Together Again

Eight hours later, Andy was making his way from the airport to his sweetheart’s house as fast as he legally could. Since his jet had taken off from LAX at nine, Pacific time, that would’ve put him on the ground at five. With the time-zone change, that meant it was actually eight in the evening here in central-Eastern Tennessee, which explained why it was already dark here.

Neither of them had told Legacy and Magick that he was coming, so they’d be pleasantly surprised when they saw him. Then again, they’d be even more surprised to find out they were going to be big sisters to another set of twins. He knew they were far from stupid, that they’d know how Ash got pregnant, but he couldn’t wait to see their reactions.

Almost an hour after finally leaving McGhee-Tyson, the younger man pulled up in the driveway of his sweetheart’s house. Sitting outside just like the morning he’d finally found them last summer were two cars. Judging by its appearance, and the fact that it was more than the older man’s style, he assumed the 1996 Ford Mustang belonged to the older man. It was also the car he’d claimed as his favorite years ago, back around the time they first met, if not long before then.

Ashes, I’m here, he typed out, then tapped Send.

Door’s unlocked…just yell so the girls don’t try to kill ya, Ash responded.

Now why would they try to kill their dear old daddy? he asked, laughing as he read and typed.

Because this is the hills of Tennessee. They were born and raised here, and that includes knowing how to use a shotgun, his sweetheart answered.

“Oh, sweet Jinxx,” the younger man groaned, dragging a hand down his face while grabbing his suitcase. “Who’d have thought he’d train our girls as hillbilly killers?”

He made his way up on the front deck as quietly as he could, although he couldn’t help but wonder if making a ton of noise would’ve been better. Taking a deep breath, Andy reached out and grabbed the doorknob, quickly turning it and pushing the door open. Almost immediately, he felt something cold, hard, and round stab him in the chest.

“Sweet Jinxx, get that thing away from me!” he snapped, grabbing at the barrel of the shotgun he was met with.

“Daddy?” Legacy asked, lowering her weapon. “Holy shit, you scared us!”

“Sorry, girls,” he said, opening his arms for a hug once she’d put the gun away. “Mama knew I was coming; I guess he forgot to tell y’all.”

“Mama hasn’t been feeling good,” Magick said, snuggling against him.

“He was leaning over the back deck’s railing when we got home, so I guess he’s been like that all day,” her twin agreed.

Andy didn’t say a word about his pregnancy to them just yet. “I’m guessing you girls were working on dinner?”

“For ourselves,” his older daughter answered. “Mama said he didn’t want steak, which is odd, and locked himself in his room.”

“You two go finish up and I’ll go check on him,” he suggested. “And I know that as good as it smells to us, opening a window and letting the house air out would probably be a good idea.”

Legacy and Magick both cocked a brow at him curiously.

“Whenever Mama would catch the flu or be nauseous for any reason when he was younger, he didn’t like the scent of meat,” he told them. “He said it made him feel worse.”

“Ohhh,” they breathed, their eyes widening. “We would’ve made something else, if we’d known that.”

“It’s all right, girls.” The younger man gently kissed their foreheads. “You didn’t before, but he’ll be all right.”

His younger daughter handed him a bottle of ginger ale to take up with him. “Tell him we said we’re sorry and we’ll open some windows, even though it’s cold out.”

“I will, angel,” Andy promised, kissing her forehead as he took the bottle.

The twins disappeared back into the kitchen and he immediately heard a window opening, despite the fact that it was only about twenty degrees outside. He knew Ash might not like that since he wasn’t paying to heat the entire neighborhood, but he didn’t care; he’d gladly give him enough money to pay his power bill if it rose even the slightest bit. He just wanted his sweetheart to feel better, and if that meant airing the house out, he’d do it.

After climbing the stairs, he headed for the door he remembered leading to the master suite and gently knocked on it. He heard a soft Come in from the other side and gently opened the door. Quickly stepping into the room, he closed the mahogany panel behind him and stuffed a towel under it, hoping to cut down on how much he smelled the meat.

“Hey there, Outlaw,” he said, gently sitting on the edge of the bed. “How’re ya feeling?”

“Like shit,” Ash answered miserably, his head from his eyes up covered by a pillow. “I haven’t really been able to keep anything down all day.”

“I brought you a bottle of ginger ale,” the younger man told him, twisting the cap off.

“Th-thanks,” he stuttered, pulling the pillow off his head and sitting up a bit. He took a couple tentative sips of it, grimacing at the flavor.

“Yeah, I know…it’s not the best tasting stuff,” he chuckled, gently brushing his hair back.

“As long as it helps get my stomach under control,” the older man whimpered.

“It’ll be all right, Ashes,” Andy said, gently kissing his temple. “This is why I said I’d fly back out here.”

“I know,” he sighed, setting the bottle down for the moment.

“So what’d your doctor say? You guys healthy as horses?” He gently caressed his lower belly.

“Yeah, we are.” Ash smiled as he covered his lover’s hand with his own. “Considering that I’m turning forty-four in a couple days, I’m surprised.”

“Why’s that, Outlaw?”

“Because the same things goes for me as it does for women.” He took a deep breath. “Starting at thirty-five, there are more risks with pregnancy. Starting at forty, babies can be born with various congenital defects, simply because age is a factor in how healthy both they and the mother are.”

“That’s understandable,” the younger man agreed. “I’m guessing the risks are pretty high, considering how old you are?”

“Compared to when I was pregnant with the girls, oh, yeah,” he answered, nodding.

“Then we’ll just have to do everything possible to keep you guys in the best of health, won’t we?” Andy smiled and caressed his belly again. “That means if the doctor wants you on bed rest, you’re going on bed rest, damn it.”

“I’d never go against my doctor’s orders,” he swore. “The risks would be high enough just having twins, but combined with my age? No way would I put them in danger.”

A bit skeptical about that, considering how stubborn he’d been when they were younger, he merely shrugged his shoulders. He was here to help take care of him, to help him feel better, not cause him more stress during a time when being relaxed was critical. That drew a bit of a smile from the older man, which in turn drew one from him.

Not long after he’d arrived, Ash expressed a desire to attempt finding something to eat once again. He said he felt like he was starving, considering that he wasn’t able to hold much down all day, and his lover had an idea. Unless he already had what he was thinking of in the house, it would require a trip to whatever local grocery store was open this late, but he didn’t care. If his idea worked, then it would be good for both the older than and their unborn babies.

Surprisingly, his sweetheart was able to sit in the kitchen while he cooked, humming happily as he nibbled on some Italian bread. Andy took note of how he was making sure not to eat too fast, just barely nibble at it, and knew it was to avoid upsetting his stomach again. He just hoped the chicken soup he was making agreed with him since it was a pretty light fare in comparison to the steak the girls had made.

Once the soup was done, Ash dug into it like he really was starving, and he supposed he probably really did feel that way. Pregnancy couldn’t have been easy on him the first time around with two little ones relying on him for everything, and he really wished he’d been there to help him. He knew there was no sense in dwelling on the past, though, not when he was here this time around. It was better to be here now and able to take care of him than dwell on the past, which he couldn’t change. That thought brought a smile to his face as he finished his own bowl a bit faster than his sweetheart.

“I’m gonna go back upstairs and lay down,” the older man said softly as he pushed his bowl away.

“You feeling all right, Outlaw?” Andy asked, concerned about him.

“Just tired, Batman,” he answered, smiling slightly. “Pregnancy is more tiring than it seems.”

“All right.” He gave him a gentle kiss before he got up from his seat. “I’ll be up once I get the dishwasher loaded.”

“Just don’t take too long,” Ash chuckled. “I miss cuddling with you.”

“You and me both, my love,” the younger man laughed.

He watched as he slowly climbed the stairs, then started on his task once his figure had disappeared at the top. Thankfully, the house was aired out enough to avoid upsetting his obviously iffy stomach, so he closed the window over the sink after loading the dishwasher. Since it was full, he added the detergent before closing and locking the door, then starting it before heading upstairs.

Andy quickly checked on their daughters, even though he really didn’t need to. As he suspected they’d done all their lives, they were cuddled up together in the center of their king-size bed. If he wasn’t mistaken, Legacy was laying behind her sister, her arm thrown over her waist protectively as she spooned her.

With a smile on his face, he gently closed their bedroom door again before heading down the hall to the master suite. The second he opened the door, he was alarmed to hear panting coming from the bathroom, and he quickly closed and locked it. Knowing the older man was the only one in here, he knew it was him and hoped he was okay. With a soft, resigned sigh, he headed to the bathroom to check on him, the sight meeting his eyes when he opened the door one that broke his heart. This was one of the few things he’d ever forget as long as he lived, it was that emotional for him.

On his knees in front of the toilet, which he clung to for dear life, as his miserable sweetheart. It was obvious that his dinner hadn’t stayed down after all, and he was trying to catch his breath after spewing what little he’d given him. Andy immediately knelt down at his side, gently rubbing his back and murmuring sweet-nothings in his ear. He leaned against him with a soft moan of despair, his brow clammy with the cold sweat he’d broken out in as he lost his dinner.

“I’m so sorry, Outlaw,” the younger man murmured, gently kissing his temple.

“I hate…morning sickness,” Ash whimpered, nuzzling his neck.

“I’d hate it, too, if I were you,” he said sympathetically. “Constantly feeling hungry can’t be fun, and I’m sure your ribs hurt from all the heaving.”

“They do,” the older man moaned. “They haven’t hurt this bad since I got pregnant the first time.”

“Not even catching the flu is this bad, is it?” Andy asked curiously.

“No. At least the flu lasts for about three weeks; this lasts for closer to three months,” his sweetheart answered.

“Yikes. Yeah, I’m definitely sorry for doing this to you now,” he murmured, gently kissing his head.

“It’s really not your fault,” he insisted. “It’s not like you meant for the condom to break.”

“True enough, but if I hadn’t been lodged balls-deep inside you when I came, we wouldn’t have this problem,” Andy told him.

“True enough,” he conceded with a sigh.

“Let’s get you to bed so you can try to get some rest,” the younger man said, gently scooping him up.

“Can you grab a trash can before you come to bed?” his sweetheart asked miserably. “I don’t wanna be up and down all night, if things go the way they did the last time.”

The younger man nodded as he carried him into the bedroom and gently laid him down on what they considered his side of the bed. He helped him strip down to his boxer-briefs, knowing he couldn’t sleep in anything else, if he slept in that much. The fact that he was already miserable from his morning sickness made him want to strip him all the way down to his birthday suit. However, it was up to Ash what he actually slept in, and he’d decided on sleeping in his underwear.

With the older man settled in bed, Andy rounded up a decent-sized trash can and a fresh bag so it’d be easy to clean up in the morning. He also grabbed him more ginger ale before stripping down to his own boxer-briefs. He chuckled at his sweetheart’s longing look at his crotch, but know matter how horny he was, now wasn’t the time.

Chuckling softly since he knew he wanted him, the younger man crawled into bed behind him. Unlike when he normally spooned him, he merely rested his hand gently on his hip rather than wrapping his arm around his waist. Ash was already laying on his right side to keep the pressure off his stomach, and he didn’t want to completely defeat that purpose by resting the full weight of his arm on it.

“Good night, Outlaw,” Andy said, gently kissing his temple as he reached over to turn off the lamp. “Sweet dreams, and I love you.”

“G’night, Batman,” he answered, sighing softly. “Sweet dreams, and I love you, too.”

It wasn’t long afterward that the pair fell asleep, but the younger man doubted that would last long, if his morning sickness continued through the night.

Notes