Paparino's Piccolo Gattino

Once Jake, Jinxx, and CC had been told what was going on, which shocked the trio to their core, Andy knew there were others he had to share the news with. Since he knew his parents were going to want to fly down to help out as much as they could, he decided to have them fly down and tell them once they got here. As miserable as his sweetheart was, he agreed to them coming down once he talked them into it, not just because he missed them, too, but because he knew they could help.

“Hey, Andy. Long time, no talk, son,” Chris said, sounding chipper. He was in a good mood, so that helped.

“Yeah, it has be a while, hasn’t it, Dad?” the band director asked, trying to hide his anxiety.

“So what’s up, kiddo?” the older man asked, sounding curious. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“I had to call out this morning. Ash hasn’t been feeling good the past couple days and needed a ride to the doctor,” Andy answered, nervously taking a drag off the cigarette he held.

“Is he all right?” his dad asked, immediately concerned.

“Yeah, he’s fine. Actually, we found out some surprising news because of this doctor’s appointment,” he assured him. “I actually want you and Mom to fly down for a while, if you can manage it.”

“What’s so bad that you can’t tell me over the phone?” Chris asked, now sounding a bit miffed. “He hasn’t got anything terminal, has he?”

“No, no, no, Dad. Nothing terminal,” he answered. “I just know that you guys are gonna wanna fly down, anyway, once I tell you. Besides, it’s so surprising that I think it’s better said in person.”

“I’ve got quite a bit of vacation time built up. Your mom’s out grocery shopping right now, so I’ll have to talk to her about it when she gets back.” He sighed, and his son heard him obviously light a cigarette of his own. “So other than this surprising news, how’ve you guys been?”

Andy continued talking to his dad for a while longer, surprised that they stayed on the phone long enough for his mom to get back from her shopping excursion. While putting up the groceries, Chris put the phone on speaker so they could all hear each other, immediately helping his wife much the same way he insisted on helping Ash after a shopping trip. Amy was immediately adamant about flying down to see them, saying that they could tell their bosses that their son needed them, but lived out of state, meaning they’d be out of town for a while. With all the vacation time they both had wracked up, that wouldn’t be a problem.

He released a soft sigh as he thanked them for taking the time out of their lives to fly down, although they were both still curious and confused as to why. Amy made it clear that, no matter how old he got, he was still their son, and therefore never too old for them to be there for him or whip his ass when he needed it. They all laughed as she said that because, while the latter was rarely employed during his youth, it was true.

Once the phone call to his parents had been made, Andy headed back into the house and to the master bedroom. Jake and CC were sitting in the living room playing COD on the XBOX he rarely used anymore, but looked up at him and waved as he passed through the room. He returned the wave, smiling at them as he continued on to his destination. Upon getting in the room, he saw Jinxx sitting on the edge of his and Ash’s bed, gently brushing his sweetheart’s hair back from his brow.

The sight of his sweetheart, looking so miserable from what they now knew was morning sickness, even in his sleep, broke his heart. He’d seen Ash get headaches, a couple of which had been migraines, that left him feeling much the same way, although they didn’t last nearly as long. Andy hated seeing his little kitten feeling so bad, and knowing that, in a way, he’d done this to him hurt even worse. Sure, neither of them had known he was a hermaphrodite, therefore oblivious to the risks they took when making love without protection, but he still felt guilty for impregnating him. Neither of them would ever make their child feel unloved, so long as they both survived the pregnancy, but he’d never forget this feeling of guilt.

“It wasn’t your fault, Andy.”

Startled from his thoughts, the older man gasped softly.

“Sure, you two didn’t know about his condition and that, like a straight couple, you probably should’ve used protection, but it wasn’t your fault,” Jinxx repeated, looking up at him.

“But I’m the one that got him pregnant, Jinxx,” he argued halfheartedly.

“True, but did he ever tell you to stop? Did he ever tell you that he didn’t want it?” the other submissive teen asked.

“No. Actually, he always said, ‘Please, Andy. Show me what love is’,” Andy answered.

“Then if anyone’s to blame, it’s both of you. You both have just as much fault as the other for him getting pregnant,” he told him. “Besides, Ash told me before he fell asleep that this is one of the best things to ever happen to him.”

“What do you mean?” the older man asked curiously.

“Well, we all know about his past. He told me that you were the saving grace he needed when you met,” Jinxx answered. “He’d been contemplating suicide, or just doing something so that his mother really would beat him into his grave, because he couldn’t take it anymore. Then you came along and saved him from all that, took him in and gave him a place to live when you didn’t have to, on top of making him feel safe and loved.”

He sat quietly on the edge of the bed next to him as he listened.

“He also told me that one of his childhood dreams was to one day have a child with the one he loved. Once he figured out he was gay, though, that dream pretty much went down the drain since he refused to engage in any kind of activity like that with someone he wasn’t attracted to and didn’t love…until now.”

Shocked, the older man just sat there, eyes wide and mouth barely closed.

“Ashley’s stronger than he looks, in every way imaginable,” Jinxx told him, giving him a gentle smile. “He’ll make it through this, if only to see the smiling face of your baby.”

Andy quietly thanked him for his encouraging words before he decided to excuse himself from the room and give them some time alone. He knew without a doubt that his sweetheart, his little kitten, was stronger than appearances gave away; anyone who had to grow up the way he did would be. He just didn’t know what’d gone through his mind at the time of their meeting, or he would’ve realized just how much he meant to him.

The thought of his sweetheart possibly dying during childbirth still brought his spirits down a little bit. Sure, Ash was a strong young man and had been through a lot to give him that strength, but Dr. Ringel was right when she said that the male body just wasn’t designed for child-bearing. Maybe he could make it through the pregnancy and delivery because, since he was born a hermaphrodite, his body could adapt better than anyone could predict. Maybe he and the baby would both survive, therefore making the young band director one of the happiest men on the planet.

However, no one really knew just what kinds of twists and turns this pregnancy could present, nor did they know if Ash and the baby would even survive. Seeing him as sick as he was just from the morning sickness alone made him wonder if he really would before he realized that thinking like that wouldn’t do him any good. He had to live and love his little kitten as if every day that passed wouldn’t be his—or their baby’s—last to spend with him, not like he was constantly at Death’s door.

Notes