Together Again

The next morning, Andy woke when his phone miraculously started ringing in his pocket. His sweetheart was still asleep in his arms, their daughters asleep on the couch under the window across the room. He quickly pulled the offending the device out, realizing it was Jinxx when he saw the multi-instrumentalist’s picture on the screen through blurry eyes.

“Morning, Mama Jinxx,” he yawned, his voice sounding like a growl.

“Andy! Thank Godsmack you answered!” the slightly older man said, heaving a sigh of relief. “Where the Hell are you?”

“In the hospital,” he answered, toning down his voice when Ash squirmed in his arms.

“What? Why are you in the hospital?” Jinxx asked, sounding a bit wound up again.

“Oh, I dunno…maybe being moral support for my laboring fiancé,” Andy chuckled. “Sorry I didn’t call you guys last night; he was my main focus.”

“It’s fine, dude; we understand,” his friend told him. “I’m guessing everyone’s fine?”

“Ash is actually asleep in my other arm, and the twins are in the nursery,” the younger man answered. “A healthy boy and girl, the boy clocking in at eight pounds, two ounces, and nineteen and a quarter inches. His baby sister clocked in at six pounds, fourteen ounces, and a short sixteen and a-half inches.”

“Wow, she was a small one,” Jinxx chuckled.

“Not really,” his sweetheart mumbled sleepily. “She’s about the same size Legacy and Magick were when they were born.”

“Well, good morning, Outlaw,” Andy said, gently kissing his temple. “I forgot to call the guys last night, so Mama Jinxx was freaking out.”

“Like I said, now that we know you guys are all right, we completely understand,” the multi-instrumentalist repeated, a chorus of “Yeahs” from whom he assumed were Jake and CC sounding in the background.

“We’re still sorry,” Ash yawned. “I was in too much pain to worry about it, and he was focused on helping me however he could.”

“As well he should’ve been,” another voice agreed, and they knew it was Jake. “We’re guessing the girls are with you since we didn’t find ’em here at your house.”

“They are,” Andy answered. “We didn’t wanna leave ’em, and they wanted to come with us, anyway.”

“We’ll let you guys get some more rest, maybe stop by to see you and the little ones later,” Jinxx chuckled. “Doubtless you’re all exhausted.”

“The girls and I could use some more sleep, but Ash is practically dead in the water,” he chuckled, gently kissing his sweetheart’s forehead.

“I didn’t sleep much for about twenty-four hours before I went into labor,” the older man yawned. “I dunno why; maybe because my body knew what was coming. And we all know labor’s exhausting, anyway.”

“Hence why we’re gonna let you get some more rest before we even think of trying to pay a visit,” their friend chuckled.

“All right; we’ll see ya later, Mama Jinxx,” Andy said.

“See ya later, dude,” he responded, then ended their call.

The younger man quietly apologized for waking him, as he’d been trying to stay quiet since he knew he needed the rest. Ash waved off his apology, saying that he’d woken up because he needed to go to the bathroom, something that wasn’t uncommon. Knowing he probably needed the help, but tended to be fairly independent, he asked if he needed help making it to the bathroom.

If he hadn’t just given birth again less than twelve hours ago, therefore requiring stitches in his ass, he’d have refused. The older man tended to be pretty stubborn about his independence, but even he knew when he needed help. Since he was still weak and incredibly sore, he nodded and moved enough for his lover to get up.

After a few minutes of patience, Andy was holding his sweetheart up as they slowly walked to the adjoining bathroom. Even once he’d reached the toilet, he decided that he couldn’t return to standing and aiming just yet, his knees shaking from just that short walk. Nodding to him, the younger man gently turned him around and guided him down, making sure he was steady and not in danger of falling. It was only when he was safely sitting on the toilet that he released even the softest sigh of relief. That earned him a sleepy smile from the older man, who didn’t care that he kissed him while he was sitting on the can.

Once he was done, Ash accepted his lover’s help to get back to his feet and get his shorts pulled up before heading back to bed. He let his weight lean against the younger man, his legs feeling incredibly weak like they had the last time after all the effort he’d put into delivering his children. Just the fact that he was able to get up and make it to the bathroom in time with help was a feat, as evidenced by the encouraging smile on the face of the nurse who’d come to check on him.

“Glad to see ya up and moving around this morning, Mr. Purdy,” she said.

“Trust me, I don’t wanna be,” he groaned, sighing as he got settled in bed again.

“Don’t mind him; he’s a little cranky since he’s still exhausted,” Andy chuckled, pulling the covers back up over him.

“I’m used to it, Mr. Biersack,” she chuckled, moving the rolling tray over his lap. “It’s part of the job, and to be expected. Anyway, it’s breakfast time, so I thought I’d come check on you before it’s brought in.”

“I can’t decide if I’m starving, or don’t want anything to do with food,” Ash admitted a bit sheepishly.

“That’s fine; no one’s gonna rush you,” the nurse assured him. “We realize that not all new mothers want food quite this soon after delivery. Then again, others want it immediately after giving birth.”

“Might I get some directions to the cafeteria?” the younger man asked. “I admit I wasn’t exactly paying attention last night, and our daughters and I are gonna need food soon, too.”

With a smile plastered on her kisser, she gladly gave him directions to the cafeteria, thinking he was going to go immediately. Instead, he waited for a while, wanting to know what Legacy and Magick wanted to eat since he had no doubt they were going to want to stay with their mama. Undoubtedly, they trusted the hospital staff as little as he did, and as vulnerable as the older man was right now, they’d likely feel protective of him.

Shortly thereafter when the girls awoke, Andy found out what they wanted, nodding as he set off for the cafeteria to get it. Like he’d predicted, they’d chosen to stay behind, and it was a good thing, too. When she thought they weren’t listening, the nurse lowered her voice and told his sweetheart she thought he was an idiot for being gay and letting himself be put in a position where he carried and delivered children. The rude, demeaning comments left him in tears, something his older daughters hated seeing with a burning passion.

By the time the younger man got back, they’d been able to console Ash enough that he wasn’t crying anymore, but he was still sniffling a bit. The second his lover laid eyes on him and took in his emotional state, he was ready to commit murder. How dare someone tell him he was an idiot for falling in love and having children with another man?

Needless to say, the nurse in question was fired before the day’s end, something that made Andy all too happy. He didn’t like the fact that someone had lost their job, and therefore their source of income, because of him, but she’d brought it on herself. One didn’t make a disrespectful, demeaning comment like that to him, his family, or his friends, without suffering the repercussions of their actions. If someone wanted to try gouging out his eye or that of a friend or family member, he was going to bare his own claws right back at them, and he could claw worse.

* * *

Six hours later, Andy was gently cradling his newborn son while his sweetheart nursed their new daughter. They’d finally decided on names for the little ones, and they definitely sounded a bit country to him. Unlike their older daughters, these babies had been partially named after them, and he really liked that about their names.

While nursing the babies, Ash kept the bed leaned back so he could rest his head on his pillow without straining his neck. He actually dozed off while they were nursing, their hungry suckling apparently not bothering him in the least. The younger man found it a bit funny, but also very sweet. As tired as he undoubtedly was after laboring and working so hard to give birth to them, he needed every wink of sleep he could get. If taking a cat nap while they were nursing allowed him to get that sleep, he wouldn’t wake him up.

Moments before their newest daughter spit his nipple back out, there was a soft knock at the door. Since his sweetheart was dozing, Andy called out softly to let whoever it was know they could come in as he handed his new son to Legacy. He grinned widely when the door opened to reveal Jake, Jinxx, and CC, all holding some kind of present, flowers, or balloons for the new mommy.

“Hey, guys,” he said softly, gently prying the younger baby from her mama’s arms.

“Hey, Andy,” they all answered, smiling as they set their parcels down.

“So this is the little princess, huh?” Jake chuckled, watching as he moved the baby to his shoulder to burp her.

“Mmm hmm. Her twin brother is with Legacy,” Andy answered, nodding. “C’mon, princess. Give Daddy a big girl burp.”

The newborn let out the cutest burp any of them had ever heard moments later, making them all chuckle softly.

“I’ll take her while you change Levi’s diaper,” Magick said, holding out her hands.

“Thanks, angel,” he agreed, gently handing her over.

“So that’s the little guy’s name?” CC chuckled, gently stroking his head after his daddy took him.

“Levi Briar-Andrew Biersack,” the younger man answered with a proud grin.

“And what about his baby sister?” Jinxx asked curiously as the trio took seats on the floor.

“Logan Scarlette-Ashley Biersack,” he answered. He gently laid his son down between Ash’s ankles, gently tapping his feet to wake him up. “Levi’s between your ankles, so be careful, Outlaw.”

“Mmm,” the older man hummed, nodding as he yawned.

“He decided he wanted them to have slightly country-sounding names this time, considering that Legacy and Magick have such unusual names,” Andy told their friends. “Those were the ones we could agree on, and I think they suit them.”

“How so?” the guitarist asked curiously.

“You’d never believe it, but Levi’s the submissive twin. Although it’s actually Hebrew, his name means joined or attached.” He smiled at his son as he changed his diaper fairly well. “We both think he’s gonna be really shy and not wanna be far from Ash.”

“What about Logan?” the drummer asked.

“Celtic name that means from the hollow,” he answered as he buttoned Levi’s onesie.

“I think they’re both beautiful names for equally beautiful babies,” the multi-instrumentalist said with a smile.

“Thanks, Jinxx,” Andy said. “You can hold him, if you wanna.”

Taking the honor of getting to hold his new “nephew”, Jinxx gently cradled the tiny baby just as gently as he’d once cradled his own son. He gently caressed the baby’s cheek and head, cooing to him softly as he used almost invisible movements to rock him back and forth. Jake and CC were sitting on either side of him and let the newborn grab their fingers in his tiny fists.

Andy chuckled as he watched his friends while changing Logan’s diaper, her tiny body resting between her mama’s ankles as he did so. Still asleep, Ash’s legs were limp on either side of her body, meaning she was in no danger of being hurt. Besides, as they’d worked out just an hour after their births, if either of the babies were between his ankles and he started moving too much, his lover would either tap his feet, or grab his ankles to pin them down and keep him from accidentally hurting them.

Once both babies had been changed, he sat by his sweetheart’s bedside while he watched the guys pass their newborns between themselves. Legacy and Magick had dozed off again since they’d been helping them as much as they could, thus leading to a more or less sleepless night for them.

By the time visiting hours ended a good three hours later, the twins had been taken back to the nursery and Ash’d finally woken up enough to be social. It was obvious that he was still tired, but he was incredibly hungry and needed a trip to the bathroom. Since Andy’d left to get him some food from the cafeteria, CC stepped up and used the incredible strength he’d gained from all his years as a drummer to help him. The older man was incredibly thankful as he helped him to the bathroom, where he once again decided to forego trying to stand and aim since his legs still felt entirely too weak.

“Thanks, Ceese,” he sighed after relieving himself.

“You’re a friend, Ash, and what’re friends for?” the drummer chuckled, helping him back up once he was ready.

Ash yelped as he pulled him up a little too fast, causing him to crash into his chest and latch onto him for dear life before he lost his balance.

“Whoops. Sorry, Ash; I didn’t mean to pull ya up that fast,” CC said, instinctively wrapping his arms around him to steady him. “You all right?”

“I have a bit of a head rush now,” he answered, soon pushing himself away a bit. “But it doesn’t really matter; I’ll be fine.”

“You guys all right in there?” Jinxx asked, cracking open the door. “We heard Ash yelp.”

“We’re fine; I just pulled him up a bit too fast,” the slightly younger man answered.

“All right. Andy’s kinda worried since he walked in just as he yelped,” the multi-instrumentalist said.

“Tell him we’re both fine and we’ll be out in a minute,” the drummer requested.

“Will do, bud. You two take your time,” he answered.

Taking things much slower than either of them were used to, the slightly younger man helped his friend back out to bed. Ash was thankful for his help, and that he slowed their pace so that he wasn’t trying to move too fast for a new mother. When they reached the bed, he breathed a sigh of relief, although he grimaced as he sat down on its edge. The mattress was like a rock, certainly not designed for a man who had to deliver anally, and any pain meds he’d been given had long since worn off.

His loving fiancé was immediately worried about him and moved to his other side to help however he could. He was thankful for Andy’s assistance, as he couldn’t really spread his legs much since he was so sore. While he balanced his upper body, his helpers wrangled his legs to make things easier, and he was once again thankful.

With his sweetheart in bed again, Andy thanked the guys for stopping by to see them before the nurses said it was time to leave. None of them would accept his thanks, telling him it was the least they could do once they found out where they were, before waving as they walked out. Since the girls were soon to start school, he got Jinxx to stay behind long enough to get him to bring his car back to him, and to ask if the girls could spend the next couple nights with him. Of course the multi-instrumentalist said he would, and that he’d get his son to follow with his own car so he could get back home.

Now that everything was quiet and calm once again, the pair savored their dinner while enjoying the peace and quiet. With none of their kids in the room, and their friends kicked out due to the end of visiting hours, the managed to plan a bit of their wedding before Ash fell asleep again. Once his sweetheart was asleep, Andy cleaned up their trash before joining him, a smile plastered to his kisser the whole time.

Notes