle school together, and he begged me to apply to Liberal Arts and Science Academy with him. You obviously know he graduated as our valedictorian and graduated from Harvard.” Liam said studying Henry’s face for any obvious tells.

Liam smiled softly and popped a bite of his bowl into his mouth. “So, how did you and Alex meet?” He asked and saw Henry’s slight shift in his chair and heard a startled cough, the teacher was obviously caught off guard with that question.

“Sorry! Had a green pepper caught in my throat.” Henry said hoping the school counselor believed that for his startled cough.

Pez had told him back when they were roommates that he was a shit liar and that was Pez, not a school counselor that was probably reading him like his beloved and battered copies of Harry Potter.

“I was roommates with Percy Okonjo at Eton College, it’s a premier boys only boarding school. We met when we were 13 and have been best friends ever since. Pez told me there was this hot doctor who donated his time at his New York LGBTQIA youth shelter offering birth control and preventive care screenings.” Henry paused and took a sip of his water with a hydration packet in it.

“Well Pez being Pez gave Alex my number and set me up on a blind date with Alex. One thing one led to another, and we’ve been dating ever since.” Henry said using the lie he and Alex had come up with. It wasn’t actually a lie, Pez had offered to offer to set them up, he had just declined.

“Where was your first date?” Liam questioned and leaned forward in his chair. He could tell you in great detail about his first date with Spencer. He could also tell you how they first met and every lovely detail in between.

Henry wondered if he could grab his phone and send Alex an SOS text that he was being interrogated by Liam. He knew he was going to slip up and say something that would out him as lying. Besides, Alex was busy with interviews, and he didn’t want to disturb him for this.

He was pretty sure he had told Addison and Shaan a different story when it came to the David excuse. Now here he was trying to fleece one of Alex’s oldest friends who had known him since elementary school.

He felt the sweat beads forming on the nape of his neck. He honestly knew very little about Alex’s personality to even begin to think about what they might have done for their first date.

His brain was going blank, and the nausea was starting to interject. Fuck! It would be just his luck. He took a few steady breaths and no such luck. The nausea was screaming in his brain, and he knew he had a few seconds. He aggressively opened his top desk drawer, thankful to find the stack of emesis bags that Alex had given him the night before.

He grabbed the top one from the stack and his stomach rolled and he barely had it touching his mouth before all hell broke loose.

He needed to think of what to tell the school counselor who just got an unwanted front row seat to his morning sickness. He knew food poisoning took longer to kick in and he knew Liam probably had morning sickness himself. He didn’t exactly feel like admitting that he and Alex had lied to him, and that they weren’t in a long-term committed relationship.

He supposed getting pregnant from an enjoyable one-night stand in a hotel was infinitely better than getting knocked up from ‘doing it’ in the club bathroom like he would have in his slut phase. The image of that caused his stomach to roll even harder and he felt the sting of tears in his eyes.

“Henry? Are you okay?” He heard Liam ask concern laced in his deep voice and felt the other blond gently rub his shoulder.

Liam took in the familiar scene of the blond aggressively vomiting in front of him. There was the fact Henry had emesis bags tucked into a desk drawer and there was only one explanation for Henry’s vomiting.

“You’re pregnant with Alex’s baby, aren’t you?” Liam questioned excitedly. His voice barely above a whisper in case Henry’s walls were listening to their conversations. He saw Henry nod and pull open the top of his desk drawer.

Henry didn’t see the point in lying to someone who could read people like a book, Hell, Liam, probably had them figured out last night.

Liam saw the collection of morning sickness remedies, a stack of emesis bags, mints scattered about, a package of mint gum, a small box of Wisps disposable toothbrushes, and a mini bottle of mouthwash. He recognized several of the remedies as one he had tried with his pregnancy with Parker.

“I’m sorry Henry. Had I have known you were pregnant I would have gotten us something different for lunch.” He knew Chipotle was a bit much for Henry’s pregnant stomach.

“I’d have also not channeled Oliva Benson so hard while trying to get to know you.” Liam admitted and felt guilty for being the reason Henry was now vomiting. He also felt kind of a dick for basically interrogating him about his relationship with Alex.

“It’s so hard.” Henry whined, as he placed his head against his cool desk as Liam continued to rub his back.

“Yes, it is! Your emotions feel like they are attached to a yo-yo. One minute they are up and then the next minute they are down. You are so exhausted, and you can’t properly explain it to anyone, morning sickness is hell and lasts for more than just the morning. It’s really hard, but having people in your corner really helps. I just had a baby, so I get exactly how you feel. All you want to do is sleep, but you can’t.”

“You have some excellent people in your corner already. Alex is amazing, although he can sometimes be an overly care bear.” Liam heard a weak laugh come from Henry at the description of Alex being compared to a Care Bear.

“You have me, assuming you aren’t pissed at me for questioning you earlier. It’s just Alex is my longest friend and even after drifting apart, I still think of him as a brother.”  Liam gently admitted, worried that Henry would reject his friendship over the innocent questions.

Henry took a deep breath and slowly picked his head up from his desk. He felt absolutely horrible to the point he wanted to beg Alex for the IV and go back to sleep until the weekend. Unfortunately, he didn’t have that luxury. Although he found It strange that he went from a chronic insomniac who might get 4 hours of sleep, to wanting more sleep and to not get out of bed.

“Not in the slightest. I have a best friend similar to you. Although I think Pez would have brought the interrogation light.” Henry said with a laugh. He knew that Pez would have shown up with an expensive suitcase carrying the light and very much dressed the part. He and Pez were like brothers, so he understood Liam’s protectiveness towards Alex.

“I’d have paid to see that.” Liam teased playfully before meeting Henry’s eyes. “May I ask how long you and Alex have actually been together?” Liam questioned as gently as he could as he unwrapped a morning sickness candy. He handed Henry the wrapped end so that he could easily pop the candy into his mouth.

Henry pitifully shook his head and started laughing. “Let’s see today is Thursday so we’ve been together for two days.” He said and saw Liam’s shocked expression as he popped the orange flavored candy into his mouth.

“Yeah, this pregnancy is the product of a drunken one-night stand. Hell, when I went to see Alex on Tuesday, I didn’t even know he was the other dad. I just let Mel’s wife make the appointment for me. I’d really like to know what student of mine is writing fanfiction of my life, because there I sat on Alex’s exam chair and the realization that he was the mystery man hit like a freight train. Damn his curls and beautiful eyelashes.” Henry muttered with a dreamy sigh as he thought about Alex’s eyelashes.

“Oh shit! So, you’re the hot blond he was kicking himself for day over.” He heard Liam mutter, and he honestly didn’t feel so hot lately. “Alex’s eyelashes will get you every time.”

“Hell, I know I was pregnant and sometimes my brain was foggy, but I think I’d remember if Alex told me he was in a relationship. I do remember Alex told me that he met a hot blond man while out celebrating with Nora and June. He was kicking himself for days after for not leaving you so much as a note. He honestly thought with his luck that you were a British man and on vacation or visiting family. Fate is often funny like that.” Liam said with a warm smile.

“Please don’t be offended by this question, but it is Alex’s baby, right?” Liam questioned gently averting his gaze, afraid that question would greatly offend Henry.

“Yes. I’m long over my slut phase, and unless I’m the next Virgin Mary- Henry trailed off in a teasing manner relaxing his shoulders slightly after he answered the question.

“I’m sorry, I had to at least ask. Protective friend and all that.” Liam said patting Henry’s shoulder. “I’ll stop with the overly personal questions. I just think it’s rather funny that you are pregnant by a literal ob/gyn. It sounds like the plot of the next trending guilty pleasure novel.”

“It certainly does sound like the plot of something.” Henry said with a laugh. He understood Liam’s questions, it was clear Liam cared a great deal for Alex. It reminded him of his friendship with Pez.

“Imagine my shock when I realized I was pregnant by my new ob/gyn. This week has been a lot what with the surprise pregnancy test and trying to get everything ready for the student’s arrival next week.

“My congratulations to you. I’m sure our kids are going to grow up and become the best of friends. I had Parker 12 weeks ago, so I know how you feel. If you ever want to talk my office has a comfortable couch and I have chocolate in my desk.”

“Thank you.” Henry eventually muttered instead of Liam ostracizing him he seemed to be supportive and suggesting that their children would grow up together and become best friends. “I’d love to see baby photos if you are up to share.” He suggested not having the faintest idea of how to care for an actual baby. He was the youngest of three and not that close to his nephew.

Henry watched Liam scroll through baby photo after baby photo of Parker, and it made his heart fill so full. In 8 short months that would be him and Alex with their little bundle of joy that he just wanted to be healthy. He instinctively moved his hand to cover his stomach and smiled at the photos Liam was showing him while telling him how amazing Parker is.

“He’s adorable.”

“He really is! So, how far along are you?” Liam questioned. He knew Nora and June’s engagement party wasn’t that long ago and he remembered having awful morning sickness during the first trimester. 

“Almost 6 weeks.” Henry answered and realized Liam was one of the few he had told about the pregnancy. He felt slightly guilty for telling Liam about the pregnancy before his sister, but he couldn’t hide it.

“Yeah, I figured close to that. Those first couple weeks after you find out are rough. You have constant morning sickness and are so exhausted that you just want to sleep for a month. You are also trying to hide it and come up with excuses, so your coworkers don’t find out before you want them to.”

“I haven’t even told my sister or Pez yet. I’m okay with you knowing, just please don’t go around telling my secret in the teacher’s lounge.” Henry knew Liam probably wouldn’t do something so malicious but still one could never be too careful.

“I would never!” Henry heard Liam say and felt his phone vibrate signaling a notification. He saw a text message from Alex and grabbed his phone to read the two text messages.

Alex

Just checking in. How are you feeling?

I might have found an excellent pediatrician.

Henry smiled at the text message checking in on him. He sent back Alex a text message that Liam surprised him with an interrogation for lunch and that he told Liam the news.

“I have a meeting, but I will come back after that meeting is over to help you decorate if you’d like me to. I know if you are anything like me, you’d like nothing more than to find a nice soft spot to take a nap in” Liam explained seeing Henry nod. “I should be back in an hour.”  

Henry let out a slightly relived sigh as Liam left his classroom to empty his pump and make his meeting on time. He liked Alex’s friend, but at the same time it did feel like being nicely integrated. He grabbed an electrolyte packet and dumped it into his tumbler and stirred the powder up with his straw and took a sip of the lemon-lime drink, he wished it was his beloved Earl Gray.

He knew he should try and decorate some of his classroom, but his mind was reeling from having lunch with Liam and telling him about the pregnancy. So, he grabbed his personal laptop from his messenger bag. The first thing he did was search for a pregnancy journal and after a few minutes of browsing he found a perfect one.

The journal had gold foil animals all over it. In the middle of the journal in the same gold foil had journey of a ‘miracle’ from bump to birth. This pregnancy was nothing sort of a miracle, so he thought the title was fitting.

The journal came in a nice box that could be repurposed to store baby keepsakes, along with an inkless pad to get the babies hand and footprints. It also came with a few ‘letters to baby’ with custom envelopes and a wax seal kit to seal the envelopes. It was absolutely perfect and would be a great way to remember this time of their lives, even if they had to slightly embellish things about the pregnancy journey.

“Tio Alex!” Gabriel yelled and ran over to his uncle who instantly picked him up.

“Hey buddy, do you feel like doing me a big favor?” Alex questioned seeing the five-year-old nod his head excitedly. “I need to you meet someone and tell me how you feel about them. Can you do that for me? If you can I’ll take you to your favorite ice cream place.” He whispered to the child trying to make it seem like it was a big secret when it wasn’t.

“I can do that.”

“What am I chopped liver?” Raf asked, putting his hands on his hips and staring at his son. He knew that Alex was Gabriel’s favorite person. He knew that his kid would be attached to Alex like a koala for as long as the doctor allowed. Gabriel just loved and adored his ‘Uncle Alex.’

“Hi Papi.” Gabriel said sticking his tongue out at Raf and getting comfortable on Alex’s hip.

Matthew didn’t love using their child as a guinea pig, but he trusted Alex and his husband. Not to mention this way was an excellent way to get a professional read on someone.

Alex figured the best way to judge a pediatrician was to see how they interacted with a child. This was the first time an interview went well enough that Raf wanted to see how Cash acted towards his son. They both knew pediatricians who couldn’t interact with children, and they didn’t want to hire that type of doctor for their clinic.

Meanwhile Chloe was meeting with Adrian to judge how he was with patients. She had told him this morning that she had recurring joint pain along with bad back pain going on for over a month. He’d be the one to discuss any labs or imaging since he hadn’t officially hired Cash or Adrian yet. He wanted to hear Gabriel’s opinion of Cash, and he trusted Chloe enough to be honest with him about Adrian’s bedside manner.

He entered the exam room and saw Cash sitting on the rolling stool who instantly got up to shake Matthew’s hand before turning his full attention to Gabriel.

Cash was in his late 20s and had recently finished his pediatric residency, but didn’t want to work for a huge health system that only cared about metrics and volume of patients seen. He was a black man with a bright white, comforting smile.

“HI little buddy. I’m Cash Washington and I’m a pediatrician. What’s your name?” Cash questioned the happy five-year old that was currently being held by Alex. Honestly, he looked like a little Rafael clone with dark curls falling onto his tanned forehead and the same hazel eyes that turned from green to brown depending on the lighting.

“I’m Gabriel and I’m this many!” The five-year-old exclaimed happily while holding up one of his hands to show his age. “You’re a doctor like my uncle and papi!” He was thrilled that Alex had wanted his help.

Raf smiled slightly and rubbed his forehead at his son calling him a doctor. He knew that Gabriel was still a little young to properly understand the difference between a doctor and an advanced practice nurse.

Gabriel let out a small laugh and tucked his face into Alex’s scrub covered shoulder. “Both of your names mean money.” He said sounding completely innocent which earned him a round of laughter from all of the adults.

“Alex promised me ice cream if I met you.” Gabriel also blurted out to the room.

“That they do, that was a great catch!” Cash said around a laugh a gave the child a beaming smile impressed that a five-year-old made the correlation. He heard Alex stage whisper that Washington was the name of a former president, and that his face just happened to be on the one-dollar bill. He was an adult, and he had heard that before, besides he knew children had a habit of spitting out whatever they had on their minds.

“Oh really! What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?” Cash asked, turning the stool to give the child his undivided attention.

“Vader or peanut butter bomb.”

Alex laughed and shook his head at Gabriel’s antics. He couldn’t just answer it simply like chocolate or peanut butter, he had to give specifics.  “I take him to a place that makes sundaes. The Vader is all chocolate, and the peanut butter bomb is chocolate and peanut butter with a ton of chopped Reese’s.” He explained to the pediatrician.

“Both sound yummy. You really can’t go wrong with chocolate or peanut butter.” Cash told the child as he turned his attention to Raf and Matthew. “How’s his appetite, besides the ice cream.” He said in a lighthearted manner, it was clear that Gabriel was well taken care of.

Raf smiled at the pediatrician and his child who was acting like a koala on Alex. “His appetite is pretty decent. He’ll eat most of his fruit and vegetables and we try really hard to cook at least five days a week.” He paused and mouthed to Cash that ice cream was a special occasion treat and usually of Alex’s doing. His friend truly spoiled his child, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

He and Matthew weren’t health nuts by any means, but they did try to give Gabriel proper nutrition and a balanced diet. He often would get Gabriel to eat some avocado mashed onto toast or with whatever he made for dinner.

“We also go for a nightly walk after dinner.” Matthew answered and looked at his child.

“I want a dog to walk.” Gabriel said innocently enough as he gave his dad’s puppy dog eyes. He knew they had both said maybe when he was a little older. Well, he was older, and he wanted a puppy to play with. He was about to start kindergarten so that meant he was older.

“I also want a sibling.” His dad’s had told him maybe he’d get a sibling once Raf graduated.

Alex bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing at Gabriel’s antics and pulled him close to he could whisper into Gabriel’s ear. “I wanted to get you a puppy for your last birthday, but your papi told me no. I also can’t get you a sibling, but how about I get you a cousin instead?” Alex questioned and Gabriel hugged him tightly. He had been in Gabriel’s life since the very beginning.

Raf knew his child wanted a dog and a sibling but right now it was a little complicated. He would graduate in May as a midwife. He and Matthew had agreed to wait to make Gabriel a sibling until he finished with midwifery school, and he’d wait until Alex’s baby was out in the world before trying for a second.

Cash smiled at the five-year-old. “Can I listen to your heart?” He asked softly as he reached for the stethoscope that he borrowed from Alex. He usually tried to involve the child that he was examining and ask for their consent even if they didn’t yet fully understand the importance of consent. He saw the child nod his head and heard a small ‘yeah.’

Matthew smiled and squeezed his husband’s hand seeing Cash interact with their child. He figured that Cash Washington would be their new pediatrician by the end of the day. From his therapist’s perspective his child was already voicing his thoughts and instead of getting offended by his talking Cash encouraged it and was very indulgent like Alex was.

He didn’t care who their pediatrician was so long as Gabriel liked them, and they were good with kids. Their current pediatrician was a little neglectful and focused more on what the parents said about diet and vaccines and didn’t like it when Gabriel talked.

Meanwhile Cash and Gabriel were engaged in a fun discussion about Star Wars characters as he listened to Gabriel’s heart and lungs.

Cash also checked both of Gabriel’s ears and felt his tummy. “You have one very healthy kiddo. I assume he’s also up to date on all his vaccines.”

“Of course.” Raf muttered, knowing that he’d happily fight Alex when it came to hiring Cash and Adrian, he really liked this pediatrician although he figured Alex was already on the same page.

They left the exam room and Matthew tried to pry Gabriel away from Alex, but his kid did not want to leave his uncle’s side. “Come on baby bear, Alex has to work, and he doesn’t need you attached to him like a koala hanging from a tree.”

“I can be his helper.” Gabriel suggested, since he wanted to spend more time with his uncle.

“Unfortunately, I don’t need an assistant today. However, I do need your honest opinion about Cash.” Alex said, knowing that he would get Gabriel to go back to Matthew.

“I like him, can he always be my doctor?” Gabriel said honestly looking at Alex. “Uncle Alex, since you won’t let me stay and be your helper, can I at least spend Sunday with you. You can help me with the level of Super Mario Odyssey I’m stuck on.”

Alex bent down and placed Gabriel onto the ground. “You’d have to ask your papi and dad, but if they are okay with it, of course you can spend Sunday with me. Maybe Henry would like it if we taught him to play Mario Party.” He wasn’t sure if Matthew wanted to meet Henry first before introducing Gabriel to him.

“The goblin can always spend the day with his Uncle Alex.” Matthew teased; he trusted Alex about Henry.

Once Gabriel was given permission to spend Sunday with Alex, he happily went with Matthew who would take him back to the babysitter.

Alex sighed and rubbed at the nape of his neck as he read over the job postings Chloe had emailed him. He was thrilled to have found a pediatrician and internal medicine doctor who seemed to mesh well with everyone, but that meant hiring additional staff.

It seemed like a daunting task as he stared at his written bullet points of staff members he needed to hire:

• Raf needed either a medical assistant or nurse before he graduated so he could train her.
• Chloe would 4 receptionists to train before she graduated in eight months.
• Cash needed a medical assistant or nurse.
• Adrian needed a medical assistant or nurse.
• He might as well just hire a phlebotomist, hopefully one with Raf’s magic touch.
• Three exam rooms would need to be themed for pediatrics.
• He would need another medical assistant or nurse to replace Raf, even though he knew that he was irreplaceable.

Fuck! That was easily at least ten new staff members to hire, and unlike some clinics he had standards and couldn’t hire just anyone with the right qualifications. Their pickiness was the reason it had taken a year to hire a pediatrician.

He knew he hit the lottery with Raf and Amy as his nurses and they were a large part of what made Prism so successful, and they were irreplaceable and invaluable as both staff and friends.

He heard a soft knock at his office doorframe and saw Chloe enter his office and sit in one of the barrel chairs across from his desk. That was another thing he had to do before leaving the clinic for the night and helping Henry with his classroom, was give Chloe some unexpected health news.

“You look deep in thought.” Chloe muttered seeing his notes looked similar to her own notes. “I know it seems like a lot right now, but it really isn’t. You opened Prism and I do believe that was more than just hiring some nurses.” She said politely and opened her own pink notebook.

“So, I talked to Mel; she thinks she knows a registered nurse that might be interested in the open pediatric nurse position. I also took the liberty and emailed a few medical assistant programs and nursing schools. You and I both know a ton of new nurses and medical assistants just graduated in May.” She knew a medical assistant would be cheaper to pay, but a nurse could do more.

“You’re the best.”

“You’ll remember that when I am making the four of you get headshots for the website and when I’ve scheduled another open house. I know just how much you love those.” She teased with a small smile and heard his warm laugh quickly followed by a soft sigh.

Alex let out a soft sigh at the mention of the open house and remembered how unsupportive his mother had been at the grand opening. He wondered if he could have Ellen’s invitation ‘get suspiciously lost in the mail.’

Chloe took a deep breath and dug her nails into the barrel chair. “What did my labs and X-Ray show.” She asked, wanting to get the inevitable out of the way.

Alex chewed on his cheek to keep his expression composed, it wasn’t a cancer diagnosis but still a diagnosis no twenty-two-year-old women wanted. He pulled up her labs on his iPad and slid the tablet over to her.

“So, your labs do show a slightly elevated sedimentation rate, but what is more concerning is your C-Reactive protien which is a protein made by the liver. A normal CRP is less than 10 and yours is close to 30. It shouldn’t be that high for someone your age and since it is, it points to either an inflammatory condition or a severe bacterial infection. You don’t have a fever so I think we can safely scratch infection off that list.” Alex paused, allowing her a moment to catch up.

“Your Antinuclear Antibody test was negative for the typical autoimmune conditions. However, seronegative autoimmune is possible as is an inclusive test. Crohn’s for example, could cause marked levels of inflammation, but a negative ANA.” Alex explained softly and gently.

“So, I have autoimmune?” Chloe questioned the doctor and friend.

“Yes, you do. Your HLA-B27 which looks for a specific protein on your white blood cells was positive. Which is common with Ankylosing Spondylitis, Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis, Psoriatic Arthritis, and Reactive Arthritis.” Alex muttered pulling up her sacroiliac x-ray and circling the area of concern.

“Your primary complaint of lower back pain combined with spinal x-rays shows arthritis in your sacroiliac joint. It’s one of the hallmark signs of Ankylosing Spondylitis.”

“All of that to tell me you and Adrian are sending me to your ex, right?” Chloe questioned raising her eyebrow at Alex. She knew that Alex had been in a serious long-term relationship during medical school and early on in his obstetrics and gynecology residency. She knew his ex was a rheumatologist and that they were still friends, just without the benefits.

“I am in fact sending you to Elijah, there is no one I trust more. He’s very knowledgeable when it comes to autoimmune conditions. You have a 7:30am appointment with him tomorrow. I’d recommend you take Amy or Mel with you for moral support. I personally think Ankylosing Spondylitis makes the most sense, but you could also be seronegative for Rheumatoid Arthritis or Lupus.”

“Fucking fabulous.” Chloe said sarcasm dripping from her voice at the news. It wasn’t great news, but after learning her brother died during childbirth and adopting her niece, she could handle just about anything.

“Hey, while there isn’t a cure yet, it is treatable. I’ve put in your chart that you eat NSAID’s like they are candy, I’ve given you a course of prednisone and plenty of steroid injections which were no help. I know Elijah is going to want to put you on a TNF blocker since those do tend to greatly reduce inflammation.” He paused and got out of his computer chair and pulled her in for a tight hug knowing she was experiencing information overload.

“Whatever you need just let me know. You already know I’m not a typical boss; I’m a cool boss.” He teased playfully. He knew she had entirely too much on her plate. She was in the process of getting her bachelor’s degree, managing the shit he didn’t want to manage, and raising her niece since her father died during childbirth.

“Okay Mr. Regina George.” Chloe teased, sticking out her tongue and taking a deep steading breath.

“Thank you for telling me the news and giving Adrian to pester to try and figure out what was going on with me. Adrian was very thorough, and he suspects fibromyalgia, and hypermobility is making the pain worse. I just thought my twenties were finally catching up to me.”

“Your twenties are not catching up to you, just some bad luck that is treatable. I doubt you will ever be back at the top of the cheer pyramid, but Eli will at least get you to wake up without pain. I figure you also would rather this next part come from me instead of him but ditch the heels they are doing you more harm than good. Heels tilt your pelvis which puts unnecessary stress on your sacroiliac joint.”

“What do you suggest I wear instead? I’m getting my business degree and with it comes the expectation to dress professionally, even if sometimes it looks like I borrowed my mother’s clothing.” Chloe questioned softly.

“You know I don’t have a dress code so long as it’s work appropriate. I wear scrubs or jeans unless Farah forces me into a monkey suit against my will. I’m just saying flats, sneakers, or a slip-on of some kind will not tilt your pelvis or put unnecessary stress on your joints. I really am sorry, but it will help your joints out in the long run. You can still wear heels, just try to limit them to special occasions where you won’t be wearing them for a long period of time.” He suggested.

“Thank you, I’ll take Amy and hopefully we won’t be late.” Chloe said, knowing she needed to tell Amy and see if she’d come with her. She got out of the comfortable barrel chair to head back to the front desk and draft notes on what all needed to be done before Cash and Adrian officially joined their staff.

“Even if you are a little late Raf and I have it covered.” Alex said as he returned to his office chair to hopefully finish his charting so he could go join Henry to decorate his classroom and take Zahra the boxes from his parents.

After twenty minutes Alex had finished his charting and reviewed a few of the labs that had already been resulted. He flicked the switch to his office and went to grab the two boxes from the floor behind Raf’s desk.

“I can only begin to imagine the terms and conditions you agreed to for Farah to send you that box.” Raf muttered, turning his chair around. “You must really care about Henry if you went to her for a favor.”

“I’d rather not think about that tonight, let’s enjoy our win of finally hiring a pediatrician.” Alex muttered his shoulder shivering at the idea.

“Tomorrow during lunch could you please watch me repair a 2^nd degree tear and sign off on it?” Raf asked, gesturing to his training binder on his desk.

“I already know you can repair and 2^nd degree tear, but sure I’ll watch and sign off on it.” Alex muttered patting his shoulder. “I send you a few labs to review and I’ll see you in the morning. Have a good night, and you might think about finally getting Gabriel his puppy, I think he is ready.”

Alex left the nurse’s area and headed down the hall. He hadn’t even bothered to change out of the coral scrubs he was wearing, they already knew he was a doctor. He pressed the elevator button down to the main floor and left the building and placed both boxes into the back hatch of his Audi.

“I brought presents!” Alex exclaimed barging into Zahra’s classroom holding both the boxes his parents had overnighted to him for Zahra.

“One package is from my mom and the other is from my dad. Madam Speaker sends her regards but is unfortunately too busy to speak to your class. Senator Diaz on the other hand says he’d love to, and he’ll reach out to you the next time he’s in Boston.” Alex sat the boxes down on her desk.

“They also sent you and your constitution class gifts. Senator Diaz also said he’d meet with Senator Warren or Senator Schlossberg to see about sponsoring your class a field trip to the Capital Building and other landmarks. Dad would sponsor but he can’t since he isn’t a senator for Massachusetts. I’d say Schlossberg would be very happy to sponsor a trip and come to talk to your class.” Alex explained to the history teacher.

He and Jack both attended Harvard at the same time, and they bonded over their political families during campaign events. Jack’s mother was Caroline Kennedy, and he was a Claremont-Diaz. While he wasn’t a Kennedy their lives did intersect at campaign events that Farah forced him to attend.

Zahra gave him a beaming smile and pulled him into a tight hug. “Thank you for asking your parents! Please tell Senator Diaz I really appreciate his offer.” She said and grabbed her scissors from her desk and eagerly opened the box from Ellen’s office.

He watched her pull out a bundle of bumper stickers and tucked his face into his shoulder to muffle the sound of his laugh. They lived in fucking Boston which had excellent public transportation to the point some people didn’t even own a vehicle.

Not to mention bumper stickers as a gift for a middle school class. He wasn’t even a parent yet but even he knew a child did not want a bumper sticker. They liked stickers and pins to accessorize their backpacks with. He knew that if it were him and he was one of the students he’d be disappointed and throw it either in the trash can, or at one of his friends.

Farah did at least bother to include a coffee mug for Zahra for either coffee or pens. She also sent along pocket-sized constitutions for the students. He hated to think what he might have agreed to, for some boring ass campaign merch that a middle schooler would not appreciate in the slightest.

He felt Liam wrap his arm around him in an awkward side hug. “Did you just sell your soul for a bunch of bumper stickers?” He teased softly knowing Farah was very much the devil and would expect a far bigger repayment than bumper stickers, a coffee mug, and a tee shirt.

“Yes! She’ll probably drag me to a campaign event. Thank God for an open bar.” Alex muttered back relaxing into the Liam hug as she opened the box sent to her by his father.

He watched as she opened some California themed stickers, an activity book on California, and a hand-written note for Zahra. Strangely, Oscar knew what a bunch of middle-schoolers wanted over Farah.

He’d have to remember to call Oscar later and send Farah a thank you text message. What he’d actually like to do is tell her the bumper stickers were a dumb idea. However, he couldn’t because she’d just rat him out to his mom and honestly, he probably should have asked Leo instead of Farah.

“Thank you so much Alex. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.” Zahra said organizing everything that was sat out on her desk.

“You’re welcome. I appreciate it when children have a good history teacher.” Alex muttered with a polite smile. Children that properly understood history were more likely to notice the patterns and stop history from repeating.

Massachusetts was ranked number one in education and when it came to voting the Massachusetts map was a sea of all blue, there wasn’t a singular red dot to be found on the map.

“I’m a hard ass, but for a good reason. You never know who you might inspire to go into politics or history.” Zahra honestly said.

Alex and Liam left Zahra’s classroom and walked into Henry’s classroom and Liam shut the door with a loud click.

“So, you just weren’t going to tell me about the pregnancy? You were going to try to make me think that you had mentioned having a boyfriend, but the only thing I could remember is you telling me about a hot blond from a club.” Liam said, trying to keep his voice as low as he could in case the walls were listening.

“I’m sorry, but to be honest you are smart, and I figured you’d eventually figure everything out. I was just trying to protect Henry.” Alex said honestly and turned his head to give Henry a warm, comforting smile.

“Don’t ever do that again.” Liam said firmly he didn’t like it when his friends lied or tried to gaslight him into to remember it being different. He took a deep breath and let out an irritated sigh.

“My sincerest congratulations to you becoming a father. I know you’ll be an amazing father.” Liam said honestly and pulled Alex in for a tight hug. He was mad, but he still loved his friend.

“Oh Liam, I did hire a pediatrician today and I’ll make Parker an appointment once all the credentialing goes through.” Alex said knowing Liam like Raf had been waiting for them to hire a pediatrician.

Liam let out a roaring laugh. “Let me get this straight, you’ve spent at least a year trying to find at least a pediatrician with no success, but the moment you get someone pregnant suddenly you find a pediatrician. That’s some irony.”

“You are correct, that is some irony. To be fair though Cash was still a resident this time last year. He was excellent with Gabriel. The moment we stepped out of the exam room Gabriel asked if Cash could be his new doctor.” Alex responded, yes, the timing of it was a little ironic, but he personally thought Cash and Adrian represented the values Prism represented.

“I just think its funny is all.” Liam remarked sitting his butt against one of the desks. “I’d love to stay and help like I did yesterday, but I do need to go pick up Parker.” He said giving them both a final hug and leaving the classroom with a soft click of the door.

Alex pulled Henry into a tight hug and kissed his forehead. “I missed you today. I’m sorry about Liam he can be a little overbearing, but he means well and he’s a good friend.” He said in a soothing manner knowing that Henry had texted him earlier that Liam had interrogated him.  

“He’s a lot like Pez.” Henry muttered relaxing into Alex’s hug. “So, you found a pediatrician.”

“I did. Gabriel asked if he could spend some time with me Sunday so I can help him get past a Super Mario Odyssey level. Do you feel like helping me to babysit a five-year-old? I know you aren’t feeling that great. It will probably only be for some of the day so Raf and Matthew can have some time away. He’s a really good kid.”

“I’d love to help you babysit Gabriel assuming his parents are fine with it. I’m a stranger to them and one of Matthew’s patients.”

“Matthew knows you are a teacher, and you had to pass a rigorous background check. He also trusts my judgment and knows I wouldn’t bring Gabriel around anyone I didn’t trust. Both Raf and Matthew are okay with me introducing you to Gabriel. He’s looking forward to meeting you and teaching you to play video games with him.”

Henry laughed at the mention of a five-year-old teaching him to play a video game. “It will be good practice for when this one is out.” He said rubbing his flat tummy for emphasis.

Chapter Text

"You're late, kid." Raf said and took a sip of his coffee tumbler and watched Alex walk over to his desk.

Alex glanced down at his Apple Watch and smiled politely at Raf. “I’m later than usual, but still very much on time compared to some doctors. Sorry, Henry was dealing with rough morning sickness this morning and I wanted to get his nausea mostly settled before we left for work.  

Raf blanched at the memory of morning sickness remembering his own experience with it. "Do you think it could be Hyperemesis gravidarum?"

Alex nodded his head and took a sip of his ring pop flavored energy drink. "His morning sickness is something else. Liam told me he got a front row seat for it, and it was pretty violent. I plan on doing a pregnancy IV cocktail for him this weekend, and I just sent Spencer an order for Reglan. If I had to guess his HELP score is probably in the moderate category for HG."

"Poor guy. I hate to ask this because it is going to make me sound like a dick but could the stress of everything be causing his morning sickness to be worse than it actually is?” Raf paused for a second.

“I mean he did have a one-night stand from a guy in a club, the guy left with no contact information and now he's pregnant from the encounter. He has a known history of anxiety and depression, that could be intensifying those feelings."

Alex smiled and let out a small laugh. “That question doesn’t make you a dick. The depression and anxiety could be a contributing factor, but the morning sickness is affecting his ability to do his job. The students return on Monday, I’d rather put him on something now to try and make him at least functional enough at work and prevent the weight loss from happening.”

“I don’t want to put HG down in his chart just yet, at least until he sees Matthew who will get a good read on his emotional wellbeing. There are a lot of factors at play, you know me I’d rather treat the smaller problem before it turns into severe HG and Henry can’t function. As it is he’s not in the best shape, he’s exhausted and wants to sleep. He can only keep small snacks down. He’s also vomited bile at least twice that I know of.”

Raf got out of his desk chair and pulled Alex in for a tight hug and gently rubbed his back. “You know I’m here for anything you need, right? You are doing a fantastic job. I know things are hard right now, but things will settle down.”

He knew Alex was also struggling, it just wasn’t as obvious as Henry. Alex was in the process of managing a busy clinic, trying to hire additional staff, carrying for a large number of patients, and training and overseeing everything he did.

His mom was close to announcing her run for the presidential primary and Alex was constantly annoyed and put down by her chief of staff. Now there was the added stress of his fun night resulting in a rough pregnancy for a man Alex obviously cared a great deal about.

Raf sat back down in the desk chair and grabbed his gel pen. “If you tell me what you want in the IV cocktail, I’ll make one up for you before I leave.”

“Just a typical pregnancy IV cocktail with a dose of Pepcid and two doses of Zofran.” Alex said and sat down in Amy’s desk chair and took a sip of his energy drink while he skimmed through his morning schedule and tried to review the labs from yesterday.

Raf turned in his office chair. “So, Matthew and I would like to take a vacation to celebrate my upcoming graduation. Besides the occasional trips to NYC and Colorado, we haven’t taken Gabriel anywhere super special. We are torn between a week in Orlando visiting both Disney and Universal, a Disney cruise, Aulani, or a Cancun resort. Any suggestions as to what might sound more fun for a five-year-old? We’d probably do late March to early April since your little plan ruiner is due in May. We’d do it before Henry goes to weekly appointments.”

“Let’s be honest with ourselves. Disney World and Universal are very large parks and it wouldn’t be much of a vacation for you or Matthew, unless the goal of the vacation is high blood pressure and exercise-induced vasculitis. A Disney cruise has a club where you can drop him off at and hit up the spa or have a nice dinner to celebrate your graduation.” Alex heard Raf laugh when he mentioned the high blood pressure.

“You and Matthew would probably enjoy Aulani more than him. Cancun could go either way, they don’t have the theming or character interactions, but depending on the resort might have a kids club or waterpark. Cancun is definitely the more frugal option. Me personally, I’d say do a day in Orlando and visit Disney Springs and do a seven-day cruise out of Port Canaveral.”

“If you do go that route, please bring me back a cookie from Gideon’s as repayment for my travel agent services.” Alex teased with a laugh. He didn’t have many family vacations growing up as his parents preferred to work. The one family vacation they took before the divorce was to Disney and he and June had fought while in line for Dumbo.

Raf smiled and shook his head in disbelief. “Have I told you that you are the best boss ever?” He knew Alex would have no problem with him and Matthew using some of their vacation days.

“Maybe once.” Alex teased and watched Spencer walk over to them.

"Hey Alex!" Spencer said as he approached the computer. "Can I get some clarification on this script you just sent me on Henry. Liam told me everything, congratulations by the way! Anyway, I'll allow Reglan, but his Sertraline will need to be filled by Adrian."

"If the DEA ever audits our pharmacy I do not want to try and explain why his boyfriend is writing his depression medication. The Reglan will probably only be filled once or twice and that's a little easier to explain to a DEA agent. I have no problem with the first fill. Just the next time his Sertraline is due to have Adrian fill it. It's much less of a risk for you."

Alex smiled softly. “I can have Adrian send in his Sertraline no problem. I won’t be keeping him on the Reglan long term, I’m just trying to get his morning sickness to ease up a little. So, you just don’t want me to send in any medications for Henry. You’d rather they be under Adrian’s DEA license even if it is something simple like clotrimazole that is technically over the counter?”

Spencer smirked and heard Raf’s roaring laugh. “Yeah, I don’t think any DEA agent is going to question a script for clotrimazole. I’m more worried about his boyfriend/baby daddy prescribing his Sertraline.”

“I’m sorry Spencer it won’t happen again. I was more worried about regulating his dose over how it could affect my DEA license and you.” Alex admitted with a warm smile.

“No worries! That’s why I came to talk about it with you.” Spencer said with a kind smile, he knew Alex meant no harm and was just trying to help out Henry.

“Hey, did you all hear that Riechmann announced that he was running in the republican primary? He asked and showed them the headline that he had read earlier. “He really said that he thinks the CDC needs to be controlled.”

Riechmann was a former reality tv show star and a failed businessman. Everything he touched quickly went bankrupt and he was a loud racist with zero filter.

Alex let out a deep sigh and shook his head. “Ma’s campaign managers are trying to damn hard to appeal to the moderates when she needs to appeal to everyone. Pa offered to do some campaigning for her, but Farah is worried that it would jeopardize her by shining a light on their divorce.” Alex paused and took another greedy sip of his energy drink.

“Which is why Farah wants June and I to try and appeal to the younger generation by using our own social media. She doesn’t realize that if I did that it would put a target not only on me, but this clinic and the patients we care for do not need that.”

“I shouldn’t have to worry about a senile, old white man passing laws on organs they can’t even find. I have a medical degree, and they don’t.” Alex whined and rubbed the nape of his neck.

He was not looking forward to having that conversation with Henry. His mother was more than likely to win the democratic presidential primary, unless of course a charismatic unknown, like Obama, announced their run.

Farah was obsessed with trying to use him to appeal to the youth vote because he was younger and incredibly attractive. He became a doctor to avoid all this, and instead of respecting his decision she wanted to involve him however she could. She was the exact opposite of his father who respected his boundaries and knew when it was time to stop talking politics to him.

“Do either of you have a good idea for a date night given Henry’s awful morning sickness?” Alex questioned, hoping to change the subject from politics. He also figured his love guru, Raf, could come up with something. He had originally planned to take Henry to a nice steak dinner, but given his morning sickness that idea would have to wait.

"Make a big pot of Caldo de Pollo with extra cuddles on the side." Raf suggested with a smile and a wink.

“Caldo de Pollo is always a good choice. It’s light enough that he should keep it down. Not to mention chayote is full of folate. You also get to show off your cooking skills. A steak dinner is nice, but this shows that you put some thought into it, and he doesn’t have to wear anything uncomfortable.

“Thanks, Raf!” Alex exclaimed the moment the suggestion came out of the other man’s mouth he knew he would make a big pot of that for dinner. “I’ll even save you a bowl of it.”

“Well, I’m off to go fill the Reglan.” Spencer said as he turned on his heel. “Hi Amy.” He greeted as he walked past the Indian nurse.  Who walked into the nurse’s station and sat her crossbody purse on top of her desk. Today she was wearing lilac scrubs, and her dark hair was in a simple braid. 

“Right on time.” Raf teased playfully. He knew that she had spent the morning with Chloe at a doctor’s appointment. “I’ve already opened the exam rooms and restocked all the supplies.”

“Alex, what is Henry’s favorite color?” Amy asked looking at the doctor with a kind smile. She had a plan to hand knit Henry one of her signature blankets over the weekend.

“Uh blue.” Alex said unsurely but remembered that Henry did have a lot of blue accents throughout his house.

“Sweetie, you need to be more specific because I have a ton of blue yarn.” Amy said wiggling her finger at him to come look at her phone which had all the yarn colors she had available.

Alex glanced at Raf for help and guidance as he moved his chair to sit closer to Amy.

“Why are you looking at me like that for? He’s your boyfriend, it’s really quite simple you find a color you’d think he’d like. It’s not brain surgery.” Raf said playfully with a wink and heard Amy and Alex laugh at his joke. Alex was an excellent surgeon, just not a neurosurgeon.

Alex smiled at Raf, he had a habit of overthinking, and he didn’t want to pick the wrong color and Henry hate the color. He watched Amy scroll through so many different colors of blue yarn on her phone. She had everything to baby blue, teal, yarn with sparkle threads, ombre yarn that went from a darker color to a lighter color. What really held his attention was the yarn with three or four types of colors blended together to create an almost tie dye effect.

He felt his eyes linger on a yarn that reminded him of an ocean with navy, teal, and light blue mixed together. The colors reminded him of Henry. “That’s perfect.” Alex said watching Amy save the photo for later.

“I’ll have it to surprise him on Wednesday.” Amy said patting Alex’s shoulder. “You might like to check on Chloe, she has some news for you.”

“I actually have good news to deliver first! I have in my hand five resumes for our open positions.” Chloe said setting the small stack of resumes on Raf’s desk.

“I talked to Melissa this morning and she worked with Scarlett Kingston and recommended her highly. The other four resumes are from Scarlett’s friends, Katie, Emily, Kyra, and Alana.” Chloe said with a warm smile watching Raf and Alex both reach for a resume.

Raf held his hand up for Alex to high five. “We did it kid! We actually did it.” He said excitedly, remembering all the doubt when Prism was a concept of their imagination. People said they’d never be successful and that it was a dumb idea that would never work.

Well, here they were a few years after opening having hired two additional doctors to help expand their patient base. He was also mere months away from graduating as Rafael Luna, CNM.

He looked at the resume of Emily Blackwell and saw she spoke Spanish and had been working as a labor and nurse for a few months since graduating from nursing school. She looked like a perfect candidate on paper. He’d like to interview her and see if she’d be a good fit to be his clinic nurse.

“Chloe, would you please call them up and ask them to come for an interview sometime next week. Kyra looks good on paper, but you never know how their personality is going to be.” Raf heard Alex say before he could open his mouth to request the same.

“That’s already been done, I have all five of them coming in for an interview Monday during lunch.” Chloe explained with a wink.

“Whatever would we do without you?” Raf asked with a huge smile and felt Alex hug him and whisper the words ‘we did it, never a doubt in my mind that we wouldn’t.’

Alex led Chloe into his office. “How was your appointment with Elijah?” He questioned and saw that Chloe was wearing a pair of black cork sandals instead of her usual heels. He smiled softly and nodded his head in approval of her footwear.

“Elijah thinks based upon the x-rays and symptoms that I have Ankylosing Spondylitis. I’m waiting for a call to schedule an MRI. He also gave me a sample box of Humira that is currently sitting in the breakroom fridge and sent our insurance a prior authorization request. He thinks based on chart notes and imaging alone they have no reason to deny it. He also made me get a TB blood test along with HEP B panel.”

Alex smiled and gently patted her shoulder. “You were negative for TB when you started. You should have those results before tonight. If our insurance denies your prior auth, I’ll call them my damn self. They tend to be afraid of my last name.” He teased with a wink.

“I know it’s a biweekly injection but I’m kind of afraid to stab myself. He suggested I do it tonight since many patients report a Humira hangover the day after injection. He said the worst side effects are an increased healing time if I hurt myself, the tired hangover, and itchiness at the injection.”

“You work with two RNs and an MD I’m pretty sure one of us would be more than happy to help you with the biweekly injection if you want us to.” Alex explained and watched her nod her head.

“Thank you, Alex.” Chloe said getting up from the barrel chair and leaving Alex’s office since her Apple Watch did show it was getting very close to 8am and their first patient of the day should be arriving soon.

She needed to unlock the doors, sanitize and restock the snack bar, check the voicemails and website appointment requests along with several other important tasks for the morning.

The rest of the day passed in a relative blur of various types of patients and appointments.

Alex and Amy gave Chloe her first Humira injection after she got the go ahead from Eliah that her labs for tuberculous and hepatitis B came back all normal.

After the injection Amy and Chloe went to meet Mel to go get their nails done and Amy promised to keep a close eye on Chloe this weekend since she could tell he was worried.

Alex left the exam room and saw that Amy had left for the day. Raf, however, was still typing away at the computer. He put a hand on his hip and looked at his loyal nurse and friend.

“Now I know you don’t plan on staying late tonight. Please, go home before your own son starts to think you are just a strange concept of his imagination. You are a fantastic nurse and you and I both know that you run circles around the rest of your midwifery class. Take a break for one night, go get some takeout and rot Gabriel’s brain with a Disney movie in preparation for the upcoming vacation. Alex said firmly and placed his hand over Raf’s computer mouse.

Raf sighed and looked at his mentor, he knew Alex was right. Hell, he could probably sit for the midwifery licensing exam today and he’d probably pass it. Alex had trained him well and he was calm under pressure. He just worried and wanted to make his son proud since Gabriel was the reason he wanted to be a midwife in the first place.

“Don’t even try and come up with an excuse to try and stay late. I’ll review the charting later when Henry goes to bed.” Alex said and watched Raf log out of Epic and lock his computer for the weekend and place his pens into the cup.

“I need to go to Star Market to get a couple of things for the Caldo.” Alex said, knowing he had a few things in his pantry to make it, but not the fresh vegetables needed for the soup. He knew there was a Whole Foods closer, and he had made a quick grocery run on the rare occasion, but he much preferred the large selection of produce Star Market had.

“Maybe, I’ll get Gabriel a cupcake from there and that can be how Matthew and I surprise him for the cruise.” Raf muttered, they had been saving what they could to take a vacation to celebrate Raf’s graduation.

“Good idea!” Alex teased as he followed Raf through the staff exit with a leashed Sadie. He grabbed a few reusable shopping bags from the trunk of his Audi. There was a Star Market within walking distance, and much preferred to walk when he could, besides the Star Market wasn’t that far from Raf and Matthew’s apartment.

Alex honestly never dreamed he’d stay in Massachusetts long term after graduating from Harvard. He always assumed he’d wind up in a residency outside of Mass, but when he opened the match day envelope and saw Brigham and Women’s/Mass Gen for obstetrics and gynecology he just decided to permanently stay.

Pez had tried on more than one occasion to get him and Raf to move Prism to NYC, but that idea was a logistical nightmare. Sure, both Boston and Manhattan were similar since they were older cities densely packed with skyscrapers, but Boston did have slightly cheaper rent and more clinical space. Plus, they were affiliated with one of the best hospital systems in the United States.

During Alex’s first year in Massachusetts he felt like a fish that didn’t belong. He was a southern boy, and Boston was completely different than Austin, Texas. Austin was a big city and highly progressive compared to other areas of Texas, but it failed in comparison to the feeling of Massachusetts. He didn’t receive any weird looks or experience a slur just for walking down the sidewalk.

Now he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. He loved taking Sadie on walks to Nashua Street Park and Lederman Park. In fact, her favorite hobby was to innocently terrorize the geese they often came across on a walk.

He walked the half mile over to Star Market on the Causeway with Sadie leading the way. He grabbed the ingredients he needed for the soup along with a couple of other things that sounded good and followed the same path back to Prism and his condo on the third floor. He opened the entry door and watched Sadie bolt over to her water dish. She wasn’t the least bit worn out from the walk; she was an Australia Shepherd energizer bunny.  

Alex sat the reusable bags onto his kitchen island and unpacked everything he bought from Star Market and placed most of it next to the cutting board. He left his kitchen and walked into his ensuite bathroom to change out of his scrubs and to take a quick shower.

After his shower he pulled on a pair of dark grey joggers and a well-loved Harvard tee shirt that was practically threadbare. His goal for the evening was a comfortable first date, he hated getting dressed up in uncomfortable clothes trying to try and impress his date. That was another reason he couldn’t have been a lawyer, or a politician was uncomfortable trousers. He much preferred his tailored scrubs.

He padded over to his kitchen and started his cooking playlist before grabbing the stockpot and placing it on the stove. He tossed the chicken legs into the pot; he’d be shredding the chicken later to make it easier for Henry. He filled the pot full of water and set out to chop all the vegetables into bite sized pieces.

Alex hoped to have the soup finished by the time Henry arrived. Since Henry was putting the final finishing touches on his classroom and getting everything prepped for Monday, which included a small welcome back gift for all of his students. Henry also had to run home and grab David and a weekend bag to spend with Alex. So, he had time for the soup to cook.

Henry knocked politely on Alex’s door and waited for the doctor to answer. David was making his excited swirls in anticipation at his feet. His weekender bag looped over his shoulder and the cardboard packaging containing the pregnancy journal was laying on top of the zipped bag. He just hoped Alex didn’t think the journal was a stupid idea.

Alex opened the door to reveal Henry and David. “Hi sweetheart! Come on in. I made a big pot of Caldo de Pollo, so I hope are hungry.” He said kissing Henry’s lips gently as he took the overnight bag from his shoulder.

Henry was dressed in a funny aqua tee shirt that had a beagle wearing a blue bandana with David written on it. Under the dog had the words ‘my dog ate my lesson plans.’ Next to the beagle was a chewed-up clipboard with various teacher symbols surrounding the dog.

“I love the tee shirt.” Alex laughed and crouched down to unclip David’s leash. “Hi little buddy, did you miss me? You don’t eat lesson plans, do you? Surely not you are very good boy.” He said scratching David’s floppy ears with his fingers. Once unleashed David happily trotted over to Sadie who booped her nose with his.

“He’s never eaten a lesson plan, but the kids find the tee shirt funny. I once gave a student extra credit because instead of using the excuse they gave me a short story on a dog eating homework.” Henry explained to Alex as he watched their dogs interact.

“I think they missed each other. Although, I don’t think in even David’s wildest dreams would he have an overly energized Australian Shepherd for a friend.” Alex teased as he placed Henry’s package onto the counter and the weekender bag in the master bedroom. He came back from the bedroom to see Sadie happily sharing her yappy meal dog toy with David. The toy was a surprise, and it had a burger, and fries tucked inside.

Henry laughed at Alex’s joke about Sadie. “Whatever you just said you made smells absolutely delicious. He said softly. He wanted to get out of his favorite pair of jeans, they had started to feel a little tight and he wanted to get into his comfortable lounge pants and eat a plate of whatever it was that smelled that good.

“Caldo de Pollo, it’s basically a chicken soup with a ton of fresh vegetables. It’s an ancient Diaz family recipe. It’s full of great ingredients and it’s light on the stomach.” Alex explained to Henry.

“How are you feeling? Spencer filled the Reglan, hopefully that helps keep your morning sickness in check.” Alex said handing Henry the prescription bottle.

“I’m extremely tired and I was able to keep one fruit strip down.” Henry muttered seeing the concern in Alex’s eyes. He opened the bottle and fished out one of the pills and took a sip of the water he was drinking to get it down.

“Why don’t you go get out of those jeans and I’ll make up a bowl.” Alex suggested to Henry, who went to his bedroom to change out of his work clothes and into something more comfortable.

Alex grabbed the green soup crock and ladled the soup into the bowl. He also cut the corn from the half cob and transferred the cut corn into Henry’s bowl which he topped with just cilantro. He’d let Henry pick the rest of his garnishes.

Henry came back to the kitchen wearing a Boston College tee shirt that looked just as threadbare as Alex’s Harvard one, and a pair of dark grey waffle knit lounge pants. He saw the soup crock and a black spoon waiting for him.

“Did you know that Harvard, MIT, Boston College, Boston University, and Northeastern University all have some form of red as a school color?” Alex asked Henry who shook his head. It was an interesting fact that Nora had instantly recognized her first day at MIT. 

“This looks delicious.” Henry muttered noticing corn, carrot, chicken, celery, and something that looked suspiciously like a cucumber floating around in what he assumed to be chicken broth since it was chicken soup. He caught one of the cucumber-looking vegetables and held it up on his spoon.

“Is this a cucumber?”

“No. It’s a chayote, a member of the gourd family mostly found in Mexico. It’s full of folate which is really good for pregnancy. It also has vitamin c, zinc, copper, and manganese which helps to boost your immune system.” Alex explained watching Henry eat a spoonful of the soup.

Henry let out a soft moan the moment the flavors touched his tongue. “This is incredible! you made this?” He questioned as he took a sip of the electrolyte drink.

“I did. I like to cook, I just don’t get to do it often as I like since it just Sadie and I.” Alex said, happy that Henry liked the Caldo de Pollo. He hoped Henry would start to feel better with the inclusion of Reglan and an IV cocktail so he could make something else for Henry that wasn’t just dicing veggies and tossing it all into a stockpot.

“How was work?” Henry asked Alex. “The classroom is ready for the students to come back on Monday.”

“I have four interviews on Monday to find nurses for Cash, Adrian, Raf, and what will eventually be Raf’s replacement once he graduates from midwifery training.” Alex told Henry about his day hitting the highlights of the day.

Henry shoved a spoonful of soup into his mouth and looked at Alex. “Since this is our first date, and you know my coworkers, shouldn’t I also get to know your employees and coworkers. You don’t have to tell me anything about Matthew.” He muttered not sure he wanted to know much about his future therapist. It felt a little unnerving to know things about his therapist, even though Alex had probably talked to Matthew about him.

“But I would like to know more about Amy, Rafael, and Chloe. Your relationship with Raf seems exceptionally close.”

Alex turned to smile at Henry over his shoulder as he ladled himself a bowl of the Caldo. “That’s a long story.”

Henry smiled and took a sip of the lemon-lime hydration drink. “I have all night and that sounds like a friendship I’d love to know about.”

Alex smiled at Henry and wondered what he did to deserve this super sweet middle school teacher. “Only if I get to hear more about your school years with Pez.”

“I suppose that is only fair.”

Alex took a deep breath. “I was a third-year medical student when Raf and I met. The third year of medical school is when the clinical rotations start, and you rotate through all the major branches of medicine while taking a shelf exam on that branch of medicine.”

“Well, my first clinical rotation was ob/gyn and it was my first time in the hospital in any official capacity. I was nervous and scared because the attendings and residents are analyzing and judging your every move and care decision for your future. They expect you to just know the answer to any conceivable question in that specialty, even if it’s a rare occurrence and the likelihood of that actually occurring is a billion to freaking one.”

“That sounds incredibly stressful.” Henry said as a student teacher they wanted to see him succeed and would offer gentle corrections to make him a better teacher. He personally couldn’t imagine how nerve wracking to be quizzed on anything at any given time.

“Anyway, my very first clinical rotation was ob/gyn and it was with Paige Martin, my anesthesiologist. We both felt like fish out of water. I remember meeting Raf like it was yesterday.”

Alex let out a groan and took a sip of his coffee, he had woken up at ass o’clock in the morning to beat the residents to the hospital and spent the better part of an hour going through each patient with the night nursing staff in painstaking detail and prepared for anything one of the resident’s might ask.

He finally sat down in the doctor’s lounge next to Paige who looked equally as overwhelmed. “I’m afraid of being an insensitive douchebag to a patient because I don’t exactly have those parts, and I truly had no idea what they are going through. What if I fuck up and ask a patient if I can examine their pussy instead of the proper medical term?”

Raf stifled a laugh into his wrist at the med student’s humor. He knocked politely at the doorframe. “Hi guys, I’m Rafael Luna-Sullivan a labor and delivery RN, but everyone just calls me Raf. I like to try and introduce myself to the medical students and remind you all to stay on the nurse’s good side.” He winked at them both and smiled at the Hispanic kid that had said was afraid. He knew exactly how that felt since he was also a younger Hispanic and faced a similar battle which made an urge to protect the kid kick in.

“I’m Alex Claremont-Diaz and she’s Paige Martin, we are third-year medical students.” He said as he inspected the nurse standing in the doorway. Raf had dark hair with curls falling onto his forehead, hazel eyes, a small scar on his nose, and a very kind, reassuring smile with a hint of mischief. He was wearing the hospital issue ceil blue scrubs with grey sneakers. He had a funny badge reel with two daisy pins attached to the deep V of his scrub top that clung to his biceps making them look bitable.

He was completely lost in his thoughts and barely felt Paige kick his sneaker and mouth,’ you are in a relationship with Eli, remember?’

‘I remember. I’m not going to be the student who goes around and sleeps with the nurses. You should know me better than that.’ Alex mouthed to the blonde sitting across from him.

“Claremont-Diaz as in-

“Yes, Ellen and Oscar are my parents.” Alex interjected before Raf could finish his sentence. It was always the same anytime he met someone new. To be fair his surname was double barreled, and no one would think twice if he was just Alex Claremont or Alex Diaz. It was very tempting to drop Claremont from his name and go by Alex Diaz during medical school.

Raf smiled he could understand feelings, hell it if weren’t for people like his sister and aunt he would have dropped Luna and took Sullivan, his husband’s last name. It had to get old and annoying when everyone probably asked that question. “I had hoped that I’d get to work with you one of these days. Why don’t you come with me, and I’ll impart some wisdom to help you survive this clinical.”

Alex held back his surprise that Raf had hoped he would get to work with him sometime and got out of the computer chair and followed the nurse away from Paige and the workstations. He followed Raf down the triage hallway and into an exam room.

“Go ahead and drop your pants.” Raf instructed the medical student as he shut the door to the exam room.

“This feels like sexual harassment.” Alex muttered looking at the nurse wondering what the hell he was getting at.

“I overheard you tell Paige that you were afraid of being an insensitive douchebag. While you might not have the correct parts, you can still know and understand what it feels like to be spread eagle and have someone stare at your undercarriage. I’m just trying to give you some empathy is all.” He said holding up his hand with a silicone wedding band on his ring finger. “Besides I’m happily married.”

“Can you not like watch me get undressed.” Alex said and heard Raf’s warm laugh.

“Why? Afraid I’m going to care that your underwear has rubber ducks on them? Welcome to obstetrics where patients are in a very vulnerable position. I’m a nurse, I’ve seen more genitals than a toilet seat in Grand Central.” Raf said, offering Alex a blanket to put in his lap for modesty and comfort.

Alex reluctantly untied the string on his scrub pants and let them fall onto the linoleum floor and pulled his trunks down by hooking his thumbs into the waistband. He grabbed his underwear and scrub pants and tossed them onto the visitor chair and hopped up onto the exam table with the blanket firmly covering his lap.

He watched Raf pull out the stirrups. “Would you like my help into the foot holders?” Alex nodded at Raf’s question, and felt the nurse guide his compression sock covered feet into the foot holders. He much preferred that word over stirrups.

“Big scooch down towards me.” Raf instructed and watched Alex barely scooch towards him. “Another scooch please.”

“You’ve got to be joking! If I scoot down any further, I’m going to be sitting in your lap!” Alex complained but scooted his butt further down the exam table and it really did feel like he was going to fall off the table and into Raf’s lap. He was also afraid of farting in the nurse’s face and making the situation so much more embarrassing.

Raf laughed and pulled on a pair of gloves. “Go ahead and let your knees fall open and towards the side.”

Alex did as Raf instructed and felt the cold air nip at his exposed asshole. “I feel extremely exposed and vulnerable in this position.”

“You might not have the parts, but now you can imagine yourself in your patient’s position. Empathy will be your greatest strength during this rotation. There are three types of ob/gyns that you’ll meet.” He said holding up his gloved hand.

“You have the douche types that patronize his patients and expect them to do as he says because he is a doctor. He prefers the straight, white, Christian patient that is of course married to a white man. He will patronize the pregnant man or the transgender and call them an abomination. He will not listen to me and will rush a c-section even if I think that a position change is a better call.” He said putting a finger down.

“Then you have the woman who looks down on other women and think they should just suck it up because they didn’t feel that way during childbirth or an exam. They have no empathy because it did not happen to them. They think their experience out rules everyone else’s.” Raf put another finger down.

“Then you have the chill type who are up to date on the studies and actually care about all of their patients regardless of a patient’s gender or race. They also listen to the nurses if we make a valid suggestion. I’ve been a labor and delivery nurse since I was 22 and have worked in two different states and it is the same all across the states.”

“I want to help make you a good doctor, you might not have any desire of becoming an obstetrician/gynecologist but trust me you’ll need a good nurse on your side to survive your rotation. Don’t be the medical student that thinks they know more than a bedside nurse on that floor.”

“Thank you! Can I please put on my pants now?” Alex questioned. He felt completely vulnerable with his feet still in the stirrups as Rafael explained the rules about his medicine rotations while staring at his asshole.

“Oh yeah.” Raf laughed softly and tossed Alex the pair of hospital issue scrubs and his trunk underwear back to him. He also turned around figuring that Alex understood his point of empathy.

Alex pushed himself up from the stirrups and got up from the exam table. He quickly stepped into his black trunk underwear and back into the hospital issue scrubs and tied the tie around his waist. He shoved his foot into his black sneakers and tied them to his feet.

He had tried on a pair of Danskos and Crocs and he just couldn’t do it. They were ridiculously uncomfortable. He also knew some surgeons in Texas wore cowboy boots, but honestly that wasn’t appropriate in Boston even though his dad wore Ropers with suits on the senate floor. He still thought that it was weird even if it was his dad’s signature. There was also his knee to think about and sneakers had the support he needed.

“Is your wife going to be mad that you stared at my asshole?” Alex teased he just assumed Raf was straight. He hadn’t gotten any vibes from him, and he was a bisexual so he should be able to guess if someone was on the rainbow.

“Husband actually! He’s a mental health therapist so he’d have done the same thing.” Raf corrected the med student with a wink. “Just stick with me and I’ll try to make this clinical rotation painless as possible. I realize you probably won’t be going into ob/gyn but pretend to stay on the resident’s good side. What specialty are you even interested in?”

“I’m bisexual so no judgement from me. I’m dating one of the guys from my medical school class. This is my first clinical rotation, so I don’t really know. I found dermatology rather fascinating, maybe plastic surgery.” Alex said and sounded completely unsure of himself.

The morning passed in a blur and one of the residents walked Alex through assisting with a delivery. It was quite strange to see a baby actually being born and holding a new life in your hands. Raf asked him if he wanted to grab a quick lunch from the cafeteria and he actually enjoyed the conversations with the nurse, even if earlier this morning in the exam room he thought sexual harassment.

“So, fun fact I actually met your father back when he first ran for senator of California. After meeting Oscar I originally thought of going to law school to become a politician.” Raf admitted as he shoved a bite of salad into his mouth.”

“I worked in a coffee shop in high school in Utah and that’s when I met Jeffery Richards and quickly realized that beside your dad all politicians are major slimeballs who are only in it for themselves. I also didn’t feel like selling my soul or empathic nature to the devil to become one.”

Alex raised an eyebrow and understood why Raf was so quick to put him under his wing. “Pa is one of the good ones, he actually cares about all his constituents. After growing up in the middle of politics I realized the same, that 99% of them are slimeballs.”

“I originally thought of going to law school and becoming a politician.” Raf admitted shoving a bite of cafeteria salad into his mouth. “I was born in Redding California, let’s just say my dad believed all the typical Mexican patriarchal bullshit. He was also anti-immigrant, despite being one. He truly thought fuck them, I’ve got mine. Mom got us heavily involved in religion.”

“So, imagine my surprise when I started to have a celebrity crush on Neil Patrick Harris instead of any of the female celebrities my dad found attractive.” Raf said as he told Alex the highlights leaving off the part where his parents threw him out into the street after finding him in bed heavily making out with a boy his age.

"Matthew and I met in a psychology class. He was a psychology major, and I needed it as a pre-req. He asked me for coffee and the rest was well history. Two years into dating we went to the San Juan Mountains, and he proposed. We got married shortly after graduation at the hotel his family owns in Aspen.” Raf said to the medical student. He often wondered how he got so lucky to meet Matthew all those years ago.

“It sounds like you and Raf are very close.” Henry mused as he took another bite of soup.

“It was Rafael who somewhat inspired me to match into obstetrics and gynecology.” Alex explained the other part of it was to undo the racism and sexism that a lot of patients dealt with from bad doctors.

“What made us have a brotherly relationship was when he gave birth to Gabriel.” Alex said. Sadly, that day was ingrained in his brain of what a bad doctor could do to a patient just because he didn’t like Raf’s ethnicity or sexuality.

Alex clocked in and sat down at one of the resident workstations and saw that Raf was currently a patient. He was pissed that nobody on staff had let him know since he was Raf’s doctor. He logged out of the workstation and headed down the hallway for baby cuddles and to catch up with his favorite nurse.

He knocked politely on the doorframe and entered the room. Only for the aggressive smell of copper to assault his nasal passages. He knew instantly that something was very wrong with his friend, that smell was a postpartum hemorrhage.

“Raf?” He questioned gently and heard the sound of a soft whimper that broke his heart. He aggressively pulled on a pair of sterile gloves to tend to his friend’s postpartum hemorrhage and whatever else was going on. He also noticed that Matthew and the baby were nowhere to be found in the room.

“Hey, It’s Alex. I’m going to check you out, if that’s okay with you.” He said and heard another whimper along with the smallest nod of Raf’s head. He took in all the blood collected on the white sheets as he moved the hospital blanket out of his way so that he could examine Raf and figure out a plan of care. Since it was abundantly clear that either one of his coresidents or an attending had left Rafael to die after the birth of his son.

“You are going to feel me touch.” He warned gently, furious at what he saw. Raf had one of the worst tears he had ever seen. It was a fourth-degree tear that extended through the anal sphincter and into the mucus membranes of the rectum. The edges were far too clean to be a normal vaginal tear during delivery. It could only mean one thing, Raf was given an unwanted and probably unnecessary episiotomy.

He was more concerned with the amount of blood that was still pouring out of Raf than the episiotomy. “You are going to feel my hand inside of you.” Alex warned and heard a shocked sound from Raf as he moved his fingers around Raf’s uterus to check for retained placental fragments.

He heard Raf’s painful whimper. “I know, I’m sorry.” Alex cooed gently as he felt all around Raf’s uterus with his fingers. He gently withdrew his fingers and pulled off his gloves. He reached for Raf’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“You have a postpartum hemorrhage and a fourth degree from what looks like an episiotomy. I’m going to have Amy bring in a Jada device so we can stop the hemorrhage, and I’ll let you and Matthew have a moment before I take you to the OR to properly repair the tear.” Alex explained to his favorite nurse as he sent Amy a secure text of the supplies and medications, he needed brought to Raf’s room. “You’ll be okay, you have me now.”

Raf blinked away tears and squeezed Alex’s hand back. He was in a horrific amount of pain, and he knew from the hazy head-in-the-clouds feeling that he had lost a terrifying amount of blood and he’d be lucky if Alex didn’t take his uterus to save his life.

He was aware of Amy inserting another IV into his arm for blood products and Alex inserting the Jada device into his uterus as the doctor’s other hand put pressure against the fourth-degree tear from becoming worse than it already was.

“Matthew?” Raf coughed out wanting to see his husband.

“I’m going to get him now for you baby.” Amy said with a warm smile and walked out of the room leaving Raf in Alex’s capable hands. She had half a mind and a deep desire to stab whoever did this to Raf with one of her knitting needles, or an amnio hook.

Amy came back a few seconds later with Matthew in tow who ran directly over to his husband.

“Raffy.” Matthew said giving his husband a tight hug and kiss on the cheek. “What the hell did they do to you?” He questioned and felt his husband’s tight grip against his tee shirt. The nurse had kicked him out to the waiting room after the doctor accused him of being a distraction all because he wasn’t afraid to advocate for his husband.

“Hi Matthew. Raf has a postpartum hemorrhage and a fourth-degree tear that I’ll need to surgically repair in an operating room. If I can’t get the hemorrhage under control I might need to remove his uterus.” Alex explained to the worried husband. “I’m going to do my best so that he can keep his uterus.”

Raf held his husband’s hand for as long as Alex would allow before taking him to the operating room to repair the damage that had been done. “I love you so much.” He whispered to his husband. Partially worried that Alex wouldn’t be able to save him, and his husband would be a single father to their baby who he had yet to see.

“I love you.” Matthew said and saw the doctor nod his head. He kissed Raf’s chapped lips and removed the silicone wedding band from his husband’s finger and placed it next to his black metal band for safekeeping.

“Take good care of him will you.” Matthew said to the doctor as he watched Amy unlock the bed and wheel Raf out of the room.

“Of course I will.” Alex said as he patted the therapist’s shoulder and followed Amy and Raf out of the labor and delivery room.

Matthew gave Raf one more kiss before Raf was wheeled into the doors that had authorized personnel only.

Alex tied his taco and margarita scrub cap to his head and put shoe covers over his sneakers and watched Amy do the same, only her scrub cap was rainbow leopard.

Amy wheeled Raf into an operating room that had Paige standing at the head of the table. She was wearing a watercolor floral scrub cap over her long blonde hair and a pink jacket over the operating room scrubs.

“Hey trouble.” She said patting Raf’s shoulder. Never did she dream she’d ever have one of her colleagues on her table.

“Can I get a spinal?” Raf asked the pretty anesthesiologist. He was afraid to go under and give up even more of his control even if he knew and trusted Paige and Alex.

“Nope! You are getting general anesthesia and the nap of your life to help prepare you for a crying baby disrupting your beauty sleep.” She said with a wink.

Alex heard Raf ask Paige for a spinal and took the nurse’s hand in his own. “Hey, it’s okay, we won’t let anything happen to you. Right now, your body needs a break.” He said concerned that Raf’s blood pressure was low, and he might need pressors to help stabilize his body.

Alex walked out of the OR after saving Raf’s life and uterus so he could have another child, and he saw red. He wanted to know who exactly did this to his friend and he wasn’t above threating administration with Senator Oscar Diaz either.

After seeing the damage up close, Raf easily had a malpractice claim against the doctor and the hospital seeing as he also worked there as a labor and delivery nurse. He made a mental note of everything he saw so he could take it to administration later.

He entered the patient room and saw Matthew snuggling his son. He watched as the therapist placed the baby in the bassinet once he saw him enter.

“How’s Raf?” Matthew asked tears threatening to spill from his eyes. Alex at least had a small smile on his face, so it was hopefully good news, or at least decent news.

“He’s alive and I was able to save his uterus. He will have a much harder healing time, and I can’t say for certain that the tear won’t cause some urine or fecal incontinence. He might also have nerve damage from the cut. He will need your help with the baby and the event might cause some postpartum PTSD or depression. So, we really need to be on the lookout for symptoms. Other than that, the surgery was a success.” Alex explained to the therapist and felt strong arms hugging him tightly.

“Thank you, Alex.” Matthew said relieved that his husband was alive. He knew that had Alex not found Raf, he’d be a widow and a single father. “What the hell happened?”

“What happened was it looks like the doctor did an episiotomy which is when we cut the perineum to make the opening a little wider. We do it when someone has been pushing for a while and the baby starts to become distressed.”

“The risk with an episiotomy is that it can cause the skin to tear easier. Think of it like a piece of paper. If you rip the piece of paper, it still has some structural integrity and it isn’t easy to rip. If you cut the paper, you can easily tear the piece of paper in half because it lacks structural integrity.” Alex explained to the worried husband.

“When the baby was delivered the cut tore to the point it became a fourth-degree tear and extended past the anal sphincter and into the mucus membrane of the rectum. He also had a post-partum hemorrhage, so he lost a severe amount of blood. He’ll be okay, it will just take time and patience on your end.” He said and watched Amy wheel in the hospital bed with a sleeping Raf in it.

Raf had a normal fluid IV in his right hand and an IV with blood products in his left hand. He also had various wires and leads all over his body that went to the monitoring machines.

Alex knew the anesthesia would wear off soon. He just hoped that Raf remembered what happened before the surgery so they could go to admin with the complaint. He followed Amy out into the hallway.

“I plan to chart from Raf’s room so please only come get me if it is absolute emergency or another damn doctor decides to leave someone to die instead of managing the PPH or fourth-degree tear.” Alex said bitterly to the nurse. He was pretty close to Amy, and he’d say she was his second favorite to work with.

He’d be going over Raf’s chart with a fine-tooth comb and having a long conversation with Matthew about what the fuck actually happened in the delivery room. It was either that or hunt down the one personally responsible and kick their ass.

“Let me know how I can help and if you guys need anything. I’ll run point out here.” Amy said patting Alex’s shoulder. “You did amazing with the repair.”

Alex grabbed one of the tablets from the nurse’s station so he could read the chart notes on Raf’s delivery and figure out who would be getting the bulk of his anger. He had a pretty good idea of who it probably was. He also grabbed a blanket from the warmer. He entered the room and scrutinized Raf’s vitals as he draped the warm blanket over Raf’s body. He knew the nurse would wake up cold due to the amount of blood he had lost.

“He should be waking up any minute.” Alex told the worried-looking Matthew who was holding onto his husband’s hand for dear life, being careful not to disturb the IV.  “His vitals look good, all things considered.”

A few minutes ticked by and Matthew felt the hand squeeze his own. “He’s waking up.” Matthew said sounding relieved to feel the soft squeeze.

“Babe?” He whispered and saw Raf open his beautiful hazel eyes, and he let out a giant sigh of relief as he watched Alex listen to Raf’s heart with his stethoscope and he heard the doctor ask how he was feeling. He thought for sure he had lost his husband and the love of his life.

Raf coughed because his throat felt extremely dry. He groaned in response to Alex asking how he felt. He had just had a very traumatic delivery, and the douchey resident had left him to die. He would have died if Alex hadn’t swooped in like a half-Mexican Superman to save his life. He was sore and mad at everyone that wasn’t Alex, his husband or newly born son, who they had yet to name.

He and Matthew had debated names and finally decided to wait to see their little one before deciding on one of the names they had debated. However, as he looked at Alex, he realized he had the perfect name for his son in mind. It was also a name at the top of their list too.

Raf watched Amy bring in a large clear cup with a pretty drink. He knew it was cranberry, orange, and apple juice mixed with Sprite. He made them for patients all the time, but right now it looked like pure heaven to him, and he knew it would taste even better.

She also sat down a single cup of chocolate marble ice cream on the overbed table for him to snack on. He knew it was to help soothe his throat after having a breathing tube inserted into it by Paige.

“Thanks Ames.” He said and it sounded like he had just smoked a carton of cigarettes, which would have been impossible since he had quit when he was 18.

“Where’s Gabriel Luke Luna-Sullivan.” Raf asked the room and saw his husband smile ear to ear in approval at the name choice. Gabriel obviously named after Alex. Luke because that was the patron saint of surgeons and doctors.

Matthew grabbed their little bundle now named Gabriel from the bassinet. He kicked off his sneakers and crawled into the open side of the bed feeling his husband melt into his open arms as he gently placed their baby into his husband's bruised arms.

"I know Raffy, I know." He said and felt the hot tears against his thin tee shirt. "I got you, it's okay. Let it all out." He whispered, knowing that his husband had just been through a hellish experience that he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.

Raf took their baby from Matthew’s arms and placed Gabriel against his bare chest for skin to skin. He felt cheated from it. What should have happened was he pushed the baby out and was him instantly for skin to skin while Alex stitched up at worst a second-degree tear. Instead, Edward Fucking Scissor happy resident made two perfectly normal holes into one and left him for dead when he should have been bonding with his baby.

“Hi little angel. It feels so strange to hold you and have you out in the world. My bladder won’t know what to do since you won’t be using it as a trampoline.” He teased his baby, placing a soft kiss on Gabriel’s cheek as tears trailed down his own.

Alex figured he’d ask Raf what happened in a bit, but right now he was going to give Rafael, Matthew, and Gabriel some bonding time. He opened up Raf’s chart notes and reviewed who Raf had as his primary nurse and which doctor did the delivery.

Of fucking course, it would be Jessica and Brad Turner. He hated Brad with passion, and they frequently butted heads anytime they were on a shift together.

Brad Turner had graduated from an average southern school and was a very proud member of a fraternity. He was an obnoxious asshole who hadn’t gotten over his frat boy days. Brad had graduated from the University of South Carolina and how he matched to a prestigious residency was baffling.

He also bragged incessantly about having a hot NFL cheerleader for his girlfriend. He was very much the type of doctor that made most patient’s dislike male ob-gyns. In fact, he once heard Brad tell a woman in labor, she’d be prettier if she smiled during her contractions.

Alex personally never saw the desire to rush his undergraduate years. He personally thought frats were full of boys who cared more about status, drinking, and going down in history for a rush prank. He didn’t go to Harvard for connections, he went to Harvard because he wanted a quality education.

He felt bad for Rafael being the unlucky winner of having uber Christian, right-wing douchebag Brad be the one to deliver the baby. Hell, the episiotomy was probably done out of spite. Alex hated Brad, but Raf positively loathed Brad with a fiery passion.

“Fucking Turner.” Alex mused softly seeing Rafael’s face go white. Well now he had the reason he wasn’t contacted at all about Raf. Brad was in the mood for a pound of flesh, and Jessica had a raging crush on Brad and would go along with whatever the doctor wanted.

“I had bad back labor, and I just wanted was to change positions! The next think I know he’s kicking Matthew out of the room and cuts me without any local or explanation as to why.” Raf cried out to Alex feeling his husband wrapping his arms tighter around his body for comfort.

“Fuck!” Alex exclaimed, making his own notes on Raf’s case and surgical repair. He had research notes on all of the residents in his class to try and correlate provider bias among certain types of patients. He knew Raf also had his own notes about Brad’s substandard care when it came to any patient that wasn’t a lily-white Christian woman.

The cardinal rule of medicine was ‘do no harm’ and Raf’s chart was full of harm done to him by Brad Turner. Alex planned to call his dad in for a visit to present all his research to the program director and to lodge a malpractice case on Raf’s behalf. You just didn’t do this to anyone, let alone someone you worked with.

Raf stared at the little bundle of joy wrapped up in his arms. Gabriel was completely innocent of the evil that existed in the world. He was also completely oblivious to how close he was to only knowing about Raf through stories and photos from Matthew.

He wanted to make sure no one else ever had a delivery like his and to make his son proud to call him a papi. “Once Gabriel is in school, I plan to go back and get my masters in nurse midwifery so that what happened to me can’t happen to anyone else.” He said steadily and firmly to the room.

He looked over at Alex who was in his third year of residency. “You and I could create a clinic/birth center so that everyone could receive care without judgement. This shouldn’t have happened to me and it damn sure shouldn’t happen to anyone else. We could meet with an LGBTQIA+ organization to try and fund the idea.”

Amy walked into the room with medication vials to administer to Raf. “What’s this I hear about you two creating a clinic? I’m down for that idea.” She said excitedly. Alex was one of her favorite residents to work with and she loved and adored Raf.

Alex looked at Raf mulling the idea over in his head, it could work. Honestly, he hated the hospital environment and how practice managers only seemed to care about the volume of patients he saw in a day.

“Hell yeah! You should apply to get your masters in nurse midwifery. I’ll think about opening up the clinic.” He planned to talk the idea over with Leo and email with a prominent LGBTQIA+ organization, The Okonjo Foundation was the first to come to mind.

He filed the idea away for later, because his main priority at the moment was making sure Raf received the best care possible for the rest of his stay.

Alex ended up lodging a formal complaint against Brad Turner, who was thrown out of the residency program after losing a rather large malpractice lawsuit. After everything was said and done Alex was able to get a decent spot of land on the Mass General campus to build Prism on.

“I got very lucky in having someone like Leo as a stepfather and obviously Pez’s donation helped get Prism to be more than just a concept in our minds.” Alex explained hearing the spoon clatter against the soup crock.

Leo had a net worth of several billion dollars and a love for social programs and reproductive rights. Pez had a net worth of several million and an equal love for LGBTQ and reproductive rights. Those two were the main reason Prism existed, and he was eternally grateful for making Raf’s dream a reality.

Henry listened to Alex’s story about Raf mesmerized. “Alex, can I ask what the difference between an obstetrician and a midwife is?” Henry asked, he knew he was more than likely delivered by a midwife.

“Of course.” Alex said with a smile. “The biggest difference between me and Raf is that I can surgically intervene if necessary. The other is that the United States sees healthcare as a profit so they can charge you more depending on who catches the baby. It’s also one of the reasons we have one of the higher mortality rates than any other developed country, because of racial disparity, a lack of pregnancy providers in super rural areas, and of course employers who decide to not offer any pregnancy leave.”

"Raf and I are the kind of medical providers that really care about our patients. Most obstetricians won't even schedule an appointment before the eight-week mark. Meanwhile I'll happily see any patient even if the pee hasn't fully dried on a stick yet. Pregnancy can be very overwhelming to most people, and I don't want anyone to feel overwhelmed."

“I promise that Raf is an amazing midwifery student and that he really cares. What happened to Raf won’t happen to you. I’ll make sure of that.” Alex said gently as he washed out the soup crocks in the sink.

“Would you like a mug of Champurrado? It’s a fancy Mexican hot chocolate.” Alex asked Henry, who nodded. He grabbed a funny Baby Yoda mug from the cabinet and ladled it into the cute mug.

The two made their way into the living room and Henry curled up in the blanket Amy had knitted while sipping the mug of Champurrado as he explained more about the education differences between him and Raf.

After about twenty minutes he heard the sound of his ringtone and saw ‘Pa’ light up on the screen of his iPhone.

“Hey Pa! How are you?” Alex asked as he answered the phone. Happy that at least one of his birth parents still wanted to keep in the loop of his life. Leo was also great about checking on Alex, unlike his mother who used Farah to contact her children.

“Hey Mijo! I’m in California for the weekend. I’m glad to ditch those senate jackals, even for a little bit. How are you?”

“I’m great! Raf and I finally found our pediatrician. The bonus is he’s married to an internal medicine doctor, so we got a two for one special.” Alex heard his dad’s warm laugh at the joke.

“I made a big pot of Caldo de Pollo for dinner, and I’m currently snuggled up on the couch with Sadie as I enjoy a nice mug of Champurrado.”

“Caldo?” Oscar questioned through the phone his voice full of concern for his son. “Are you feeling alright, Mijo? Not getting sick, are you?” Oscar paused for a second, he wanted to make sure Alex wasn’t sick. He was still a father, and he worried about his kid, even if his kid was a Harvard trained doctor.

“Nope. I’m feeling just fine. I just had a craving for Caldo is all. I’m also watching Gabriel this weekend, so the bottomless pit will probably eat most of it as he kicks my ass in Mario Kart. I just hope he saves enough for Raf.”  Alex explained. He’d eventually tell his father about Henry and the baby, but for now he’d blame it on a craving.

“Congratulations, on finally hiring a pediatrician. I’m going to have to make it up to Boston for the open house and take my son out for a nice dinner. I remember you being the same way when you were five.” Oscar teased. “I hope the two of you have a nice fun weekend of video games. I love you so much, mijo. Talk soon.”

Alex ended the call with Oscar and sat his phone back down onto the table. He took a deep breath and looked at Henry, figuring that now was a good time to tell Henry about his mother. “So, that’s my pa, Oscar Diaz.” He shifted so that he was facing Henry on the couch.

“Full disclosure, since I want everything to be out in the open of this relationship. My mom plans to announce her presidential primary run for the democrat race. She’s a well-established and well-liked member of congress and more than likely will win the democratic primary.” Alex said in a nervous rush.

“Oh.” Henry said, unsure of exactly what to say. He was technically a United States citizen and did vote democrat in the presidential election, but he didn’t really follow politics, nor did he know the family of that candidate.

“Is this your polite way of telling me to hide my pregnancy from her?” Henry questioned softly, slightly afraid of Alex’s answer to that question.

“Honestly, I don’t see my mom much. Most of my interaction with my mom is through her Chief of Staff, Farah. Farah despises me and she thinks June and I should hit the campaign trail for our mother to try and get more of that youth vote.” Alex paused and took a sip of his mug of hot chocolate.

“Farah doesn’t understand that June and I want nothing to do with politics, or the impact that would have on our respective careers. I am in no way saying that I want your pregnancy to be a secret but just be prepared for Farah to say I’m being an immature brat and running mom’s chances at The White House.”

“I’m sorry, that your mother isn’t supportive of your life choices.” Henry said softly as he got up from the couch and grabbed the cardboard box from the counter so that Alex could open it.

“Everything is all so new and different feeling, but I do know if you are all in, then I am all in on us. Even it means pretending to be nice to Farah when she’s being rude to you. This is just as much my mistake as it is yours.” Henry said leaning in to passionately kiss Alex’s lips. If he could deal with Mary and her bullshit growing up, he was pretty sure he could handle Farah’s personality.

“We are going to be a family, and I want to be in your life, and I want our baby to be in your life. I’m an idiot because Pez has tried to set me up with you for years and I was too stubborn to let him or trust his judgment about you.” Henry admitted and watched Alex unbox the pregnancy journal.

 Alex opened the white box and found a wax stamp set along with a journal with safari animals with the title “Journey of a miracle, from bump to birth’ written in gold foil. “This is beautiful.” He said throwing his arms around Henry for a hug.

Alex saw there was premium letter writing supplies so they could each write a letter to their baby and seal it up with the pastel wax. There was also a mess free stamp pad to get the baby’s hand and footprint. They had similar mess free stamp pads down in the birth center. It was a beautiful memory book, and it showed that Henry was certainly all in.

He sat the white box down on the coffee table and pulled Henry into his arms. He was worried about that conversation and Henry took it better than he expected Henry to. He expected more questions or for Henry to walk out of his apartment. Instead, he sealed their relationship with a kiss.

Chapter Text

Henry took another small sip of the Champurrado and bit down the sudden urge to vomit. He politely sat it back on the table and saw Alex’s questioning eyes.

“It’s very good. Just some nausea is all.” Henry said with an annoyed sigh as he gave Alex his apologetic eyes. He wanted to at least keep the soup down, even if it meant giving up the tasty hot chocolate to keep from vomiting.

Alex smiled softly and rubbed soothing circles over Henry’s left shoulder. “It’s okay sweetheart. Sit all the way up and take some slow deep breaths.” He instructed and hoped that Henry was at least able to keep the soup down.  

He knew that Champurrado could be a little rich and Henry’s stomach was easily upset with food. He watched Henry take slow deep breaths.

“I know baby! Morning sickness is incredibly frustrating and exhausting. Anything could potentially trigger the nauseous feeling.” Alex said soothingly to Henry and noticed that both Sadie and David were eyeing Henry protectively, like they could prevent a nausea/vomiting episode.

“The Reglan should help, and I will be giving you an IV cocktail this weekend to help you as well.” Alex muttered, he felt terrible that Henry had to deal with the nausea and vomiting and all the other lovely side effects associated with the first trimester that all his patients loathed.

Henry felt the tears roll down his cheek as he focused on taking slow deep breaths. Alex always knew the right thing to say to make him feel even a little better. Hell, Alex hadn’t freaked out about the pregnancy yet, at least not in front of him.

He knew that Alex was a doctor and was probably good at hiding his true emotions to keep a patient calm. Still how was Alex not freaking out like he was about the pregnancy. Hell, he was beyond exhausted in more ways than one.

He was also slightly afraid about how many people knew about his pregnancy. Alex, Liam, Mel, Amy, and Raf. That was at least five that he knew of, and Matthew, his soon-to-be therapist, probably knew about it as well.

He liked Liam, he did. Although, he was a bit nosy when it came to the questioning, even though he knew it didn’t come from a place of malice. Still, Liam was no Pez.

He mostly knew Mel as a colleague and as the school nurse who baked the amazing treats, but besides the pregnancy test, they really didn’t intact a lot with each other. He’d have to have lunch with her one day and try to be friendlier with her. He really liked her wife, Amy, a lot.

He had not formed an opinion about Raf besides what Alex had told him about the nurse. The same could be said about Matthew. He knew they had a son and were very close to Alex.

“Can I ask you kind of a personal question?” Henry asked. It was a thought he couldn’t get out of his head since meeting Alex.

“Absolutely.” Alex responded as he looked at Henry wondering what the personal question would be.

“Have you ever been sexually attracted to a patient?” Henry said in a rush, a little afraid of the answer.

“Never! I mean I have had patients flirt with me while doing an exam, but I’ve never had any unprofessional thoughts about any of my patients.” Alex answered. It was a very valid question to ask. He was a professional and cared more about his patient’s comfort than about their attractiveness.

Henry’s face fell at Alex’s answer. He knew logically that a doctor having relations with a patient went against so many ethical codes, but it still stung to hear that Alex wasn’t sexually attracted to him.

Alex noticed Henry’s facial expression. “You weren’t a patient when we first met, rather an attractive teacher that I met in a club. You were also the friend that Pez wanted to set me up with. I do have feelings for you, baby.” He just didn’t have those feelings or urges while performing a slightly invasive and mildly uncomfortable medical exam on the blond. He really didn’t understand why it was such a popular porn category.

He’d like to very much recreate that night in the hotel room, but he wanted to do so when Henry felt a little better and would enjoy it just as much as he would.

So, Alex had feelings for him, but yet there was still a nagging feeling he couldn’t get out of his head. “Why didn’t you tell your dad about us dating?” Henry questioned innocently as he looked over at Alex, who smiled and laughed.

“Honestly, if I told Pa about us, he’d either want to spend all night video chatting and hear me talk about you, or he’d catch the first flight from Los Angeles to Boston just to meet you. I figured you might like a little bit more time before officially meeting my pa.”

“We will tell him soon about our relationship, I promise.” Alex explained, wanting to soothe Henry’s anxiety and worry. He wanted to give Henry a relaxing night in and talking to his Pa about his new relationship wasn’t exactly his definition of relaxing.

“It’s Friday which means I do need to check and make sure that your hCG levels have at least doubled. I’d like to say after this that I’ll be done poking at you with needles, but you are pregnant and unfortunately several prenatal screenings are lab work. I also think you would benefit from a pregnancy IV cocktail to help with your morning sickness. It’s a ton of different vitamins and medications.” Alex explained gently.

Henry sighed softly. He was a little tired of feeling like Alex’s personal pincushion, but he extended out his left arm so that Alex could get his blood for the one test. He’d do anything to get an hour of reprieve from the morning sickness, even if that meant an IV in his arm.

Alex placed a pillow under Henry’s outstretched left arm. “Make a fist for me, baby.” Alex instructed as he felt along Henry’s antecubital fossa for a good vein.

Henry shivered when Alex called him baby. “Can I ask how you learned to draw blood? Most of the doctors that I saw previously had someone for that.” He teased and watched Alex’s nimble fingers dance along his inner arm.

“Raf taught me how to draw blood and how to get an IV line in case of an emergency. I originally learned how to in medical school, but it’s not something I did all that often.” Alex explained as he tied the tourniquet around Henry’s upper arm.

“You’re not terrible at it.” Henry teased the doctor playfully with a wink. Alex was honestly the best medical professional he had that had drawn his blood.

“You’ll feel a little cold that’s just the alcohol wipe cleaning your skin.” Alex warned as he rubbed the wipe in circles over the vein he found. He waited a little bit before he uncapped the butterfly needle and attached the tube to the connector.

“Little pinch.” Alex warned as he advanced the needle into Henry’s vein. “If you weren’t already a teacher, what would you be?” Alex questioned as a distraction from the needle going into his arm to collect another tube of blood to test his hCG levels.

“Probably a librarian.” Henry responded he loved his morning and lunch conversations with Kristen, the school librarian.” He found it rather fascinating to spend lunch with her and watch her repair the broken books.

“If you weren’t already a doctor, what would you be?” Henry asked curiously wondering what Alex would have done had he not gone to medical school.

Alex watched the tube fill up with the required amount of blood. He quickly withdrew the butterfly needle and disposed of it in the portable sharps container. “Maybe a vet or a paramedic.” He placed a piece of gauze over the needle poke and wrapped the gauze with a self-adherent dark green wrap.

Henry watched Alex wrap his arm with the soft green wrap and label the tube label with Henry’s information and Alex’s initials. “Thank you for stealing my blood, Dr. Dracula.”

Alex laughed at Henry’s joke. He could think of quite a few things he’d like to suck on Henry’s. Instead, he shook those thoughts from his head and placed the single tube into the lab bag with the biohazard symbol along with the lab requisition order for the quantitative hCG.

“You’re very welcome.” He teased in the same ridiculous accent from the first time he took blood from Henry. He zipped up the bag and handed the bag to Sadie’s open mouth.

They watched Sadie trot away from the couch and towards the doggie door in the entry door.

Henry raised a suspicious eyebrow at Alex. “What is she doing with my blood?” He asked curiously.

Alex smiled at patted Henry’s thigh. “Oh, she’s taking it downstairs for the night nurse to run over to the hospital lab. It’s not like she’s a lab and can run it herself.” He teased with a wink and was rewarded by a throw pillow gently smacking his arm.

“That was a terrible dad joke. It’s a good thing you have eight months to practice them.” Henry teased and reached to rub his sore shoulder. It had been achy all day and hitting Alex with the pillow reminded him of the pain.

He figured it had something to do with the endless morning sickness that had caused his muscles to feel tight and achy. He was sure that spending a week trying to decorate and organize up his classroom had added to his sore shoulders and back.

"Sore shoulder?" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes. I think it’s probably a combination of incessant toilet worship and getting my classroom decorated in time for next week.” Henry shyly admitted as he heard Alex’s warm laugh at the toilet joke.

"Come sit!" Henry heard Alex mutter and watched Alex pat the ottoman in front of the couch and pull it closer. Was Alex actually offering to rub his shoulder? His brain wondered.

Henry moved from the spot on the couch. He heard an irritated grumble come for both of the dogs that had been using his lap as their personal pillow.

“I’m sorry darlings.” He muttered and patted both of their heads before taking a seat on the ottoman sitting in front of Alex. The idea of a massage sounded very enticing, especially from Alex.

His shoulders ached like he was Atlas and had been tasked with holding the weight of the world. It was just the constant heaving from holding a stapler above his head to decorate the bulletin boards.

“Baby, are you okay with me rubbing your shoulders?” Alex asked. He knew exactly why Henry’s shoulders were sore and he had no problems with giving Henry any kind of massage.

“God yes.” Henry just wanted his shoulder muscles to stop aching even for just a second. He knew the moment that he woke up that the morning sickness would come back with an absolute vengeance.

He felt Alex’s long fingers gently touch his shoulders and hoped that his body didn’t betray him. He very much wanted Alex, but at the same time he felt like a disgusting mess.

“So, what was your parent’s reaction to the type of doctor you became?” Henry asked, feeling Alex’s fingers gently kneading at his shoulders. He also wanted to know more about the attractive doctor.

“My mom was less than thrilled when it came to attending medical school related. She didn’t attend my white coat ceremony. June, Pa, and Leo attended at least.” He shrugged even though it still stung to think about.

“Pa on the other hand was so proud to see his son in a white coat looking all official and doctorly.” Alex teased. He could count on his fingers the number of times he actually wore that white coat; but it was still a bid deal for a medical student to receive their official white coat.

“She did attend Match Day, which is always the third Friday in March. I was so excited to open the envelope and see what ob/gyn program I had matched into. I remember holding the envelope holding my future and her hurtful words.” Alex wasn’t likely to forget what she had said.

Alex heard the clock finally strike noon. Which meant it was time to open the envelope that contained his future life as a doctor. He already knew he matched into an obstetrics and gynecology rotation. He just didn’t know which residency which Is what the envelope contained.

Had he matched into his top choice of Mass General/Brigham and Women’s Hospital and got to stay in Boston. Or did the envelope contain John Hopkins, UPenn, or Weil Cornell which meant he’d have to move to a different part of the East Coast.

The envelope could also contain the University of California San Francisco as he had also ranked that residency program highly, and it would be nice to live in the same state as his Pa.

His stomach was a bundle of nerves and the letter in his hand felt like it weighed a ton. He gently slid his finger through the edges to open his letter and opened the folded letter. He caught Paige jumping up and down in the corner of his eye. He also saw Elijah happily hugging his family members; he’d catch up with his best friend and boyfriend after he gave them time to spend with their own families.

“Yes!” Alex happily exclaimed to his family upon seeing Mass General/Brigham combination residency program typed on the official NRMP letterhead. “I got my top choice. I’m staying in Boston for my ob/gyn residency.” He felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders and he let out the breath he didn’t even know he was holding.

He felt a few tears trickle down his cheek at the realization that he had done it. He had matched his top choice, not only that but it was the best residency program in the country.

Alex felt Oscar’s strong arms pull him into a warm hug. “I’m so proud of you, Mijo. Ellen, or son, matched into his top choice.” Oscar had secretly hoped for the letter to say UCSF, but he knew from conversation with Alex that Mass General/Brigham was the top program in the country.

Ellen narrowed her eyes at Oscar. She had hoped that Alex had been joking when he said that he wanted to be an obstetrician and gynecologist. She looked over at her excited son who was beaming from ear to ear. She strutted gracefully over to Alex and took his hands into her own.

“Sugar.” Alex heard his mother saccharinely begin and he saw her expression that meant this conversation was more than likely going to piss him off.

“Do you realize the amount of malpractice claims that are lodged yearly against your specialty?” There is also the well-known fact that if it’s a birth-related injury that claim will absolutely not go your way. You’ll also have to pay an ungodly amount for malpractice insurance. You are also a man which means your rate will be higher, your sexuality will not be a factor to an insurance company.”

Alex chewed at his cheek trying to keep a neutral expression on his face. He knew the malpractice rate, but he also knew why most ob/gyns had a malpractice claim against them.

“Did you not like the other surgical specialties? What happened to being realistic with your residency options? This feels like an idealistic choice.” Ellen said, ignoring her son’s disappointed expression.

It was a risky specialty for her son to enter, and she had told him that on multiple occasions when they talked about it. Although, their conversations were more and more sporadic. She would have been much happier if the letter had a top neurosurgery, orthopedics, plastics, or general surgery program listed on the letter, instead of obstetrics and gynecology.  

There was also the fact that the republican opponents would use it against her and Oscar during a reelection campaign that their son performed abortions. It was a hot button and highly debated topic and if Alex were in any other residency program they wouldn’t have that problem.

Of course, Oscar would have less of a problem with it affecting his chances of reelection than she would. California loved Oscar and was extremely liberal, his seat was likely safe until he decided to retire from the senate. Her district might typically vote blue, but it could easily vote the other color depending on what kind of smear campaign was used against her. She also had her eyes on running for president one day soon.

She could always try and suggest that he not perform them once he was out of his residency program and had that choice. Then again, it was Alex she was referring to, and that boy was liberal to his very core. He was stubborn, impulsive, and the exact clone of his father. He’d do the exact opposite of anything she suggested.

Ellen felt Leo gently touch her wrist and pulled her closer to him so that he could whisper in her ear.

“El, I want you to listen carefully to me. That wasn’t your choice to make, but rather Alex’s choice. You might have an opinion about it, but there is a time and place for that discussion, and it isn’t right now. You are in a public place with other people who know who you and Oscar are. Do you really feel like reading a headline about your lack of support?” Leo asked seriously.

To be honest he didn’t want to have this conversation with his wife. He really wanted to pull his stepson in for a big bear hug. He completely understood Alex’s choice of specialty. He had donated millions to reproductive research and had heard the stories during charity events. He knew doctors were often dismissive of pain in the reproductive tract and most patients that identified as LGBTQIA were ostracized by physicians who didn’t understand it or them.

His stepson always wanted to change the world and while that was highly unlikely; he could at the very least drag the field of reproductive health kicking and screaming into this generation.

Oscar looked over at Leo having a quite conversation with Ellen. He personally admired Leo and his patience level for Ellen, political events, and charity events. Leo was an amazing stepfather, and he was forever grateful his children had Leo. He was very disappointed in his ex-wife’s reaction and words. They were both lawyers who knew of medical malpractice, but he trusted his son’s judgement.

He pulled Alex in for a tight, proud hug. “Hey! I’m extremely proud of you Mijo. She doesn’t understand the research you’ve put in, or the respect you have for your patients. It was always your choice to make, and I know how much thought you put into your decision.”

“I’m proud of you lil bit.” June teased as she hugged her brother, grateful for the heels. “When did you get so tall?” She joked with a smile and squeezed Oscar’s hand, glad that at least one of their parents realized how important this day was for Alex.

The letter he was holding was the culmination of four years of nonstop studying, clinicals, and research. It was proof that her brother would be graduating from medical school in two short months.

Paige carefully ran over to throw her arms around Alex. “I got my top choice! I’m staying in Boston. What about you?” She asked skimming through his letter and hugged him even tighter. “I see you got your top choice too. We did it.”

Elijah eventually managed to sneak away from his own doting family to see where his boyfriend, Alex, would be attending for his medical residency. He could instantly tell from the air around him, that one of Alex’s parents, probably Ellen, had soured his mood.

“Hey babe.” He pulled Alex in for a quick peck on the lips. “Whatever she said ignore. She didn’t show up for your white coat ceremony. She hasn’t been there for your sleepless nights on call.” He gently whispered into Alex’s ear.

“What does your letter say?” Elijah asked as he flipped around his letter to show Alex.

“Yes!” I just knew you’d get your top choice.” Elijah said excitedly. He was elated that they’d be at the same hospitals for residency.

“The three amigos get to stay together!” Paige declared seeing a blonde women stare at her. “Anesthesiology, Internal Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynecology.” She paused for a second as she stared at her friends.

“Why does that sound like the start of a bad joke?” She teased, and heard Alex, Elijah, June, and Oscar laugh. While the blonde lady pursed her lips further together.

“Sugar, who are your little friends?” Ellen questioned her son as she tried to fake a smile and be happy for her son. Even though she disagreed with his specialty choice.

Alex bit down on his tongue to keep from screaming that if she paid any attention to his life she’d know damn well who his ‘little friends’ were. She’d remember that he was dating a classmate and that the three of them had been roommates for three years, since the first year he was in Vanderbilt Hall.  

Instead of doing that he took a deep breath through his nose. “Ma this is Paige Martin and Elijah Evans, my boyfriend.” He saw Leo’s apologetic eyes since he knew that he had mentioned to them to Ellen. He knew exactly who they were as he paid attention to his stepson’s life.

Ellen tried to hide her surprise when she was introduced to the man Alex was dating. Elijah didn’t look like Alex’s type of man; to be honest she was surprised to learn Alex was dating a man.

She could understand him dating Paige as she was a short blonde with pretty features. While Elijah was a typical nerd with brown that was nicely styled, a stubble style beard, and a pair of clear square frames coving his brown eyes.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Madam Speaker.” Elijah said offering Alex’s mother his hand to shake. He had met Oscar, Leo, and June several times in their three-and-half years of dating, but this was his time meeting Ellen Claremont. Judging from Alex’s earlier expression he assumed his boyfriend wished she hadn’t attended. 

After an awkward meeting between his friends and his mother. He posed for photos with his friends and classmates trying to be excited for his future. It was hard because his own mother was disappointed with his choice and voiced her concern about it. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew why she was disappointed in his choice. Once again, her own future came before her children.

He wanted his mother during his lacrosse injury and knee surgery and instead she opted to receive updates through Oscar and Leo stating that she was busy with the House of Representatives. He had overheard her tell Leo why she wouldn’t fly up for the surgery was because Alex was young and unlikely to die from knee surgery. He just wanted his mother and once again she was too busy.

Too busy was all he heard growing up. Too busy for lacrosse games, too busy for a graduation party, too busy for college lacrosse games, too busy for the white coat ceremony. Then today it was an idealistic choice instead of realistic and that she didn’t think he would be able to modernize his specialty.

Henry listened to Alex’s story as the doctor massaged his shoulders. His own relationship with his mother wasn’t as strong as it was before his father died. She became a shell of a former self and went the motions of life.

 Even then she had managed to overcome her depressed grief enough to at least show up for both his bachelor and master’s graduation from Boston College. She even told him that she was proud of him, and he cherished those graduation photos of her standing next to him.

Henry couldn’t even begin to imagine how painful that day was for Alex to remember. What should have been a happy day wasn’t due to his own mother’s words and judgement.

He had been an educator for ten years and his opinion was Ellen should have just kept her opinions to herself regarding Alex’s specialty choice. If it was their child, he would have been extremely proud to see them graduate from an elite medical school and make the selfless decision to care for people in a vulnerable place in their life.

He despised parents like hers because they tended to put impossible standards on their child to meet, and when they didn’t meet those standards, the parents acted like they were a giant disappointment. The only thing that did was lead gifted children to crash out due to the pressure.

He turned around on the ottoman and hugged Alex so tightly, like he was trying to personally apologize for his mother’s behavior. “I’m sorry that she ruined your moment. Your patients are lucky to have you as a doctor.” Henry said honestly.

He personally thought that Alex was empathetic with great listening skills and an ability to explain things without making someone feel stupid.

Alex melted into Henry’s embrace finding it comforting. “Thank you.”

"Wait! You had a boyfriend during residency?" Henry said and looked at Alex trying to read him for any cues. He had made the horrible mistake of once sleeping with a married man.

He was filled with worry and anxiety that Alex was a cheater. There had to be something nefarious that Alex was hiding. There was no rational reason his brain could come up with to explain the reason Alex was single.

“I did. Elijah and I dated throughout medical school. However, after three months of residency we were trying to schedule a quick makeout session in a hospital stairwell. After that we amicably agreed to be friends.” Alex paused and took a sip of water.

“Dating was hard while in residency; we had no time for each other. We were essentially married to medicine and patient care. He’s now a great friend and went on to become a rheumatologist. I gladly send any of my patients to him.

“Even after residency it was hard for me to date. I was in the process of creating and opening Prism and the people I did date wanted a normal relationship with frequent date nights at Mooo and Red Sox games. Not someone who might get a 2am call that patient was in labor or had an ovarian torsion.”

“June and Nora moved from Boston to New York and gifted me Sadie for company.” Alex explained with a soft smile.

Henry gave Sadie’s ears a soft scratch as he listened to Alex explain the reason, he was single. He had no problems with Alex getting a random phone call in the middle of the for a patient that needed him. He usually had chronic insomnia and struggled to sleep most nights. It was hard for him to believe that Alex was single since he seemed to be a great catch.

“Would you believe it if I told you that day was mild compared to what I overheard her tell Farah during the grand opening of Prism?” Alex asked softly. That day was when he started to really distance himself from his mother, even though Farah had made it her life goal to try and control what he made educational videos about.

“I’m rather concerned that you referred to that as mild.” Henry was afraid of what Alex was about to tell him about Ellen and Farah.

He was debating the idea of voting for another candidate over Ellen in the primaries out spite. It seemed that out of family members that Alex had mentioned it seemed like Oscar, Leo, and June were proud of Alex. He hoped that he’d be able to control his tongue the day he finally met Ellen and Farah.

Alex sighed and took a sip of water. “It was Prism’s grand opening, and I overheard Ellen tell Farah something I definitely shouldn’t have overheard.”

It was the grand opening of Prism Reproductive and Pregnancy Care and Alex was excited to see his and Raf’s brainchild actually in the flesh. Raf had just been accepted into the University of Colorado’s midwifery program. He would do his classes online and his clinicals under Alex. Everything they had dreamed of was now a reality.

Alex looked over to see his staff members who made this day possible. Raf, Amy, Matthew, Paige, Spencer, and Chloe.

They eventually wanted to extend their patient base and add more primary care services in the form of either a family medicine physician, or a pediatrician and internist. He wished that Elijah would have stayed an internist and not loved rheumatology so much.

Prism was the first of its kind. It was basically a mini hospital with a birth center with a C-section suite, full service ob/gyn clinic, surgical center, with an onsite pharmacy. Alex and Raf wanted to make it so their patients didn’t have to leave the building.

After a while he caught up with Percy Okonjo, one of the biggest donors, next to Leo. Alex adored Pez and his flamboyant, larger-than-life personality. Pez talked about trying to set Alex up with his hot teacher friend. Pez’s teacher friend seemed like a great guy but had rejected the idea of a date. Alex sadly sighed at the sad state of his dating life.

Pez also politely reminded him about the arrangement that Alex would have a clinic day every few months at the New York shelter. Pez needed a doctor, and Alex was more than happy to oblige as a favor for Okonjo Industries helping design the Diaz-Luna speculum and for the lofty donation to Prism.

Pez was thrilled to have a doctor that understood the minorities were often treated with medical bias. He too knew the horrible statistics against the black community and mortality during childbirth. When Alex approached him with the idea it was a no brainer for his family to invest in.

After a while June and Nora linked their arms with Alex’s arms. “We have a little surprise for you.” June muttered, as she led Alex towards his office. A pink box was sitting on his desk. The box was circular and resembled a Stetson box.

“For me?” Alex questioned the girls as he walked up to his desk to remove the pink lid. Inside of the box was an eight-week-old Blue Merle Australian Shepherd with the bluest eyes he thought possible. “Hello sweetheart.” He said holding the puppy to his chest.

“We both thought that since we are about to move to NYC you could use a companion. I’ve heard of dentists bringing their dog to help decrease patient anxiety.” June said honestly to her brother and patted his shoulder. “Not to mention your dating life is pretty much nonexistent, so you should have plenty of time to train a puppy.”

Alex rolled his eyes at the dating life comment. He also couldn’t refuse their living gift. He didn’t know how or when he’d have time to train her. Not to mention Australian Shepherds were terrifyingly intelligent and if he didn’t keep her enriched, he’d find his condo redecorated to her tastes.

“Thank you both.” He said sitting the puppy in the nearby barrel chair and hugged June and Nora tightly. “I’m surprised.”

“I wanted to get you a cat to torment you.” Nora whispered into Alex’s left ear. She had been vetoed by June on that idea. She would have found him an orange kitten as orange cats were known for their spicy behavior, but a dog fit better with Alex’s active lifestyle. She heard Alex sass that he was glad the puppy wasn’t a cat.

Matthew entered Alex’s office and saw him sitting on the floor with a blue merle Australian Shepherd puppy sitting his lap. Alex’s cheeks were tearstained. Why was Alex crying on an exciting day. Alex and Raf should be elated but instead he found the young doctor alone in his office.

“Are you okay?” Matthew questioned softly and placed his hand against Alex’s large shoulder.

“Fuck no!” Alex exclaimed, being cautious to avoid startling the puppy in his lap.

“I overheard my ma and Farah talking. Ma thinks that the clinic and I will close in a year, two if she’s feeling generous. Farah gave me six months. Her reasoning was what women wants a man for an obstetrician/gynecologist, completely missing the point of why this clinic was created.”

“I’m tired Matthew. She only shows when it has the opportunity to benefit her and make her look good. She missed my white coat ceremony, medical school awards banquet, and residency graduation. She attended Match Day and graduation so she could brag about having a doctor as a son.”

Matthew sighed internally and sat down next to Alex and the adorable puppy that was currently sitting on his lap. “Do you want to know what I think?” Matthew asked and pulled Alex closer to hug.

“I think your mom and Farah have no idea what they are talking about. You and Raf are going to kick ass and make reproductive care and pregnancy so much safer for males, minorities, and everything in between. I honestly couldn’t be prouder of you and Raf.” Matthew told Alex.

He had watched Ellen from a distance during the open house and what he saw disgusted him as a parent. She cared more about the good press than about her own son opening the first of its kind clinic.

“I think that’s why most of my research and medical advancement has all been published und Diaz and not Claremont-Diaz. I knew deep down she’d never be proud of my accomplishments.” Alex said sadly as he carded his fingers through the puppy’s soft fur.

Oscar knocked at the doorframe of Alex’s office. “Mijo?” He questioned softly as he overheard Alex tell Matthew that all of his research had been published under Diaz. He knew about the Diaz-Luna speculum, but this was the first time he had heard about research.

He walked into the office and found Alex and Matthew sitting on the floor of the office. He crouched down in front of his son. “What’d she do this time?” He questioned gently.

He knew it was Ellen as she was the one person who was never proud of their son’s accomplishments. She saw him as a disappointment because he didn’t live up to her grand name prophecy and the idea of him following in her political footsteps.

“She gave Prism a year of success.” Alex said sardonically. “I overheard her and Farah speaking after coming back to socialize after June and Nora surprised me with this cute little nugget, her name is Sadie.

“Puta.” Oscar spat out before pulling Alex in for a tight hug and noticed Alex’s half smile over his word choice for Ellen. He was pissed at his wife for even thinking that, let alone having the audacity to speak it. It seemed she only attended the grand opening to make herself look good for the cameras

“Mijo, don’t listen to her. I’m immensely proud of what you and Rafael have accomplished, and I know you’ll succeed.” His heart broke seeing how sad Alex looked. He had a lot of things he’d like to say to his ex-wife about her treatment of their children and the pressure she put on Alex to meet her dream prophecy. Something that was unlikely to happen, because Alex was his own person with his own interests.

Henry felt white hot rage when Alex told him that Ellen had given Prism only a year of being open. He couldn’t imagine how hurt Alex was when he overheard that conversation.

“I’d ask if you were joking, but I don’t think anyone would joke about that.” He finally said after a couple seconds of complete silence. His years as an educator took great offense to a parent speaking that way about their child’s goal. Sure, Alex was an adult, but it was not something a good parent said about their child’s goal.

“Unfortunately, not a joke. Ma has been disappointed with me since high school. My name was a prophecy that I never lived up to. I was named After Alexander Hamilton one of the Founding Fathers, and Gabriel, the patron saint of diplomats. She always wanted me to follow in her footsteps so we could be the democratic Bushes. Sadly, I didn’t feel like giving up a part of myself to be in politics. I have a bit of care-to-much problem.”

Henry internally sighed as he listened to the meaning behind his name. “Didn’t your father get any say?” He asked, surprised that Oscar didn’t get any say in Alex’s name.

“I was an unwanted accident. Ma didn’t exactly want a second child and gave him the middle name rights. However, with her it wasn’t just Gabriel, she made sure to remind me of what he was patron saint of.” It was the same when she just called him Diaz when he was acting too much like his father.

“Could you explain the whole your mother is running in the presidential primaries again. What is the exact likelihood of her winning the primary election?” Henry asked dumbly.

He had taken the required civics test when he became a naturalized citizen; but he didn’t pay much attention to politics. He didn’t teach it, and he always voted for the democrat for president. That was the extent of his political knowledge, before he met Alex and heard about Oscar, he could maybe name the senators representing Massachusetts.

Alex smiled softly at Henry. “As of right now she’s got the best chance at winning the primary with name recognition. Unless someone unknown like Obama enters the primary with an amazing platform. There are a few governors at the moment that might toss their hats into the ring. Depending on their platform, they might have a better chance of winning. Alex explained to Henry.

“There is Maya Ortega from Florida, she is a bright, young Hispanic woman that managed to turn a deep republican stronghold bright blue with her progressive policies that benefits everyone in her state.”

“Heather Davis from Michigan has a wonderful policy on reproductive rights. Nathan Moore from Minnesota is a high school teacher-turned politician who deeply cares about state education. It’s unlikely but Laura King might run, she’s our governor and is a lesbian with extremely progressive values.” Alex explained. Sadly, having two politicians he knew all the state governors for better or worse, and which senators made Oscar’s left eye twitch.

Henry listened to Alex explain about the governors and the only one he had heard from the list was Laura, which was his own governor whom he voted for.

He liked learning about Alex’s history, although he really hoped to never meet Ellen and Farah, and if he did. He hoped he would be able to contain his tongue around them. Ellen quite honestly sounded like a neglectful mother, and like Mary placed a lot of unnecessary pressure on the people they were supposed to love unconditionally.

“So, a little birdy told me to have you show me the Harvard Med music video.” Henry said innocently. He wanted to change the subject to something a little more fun.

“A little birdy hmm? Would that little birdy happen to be named Liam?” Alex teased grabbing his phone and pulling up the video of the music video of his class.

“The first one of these was made back 14 years ago in 2013 and was set to Thrift Shop, since that video each incoming class has made a music video. This video was done in 2017.” He explained as he paired the video to the television, so Henry didn’t have to strain to see it on his phone.  

The video opened to New Rules by Dua Lipa only it was a parody of the rules of first year medical school. Henry was impressed with the voices of some of Alex’s classmates. He knew the video was from 2017, but the production value was excellent. He caught glimpses of Alex dancing with his classmates.

The video cut away to downtown Boston and suddenly the opening of Stitches by Shawn Mendes started. A younger, equally attractive Alex appeared in the video singing, “I can give you stitches.”

“You sing?” Henry asked incrediously as he glanced over to see Alex trying not to cringe at seeing his younger self on video. He saw Alex halfway nod, like he was trying to be humble about it.

“Let me get this perfectly straight, you look like a male model fresh from a photoshoot. You sing very well and somehow are a doctor from Harvard Med and aren’t an absolute pretentious dick of a person. How are you real?” Henry asked as he leaned over to gently poke Alex’s shoulder to see if Alex was just a figment of his imagination.

Alex laughed softly at Henry’s thoughts. “I never wanted to be a pretentious dick of a person. While my parents are politicians, they both came from humble beginnings, and they instilled that in my sister and me. As for the looks, I mostly take after my pa’s side of the family so we can think them for that.”

Henry watched the video cut away and he recognized the beat as Shape of You by Ed Sheeran, only instead of romantic it was explaining why Harvard and Boston.

Henry saw Alex back on the television screen with a very attractive blonde woman and a guy wearing glasses singing together. “That’s Elijah and Paige.” He heard Alex point out.

Henry watched Paige do backflips across the law in front of the primary Harvard Medical School building. “She was one of the lead chorographers, since she was a cheerleader for Vanderbilt University.” Alex explained.

“I’m glad Liam told me to ask about the video, that was really cool.” Henry said with a smile directed at Alex.

“We all got together as a class and figured out who had the hobbies to rewrite a song in the form of a parody, choreography, who could decently carry a tune, direct and film, video editing, and sound editing. It was a fun way to get to know your classmates outside of constant studying.”

Henry smiled at Alex’s explanation and saw the time on Alex’s phone it wasn’t that late for a Friday, but he was oddly tired and let out a tired yawn.

He was nervous to meet Raf and Matthew’s son, he was a middle school teacher he was used to preteens not five-year-olds, and his brother’s kid was a spoiled rotten brat. “What’s Gabriel like so I can prepare for Sunday?” He asked Alex.

“Gabriel is an amazing kid. He likes video games especially anything to do with Mario. Matthew limits Gabriel’s screen time so he loves to read books with me and color. He loves Disney, so if you can talk about Stitch or any recent Disney movie you’ll do just fine. He also loves How to Train Your Dragon.”

“Hell, he’ll probably be obsessed with your accent and beg for you to read books to him. He’s super smart too, he’ll start kindergarten soon, and his pre-kindergarten teacher loved him to bits. He’s got fantastic manners for a kid. He’ll talk your ear off, but he’s so cute you won’t even mind. He’s my little buddy if he could I think he’d glue himself to me.” Alex teased Henry and saw the large yawn.

“Tired baby? Let’s get you to bed that way if you do fall asleep, you’ll be more comfortable.” Alex suggested to the blond, he saw Sadie and David were both ready to snuggle the human in a large bed. “I love it how Sadie has glued herself to you.” He teased the blond as he folded up the knit blanket that Amy had made and draped it over the couch.

Henry listed to Alex describe the child, and he loved to hear that at least one parent was limiting their child’s screen time. It was nice to hear that his pre-kindergarten teacher liked him and that he had manners. Philip and Martha’s son was a brat that didn’t listen and was incredibly spoiled.

Henry let out another yawn as he reluctantly separated himself from the comfortable couch. He raised his arms above his head and as he did that, he heard the sound of two soft thuds and the clattering of collars hitting the floor with a soft thud.

“She has glued herself to me and David is a little more clingy than usual.” He teased and smiled at the attractive doctor as he walked down the hallway to get to Alex’s bedroom to complete his night routine and crawl into the comfortable bed.

Alex’s bedroom had a coastal vibe with elements of Mexican flare sprinkled throughout. He had a grey and blue wood accent wall, while the rest of the walls were painted a soft grey. The bed was draped in a dark blue comforter with dark grey sheets poking out. There was a blue area rug, tucked under the bed with enough sticking out on the sides to avoid cold feet in the morning.

Henry grabbed his toiletry bag from his weekender bag from the floor and walked into the ensuite bathroom with dual sinks. Alex’s bathroom perfectly matched the coastal vibe of the bedroom with dark blue cabinetry, pretty blue tile backsplash for the vanity area and a bathtub that looked big enough to swim in.

He set his toiletry bag on the right side of the vanity area and stared at his reflection in the mirror for a few seconds. He looked at the travel sized bottles of skincare in his bag and wondered if there was something he shouldn’t apply to his face.

“Alex, would you mind taking a look at my skincare to make sure I’m not using something harmful to the baby.” He didn’t want to accidentally use something he thought was safe but wasn’t.

“Of course! That list is actually pretty small.” Alex said as he leaned against his bathroom counter to read through the ingredients listed on the skincare products found in Henry’s toiletry bag.

“The biggest things to avoid are anything that contain retinol, hydroquinone, phthalates, and parabens. Any chemical sunscreens that end with zone, mineral based sunscreens are totally fine. Any skincare that contains a rosemary or clary sage essential oil. Anything that contains formaldehyde. You shouldn’t be getting Botox or any other dermal filler, to be honest you don’t need it anyway.” Alex admitted and paused allowing Henry to process. Henry was attractive and most people tended to overdo fillers.

“Very high doses of salicylic acid is a no, but the amount found in topical skincare is fine. High doses of benzoyl peroxide is also a no, but the amount found in most acne spot treatments is fine. Facials are also fine, just not aggressive chemical peels or microdermabrasion.” Alex said while he read through the final ingredient lists of Henry’s skincare products.

“Your products are perfectly safe and are excellent for your skin type.” Alex admitted as he handed the toiletry bag back to Henry and laid out his own skincare.

“What about a pimple patch or sheet masks?” Henry questioned sometimes he liked to put on a sheet mask and curl up with a good book. He was sure it was safe, but he would still rather ask. Alex had yet to shame him or make him feel like an idiot for a question.

“Those are both totally fine. You’ll either get the pregnancy glow or you’ll get to relive your teenage puberty years with acne.” He teased playfully with a wink.

Henry sighed at the thought of reliving his teenage years with acne. “I hope after this horrible morning sickness; my skin takes pity and gives me the pregnancy glow.”

Alex smiled at Henry’s choice of words. He hoped that some of Henry’s pregnancy wasn’t tortuous for the blond brit. He knew his morning sickness was rough and hoped that at least one thing would go his way.

He pulled on his giraffe ear headband to keep his unruly curls from falling into his face and getting skincare products on them. He turned to smile at Henry, who giggled at the headband. He laughed as he pumped his cleanser into his hand as Henry’s laugh was contagious.  

He was pretty sure the headband had been a gag gift from either Nora or Paige, but it actually did keep his hair out of his face while he applied his skincare.

“Do you have a flannel handy?” Henry questioned trying to find a flannel he could wet to remove his facial cleanser.

“I’d have to check my closet to see if I do.” Alex teased and saw Henry’s facial expression at his joke. He opened one of the vanity drawers and grabbed a grey microfiber towel for Henry and handed it to the blond.

“You are a menace.” Henry said affectionally as he ran the flannel under the tap to wet it.

Henry finished with his skincare and brushed and flossed his teeth. He turned around and caught a glimpse of his new nemesis, the toilet. He despised being hunched over it several times a day. He was hit by the realization that it was Friday, and he hadn’t gone in a few days, and he was decently regular.

Alex saw Henry’s deep in thought expression as he scrutinized his toilet. “Something wrong, baby?” He questioned softly.

Henry looked at Alex who was leaning against dual vanity with a concerned expression on his face. Did he tell him the truth or tell a creative lie. He knew the beautiful Hispanic man was a doctor, but at the same time how did you tell an attractive man that you haven’t gone in a couple of days. This was way more embarrassing than morning sickness.

He knew that most of what he had eaten lately had come up the other way, but his stomach did feel full. He had the worst bloody luck with his body, it felt like it was determined to betray him in some form or fashion.

“I haven’t you know- Henry trailed off and gestured to the toilet. “In a couple of days.” He looked down at the floor wishing it would swallow him whole. He’d rather speak to Alex’s tiles instead of that beautiful face.

“Baby, are you trying to tell me that you are constipated and are full of shit?” Alex asked softly with a warm smile. “I’m a doctor and bodily fluids do not bother me one bit.” He reached for Henry’s hand.

“No need to be embarrassed about it. Constipation is totally normal and is unfortunately a known symptom of early pregnancy. Right now, your body is dealing with hormones its never experienced. One of which is progesterone which relaxes the muscles in the digestive tract which slows things down a bit. You also aren’t getting a proper amount of fiber and hydration with the morning sickness.”

For once Henry did not appreciate Alex’s explanation as to why. “All I’m hearing is a whole bunch of this pregnancy is going to suck for me.” He complained to the doctor, silently cursing those heavenly eyelashes for putting him into this situation.

“I have morning sickness all hours of the day. I have to restrict what I eat in fear of it coming right back up. You said my skin might change where I might get a glow or get acne that I can play connect the dots with. I have floods of bloody hormones, and now I can’t poop. You’ll still look perfect, while my body is betraying me every bloody moment it can.” Henry complained to Alex. His accent slipping out with some of his word choices.

Alex gave Henry time to vent before pulling him in for a hug. “I’m not going to sugar it, pregnancy fucking sucks, I’m here and you can vent about in all you want. I wish I could take away some of your symptoms and pain, however I can’t. The only thing I can do is offer you a half-assed temporary solution to help that symptom.”

Henry sobbed when he heard Alex say I wish, he was a bloody wreck. Everything hurt and he was so tired. How did anyone cope with it for nine months. He was barely a month in, and he was exhausted. The only good thing was at least Alex was honest and sympathetic about his feelings.

“I know baby.” Alex soothed as rubbed soothing circles against Henry’s back. “I know. It’s okay, let it all out.” He didn’t care if Henry spent the rest of the night screaming and cursing him.

Henry took a few steady breaths into Alex’s shoulder before reluctantly pulling away from Alex’s embrace. “So, what’s the solution to this symptom and if you tell me, it’s an enema-

“You’ll turn my balls into a necklace?” Alex questioned the blond as he held up a bottle of stool softeners and shook them for dramatic effect.

“For now, you’ll take two of these. If the constipation continues, we can add fiber to your drinks or try a different kind of osmotic laxative.” Alex explained softly, trying not to upset Henry further.

Henry cracked a half smile at Alex’s joke and opened the bottle of stool softeners and popped two of the two-toned pills into his mouth and took the small cup of tap water from Alex to down the pills with.

“Let’s get you to bed, that medication is really gentle and takes at least at twelve hours to work.” Alex suggested and shut off the bathroom light.

Henry watched Alex pull down the comforter and sheets on his side of the bed and spray his pillow down with the lavender and vanilla pillow mist. It was a sweet gesture that had him on the verge of tears. He needed the smallest reprieve from the barrage of symptoms he was trying to manage.

“Thank you.” He said and pulled Alex in for a quick peck on Alex’s soft lips. He felt some of the lip sleeping mask transfer onto his own lips. He quickly crawled underneath the soft linens.

“You’re welcome.” Alex said tucking the sheet and comforter around Henry’s body as Sadie and David made themselves comfortable around Henry.

“Hi little loves.” He told the dogs and pet both of their heads. He watched his beagle curl up into a beagle-colored bagel burrowed protectively against his side. Sadie curled around the back of his knees and rested her head against his hip.

Alex gently pulled Henry into his arms and held him until he heard Henry’s soft breathing an indicator that the blond had drifted off to sleep. He gently separated his arm from Henry’s body so that he could review Raf’s chart notes and sign off on everything for the day. He grabbed his iPad from the nightstand and spent an hour reviewing and signing off on everything.

Morning came much too soon for Henry. He felt the nausea hit him like a train and knew he had seconds to make it to the bathroom. He quickly separated himself from the soft linens and bolted to the ensuite bathroom. He tried hard to not disturb the still sleeping Alex.

His knees had barely touched the tile floor before everything from the night before came up. He was so bloody tired of the morning sickness. Honestly, it was all-day sickness that was much worse in the morning time.

“Oh baby!” He heard Alex gently coo and felt the doctor rub soothing circles into his back as he aggressively wretched into the toilet.

Henry was utterly exhausted, and this bout of morning sickness was horrendous. He had some nausea after dinner but was fine most of the night. He groaned loudly and felt the tears sting his cheeks. He felt Alex place a cool flannel to the top of his head and at the nape of his neck.

He had lost all track of time and didn’t know how long he had been crouched over the toilet. His legs had lost all feeling. He had tried smelling another alcohol wipe to no avail. His cheeks were red from the tears and his chest and shoulders ached from the constant heaving into the bowl below.

Henry eventually felt Alex slowly lift him from the floor. Alex placed a hand behind his knee and supported his body like they were recently married and that he was carrying his new husband over the threshold. He might have laughed at the idea if he wasn’t so bloody miserable.

“Let’s get you back to bed and get that nausea IV cocktail started.” He heard Alex explain and felt an emesis bag placed in his hand.

All he could do was nod his head and in return his throat felt raw. He wanted to protest that he didn’t want to vomit all over the nice linens as the emesis bag would not be able to hold multiple rounds. He felt Alex gently lower him into the messy bed.

Alex grabbed the grey basin full of IV supplies. He went back to Henry’s side of the bed and sat on the edge of it. He pulled out the colorful IV bags and showed them to Henry.

“This is an IV cocktail that has a full dose of Zofran which should help to control your nausea and vomiting. Zofran has the small potential of interacting with sertraline and it can make you feel pretty tired.”

“There is also Pepcid to help settle your stomach. The IV base should help to rehydrate you. It also has B12, calcium, vitamin c, magnesium, folate, Infuvite which is a multi-vitamin, and thiamine. No worries about getting to much in your system because everything is water soluble so if you already have enough, you’ll just pee it out.” Alex explained and got up to hang the IV bag on a clothes hanger, he had forgotten to grab an IV pole, but an upside-down clothes hanger made for a makeshift IV pole in a pinch.

Henry watched the doctor hang the suspiciously colored liquid on a clothes hanger. The only time he saw IV bags that weren’t clear was during his father’s chemotherapy.

“Why is it that color?” He eventually crocked out, his voice shaking hard with those five words.

“Certain vitamins have a color to them, B12 for example is red.” Alex explained as he laid out the rest of the IV supplies. He spiked the IV bag and primed the tubing to make sure the line was free of air.

“Alrighty baby, I’m going to use a vein at the top of your hand so you can have full mobility. It will take 3 hours to infuse the two bags, but it should help. It’s not going to fix the nausea and vomiting, but it should give you some reprieve for a few days. Which will hopefully be enough time for the Reglan to get into your system.

Henry let out an irritated sigh when Alex said hope he was out of hope. He knew the doctor was doing the best to help, but he was exhausted and didn’t see how he could make it eight more weeks until the second trimester that might be different.

Alex placed the basin next to Henry on the bed to be used instead of the emesis bag. “I’ll be right back.” He placed a gentle to kiss on Henry’s forehead and walked to the bathroom to wash his hands.

Alex came back from the bathroom and sat in the spot he had previously occupied. “Ready baby?” He asked and saw Henry nod. He took Henry’s nondominant hand in his own and angled it so that he could see the veins on the dorsal side of Henry’s hand. He gently palpated trying to find a perfect vein. Once he found the vein, he opened the IV start kit and gently tied the tourniquet slightly above Henry’s arm.  

Alex came back into the bedroom and sat in the spot he had previously occupied. "Ready baby?" He asked and saw Henry nod. He took Henry's hand in his own and angled it so that he could see the veins. He gently tied the tourniquet and squeezed the sides of the ChloraPrep.

“Little cold.” He warned as he rubbed the padded stick over the blond’s hand. He let the solution dry and placed gentle traction against Henry’s hand.

“Quick pinch.” Alex warned as he gently poked the needle into Henry’s skin seeing the flashback into the clear plastic catheter and into the closed extension tube. He much preferred the closed IV catheters with the built-in extension tube as did Raf and Amy.

He placed a Tegaderm over the catheter and taped down the extension tube. He grabbed the saline flush and attached it to the extension port and undid the pinch clamp. He slowly pushed a small amount of the saline flush through the port to confirm the IV was in a good vein. “Any pain?” He asked and saw Henry shake his head.

Once he was positive it was a great vein, he attached the infusion tubing to the single port on Henry’s hand. He made sure the infusion was at the prefect rate before cleaning the paper and plastic mess on his comforter.

“Thank you.” Henry choked out. He was once again amazed that a doctor had inserted an IV into his hand, it was just as gentle as the times that vampire Alex had taken his blood.

“I’ll be right back with a mug of tea and when I get back maybe you’d like to snuggle and watch a movie?” Alex suggested with a beaming smile. “If you want to take a nap, that’s fine too.”

Alex came back with a fresh mug of warm tea and set the mug onto the nightstand by Henry’s side of the bed. Once again, the gesture was touching enough that he wanted to burst into a fit of tears. He took a sip of the warm nausea-soothing tea and watched Alex get into his side of the bed and scroll through movie options.

After a few moments of discussion, they ended up deciding on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker for the movie. The movie ultimently ended up being background noise because once Alex started to cuddle Henry and the Zofran kicked in the blond was out not even halfway through the movie.

Henry woke up just in time to see Alex discard the second IV bag. “Hey sleepyhead, how are you feeling?” He heard Alex’s deep voice question along with a bright smile in his direction.

He looked at the TV and realized he had slept through most of the movie and the IV, not that he minded the last part. He didn’t feel the urge to bolt to the bathroom to shove his head into the toilet bowl. His stomach didn’t feel queasy either. He felt somewhat functional compared to earlier that morning.

“I feel vaguely like a human that isn’t going to instantly vomit.” He admitted after thinking about it for a couple of seconds.

He didn’t feel like he usually did on the weekends, but he’d take it. After a few rough mornings he considered asking for the doctor’s hand in marriage. He wouldn’t, but he’d happily deal with weekly IVs to feel mostly human.

Sunday came entirely too quick for the two men who were snuggled up on the couch. Alex was enjoying his morning cup of coffee, and Henry was enjoying a cuppa tea when there was a knock at the door.

Alex figured that it was Raf and Matthew dropping off Gabriel so that they could babysit. He got up from the couch to answer the door only for Gabriel to excitedly run under his arm into the apartment to hug Sadie.

Sadie instantly licked the five-year-olds cheek and rolled over to offer the child her fluffy belly to pet.

Gabriel went to pet Sadie’s belly and noticed another dog. This was one a little smaller than Sadie and was timid. “Hi Puppy! I’m Gabriel.” He said as an introduction and extended his hand out as an offering for the smaller brown dog to sniff.

Henry watched the interaction from the couch and saw David’s annoyed ears. The last interaction David had with a child was when Philip’s three-year-old son pulled at his tail, because that kid had zero manners.

Gabriel at least knew how to properly greet a new dog and didn’t instantly rush at the beagle.

He quickly got up from the couch to put himself between David and Gabriel. He doubted David would snap or nip, but he couldn’t be too careful.

He bent down to Gabriel’s level. “Hello little darling. You must be Gabriel, I’m Henry, Alex’s friend. David is my puppy, and he didn’t have the best experience the last time he met a child. Why don’t we give him some time to come around to you. Who knows maybe Sadie talk to him for you.”

The little boy looked suspiciously like a younger clone of the nurse from the doorway on Tuesday. He was an adorable thing with dark curls, eyes that changed color depending on how the light hit them.

Gabriel smiled at the stranger crouched in front of him. “You have a pretty accent. I’m Gabirel and I’m five.” He told the blond and turned his attention back to the beagle.

“I’m sorry puppy, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He told the beagle and went back to rubbing Sadie’s belly.

Alex shut his apartment door and saw Henry had gotten up from the couch and was watching Gabriel giving Sadie a belly rub. “Everything okay?” He mouthed to Henry.

‘David was a little scared, I stepped in before anything could happen’ Henry mouthed back to Alex. David seemed to be a little bit more relaxed since Gabriel’s attention wasn’t trained on him. 

Gabriel suddenly remembered the exciting thing he was going to tell his Uncle Alex about. “Tio Alex! Did Papi tell you that we are going to Universal Studios for a day to visit Epic Universe and then on a Disney Cruise. I hope I’m tall enough to ride a rollercoaster.

“He did tell me that. I didn’t know about the day in Epic Universe though. I just knew about the cruise.” Alex told the child as he ruffled his soft curls.

“That sounds very fun.” Henry said as he listened to Gabriel’s excitement towards the vacation. 

“I’ll get to interact with Toothless! Papi said I might even to get to pet him.” Gabriel rambled on and Alex half expected his nephew to vibrate out of his own skin.

“Dad says that I’ll get to stay at the Helios Hotel and get an entire day at Epic to visit Mario and all of his friends and Toothless and all of his friends. Dad says I’m too young for Harry Potter and the horror land. Then we get on the cruise, and I’ll get to meet all of my favorite Disney characters.”

“Who is your favorite Disney character?” Henry asked the exuberant child who was excitedly rattling on about the vacation. He had to agree with either Raf or Matthew who said he was too young for Harry Potter.

He and Bea had worked with Universal for the creation of all the Harry Potter lands. Gabriel was still a little young to understand the true meaning behind Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts.

Grandma Beatrice was at an age where it was hard for her to travel outside of France, so she usually sent Bea or Henry in her place. Besides he knew his grandmother had registered the trademark and intellectual property to her two favorite grandchildren upon her death.

Philip could care less about Harry Potter, instead focusing his attention on making his Grandmother Mary proud. When in all reality Mary had half the net worth and compassion that Grandmother Fox had.

Henry smiled at Gabriel’s answer. “That’s a good character to like. Lilo and Stich is a good movie.”

“Hey squirt, I thought you needed help getting past a level in Super Mario Odyssey.” Alex said, hoping to redirect Gabriel’s attention and keep his nephew from talking Henry’s ear off.

“I do need your help. I’m stuck in the Metro Kingdom. Maybe, Henry would like to play Mario Kart with us instead.” Gabriel suggested as he pulled his Switch from his backpack.

“Why don’t you teach me to play later, and I’ll watch the two of you play instead.” Henry suggested. He didn’t play video games for fun. He much preferred the company of a good book growing up.

Alex hooked the Switch up to the living room TV and handed Gabriel the controller. “Metro Kingdom, New Donk City, hmm is that based on New York. Where are you stuck at?”

“I can’t get past the thing stealing power.”  Gabriel said as he got everything pulled up for Alex, hoping that his Tio could get him past the level.

“Henry, are you a doctor like my Tio?” Gabriel asked the blond; he hoped that Henry was dating Alex.

“No darling, I’m a teacher. I teach English and novels on the middle school level.” Henry explained to the child.

“Why not kindergarten? I met my teacher the other day, she seems really nice. She likes that I know colors in Spanish. Do you speak Spanish?”  Gabriel asked the blond man.

“I think he likes the smell of axe body spray and smelly socks.” Alex teased with a wink.

“I do not speak Spanish, but it is awesome that you can already speak the colors.” He figured Alex had a big hand in Gabriel knowing some bits of Spanish. “What teacher do you have?” He knew several of the elementary teachers that were in his district.

“Mrs. Green.” Gabriel answered, it was easy to remember because she shared the name with a color. She wore bright colors and was happy.

The reminder of tween boys reeking of various smells made him want to gag. The tween girls weren’t much better with their fruity, floral, uber sweet body spray combos. He was afraid the smell was going to make him gag, or worse let the pregnancy secret out of the bag.

Alex had his hCG had more than doubled from the blood test on Friday, which was great news that the pregnancy was progressing at it should.

The IV fluids had helped with the constant nauseous feeling, but he was terrified that a smell would trigger him to have a morning sickness episode in front of whatever class period he was teaching at the time. His poor students did not need front row seats for that.

His only goal for the student’s first day back to school was to survive the day without incident. He was excited to hear all about their summer breaks and have eager young minds to teach. He also looked forward to seeing the reception to his novel’s elective.

Henry watched Alex help Gabriel find the power moons. Honestly, the game on the TV looked very similar to New York City, however the video game called it New Donk City. The graphics on the game looked realistic.

He looked over and saw Alex and Gabriel, and it felt like he was getting a glimpse into his future with Alex and their future child, that was currently developing inside of him. The two of them would be playing video games and laughing as he read a good book. Alex was so great with Gabriel, and he knew that Alex would be an amazing father to their child.

Gabriel, with Alex's help, managed to finish the level and find the required amount of power moons. "Can we teach Henry how to play Mario Kart?" He said, turning his attention to Henry and giving the blond his best puppy eyes.

Henry made the mistake of looking at Gabriel's puppy eyes. He smiled at the child. "I've never played, but I'll play for a little bit." He told the excited child with the best puppy eyes.

Henry no sooner said he'd play and was met with a barrage of instructions from the very excited child. He had trouble understanding some of what the child was explaining. What the bloody hell was a blue shell and why would he want one.

"I'll let you pick the track." Gabriel told the blond man who had agreed to join the fun.

"Don't pick rainbow road." He saw Alex mouth over Gabriel's head. He settled on a track called DK spaceport, it kind of looked like the old Donkey Kong arcade game. Pez liked to drag him places and he had played an old arcade game or two. He knew Donkey Kong and Pac Man.

Henry sucked at Mario Kart. He kept running into the rolling barrels. He wound up being dead last crossing the finish line. He was not as skilled at Alex or Gabriel.

Alex gave Henry an apologetic smile, he knew video games were not his thing, but he still joined in and tried to play. Henry was good with Gabriel; besides it would be different when it was his own kid. He had always been indulgent towards Gabriel because he could as the fun ‘uncle.’

Gabriel wasn’t his blood, if the child wanted to call him Tio Alex he was fine with that. He and Raf had been friends long enough that Raf felt like a brother to him.

“Mr. Henry, would please read me my book later?” Gabriel asked the blond with a pretty accent. He wanted to hear the blond talk more.

“It would be my pleasure. What would you like me to read to you?” Henry asked the child. He planned to read to his novels class anyway. He had been a teacher long enough to know which students would do the assigned readings, and who wouldn’t.

“I like all books. I have The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales in my backpack.” Gabriel said hearing his Tio Alex’s laugh behind him.

Henry knew what book the child was talking about. He imagined his mum’s facial expression at the name of the book; she loved the classics. However, he knew most children despised the classics unless they were Dr. Suess. The classics did not spark a joy for reading. Percy Jackson and Harry Potter both sparked a middle schooler’s joy.

“I would love to read that to you later. Maybe you can teach me a few of the colors in Spanish.” Henry suggested to the young child.

After a few more rounds of racing, Alex snapped a quick photo of Gabriel tucked into his side and sent it to Oscar with the caption. ‘I do love getting my ass kicked by a five-year-old. I should teach him to play monopoly.’

Not even a few seconds later Alex heard the ping of an incoming text message. ‘Why are there three controllers in this photo, mijo. Something you’d like to tell me.’ Oscar had even circled them in the photo he sent.

“Fuck me!” Alex cursed and saw an incoming call from Oscar pop up on his phone screen.

“Little ears.” Henry chided Alex and saw the incoming call illuminate Alex’s phone.

“How pissed would you be if I told my pa about us?”

Henry looked at Alex and nodded his head. He didn't care if Alex told his dad about them. In fact, it was a good sign of their budding relationship. He was nervous to tell Oscar about them, but it was just about their relationship, not the pregnancy.

Alex answered the phone and put it on speakerphone. "Hey Pa! How's your weekend in California."

"I did some surfing this weekend. How's your weekend?" Oscar asked his voice full of curiosity to see if his son was about to make up some bullshit story.

"Gabriel has kicked my ass in Mario Kart." Alex said and took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"Cut the shit, mijo. I'm not Ellen and you can tell me anything. Who does the third controller belong to." He couldn't make assumptions on the gender, sure Alex had previously dated a man, but his son was a bisexual which meant the controller could belong to a woman.

"You know what why don’t we switch to FaceTime so I can meet them." Oscar said and hit the video chat to change the call.

"Hey Mijo!"

"Hey Pa. I'd like you to meet Henry Fox he's a middle school English teacher and best friend to Pez, who set us up on a date. We've been dating for a couple of weeks. I didn't want to overwhelm him with ma's campaign and politics right off the bat."

"Hello sir." Henry said and leaned in closer so that Oscar could see his face. "Your son is an amazing cook."

Oscar smiled at the blond man next to his kid. Hi Henry, please call me Oscar or Senator." He teased with a wink. "Thank you, I taught him everything he knows about cooking. I'm going to make a trip up to Boston next weekend and officially meet you. I'll take the two of you out for dinner, my treat."

"Sounds great! I look forward to meeting you." Henry told the older man, he could definitely see where Alex got his good looks from.

Oscar smirked to himself when he saw Henry in the frame. He had an idea Friday when he called that Alex was with someone it was nice to have confirmation to his theory. He figured Alex hadn't made caldo just for himself.

"So, he's the one you made caldo for?" Oscar teased. "Good choice. I'll let you boys be, I know Gabriel is eager to get back to kicking both of your asses! Love you, mijo."

He said ending the call and sending Alex a text message that read 'I approve, not that you need my approval anyway."

It warmed his heart to see his son dating someone again. He worried about his kid, he knew he had Raf and Matthew and he'd be forever grateful to them for caring so much about his kid. Hell, he considered Rafael and Matthew extended family at this point.

He knew Alex had Sadie for company, but she was a dog and could only do so much as his companion. He should know he had a few dates after Ellen, but they all fizzled out. They lacked a spark. He was lonely and didn’t want the same fate for his son. June was engaged to Nora, so naturally he worried about his son.

Chapter Text

Monday morning came much too soon for Henry’s taste. He had woken to a minimal amount of morning sickness compared to the previous days that had left him feeling zapped of all energy. He felt mostly like a human with some energy, not enough, but he hoped it was enough to survive the school day with excited students.

Henry hopped through a quick shower to remove the morning sickness stick from his body. He wrapped his torso with a fluffy towel and brushed his teeth and rinsed with a mouthwash. He also applied his morning skincare and styled his blond hair in his usual fashion. He looked the same as he always did, maybe a little more tired than usual.

The IV that Alex had given him on Saturday seemed to help, he knew today would be the biggest test as he’d be teaching for over eight hours. Although today was mostly a welcome back and syllabus day. He had a few creative writing activities planned, and he’d let his novels elective know which book series they’d be reading for the school year and assigning copies. He also had a couple of fun ‘quizzes’ tied to the book that he’d let them take.

He walked back into the master bedroom and heard Alex joking with the dogs from outside the door. He knew Alex worked out in the mornings and made sure to be back five minutes before Henry’s alarm clock went off, in case he needed to rub his back because of the morning sickness.

He discarded the towel from around his waist and pulled on his trunk underwear. He pulled on his navy ‘primo chinos’ he liked the way the pants fit his legs and waist and the overall design of them. He only wore one brand of pants for work, and they were highly customizable from the waist, inseam, and fit. All of his work chinos from them felt like they were made for him, mostly because they were made for him.

He buttoned the hidden button, latched the hook and bar closure, and buttoned the exposed button. He liked the front design of them and thought they looked a little more upscale than the typical button chino. He had the sad realization that he could maybe put on five pounds before he needed a bigger waist size or get ones with a maternity panel or waistband. He sighed at the thought and made a mental note to look for a sale during his lunch period.

He grabbed his light blue button down that had white flowers that looked sketched onto the shirt. He buttoned and tucked the shirt into his pants, and once he was satisfied, he rolled up the sleeves to his elbows. He decided to forgo a belt since it was more comfortable, and he usually didn’t wear one with his ‘primo chino.’

He sat down on the edge of the bed and toed on a pair of no-show socks. He checked out his outfit in the large full-sized mirror and he padded down the hallway to the kitchen.

“Damn baby! I think I’m hot for teacher!” Alex declared from the kitchen as he watched Henry strut down the hallway looking like a fine-ass professor. “You look great in blue.”

“Speak for yourself! I never understood the whole ‘man in uniform’ until I saw you in a pair of scrubs. Honest question but do you get your scrubs tailored?” Henry asked wondering how he looked that good in scrubs.

Today, Alex was wearing a set of matching spearmint green colored scrubs. “I like that color on you.”

Alex laughed at Henry’s question. “I don’t get them tailored. I do get them embroidered since I won’t wear a lab coat for so many reasons, I really prefer a jacket over a lab coat. I also like the jogger style because nothing says bisexual quite like an exposed ankle.” He had a rainbow of scrub colors hung in his closet. All of his tops and jackets had his name and specialty embroidered over the left chest; and all of his pants were jogger style.

Henry started to laugh at Alex’s bisexual joke about the exposed ankle and was quickly cut off by a quick peck on the lips.

“So, what sounds good to you for breakfast? Would you like more peanut butter and banana toast, maybe avocado toast topped with an egg, a Greek yogurt parfait, overnight oats, just eggs whichever way you prefer.” Alex questioned the blond.

One of these mornings he needed to make Henry his famous huevos rancheros con chorizo or migas for him to try. He wanted to wait to see how Henry felt before breaking out those recipes to get sick on.

Henry listened to choices Alex had listed. What he really wanted over all the healthy and nutritious options that Alex had offered was a Boston Cream donut, or one of Mel’s delicious cinnamon rolls that she sometimes had boxed up for them on the first day of school and before their Christmas Break. He swore that one of her cinnamon rolls was the size of one of his arsecheeks.

“You look like you want something else. If you have a craving for something don’t be afraid to ask even if it seems ridiculous. Trust me I hear patients tell me all sorts of weird cravings; I promise I won’t judge yours.” Alex said as he placed the lid onto Henry’s tea as the blond greeted the dogs who were happily eating their breakfast.

“Have you had one of Mel’s cinnamon rolls?” Henry asked the doctor who smiled and laughed.

“I have and they are delicious. I’m sure if you told her about your craving for them, she’d happily make you up a batch. Sadly, I don’t have her cinnamon roll recipe. I do have my Abuela’s recipe, but it is a little late in the morning to make those.” 

Henry sighed and thought about the choices Alex had offered him. “What are overnight oats?” He asked wondering what that was, he had heard of oatmeal before but wasn’t sure of that variation.

“Overnight oats are oatmeal soaked in milk overnight with chia and flax seed. I have a brownie batter flavor that might help your sweet craving. Sadly, not a cinnamon roll though.”

“I guess I’ll try that.” Henry muttered but wished it was a cinnamon roll or donut. He watched Alex grab a jar from the fridge and a spoon from the flatware drawer.

“Bon Appétit.” Alex teased Henry as he made himself sourdough avocado toast with a runny egg. He sprinkled Tajin and Cholula onto the egg and placed the plate next to Henry on the countertop and slid onto one of countertop chairs.

“That looks really good.” Henry muttered referring to Alex’s avocado toast.

“Would you like try a bite?” Alex offered cutting a bite for Henry to try.

“I thought I couldn’t have runny egg?” Henry questioned softly remembering the bit about eggs.

“You can’t have raw eggs! You shouldn’t have a runny unpasteurized egg, but eggs from the grocery store had their shells washed. The CDC food recall hasn’t detected salmonella in or on a pasteurized egg. Salmonella obviously isn’t a great thing for you to get, but it doesn’t directly cross the placenta like Listeria. Salmonella also doesn’t typically cross into the yolk so as long as it is a quality egg from a trustworthy place, eat the runny egg. Just not a raw egg.

“I’ve seen pregnant people admit on Reddit that they ate medium eggs during their pregnancy and everything was fine. I’ve had patients tell me they did it and I just kind of shrug. It’s not a hard no for me, like drugs or alcohol are. Alex admitted with a wink as he slid the fork into Henry’s mouth.

Henry relaxed and took a bite of the fully loaded avocado toast. “That is really good.”

“So, Tajin and Cholula don’t bother you?” Alex questioned with a smile. He would absolutely be making his Abuelo’s famous Huevos Rancheros con Chorizo this weekend for Henry and his pa.

“I know a very good falafel place and I spent a lot of time with Pez who introduced to me some great food our time at Eton.” Henry explained as he opened the lid on the glass jar and dug the spoon into the brownie batter overnight oats.

They were actually pretty good, not as good as the avocado toast or Mel’s cinnamon rolls, but he liked them and would happily eat another jar. He ate carefully so as not to spill down the front of his button down. The last thing he wanted was to attend the first day with a brown stain on his shirt.

Henry finished his brownie batter overnight oats and Alex offered him another bite of the fully loaded avocado toast. Once they were both finished with breakfast, he watched Alex wash out the overnight oat jar along with the toast plate.

He looked down at his smartwatch and realized he would need to leave for work soon. He tried to get there 30 minutes before the students arrived so he could open up his classroom, as he had a few students who loved to show up early to talk about books, peruse his classroom library, or just sit in his classroom and read.

“We have a catered lunch, and I was going to spend lunch with Liam and Mel.” Henry explained before Alex could pack him a lunch.

“Raf and Matthew will both be late since it is Gabriel’s first day of kindergarten. I also have interviews scheduled over lunch break.” Alex explained, he knew Matthew’s first appointment was scheduled for 9 instead of his usual 8.

“So, I should probably finish getting ready for work too. Tell Liam I said hey.” Alex told Henry as he finished cleaning up his kitchen. He handed Henry his water tumbler and tea mug full of morning sickness tea.

Henry sighed and bent down to give David a forehead kiss. “Bye Davy be a good boy. Bye Sadie be a good girl.” Henry said and gave Sadie’s forehead a kiss before he got back to his feet, he knew he’d eventually have a large pregnant belly getting in his way. He checked over his messenger bag to make sure he had everything he needed for his workday in it.

Alex smirked and looked at Henry. “I believe you forgot something.” He teased and pulled Henry close so he could gently peck his lips. “I hope you have a great first day back baby. If you need me, just text me and I’ll answer.”

Henry walked out of the apartment door his messenger bag slung over his shoulder and two tumblers in his hand as Alex toed on his On Cloud sneakers.

Amy walked into the clinic dressed in a sage green iridescent scrub top with matching scrub pants. She sat her metallic purple backpack down onto the floor next to her desk in its usual spot. She noticed that Alex was occupying the empty computer and chair, probably trying to skim through his schedule and patient labs. “Morning Alex! Did you and Henry have a great weekend together?” She asked as she handed him the can of Witch’s Brew energy drink. She knew it was one of his favorites and it was seasonal only. She sat in her chair and cracked open her own can.

Alex smiled seeing the purple and green energy drink can in Amy’s hand. It took the can from her admiring the chrome manicure on her nails. “Your nails are pretty.” He said as he opened his own caramel apple flavored energy drink and he knew he would need to get a box of it, or three.

“Thanks Ames!” He raised the can in her direction. “It will you and I until probably 9 as it is Gabriel’s first day of kindergarten.” He said and took a greedy sip of the caffeine.

“Henry and I had a good weekend; I think I got his morning sickness better under control. I accidentally sent my dad a photo that had three game video game controllers in it. Which meant I told my dad about Henry and now he’s coming to Boston for a little visit. Farah also texted me that ma is officially announcing her campaign this week.” Alex said with a soft sigh, he was not looking forward to that campaign announcement.

“I can’t believe it is his first day of kindergarten, feels like just yesterday… Her voice trailed off since Alex knew exactly what she meant. It had been five years since Raf had almost died without Alex.

“Oscar’s coming for a visit? Well, that’s good that he wants to meet Henry. You do know we are all here for you when it comes to that announcement, whatever you need just let us know.” Amy said as she took a sip of her energy drink and patted Alex’s shoulder.

She hoped that someone else would run to foil Ellen. She had met her a few times, and both times she wasn’t impressed with Alex’s mother. She much preferred Oscar because he actually cared about his children and knew who she was. The last time Ellen visited, she had referred to her as that nurse.

Alex was grateful to have a team made up of Raf and Amy, he hoped that at least one or two of his lunch interviews shared the same vision he had for Prism and wanted to actually care for patients instead of the ‘treat and street’ mantra.

His biggest priority was finding Cash and Adrian a nurse they vibed with. If he could find Raf a nurse as well it would be a great bonus, he would be just fine with Amy if he couldn’t find someone he meshed with. His main hopes for today were that Henry survived the first day back with students and he hopefully would like at least one nurse to hire.

Alex heard the sound of a door open and saw Chloe enter through the staff door. She was dressed in a wine-colored midi dress with pink flowers and a pair of black sandals with braided straps. Amy grabbed a witch’s brew from her desk and handed it to Chloe knowing their receptionist could use the caffeine kick too.

“Morning.” She said and took the energy drink from Amy and sat in Raf’s usual chair. She handed the can to Alex to open who opened the can for her, she had a fresh set of chrome nails, and her wrists felt a little sore. “Thanks boss.” She said and took a greedy sip of the caffeine.

“How are you feeling? How’d the first dose of Humira make you feel?” Alex questioned turning his chair to face Chloe. Amy had given him some updates, but he wanted to hear it from Chloe.

“I slept in until 10am on Saturday, I felt tired and sleepy most of the weekend. Eli said that was normal especially with the first injection. I’m feeling okay, glad to finally have an answer to my pain. So, does my footwear meet your approval?” Chloe joked and stuck her sandal covered foot in his direction.

“I’m glad you are feeling okay. As for the shoes, they aren’t heels so yes, they do meet my approval. Although, I doubt they’d meet a podiatrist’s approval though.” Alex teased with a warm laugh; he knew his own sneakers didn’t have that seal either his sneakers could get him through a day of clinic and delivering a baby, he had a more cushioned pair for longer procedures in the operating room.

Chloe giggled softly and took a sip of her energy drink. “Good thing I don’t work for a podiatrist then. Do y’all need anything office supply wise, I need to put in a Staples order. I need to order more snacks and drinks for the snack bar. I also need to order fun stickers, a treasure box, and things to put in the treasure box.” Chloe said going over her must get done list.

“I also looked at the interviewee’s social media this weekend and they look like normal twenty-year-olds. I saw a couple of party photos and bikini photos but oh well.” Chloe said with a shrug she was chill like Alex.

“I also went ahead and posted two medical office assistant openings. I think we could get by with hiring two of them for now at least until I graduate.”

“You are a little to efficient.” Alex muttered, he was incredibly grateful that he had Chloe to keep up with all the administrative tasks that came with running Prism. He trusted her judgement knowing that she combed through the social media of all of the five nurses coming for an interview during lunch. If the worst thing was a margarita or a bikini, he was fine with that. He wanted his employees to have a life outside of work so long as it didn’t affect their work.

Henry walked into his classroom and turned on the lights along with the other lights he had scattered throughout his classroom. He sat down at his desk to make sure he had all the handouts he needed for his various classes throughout the day. He also tucked an alcohol wipe into his trouser pocket.

He no sooner looked up from his desk drawer and watched one of his eighth graders walk into his classroom holding a present. “Hello Karia. I assumed you had a lovely summer?” Henry questioned the wide-eyed brunette who was rarely found without a book in her hand.

He’d take it to his grave, but he adored her strutting into his classroom in the mornings to read and have book discussions with him. He figured she had some sort of trick to only getting him as her English teenager. He also knew she was in his novel’s elective, even though he watched her read that series last year. He personally thought students deserved at least one easier elective and one they were interested in and looked forward to.

“Hey Mr. Fox! I’m so excited that I was able to secure a spot into your novel’s elective. I also have a little present for you.” She said handing him the present.

“Thank you darling! That’s very kind of you.” Henry said as he took the bag from her. “I saw your name on the list. I figured that I would find your name on that roster, I also have you for English-language arts.”

Henry opened the gift bag, some of his students brought him gifts, but it wasn’t to the extent of an elementary teacher. He was appreciative of every single gift his students brought him.

He saw hand soap from Bath and Body works that was scented in Leather-Bound Pages and the label looked like a cozy library. Also in the gift bag was a pocket-sized hand sanitizer with the same scent as the soap. There was a composition notebook badge holder with a Target gift card tucked into the clear front. There was also a ton of his favorite American snacks of Nerds Clusters, a bag of peanut butter s’mores flavored trail mix, and a bag of his favorite Ghirardelli dark chocolate lava cake squares.

There was of course a Snoopy hugging Woodstock hand sanitizer holder, it was a bit of an inside joke with his students. He owned a beagle so if his students saw Snoopy themed it found its way into a gift for him. He loved and cherished every single gift a student had ever given him.

He knew some of the younger teachers would scoff at anything other than a gift card, but that wasn’t him. He loved his students dearly and if they brought him a pair of Snoopy socks for Christmas, he would wear them threadbare.

“Thank you, that was very thoughtful.” Henry said and noticed she had sat down at one of the desks. “Did you read anything good over summer break?”

Several of his other students also brought in a little gift or a treat for him in celebration of the new school year. There were several incoming sixth graders whose parents had a printout to get to know him so that the next gift could be a little more personal. The students joked they were giving him homework. A few of the moms or dads had sent along an energy drink that he would pawn off onto Alex, he was strictly a tea drinker, which the sixth graders had no knowledge of.

“Do try and have a great day.” Matthew said with a soft smile as he squeezed his husband’s hand as he placed a chaste kiss on his cheek before he pulled away and headed to his own office. He knew his first client was set to arrive soon. He knew Gabriel thrived in pre-school, and would thrive in kindergarten, but kindergarten meant their baby wasn’t a baby. It was a fact neither one of them liked.

“Love you.” Raf said before he walked over to his desk and sat his backpack down in its usual spot. He noticed that Amy wasn’t at her desk, so he figured that she was in a room with a patient or drawing blood. He also didn’t hear Alex, so he figured his mentor was also in a room with a patient.

He logged into his computer and iPad along with the EMR and tried to figure out Alex’s schedule. He also saw a note in Alex’s slightly messy handwriting; it was at least legible. The note read that the clinic’s medication had already been inventoried and documented.

He noticed a few messages from Alex in his inbox about a few patient’s labs and the explanation and education behind it. The doctor had made him a much better nurse, and Alex’s teaching was the reason why Raf was the top of his midwifery class. He made his own notes to review later and waited for Alex or Amy to appear.

“Hey! Did you get Gabriel all settled?” Amy asked and patted Raf’s back. “I have the 9am roomed and ready to go. Alex is mostly still on schedule.” She knew that Alex would no doubt spend 10 minutes yapping at Raf, which would delay his schedule, but it was something they were both used to. The doctor yapped and provided great care.

“Chloe said she did a social media dive on the nurse’s coming in for an interview and she didn’t find any red flags, which is good. Said they had bikini photos, but what twenty-something with social media doesn’t have a drinking photo in this day and age?” She said and grabbed the can of Witch’s Brew she had set aside for Raf.

“Marry me?” Raf asked Amy as he opened the energy drink can as she caught him up for the morning and what had already been done. He didn’t drink energy drinks all that often, but he did on the rare occasion. Usually when a new flavor was released or when he stayed up entirely too late studying.

“Wrong team their sweetie!” Amy teased with a giggle as she took another sip of her energy drink that was mostly gone.

“We also had some prior auth denials that have pissed Alex off. Oscar is coming for a visit on Friday; he accidentally had one too many video game controllers in the photo he sent Oscar of the three of them playing video games. Farah said that Ellen is releasing her primary campaign on Thursday, so good chance that puts him in a mood and on edge.” Amy muttered to catch Raf up on everything that wasn’t just work. They cared about Alex and now Henry.

“Which means press and maybe a protester or two around the clinic. Hopefully she chooses to announce her campaign later in the day so we can avoid and postpone the shitshow. Can someone else announce their campaign. I don’t want to vote Claremont.” Raf whispered, he knew the walls were thick and Alex was in another room talking to a patient.

Amy sighed and nodded her head in agreement. She was not Ellen Claremont’s biggest fan. In fact, there was a lot she’d like to tell her about her parenting, or lack thereof. She also didn’t love how she brought Alex and June’s sexuality into her campaigns. She felt it was like ‘look at me and my umbrella children. I’m so progressive when I’m really not. Sure, your marriage is safe if you elect me, but it should be safe given the time.’

“I hope we don’t have protestors show up.” Amy groaned at the thought, her brain already formulating an emergency plan in case they were locked in due to protestors, it had happened only once. Mel would pick up Ava and Gabriel and keep them overnight and get them off to daycare and school.

“Reasons I always have a change of scrubs and underwear.” Raf sighed dramatically, he hoped the emergency plan never came to fruition. “Screw it! I’m going to text Oscar to see if he will help with a security guard or off-duty police officer. Surely Jack knows of someone in this state that will help.” Raf muttered as he grabbed his phone from the desk to send Oscar a text message.

“Same. You might want to give Matthew a head’s up too.” Amy told the midwife student hearing an exam door click open. “I’ll have my fingers crossed and keep me updated.”

Raf heard his phone ding as Alex walked out of the exam room chatting to a patient about a follow-up. He mouthed the words ‘he’s already on it’ to Amy as he gestured to his phone.

Once the patient left Alex sat in an empty computer chair to chart. “You’re back. Did you get Gabriel all settled.”

“He didn’t even cry. We got a bye and love you.” Raf said with a forlorn sigh. “He’s all grown up. My child and I will graduate at the same time. Sure, it was just kindergarten, but it was still an important milestone in their child’s life.” He wanted another child, but now Alex had a baby on the way. He was nearing the age where he would be a high-risk pregnancy because of his age it just seemed like the timing was off.

He still worried about another birth, even if it was Alex. He didn’t want to be pregnant for his graduation; and it felt like with each passing day his window shrank drastically. He wanted another child, but he would be just as happy as a family of three.

Raf grabbed his phone, having cleared the message from Oscar and showed Alex and Amy the photos he got of Gabriel’s first day of kindergarten. “I’m worried that Gabriel’s yapping will get him trouble, like Matthew and I somehow missed ADHD, and his teacher will not like him.”

“Raf he’s five, he’s going to be hyperactive and yappy to make friends. He’s a smart kid and is more than ready for kindergarten. You and Matthew raised him to be respectful, and he has you two for parents.” Alex soothed and he understood Raf’s worry.

“Henry adored the day we spent with Gabriel, he also said Miss Green is a new teacher. It will all be okay, I’m sure of it. He will come home and yap your ear off about all the friends he made and how much he likes Miss Green. Now come see a patient with me, before you make my schedule very far behind.” Alex teased Raf with a tight hug.

“Good morning!” Henry greeted the sixth graders who were filing into his classroom. He was trying hard to seem upbeat and like his usual self, but he already felt exhausted and in need of nap. It was just his syllabus and a fun assignment day. He heard the bell ring and helped the few confused sixth graders milling about the hall with directions.

He closed his classroom door and walked to the center of his classroom. “Good morning, friends! I’m Mr. Fox and I’ll be your English teacher for the year. A very fun fact about me is that my grandmother is a well-known novelist. I am going to go through my class list and when I call your name, I want you all to tell me a fun fact about yourself so that I can get to know you. If you’d like me to call you by a different name let me know that too.

“Your grandmother wrote Harry Potter. Your last names are the same.” A girl with curly hair spoke up from the middle of his classroom.

“Each new group seems to catch on quicker than the last.” Henry teased, it wasn’t like he hadn’t been a teacher for almost ten years and taught their siblings. He also liked discussion, so it was okay if not everyone raised their hand as long as they didn’t speak over each other.

Henry said and grabbed his class roster; he had familiarized himself with most of his class lists and recognized a few of the surnames having taught their siblings. He went down his class list and it was nice to put a face to their names. He made the last note on his students and nicknames. He tried better than most to memorize his class lists and their preferred names or nicknames.

“Now that I am better familiar with you why don’t we go over some rules, the syllabus, and of course my expectations for the year. The most important thing I want you to remember is my door is always open if you want to talk, I am here for you. We also had a new school counselor start Mr. Carson and his door is also always open. I know middle school can feel funny and overwhelming, but above all we just want to see you all succeed.” He loved his students like his own child that was currently growing inside him.

“I know some of you probably think why do I still have to take English instead of STEM, especially given the emphasis on it. English teaches communication, it also teaches you critical thinking and the ability to understand context clues and to evaluate what you read.” Henry told them and saw their eyes focused on him.

“Now for classroom rules. I try to make my lessons fun. I like discussions but I need you to be respectful and try and take turns or raise hands. Please don’t talk over each other to try to get your point across, save that for debate club.”

“My grading scale is pretty fair and while I think grammar is important, I’m not a huge stickler if you overuse a comma. I do ask at the very least to use spell check. I also ask that you not use AI to write your paper or book report because then I have to fail that assignment and I don’t want to do that. All I ask is for some effort into the assignment.”

“I will also give you back corrections, if you provide me with an updated copy with those corrections I’ll give you some bonus points, usually enough to change the letter grade. If you manage to get an A on an assignment, then I will give you a sticker and a punch card. If you collect 10 then you get to choose between extra credit or a free homework pass.” He heard a few happy gasps at the announcement of a homework pass. He knew they had a lot of expectations from the other teachers and the last thing he wanted was for them to feel overwhelmed with homework.

“I understand you are still kids, and middle school is new and can be overwhelming since you do have more responsibility than in elementary school. If you do feel overwhelmed, come to me, don’t hide it and let your grade plummet. I am here for you, and I want to see you go off to high school.” Henry paused and took a sip of his tumbler full of flavored water and allowed the students to process what he said. He could see a few smirks on their faces.

“Now I know some of you just listened to my spiel and think I’m a pushover. Make no mistake, I will not hesitate to fail you. I will not hesitate to tell your coach that you have a failing grade and that you can’t play in a game or worse.” Henry saw a few of their eyebrows disappear into their hairline.

“I also know we live in a tech generated society; I don’t care if you have your phone on you. I do ask that you please don’t use it in class. If I catch you on your phone and it is not an absolute emergency, then your phone will take a field trip to my desk until the end of class. If you do it more than once, then I will email your parents.”

“Now for the syllabus, one thing the district requires is that I teach you SAT level vocabulary and spelling words we want to best prepare you for high school. Every Monday we will go over your new vocabulary words and on Friday we will have a spelling test. Unfortunately, you can’t use the homework pass on a test. I am passing out my syllabus with a major assignment calendar.”

“Each time you walk into my class I will have a bell assignment on the board, it is a writing assignment for five minutes mostly to get your brain working and engaged.” Henry explained and pulled up the first writing assignment which was about their summer break. “You can be as silly as you like, however I will have you turn them in at the end of the quarter and that does count towards some of your grade.”  

“Now for some other announcements. I have a classroom library where you can check out books from me. I have some titles the library does not have, so if you enjoy reading, please feel free to peruse the shelves. You can read during class so long as we are not in the middle of a lecture and you are finished with that assignment.” He had some graphic novels that weren’t in the library such as Heartstopper. He also thought graphic novels were a book; they had text and encouraged reading and creativity.

“We have a book club that I sponsor so if you enjoy reading and want to meet other bookworms. The librarian and I co-coach Battle of the Books where we compete against the other middle schools with our literary knowledge, I’ll be posting a signup sheet soon if you’d like to try out.”

He needed to catch up with Kristen and make a schedule, he had no idea how he was going to survive this first trimester of pregnancy. He was also one of the 8^th grade class sponsors and he needed to talk to Shaan. He didn’t want to have the baby in Washington D.C. or in Six Flags New England.

Henry heard the sound of the bell and realized it was time for lunch. He dismissed his 7^th graders and put a note on his classroom door so he could get his lunch from the teacher’s lounge and find Liam, Mel, or Kristen to have lunch with. He wanted to take a nap on a couch instead of eating food or being sociable to his coworkers and friends. He had spent the morning talking to his students and he was already exhausted. The first trimester was kicking his arse.

He wandered into the teacher lounge. “I made the cake pops.” Henry heard Mel’s voice whisper near his ear. He turned around and saw that Mel was standing behind him. He had never realized how tall the nurse was, if he had to guess she was as tall as Amy was.

“Want a lunch buddy or a crash on one of my office cots?” She asked as she patted his shoulder in comfort.

“Am I that obvious?” Henry whispered to the nurse and wondered if his students could see it. He placed some salad and a few slices of cheeseburger pizza onto his plate and eyed Mel’s colorful cake pops.

“Not at all. You look no different than someone with insomnia, besides I think most of us are in a lunch slump. We are so excited to have the kids back, but at the same time always underestimate how tiring the first day back is with them.” She whispered and handed him a cake pop that looked like lined notebook paper. “Nurse’s orders.”

He took the cake pop from Mel’s hand and noticed her bright pink nail polish. He mouthed a ‘thank you’ to the nurse grateful that he at least one person who knew, bonus she was a nurse.

“Liam’s office has a nice couch we can occupy.” Mel teased the English teacher and grabbed a cake pop of her own as a sweet treat for later. She walked out of the teacher lounge and navigated through the halls until she reached her and Liam’s part of the school close to the entrance and front office. She opened Liam’s door and left it open for the counselor.

Henry smiled once he saw the couch sitting against the wall. He had a sneaking suspicion that he and Liam were going to be great friends and lunch buddies.

Liam entered his office with a smile, and he saw Henry and Mel waiting for him. “Hey Henry, how ya holding up?” He asked the English teacher as he took a seat in his usual spot.

Liam smiled and took a seat in his usual spot. "How are ya holding up?"

Henry smiled and shoved his fork into his salad. He was trying to eat healthy even though his brain was screaming at him to eat the delicious looking cake pop first. “I’ve been better. I also have an urge to curl up on your couch and take a nap for the rest of the day.”

Liam softly smiled as he remembered those days of wanting to fall asleep at his desk. “Hang in there, it is lunch when means you are halfway through the day. It does get a little easier as your body adjusts.”

“Liam, can I ask you what is Oscar like? Oscar is coming for a visit this weekend, and I’d like to be prepared.” Henry asked as he shoved a forkful of salad into his mouth.

“You have nothing to worry about. Oscar is great and he will love you.” Liam muttered as he took a bite of the slice of pizza he was holding.

“Ellen on the other hand is the one you should worry about.” Liam said with a small shrug. “Luckily, she’s too busy with her campaign to care much about her children. The only time she cares for Alex is if he posts a video that is a little too progressive and paints her or her campaigns in the wrong light.” Liam explained and looked at Henry.

“Oscar on the other hand cares for his children and is always proud and excited of anything Alex does. When he comes for a visit, he will wait for Alex to bring up or talk about politics. Oscar and Alex didn’t have the best relationship when Alex was a kid.

“Back when we were growing up Alex had wanted to be exactly like Ellen even down to becoming a congressman. He idolized her and he talked about them being like the Bushes but better. When Ellen and Oscar’s marriage got rocky, he sided with his mother and her side of the divorce story. The reason for the divorce is because it felt like he cared more about the children and was worried about Alex. He wanted to take both of the children to California to live with him.”

“Alex begged and wanted to stay with Ellen in Texas. June understood the reason for the divorce and realized what was happening to her little brother also stayed in Texas and essentially became the mother to Alex. When Ellen constantly missed our middle school lacrosse games, June was there.”

“It wasn’t until Freshman year when Alex finally started to become aware of Ellen’s absence and that maybe he should expand his class electives outside of just history, civics, and law. That summer several of us got lifeguard jobs at the local pool and Alex came with. He realized he wanted to help people outside politics. They’ve been at odds since he decided to turn his back on her childhood dream for him.” Liam said he knew how hard it was for Alex to turn his back on that pressure and pave his own path.

“All of that to say I promise Oscar will like and approve of you. I might wait to tell him you are pregnant though at least for a few weeks. Let the heat from Ellen’s campaign circus dwindle before you tell him. I don’t think California would enjoy their senator having a heart attack.” Liam teased Henry with a bright, warm laugh. Oscar Diaz was incredibly healthy for a man in his early fifties. Besides Alex was a doctor who made sure his dad got frequent checkups.

“I still need to figure out a way to get the children to come talk to me. I mean I wouldn’t have wanted to visit the previous counselor either.” Liam sighed as he looked around his office and took another bite of his pizza.

“I could always bribe the students with extra credit if they come meet you during the open house. I have mentioned to all of my morning classes that you are the new counselor, and we want to see them succeed. Especially with my new batch of sixth graders given how different middle school feels compared to elementary school. I could get the other English teachers to do the same.” Henry suggested to the counselor. He thought it a little ironic that he wanted the students to have mental health help, but he had yet to see his own therapist.

The three of them sat and talked until their lunch break was over and the students were set to return from their lunch break. He ate the delicious cake pop that Mel had made and disposed of his trash into the staff lounge.

“Have a great night!” Henry said after the final bell rang, signaling dismissal. It felt like the day had dragged on forever. He still had no idea how he was supposed to teach his students, co-coach Battle of the Books, sponsor book club, and grow a human. He silently groaned at the exhausting thought.

He knew he should talk to Kristen, the co-coach, to work out a plan for Battle of the Books, but he just wanted to pack up the gifts from his students, grab something for dinner for him and Alex, and put his feet up and relax on Alex’s couch with David and Sadie.

After a few minutes of thought he sighed and grabbed his notebook from his desk and his favorite fountain pen and reluctantly separated himself from his chair and left his classroom. He headed to the media center and library. He walked through the doors and saw Kristen cataloging a stack of books.

“I was beginning to wonder if you remembered where the library was located!” Kristen teased with a laugh.

“I’m very sorry. It was a rough first week back as I was under the weather, but I’m here now and I’d never forget where the library was located. Why don’t you and I catch up and I’ll tell you everything.” He said as he took a seat in a nearby chair to catch up and make a plan for Battle of The Books.

Henry talked to Kristen for over an hour catching up with each other about their summer’s and getting a plan in place for this year’s Battle of The Books team. He made a quick signup sheet and would hang them up tomorrow after the students left for the day. He was excited about another school year, but at the same time he was done for the day and just wanted to relax on Alex’s couch with David and Sadie burrowed into his lap.

He finished his meeting with Kristen and made his way back to his classroom to pack everything up for the day. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and remembered that he never looked for larger work pants during his lunch break. He pulled up his message app and sent Alex a text message: What sounds good for dinner?

Alex

What do you think sounds good for dinner?

I’ll eat just about anything!

Henry thought about it for a few moments and thought a lobster with a side of clam chowder sounded heavenly. He typed out a text message: Can I eat a lobster roll and clam chowder?

He saw the text bubble and saw Alex’s response almost instantly.

Totally on the safe food list!

I’ll take one of each. 😉

Henry smiled and shoved the last energy drink into one of reusable bags. He grabbed his messenger bag, tea and water tumbler, and the oversized bag and walked out of his classroom and turned off the light and locked up his door. He made his way out to the staff parking lot and sat the reusable bag into the backseat and the messenger bag into the passenger’s seat.

He thought about the lobster roll and went ahead and placed an online pickup order for two regular lobster rolls with butter and two bowls of clam chowder at James Hook. Once the restaurant confirmed his order he backed out of his parking spot and navigated traffic.

He parked in the free parking area and walked past the area of metal tables, chairs, umbrellas, and lobster statue up the stairs and into the restaurant. He grabbed his to-go order from the counter and made his way back to his SUV. Alex had bought the mac and cheese and had made him that delicious caldo, not that he was keeping track. He could cook, but he didn’t enjoy it like Alex or Mel enjoyed it and honestly, he did eat a lot of takeout.

He placed the takeout into his passenger’s seat and drove the few miles to Alex’s place. He tapped the badge Alex had given to him to the sensor and parked next to Alex’s SUV. He grabbed his messenger bag and dinner from the passenger’s seat. He also grabbed the large bag full of student presents from the backseat. He shut the door with his hip and made his way into the building and up to the third floor.

He opened the door to Alex’s condo and kicked off his leather sneakers and hung his messenger bag onto one of the hooks and made his way into the living area.

“Hi baby! How was your first day back?” Alex asked as he took the bag of food from Henry and softly kissed the blond’s cheek.

“Exhausting! I’m happy that the students are back but I am exhausted from my hair to my toes.” Henry admitted as he sat down onto a kitchen island stool to eat his lobster and clam chowder.

“I’m sorry you feel exhausted.” Alex said with a soft smile as he unwrapped the lobster roll and poured the container of melted butter onto the roll. “Any nausea? Were you able to keep lunch down?”

“Maybe a little bit of nausea after lunch, but it could have been just the early afternoon Axe smell.” Henry teased with a laugh. “They ordered pizza, and Mel had made themed cake pops. I had a couple slices of pizza and a cake pop and that stayed down.” Henry admitted as he took a bit of the roll stuffed full of lobster.

“I have some energy drinks for you that were gift from the sixth graders. I don’t drink energy drinks and only drink tea, but they didn’t know that about me. I also have some snacks to share.” Henry told the doctor who was adding the oyster crackers into his bowl of clam chowder.

“You are the best for thinking of me. I’m glad the nausea has settled down.” Alex muttered around a bite of clam chowder. Residency had left him with an unhealthy caffeine addiction and the middle of the unpredictable schedule that was his specialty didn’t help in the slightest.

“How do your sixth graders act when they learn you are their teacher? Have you ever had a student flirt with you?” Alex asked curiously, he knew when a pre-teen came to him, they tended to be tongue-tied around him or shy discussing medical things.

Henry laughed and took a quick sip of his tumbler full of water to get the food down. “It was very eventual when I was in my early twenties and a student teacher for the first time. Although some of the parents were worse than the students. That was until they learned I was gay. Now that I’ve been teaching for as long as I have the students respect me and don’t really flirt. The same can be said about the parents, I take my job seriously and I think everyone realizes that.” Henry said to Alex.

He figured the doctor understood it as they were both attractive people. Mary had had a lot to say about his career choice as had a few parents. Like male teachers were fine if they taught science or math, but English was a girly subject at least to them.

“How was your day love?” Henry asked after swallowing the bite of his lobster roll. The lobster roll and clam chowder were really hitting the spot.

“It wasn’t bad. I had lunch interviews with Cash, Adrian, and Raf to try and find them a nurse. We interviewed five nurses and decided to hire them all as they match Prism’s values. Scarlett will be Cash’s nurse and she’s a young new grad and so bubbly. She reminds me a bit of Rapunzel, and I think the kids will really adore her.”

“She also had her friends apply so Adrian wants Katie. Raf and Emily meshed well with each other. Kyra will be replacing the huge hole that Raf will leave once he graduates and takes his licensing exam. Amy really loved her, and they got along fantastically. I plan to make Alana a backup for Adrian and Cash for referrals and prior authorizations.” Alex explained to an engrossed Henry.

“I’m glad that you were able to find a batch of nurses that you like.” Henry said and while he had no idea how to run a clinic, he was incredibly proud of all of Alex’s achievements and Prism’s achievements.

They finished eating, making conversation about each other’s day and Alex helped Henry unpack the presents from the students. “Do you like Snoopy or something?” Alex questioned him in regard to the Snoopy socks he was holding.

“It is an inside joke with some of the students. Snoopy design is based on a beagle, so they get me Snoopy socks or anything Snoopy as a joke.” Henry explained as Alex placed the energy drinks into the fridge.

“Snoopy is a beagle?” Alex asked as he scrutinized the Snoopy design on the socks. “I mean I kind of see it with the head, but most beagles look like David. I’ve never seen a black and white beagle.”

“That’s because when the Peanuts comic strip was designed black and white were the only color options. Even after color became an option, they kept the coloring the same since Snoopy was a favorite and had become highly recognizable.” Henry explained to the doctor who was holding up the socks next to David and comparing the two dogs.

“Oh. That makes a lot of sense given how old Snoopy, and the Peanuts are. That’s a really cute inside joke.” Alex said and set the socks back onto his kitchen counter. “Would you like to crash for the night, or do you want to watch a movie while I rub your tired feet?”

“How about we skip the movie, but I will happily take that foot rub.” Henry said with an innocent wink. His feet were tired from standing and lecturing his classes on expectations and his syllabus. Not to mention he wouldn’t ever turn down a massage from Alex. It would take a while to fully adjust to having someone else care for him and pamper him. He wanted the foot rub and take a shower and to promptly pass out in Alex’s arms and that was exactly what he did.

Chapter Text

Tuesday was more of the same for Henry. He was exhausted to his very core and all he wanted to do was sleep. His nausea did seem to be a little less obnoxious, he did wake up and vomit, but it was a one-off. The IV from the weekend seemed to be working miracles. If only Alex could make one to help perk him up from the exhaustion. His class right after lunch tended to hit him the hardest and it was a struggle to function and focus on his lecture on grammar review for his seventh graders.

Tuesday night was also the first time he slept alone since meeting Alex as the doctor was pulled away in the middle of the night for a delivery. Henry was slightly dreading Wednesday as yesterday had been exhausting, and he also had the added bonus of his first therapy appointment with Matthew Luna-Sullivan. He wouldn’t say he was dreading the appointment, but it wasn’t down in his calendar as a highlight of his week.

Wednesday strangely passed in a quick blur and all too soon Henry found himself parked in his usual parking spot at Prism next to Alex’s SUV. He stared up at the impressive building, utterly terrified of his first therapy appointment.

He knew it wasn’t a bad idea. Hell, he had told all of his students that the school had a new school counselor and how they cared about their mental health and that Liam was great. He on the other hand was afraid of therapy, even though he knew it was a good idea. He seriously doubted that Matthew was a mean or judgmental person.

He sighed and took a deep breath as he tapped the card to the sensor on the wall in front of the staff entrance. Here goes nothing. He thought as he climbed the stairs to the second floor of the building.

 He was nervous about seeing Matthew but not as nervous as he was about his first appointment with Alex. He walked to the nurse’s station and saw Alex standing against the counter dressed in a pair of bright coral scrubs typing away at a tablet. He watched the doctor turn his head and see a bright smile appear on the doctor’s face.

“Hey baby. How was your day?” He asked the teacher.

“Not bad.” Henry muttered, he was tired and wanted to skip the therapy appointment in favor of a nap.

“Henry, I’d like you to officially meet Raf, my midwife student. You’ve already met Amy.” Alex said officially introducing Henry to Raf.

Henry turned his attention to the attractive Hispanic sitting in front of a computer. Raf was older than Alex but not by much and dressed in a pair of dark lavender scrubs and a grey jacket. He wanted to ask Alex if he only hired attractive people.

Raf got out of his chair and extended his hand out to Henry. “It is nice to officially meet you. I’ve only heard amazing things about you from Gabriel and Alex.”

Henry shook Raf’s cold hand. “It’s nice to meet you as well. I’ve heard only good things about you from Alex. Gabriel has amazing manners.” Henry muttered to the nurse.

“Let me show you to Matthew’s office. I don’t want you to be late for your first appointment.” Alex muttered and led Henry down the long hallway and to the last office. He knocked at the door and opened the door to reveal a large office, the faint sound of ‘Dancing Through Life’ could be heard as Matthew reached for his phone to hit the pause button.

Matthew looked suspiciously like the guy who played Fiyero but with a beard and glasses. Of course, the man who wanted to hear about all his problems to was attractive, that was just his luck. Hot doctor that he was pregnant by and now an attractive therapist. Even Alex’s nurses were attractive.

“Hi Henry! I’m Matthew Luna-Sullivan, give me just a second to save this note.” He said and hit the save button on the SOAP note on his last client. He got out of his desk chair and walked over to shake Henry’s hand. “It is so nice to finally meet you.”

Matthew was dressed in a well-fitting sage green textured short sleeve button down a pair of khaki chinos and a pair of brown leather dress sneakers. He had sent Henry his paperwork and had reviewed Henry’s questionnaire answers over the lunch. He also saw that the legal forms had all been signed.

Henry looked at Alex and took a deep, calming breath. It was just one appointment; he could do this. He squeezed Alex’s hand and walked over to the deep green couch. He looked around and saw various mountain photos. The office was done in shades of green and brown and had plenty of plants.

Matthew gave Alex a warm smile and made a shoo gesture with his hand. He didn’t need or want Alex hovering. He understood that Henry was nervous, but he was used to nervous clientele.

Matthew sat down in his barrel chair with his iPad so he could document and scribble notes. "So, this first therapy appointment is really a getting to know each other session. I get it the first appointment with me is nerve-wracking. I'll tell you more about my background and go over the legal stuff and then I want to know about you. Sound good?"

Henry nodded and crossed his legs over each other in a nervous fashion and eyed Matthew with suspension.

“You already did the hardest part which is actually coming to the appointment.” Matthew said gently. “As I mentioned earlier, I am Matthew Luna-Sullivan, and I am a licensed professional counselor. I have a MA in counseling with a focus on clinical mental health from the University of Colorado.” He said with a warm smile.

“I want you to know that everything you say to me stays with me, unless someone is hurting you, you want to hurt yourself, you want to hurt someone else, or you give me permission to share. Outside of those four things, nothing you say will leave this room. I will not tell Alex anything you tell me in this room.” Matthew saw Henry nod his head and he was determined to get him to talk.

“Obviously we are going to have a different dynamic than most client and therapists. If I feel I am not able to be objective I will recommend another colleague for you to see. Colin and I are a lot alike.” Matthew said getting all the legality out of the way.

“I also want to you to know that I won’t judge anything you say or about your history. Depression and anxiety are one of the most common mental health conditions. Seeing me does not make you crazy or any other variant of the word. It just means you need someone to help.”

“Why don’t you tell me about yourself.” Even if all Henry did was tell him about his educational background it would be something to work off of and build some rapport.

“I’m Henry Fox and I was born and raised in Oxford, England. I have an older brother, Philip, and an older sister, Beatrice. My parents were professors at the University of Oxford. Mum is an English Lit professor, and dad was a theatre professor and a was a well-known stage actor on West End.”

Matthew heard Henry’s tone change when he used the past tense to describe his father. He assumed they had a close relationship judging from the respect and fondness in Henry’s voice. He detected indifference when Henry mentioned his older brother and pure fondness when mentioning his sister.

“Dad died of pancreatic cancer my first year at Oxford, I was studying English Lit. After his death I needed a fresh start, so I decided to study abroad at Boston College. I ended up falling in love with Boston, so I transferred to Boston College and ended up switching my major to teaching after a seminar. I have both my undergraduate and M.Ed. from Boston College. I’ve been teaching middle school reading and English-language arts for almost a decade. I have a pet beagle; his name is David.”

Matthew heard that choke up when the blond mentioned pancreatic cancer. He also noticed the parallels of Henry’s career to his parents. His mother was an English Lit professor, and he taught English lit only on a middle school level which would involve some theatrics to get the students attention since no one enjoyed a monotone teacher. Henry was also highly intelligent and well educated.

“It sounds like you and your dad were close.” Matthew noticed seeing Henry nod his head. He made a note in his head that Henry might not have fully processed the loss of his father.

“How is your relationship with your mom?” He asked gently not wanting to strike a nerve this early in their session.

Henry thought about how to answer Matthew’s question without divulging too much. He still didn’t know what to think about therapy or Matthew. He seemed nice enough, but he tended to more reserved with his telehealth psychiatrist.

“Mum got heavily lost in her grief, essentially becoming a shell of who she was. She went from being one of the most sought-after professors in the English lit department to people avoiding her classes. I was an adult, but we were all going through it and her mother, my grandmother, kept expecting us to get over it and grow up and start our careers. She did both of my graduations and we talk to each other weekly. She is getting better as the years pass. I still wouldn’t say we were as close as we once were.” Henry reluctantly admitted to the therapist.

Matthew listened intently and made quickly scribbled notes on Henry’s family dynamic on his iPad. He liked having those notes to refer back to. He put an asterisk next to maternal grandmother, if Henry’s tone was anything to go by that was a sore spot. He would ask about that grandmother a little closer to the end of the session.

“How is your relationship with your siblings?” Matthew asked the blond. He figured that was a safer topic of conversation for now.

Henry blanched and gritted his teeth before taking a deep breath and loudly letting it out. He shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

Matthew noticed Henry’s clinched jaw and knew he had unfortunately struck a nerve. “We can come back to that question if you’d like.” He said pulling up and PHQ-9 on his iPad.

“Are you at all familiar with the PHQ-9? It is a questionnaire for depression, and I’d like you to take one. I promise I’m not going to judge you for your answers. I’m going to read you the question and I want you to be completely honest with me. I want you to answer with not at all, several days, more than half the days, or nearly every day.” Matthew instructed reading off the first question and marking Henry’s answer.

Matthew read some of the questions to Henry who was at least thinking of his answers instead of telling him an answer that wasn’t accurate to fool him or the test.

“I don’t know if you know it or not, but I’m pregnant. I’ve been so tired and completely exhausted because of it. I’ve been a chronic insomniac for years and I’m finally getting a full night of sleep. So, are those worsening symptoms because of depression or pregnancy?” Henry questioned the therapist honestly.

Matthew smiled softly at Henry’s pregnancy announcement and realized it was still pretty early in the session, so Henry was slowly starting to trust him. He of course knew since Alex had told him about it. He remembered how tired and exhausted Raf was in his first trimester with Gabriel.

“Congratulations! Even if we score those two questions as one, you are still in the mildly depressed category, and I do think you would benefit from therapy sessions in combination with your sertraline.” Matthew said to the blond teacher.

That questionnaire was just barely scratching the surface of issues. He still had anxiety and grief to try and help Henry cope with. There was also the small fact that he was unexpectedly pregnant by Alex, and he absolutely wanted to know Henry’s feelings about that.

“Let’s move onto the GAD-7. It is seven questions and will give me a good read on your anxiety to see if it is a normal level of anxiety or an actual anxiety condition. Same answers as with the PHQ-9.” Matthew instructed and read down the list of questions allowing Henry to elaborate if necessary.

“I’m actually worried about this pregnancy and afraid that if I miscarry that Alex won’t like me. I’m also terrified of childbirth it just sounds painful and what if something goes wrong during delivery. What if I end up needing a C-Section, I don’t think a midwife is certified for those.” Henry said in a rush and then realized what he had said and went instantly quiet.

“Pregnancy is scary and considering this is your first pregnancy along with being unexpected, totally normal reaction. As someone that knows Alex, I can personally assure you and promise you that he won’t let anything bad happen to you during delivery. His C-section rate is the lowest out of all the doctors in Massachusetts. I also know that if you were to miscarry, Alex will still like you and support you through it.” He paused for a second and took a sip from his tumbler full of water.

“Pregnancy is scary and considering this is your first one it is unexpected. I promise Alex won’t let anything bad happen to you during delivery and his C-Section rate is the lowest out of all the doctors in Massachusetts. I also know that if you miscarry, Alex will still like you and support you through it. Have you talked to Alex about your fears?” Matthew asked gently. It was nice to see the ice wall around Henry slowly start to melt.

“Not yet. I will soon. It is all just so new and different. One night in a club and suddenly my body is not just my body. I’m so worried about doing something wrong with the pregnancy. It was clearly meant to be, as Pez, my best mate, had been trying to set me up with Alex for years. As much as I trust Pez, I don’t like random blind dates even though my best mate says he is great.”

“Would you like to tell me more about Pez?” Matthew asked gently figuring that was a safe topic of conversation and would be a good way to gauge Henry’s support system and judging from Henry’s soft smile it was a very safe topic.

“Philip and I both went to Eton College at grandmother’s insistence since it was a great school and a ton of Prime Ministers graduated from there. Percy Okonjo was my roommate, and ironically, we hit it off despite being polar opposites. When I came out to him, he surprised me with Truvada and a giant box of condoms and told me that he was always in my corner and if I needed anything else he had connections, and my grandmother would be none the wiser. We’ve been best friends since the day we met.” Henry told the therapist. He could easily talk about Pez all day.

“Pez, Bea, and I have this agreement that they drag me out to a club or a bar before the school year officially starts. We blow off some steam and enjoy each other’s company. This time however there was this guy with curly hair and deadly eyelashes. One drink led to two and a little grinding on the dance floor turned into a hotel room bed and pregnancy symptoms. I guess fate got tired of me ignoring her signs and decided to make things happen on her own.” Henry admitted trying to keep things vague to the therapist.

Matthew remembered the night Henry was describing it was one of the few nights Alex had made time for himself and had left Prism alone with Raf. “I’ve met Percy, and he seems like a great guy to have in your corner. It is always great to have a friend like that.” He would say that Alex was that friend for him and Raf. He was even the adopted uncle of their child. Gabriel grew up with Alex and eventually started calling him uncle and it just stuck. In many ways Alex was Raf’s brother.

“Is Bea a nickname for your sister?” Matthew asked gently, but he still wanted to know all of Henry’s family dynamic since that seemed to be the bulk of Henry’s mental health. His dad died from cancer; mom was a shell of who she was. He didn’t speak fondly of the maternal grandmother.

“It is. She prefers Bea over Beatrice, the only person that ever calls her Beatrice anymore is grandmother. She works with Pez for the Okonjo Foundation and she and I co-share Grandma Fox’s shares of Harry Potter. She usually meets with Universal for theme park ideas and the intellectual property. I also attend when it comes to a new theme park design. She is business minded and loves the creative aspect of it. She has always been my favorite sibling. When our father died, she got in with the wrong crowd and became addicted to powder. I was the one who convinced her to seek help and get clean.”

Matthew opened his iPad and wrote that Henry’s sister was a former cocaine addict. He knew the nicknames of all the street drugs; it came with the territory. “I’m glad that you helped get her clean from her addition and that she is successful.”

“How about your relationship with your brother, Philip?” Matthew asked, it seemed like Henry had a solid relationship with Bea and Grandma Fox.

Henry sighed at the mention of Philip. “He is a bloody twat. He was homophobic and narrow-minded when I came out of the closet. He thinks my career choice is womanly as men typically teach math, science, or history, not English. He married a woman from a well-to-do family and happily sold his soul to get ahead in his own career. After dad died, he sought solace in grandmother, and she poisoned him. We do not have a good relationship at all. In fact, I’d consider Pez to be more of a brother to me than he is.”

Matthew was not expecting Henry to call his brother a twat. “I’m sorry that your brother is judgmental of your lifestyle. For what it is worth I think teaching is a noble career and we need more teachers that actually care.”

“You keep mentioning your maternal grandmother, would you like to tell me about your relationship with her.” Matthew asked softly after that share about his brother, he figured he had gained Henry’s trust.

“Would it be crude of me to call her a cunt?” Henry asked innocently and shifted on the couch. That was not a word he used in polite conversation but frankly calling her a bitch was far too polite.

Matthew cracked a small smile at Henry’s name for her. “It is just us and I do want you to be open and honest with me. So, you may call her whatever you feel like. Safe space, remember.”

“Mary is an absolute cunt. She tried overstepping into how we were parented, and I overheard a conversation that I’ll never get out of my head.” Henry told the therapist and braced himself.

He was five and had gotten out of bed to get a sip of water because his mouth was dry. He made his way passed the living room and into the kitchen and heard his grandmother’s voice.

“You ought to think about having Henry’s uterus and ovaries removed and having his extra hole shut. He is at an age that he won’t remember the surgery, and he can be normal, like Philip. Just think of his future wife, she will want him to be normal down there.” Mary suggested and Henry dropped the plastic cup he was holding and sneaked into Bea’s room to overhear the rest of the conversation. She was talking about him and his body and a surgery.

Arthur could not believe his own ears. “I’m sorry I must have misheard your hateful ass. Did you really just suggest that I take my youngest child to some surgeon to examine him and remove his reproductive parts. I don’t think any self-respecting surgeon would do a surgery of that nature on someone that cannot fully consent to what would happen to them.” He paused and heard the sound of a cup clattering against the kitchen floor.

“That is Henry’s body we are talking about. I don’t care that you think he wouldn’t remember. He would remember and surgery of any kind of has risks. Now please get out of my house with your fake concern about my child.” He said and crossed his arms over his chest and stared her down.

 “Won’t you please leave it is getting late and unlike you, Cat and I do need to sleep.” He wanted to check on his children and find out which one of them had overheard that conversation. He hoped it wasn’t his little dove because how did one explain that to a five-year-old.

He watched Mary leave and shared a strange look with his wife. He often wondered how someone so lovely like Catherine shared DNA with someone like Mary. He gently slunk down the hallway and saw Henry sitting on Bea’s floor.

“Little dove, are you alright?” He asked as he picked up his clone and carried him back to his own bedroom.

“Do I need surgery?” Henry asked, slurring his words and surgery sounded like surgery. He felt his dad tuck him back into the covers and crawl into his bed.

“Absolutely not. I wished you wouldn’t have heard that conversation.” He said holding his baby boy close to his chest.

“Was thirsty.” Henry innocently told his dad as Catherine walked into his room and set a cup of water onto his nightstand and sat on the edge of his bed.

“No love you do not need surgery.” She said placing a gentle kiss onto her baby’s forehead. “Sleep well and pay your grandmother no attention. I love you so very much.” She said and left the room to check on her other two children who were sleeping peacefully.

Matthew listened to Henry explain his relationship and it made him feel angry. If anyone in his family suggested that about Gabriel there wouldn’t be any place they would be able to hide from his wrath, and he knew his husband would undoubtedly need bail money. “Safe to say you don’t have a great relationship with her.” Matthew muttered.

He wrote a quick note in Henry’s chart about gender dysphoria caused by the trauma of his grandmother’s words. Just as Alex had suspected and confided in him. He really wanted to dig deeper and find out more about Henry’s feelings about the pregnancy and how he felt about what he assumed was his first medical exam of that nature.

“Not at all! Best of all when I came out to the family, she cut me out of her will, not that I care about her will. She has stage four triple negative breast cancer and Philip is trying to get everyone together for what will probably be her last Christmas with the family. I already know if I go it will just be more discussion about my choice of career and my ‘freaky’ lifestyle.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine what the reaction would be if she ever found out I was pregnant. She’d probably have a heart attack on the spot if she knew who the other father was.” Henry smiled at the thought. Mary was a racist, she tried to hide it, but he recognized her expression anytime he mentioned Pez. Alex was biracial and she would dismiss all of his achievements and only see his proud half Hispanic heritage.

“Do you think you might have gender dysphoria based on the unintentional trauma her words caused?” Matthew asked politely.

Henry thought about it for a second and nodded his head. It was a combination of Mary’s reaction and hearing about his sister’s story about her horrific pap smear. “Her words cut deep and then my sister told me about her first pap smear and how she felt judged and that the doctor was rough.”

“I’ve never quite been eager to see a doctor for that part of me. I’m a virgin and haven’t had that kind of sex. I guess fate saw Alex and I in that hotel room and decided she was sick of us avoiding each other and decided to give us a reason to spend more time together.” He said with a soft laugh.

“What would you have done had the baby not been Alex’s and it was still an unknown variable.” Matthew asked trying to gauge Henry’s thoughts.

“As much as I would hate not knowing the other father. I always imagined being a father one day and I don’t think I could have gone through with termination. I think I would have been alright with having Alex as just my doctor. I’m grateful to know who the other father is and have him by my side throughout this unknown journey.” Henry slowly admitted to the therapist.

“Can I ask how your first medical exam went and how you felt about it?” Matthew asked gently, he tried to avoid the therapy cliché line ‘and how did that make you feel.’ He was great at reading his clients’ emotions and could figure out how that made them feel.

“I was beginning to wonder if you were actually a therapist until you just asked me how I felt.” Henry teased jovially.

“Alex is very thorough and excellent at explaining things which helped me a lot during it. The internal ultrasound wasn’t horrible, and the pap smear was much quicker than I expected it to be, but then he inserted his fingers and that is when things started to become uncomfortable and brought up memories of Mary’s drivel. That was the first time anyone had touched me there and it was very much a different sensation than I’m used to.”

“Can I make an honest suggestion to you?” Matthew asked gently and saw the teacher nod. “Sex is a very healthy gauge on a relationship as it can improve physical intimacy and help with emotional bonding as is self-exploration and discovery. I really think a better understanding of your anatomy might help with your type of gender dysphoria. It would greatly benefit your self-respect.”

Henry looked incrediously at the therapist sitting in the brown barrel chair. Was this man actually suggesting he give his virginity to Alex or learn to touch and pleasure his vagina. He was positive that he was red with embarrassment.

Matthew could sense Henry’s obvious discomfort and made a mental note to file that as his homework for a later time. “I do think with your depression, anxiety, gender dysphoria, and unprocessed grief that therapy is a great idea if you are open to the idea. If you do decide you’d like to continue with therapy I’d like to see you for weekly sessions at least for a few months.”

Henry sighed and thought about it, he had book club and Battle of the Books at least once a week after school. It just sounded like a recipe for exhaustion. He saw Matthew’s point that he had found this first session to be somewhat valuable, even if his therapist had suggested sex and masturbation as a treatment plan. He wasn’t a blushing virgin by any sense, and it was clear he had a lot to work through when it came to Mary’s words.

“I will have to check my schedule since I do sponsor a club and coach a team, I’ll also have 8^th grade class sponsor stuff to deal with.” He needed to find a teacher to switch Six Flags New England duty with as that was right around the time he’d be full term, and he didn’t exactly have giving birth in Springfield on his bingo card. He wanted his care team and after meeting Raf he didn’t seem that scary. He could more than likely do the Salem and Washington D.C. trip.

“If you have another Wednesday at 4pm I’d happily take it.” Henry said he could learn to work around his appointments with Matthew, and he did think this appointment had been helpful. He was willing to give therapy and Matthew at least one more go.

Matthew softly smiled and pulled up his iPad. “I’ll go ahead and book you into that spot for the rest of the month. We can always revisit the time if necessary. As a teacher I’m sure you’re very familiar with the concept of homework. As a therapist I’ll assign you homework after each session, this week’s homework is having an open and honest conversation with Alex about pregnancy fears.”

Henry cracked the smallest smile at Matthw’s polite ribbing about homework and that was easy homework as Alex would probably want to know how therapy was. “I don’t give a bunch of homework as I honestly hate to grade it.” He was grateful that Matthew’s first homework wasn’t self-exploration of his vagina.

He liked Alex a lot and wanted their relationship to be more than just sexual. He already knew he had good sexual chemistry with the doctor. He used to be the type of person to quickly jump into bed with someone and had a fair bit of anal sex is his life. He knew how he lost that virginity would eventually come up in therapy as would how he once used sex as an unhealthy coping mechanism.

He would probably give Alex his virginity at some point. For now, he felt unsexy with the nausea, exhaustion, and the way his body felt physically. Not to mention the relationship was still new and it wasn’t like he could drink half a bottle of gin for liquid courage. Maybe he’d eventually feel in that mood, but he was honestly in no mood for sex at the moment. The only thing he was in the mood for was a weeklong nap.

Matthew laughed at Henry’s joke about homework and how he hated to grade it. “It was great to finally meet you, and I will see you next Wednesday.” He said getting up from his chair and setting his iPad back onto his desk to walk Henry out. He needed to organize up his notes and finish his SOAP note. He did feel better about Henry after meeting him, Alex was right he was harmless.

Henry left Matthew’s office and found Alex, Raf, and Amy at the nurse’s station sitting and talking about the day.

Amy was the first to notice that Henry was walking to them and reached down to grab the large gift bag that was next to her backpack. “Hey darling! I hope you had a good workday; I made you a little something.” She said and sat the large blue and silver foiled gift bag onto the ledge.

Henry eyed the gift bag on the ledge suspiciously. If this was her idea of a little something he’d be terrified to learn her definition of an actual present. He gently peeled back the tissue paper and saw a beautiful chunky knit blanket with various shades of blue and it was very soft and wrapped up in a bow.

He also saw a large organza bag with body oil and body butter. The logo said Raven and Rose Apothecary with had a raven sitting on a cauldron with a rose in its beak. Alongside the oil and butter was a large glue stick of what looked like a lip balm tube. He saw it was actually a solid body butter stick. The body oil and body butter were scented in cucumber and green tea, and the solid stick was an apple cider donut.

“Thank you. I’ve never heard of Raven and Rose Apothecary; they have a really cool logo.” Henry muttered figuring the products would hopefully help keep the stretch marks at bay.

Thank you dear! That’s because it is the business I share with my wife. Her hobby is baking and mine is fabrics, this is something we both do together. Bonus there are a lot of great ingredients to help avoid stretch marks. I’m the raven and she’s the rose.” Amy admitted with a warm smile.

She already had plans of knitting and crocheting Alex and Henry a ton of cute baby things once the pregnancy was a little further along. Last thing she wanted to do was cause unintentional trauma to a friend.

Henry entered the work area and gave Amy a friendly hug. “Thank you again. I really appreciate it, that was very sweet of you to do.”

“Anytime baby! When I tell you Alex is family to me, I mean it. So that makes you family too.” Amy said kindly she had adored Alex from the moment she met him.

“How are you feeling, kid?” Raf asked the blond kindly when he came around to hug Amy.

“Like I could honestly sleep for a week. I’m at least happy that the morning sickness is not as bad as it has been.” Henry admitted seeing the nurse nod his head.

“First trimester is incredibly rough. I know exactly what you mean, I was still doing 12-hour shifts with Gabriel. I honestly have no idea how I did it. I would literally just sleep during my days off during that first trimester. I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but the second trimester is a little easier.” Raf said with a wink.

“You aren’t seriously exhausted, and the symptoms are a little easier to deal with. Some of them are even fun like the increased libido because of the increased blood flow.” Raf said in a kind and educational manner.

Alex watched as Henry quickly adverted his gaze from Raf and tucked his face into the rolled-up sleeve on his dress shirt. He noticed Henry’s face was much redder than it was just a couple of seconds ago and that his blue eyes were wide-eyed like saucers. He knew that Henry was a virgin but that was an extreme reaction.

Henry, however, quickly recovered and leaned against the desk and asked Raf how Gabriel liked kindergarten which caused Raf to light up at the mention of his child.

Alex could see Henry relax more the more he talked to Raf and Amy. He hoped that Henry would feel comfortable with Raf as his obstetrical provider, instead of him. Sure, he had no problem doing it, but there was an obvious ethical boundary that he would cross being both his doctor and boyfriend/baby daddy. He was still Raf’s supervising physician and had the final say but it was less of an ethical dilemma.

“Y’all have a good night I’m going to go make Henry and I some dinner as tomorrow is going to be a very long day.” Alex muttered as he shook his head in disappointment. He had finally put Farah on mute as she would not stop blowing up his phone and email with campaign events that she wanted him to attend for Ellen.

He was a doctor and had absolutely zero desire to don a suit and play nice for a campaign event. He was not a pretty little show pony for them to use to appeal to a voting bloc besides it would just make Reichmann’s campaign attack him. He already knew that tomorrow was going to be an absolute shitshow. Farah even had the audacity to suggest he delete his TikTok and YouTube educational content in preparation for tomorrow, he of course didn’t.

“I’ll see you both tomorrow have a great night.” Raf said as he locked his computer for the night. He had finished his charts and would grab Gabriel from his office who was playing Mario Odyssey. It was quiet and away from the patients and that way Matthew didn’t have to work reduced hours of 8-3, which would only hurt his therapy clients.

“You too.” Alex muttered as he walked down the hallway hand in hand with Henry as Sadie followed after them. He unlocked his front door and kicked off his sneakers into the entryway and hung his stethoscope onto the coat hook.

“I was thinking I make a skillet lasagna with a pink sauce without the vodka. How’s that sound with an Italian side salad?” Alex suggested to the teacher as he walked into the kitchen to wash his hands and grab the supplies.

“That sounds absolutely fantastic. Would you like me to make the salad?” Henry asked he was pretty sure he could chop up a tomato, onion, and mix up an Italian side salad.

“Only if you feel up to it.” Alex said with a wink as he got out the necessary supplies to make the skillet lasagna and side salad. “If not, you can relax on the couch with the blanket Amy made you. I promise I won’t be mad.”

“Hand me the knife, please.” Henry said after he washed his own hands in the sink. He did want to curl up on Alex’s couch with the dogs, but he could at least put together a quick salad.

After an hour Alex had made a delicious skillet lasagna with a pink sauce and plenty of cheese and Henry’s salad could put Olive Garden’s to shame. Henry forked a bite of salad into his mouth and caught Alex up on his day. He knew he needed to do his ‘therapy homework’ but he really didn’t want to.

“Matthew assigned me therapy homework.” Henry said around a bite of the delicious lasagna.

“Did he?” Alex asked sounding intrigued. He still needed to ask Henry about his reaction to Raf’s conversation about the second trimester.

“Yeah, I haven’t exactly been forthcoming to you about how scared I am. I was hoping to talk to you about some things.” Henry reluctantly admitted to the doctor.

“Of course you can always talk to me.” Alex said honestly, he felt a little nervous that Henry was scared about the pregnancy or scared to talk to him about it. “How about after dinner?” He didn’t want to sour Henry’s stomach or say something medical to gross out the teacher.

Henry finished eating his side salad and the lasagna. “That lasagna was incredible. Could we talk after my shower, I am quite eager to get out of my trousers for the day.” He said with a small laugh. He wanted to go put on his sleep pants and curl up with a blanket for that conversation.

Alex laughed at the mention of Henry being eager to get out of his trousers. He could relate as he felt that way anytime he had to put on something other than scrub pants or jeans. “Thank you! Of course, go take a shower and get comfortable.”

Henry quickly took a shower and changed into his super soft alpine green tee shirt with matching lounge pants. He roughly styled his hair and padded out to see Alex sitting on the couch wearing a threadbare Harvard tee shirt and dark grey joggers.

“What do you want to talk to me about?” Alex asked gently and patted the open couch next to him. “First how did your first therapy appointment with Matthew go? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I am all ears if you want to.”

Henry sat on his left leg and sat down on the couch to give Alex his undivided attention to discuss his therapy appointment. “I didn’t hate Matthew; in fact, I have another session with him next Wednesday. He says I have mild-to-moderate depression, anxiety, unprocessed grief, and gender dysphoria.”

Alex was thrilled to hear that Henry had scheduled another session with Matthew. He had figured that it was mild-to-moderate depression, anxiety. He was also right about the gender dysphoria, and he wanted to fly to England just to kick Mary’s ass for causing it. “Do you notice much of a difference in the lower dose of sertraline?” Alex questioned softly.

“Maybe a tad.” Henry said with a shrug. It was a little hard to tell with the pregnancy exhaustion and first week teacher exhaustion. “The reason Matthew doesn’t want to call it moderate is I pointed out that some of the questionnaire questions can also be pregnancy symptoms.”

“They can be very similar, especially the insomnia or sleeping to much question.” Alex muttered glad to be wrong about Henry’s depression level.

“I’m starting to think you might be part anti-depressant.” Henry muttered under his breath and heard Alex’s bright laugh and a confused ‘thank you.’

“I told Matthew that I’m worried about this pregnancy. I’m terrified that if I miscarry our baby that you won’t like me anymore.” Henry said his voice barely above a whisper but judging from Alex’s instant frown the doctor heard him loud and clear.

“Baby! How could you even think such a thing?” Alex asked his voice very gentle as he reached for Henry’s hand.

“Miscarriages often happen for no reason a fact I am very familiar with. I won’t be mad if that happens, I’d be way more concerned about how you were feeling anyway. If that happened, I would curl up in a hospital bed with you and rub your back. You aren’t alone on this journey. I promise I am and will be by your side with whatever happens. If you have a miscarriage, I’ll still want to be with you”

Henry relaxed a little into the couch after hearing that Alex would still want to be with him even if something happened to the little bean-shaped blob that was growing inside of him.

“I’m also deeply afraid of childbirth. It just sounds horrifically painful, like how am I supposed to push a baby out of me? What if something goes wrong during delivery, what if I end up needing a C-section, as much as I like Raf I don’t think a midwife is certified for those.” He could barely stand the internal ultrasound and pap smear and became massively uncomfortable at having two fingers inside him.

Alex smiled softly happy that Henry was at the point where he wanted to be open and honest about his fears. “Everyone is afraid of childbirth. I was afraid to catch my first baby; it is a totally normal reaction to have. I have one of the lowest C-section rates in the United States. I care about patients when a lot of doctors and residents want time to golf. Raf and I both hate golf so we aren’t checking our watch to make sure we are late for tee time.” Alex joked with a wink, he despised golf, and he didn’t understand the following it had among doctors.

“I will only do a C-section if it is the only option as it is major abdominal surgery. I also don’t push for elective inductions. The only time I think about scheduling an induction for a patient is when someone is past 41 weeks or if there is a medical reason for it. An elective induction really only benefits the doctor, which is the same reason for giving birth on your back with your legs up.”

“The research is a little cloudy but I do believe the reason for that birthing position was the one of your terrible kings got his rocks off while watching his mistresses deliver his children so he designed a special chair to watch it; and a doctor saw the design and realized how much easier it was for them for childbirth to happen in that position.”

“Not to mention the absolute patriarchal history that is obstetrics and gynecology. It shouldn’t have taken this long to advocate for an analgesic to be used during an uncomfortable procedure.” Alex said with an eye roll. He could bitch for hours about the state of healthcare, especially reproductive healthcare. 

“I do believe that was France not England love. One of our most famous kings was known for removing his wives’ heads.” Henry politely corrected. “I want to say it was King Louis XIV, although I can see where you would get the two bastards mixed up. I think Henry VIII; God I hate sharing a name with that prick that also had a thing for childbirth.” He said with a gagging sound at the mention of England’s sordid history.

“Yeah, you are right!” Alex muttered he felt bad for insulting Henry’s home country even though both had a history of fucked up monocracies.

“Sorry, I just went off on quite the tangent to answer your question, in the event you need a C-section to get our baby out, I’ll be the one to perform it. Obviously, that is the worst-case scenario and there is no better option.” Alex muttered. He really hoped that Henry would not need a C-section. Henry was right and Rafael legally could not perform a C-section; he could only assist with one.

“Why is giving birth on my back bad?” Henry questioned the doctor.

“It isn’t that is a bad position, but on your back does narrow the pelvic space and does put more pressure on your perineum and spine. Compared to something like being all fours or squatting allows the pelvis to open up more and uses gravity to help the baby come out easier. Honestly there is no wrong way to have a baby, just whatever feels the most comfortable to you.”  Alex explained he had caught babies in all sorts of positions.

Henry winkled his nose and closed his eyes. “Matthew also mentioned that a good way to help with the gender dysphoria and trauma would be to better understand my anatomy either by better educating myself about it, or self-exploration which I’m sure is just a nicer term for masturbation. It isn’t like I am a prude when it comes to sex…” Henry trailed off and hoped Alex could fill in the blanks.

“I know you aren’t a prude; you just have trauma from your stupid grandmother. I will say that it never hurts to have a better understanding of your body. If you want and when you are ready, I’d be more than happy to give you an anatomy lesson. It isn’t like either one of our countries is great about sex education or reproductive anatomy education. Self-exploration can mean a lot of different things that aren’t just masturbation.” Alex explained to Henry very gently.

“What do you mean by anatomy lesson?” Henry asked with a curious tone to his voice wanting to know what Alex was thinking with a comment like that.

“Showing you what your own anatomy looks like with a mirror and explaining what everything is. You may never want to experience that kind of sex, and that is totally okay. I do think that education and a better understanding of things never hurt, but I’d never force you into doing anything you aren’t comfortable with.” Alex gently reminded.

Henry wanted to melt into a puddle at just how courteous and considerate he was to his feelings. He trusted Alex a lot and knew that trust was a healthy part of any relationship and it was therapy homework. It was just Alex explaining his anatomy to try and help with the trauma of it all.

“Thank you! I think I would really like to try that, and have you show me what my anatomy looks like.”

“Are you sure baby? I don’t want to force you into it.” Alex asked the blond man.

“I’m sure, maybe it will help and maybe it won’t.” Henry said with a shrug he needed to do better and not be as fearful about that part of him. He despised Mary and wished he had never heard that comment. He knew most guys didn’t have patience when it came to sex or his anxiety.

Alex helped Henry off the couch and led him into their bedroom. Really, they hadn’t been apart since the discovery of one another. He went to the bathroom to grab his adjustable travel mirror and placed it onto the bed and stacked a bunch of pillows against the padded headboard. He sat down on the spot and placed a pillow against his lap and patted the pillow in his lap for Henry to sit on as he knew the blond would see his anatomy better in a reclined position and this way he could kiss and hold Henry’s hand for comfort.

Henry blushed a deep shade of red and wanted to laugh at how ridiculous Alex looked. He slowly pulled off his soft lounge pants and his trunk underwear and let both fall into a puddle onto the floor. He sat on the pillow in Alex’s lap with trepidation and leaned against the doctor’s strong chest who kissed his cheek.

Henry got onto the bed and sat on the pillow in Alex’s lap and leaned against the doctor who kissed his cheek. He almost wanted to laugh at how ridiculous it looked. The bottom of his feet were flat against the bed and his knees were touching each other.

“Whenever you are ready just go ahead and let your knees fall to the side. I’m not going to touch you, instead I’m just going to point and explain.” He knew Henry was not at the touching step.

Henry slowly relaxed and opened his knees and spread his feet further apart on the bed. He could see his vagina and anus looking at him in the mirror, to be honest it looked a little strange.

“Are you comfortable baby?” Alex asked and felt Henry nod his head. “As you can see the way your vulvar anatomy is shaped, your labia minora folds into itself and makes it look like normal skin and like nothing is there. It is totally normal as no two vulvas are exactly the same.

"If I had to guess I’d say it was a combination of your anatomy mixed with half a dozen tequila and other shots as to why I didn’t recognize it that night in the hotel room.” Alex explained and gently kissed Henry’s cheek.

Henry could easily see what Alex was talking about. “So, this is your anus, and this is your perineum which is a strip of skin in between your labia minora and anus. This is the part of skin that sometimes tears during childbirth.” Alex explained. It wasn’t going to be the education he had about the vulva and vagina, but it would hopefully help Henry have better respect for that part of himself.

Alex moved his finger. “This is your labia minora and majora.” He said pointing at the two parts that made up the vulva. Henry’s labia minora folded in and covered his vaginal opening and he didn’t have a super noticeable labia majora. He was trying to shake the vaguely arousing thoughts that were currently rattling around in his head about how pretty Henry’s pussy was.

“So, this is your clitoral hood which protects your clitoris when you aren’t aroused.” Henry heard Alex say and snapped him out of his thoughts and saw Alex pointing at it but not touching him or it. “The clitoris is incredibly sensitive and when touched can cause orgasms.”

Henry let out a soft laugh. “So, let me get this straight. You mean to tell me that is something some men struggle to find.” Henry and his sister were close, maybe too close sometimes and she had complained that one of her partners had struggled to get her off since he couldn’t find the clit.

“Yeah! Unfortunately, some men just need the clit to have a blinking sign directing them to it.” He teased the blond; he never had the problem of finding anyone’s clit.

“So, the clitoral hood, labia majora and minora make up the vulva. Your vagina is just the inside part.” Alex explained and watched Henry close his knees and legs together and get up from the bed to put his underwear and pants back on.

Once Henry had his pants back on, he crawled back into the bed and gave Alex a chaste kiss on his lips. “Thank you. That was very helpful.” He muttered as he pulled away from Alex’s soft lips.

He wondered if losing his vaginal virginity would hurt as bad as people said. He kind of doubted that it would hurt that much given how gentle and in tune Alex was with his feelings.

“You are welcome. Just know I am always here and will help you out with whatever need you have.” Alex said and pulled Henry’s smaller body close to his chest for a cuddle.

He heard his phone make an alert sound. He grabbed his phone and saw several tagged notifications of a TikTok video. He clicked on it and saw a video of a large team of healthcare professionals posing around spoiled exam table paper from either someone’s discharge or lube. The caption of the video and photo carousel said, “The gifts we get from patients; guess the substance.’

The last photo had at least seven staff members posing and the text said; ‘Make sure to leave your healthcare team sweet gifts like these.’

They had even blocked out their name badges, so they cared enough to block their own identity while shaming patients.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Alex explained and felt outrage that that many ‘professionals’, he used that term loosely, were willing to shame patients for something they couldn’t help.

“What’s wrong love?” Henry questioned and turned to face Alex.

“A stupid viral video of healthcare professionals shaming patients after a gynecological exam for leaving discharge on the exam table paper. This is why people are afraid, because someone thought this would be a funny video. I’m outraged as a doctor; it is so wildly inappropriate and incredibly shameful of already vulnerable patients.” Alex paused and showed Henry the video.

“Patients already have a hard time coming in for necessary exams and after seeing that I’d never feel comfortable trusting another medical professional. Not to mention all of them are old enough to know better to know post something so inappropriate.” Alex said as he clicked on the comments and saw the top comment said the women in the black scrubs was a doctor at the clinic. He read through a few more comments that were obviously patients who mentioned canceling their next exam.

Henry listened to Alex’s rant and watched the video; his own heart broke for those innocent patients who had their private healthcare spread all over for social media to see and judge. “I am speechless that is so incredibly unprofessional.”

“The comments are horrific to read. So many people have medical trauma and the last thing anyone needs to do is be judged by their healthcare team. The comments say the one in the black is a doctor, and I just can’t imagine having no empathy to pose and joke about a completely normal bodily function, not to mention lube leaks out during an exam. At least I hope it does as that means enough was used for patient comfort.”

Henry could detect the outrage and compassion in Alex’s tone of voice. It warmed his heart to see his boyfriend so passionate about it.

“Ugh, I’m going to have to make a reaction video to this. Patients need to know that not all doctors are like this and that they should be safe and not judged during an exam and tomorrow Ellen announces formally announces her campaign and I’m terrified of Prism being protested.” Alex admitted.

“I want to keep you safe, so maybe you go home tomorrow after work. I love hanging out, but I want you to be safe and far away from the campaign circus. I don’t need or want people to know who you are. I won’t put you or our baby at risk.”

Henry held Alex’s hand. “I want you to be safe too. I can’t believe your mother didn’t put a protection plan in place to keep her children with established careers safe.”

“June will be safe. It will be me and Prism given the fact Reichmann is villainizing reproductive health rights and abortion. I’m a doctor and the child of two politicians. I’m also extremely outspoken when it comes to healthcare injustice.” Alex wasn’t afraid to speak up about what was right and that made him a target. The terrifying thing was he knew that Ellen and Farah didn’t care what happened as Farah had told him repeatedly to tone himself down.

Chapter Text

Thursday sadly came much too soon, and Henry found himself leaving Prism long before the sun rose into the sky. He needed to drop David at home and get ready for work, alone. He hated it and had a lot he wanted to say to Ellen Claremont.

Oscar parked his rental car next to the Audi he had given Alex. It was barely 7 in the morning; in fact; the clock had just clicked over to 7. He had planned on arriving in Boston tomorrow, however his ex-wife and her incompetent chief of staff and campaign manager had zero plans in place to protect Alex. So, if he wanted to keep his son safe from the circus, that would have to be his job.

He let out a deep exhausted sigh and opened the door of the SUV and stepped out of the vehicle. He stretched out his back and reached back inside the SUV to grab the box of fresh donuts from the passenger’s seat. He grabbed his leather weekender bag from the backseat of the vehicle and draped the shoulder strap over his shoulder.

He took the keycard from his pocket to let himself into the building. He hoped to bump into Henry before the teacher went to work and was at least able to meet Alex’s boyfriend before an absolute shitshow of a day.

He barely climbed one step and heard his TikTok notification sound. He pulled his iPhone out of his trouser pocket and saw that Alex had posted a video. He climbed the rest of the steps to the second floor and was standing at the door and he could Alex’s voice.

“I shouldn’t need my mother’s permission to post a TikTok video. That video is hardly political Farah.” Oscar froze in his spot; he couldn’t remember the last time he heard that tone in his son’s voice. He slowly pushed open the door and saw Alex, Raf, and Amy stare at him.

“It was a reaction video about an inappropriate video another healthcare worker posted. I did not mention mother or politics in it. Alex said pointedly into his phone. He was gritting his teeth so hard he could hear his dentist reminding him to unclench his jaw.

“I’m not deleting that video or any of my other videos. Now don’t you have a fucking campaign to help announce? I hope you have the day you deserve. You and ma are being muted for the day, because unlike your day and her day my does not stop just for her campaign announcement. I still have patients to see and care, a clinic to run, and a midwife to train.” He said and disconnected the call and hit the silence button.

Raf smirked at his mentor with a big smile on his face. “Good morning, Oscar.” He greeted the senator warmly.

“Hey Pa!” Alex said and quickly crossed the distance between him and his father and pulled him in for a tight hug. “I wasn’t expecting you to arrive until tomorrow.”

“That was the plan, but I missed my mijo and I figured you needed a protection plan in place since they won’t protect you from the circus. I have my staffers on it in case Reichmann decides to pull you into it. Hell, they shouldn’t have even involved you and CJ.” Oscar said and kissed his son’s forehead glad for the additional height his ropers added. “How’s Henry? I had hoped to meet him this morning.”

“I missed you too. I’ll never say no to having you in town for longer. Henry left early this morning to take David home. I wanted him far away from Prism in case the worst happened.” Alex said and his voice cracked with worry. He was relieved that his father had a plan for him and his employee’s safety.

“Who is David?” Oscar asked as Sadie happily trotted over to him and threw herself at his feet. “How’s my little nieta?” He asked as he bent over to scratch the spot behind her ears that he knew she loved having scratched.

“David is Henry’s beagle and Sadie’s new best friend.” Alex clarified.

Oscar stood back up and his knee made a loud ‘pop’ sound and made his way over to where Rafael and Amy were sitting. “Before I forget I brought donuts for everyone.”

Raf opened the box of donuts from Kane’s Donuts and snagged a Boston Cream.

“Hey Mijo! How is midwifery school going?” Oscar asked the Hispanic nurse that he considered to be a second son. He felt Raf wrap his arms around him for a tight hug. “How is your own mijo, Gabriel?”

He noticed Raf was wearing a grey tee shirt that said ‘be a safe space’ with a rainbow heart under the words. He had put a violet scrub jacket over the tee shirt. He had violet scrub pants that matched his jacket and pair of grey Brooks sneakers.

“Oscar! It is always so good to see you. I’ll be glad when I’m finished with school, and I’ve passed all my licensing exams. Alex has been a fantastic mentor and teacher to me. Gabriel is great, he just started kindergarten this week. His teacher has already sent me an email raving about his social skills and how smart he is.” Raf told the older Hispanic.

“I bet you are. I’m so proud of you.” Oscar whispered into Raf’s ear.

“Well of course Alex is a great teacher, I have never doubted any of my children.” He said honestly and winked at his son who was taking a sip of an energy drink. “Worst thing about children is they don’t stay young for long.” He muttered and squeezed Raf’s shoulder. He knew quite well the woes of parenthood.

“Hey amiga! How are you?” He asked the Indian nurse and gave her a friendly hug. He visited Alex so often that he had a great relationship with his son’s employees and friends.

“How’s Mel? Has she finally taken up baking full time and opened her own bakery.” He asked as he sat down in the empty computer chair.

“I’m pretty good! Mel is good too. No, she is still a full-time school nurse and works at the same school as Henry and Liam.” Amy stuck her tongue out at Alex she had no shame about mentioning Henry in front of Oscar. She saw Alex roll his eyes at her antics, but it was all good fun.

“Henry’s a really great guy and you’ll like him. I haven’t found one single red flag. He and Alex recently babysat Gabriel and all that he could talk about when he got home was Henry this and Henry that.” He teased his friend.

“He and Mel work at the same middle school and have for years. She loves Henry to pieces, and he is most of the students’ favorite teacher. She says that he is a giant sweetheart to everyone, she enjoys it when he comes to spend his lunch with her and Liam.”

“Yeah, the school Liam was hired at was Henry’s middle school. Those two have really hit it off. I think Liam loves to share all of his embarrassing Alex stories.” Raf teased the senator.

"It is such a small world when the childhood best friend becomes besties with the boyfriend." Oscar teased his son. "I'll have to tell Henry some embarrassing stories of my own."

"Don't you three have anything better to do than joke about my love life?" Alex chided them as he took another sip of his energy drink. Really, he didn’t care as it was early in the morning and there were no patients in the exam room.

“Oh! Before I forget, here’s another bag of solid body butter sticks in case you are out. I also tossed a few of our new fall scents in for you.”

Oscar loved Amy and Mel’s solid body butter sticks for his dry patches on his hands and knuckles, courtesy of the bitter D.C. weather. D.C. wasn’t his beloved California that was for damn sure. He used some lotions and potions on his skin, but not to the extent of his children. Hell, he felt proud of himself that he knew what a moisturizer was and used one.

“I never got to watch the TikTok, what is going on and why is Farah so upset with it?” Oscar asked curiously.

“Oh, honey I thought you would have heard about it since it was a clinic in California.” Raf said pulling up the saved video, since the original had since been deleted, and handed his iPhone to Oscar.

“Well, that was disturbing to see. Do we know what clinic it was? They all should lose their jobs for that. Holy shit, no empathy in that video whatsoever.” Oscar commented to the group. “Let me guess you two made a reaction video and Farah told you to tone it down.”

“They should do more than just lose their jobs; they should loose whatever licensure they hold.” Raf remarked. “I want to know what the hell they were thinking myself.” He had been a nurse for over a decade and there was nothing worse than someone who went into the profession for the wrong reasons.

“The terrible thing was that this was an urgent care clinic.” Amy muttered with an exasperated sigh.

“Which means none of those patients woke up and expected a gynecological exam. Let alone have it blasted all over social media.” She agreed with Raf as they had a similar mindset when it came to being a nurse. She pulled up her phone and handed it to Oscar so he could watch Alex and Raf’s TikTok video discussing the topic and assuring TikTok that not all medical providers lacked empathy.

“That video had nothing to do with politics, and I have no idea why Farah would ask you to take it down. I agree there is a lack of empathy and compassion in this world and that video was grossly inappropriate, unprofessional, and dehumanizing. How can Farah as a woman not understand the point you made in that video?” Oscar said as he closed his eyes he was already annoyed with his ex-wife, and it wasn’t even 7:30. It was going to be a long fucking day.

“Is there anything exciting happening?” Oscar asked, he wanted to change the topic of conversation to something a little less serious.

“We finally hired a pediatrician and internist for the other side of the clinic.” Alex announced happily. “Cassius Washington and Adrian Deluca match our clinic values, along with five nurses.”

“You actually found a nurse to live up Raf’s impossible standards?” Oscar teased and patted his shoulder.

“He did, her name is Emily, and she speaks fluent Spanish and is new so I can teach her what I need her to know. He also found a replacement for me, although I’m hardly replaceable.”  

“Yeah, you are sadly irreplaceable.” Alex honestly admitted and heard Raf start to hum the Beyoncé song.

Oscar heard his text tone and saw a message from Jack, the junior senator of Massachusetts and one of his dear friends. He was checking in on Alex and relaying the plan.

“Jack says he is here as is Laura King in case they decide to protest Prism. He also is sending you a present for the day.” The or worst went unsaid by Oscar. The room was smart enough to read the room. He hoped with it being Massachusetts that the worst would just be a few protestors.

However, judging by Raf and Amy’s overnight bags under their desk, they were prepared to stay overnight.

“Do you want to tell Matthew to stay home for the day?” Alex asked Raf politely as all he could think about was Gabriel.

“You and I both know that’s not going to happen.” Raf muttered to the doctor. He knew his husband and Matthew was incredibly stubborn and wouldn’t go for Alex’s suggestion.

“Good morning, y’all.” Chloe said as she walked into the staff entrance of the clinic. She was dressed in a plum dress with tiered layers, a pair of black wedges with a low heel, a snow leopard overnight bag slung over left shoulder, and her black leather backpack slung over her right shoulder. She had an iced mocha from Flour Café which was across the street.

“I’m so sorry that I’m later than usual. I had an unscheduled coffee date this morning.” She muttered and realized that Alex’s father was sitting in the nurse’s station.

“Hi Oscar! How are you?” She asked the senator in her usual bubbly personality.

“Excuse you missy! I’m going to need you to repeat that, a coffee date with whom? Why is this the first time I’m hearing about it.” Amy said sternly to her friend, she thought that Chloe would have at least sent her a text message about it.

“Mason, he’s the police office that Jack hired to protect us today. I accidentally bumped into him this morning and knocked his coffee right of his hand. I felt obligated to buy him a coffee to apologize and we got to talking.”

“Now before you all freak out on me. He just graduated from the police academy and is a registered democrat who has voted for Jack, Elizabeth, and Laura. He volunteered for the assignment and Jack knows his family really well.” Chloe explained to the group. She knew how they felt about most cops.

Alex gritted his teeth at the mention of a police officer being stationed in his clinic for the day. He saw a similar expression on Rafael’s face, neither of them was thrilled with the idea of a police officer inside their clinic even if it was for their protection. He hated his mother for making this a necessity. However, he would withhold his judgement until he met Mason as he trusted Jack.

He watched Chloe put down her overnight bag next to Amy’s. “I’m going let Mason up.” He heard Chloe utter and watched her leave through the staff door.

“I don’t like this at all.” Raf said and shook his head to Alex the anxiety clear on his face. If Ellen would have just did the bare minimum and not included her children, the cop wouldn’t be fucking necessary. His heart felt like it might beat out of his chest, he wasn’t stupid, he knew why Oscar was spending the day at Prism.

Oscar was a sitting senator, and the governor would call in the National Guard to keep him safe. Planned Parenthoods were planned every single day in red states, and the staff were expected to deal with it. Prism was no different. He could see right through the bullshit. They were all expendable, including Alex, if something happened Ellen would use the 'dead kid' angle and would be unbeatable.

Alex squeezed Raf’s shoulder, he sadly understood his nurse’s feelings. “You need to breath. If you can’t handle today just go home and study. I won’t judge you or punish you for that decision.” He whispered into the nurse’s ear.

He would never fault Raf, and he didn’t want Gabriel to be parentless or Gabriel on his conscious. He had half a mind to text Nora and have her revoke Matthew’s clinic access for the day.

Alex looked up to see Chloe lead a man that was easily a foot taller than her into the clinic. The officer had to be 6 foot 5 and was very attractive, although standing next to Chloe was almost comical and she was even wearing a pair of wedges.

The police officer was not wearing a typical police uniform, rather he was dressed in a black henley sweater and a pair of dark khaki chinos with several pockets. He did not look like a police officer, and he felt Raf’s shoulder slightly relax.

“Hey man. I’m Mason Andrews and I just graduated from the police academy, I’m also an EMT.” The tall man said and extended his hand out to Alex. “I’m also a registered democrat and I am tired of police profiling certain communities. Just ask Jack, our families have known each other for years. Just tell me what the game plan is, and I’ll be on the lookout for any strange behavior.”

Spencer stumbled into work and looked like he hadn’t slept a week. “Alex, do you have something stronger than coffee. Parker was up literally all night.”

“Yeah, the breakroom fridge should have an energy drink.” Alex said with a soft laugh. “We were just talking about Liam.” He teased the pharmacist. “Mason, feel free to help yourself to the breakroom if you need an energy drink or a snack.”

It was clear that Spencer was tired judging from ‘the legal drug dealer’ tee shirt and scrub pant combo the Asian man was rocking.

“Sweet! I don’t even care about the flavor.” Spencer said as he walked into the backroom and came back a few seconds later holding a colorful can.

“Interesting tee shirt choice, my man.” Mason said with a laugh as he noticed what the shirt had written on it.

Spencer looked down to see what his shirt said. “Oh shit! He looked over and noticed the shiny badge tucked into the man’s pocket was BPD. “I’m a pharmacist.” He muttered and arched his eyebrow at Alex as if to say what the hell.

"Mason Andrews, Boston Police and I kind of gathered that from the legal joke." He said with a wink and warm handshake.

"How old is Parker?" Mason asked the pharmacist.

"13 weeks. Raf please tell me it gets easier." Spencer all but begged, he could not believe he wore this tee shirt in front of a cop.

"It could be an early tooth or colic." Raf suggested to Spencer. "It gets a little easier around 4." He teased with a wink to Alex the wink said look at what you have to look forward to.

“How old is your kid?” Mason asked the Hispanic nurse he wanted to prove to the two that he wasn’t a heartless dick. “My sister has a 4-year-old, she is my sister’s mini me.”

“Gabriel he’s 5 and the absolute light of my life.” He told the police officer with a relaxed smile. It was nice to hear the officer was a raging democrat with a sister and judging from the tone he was close to her.

Matthew walked in and heard the last part of his husband’s sentence. “Are you talking about Gabriel?” Matthew asked and placed a kiss on his husband’s hair.

“I talked to Miss Green, and she is aware that someone else might pick Gabriel up from school tonight and she has his emergency overnight bag.” He whispered into his husband’s ear and turned around to see Oscar behind Raf. He quickly hugged the older Hispanic man tightly. “It is so good to see you again.”

Oscar smiled at the private moment between Raf and Matthew and adverted his gaze to stare down the police officer. Come hell or high water everyone in this clinic would be making it home to their children and he’d personally see to that. Mason seemed like an alright kid, albeit green.

Alex eventually pulled Mason away from everyone and into his office. "Thank you for not wearing your uniform, one question is where is your firearm?" Alex asked the tall officer bluntly. He’d usually object, but his main priority today was making sure everyone in this clinic was safe and that they made it back home to their families.

“You’re welcome. I figured you wouldn’t appreciate me showing up in full uniform.” Mason pulled up his left cargo pant leg in response to Alex’s question. “I also have pepper spray, a taser, a multi-tool, pocketknife, and a last-ditch knife on me.”

Alex saw the Glock 22 chambered in .40 holstered on Mason’s left duty boot, it told him that the police officer was right-handed. He sadly knew what most firearm calibers were from his ER and trauma surgery rotation.

He also grew up in Texas and Liam’s dad had taken them to the range and taught him how to shoot several calibers. Liam’s dad had a collection, then again, he was positive there were more firearms than people in Texas. He shared his dad’s sentiment towards firearms.

“Let’s hope you don’t have to use it today.” Alex muttered and saw Mason readjust his pant leg. He hoped that Mason wasn’t needed, and Jack was overreacting.

“I get the feeling you don’t like me.” Mason muttered to the doctor. “I saw your nurse grimace.”

“It isn’t you. I like you just fine, I just don’t like your badge. I grew up in Texas. I’ve gotten racially profiled and saw just how quickly an officer changed their tune about me once I gave them my identification and saw Claremont listed and quickly apologized as to them, they just saw a brown kid. It might have been Austin, but I was still profiled in my teens just for the color of my skin.” Alex admitted and knew Raf felt the exact same way.

Alex could easily count the non-minority staff members he had on staff, and it was a rather small list of Chloe, Matthew, Scarlett, Katie, and Adrian.

“I’m sorry that you’ve had terrible experiences with police officers in the past. I do want to change that, like you wanted to change healthcare. We are on the same side.” Mason told the doctor in complete honesty.

“I want to believe and trust you. I do, it is just hard to trust anyone with a badge, gun, and looks like they are a late to set for a police procedural TV drama.” Alex sassed. “Make sure my family comes out of this unscathed even if you do just it for Chloe.”

“So says the doctor who looks like he is late for filming Grey’s Anatomy.” Mason muttered with a laugh. “So, I think you are Grey’s Anatomy which police procedural do I give?”

Alex shrugged. “I don’t know whoever makes most of the police procedurals on TV. Grey’s Anatomy, really? You couldn’t give me something like ER or The Pitt at least something mostly medically accurate.” He sighed and looked at his watch and saw that his first patient of the day was scheduled to arrive soon.

“Here is my number and I recommend that you go visit the first floor and keep an eye on things. I think Farah said the campaign announcement will be announced at noon for maximum impact and to be on the nightly news.” Alex said sadly, he was not looking forward to that announcement.

He left his office and Chloe direct the police officer to where he needed to go and went to look at his patient schedule for the day and saw the first patient was a 16-year-old female.

"MIjo, do you have chorizo and eggs?" Oscar asked his son. He had just had a conversation with Raf regarding the Mexican food and honestly, he could make Alex's employee's a classic lunch, he also loved to cook. He felt bad at the lack of traditional Mexican food offerings. Raf also said there wasn’t a drug rep with catered lunch so why not make them a great lunch.

“Of course I do. I might not have all that you need and if I don’t I can just Instacart it here.” Alex suggested to his father, in fact he knew his dad would need to put in an Instacart order especially if he planned on making huevos rancheros con chorizo.

“What grocery stores are around here and please don’t tell me Whole Foods.” He could safely say that he had never stepped foot into a Whole Foods or Erewhon in all his years of living in Los Angeles, he liked Ralphs and several smaller Hispanic grocery stores.

“There is a Whole Foods in walking distance.” Alex teased with a wink. “I personally shop at Star Market, Target, or Tropical Foods in Lower Roxbury.” He would occasionally grab one or two things from the Whole Foods or something from their grab and go section if it was a day they didn’t have lunch catered by a pharmaceutical or device rep.

“Not so fast on leaving to cook lunch for everyone as I am pretty sure you are do for some lab work.”

“We should probably listen to your heart too, just to make sure everything is in working order.” Raf looked at Alex’s father as he grabbed his navy stethoscope with rainbow chestpiece and draped it around his neck.

“What’s next a prostate exam?” Oscar asked as he dramatically sighed with an eye roll. “I’m fine mijo. I run, paddleboard, surf, and swim.” He told his son and Raf.

“Only if you want one.” Raf said with threatening smile at the senator. “Or if you are having symptoms of a prostate issue.” He knew Oscar could get by with a PSA screening, but it was fun to tease Alex’s father and one of his friends. He paused and watched Oscar’s shoulders relax.

“I really think we should, when is the last time you had a prostate exam? I promise I’ll be gentle.” Raf teased with a toothy grin, and he looked like the cat who was about to get the canary.

"Can we please stop discussing my prostate." Oscar asked giving both men an annoyed glare. He was glad they could laugh, as he knew they both needed it.

Alex stifled his laughter into his bicep at his father’s horrified expression of a prostate exam. “Pa, he’s just screwing with you. You don’t have a family history of prostate cancer so we can get away with just doing a PSA and going from those results.”

Raf got up from his chair with a smile at Alex and tapped Oscar’s shoulder. “Come on hermano.” He led Oscar to the patient lab and shut the door with a soft ‘click.’

Oscar sat in the chair with adjustable recliner and watched Raf grab a manual blood pressure cuff and pulse oximeter from a drawer.

“How have you been health wise?” Raf asked as he took a seat on the rolling stool and wrapped the cuff around Oscar’s left bicep. “Are you managing your stress levels well?”

“I still hike, rock climb, swim, surf, paddleboard, and eat right. I still have a cigar on special occasions” Oscar admitted.

“You know I think you might be more active than I am.” Raf sassed the senator. Between school, Gabriel, and catered lunches he didn’t have as much time as he wanted for physical activity. Even though like Alex, he had abs hiding under his scrub tops and tee shirts.

My stress levels could be better. Then again, I am a sitting senator with a small margin. My ex-wife is about to officially announce her primary campaign, and she couldn’t care less about the impact it will have on Alex. There is an officer here and while it is necessary I know my son’s opinion of them. I don’t think you’ve had great experiences with them either.” Oscar admitted honestly.

“You should think about quitting those cigars.” Raf chided the senator as he placed the blood pressure cuff around Oscar’s left bicep.  “When was your last colonoscopy?” Raf innocently questioned the senator.

“Mijo, what is your obsession with my ass all of a sudden?” Oscar asked the nurse. “Should I tell Matthew about your fascination about my ass and the health of it.” That was the great thing about Raf is he could take his teasing.

Raf tossed his head back and laughed at Oscar telling Matthew. “I have no obsession with your ass, trust me. Your risk of certain cancers increases after a certain age, just making you stay on top of your preventive health.”

“I had one right when I turned 45 and I’m good for at least a few more years before I need another one and I will not have another one a second sooner than that. Thank you for asking.” Oscar said with an eye roll.

“Is your sister still a dancer?” Oscar asked as he desperately wanted to change the subject of conversation away from his ass.

“Right now, she choreographed Sabrina Carpenter’s current tour and is one of her primary backup dancers. I’m pretty sure she’ll be dancing until she physically can’t.” Raf said about his slightly older sister as he placed the earpieces of his stethoscope into his ears and inflated the blood pressure cuff.

“124 over 77, your top number is just slightly elevated and given your stress level is pretty good.” Raf muttered and removed the pulse oximeter from Oscar’s finger. “Heart rate is a perfect 71.” Raf knew Oscar was extremely healthy for his age.

Raf placed the earpieces of his stethoscope into his ears and placed the chestpiece against Oscar’s chest to listen for any murmurs. “Any recent shortness of breath or chest pain?” He asked the senator and saw him lightly shake his head.

Oscar smiled, it was strange to see Alex’s nurse in the zone. “I’m so proud of you. When is your graduation?”

“May 18^th in Denver, I can’t believe that in eight months I’ll have my master’s and finally be done with all of my schooling.” Raf admitted it was nice to hear that Oscar was proud of him as his own father tossed him out when he discovered he liked men. Oscar was in many ways a surrogate father to him.

Oscar watched Raf put the blood pressure cuff and pulse oximeter away in a drawer and grab a bunch of tubes for his blood. “How is Alex really doing?” He asked and knew the nurse would give him an honest answer about his baby, his son might have been an adult, but it was still his job to worry.

“He’s been great since meeting Henry. He could do without Farah trying to parent him, he really wants to be left the hell alone by Farah. If he had any interest in politics, he wouldn’t have gone to medical school.” Raf told the senator bluntly. He was tired of Farah integrating herself into Alex’s life and not understanding any of it.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve told Ellen to lay off our children and yet she doesn’t listen.” Oscar rolled his eyes he was exhausted by his ex-wife and her attack dog.

“Make a fist for me.” Raf instructed his tone gentler as he tied the tourniquet around Oscar’s arm to look for a good vein, once he found one that was perfect and untied the tourniquet.

“I’m going to do a CBC, CMP, thyroid panel, lipid panel, A1C, test your vitamin levels, testosterone, c-reactive protein to check your cardiac risk factors, and a PSA.” Raf said as he tied the tourniquet around Oscar’s left arm and felt for a good vein, once he found the vein he untied the tourniquet and put on the pink pair of gloves and tore open the alcohol wipe and cleaned off his antecubital fossa.

Oscar felt the tourniquet get tighter and heard Raf’s warning about a quick pinch and saw the first tube fill with his blood and saw the nurse switch out various tube colors before removing the needle from his arm and covering the poke hole with a small piece of folded gauze and light green wrap.

“We should hopefully have the results back tomorrow morning for everything. So, what are you making for lunch? Let me guess huevos rancheros con chorizo.” Raf teased. He knew that was Oscar’s specialty. 

“Well of course.” Oscar said and got up from the reclining chair he never had an issue with getting his blood drawn and he barely registered it when Raf did it.

They left the lab and Oscar hugged Alex and showed him the wrap on his arm. “I’m good outside of my top blood pressure number being just slightly elevated.”

“How elevated?” Alex asked as he pulled away from his father’s hug and wondered if his dad needed blood pressure medication.

“It was 124 over 77. I promise I’m fine mijo. Now that vampire Raf took some of my blood, I’m off to make lunch for everyone. Please try and have a good day.” He whispered into his son’s ear.

“Sades, do you want a PTO day to come help me cook? I let you sample the chorizo.” Oscar told the Australian Shepherd knowing that she would not take him up on the offer. He watched the dog sit directly on top of Alex’s sneaker covered feet as her response. “Guess not.” He said and walked away to commandeer Alex’s kitchen for the morning.

Alex grabbed his black stethoscope and draped it against his neck and grabbed his iPad from the desk and left the nurse area and gently knocked on the door to exam room 1.

Alex felt the fist collide with his nose and felt the warm blood drip down his face all because the father of a teenage girl believed in purity culture bullshit, instead of listening about his daughter’s health.

He quickly grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and held it to his nose and left the exam room.

“Raf! Would my please check to make sure that bastard didn’t just break my nose.” Alex muttered. He typically wouldn’t call a patient’s family member a bastard as that was rude, but they had just punched him in the nose.

Before he could process what had happened or before Raf could get out of his chair Mason strolled through the entry door and wasn’t even out of breath.

“Would you like to press charges?” Mason asked and grabbed a foil-wrapped nampon from a pocket in cargo pants and handed it to Raf.

“That will help stop the bleeding and it works like a charm.” He explained as he always had a few shoved into his uniform pocket as his job was unpredictable.

“That depends. Why don’t you go read that man the riot act and see if that changes his tune.” Alex told the police officer and followed Raf into his office. The paper towel still against his nose to trap the blood.

Mason smirked to himself and saw Amy point at exam room one. He entered the exam room with a disarming smile.” Hello! I’m Officer Andrews.” He said and flashed the badge that was attached to his left pocket. He was used to his badge on full display on the chest of his uniform as he never wore plain clothes.

He crossed his arms over his chest so that his badge was on full display and the message was clear. “I heard you assaulted Dr. Claremont-Diaz, and there is Massachusetts law that makes the assault of a healthcare worker a felony. I’m curious as to why you assaulted Dr. Claremont-Diaz.” He was careful about the words he chose and stressed the doctor in front of Alex’s name.

Alex sat down on the edge of his chaise lounge and pulled back the paper towel with a loud hiss and felt Raf’s gentle fingers feeling for any displaced nasal bones.

“Why did the bastard punch you? I could hear someone screaming at you about something. I thought about interrupting you with a question.”

“Glad you didn’t, then we’d both have been punched.” Alex said with a half-smile. He didn’t like the idea of me performing an exam on his teenage daughter. When I explained why I needed to and what I thought might be wrong with his sixteen-year-old daughter not yet having her first menarche. He told me that I should stay out of his daughter’s virginity and let her potential future husband take care of it.” He said with a gagging sound.

“Then he punched me right in the nose. I guess his wife made the appointment and thought the appointment had been made with a female since the name Alex is rather ambiguous.”

Raf gently tilted Alex’s chin up so he could get a better look at the nostrils. “Dick! I’m positive the name on the rainbow glass is Alexander Claremont-Diaz, which is the name on your license and diploma. It’s also listed on the new patient paperwork.”

Not to mention what person hasn’t heard the name Claremont-Diaz, and your pretty face is on the Prism website. You also have TikTok and YouTube. Could they not have done any research of their own or perhaps asked Chloe what your gender was. At the very least they could have just left and apologized for wasting your time instead he sucker punched you.”

“We assume he would lift a finger as to him that is clearly his wife’s job. What is the verdict on my nose.”

“The good news is that I don’t feel any broken or displaced nasal bones. Mason handed me a nampon so let’s get this into your right nostril to hopefully stop the bleeding. Then I want you to put your feet up and relax with an icepack along your bridge and ocular area since I am concerned about blood pooling and leading to a black eye. While you do that I’ll go ahead and see the 27-week prenatal appointment.

Raf unwrapped the sterile packaging and gently inserted the flat nasal plug into Alex’s right nostril. The plug quickly expanded once it touched the first drop of blood and was soaked with a clotting solution to help stop the bleeding. It looked exactly like a tampon without the string.

“I’ll be right back with an ice pack for your face.” Raf muttered and patted Alex’s knee. “I’m glad that Oscar is upstairs.”

“I told you that this day was going to suck. Do you believe me now?” Alex questioned and flopped his head back until it hit the pillow and felt Sadie jump onto the chaise lounge and put her body against his chest for comfort. “I love you girl! Thank you for not biting the douche canoe.” Quite frankly he hated both types of douches.

Raf came back a few seconds later with an instant cold pack that was already cold and handed it to Alex. “Your nasal bones feel fine, I’m more worried about your ocular region. I’ll be back to check on you in a little bit.

Alex groaned and placed the ice pack against his undereye. He was already done with the day, and it wasn’t anywhere close to noon or his mother’s campaign announcement.

The rest of the morning passed by in a blur. By lunchtime the blood had pooled underneath Alex’s right eye, and he was sporting an impressive shiner. It was not pretty, but his nose had stopped bleeding hours ago. Now he looked like a doctor who got into bar fights on occasion.

He saw a text message from his dad that lunch was ready and luckily, they were actually on time, which was a very rare occasion. Especially when someone punches him in the face. “Pa says that lunch is ready.” He told Raf, Amy, and he saw Sadie do her food dance.

He walked over to the reception area door. “Lunch is ready. Lock up and let’s take an hour to watch her campaign announcement and eat my dad’s famous huevos rancheros con chorizo.”

He also sent a text message to Spencer to come eat as the five of them made their way to his condo. The moment they hit the third floor they could smell Oscar’s cooking.

“If he ever gets tired of being a senator then he has another career in the chef industry. Damn that smells delicious.” Raf muttered as he walked behind Alex into the condo as he was greeted by the lovely sounds of Oscar cursing.

"What the fuck happened to your eye?" Oscar asked as he watched Alex walk into the kitchen. "Who punched you?"

"A douchecanoe of a father. He disagreed with my treatment plan and instead of leaving he right hooked me." Alex explained. "I'm fine, Mason handed it. It just hurts like hell. I'm wondering if I shouldn't have a margarita to go with lunch."

"I'll happily make you a margarita and you can take the rest of the day off and talk to your pa." Oscar suggested. He knew Alex had a bottle of Casamigos somewhere in the apartment. What he really wanted to do was find the person who punched Alex and give them a very stern lecture.

"I say we just take the afternoon off and we make Ellen's campaign speech a fun drinking game." Raf suggested with a wink.

“Do you want cirrhosis? Because that is how you get cirrhosis.” Amy teased in a motherly tone. “Count me in!” She’d happily take a spicy pineapple margarita any day of the week. Honestly, a few margaritas might be what they all needed to survive her campaign announcement.

“Let’s see how the campaign announcement goes before I break out the Casamigos.” Alex warned his staff, even though he had the sneaking suspicion they’d need one after the announcement.

“I think I’m going to go eat with Mason.” Chloe said with a smile and loaded up two plates.

“Ah to be young and in lust with someone.” Amy teased her friends as she watched her friend leave the condo with two paper plates loaded full of Oscar’s delicious lunch. She loaded herself up and plate and joined Alex and Raf on the couch as her campaign announcement was about to start.

"Good afternoon! I am Ellen Claremont, and I am formally announcing my primary campaign for the democratic nominee of President of this great nation. I have served as a member of the House of Representatives for several years and have served as Speaker of the House the last 8 years. I would be honored to serve this country as the next President of the United States."

Alex held Raf's hand tightly as he watched his mom's announcement speech. He wanted more than anything to be proud of her, but all he could think about was the impact this could have on them. She had zero protection in place for him and refused to keep him out of her politics.

Ellen finished her campaign speech, and the news segued to a pissed off Reichmann speech that was all about him and his blood ran cold. He could read between the lines and recognized it as a loud dog whistle.

He texted Chloe to have Mason get a plan together as he had a horrible feeling in his gut that they were going to need more than one police officer to keep them safe.

Alex finished watching Reichmann's speech. "Screw it! Pa I'll take a margarita and make it a triple on tequila." He was done with today and his mother’s complete lack of care she showed him. When his pa brought him a margarita over the rocks with a tajin rim and tajin shaken into the margarita, he took a greedy sip as Chloe entered the apartment.

“Prism in under protest.” She said bluntly and gestured to a window where they could see a group of 30 or so Riechmann supports as several other Boston Police SUVs roared into the parking lot.

Alex laughed at the ‘Alex Claremont kills babies’ sign. They clearly didn’t know the truth that he was having a baby with Henry. Really abortions were about 0.5 of his overall patient base. Sure, miscarriages were labeled as a spontaneous abortion and if it was incomplete then it required medical intervention. He always felt for the patient when he gave the news that they had had a miscarriage.

They also forgot the Diaz off his name, but the sign next to it made up for it by being incredibly racist.

Henry looked down at his phone before his after-lunch class started to file in and his blood ran ice cold when he saw that Prism was under protest. He saw police officers surrounding the building and the protestors holding up some crude signs.

He slowly got up from his desk chair and went to the door of his classroom since the students were about to come back from lunch.

“Did you know that Ellen was going to run in the presidential primary?” Zahra asked politely and noticed the English teacher looked much paler than his usual. “Everything okay?”

“I’m going to be sick!” Henry blurted out and took off running in the direction of the health office. His heart was racing, his stomach hurt, and he was going to puke. Not to mention his brain was thinking the absolute worst.

He needed Mel and he opened the office door with a loud thud and headed directly to her private toilet and quickly and loudly threw up his lunch.

Mel gracefully got out of her office chair and knelt onto the floor beside Henry. "It's okay sweetheart, it's okay." She said reaching for his wrist to check his pulse and found his pulse to be in the 120s, and while she wasn't a labor and delivery nurse, she needed to calm him down before he started to bleed or worse.

She got up from the floor and went next door to Liam's office. "Henry just saw the news about Prism and is aggressively vomiting and his heart rate is in the 120s. We need to calm him down. The last thing that boy needs is to have a miscarriage."

"Fuck!" Liam said and got up from his own desk and rushed into Mel's office. When he imagined his life after high school, he never dreamed that his future husband would work for Alex, and he'd have a friendship with Alex's current boyfriend yet here he was crouching down to rub Henry's back to help Mel calm him down.

He could hear Shaan and Mel talking about Henry through the shut bathroom door. 'It's okay sugar, it's okay. Take slow deep breaths through your nose. I promise that Alex is okay." He said and pulled out his iPhone from his back pocket and sent Alex a message about Henry and see if he could video chat.

A few seconds later he saw a video chat from Alex pop up on his screen and he pointed the screen at Henry.

"Hi baby! I'm okay, I promise." Alex soothed gently and hoped Henry didn't notice the black eye.

"-Lex." Henry groaned into the toilet and turned his head to see Alex in Henry's screen. "Not feeling good. Worried about you, Sadie, Amy, Raf, Matthew, Chloe and everyone else."

"Why do I feel like he listed us in order of importance. Nice to know he likes your dog better than me." Raf said with a warm teasing laugh as he had followed Alex into his bedroom in case he was needed.

Alex laughed softly at Raf's joke and then took in the scene on his phone of Henry curled around a toilet in Mel’s office and the image broke his heart. He wondered if it was an intense bout morning sickness or if it was something worse.

“Baby, take slow deep breaths in and out.” He instructed and sent Mel a text message for more information.

Mel had just lied to the principal, but she figured Henry hadn’t yet disclosed his pregnancy to Shaan, who had agreed to cover Henry’s next class for him. To be honest, she didn’t really know what had fully happened other than the news about the Claremont campaign, Reichmann’s speech, and a distraught Henry just about breaking the hinges off her door and sprinting into the private toilet.

“Shaan is going to fill in for your next class.” Mel said and walked back into the bathroom as she texted Alex a message to loop him in. “She was positive the younger man was having a panic attack, but still a heart rate that high was dangerous.

Henry looked like a deer-in-headlights when Mel mentioned Shaan filling in. “My drawer, if he opens it, I’m screwed, and he’ll know about the pregnancy.” His heart sank and he heaved into the toilet below him. He wanted to keep it a secret at least until he was further along and heard the heartbeat.

“Oh honey, I doubt Shaan is going to go through your desk drawers. He didn’t seem mad at you; he was honestly concerned about you.” Mel said after seeing Henry’s panicked voice.

After a few minutes of dry heaving into the toilet he finally turned to look at Liam’s phone and finally noticed the black right eye Alex was sporting. “Love, your eye! What the bloody hell happened!” He said his tone obviously British and dripping with concern.

“I’m okay trust me. It isn’t my first black eye. It was a patient’s father that didn’t like me.” Alex admitted in a soothing tone and saw Henry go back to anxiously dry heaving into the porcelain below.

He made a mental note that Henry would need another IV and he had no idea how to make that happen with Oscar in town and the obvious outside protest. It wasn’t like Mel could just walk into the hospital for an IV bag on his order, even if she could insert an IV. He wouldn’t send Henry to the hospital for one.

He despised mobile IV clinics since it was pseudoscience. Sure, IV hydration was beneficial for a hangover and other situations, but people were getting IVs for the hell of it of mostly useless fancy vitamins. Maybe he’d call Adrian for help, if all else failed he knew Elijah and Paige would help.

Mel rubbed Henry’s back in comfort, she knew she wasn’t Alex but hoped it was helping someone who was in pain. She could see the concern all over Alex’s face in Liam’s large phone.

Oscar walked past Alex's bedroom, and he could hear a strange conversation between Mel, Liam, Alex, and a pained British accent. He also made out the sound of dry heaving and Alex and Raf whispering about a Zofran IV and Henry's concerning heart rate.

“What about Elijah? I know he’s a rheumatologist, but do you think he’d help? 120 during pregnancy is less than an ideal situation.” Raf whispered, trying to keep his voice low enough that the phone didn’t detect it.

Did he just hear Raf say pregnancy? Was Henry pregnant? What the fuck was going on behind that door. He stood as still as a mouse trying to overhear more information as this was his son. He hoped Amy, Matthew, or Chloe didn’t catch him spying.

“Baby! Take slow deep breaths through your nose. I am safe, the media loves to spin things and makes things look worse than it actually is. The worst thing that has happened to me today was the black eye, which has happened to me before with lacrosse. Raf, Amy, Chloe, and Sadie are safe. My dad is here they won’t dare attack a building with a sitting senator in it. My ma might be a lot of things, but she’ll at the very least keep him safe as he is useful.” Alex said in a very gentle tone, and it was obviously directed at Henry.

Henry did what Alex suggested although it did sound like he was hyperventilating into the toilet. He kept repeating in his head that Alex was safe, Alex was safe, Alex was safe, like a mantra.

“There we go, that’s it.” Alex said cheerfully as he could see Henry doing as he suggested. He wanted to see Henry get off the bathroom floor so Mel could get better vitals for him and so he could ask Henry if he had any vaginal bleeding, low back, or low pelvic pain as that would be a very bad sign.

After ten minutes Henry finally pulled his head from the toilet and realized Mel and Liam had gotten front row seats to his violent a bloody morning sickness. He looked into the toilet, and he was pretty sure he had also vomited up blood.

“Alex is it common to have blood mixed with morning sickness?” Henry questioned and put the cold flannel in Mel’s hand against his neck.

“Is it a little blood or a lot of blood?”

“A little, more than spotting but not like I just threw up straight blood.” Henry answered and he hoped that was normal.

“A little blood is somewhat normal. Your esophagus, the tube between your mouth and stomach, has a lining that can get inflamed with repeat and sometimes violent vomiting. Since the vomit also has stomach acid, it is why your throat feels very raw.” He explained and bit his tongue to keep from sighing as it was just another crappy symptom Henry had to deal with, that was caused by him. He would be keeping a close eye on Henry as that could lead to a more serious issue, like a Mallory-Weiss tear. 

Liam flushed the toilet and helped Mel get Henry over to one of the two cots. So that he could lay down or at least sit down on something more comfortable than a bathroom floor.

Mel opened one of the drawers and grabbed the adult sized blood pressure cuff and pulse ox from the drawer. She also grabbed her purple glitter stethoscope with a kaleidoscope chestpiece from her desk and slug it around her neck.

“Henry, can I check your vitals?” She asked and took a seat on the cot next to the English teacher who stuck out his left arm for her to wrap the cuff around. She also placed the earpiece of her stethoscope into her ears and placed the bell part of the chestpiece over Henry’s brachial artery and inflated the cuff and watched the numbers as she listened to the Korotkoff sounds.

“He’s 125/85 and his pulse is 118.” Mel told Alex as she removed the blood pressure cuff from the teacher’s arm along with the pulse ox from his finger. “Why don’t you lie down and just relax and talk to Alex.” Mel suggested as she put away the blood pressure cuff and pulse ox into the storage drawer.

She grabbed a Firecracker flavored Liquid IV and dumped the stick into a bottle of water. She planned to get him to drink the bottle, take some deep breaths, and talk to Alex before she let him go back to teaching. She shook the bottle up and made sure the powder was fully dissolved before handing the now cloudy bottle of water to Henry.

“It’s Firecracker popsicle flavor.” She said as she pulled Disney dogs blanket, she had on the edge of the couch/cot over Henry’s legs.

“Thank you.” Henry said and opened the bottle a took a sip of the flavored liquid, honestly, he was starting to like the salty hydration drinks. He laid his head back against the pillow to try and get his body to relax and settle down. Alex was okay and his anxiety had been kicked into overdrive.

“Baby, do you feel any pain or cramping in your lower back or low in your pelvis?” Alex asked as gently as he could, given Henry’s worrisome vitals.

“Do you think you could go with Mel to check your underwear for any bleeding?” In an ideal situation he’d be able to do a pelvic exam or better, yet Raf would be.

“Not really. My stomach feels like it is knots. No pain or cramping.” Henry admitted to the room, he felt very embarrassed that Liam and Mel got to watch his freak-out. 

Oscar heard his kid ask about pelvic pain and he wanted to barge into the room and question Alex, but he knew it wasn't a good time given Henry’s emotional state.

The more he thought about it Henry was pregnant and judging from Alex's concern he was the father. He wanted to know the full story. Had Alex thrown ethics from a Boston skyscraper and shacked up with a patient. Or was this an accidental thing and they had met through Pez and had just forgotten to use protection.

He smirked at the idea of an ob/gyn forgetting to use protection. That would be exactly like Alex, detailed research for everything, a degree from the best medical school and in a moment of passion forgot to wrap the twinkie.

Henry took another large sip from the water bottle and reluctantly separated himself from the blanket to follow Mel into the bathroom. “I’m so sorry.” He told the pretty nurse who just squeezed his hand.

“You have nothing to apologize for sweetheart. You saw some scary news and needed to be around friends. You are also pregnant, which intensified those feelings. Totally no big deal, trust me. I’ll protect you from Shaan. I’m a nurse which means I love to care for people. Liam has been in your shoes before. We totally understand!” Mel said and pulled him in for a very tight hug and placed a soft kiss into his blond hair.

“Let’s make sure everything is okay.” She said and turned around to give Henry a moment of privacy to undo his dress pants and sit on the toilet. “No blood.” She told Henry after taking a quick peek at his underwear. “You are good.”

“You don’t need to protect me from Shaan, he’s harmless. It’s his wife that is scary.” He teased with a warm laugh.

“Zahra started talking to me in the hall about Ellen and I had just seen the news about Prism, and I was so worried about Alex and thought of the worst-case scenario. How do you handle your emotions when it comes to Amy?”

“She and I have been married for a while, and this sadly isn’t the first time Prism or Alex has been protested. The first time it happened I was a bundle of nerves. This time is Riechmann’s base, and they’ll get tired of it once Reichmann has something else to get them all worked up about.”

“Right now, they are concerned about nothing. They don’t like Alex because he is an outspoken, educated, brown man. They can’t stand it, because in their antiquated brains they don’t like the way the world is rapidly changing and progressing. Another democrat will enter the primary race soon, and Reichmann will turn his attention to them. He’s a loud bully that has tapped into the range older people have. Their hate will not win; it never does in the end.”

Henry took a deep breath and felt a little better after Mel reminded him their hate would not win. Sometimes it was hard to remember when he saw protestors circling his boyfriend’s workplace.

“Thank you. They will all be alright.” He repeated and this time he almost believed it when he said it aloud. He left the bathroom and saw that Liam was waiting for them and was still talking to Alex and Raf.

“No blood.” Mel said helping Henry back onto the couch/cot and covering him back up with the blanket so he could finish the rest of his liquid IV and rest a little longer before he went back to teaching or maybe she’d send him home for the day. She knew Shaan wouldn’t have a problem with her recommendation.

Alex let out a sigh of relief when Mel said that Henry didn’t have any blood in his underwear. That was a good sign, he was still a little worried about the bloody vomit. He also knew Henry was due for another nausea IV cocktail and after that level of vomiting an IV would be better than a water with a hydration packet in it.

“That is very good news.” Alex softly said to Henry, Liam, and Mel.

“Baby, I promise you I’m okay and you’ll be the first to know if something happened. I know it looks scary, but our senators, governor, and mayor know, and they are doing everything they can to protect me. Pa is also here and while Riechmann supports are passionate, I don’t think they are passionate about jail time for attacking a sitting senator.”

Henry relaxed onto the couch and took another huge sip of the water and focused on his breathing. He needed to relax and trust that people would keep Alex and his wonderful staff safe. After fifteen minutes talking to Alex and Raf about random things he started to feel better.

“Could I please go back to teaching?” Henry asked once he realized it was close to his next class period, and he didn’t want Shaan to question him or have to cover him for more than one class period.

“Let me check your vitals one more time and they can decide if you get to go back to class, sweetheart.” Mel said and grabbed the blood pressure cuff and pulse ox from the drawer. She placed her stethoscope bell over Henry’s brachial artery.

“You are 115/75 and your pulse is 94.” Mel announced and she heard Alex and Raf’s relieved sigh. She was in agreement that his vitals had lowered to the point where she felt comfortable sending Henry back to class.

“What if we had Mel make up an excuse that she couldn’t watch Gabriel? I’m quite worried about Henry after that, maybe if he had someone to watch tonight and hang out with might make him feel better.” Raf suggested to Alex, he trusted Henry to watch Gabriel for the night.

“I’m sure he’ll have no problem watching Gabriel for the night and it would take his mind off everything. Gabriel really liked Henry, and I trust him to make sure he gets off to school and in bed at a decent time.” Alex replied he liked that idea and it was nice to know Raf was equally concerned.

He needed to follow up with Adrian and Cash and see if after today they still wanted to work at Prism. If they were he might be able to get Adrian to make a house call to check on Henry.

He also needed to follow up with Scarlett, Katie, Kyra, Emily, and Alana and make sure they weren’t afraid of the news and still wanted to work at Prism. If they didn’t it would be back to the drawing board and it would be that much harder to find five nurses.

“I am fucking exhausted, and I am dangerously close to exploding on Farah and Ellen.” Alex said not even bother to give his mother’s name any respect. In one day, she had caused protestors outside the building for her lack of planning or trying to stop this. All she’d have to do is denounce the hate and mention that I’m a private citizen.” Alex said and fell back against his mattress to stare up at the ceiling.

 "Is Henry pregnant?" Oscar whispered to Raf.

"What makes you think that?" Raf asked as he poured him another small margarita. "I need to study."

Alex heard a tweet sound showing he had a new mention from Maya Ortega who had just done what he wanted his own mother to do.

Oscar read Maya’s tweet and retreated it without a second thought. Here was the first democrat speaking out about it and it wasn’t his ex-wife telling them to stop. It was the governor of Florida. He was livid and wanted to call up Ellen and give him a piece of his mind. He also saw a tweet from Jack, Elizabeth, Laura, and Michelle that was also denouncing the protest. Yet, Ellen was radio silent, even Leo was retweeting the tweets.

Chapter Text

Alex left his bedroom once he made sure Henry had gone back to class and after he had a few moments to himself a moment of alone time to decompress.

"Everything alright, Mijo?" Oscar questioned his son, and he tried to sound normal when all he wanted to do was pull Alex back into the room and question him about Henry. He trusted his child and figured Alex would eventually tell him that he was going to be an abuelo.

"Yeah!" Alex said his voice sounding fake. "As good as I can be, given my clinic is under protest and a governor I've never met cares more about my safety than my own mother. Just fucking peachy!"

Oscar could only nod his head as he understood Alex’s feelings exactly. “I’m sorry mijo!” He had sent Leo a text message. The next time he saw Ellen it would be a less than cordial meeting, that was damn sure. “Would you like to talk about it?”

Alex gritted his teeth and shook his head in defeat. “About what? That she won’t listen to any fucking suggestion and that she’s playing a safe campaign that will cause her to lose the primary and maybe even the election so that Riechmann can destroy our county. Hell, I haven’t gotten so much as an I’m sorry or are you okay text message from her or Farah.” All he wanted to do was stay out of politics.

Raf and Matthew shared a knowing look as they both had been waiting for Alex to finally let the walls come crashing down. It was immensely clear that Alex was passionate, and he was tired of playing Ellen Claremont’s game.

“Better yet how about the fact none of my staff members are going to be able to sleep in their own beds. What about the patients whose afternoon appointment was canceled because of a stupid protest. Those patients needed Prism, and it wasn’t available to them. What if a patient goes into labor and has a doctor or midwife that doesn’t care about them or their body autonomy?” Alex said, feeling the sting of tears at the thought.

“She doesn’t care about those patients, and she doesn’t care about the state of healthcare that I deal with on a daily basis. She has gold plated insurance paid by the federal government. She has a heart attack and gets the best care possible without having to worry about a copay or her deductible.” Alex was furious and it felt like the only people that understood him were other healthcare workers who were just as burnt by the system as he was.

"I'm very close to having the name on my medical license changed, because as long as I have Claremont in my name, I am a political target no matter how many times I ask not to be. At least with Diaz I’m just the child of a senator. I don’t even care how much of a giant pain in the ass it would be to change my licensure at this stage in my career.” He muttered at this moment in time he doubted he’d be giving his future child with Henry the surname of Claremont-Diaz-Fox. He was done with everything Claremont.

"There is also a dulce de leche tres leche if you all want something sweet." Oscar said and cut himself and Alex a slice. He'd rather it be cajeta, but alas he didn't have goat's milk.

Oscar had heard enough and grabbed plate of dulce de leche tres leche that he had cut for himself and Alex. He’d rather it be cajeta, but alas he didn’t have goat’s milk. He grabbed Alex’s hand and gently pulled him away.

It was clear that his son was mad at the world, and he understood, but at the same time this rant would be better suited for a more private place. He also knew just how politically intelligent his son was, and he’d have a winning idea for Ellen. Her litmus test of sorts to see if she wanted to choose one side of the fence or just sit on it.

He also had a gut feeling and suspicion that with Maya Ortega’s recent Tweet that she was gearing up for a campaign announcement of her own. He had been in politics long enough to read between the lines.

Maya had poised herself for the perfect strike as she had been the first one to speak upon the growing protest around Prism, something Ellen had yet to do. Her silence was louder than her words or Tweets.

“Come on Mijo, let’s go talk in your office and get everything off your chest.” He whispered and looped his arm around his son’s neck to lead him out of the condo. “There is a dulce de leche tres leche cake in the kitchen, if you all want something sweet.” Oscar said and turned his head as he left the condo and led Alex to his clinic office.

Oscar walked into Alex’s main office and saw his two Harvard degrees hung between a wooden sign with the names Lucy, Anarcha, and Betsey written in beautiful script. He unfortunately knew why Alex had the sign hanging in between his diplomas. Alex had a chaise lounge against one of the walls along with two barrel chairs across from his desk. He figured those chairs had heard a lot of bad and unfortunate news. He also saw a small plush longhorn cow sitting on the windowsill.

He sat down in one of the barrel chairs and noticed the customized wood sticky note dispenser and a few 3D printed turtles, but other than that Alex’s desk was rather clean. “What is going on?”

Alex sighed at his father’s question and reached for the Dia De Los Muertos themed turtle that he fidgeted when he was on pointless and boring insurance phone calls trying to get medication prior auth approved. It was a gift from a former patient, and he had a few fidget animals on his desk.

“That is cool.” Oscar muttered, referring to the turtle in Alex’s hand. It had red and orange marigolds on its back, and it looked a little like a sugar skull.

“It is a Dia De Lost Muertos 3D printed articulating turtle. I have a patient with a 3D printing business, and I have an extra if you’d like one. Raf and I also have a rainbow axolotl to keep our turtle company.” Alex laughed and reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a small organza bag with a matching turtle inside the bag and handed it to Oscar. He already knew his dad wanted it.

Alex sighed and took a deep breath. “Pa, I hate to say it, but do you really think for one second if I was attacked or worse that Ellen would care that much? She’d use it as a platform, maybe punch back against Reichmann a little harder than she has been. Maybe she’d even blame him and his followers for my untimely death, but she would not miss the headaches I cause Farah. She has not said one thing about the protest outside. A governor I have never met has had more to say than my own mother.”

Oscar wanted to tell Alex that he was wrong and that his mother would be devastated. However, his son was probably right that she’d use it as a platform and run the dead kid straight to the white house. He hated to even think about his ex-wife doing something so callous, but she had been dead silent about the clinic protest.

“She has always hated the fact I chose medicine over Farah’s perfectly curated plan of being like the Bushes. Farah hates the fact I have almost 5m followers on TikTok and I’m not afraid to point out healthcare inequality or call out obvious medical disinformation. They hate that I won’t touch politics or allow them that kind of follower count.”

Oscar knew his son had a lot of followers, but not that many on TikTok or YouTube. Alex was right, Ellen had utterly despised his Harvard lacrosse announcement and how his future was medical school.

She thought he was joking even after he took the MCAT and got a phenomenal score of 525 which was only a few points away from a perfect MCAT. She still was in denial and skipped Alex’s white coat ceremony. To be fair his son despised that thing too, but it was still an important milestone in his medical school career. She also judged his specialty choice during his Match Day.

He knew exactly why Alex went into obstetrics and gynecology and those initials were RLS and the social injustice of it all. He had seen all the research his son published under Alex Diaz, and he had brought obstetrics and gynecology kicking and screaming into modern society. His son had complained at length about Marion Sims and the cruel exams on the three slaves. He nodded his head that he understood, but he wasn’t about to interrupt his son’s much needed rant.

“Look at the statistics on obstetrics and gynecology before and after I completed my residency. I’m the reason the American Congress of Gynecology made pain medicine during procedures routine because I wouldn’t shut up about it during residency. I’ve changed a lot of things in my field of medicine and people despise me for it. Ma had me 30 years ago, when my specialty was a lot different. She never respected my choice, she expected me to go into surgery, and I didn’t.” Alex sighed and played with his turtle.

“You’d think with Ellen having a daughter, she’d understand why I want to change the field of reproductive health to benefit everyone. June is most of the reason I am ob/gyn, that and the treatment of transgender people and men with duo-genitals. Hell, I created the first of its kind clinic and birth center and she didn’t support it either.” He made a wild gesture around his office.

“You and I both know the second she wins the primary she’ll have a secret service agent come order me to quit my job due to the security risks it could pose to her presidential campaign. They’ll claim it is to keep me safe, but all it would be is to shut me up and to not ruin her campaign.”

“She will suggest that since Massachusetts allows certified nurse midwives to practice independently without oversight from a physician I just hand everything over to Raf. Which is a terrible idea, but then again, she knows nothing about healthcare politics or the innerworkings of healthcare. I have an idea for a bill, one that will greatly benefit the American people and could win an election.” Alex took a deep shaky breath in preparation for his father’s rejection.

“I assume it is a healthcare bill?” Oscar asked as he leaned forward the barrel chair to give Alex his full attention. He knew how his mijo felt about politics in general, so he knew this was something Alex was passionate about. Since he was willing to dip his foot into an alligator’s nest for it. “What are you thinking?”

“It is a healthcare bill. What I’m thinking is that we have chief executive officers that put profits over people. Prism has been around for a year, and more than ever I’m aware of the seedy underbelly of healthcare.”

“I’m also aware of just how much politicians love to try to control things they shouldn’t have anything to do with, and because of that things that shouldn’t be politics are. At the very least there should be a limit to the government's reach into healthcare. Reichmann is calling for Roe to be overturned, that abortions and the medications aren’t safe. Last I checked, Reichmann was a failed senate campaign from Nevada, he doesn’t have any degree in healthcare or science to make those claims.” Alex explained to his father. He had a year’s worth of research, so he wasn’t just going off half-cocked as his mother would say.

Oscar listened to his son, and he agreed that politicians did like to meddle in things they shouldn’t have anything to do with. He promised Alex that he’d ask for his opinion of any and all healthcare related bills.

“I’m in. Tell me your ideas, and I know Jack and Liz will be in too. We have the senate votes; it will be the house and Ellen letting the bill die.” Oscar sounded very excited about Alex’s idea for a bill, and he adjusted in the chair and grabbed his phone to type up the important stuff. He and Jack would flesh it out over dinner in one of their offices.

“We are the only country that reports people for medical debt and one of the few countries where one can go bankrupt because of a medical issue. Pa, it used to be that doctors were in the executive suites to help make executive decisions. Now, you don’t see doctors making those decisions, rather it’s people with a business management degree who just bought their third yacht or a home in Martha’s Vineyard.” Alex paused and took a forkful of his pa’s famous dulce de leche tres leche.

Oscar sadly knew very well what Alex was talking about. Senators that took egregious donations were the same. They would brag about their third boat or new vacation home. He was not that way at all.

“The CEOs set egregious key performance indicators, or appointment time limits that are wild. Most specialties are given a fifteen-minute block for returning patients, and thirty for new patients. Even a seasoned physician has trouble staying within those allowed limits. During my residency they wanted us to try for ten-minute prenatal appointments. Which assuming you back six prenatal appointments back-to-back, that is quite an amount of revenue for a little amount of work in that hour.” Alex explained.

“Sure, you can get a measurement and listen to the heartbeat with a doppler, but you aren’t getting an accurate picture of how they are managing their pregnancy, and they aren’t able to get through the list of questions. The only thing that benefits is the revenue and a great way to meet all the providers in the clinic that might end up attending the birth, but you are expected to rush through those appointments, and that leads to providers missing vital things.

Oscar listened to Alex’s rant and pulled out his phone to start adding notes on what his son was telling him. He personally wanted to see a major overhaul of politics, but most of the ‘old guard’ refused change. The founding fathers wanted it to be ‘We the People’ and it hadn’t been that way for a while.

“Speaking of CEOs doing egregious things for the sake of profit over care, is the push for advanced practice registered nurses, instead of hiring an actual physician in that specialty. They can pay an APRN less, but it is dangerous because the nurse lobby has lobbied congress, and most states get exactly what they want at the cost of sacrificing patient care.”

“Not to sound like a disrespectful asshole, because there are some fantastic nurse practitioners and midwives out there; Raf is a fantastic example of one. There are some not-so-great nurse practitioners that open up a med spa or do psych and face no repercussions for practicing independently.”

Oscar typed at his phone and made bullet-pointed notes to better understand and break down what his son wanted accomplished with this bill.

“Pa, I’ve seen some patients who have a psych nurse practitioner and they have that patient on some serious polypharmacy. There needs to be a limit, and every single midlevel should have a collaborative agreement with a physician in whatever specialty they practice in.”

“I also think the nurse practitioner education model should be revamped. Most schools will accept any registered nurse with a bachelor’s, and most are online based education. I think that if a nurse wants to work in that specialty they should have worked in that specialty. There are some nurses that go from their BSN graduation straight into their MSN without ever working on a floor.”

Oscar typed out Alex’s notes and figured his son would provide him with the research statistics because his child loved research and wasn’t the kind of doctor to make a baseless accusation about the education standards if there wasn’t truth to it.

“Raf is a fantastic student nurse midwife because of his decade of experience in labor and delivery and knows his limits.” Alex had done plenty of research on that particular topic. He held nurse midwives with previous labor and delivery in high regard, but there were some nurses that went from a med/surg floor to midwifery school and couldn’t do a simple cervical check.

“Nurse practitioners can practice independently in 26 states, and a physician associate can’t practice independently in any state. A nurse practitioner and a physician associate have essentially the same scope of practice. The only exception is that a CNM can deliver a baby and a PA cannot. Physician Associates are team players and went to PA school for a reason and are fine working in tandem with a supervising physician.”

“While nurse practitioner education has turned into for-profit diploma mills, and they’ve poised themselves with hospital administrators and patients that they are better than a doctor. They have the time and energy to lobby politicians for that coveted independent practice without the same liability I have.”

“All of that rant is to say, we need to do better with the nurse practitioner education standards and have it as close to being a physician associate. Most of the scary stories you see online are from someone who saw a nurse practitioner.”

“Take a recent patient for example; she was told by her nurse practitioner that she didn’t believe in the ACOG recommendations for a pap every 3 years starting at age 21. Her own recommendations were a pap smear yearly until they had 3 normal results. It is dangerous for patients when they misrepresent their education.” Alex said and while he could spend hours on the nurse practitioner education model he’d put a cork in it, and hand his dad the research he and Raf had on the subject matter.

“Could you please tell me why there are three different kinds of medication for erectile dysfunction and so little good research on reproductive issues? Why is it that when I ask an insurance company to approve a GLP-1 mediation for a patient with insulin resistant PCOS I get a ‘denied, try metformin notice.’ It’s very simple. I despise metformin and its heinous side effects. That’s the absolute bottom of the diabetic treatment barrel.” Alex said honestly, it felt good to get this off his chest.

“I have research that proves a GLP-1 with myo-inositol is the best at reducing PCOS symptoms. I’ve placed a few patients on that particular combo and within a year they were pregnant after years of fertility issues.”

“I want insurance companies to stop using AI to deny medical claims. What I want to happen is for a doctor to send medication to a pharmacy for the patient, pharmacist reviews it and has a pharmacy tech fill that medication for the patient. The insurance shouldn’t get a say. We should also talk about pharmaceutical pricing for branded medications that patients need, but most of the time can’t afford.

It is terrible in Eli’s specialty, some of those biologicals are billed to insurance at a cost of almost $10k. Other countries have a capped amount the patient ever has to pay for medication. While our insurance companies throw a dart at a board and determine copayments.” Alex said as he watched his father type notes into his phone as he described the healthcare system he dealt with on a daily basis.

Oscar listened to his son’s rant about healthcare. “So, essentially you want a better standard of education for nurse practitioners and to eliminate independent practice. You want insurance companies to just pay claims and to not have so much pharmaceutical involvement. Anything else?”

“Yeah, I want to just be a doctor and not have to put up with all the extra bullshit I deal with in a day. I want congress to not have so much say, and I’d love it if we could please get some universal healthcare that isn’t this whole Medicare for all bullshit. Medicare in general sucks. Pa, I became a doctor to treat and care for patients, not to argue with insurance companies that want to intervene into my medical decision-making skills.

“I spend hours on charting in hopes of getting a necessary medication approved, or spending a good 30 minutes doing a stupid peer-to-peer with a doctor and most of the time that doctor isn’t a fellow ob/gyn. It’s absolutely exhausting, which is why when I opened Prism I told Chloe, I wanted thirty for established patients, and an hour for new patients and in-office procedures. It means I have more time to actually talk with my patients and give them more time to remember that question they wanted to ask me. They also know that I will call, email, or message them back to help.”

Oscar understood exactly where his son was coming from. It sounded like the current state of healthcare needed a complete overhaul. This bill needed to pass, and Ellen needed to run on universal healthcare if she had any chance of winning.

“Thank you for sharing that with me, mijo. I’ll get to work on drafting the bill and looking through all the research you provided. What are your thoughts on your mom’s campaign?” He still cared enough about his ex-wife that he wanted to see her succeed and achieve her dreams of the presidency.

“Her campaign messaging sucks! We live in a time where social media spreads disinformation at a scary rate. Reichmann has talked about tossing Roe back to the states to decide. How long before it is Obergefell or Loving on his hit list, because if one of those gets overturned, they all get overturned. He is homophobic and racist and has them all riled up. Roe, Obergefell, and Loving all need to be codified into the constitution.” Oscar heard Alex suggest and sometimes he forgot just how politically intelligent Alex was. That was the kind of insight people would pay good money for.

“She has nothing unique to draw in the youth vote. Just more of the same promises of keeping the current status quo and that she isn’t a raving lunatic. She is simply not appealing to the correct base. There a very few true middle-of-the-road moderates. Our society as a whole needs progress. Reichmann is old and longs of time where someone could be outright racist in public and not get canceled for it. That base is dying at a quick rate.”

“Other countries are moving ahead of us in medicine, science, technology, and engineering. They have better education standards, and I worry about the quality of education Gabriel and the child I bring into this world will have access to with someone like Reichmann at the helm. Even with us living in the best state for education. I’m dating a teacher, and I want to know that future generations have the same opportunities I had for my own education.” Alex took a quick pause and realized his slip of the tongue.

“I’m afraid under Reichmann that great teachers like Henry will have to set aside his morals and ethics to teach Reichmann approved education. Ma needs to get with the program when it comes to her campaign platforms, otherwise we will have four years of literal hell.” Alex left off the part that if Reichmann won, he would be moving to another country to keep his family safe. He knew they’d use him for an example, which is why he was already drafting an exit plan.

Mexico had recently elected Claudia as their president. He spoke fluent Spanish and could easily open up a Prism in an area of Mexico, hell even abortion wasn’t debated. Some parts of Mexico allowed for same-sex marriage long before it was federally recognized in the United States.

Henry was from the United Kingdom, and he could adapt to the way they practiced medicine. He’d wait until the election results next November and by then his exit plan would be infallible. Afterall, he did have over a year to figure out their exit plan.

“As it stands now, I will not be voting for her in the primaries until she changes up her campaign strategy.” Alex said honestly. 

Henry heard the sound of his ringtone and saw it was Alex on the caller ID. “Hello love.” He said as he answered the phone.

“Hi baby! I hope you had a great rest of your day and that your students learned something. Mel will be babysitting Ava for the night, and she doesn’t care to watch Gabriel for the night, but she did have an order come in and needs to focus on that instead of him trying to help. Raf and Matthew wanted to know if you wouldn’t mid watching Gabriel for the night.” Alex skillfully lied with a wink at Raf and Matthew.

“Is the protest thinning any? Are Raf and Matthew okay with it?” Henry asked as he wanted to know that he had Matthew’s permission to babysit.

“Maybe a little. I do know the Boston Police are doing a great job.” Alex said as he handed his iPhone over to Raf and Matthew. “Hi Henry, we are okay with it. We trust you and we know Gabriel loves you already. He loves to try and help his Aunt Mel, but she Is on a baking deadline.” Matthew said and knew it was a lie.

“It would be my honor to babysit him. Is Gabriel allergic to anything?” Henry asked as he grabbed his fountain pen and a pack of sticky notes. He already planned to take Gabriel wherever he wanted for dinner and get some ice cream as a treat. Maybe he’d look up an arcade or mini golf to help burn some of that after school energy.

“I’ll call Mrs. Green and let her know that you are authorized to pick up Gabriel.” Raf told the English teacher. He and Matthew had a conversation about it while Alex went to talk to Oscar about how he thought it would help Henry’s mental health. He trusted Henry with their kid.

“No allergies.” Raf remarked. Their child was healthy and didn’t have any major food allergies. He was impressed that Henry thought to ask that question.

“Why don’t you take him to Build-a-Bear, they have some new Halloween animals out and that would be a fun surprise for him. Just tell him that there was an emergency pop up at work with a patient, but that we are both okay and wanted to him to have a fun evening.” Matthew suggested knowing that their child would worry about them and building a bear with Henry would be a great distraction.

“I’ll take the best care of him and send you both lots of photos. I’m sure he’d enjoy kicking my arse at another video game.” Henry joked and looked up to see Liam walking into his classroom.

“Just checking to see how you are doing.” Liam said and perched his butt against the edge of Henry’s desk.

“I’m doing as good as I can. I was just asked by Raf and Matthew to babysit Gabriel for the night.”

“One of these days I’m going to take you to get a pedicure with me. Sadly, I need to go pickup Parker, and you need to get Gabriel. Otherwise, I’d take you to my favorite nail salon for some much-needed relaxation. Liam tased and patted Henry’s shoulder.

“I’m glad to see that you are feeling better. You had me really worried, but I totally understand why. I hope they get the protestors rounded up in the night and they get hauled off to the Boston Police Department. You have my number and if you need me tonight, call me anytime and I’ll answer.” Liam said and left Henry’s classroom. His own husband would be spending the night at Prism which meant he was going to need a swimming pool of coffee to get through the morning.

Mel knocked on the doorframe and entered Henry’s classroom. “I hear you are taking Gabriel from me. Thank you for that. I had an order come in and I love him dearly, but his idea of helping is getting flour everywhere. I think the two of you will enjoy your little guy’s night.” She heard Henry’s little laugh which made her smile as she had been worried about the English teacher.

“Come show me what car is yours so I can put his booster seat in there for you.” She said and jangled her wristlet keychain, and the fob was the Subaru logo, and she noticed his small smile.

“Yes darling, I am a lesbian that drives a Subaru. I am well aware of the stereotype; Amy also drives a Subaru.” Mel teased with a warm laugh.

Henry packed up his messenger bag with the things that he needed to bring home. He looped the messenger bag over his shoulder and grabbed his tumblers. He did one final glance around his classroom and followed Mel out into the hallway and out to the staff parking lot and out to his sky blue Honda.

“I love the color.” Mel said and pulled her Subaru closer so she could easily install the booster seat and quickly got the seat installed into Henry’s backseat. “You two have a fantastic night and you can always text me if you need help. He really is never a problem.” Raf and Matthew had simply raised an incredible kid.

Once Mel had installed the booster seat, he placed his messenger bag into the passenger’s seat and put his large tumbler into the cupholder and typed the address of Gabriel’s elementary school into the infotainment system.

Henry followed the hallway all the way down until he got close to the end where Aubrey Green’s classroom was located. Her classroom was full of color, and she was dressed in a bunch of colors. He personally preferred color over drab and muted colors.

“Hello! I’m Henry Fox and I’m here to pick up Gabriel Luna-Sullivan.” He told the young women with blond hair.

“Mr. Henry!” He heard an excited voice call and the raven-haired child all but bouncing up in down with excitement.

“Hi Henry! Not that I don’t trust you, but could I please see your driver’s license or school ID” Aubrey asked politely seeing a lanyard hanging from his neck. The other teacher was dressed in a jade button down with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a pair of grey dress pants and a pair of brown dress sneakers.

“Sure thing.” Henry flipped around his lanyard and showed her his school ID, identifying him as Henry Fox and what middle school he worked for. He also handed her his driver’s license. He appreciated her cautiousness in making sure who he was.

“It is great to meet you, Henry. It is nice to have a face and a name to one of my kiddo’s future teachers.” Even though there were several grades between kindergarten and middle school.

Henry suddenly had a vision of a sixth grade Gabriel sitting at one of his desks and hopefully engrossed in one of his lectures. He knew he had several years before that happened.

“Gabriel had a great day. His behavior is excellent, and he is very helpful towards me and his fellow students.” He heard Aubrey say as he felt a very excited five-year-old throw his arms around his legs for a hug.

“Hiya Mr. Henry! We are going to have a great night together. Dad packed me a couple of coloring books and my Switch. Maybe you and I can color, and I can help you get better at Mario Kart!” Gabriel rattled with a giant smile on his face. He liked Henry and was happy to spend the night with him.

Henry had already gotten a text message from Alex that when Gabriel said papi or pa, he was talking about Raf, and dad was Matthew.

“Thank you.” Henry told the kindergarten teacher and shouldered the overnight bag she handed to him for Gabriel. “I was thinking maybe a trip to Build-a-Bear and maybe some dinner first.” Henry told the kindergartener and reached for his very small hand.

“You are the best ever.” Gabriel said and waved bye to Mrs. Green and told her that he’d see her tomorrow.

Zahra smiled and waved at Henry, who had just walked out of one of the kindergarten classrooms with a little boy holding his hand. “Hi Henry, funny seeing you here of all places. Who’s this?” She asked politely as far as she knew Henry didn’t have children and the child had some Latinx heritage.

“I’m Gabriel! You have pretty hair.” Gabriel told the woman who knew Henry. “Mr. Henry is fun. He is taking me to Build-a-Bear and then I’m going to teach him to get better at video games.” Gabriel told the other teacher.

“Thanks kid.” Zahra said with a warm smile. “I’m Zahra, Henry and I teach at the same school.”

“Zahra this Alex’s nephew and with everything that has happened his parents asked me to watch him for the night.” Henry explained and hoped she didn’t check in on him again after running off mid-conversation earlier in the day. It was bad enough talking to Shaan about it. He hoped to get a little further along before telling his wonderful colleagues the news.

“Have a great night!” Zahra said and hoped Shaan would tell her what the hell happened to Henry earlier.

“You too. Tell Shaan thank you for covering my after-lunch class.” Henry said as he walked hand in hand with Gabriel down the hallway as he imagined his future of picking up his child from school and getting a similar report from their teacher. That future seemed close, but yet so far away.

The two of them walked out into the September air and Henry watched Gabriel get into the backseat of his SUV safely and get buckled up into the booster seat Mel had installed. “How hungry are you? Would you like to get dinner first, or Build-a-Bear first?” Henry asked as he got into the driver’s seat of his SUV.

“Build-a-Bear. I hope they have the new Halloween bears out.”

Henry smiled and typed Build-a-Bear into his GPS and found the closest one was in Faneuil Hall Marketplace and changed his playlist to something child friendly, his music taste was best described as eclectic and not everything was appropriate for little ears. He found a playlist that was mostly Disney with some K-Pop Demon Hunters.

“What sounds good for dinner?” He asked as he pulled out of the parking spot. He figured the five-year-old would probably want a burger, pizza, or chicken nuggets.

“Tasty Burger?” Gabriel asked.

Henry knew Tasty Burger was a Boston classic. It was open until 2am every day, and they served beer. It was very popular among college students because it was both good quality and cheap, a rarity in Boston. He smirked glad the child wanted a good burger and not something from McDonalds.

He followed his GPS to Dock Square Parking Garage and found a decent parking spot on the second floor. He helped Gabriel out of his SUV and took his little hand in his own. It was obvious that the five-year-old was extremely excited to build a stuffed animal. He also needed to stop by Sephora and get a refill on his favorite moisturizer.

They waited for the crosswalk that led to North Market and past various other stores until they reached Build-a-Bear which was next to Margaritaville and across from Mija Tequlia Bar.

“Look at the bears in the window.” Henry said pointing up to the second-floor windows where there was a mural along with several stuffed animals waving above.

He held the door open to the decently large Build-a-Bear Workshop and watched the excited boy run over to the bins filled with the unstuffed animals. They did have an impressive Halloween display with the Halloween bears posed with some themed clothes.

Gabriel looked through the bins and saw the pumpkin kitty, ghost kitty, the Dia de los Muertos kitty and bear, a posable black bat, goblin, gargoyle, and several others Halloween themed animals. He could hear Gabriel muttering if he had it or not.

They also had exclusive licensed collaborations with Disney, Hello Kitty, Bluey, Pokémon, and several others. There was a collaboration with Harry Potter that Bea and himself had some input into.

Gabriel grabbed the black bat with posable wings and vampire fangs. A light green axolotl that looked like a zombie with a crossed-out eye, a stitched smile, and a white fur patch on the right side of the animal’s arm. He also grabbed an orange bear with a pumpkin head that lit up with a press of its paw.

“Which one should I pick Mr. Henry?” Gabriel asked and showed Henry the three unstuffed animals. He wanted to stuff all three of them, but knew the rule was only one; or at least that was the rule with his dads

Henry smiled and saw Gabriel’s pleading expression and puppy dog eyes that melted his heart. He placed his hand on Gabriel’s shoulder to best look at the unstuffed animals.

“Why don’t you pick two of them. I think I see some mini sized bears. Why don’t we see which one of them doesn’t have a mini version. I do think this pumpkin bear lights up which is very cool.” Henry explained and led the child over to the shelves that occupied the mini beans.

He saw several Halloween mini beans. A purple cat with what looked like ghosts in its fur. The pumpkin bear, but the mini didn’t light up like the big one. A longhorn that looked like candy corn. A black hamster that had white bones embroidered over the fur giving it a skeleton appearance. The green zombie with three feathery tufts on each side of its head.

“Oh, they have a candy corn longhorn. You have to get this for Uncle Alex to go with his other mini longhorn that he keeps in his office.” Gabriel said as he handed Henry the mini longhorn that had orange, white, and yellow stripped horns. It looked like a longhorn that had been designed to look like candy corn.

“I don’t see a mini bat, so I need the bat. They have a mini pumpkin bear, but it doesn’t light up like this one does.” Gabriel said and held up the unstuffed pumpkin bear.

“I see the mini zombie axolotl. Can we get Alex the mini longhorn and can I please get the mini zombie axolotl.” Having decided on the bat and the light up pumpkin bear.

“Only if you tell me what an axolotl is then you may get the mini version, and I’ll let Uncle Alex know that you really want the big version of him.” Henry told the child.

“Okay!” Gabriel said and bounced on his little toes happy that Henry was interested in learning about an axolotl.

Henry watched Gabriel’s reaction and smiled brightly at the child, a little scared because of the reaction.

“So, axolotls are like a fish, but not really a fish. It’s kinda like a lizard and they come from Lake Xochimilco which is where the Aztecs lived. My papi is Mexican and he taught me how to say that word.” Gabriel said excitedly.

“They are named after the Aztec God, Xolotl, who was the god of fire and lightning. I guess he upset the other gods who wanted to send him to a bad place, so he turned into axolotl and blessed their waters.

Henry was impressed at Gabriel’s pronunciation of Lake Xochimilco.

Gabriel got in close to Henry like he wanted to tell him a big secret. “They can regrow their hearts, brains, and arms like a superhero.” He saw Henry’s expression of disbelief.

“It seems unreal, but I promise they can. It’s like magic, but science. The dragon, Toothless, has a similar design to axolotls and a few other animals. They are really cute with their three feathery gills on their head. They come in a ton of cool colors.” Gabriel pointed to the stuffed animal’s green gills that were on its head.

“It seems unreal, but I promise then can. It’s like magic, but science. The dragon, Toothless, has a similar design to axolotls and a few other animals. They are really cute with their three feathery gills on their heads.” Gabriel said and pointed to the stuffed animal’s green gills on its head.

“People used to see them all the time in the lake, but boats and air there aren’t many left so some live in aquariums and science is working hard to save them because they are so cool. People also keep them as pets. The last trip to Mexico I got to visit the lake and I saw one. I just love them so much. Look at its face and tell me you don’t think it is cool.”

Henry listened as Gabriel enthusiastically explained the significance about the axolotl to the entire store and how important they were to Mexican culture and how much he liked the lizard. The child had suckered him into getting all three animals in the regular size. As a teacher he loved hearing Gabriel’s passion.

“Tell you what, why don’t we get you the regular zombie axolotl too.” He told the excited five-year-old who tossed his arms around Henry. He knew Raf and Matthew might have something to say about his inability to tell him no.

He couldn’t help it the bloody adorable child and those puppy dog eyes made it very hard to say those two letters. He knew he should stick to his word and only let him get two, but the child’s parents were currently trapped in a building surrounded by Ellen Claremont protestors.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Gabriel repeated as he tightly hugged Henry and stared at the three unstuffed animals in his hand as he made his way over to the young woman sitting at the stuffing station.

He knew this would take Gabriel’s mind off not having his parents tuck him into bed for the night. It was such a strange thought that the baby growing inside of him would eventually turn into someone like Gabriel.

“Hi! How are you guys this afternoon?” She asked warmly as Gabriel handed her the three animals.

“Three animals! You must have done something amazing. Would you like to add a sound to them or a scent?” She asked the child. The woman looked to be college-aged and was super friendly.

“No, thank you.” Gabriel told the lady; he knew he was lucky to get three animals and if he added a scent or sound would press his luck.

Henry smiled and was impressed at Gabriel’s manners and realized the child was the exact opposite of his spoiled, entitled nephew.

The women whose nametag identified as Taylor grabbed and orange marker from her apron. “What is your name? My name is Taylor!” She heard the child say his name was Gabriel and she uncapped the marker and wrote Gabriel on the name line on the tag.

“He has great manners.” Taylor said to the blond adult as she capped the marker. “Do you have any names in mind for your new friends?” She asked the child.

“Lewis for the pumpkin. Xolotl for the zombielotl, and no idea for the bat.” Gabriel told the friendly employee.

"How about Batty? There was this movie that I watched as a child, and he was a bat who helped a fairy save her rainforest. He was a very funny bat." Henry told the child and saw Taylor smile.

“Are you talking about Batty Koda? I loved FernGully.” Taylor asked the tall blond man.

“I am talking about Batty Koda.” Henry told the employee. He was surprised she got the movie reference.

“Batty Koda and Ozzy have been the two most popular names for the bat.” Taylor said with a warm smile.

“Gabriel, do you want your friends to be soft and squishy, or something a little firmer?”

“Soft and squishy so they give great hugs.”

Taylor stuffed the pumpkin bear first and handed it to the child to hug. “Give it a big hug for me and let me know if it needs more or less stuffing.”

“He’s perfect!” Gabriel said and held onto the pumpkin bear as she stuffed the zombielotl. Once she finished stuffing him, he handed the pumpkin bear to Henry for him to hold so he could squeeze the zombielotl.

He nodded his approval at the zombielotl, and Taylor quickly got to stuffing Batty Koda.

Henry was impressed with just how soft the stuffed animals were. The design of the pumpkin bear was quite adorable. He wasn’t worried about how much the experience cost, Gabriel was clearly enjoying himself and that alone was priceless to him.

“Switch me.” Taylor said and switched the zombielotl out for the bat for Gabriel to squeeze test.

“Perfect.” Gabriel said with a toothy grin and handed Henry the bat to hold.

“Go ahead and grab three hearts and then we can give your furry friends life.” Taylor and said as she sat all three of the stuffed animals into her lap face down.

Gabriel went to the heart shaped box containing the satin hearts in the middle of the stuffing machine. He dug around and pulled out three red satin hearts.

Henry grabbed his phone from his pocket to take a video of the heart ceremony and sent the video to Alex and Raf. He watched Gabriel kiss the three hearts after making his wish and placed them inside the animals. Once the hearts were inside the animal Taylor sewed the back of the animals and handed them to Gabriel.

“You both have a great night.” She told the two who walked off to the back wall containing most of the clothes.

Henry was impressed with the variety of clothes they had scrubs, cheerleading uniforms, girl scout uniforms, a bunch of Halloween clothing, pajamas, and they even had underwear. He also saw a row of Harry Potter inspired clothes and it was cool to see his and Bea’s creation up close.

“Do you want to know a big secret?” Henry asked, seeing the child aggressively nod his head. He grabbed the Quidditch costume from the shelf. “I helped design the Harry Potter collaboration since my grandmother wrote the book series.”

“No way! That is so cool! Both of my dad’s love Harry Potter as does Tio Alex. They say I’m too little to fully understand it. Does that mean your famous?”

“My grandmother is famous. My sister and I just deal with collaboration agreements and work with Universal with park and ride design, so it feels true to her vision.”

“You just became my favorite person.” Gabriel said honestly. “Does Alex know?”

“He does.”

“If your grandma is a famous person does that mean your parents are famous?” Gabriel whispered as he looked at the wall of clothes and accessories.

"My dad was an actor on West End and was in a few movies. So, he was kind of famous." Henry explained leaving the part where his dad had actually won an Olivier Award for his work on stage out of his story.

“No way! My dad played Fiyero back in high school.” Gabriel said.

Henry smiled and imagined a teenaged Matthew singing Dancing Through Life, it strangely fit his personality.

“My sister and I played background students in a few of the later Harry Potter movies.” Henry whispered to Gabriel. It wasn’t a big secret or anything as he did have an acting credit in the last three Harry Potter movies.

“Do you want to pick out an outfit and pajamas for your new friends or do you want them to be nakey.” Henry asked the child who looked at him in shock for the suggestion.

Gabriel looked at the Halloween clothing wall and found three sleepers that matched the animals.

He got the bat a purple tee shirt that said ‘let’s hang’ with a bat hanging upside down, a pair of black jeans, and a pair of black boots. The sleeper was purple with green trim with glow-in-the-dark ghosts, pumpkins, bats, cats and cobwebs printed over them.

For the pumpkin bear he got a black button-down shirt with famous Halloween icons, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of red sneakers that looked like a pair of Converse. He opted for green plaid pajamas that had bits of orange sewn throughout the green plaid.

He got the zombielotl a purple hoodie with an eyeball in the middle, a pair of black and white striped pants, and black canvas sneakers. The sleeper had the green axolotl head surrounded by various magic symbols.

“They even have roller skates.” Henry muttered to the child.

“Yeah, my generation used to take our animals to the roller rink. I don’t know if that is still a thing or not. I’ve seen parents who get them a Promise Pet and get the skates and a leash as trial pet.” Taylor told the blond man.

Henry helped Gabriel get the animals dressed and was impressed with the cutout for the tail as the zombielotl had a longer tail. Once the three bears were dressed, he helped Gabriel enter the names into the birth certificate tablet.

“So, the pumpkin is named Lewis?” Henry questioned the child and watched him nod and he helped type Lewis into the name line, and Gabriel under the belongs to section of the birth certificate. He repeated it for Xolotl and Batty Koda.

Once the three birth certificates were designed, he led Gabriel to the checkout counter where Taylor was waiting for them. The kindergartener placed the three dressed animals and the pajamas onto the counter.

“I love this look. The red shoes really tie everything together.” Taylor told the child regarding the pumpkin bear outfit as she scanned the barcode into the system and grabbed the birth certificates from the printer.

Taylor boxed up the three animals in the cub condos along with placing the matching birth certificates into the condo. She bagged up the pajamas and green brush and handed everything to the kindergartener. Henry grabbed a good photo for Alex, Raf, and Matthew.

“Thank you for your help.” Gabriel told the employee.

“You are so welcome! You guys have a great night!” Taylor said cheerfully as she handed Henry his receipt.

Henry led the excited Gabriel over to Sephora so he could restock his nightly moisturizer which was a quick in and out.

He took the little Sephora bag from the register. “Anything else before we leave to get dinner?” He asked the child who shook his head. So, he led the child across the crosswalk and back to the parking garage.

He placed the cub condo next to Gabriel in the SUV and helped him get buckled into the booster seat. “Do you still want Tasty Burger for dinner; or have you changed your mind?” He teased softly.

“Tasty Burger please”

“Sounds good!” Henry said with a smile as he got into the driver’s seat. He figured the Tasty Burger near Fenway was the closest to his house in Brookline.

He knew that David was itching for their nightly walk around Emerson Garden to get their daily exercise. He knew they had a playground Gabriel could run around in to burn some energy before his bath and video games.

“Why did you leave England?” Gabriel asked innocently.

“I lost my dad, and I needed a change of pace. So, I did a study abroad program with Boston College. I liked Boston so much I transferred my credits, and I ended up changing my major.” Henry said keeping his story simple.

“Sorry about your dad.” Gabriel said his little voice full of sadness. “Are my dads okay?”

Bloody hell!! Henry should have expected the child to ask that question but how did one tell a five-year-old their dads were trapped in a medical clinic surrounded by anti-Ellen Claremont protestors. He cautioned a glance at the review mirror and saw an innocent face staring back at him.

“Do you know Ellen, Alex’s mum?” Henry asked trying to figure out how to phrase his answer in a way that wouldn’t worry the child. He heard the smallest yeah.

“She announced her presidential campaign today. Sadly, there are people that don’t like her, and they have nothing better to do with their lives but stand outside and draw a crowd and attention.” Henry paused and thought about his next choice of words carefully.

“The good news is there are lots of helpers, like cops working very hard to make sure your dads are safe. You don’t need to worry, okay. It’s all going to be okay, and they will be home soon. You’re safe with me and I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

“My papi told me to not trust cops.” Gabriel said innocently. His papi told him that not all cops were nice or helpful and because of bias.

Henry internally sighed at the state of the country and quickly glanced down at his stomach. He was hit with the harsh realization that this was his future; all because people couldn’t look past the color of someone’s skin color. They’d never see Alex for the remarkable person he was, because of the color of his skin.

He grew up hearing Mary’s racist drivel, but hearing an innocent child tell him he was taught to not trust a cop was heartbreaking to hear. Gabriel was an innocent child, and because he was biracial meant he was subjected to hateful racial bias. He felt the hot sting of a tear in the corner of his eye.

He was a teacher and Boston was more tolerant, but he had read the studies about black and Hispanic/Latino children being more at-risk and were sometimes labeled as troublemakers when they weren’t. He was accepting and taught to everyone, but it was something he noticed especially in his student teaching years.

“Do you trust Oscar?” Henry finally managed to say his voice shaky and unsteady.

“You mean abuelo?” Gabriel asked. “He’s in town? He gives the best hugs; course I trust him.”

“He is in town, and he won’t let anything happen to your dads. Come on little love it’s food time!” He said and parked his SUV in the lot across from Tasty Burger that overlooked Fenway Park.

It was a little unexpected to hear that Gabriel thought of Oscar like a grandfather. He wanted to know more about Raf and Matthew. He wouldn’t lie he missed his own dad’s hugs.

“It’s Fenway!” Gabriel said pointing at the green stadium that was a historic landmark that was the oldest baseball park in the United States.

Fenway literally opened five days after the Titanic sank. Henry thought it was almost comical that surrounded by modern buildings lay a ballpark with most of its original architecture.

“It is Fenway! Have you been to a game?” Henry asked curiously, he remembered his first ever baseball game. It was a part of his study abroad program. He was given a quick crash course by another student about the history of the stadium and the rules. Although, he wasn’t one for sports. He didn’t understand American football and barely understood baseball.

“Yes! It was fun.” Gabriel said cheerfully, he had gone with his dads, and it was fun. Although, his dads were not sit and yell at the TV sports dads. Raf was a dancer; and Matthew was a musical buff.

“Same! I even got a bonus baseball lesson.” Henry teased the child and held the door open to Tasty Burger. He remembered the original Tasty Burger, and late-night studying at a red picnic table with a pint of Samuel Adams nearby.

Hell, he still remembered his first Saint Patrick’s Day in Boston. That was an experience he’d never forget, and yet he still transferred his Oxford credits after that.

Tasty Burger felt like classic Americana to Henry with the diner theme along with the pop culture posters on the walls.

“Can I please get a milkshake?” Gabriel asked with a huge smile on his face and gave Henry that innocent puppy look. He believed the child could get away with anything with those eyes.

“Sure! Which one?” Henry knew fast food was a special occasion and both Raf and Matthew said it was fine.

He personally thought a milkshake sounded delicious, but there was no way he could drink one. His stomach still felt a little unsettled and while their jalapeno and pepperjack burger looked delicious, he knew it would be a recipe for disaster.

“Cookies!” Henry figured he meant cookies and cream flavor.

Once they got to the counter, he ordered Gabriel a fully loaded kid’s meal cheeseburger with a side of cheese fries and a cookies and cream milkshake.

He ordered himself the original Tasty Burger, a side of fried mozzarella, a raspberry lime rickey which was a tasty classic. It was basically a raspberry lemonade. He planned to politely steal a few of Gabriel’s nacho cheese covered fries.

The Fenway Tasty Burger was always busy. So, once their food was paid for and on the tray the two found themselves at a secluded table towards the back of the restaurant away from the bar with televisions. It was a little bit quieter in their corner.

Henry handed Gabriel his wrapped kids’ meal a little surprised the child wanted veggies on his burger. Then again Philip’s child had zero manners, respect, or palate, he was the same as Philip.

Henry’s taste buds appreciated culture, and Pez had expanded his food horizons during their time at Eton, and he could handle spice to a certain extent. His burger was well done, and he unwrapped the burger wrapper and took a big bite of the juicy burger.

“How did your dads meet?”

“They were college roommates and became best friends.” Gabriel said and nibbled at a cheese fry.

Henry smiled at the thought of Raf and Matthew being dormmates and forming that relationship. Pez joked from the start they were platonic soulmates, and he was the black cat to his golden retriever.

“What are your grandparents like?” Henry asked the child very curious about Gabriel calling Oscar his abuelo. From what he could tell from Alex’s stories he wasn’t blood related to Raf.

“I’ve never met papi’s parents. I know he’s from California and I have a tia Reina. She’s a dancer for Sabrina Carpenter. They won’t let me listen to Sabrina’s newer music that I’m just a kid. Tia Reina is a great dancer and papi’s also a dancer. We’ve gone to Mexico since they both want me to my culture and other family members.” Gabriel explained and took a sip of his milkshake.

He wondered if Raf’s parents were homophobic like Mary and kicked him out, or if he had gone no-contact with them before Gabriel’s birth. He tried to imagine Raf as a dancer and he couldn’t picture it.

“Dad’s family is awesome. They own a fancy hotel in Aspen, Colorado. Dad was a snowboard and ski instructor back in high school on top of playing Fiyero. Mimi and Bop are the best and he’s so funny.”

Henry listened to Gabriel talk about Matthew and it certainly seemed like Raf’s family had kicked him out for his sexual orientation and it broke his heart a little bit. Mary’s family and Philip despised his ‘deviant lifestyle.’

 While his mum, dad, grandma, and grandpa just hugged him and said, ‘we know, love, and support you.’ Bea threw him a tea party in celebration. Pez got him condoms and Truvada. He knew some didn’t have it as lucky as he did. Matthew’s parents seemed like great and supportive people. Oscar seemed like a good father and Ellen felt a bit like Mary and her parenting left little to be desired.

They finished their dinner with Henry happily answering Gabriel’s questions about England and headed out of the restaurant and over to his SUV.

“David will be happy to have another nightly walk buddy.” Henry said making sure Gabriel’s booster seat was buckled in.

He knew that David was ready to stretch his little legs and sniff every inch of Emerson Garden. It had been their nightly routine for years and after David would curl up near his feet as he read a book or lesson planned.

He backed out of the parking spot and merged into busy Boston traffic as his GPS adjusted for his home address. He passed by the Longwood Medical and Academic Area and tried to imagine a bleary-eyed Alex as a medical student and resident spending countless hours there.

“Where are we?” Gabriel asked softly as he didn’t know where they were. The crosswalks were painted in pretty rainbows.

“Brookline, it’s a suburb of Boston.” Henry muttered as he drove past several restaurants and shops before turning left onto Davis Avenue.

Gabriel looked out the window and saw some large fancy houses and several of them were decorated with Halloween inflatables. He was distracted by a Toothless holding a pumpkin and realized Henry was pulling into the driveway of a giant fancy teal house with a white porch and trim.

“Holy cow!” He exclaimed since he was used to living in a nice apartment complex.

“Thank you! It hasn’t always looked like this.” Henry said as he pulled up into the two-car garage that linked his mud room.

The house had been a graduation gift from Grandma Fox after she had it renovated before gifting it to him. He loved the style as it blended both the Colonial and Victorian style having been originally built in the 1800s.

“Come on little love, I know David is ready for his nightly stroll around the park and there is a cute little playground attached to Emerson Garden.” Henry said helping Gabriel out of the backseat and pointed at the park that was catty-corner to his house.

He unlocked the door to the house, and he saw David sitting there waiting for them eagerly wagging his tail as the garage door shut behind them.

“Hello love. I know we are late for your nightly sniff stroll.” Henry told his beagle and went to gently scratch his ears and heard the excited tip taps against the hardwood floor.

“I know, give me five minutes to show Gabriel to his bedroom for the night and to put his overnight bag down and then we can all go for a little walk around the park and playground.” Henry explained to the excited dog who followed them up the two flights of stairs to the second floor where his master bedroom was, along with a few guest bedrooms and baths.

Gabriel was speechless as he followed Henry and David, the house was very fancy. The guest bedroom had a queen-sized bed, and he was used to his twin bed.

"My bedroom is here." Henry said as he showed Gabriel which room was his in case the child should need anything in the middle of the night.

Gabriel nodded his little head that he understood. He still couldn't believe Henry lived in such a large house.

"I'm going to quickly change out of these pants so that we can take the pup for a walk." Henry's pants felt very uncomfortable around his waist. So, he quickly changed into his beagle tee shirt and a pair of lounge pants with pockets. He tossed his house key into one of the pockets and his phone in the opposite pocket and toed on his sneakers.

"Come little love. David is getting antsy for his walk." Henry muttered and went down the two flights of stairs to the mudroom.

He grabbed David's leash that was hanging next to his winter fleece and coat and attached the clip to the beagle's collar. David’s leash had the waste bag holder and treat holder clipped to his wrist loop.

"He always gets so excited to walk and sniff around the park.'" Henry teased the child as he unlocked the door to the mudroom and locked it behind him as they stepped out into the mild September air.

He took Gabriel’s hand to help him walk across the rainbow crosswalk and into the park entrance closest to his house. He watched David’s little tail wag and wag as he sniffed around looking for his dog friends, as a lot of his neighbors had dogs and children of their own.

They walked towards Waverly Street as David decided to walk the half loop around the park to get to the playground equipment located on Emerson Street. Gabriel pointed out the houses with fun Halloween inflatables as he talked about how excited he was about his upcoming trip to Epic Universe.

He watched David sniff his dalmatian friend and then go squat into the grass. He grabbed a poo waste bag from his holder and swiftly picked up David’s business and dispose of it one of the rubbish bins.

Once Henry came back, they looped over to the playground side of the park. It was a decent sized playground with a swing set with swings for all age ranges, a built-in with several slides, there was a unique slide that look hand built with ropes to climb up to the top of the slide, a suspended ropes course, a net swing, a boat shaped sandbox, and surrounded all the equipment was Adirondack chairs, s-shaped benches, and picnic tables for parents to watch their children play. There was also a giant Connect 4 game, cornhole, along with a seasonal splash pad.

He sat down on a green Adirondack chair and made himself comfortable so Gabriel could play on the playground with the other children. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to call Alex who answered on the second ring.

“Hey baby! How are you feeling?” Alex’s warm and deep voice filled his ear.

“Pretty good all things considered. I took Gabriel to Build-a-Bear and he made three new friends.” Henry teased, he had sent Alex a photo of that experience.

“I’m sure that made you his new favorite person. Let me guess he talked your ear off about axolotls? Those are his favorite animal.” Alex laughed. “Did you guys do anything good for dinner?”

“Yes, he did! I don’t mind as it was a very interesting lecture about axolotls.” Henry teased.

 “We had dinner at Tasty Burger near Fenway and told me all about Aunt Reina. We just took David for a walk around Emerson Garden, and he saw all my neighbor’s Halloween decorations. We’ve now stopped so he could play on the playground. How is everyone?” Henry asked softly and saw Gabriel was swinging and having a conversation with another boy close to his age.

“That sounds like a lot of fun! Amy and Chloe decorated the clinic for Halloween. They love decorating for all the holidays and planning our group costume. My pa and I had a good discussion about her campaign and about a bill he is writing.”

Henry watched Gabriel head over to the suspended rope bridge and he watched in horror as Gabriel’s foot got tangled in the rope and fell to the green pavement in slow motion.

“Bloody hell! Gabriel!” He screamed and bolted from the chair over to the suspended rope bridge and saw and smelled blood.

“Gabriel!” He screamed louder since the child hadn’t moved and the blood was everywhere on the green mound. He could see a large cut in the child’s forehead and that the knee of his jeans was ripped and blood was oozing out.

“Gabriel! Please wake up for me love.” Henry was crying and his voice was shaking in fear as David licked the cheek of the child.