Work Text:
Joe was aware of just how hard Nicky was working behind the scenes to pull together Celia's divorce, afraid she'd have the baby while they were still married and before her idiot Alpha husband had signed away his rights to the child. He never gave away his anxiety to Celia, however, staying calm and redirecting her away from any negative thoughts about the possibility of the adoption being derailed.
He directed some of his own anxiety into pulling the basics out of storage. While he couldn't have another child, they'd kept the bassinet and some of the baby clothes, figuring sooner or later one of their friends would have a baby and they could pass it all on.
The night that Nicky came home with her, holding all of the signed paperwork, Joe couldn't help but feel a pang of relief. He'd worried right up to this moment that something terrible was going to happen, but seeing it there in black and white was enough to bring him some semblance of relief.
As Celia told Joe all about the concessions Nicky had been able to force her ex to give up, Joe preened with pride in his husband. She'd been awarded alimony for four years, money to go to school or set herself up with a business, whichever she wanted, and the ex was being forced to pay a huge penalty for getting a non-bonded Omega pregnant and then abandoning her. The courts couldn't force him to pay child support under those circumstances as she was considered to blame for her own condition, but sometimes old fashioned attitudes came in useful.
"We should go out and celebrate," Joe said. "Just dinner - I can see if Nile can babysit Al..."
"I'm ahead of you on that one, my heart," Nicky said. "Quynh was following us and will be taking him for a sleepover at his aunties' house. Celia requested that I make pesto Genovese and we have a quiet evening in, and of course she should get what she wants to celebrate."
Joe didn't think that sounded like much of a celebration, but while it had been a while since he'd been so heavily pregnant he hadn't forgotten how uncomfortable it could be. Besides, Celia had dark circles under her eyes and was more than a little drawn and wan. It was probably better that she rest than they go out and have a big celebration. "If that's what you want, then of course," Joe said to Celia. "But when you're a bit more relaxed you'll have to let us treat you to a good dinner out."
"Are you saying that my cooking isn't good?" Nicky said mock-severely, holding a serious look on his face until Joe stuck out his tongue, only to dissolve into giggles.
Joe excused himself to get a bag together for Al, who was overjoyed to find out that he was going to spend the night at his aunts' house. When the doorbell rang, he'd just finished packing the last few child safe snacks into the bag, even though he knew that Andy was just as likely to give Al cheesecake or sushi as to open one of the tiny bags of goldfish crackers. No, she was much more likely - she despised the stuff marketed to children and they had her to thank for why Al ate strange foods so readily - she had an unerring ability to pick out new foods and get him to eat and enjoy them.
"Auntie Quynh!" Al squealed, reaching notes only achieved by small children and first sopranos. "Auntie Quynh! Papa says I'm spending the night at your house!"
She crouched down and tugged on one of his curls. "You are," she agreed. "Has your Baba given you a thousand pounds of snacks?"
"Yes!" he said. "He says that I shouldn't be afraid to ask for them."
"And will you ask for them?" she asked, hand on her chin and face serious.
"Nope - I want eel and sushi and curry and and and cheesecake!" he demanded.
She stood back up, holding out a hand for his. "All of that, huh?" she asked as she started to lead him towards the front door. "Do you think your stomach is big enough for it?"
"Uh huh!" He nearly pulled her right out of the open door, only to be stopped by Nicky. "Hugs, gremlin," he said with a grin and Al was willingly picked up by his Papa and squeezed by both of his fathers tight before he was handed over to Quynh with reminders to be good.
Dinner was quieter than Joe expected. While he knew it would be a bit much to expect Celia to be actually cheerful, he had thought that she'd be a bit happier about the situation being over. Plus, even though she'd requested pesto, she mostly pushed her food around on her plate, only eating a few bites. "Celia, are you okay?" he asked quietly as Nicky looked on, equally concerned.
"I just don't feel very well," she said. "I think I might just go to bed early. I'm sorry - this was supposed to be a celebration but I just don't feel up to it."
"It's fine, Celia," Nicky said, his voice soothing and low. "It's been a lot to go through, especially pregnant. Why don't you go lie down? I'll set up a plate in the fridge for you and if you wake up hungry you can get it out."
"Thank you," she said. "That would be lovely." She pushed back from the table, stood up, and then cried out in obvious pain.
When Joe hurried to her side, he discovered that she was soaked, and he looked up at Nicky. "Her water has broken. We need to go to the hospital. Now."
Nicky didn't argue - he just ran to grab his keys and wallet, and then helped Joe support Celia out to the car. They got her settled in the back seat, with Joe climbing in next to her to hold her hand. "It'll be fine," he said, keeping his voice light and cheerful. "And it'll be over before you know it."
She started to nod again, and then cried out in obvious pain. Nicky didn't say anything, but Joe felt the car accelerate even harder and before they knew it, they were at the hospital. Nicky pulled up in the emergency room lane and slammed the car into park. Before Joe could say anything, Nicky ran into the ER, and a minute later appeared with a wheelchair and a large man who said to Celia, "Well, hello, sweetheart. I'm Jack, one of the nurses from L&D. I hear we're about to have a baby. Can I help you get out of the car so we can go inside?"
Joe scrambled out of the way and Jack practically lifted Celia out of the back seat and set her down into the wheelchair. Nicky was gripping the handles so hard that his knuckles were white, and suddenly Joe understood. This was the same hospital where Joe had nearly died three years earlier, and they were going to be in the same labor and delivery department.
He'd been forcing his own fears away ever since Nicky had broached the subject of adopting Celia's baby, but suddenly they slammed into Joe with the force of a train. He started having trouble breathing, hyperventilating as Jack started to guide Nicky and Celia inside. Jack, showing a lot more situational awareness than Joe had under the same circumstances, turned and looked hard at him.
"Look, man, don't know what the problem is," Jack said, his voice brisk but not brutal. "And I'd love to help you with them, but unless you want to be admitted to our psych ward, the patient here is this young lady. You're just going to have to take care of yourself until we get her settled. Do you understand?"
Joe's mouth felt dry as the sierra and dinner was threatening to reappear, but Joe forced all of that back as hard as he could. "Got it," he said, through gritted teeth.
Since Celia's water had already broken, they bypassed the ER itself and Jack wheeled them directly to the labor and delivery department where one of the labor nurses was waiting. She took over pushing the wheelchair, gathering in Joe with a glance and dismissing Nicky just as easily. "Well, hello, honey," she said. "I'm Matilda, and with Jack and your friend - " she hesitated and Joe forced his name out. "Joe, right, we're going to go get you changed and ready."
From behind them, Joe just heard Nicky say, "I'm, um, I'm going to go move the car. I'll be right back."
"No need to rush, darlin'," Matilda said over her shoulder. "Just ring the bell when you get back and we'll buzz you through."
It was a minute or two before Joe heard the door to the unit open and close, but he was distracted by the way that Matilda was clucking over the way that Celia didn't have a bag with clothes in them. She matter of factly got Celia out of her soaked clothing and into a hospital gown. "There you go, sweetheart," she said. "Now, Joe, we're just going to get Celia up on the bed for a real quick exam."
Joe silently obeyed, a little cowed by Matilda's frightening competence. It was only a matter of moments before she said, "Five centimeters - you must have been in labor for hours, Celia. You didn't think to tell Joe?" The look she gave Joe was fierce for just a moment before sliding into gentle teasing.
"This is my first baby. I didn't realize - I just thought I was upset," Celia said, sitting back up and clutching her gown to herself. "I signed divorce papers today."
"Not from - " Matilda gave the doorway a meaningful look. "We can keep him out if you want. It's your delivery - you get to pick who's here."
"No, no," Celia laughed a little, but Joe could feel the hints of pain in it. "Nicky and Joe are going to adopt my baby. I want them here."
"Then that's what we'll do," Matilda said. "Now, do you have a midwife or an OB?"
"Just the one I've been seeing at the clinic," Celia said. "They said that the hospital can call the on-call doctor."
"Indeed we can," Matilda said. "And while I do that, I want you to let Joe wrap his arm around you, and I want you to take some slow, careful walks around and around the floor. The longer you can walk, the faster this will go, okay?"
Celia nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"Oh, get on with you," Matilda said. "No need to call me ma'am here. You're the star of the show, after all. Now, go, walk."
Joe helped Celia out of the bed carefully, before wrapping his arm around Celia's shoulders, and the two of them started to walk. It had been maybe five or ten minutes when the bell rang, and Joe watched as Matilda met Nicky at the door. There was a low but curiously intense exchange of whispers between the two of them, and then Nicky followed Matilda, giving Joe a sheepish wave.
"Sorry - the parking lot is almost full," Nicky said. "So, it's just walk and wait right now?"
"Yep," Joe said, putting on a cheerful face to hide the fear he was feeling at being back here in the maternity ward where he nearly died. Nicky seemed to know just how hard he was struggling, because he wrapped his hand around Joe's elbow behind Celia, humming one of their favorite songs as they took slow laps around the delivery ward. Periodically, Celia would wince or pant, and Nicky would glance at his watch.
The doctor arrived before Celia advanced too much more, and instantly Joe took a dislike to him. Instead of Matilda's gentle competence, he was rushed, not bothering to explain what he was doing when he told Celia to lie down so he could check her dilation. And as he pulled his fingers out, he didn't bother to tell Celia how much further she had to go until Nicky said, "So, how is she doing, doctor?"
There was a hint of steel in that one word, and the doctor looked up, startled. "Oh, sorry - 9 centimeters. She can rest for a bit - the difficult part is coming and it would be better if she didn't exhaust herself before that."
Joe glanced at Celia's face and saw the fear there. "She is right here," Joe said, following Nicky's lead. "The least you can do is talk directly to her." It was an effort not to raise his voice or tell the doctor off and see if Matilda could get someone else. This whole thing was traumatic enough for Celia. The last thing she needed was medical trauma on top of all of that.
It was clear that the doctor didn't think much of Omegas, even though it was literally his job to care for them, because all he did was shrug and say, "Yes, yes, fine," before turning away to check that he had everything. Over his shoulder, Matilda was flashing an apologetic look at Celia, but that wasn't going to really help, Joe thought.
The contractions were hitting hard and fast now, and Celia was biting her lip bloody in an effort not to cry out. Joe leaned over her, blocking her view of both Nicky and the doctor. "Celia, habibti, don't do that," he said, brushing his finger over her lip. "If you're in pain, you can cry, you can yell, you can scream. Trust me, you won't be the first and you won't be the last."
"Sure won't be," Matilda said. "The walls are thick, you're not going to disturb anyone. Let it out, sweetheart." She said something to the doctor and stepped out of the room as the last of the contraction finished, leaving Celia shivering and panting for breath.
Right on the heels of that contraction came another and another and another, and Celia was yelling, she was gripping both Joe's and Nicky's hands hard enough to break them, she was pushing because she couldn't not.
"That's it, I can see the head," the asshole of a doctor said. Then he looked up, and he looked much kinder at that moment. "Maybe two more good pushes, Celia. Come on, you can do it," and then faster than Joe thought was possible, the doctor said, "A little Beta girl," but Joe could barely hear him over the lusty cries of the newborn.
The doctor put the baby on Celia's chest while he dealt with the afterbirth, and then with a last congratulations, he slipped from the room.
At some point Jack and another nurse who Joe didn't recognize had come in, and they efficiently took the baby to clean her up and check her newborn scores. When they came back, it was with big smiles on their faces. "She did great," Jack said. "She's a healthy little girl. What are you going to name her?"
"Nicoletta," Celia said firmly, then looked up at Nicky. "If that's okay?"
"She's your baby," Nicky said. "You can name her anything you like."
"But she's yours - " Celia started to say, but before she could finish her sentence, Matilda told Nicky firmly, "We need to get Celia cleaned up and settled and she doesn't need an audience for that. Both of you, out."
It was obvious that they'd been given their marching orders, but Joe couldn't help the way that his eyes lingered on the beautiful little girl. Hopefully, Celia wouldn't change her mind, because Joe thought that he was already falling in love with her.
It was less than fifteen minutes before Matilda came back out to get them. "Celia is asking for you," she said. "But she also asked that we take Nicoletta out of her room and put her in the nursery. She says she doesn't want to get attached, but it is important for the baby to get lots of skin to skin contact, especially this early in her life. Does one of you want to go there and hold her? Maybe give her a bottle?"
Joe exchanged a look with Nicky. He didn't know which he wanted to do more, so he decided to just leave it up to his Alpha. "Joe should go sit with Celia for a while," Nicky said without hesitation. "I'll go feed Nicoletta."
Matilda nodded, and after telling Joe what room that Celia had been moved to, she led Nicky off to the nursery. Joe watched them go for a second before giving himself a shake and heading towards Celia's room. He knocked on her closed door, and opened it when he heard her call for him to come in. "Okay to come in?"
She was staring at the ceiling, but as he eased into the room, she slowly rolled her head to look at him. Her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, but there was a new clarity there as well. "How are you doing, habibti?" Joe asked. He pointed at the chair next to the bed and sat down when she nodded.
"I'm strangely okay," she answered. Her voice was soft but even, without even a hint of the tears that she'd clearly been crying. "Seeing Nicoletta - and seeing the look on yours and Nicky's faces when you looked at her just made it clear that giving her up to you is the right thing to do. You both clearly want her. I love her, but looking at her - all I can see is him, and that is no way for a baby to live. She'd be better off with you both."
Joe's heart was so full of joy and pain that he didn't even know which way to turn. But Nicoletta was with his Alpha and Celia was right there, so he decided to start with her. He reached out slowly so she could object and gave her hand a squeeze. "We'll be worthy of your daughter, Celia," he promised. "And if you change your mind about seeing her, we're only a phone call away."
"Thanks, but I don't plan to do that," she said. "I do have a favor to ask though."
Joe would have given her a kidney if she asked, so of course he said, "Whatever you need."
"Sit with me a while and hold my hand until I fall asleep," she asked, and there was no way that Joe couldn't do that simple thing for her.
So he settled a little more firmly into the chair, still holding Celia's hand, his thumb brushing over the back of it steadily as he hummed a lullaby that he still remembered from his childhood. Slowly, her eyes slid shut, and when she didn't react to him taking his hand back, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Celia's forehead.
"Thank you for the gift you've given us," Joe whispered. "We'll take good care of her. We promise."
After Celia got a long nap. they returned home. This time there was another car seat in the back seat, and Celia was sitting in the front. She had remained steadfast in not wanting to hold or feed Nicoletta, and Joe suspected that she wasn't going to stay with them much longer.
Nicoletta was a healthy little girl with the lungs to match, but she only really cried when she was hungry or needed to be changed. Otherwise she spent a lot of her time gazing around wherever they were as if she could actually understand what she was seeing.
Nicky and Joe were taking turns feeding and changing her - technically. They were both so eager to hold her that they usually had to flip a coin or play rock, paper, scissors for who was going to get to hold her this time.
Joe knew that Nicky shared his mild worry about how Al was going to adapt to having a little sister. But Al took one peek into the bassinet and then looked up at his fathers with a besotted look that wouldn't have been out of place on Joe's face, he was sure. "She's mine?" Al asked, his voice breathless. "Really?"
"She's her own person, Al," Nicky said carefully. "But she's your little sister and our daughter. How do you feel about it?"
Without a word, Al turned on his heel and marched out of the room, leaving Joe and Nicky to look at each other in bewilderment. "Do you have any idea?" Nicky asked. All Joe could do was shake his head and hope that Al hadn't already decided that he hated the baby.
He shouldn't have worried. After only a few minutes, Al came back dragging a teddy bear as large as he was. It had been a joke gift from Andy that had sat in the corner of Al's room his whole life. They'd used it to their advantage - explaining to Al that Teddy would watch over him and chase away all nightmares and monsters in the dark.
"What are you doing with Teddy?" Joe asked, both confused and touched.
"I'm a big boy. Teddy can watch Nic'lett now," Al said, with a last yank of the bear and a grunt of effort.
Joe couldn't have predicted this outcome if he'd thought about this for a million years, yet at the same time he was completely unsurprised. Al was a sweet and gentle little boy who was almost guaranteed to grow up to be just like his Alpha father. Crouching down, he gathered in both Al and Teddy into a hug. "I'm sure that Nicoletta will appreciate the gift when she's a little older, Alphonse," he said. "You are a good boy for thinking of it in the first place."
Satisfied, Al squirmed out of Joe's grip and looked over the edge of the bassinet again, standing on tip toe. "Can I play with her?" he asked eagerly. "I want to play with her!"
It was Nicky's turn to crouch down. "Not quite yet, gremlin. She's just a tiny baby right now, and she's not going to do much more than eat and sleep. But she'll be playing before you know it, okay?"
Al nodded seriously. "Okay, I'll wait," he said. Then he turned to look at Nicky and changed the subject completely. "Sketti for dinner, please!"
Nicky grinned. "Spaghetti it is."
On the other hand, while Celia's recovery had been uneventful, she had seriously ignored the very existence of the baby. Joe could probably count on one hand the number of times that the two of them had been in the same room, and he'd probably have hand fingers left over.
Two weeks after the birth, she joined Joe in the living room after he'd put Nicoletta down for a nap. "I think it's time," she said.
Joe thought about playing dumb, not wanting to lose someone that he'd come to consider a friend, but that wasn't fair to her. "Where are you going to go?" he asked instead, proud that he managed to keep his voice mostly even.
"I talked to my father," Celia said. "He says that he and my mother are willing for me to come stay with them while I get my life straightened out."
"Oh, my goodness, Celia, that's so good," Joe said. "I told you that they'd forgive you."
Celia's smile was small but real. "He actually said that there was nothing to forgive, that they just wanted me back."
The words did a lot to make Joe feel better about letting Celia out of his sight. She wasn't that much younger than him, but he couldn't help feeling that she was another little sister, one that he was more capable of taking care of. And having her leave was going to hurt. There wasn't anything to do about it though. She needed to live her own life now that she felt well enough to go.
Still...
"You're going to stay in touch, right? Let us know what you're doing and when you meet your mate?"
The smile Celia gave was blinding in its intensity. "I couldn't do anything less," she said.
When Nicky got home, the three of them gathered around the laptop and figured out how to get Celia home. It was going to take two layovers, but her father had already made it clear that no matter what time she got in, he'd pick her up from Iowa City airport and drive her the last leg of the journey.
Joe spent the next two days helping Celia pack, tucking money into every pocket he could find. Maybe he couldn't take care of her forever, but he could at least make sure that she had enough money to get away if she needed to. He never wanted her to think that she was trapped again.
Nile and Booker came to stay with the kids while Joe and Nicky took Celia to the airport. When they pulled over to the curb to let her out and offload her suitcase, Nicky handed her an envelope that was bulging with cash. "What - no! I can't take this, Nicky."
"You can and you will," Nicky said firmly. "I can't make you spend it, but I always want you to have money of your own." And on that note, he handed her a bank card. "There's not much money in that account right now," he said as she stared at the card in her hand. "But one phone call, and you'll have as much as you need."
"I don't - don't know what to say," she said, tears shimmering in her eyes. "I never - I didn't give you the baby for this."
Joe jumped in. "We know you didn't," he said. "I don't know about Nicky but I'm glad he's doing this because you deserve all of the good things, and this is one that we can give you. Take it, please."
She nodded once, as those tears spilled down over her cheeks. Nicky helped her tuck the cash and the card away into her purse, and they watched as she wheeled her suitcases into the airport, her head held high.
And the two of them went home to their family, sad to see her go but happy to have increased their family by one more.