Chapter Text
Frank carefully lowered himself into the chair with a low groan at the central hub, missing the way Robby watched him from beneath his eyebrows, where he stood doing his charting and rubbing his beard, glasses perched on his nose as he did so.
He was focused back on his charts by the time Frank was settled, one hand on the gravid swell of his stomach just resting there while he blew out a breath.
“When I said I wanted a baby, this was not exactly what I meant.” He spoke more to himself than to Robby, but the man gave a hum in response all the time.
“A little too late to clarify now, that would have been useful to know.”
Robby retorted, eyes flickering over to Frank, who, at twenty-seven weeks pregnant, was still at the Pitt, testing Robby’s sanity, refusing Carrier Leave until it became absolutely necessary.
Frank bit back a retort, looking over towards the older man. “Once again, Robby, I had no idea my mother didn’t agree to have me tested to see if I was a carrier.”
“Clearly”
Frank worked his jaw and blew out a breath. “Yeah, I’m not doing this again with you.”
“Works for me.”
Robby agreed, and both men worked in silence, Robby looking up every so often, watching Frank, silently checking on the younger man, and Frank pretending not to notice while he charted, taking the occasional break to rub a hand absently over his stomach or move his hands to the small of his back and try to give a little stretch.
“Hey, Langdon?”
Both men turned their attention to Perlah, the nurse rocking back on her heels for a moment. “It’s about that time.”
“Thanks, Perlah.”
Robby was by Frank’s side in an instant, one arm outstretched for Frank to help push against, the other seamlessly moving to the small of his back, never giving Perlah a chance to help the encumbered man up. Frank accepted Robby’s support without a word, knowing that any protest would fall on deaf ears anyways.
“Come find me if you need me.”
“Pffft.” was the woman’s response, “you know we won't.”
“Why am I even here?” He deadpanned.
“Wouldn’t I like to know,” Robby grumbled at the same time Perlah threw out, “because you would miss us.”
Frank shot her a small smirk, under her pointed gaze. “Alright, alright, I’m going.”
His once quick strides had been restricted to a now noticeable waddle over the last couple of months, one that was becoming even more pronounced as Frank grew closer to his due date.
Robby easily kept pace with the taller man, a deep and contemplative frown heavy on his face.
“You’re really doing this, Langdon?”
Frank didn’t spare him a look, navigating his way through the Pedes room, where The Pitt’s newest Baby Jane Doe had been brought in after being found abandoned in a bathroom of the Pitt, six weeks old and perfect.
“I’ve been doing it all shift, Robby. Hey Jesse, just give me a moment to get into position.”
“Sure.”
Jesse agreed, eyes flickering to Robby but saying nothing, picking up the baby while Frank took off his scrub top, revealing his undershirt, a simple wrap shirt he untied, while he sat in the rocking chair with practised ease. He wasn’t large enough to need a nursing bra yet, but he felt huge all over, his once firm chest soft and tender, swollen mounds that, like the rest of him, seemed to continue to grow.
Jesse waited until Frank was fully in position, a freshly unsealed, sanitised boppy pillow in place, feeling awkward due to Frank’s size, before he handed over the mewling infant and the warmed bottle.
“Lights dimmed?”
“Sure.” Frank agreed, Jesse, turning off half the lights, leaving Frank alone with Robby, who was watching intently, but saying nothing as Frank brought the infant to rest just at his puffy nipples, slipping her the bottle before she could latch, unable to fully nurse her.
“Kiera talked to me.”
“Oh?”
Frank kept his attention on the tiny life curled against him, trusting, nursing quietly. She was so small. His heart broke for her.
“They can find an emergency foster place for her, but none of them are carrier parents, and with her being both so young, and nowhere close to where she should be in terms of birth weight and other social development, like cooing, she wanted to talk to me about…”
Robby inhaled deeply, processing what the man was getting at. There were no obvious differences between Carriers and non-Carriers, externally; there was no way to tell if someone was a Carrier or not just by looking, unless someone was obviously pregnant, carriers being the only ones that could be; male or female had nothing to do with it. However, studies showed that children who spent the first year with an attachment to a carrier caregiver tended to have a higher life expectancy in general, were less likely to develop attachment issues, less prone to depression, and overall had better development than children who didn’t have that attachment.
Robby didn’t know how effective those studies actually were or how negligible the differences were, case to case, but it was widely considered preferable in cases like Baby Jane’s that she would be placed with a carrier.
“Oh.”
Frank went back to watching the infant in his arms, pulling the bottle back, planning to set it on the nearest flat surface, only for Robby to hold it, while Frank took the time to burp her, handing him back the bottle when the pair was settled again.
“What did you say?”
“I’m taking her home when she’s been cleared to be released. Kiera is sending over the paperwork today, and I will continue to be the one to feed and change her as much as I am able until then.”
He looked up in time to see a flurry of emotion cross over Robby’s face. “You’re twenty-seven weeks pregnant, Frank.”
He gave a rueful chuckle. “Oh, I’m very aware, Robby.”
“Frank.” Robby rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. “You’re twenty-seven weeks pregnant, are you sure it's a good time to also take care of a six-week-old baby? I need you to think about this, really,” he pressed his palms together, “think about this.”
Frank set the bottle aside, surrendering the baby to Robby, who reached out silently with gentle hands, taking her and placing him against his shoulder, burping her while Frank got redressed.
“I’m saying yes, Robby. She deserves as much care as she can get, and I’m in a position until they find another carrier that can care for her, to help. I know we had an agreement that I would move in with you and Jack once the baby is born-”
He managed to get himself out of the rocking chair with a grunt, waving away Robby’s flash of concern at the movement, “mostly to keep you and Jack from going insane-”
Robby levelled the man who once again took Robby’s life hostage, destroying everything Robby thought he wanted, needed, or had in the process.
“We asked you to move so we knew you were getting proper support, so the baby was getting the support she needs, so if something happens, we can be there, and you aren’t alone, Frank.”
So I won’t miss it this time if something happens, so you don’t relapse.
“Got it.” Frank nodded. “Made that clear when you and Jack suggested it, my first trimester, and then again, at the last ultrasound appointment, when he very explicitly threatened to move in with me instead, if that would be easier.”
Robby continued to rock the baby, where she lay against him, fully asleep and basking in his warmth.
“The point is, I won’t hold it against either of you if that changes because of this. I’m deciding to do this, and in no way will it affect what happens with your baby…or Jack's baby...” Frank trailed off.
Frank still couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had finally broken them, that stripped away everything but heady, all-consuming need, driven hard by months of anger, hurt, and unspoken feelings into a night of frantic touches. All sharp teeth, biting insults, and sweet praise, as they drove Frank into orgasm after orgasm with their fingers and tongues, wringing out everything Frank so freely gave them, as they filled him, marked him, took him for their own.
They didn’t talk after that night until Frank came to them seven weeks later, pregnant and battling the cravings he had since he learned that not only was he a carrier, but now a knocked-up one.
They would take a paternity test once the baby was born, it was decided, solely so Frank could give an accurate family medical history durning routine doctor appointment and in case anything catastrophic happened to Frank.
Robby gently laid the baby down in the hospital’s bassinet, stroking the top of her head with a gloved hand. “A baby is not an easy thing, Frank.”
“Hate to break it to you, but I’m aware. I had plenty of sleepless nights with Tanner.”
Robby nodded, clearly still not happy with everything. “I can’t tell you what to do, Langdon.”
“And yet you try.”
Robbie raised an eyebrow before gesturing Frank out, following him out of the Pedes’ room and back onto the floor.
***
Jack didn’t say anything, when he walked in ten minutes early for hand off, moving to stand next to Robby, looking around until he found Frank, sitting in the central hub with a cup of half eaten jello resting on his stomach, spoon in mouth while he continued to chart, his feet propped up on an empty chair under Princess and Dana’s watchful gaze.
He snorted at the sight. “I thought he hated jello, some weird texture thing.”
“Apparently, he told Donnie earlier that the baby demanded sacrifice.”
“Dramatic fucker.”
They fell into an easy silence for a moment, watching Frank shift to take another bite of jello, moving the plastic cup just enough to take another scoop before it was once again resting on his stomach, and the spoon was in his mouth, handle hanging down while he went back to typing.
“How was it today?”
“Here and not standing on the roof,” was all Robby volunteered.
“Progress.”
“Just don’t want to induce labour at twenty-seven weeks.”
“Good call, lets try to get that little girl to at least twenty-eight weeks.”
Robby rolled his eyes at the crack. Turning his back to the sight of Frank eating jello and doing his job, knowing that Jack was still watching half in fascination and half because he had a staring problem, he scratched his beard tring to figure out where to begin.
“Frank called me,” Jack was kind enough to put Robby out of his misery. “He told me what Keira asked him about Baby Jane Doe.”
“Did he tell you what he decided?”
The shift in Jack’s posture was just subtle enough that anyone else might not notice, anyone but Robby…and Frank. It was confirmation enough for Robby. “I take it there is no talking him out of this one?”
Robby shook his head, agreeing with the tired sigh that passed from his husband’s lips. “He told me that he understands that this will change our agreement of him moving in once the baby is born. “
Jack was looking at him now. “Do you want it too?”
Robby scoffs at the question.
Jack continued to study Rbby for a moment before returning it to Frank who was pushing away from the desk, awkwardly standing up, spoon still in his mouth. He watched as Frank gave a stretch while he yawned, his scrub top riding up, exposing the tender flesh of Frank’s underbelly, his fingers absently scratching the exposed flesh.
“So he moves in with us this weekend instead of waiting until Bean is born, starter baby already included. We all ready have the nursery mostly done.”
“We’re not naming the baby, Bean.”
“.....what one?”
“.....fair enough.”